This post is largely about developments in World Of Warcraft and Eve-Online, more the latter, but both have made recent changes that have something in common with Second Life, so I felt it was worth talking about these issues.
In a rather surprising move, World Of Warcraft has moved from a 14 day trial, to allowing people to play for free, although they will get capped at level 20 if they don’t move to the subscription model. World Of Warcraft has been losing subscribers but was rumoured to still have over eleven million paying customers quite recently, so it’s not as if they are in the desperation stakes. One does have to wonder if World of Warcraft is approaching the Gillette Mach 3 stage, people just keep damn well using Mach III’s even though it’s old and they want people to use a newer product!
This is also interesting when looking at Second Life because the market seems to be moving more towards the free to play model that Second Life has employed since 2006, several MMO’s have moved to free to play with people being enticed to buy subscriptions or buy items and whereas World Of Warcraft isn’t doing that yet, others have been, Lord Of The Rings Online for example.
As I am not certified for a SL press pass, I look to the SL press for news and information on things happening at Linden Lab, I used to look at the main blog but that seems to be in sore need of some care and attention. The forums aren’t so bad, and the mesh forum for those interested in mesh, is interesting viewing, even for those who don’t like mesh, it’s interesting viewing! However for general information I keep an eye on the SL press and SL Press member extraordinaire; Inara Pey, has an interesting post regarding SL8B, or more to the point about the lack of Linden involvement at SL8B. I agree with the main thrust of Inara’s post, to quote in part:
“SL8B represents a marvellous opportunity for LL to reach out to the user community and communicate with us – so where are they?
I’m not talking about glad-handing or getting involved in in-depth discussions about who, what, when, where, how and why; rather I’m talking about getting up on stage and giving an overview of what is coming down the road, thing like:
What is happening with Viewer 2? What is Mesh going to look like? (Given many haven’t see the results from the Beta Grid) What is happening around service improvements like Group chat and server-side lag issues?”
The SL8B Blog itself is on its own blog, containing far more information about happenings than Linden Lab’s own official blog, have they outsourced the birthday event or something? I know Linden Lab officially take a hands off approach to SLCC.
5th Annual BACK TO THE 50s WEEKEND!
Relay for Life of Second Life Multi-Team Event
June 10th-12th, 2011
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THANK YOU TO OUR SIM SPONSOR: RUN AROUND SUE’S!!!
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Thank you to Drive In sponsor Nexxus and Carnival Sponsor Lil’ Sugar Shack!
Get out those poodle skirts, bobby socks and saddle shoes or the leather jackets, cuffed jeans and don those ducktails, we’re headed back to the 50’s! It’s time for the 5th Annual Back to the 50’s Weekend for Relay for Life! It’s all happening June 10th, 11th and 12th, 2011.
The weekend begins with a Sock Hop and a Skating Party with some of SL’s excellent DJs. on June 10th, from 6-8 PM.
Saturday will see festivities all day long. The carnival opens at 9 am. Carnival rides, game booths, the mechanical bull (with a FABULOUS grand prize); kissing booth; Dunk Tank; carnival clowns and watch out for the Police who will be slamming all hooligans straight in the slammer. Send out a warrant and have them arrested Yep,they’ll have to bail their way out. The Classic Car Contest returns on Friday night, where you can vote over and over again for your favorites. Be sure and visit the Labyrinth, too.. who knows the fun twists and turns that could take? Saturday will end with another Sock Hop and Skating Party.
Be sure and shop our town shoppes and look for the special things selling especially for RFL, by some our RFL teams!
The fun continues all day Sunday, the 12th and ends with skating party at 6pm or a double feature at the drive-in movie theater from 6-9pm SLT.
It’s a jam-packed oldie, but goodie weekend.. and it’s all for Relay for Life!
Be There or Be Square!
Schedule of Team Events
Friday, June 10, 2011
Sock Hop
6pm-8pm SLT
Team: RFL Harmony of Hope
with DJ Mordred Lectar
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Sock Hop
6pm-8pm
Team: Relay for Hope
with DJ bball Braveheart
Skating Party
6-8pm SLT
Team: Breeders Hope for Cure
with DJ Ronson Drucker
Dunk Tank
10am-3pm SLT
Team: Circle of Life
Dunk Tank
3pm-8pm SLT
Team: Dominion RFL of SL
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Dunk Tank
10am-5pm SLT
Shayla Juran spins the 50’s
Live at the carnival
2pm-4pm
Skating Party
6-8pm SLT
Team: Heros for Life
with DJ NightWalker Galaxy
Sunday Night at the Drive-In
6pm-9pm SLT
Team: Passionate Redheads
Movies: Blue Hawaii & Viva Las Vegas
Events Covering All Three Days
Kissing Booth
Team: Marga-Relay-Ville Team
Raffle
Team: Aether Chrononauts
Classic Car Contest & Raffle
Team: Radicals for Life
Town Shoppes
Children’s Light
Remembering Our Friends Memorial Angels
Friends Fighting Cancer
Dandelions-N-Mudpuddles
Rays of Hope
Just a quick update, because I am totally exhausted…….WE RAISED OVER L1,120,000 this weekend!!!! More news to come. I am just too tired right now to go into all of it….it is amazing what a little love can do.
That is exactly what this is. A two day jammed pack musical line up as follows:
There are 35+ raffle prizes…..from an Amaretto Clydesdale female 6 y/o, a compatible set of meeroo nests, KittyCatS Kittens,a Cinderella Carriage (one with horses and mouse, one without). 3 gifts from Corvus Imaginarium, Jewelry, and soooooooooooooooo much more.
Mark your calenders……a time with whom you would like to see……or just send LINDENS….yes CASH WORKS TOO!
All proceeds will be forwarded to the Red Cross Missouri Tornado Relief Fund, and it will run Saturday, June 4th from 1pm to 9pm and Sunday, June 5th from 12 noon to 8pm.
Thank you to all the many people who donate their time to do these events…the artists and the hosts – all of whom are listed above-, the managers who work behind the scenes but whom we couldn’t do without -Kiran Sporg, Lo Bloch, Sarah Yorkshire, Sher Salmson -, all the many people who have donated their work for the raffle. Gwampa Lomu, whom has so generously donated the use of his venue over the weekend. A special thank you to Edward Lowell and the folks from the StreamTeam who have been kind enough to donate the two streams for this event.
If I have missed anyone, it is not because it is not felt. It is. Just smack me inworld.
This past year it seems we have been hit with so many natural disasters. We have been asked time and time again to reach into our pockets and GIVE. To the point that we want to cry and say STOP. Well, I wish that were the case here and now……but it is not. I am asking again
As most of you know who read this blog, SL Home and Garden Expo ended the weekend before last. During the time of the expo, I had the opportunity to work closely with, and to get to know this amazing person. A person who gives so much of herself that at the end of the day she literally falls into bed exhausted. Who works almost year round to successfully raise funds for RFL. Such is her belief in what she does. Not only does SHE do this, her son walks in her footsteps. So let me introduce you to Nikki Mathieson, oh yes and you may remember (or not) an interview I did with her son Damian Carbenell a few months ago.
Joplin on the map
Please, meet them, and meet Joplin —
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150. In 2009, the surrounding Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 174,300.
On May 22, 2011, Joplin was struck by an extremely powerful EF-5 tornado, resulting in at least 142 deaths and more than 900 injuries, along with major damage to numerous houses and businesses, St. John’s Medical Center, and multiple school buildings. Continue reading “Real Life hits Second Life AGAIN – Joplin, Missouri”
