/by Speedmaster Bing

/by Speedmaster Bing

One of the fun things about virtual words is the possibility of having a avatar, that is completely made up.
You can be a strange creature, robot or something else. But what if you need to represent yourself as you look in the real world? Or you want a copy of a real object in a virtual world, or 3D shape in an animated movie?

There are several way to accomplish this, like modelling it with the tools provided in the virtual world, use a 3D creation progam, or use a 3D scanner.

3D scanners is rather expensive, for most people, but many already have cheaper “tools” at home.
Like a web camera and a fluid with colour. Or even a powder like substance like sugar.
Add an open-source computer programme and you have your own InkScanViewer.

“The basic idea behind this process is that you can capture the silhouette of an object easily when it is surrounded by a high contrast fluid, such as milk or ink.
When lowering the object into the fluid, the silhouette changes gradually, as the fluid obstructs more and more of the objects shape. By capturing the silhouette of an object at different stages of submersion, one can generate slices, that, if properly stacked together, can be interpreted as 3D data.”.

Head over to Milkscanner and see how you can have your own 3D scanner

/by Claus Uriza

While attending Metanomics weekly show yesterday a friend forwarded me an IM from a Linden worker asking for help in the translation for a coming Danish SL viewer. About an hour later Ms. Linden TP’d and I hooked up with another Dane Tue Torok who has done 80% of the translation already. So all we need for now is finishing the last 20%, adjust, test and try to find the right Danish words for every little single detail. This morning I started testing the viewer and actually I don’t think I will ever use it hehe. I’m too stuck in the English but surely this will be very helpfull for the Danish SL community.
What the Lindens also told me was a coming German and French viewer on its way – that’s cool!
It looks like SL will hit the European market once again very soon.
I can’t wait hehe…

/ by Sky Light
Here is another, interesting example of an interfacing between real-life and second-life.

In this instance, Raymond Weil Geneve is promoting its Nabucco range of fine wrist-watches on an island of the same name, Nabucco Island. This is not a garish hard-sell. This is an artistic creation in 3-D, nicely done. To see this with full effects, follow the (current) link about Second Life from the Raymond Weil Geneve home-page.

From the Raymond Weil Geneve home-page, you should find a series of web-pages about Second Life.

Then using the RW company’s SLurl to Nabucco Island, you should be led to the Nabucco Tour Starting Point in-world.

The tour is a 3-D, mini-adventure through four acts. The final act involves a puzzle using the company logo, but only in the final act and nicely done. The advertising is subtle.

The product itself is displayed elsewhere, without hitting you in the face. There are an info desk and a video, some 3-D representations of the wrist-watches with technical specs, and even a RW club room (the latter for fans and linked to their website).

This appears to me to be rather a good example, isn’t it? What do you think?

Thanks to Rober Miller for bringing this to my attention.

/by Speedmaster Bing

I hadn’t given much tought to what I could expect, Pop Art lab (PAL) send a lot of group messages inviting to this event. And since I had the pleasure to meet Claus Uriza in real life a few days ago, I decided to attend the event.
Logged in about an hour early and joined the party at PAL. I had the feeling it was a good idea, at it turned out it was. Laureen Korhonen warmed up as a DJ, before it was time to hit the teleport and go to the stage. Little was I , and my PC prepared for what came next.

Landed in a seating area, and found myself looking for at good seat, until I realized the position didn’t matter, since you can “fly” around with camera controls(!), and see even from back stage, so I picked the nearest free seat.
Waiting for the curtain to drop, I checked the surroundings. Was not surprised my fairly powerfull PC was struggling, when I checked mini-map

As you can see the event was, a bit crowded. and to be honest I chrashed once.

Looking around I was overwhelmed to see how many people that was pulling the strings. Lights, effects, cameras and even officials looking after people.

“in an effort to reduce the lag…can ya remove your watch?” one of them asked me politely. I had completely forgotten about even a virtual wristwatch can course lag, and with so many people attending every little bit counts. Seems everything was thought of!

Soon after the curtain fell, and reviled a stage with several performers on. And I’m really sorry a statick screen shot does not give this justice

There were so many effects and lights, and sound quality was great.

I’m sure that the performers had timed their movements to the music, be course  I saw the rhythm section only play some of their instruments, when the music acquired it. All performers did a great job, moving around, dancing, and playing their instruments.

Thanks to Cutting Edge Productions, Videopathic, It’s Full of Stars, Fall Films and Pop Art Lab.

As Pop Art Lab write on their blog “This will be one of the most amazing shows ever presented in Second Life”, and it was!

An impresive experience, and cudos to your all!

/by Speedmaster Bing
Apx. 8 years ago, company i worked in had a sales movie, from Nokia, showing off what the mobile world would come to.
My boss had high hopes in selling Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) services to companies. But mobile phone was such a hassle for people to get on-line, and the screen on phone was way to small.

Anyway, Nokia video basically showed your mobile phone had replaced, your wallet/plastic cards, camera, GPS, your favourite online 3D gaming platform, postcards, written letters, even your keys to doors and cars.

Now, 8 apx. years has passed, and I stuble upon an article about MIT Emerging Technology Conference. Note the word Emerging !

At the conference Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie explained that he sees the industry evolving into ’spatial computing’.

So we just connect a mobile phone, google street view, microsoft photosynth, a computer disguised as a table, and a lot of other online services. Which is of course cool, but this was sales pitch years ago!

We have a private island for sale in Second Life (65,536 sq.m, 15,000 prims) – contact Heidi for further informations (e-mail Heidi)

A short video to my friend Doctor Asp from Wonderful Denmark in Second Life.

Korsbæk:

Business:

Other tests:

/by Heidi Ballinger
My dear friend Bevan Whitfield just posted this enjoyable picture of the future Second-Life-Keyboard, hehe.
A picture from Flickr (made by Prad Prathivi)

And I love the “Fix script errors-button”, hehe

Click on the picture to enlarge it

/by Heidi Ballinger
Our honoured guest at Roskilde University, Professor Robert Bloomfield was interviewed by the Danish media today (DR2 Udland) about economics in virtual worlds / Second Life.
Robert Bloomfield, also known as “Beyer Sellers” in Second Life from the Metanomics

I only have this poor link (I am waiting for a better version of the video).

Click this link - and then click on the text “Den virtuelle finansverden trives”