Congress to Second Life: No new taxes?
The senior economist for Congress’ Joint Economic Committee sent a few signals about the its long-awaited report on virtual world taxation in a Second Life appearance on Monday.
“We are not looking to impose taxes,” Miller told a packed house at the Metanomics session. “In my opinon the less government regulation you have on virtual worlds, the more they’ll thrive and develop.”
Linden Lab settles Bragg lawsuit
Linden Lab has reached a settlement with Marc Bragg, who sued the company in 2006, claiming the company unfairly terminated his account, causing the loss of his virtual business.
Links for October 3
A new ad network from the Electric Sheep Company, a Metaverse Market Index from Cisco, and a proposal for “Second Life Indicator Contracts.”
Second Life user hours drop in August
The total number of hours spent within Second Life declined by nearly 1 percent in August, the first drop in a year and a half.
UPDATE - Anshe Chung gets new venture funding
Anshe Chung Studios, the virtual world development and real estate company with major holdings in Second Life, has received a new round of venture capital financing from New York-based Gladwyne Partners.
HBO buys machinima film created in Second Life
HBO has acquired the rights to a short-form documentary shot entirely within Second Life, as entertainment companies turn to virtual worlds as a source for new content.
Eric Reuters — live from the SLCC
If you’re in Chicago this weekend, keep a lookout for Eric Reuters, aka Eric Krangel, our man at the SLCC.
Linden rachets back land supply
Linden Lab is racheting back its “amazing land printing press,” a move that will be welcomed by virtual real estate entrepreneurs who have seen a steady decrease in prices over the last few months.
Radar Magazine: Virtual Depravity
Radar magazine has a little fun with some sex-starved Second Life residents by giving them the role-play action they desperately desire, but perhaps a bit more literally than they expected.
UPDATE - Linden gambling cops crack down
After only one gambling violation on the Linden Lab police blotter since the ban went into effect on July 26, the virtual world’s gambling cops issued 15 citations on Friday. Warnings were issued for the terms of service violation.
Unable to pay depositors, Ginko ceases banking operations
Ginko Financial ceased banking operations on Wednesday evening after a week of financial turmoil depleted the controversial firm’s reserves and spurred a rush of depositors trying to withdraw their money.
Waiting for Duran
This week marks one year since Duran Duran announced that it would establish a presence in Second Life and called on its fans to help develop a “fully functional, futuristic utopia.”
After a long wait, it looks increasingly unlikely that the much-hyped plans will ever come to fruition. But Duran fans are undaunted, even if the band never makes its virtual debut.
“The Duranies will make their own Duran Duran themed celebrations for their one year birthday in Second Life, without any official help from the band or its management; including several parties, a voice discussion using the new SL voice client capabilities, and a group photo shoot,” according to a press release from resident Candy Durant.
“I think at some point, many of us stopped caring if the guys would ever appear in Second Life. We found other things to interest us on the grid, and we’re having our own fun,” Durant said. “If they don’t open the islands to coincide with the release of their next album, then it’s probably a dead project.”
Deficits, money supply and the Second Life business cycle
A fascinating essay raises questions about how Linden Lab manages the Second Life economy. The bottom line: “It appears very likely that Second Life will experience at least some form of economic recession.”
Warren Ellis book signing
Our very own Second Life columnist will be “signing” virtual copies of his first novel, Crooked Little Vein, over at Millions of Us’ New Globe Theater next week. The free Second Life edition contains the first chapter.
Date: Thursday, August 9, 2007
Time: 1pm Pacific
Where: New Globe Theater
I burned through this book over the weekend and […]
Wired editor: “Why I gave up on Second Life”
Chris Anderson:
Why did I turn on Second Life, after not only paying to build a Wired HQ in-world, but also doing a book signing and interview (shown) there, and even being nominated for a National Magazine Award for our “travel guide” to SL?
Click through for the answer, which sounds as though Chris may not be entirely sure of his decision after a “seductive Long Tail argument” from Wagner James Au.
Crisis in Second Life financial sector deepens
A gambling ban, insider theft at the World Stock Exchange and a bank run on Ginko Financial within the past week have combined to threaten confidence in the integrity of the Second Life financial sector.
UPDATE 1 - Second Life bank caps withdrawals amid panic
Second Life bank Ginko Financial briefly suspended withdrawals on Friday before reinstating them with a limit of only L$5,000 per day, fueling concerns that the bank did not have sufficient funds if its customers attempt to flee en masse.
UPDATE 3 - Linden Lab outlaws Second Life gambling
Second Life’s booming gambling sector was wiped out on Wednesday night when Linden Lab, which had taken earlier steps to restrict activity amid scrutiny from real-world law enforcement agencies, prohibited nearly all games of chance.
“There was no precipitating event or investigation that led to this decision. It was a business decision,” Robin Linden told Reuters in an email.
World Stock Exchange hit by L$3.2 million theft
The World Stock Exchange said on Wednesday a former employee used inside knowledge to steal money from the virtual stock exchange’s ATM network, a sum that totaled more than L$3.2 million (US$12,300) according to one person with knowledge of the matter.
Alarm bells ring — again — about virtual terrorism
Scary reports of terrorism and money laundering in Second Life are nothing new. And the threat is certainly more than just hypothetical: Linden Lab has been culling old accounts due to fears of fraud, and Reuters has learned that Chief Financial Officer John Zdanowski is planning to talk tomorrow about stolen credit cards that were used to buy Linden dollars.
But this week’s Economist has an otherwise well-thought out article about cyber-jihad with an inexcusably vague assertion.
