UPDATE: Potential subpoena list in Bragg v. Linden
A new filing from the attorney of Marc Bragg in his lawsuit against Linden Lab has a very interesting list of individuals “likely to have discoverable information that may be used to support Plaintiff’s claims” and who are likely to testify at trial:
Growth slump threatens gloom for SL businesses
A three-month slowdown in the growth of Second Life’s population and economy is putting the squeeze on some virtual entrepreneurs, even as others report that business has never been better.
Second Life population slumps in June
The number of active Second Life users declined 2.5 percent to 495,000 in June, and the growth in total user hours slowed to its lowest rate in six months, according to data released on Tuesday by Linden Lab.
It was unclear if the decrease in active users reflected a seasonal slump or a broader downturn.
Interview with AjaxLife creator Katharine Berry
The Second Life blogosphere was aflutter on Monday with news that a talented young Teen Grid resident named Katharine Berry had created a prototype Second Life viewer that works within a Web browser.
Suit against Linden dismissed by French court
A court in Paris dismissed a complaint against Linden Lab on Tuesday that was filed by a French group opposed to adult content within the virtual world.
UPDATE - Coca-Cola gives away its trademark in SL?
Has Coca-Cola given Second Life residents carte blanche to remix and profit from the world’s most recognizable and valuable brand?
Supernova conference: Virtual Life or Virtual Hype?
There were a few interesting tidbits in “Virtual Life or Virtual Hype,” a panel at the Supernova conference in San Francisco, featuring panelists Raph Koster, Reuben Steiger and Clay Shirky.
Interview with New York Times editor Bill Keller
New York Times executive editor Bill Keller sat down for a Second Life interview on Saturday to talk about threats to press freedom, the changing nature of the newspaper business as it attempts to embrace the Internet, and the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
Click below to listen to the audio from the interview.
Interview with eBay’s Meg Whitman
Bureau chief Adam Reuters sat down virtually with eBay CEO Meg Whitman on Friday to talk about the overlap between Second Life and the online auction site, as well as its subsidiaries PayPal and Skype.
Mitch Wagner: Linden Lab needs professional help
Fresh from a one-on-one interview with Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale, Information Week’s Mitch Wagner has concluded that the company needs to bring in a new chief executive or chief operating officer if it wants Second Life — which he calls “buggier’n the mattress at a cheap Las Vegas motel” — to prosper:
Linden Lab is [...]
Joystiq on Sony Home: Graphics incredible, nothing to do
The Joystiq blog has an early look at Sony’s Second Life competitor, Home:
There is no denying that the graphics are incredible, especially as you stare out of the windows and look at a photorealistic environment. However, as we noticed several other beta players saying in chat balloons to each other, “This is pretty cool, but there’s not really anything to do here.”
Excuse me while I kiss the sky
Linden Lab is on the acquisition trail, announcing on Monday that it has purchased graphics technology from Boston-based Windward Mark Interactive including Windlight, an “advanced atmospheric rendering technology,” and Nimble, “a realistic 3D cloud simulator.”
CORRECTED - Anshe Chung to open cross-platform financial exchange
Anshe Chung Studios said this weekend it plans to launch a cross-platform financial market and currency exchange that spans virtual worlds including Second Life and Entropia Universe by early next month.
This week’s events from the AvaStar
A fashion show on an Egyptian island, football fever and more.
UK panel urges real-life treatment for virtual cash
Governments should apply real-world laws and regulations to virtual currencies in online worlds like Second Life to prevent potential money laundering, fraud and tax evasion, a report from a British advisory group said on Monday.
Second Life growth slows
Electric Sheep’s Giff Constable (Forseti Svarog in Second Life) has a breakdown of the April statistics released on Thursday by numbers maven Meta Linden. The numbers show that growth in unique Second Life users has been steadily slowing since a peak of nearly 50 percent per month in October, 2006.
Nasdaq boss ponders Second Life stock exchange
Nasdaq CEO Bob Greifeld said on Tuesday he could imagine opening up a stock exchange in Second Life.
“We have actually contemplated it,” he said. “The first life is hard enough, but we’re fans of it and we pay attention to it and we have thought about it.”
Savage Love on Second Life “adultery”
Does extra-marital “sex” in Second Life count as cheating?
Dan Savage’s “Savage Love” sex advice column deals this week with a married man who is conflicted about whether to continue with his Second Life dalliances:
Dan, I feel guilty. My wife would not be happy (understatement of the young century) if she knew of my SL [...]
CNBC gets worked up about NBA in Second Life
The NBA can only hope that playing “Horse” at the league’s new Second Life island is as fun as watching the anchors at CNBC try to wrap their minds around the concept of a virtual world.
Business leaders press Linden Lab on Second Life glitches
Several hundred Second Life entrepreneurs and other residents have called for Linden Lab to deal with persistent technical faults before it rolls out new features, warning that “confidence is steadily being eroded” among the business community.
