Monthly Archives: October 2010

Fri, Oct 29 2010
Practical guide to virtual education

Practical guide to virtual education

A new book by Coventry University professor Maggi Savin-Baden offers practical advice to educators interested in virtual worlds. A Practical Guide to Using Second Life in Higher Education. According to... 

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Fri, Oct 29 2010
Growing your sim-com business

Growing your sim-com business

Now that we’ve got our new vendor directory ready to launch (see the test page here and give us your opinions!) we’re taking a second look at what exactly customers are looking for when they’re... 

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Fri, Oct 29 2010
Snowcrash Digital joins SpotOn3D

Snowcrash Digital joins SpotOn3D

Press Release: Second Life “gold” solution provider Snowcrash digital joins the SpotOn3D OpenSim grid Snowcrash Digital is a gold certified Second Life® solution provider, most known as the... 

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Thu, Oct 28 2010
Building OpenSim neighborhoods

Building OpenSim neighborhoods

One of the joys of social games like FarmVille is getting to visit your friends. In a virtual world like Second Life, this is also a major attraction — your friends’ regions on the map, you... 

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Thu, Oct 28 2010
ScienceSim expands land grant project

ScienceSim expands land grant project

OpenSim’s ScienceSim grid is expanding its land grant program, with an offer of super-powered regions of up to a million primitive objects and 1,000 simultaneous avatars per region. ScienSim and... 

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Thu, Oct 28 2010
Marketing agency renews InXpo virtual events partnership

Marketing agency renews InXpo virtual events partnership

Press Release: INXPO and George P. Johnson Renew Global Strategic Partnership Deal signals event marketers’ drive to blend Web and physical events CHICAGO, and AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – INXPO... 

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Wed, Oct 27 2010
SiteForum adds Ustream videocasts to virtual events

SiteForum adds Ustream videocasts to virtual events

Press Release: SITEFORUM integrates Ustream to deliver live broadcasting for communities and virtual events Erfurt, Germany – SITEFORUM chose Ustream, the leading live interactive broadcast platform,... 

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Tue, Oct 26 2010
Community in Distributed Spaces

Community in Distributed Spaces

I have lost track of the number of times over the last few weeks that I have been somewhere in the OpenSim grid and heard someone say “This is like Second Life in the early days – I love it.” ... 

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Tue, Oct 26 2010
Paper: virtual environment can help improve life sciences training

Paper: virtual environment can help improve life sciences training

Virtual immersive environments can provide more effective training programs in less time, and for less cost, according t0 a report released today by ProtonMedia, a firm that provides enterprise-focused... 

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Tue, Oct 26 2010
GlobalSpec to hold virtual events via On24

GlobalSpec to hold virtual events via On24

Press Release: ON24 Announces GlobalSpec Virtual Events Production Partnership SAN FRANCISCO, CA–  GlobalSpec (www.globalspec.com), the leading specialized search engine, information resource,... 

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Tue, Oct 26 2010
PayPal Unveils New Payment Solution for Digital Goods

PayPal Unveils New Payment Solution for Digital Goods

Press Release: PayPal Unveils New Payment Solution for Digital Goods Industry Leaders Facebook and FT.com Using PayPal to Simplify Micropayments for Digital Content SAN FRANCISCO–INNOVATE... 

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Tue, Oct 26 2010
Fashion Research Institute brings premium content to Science Sim

Fashion Research Institute brings premium content to Science Sim

Press Release: Fashion Research Institute Collaborates with Intel Labs to Bring Premium Digital Content to Science Sim New York, NY – “Content is King” has long been the mantra of the gurus... 

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Mon, Oct 25 2010
Paper: hypergrid allows virtual world to grow without limit

Paper: hypergrid allows virtual world to grow without limit

The invention of the hypergrid will allow virtual worlds to grow to the size of the World Wide Web, or bigger, according to a paper made public today by OpenSim core developer Justin Clark-Casey. “The... 

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Mon, Oct 25 2010
A three-year plan — and then some

A three-year plan — and then some

I occasionally hear frustration from OpenSim vendors and their early-adopter customers that mainstream users aren’t getting OpenSim, that they aren’t aware of the benefits OpenSim offers compared,... 

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Mon, Oct 25 2010
OpenSim payments 101

OpenSim payments 101

One of the most confusing parts of moving to OpenSim is figuring out how the commerce system works. Not as confusing, maybe, than than figuring out how to run the server software, learning how to hypergrid,... 

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Mon, Oct 25 2010
Avatar: Your key to equal contribution and opportunity

Avatar: Your key to equal contribution and opportunity

Much has been discussed and written about virtual environments achieving levels of immersion and interactivity that rival (and some believe exceed) face-to-face meetings. Much has also been written about... 

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Mon, Oct 25 2010
Virtual worlds to transform education

Virtual worlds to transform education

Press Release: Advanced 3D Heralds New Teaching Dimension ‘Virtual world’ technology has the potential to transform education and learning, an international conference at the University of Ulster’s... 

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Sun, Oct 24 2010
A hypergrid glossary

A hypergrid glossary

Like the World Wide Web that preceded it, the new 3D Web has its own vocabulary. We try to make it easier to keep up. avatar A representation of a user, usually as a three dimensional cartoon character.... 

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Fri, Oct 22 2010
Marketing Cloud hosts virtual B2B marketing event

Marketing Cloud hosts virtual B2B marketing event

Press Release: Thousands of B2B Marketing and Sales Pros Will Connect at the Marketing Cloud Virtual Conference this October 28 Fully Interactive Online Conference Features Live Presentations, Expo... 

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Wed, Oct 20 2010
OnLand business park opens in Blue Mars

OnLand business park opens in Blue Mars

The  OnLand business park opened today in the Blue Mars virtual world as a place for traditional companies to market their goods in high-fidelity three dimensional form to their clients. The OnLand park... 

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Wed, Oct 20 2010
Blue Mars testing Web streaming

Blue Mars testing Web streaming

Blue Mars is currently testing a cloud-based streaming service, which will soon allow users to log into the high-end, graphics-rich immersive world via a simple browser interface. “We’re running... 

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Tue, Oct 19 2010
How To: Generate More Effective Virtual Trade Show Booths

How To: Generate More Effective Virtual Trade Show Booths

My local farmers market had a “Vote 4 Your Favorite Booth” contest.  While the contest was active, I noticed that the fruit vendors were much more engaging and the amount of free samples increased... 

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Mon, Oct 18 2010
Multi-grid currencies grow in OpenSim

Multi-grid currencies grow in OpenSim

Both the G$ and OMC multi-grid currencies reported strong growth over the last two months. Since we last took a look at their numbers in mid-August, the OMC currency — backed by Austrian Linden exchange... 

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Mon, Oct 18 2010
Bring on the Virtual Bar!

Bring on the Virtual Bar!

Virtual events are undoubtedly effective… but can they also be fun? Over the last several years, many companies, squeezed by tough economic conditions, have looked for alternatives to in-person events.... 

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Sat, Oct 16 2010
UK to teach citizenship with OpenSim

UK to teach citizenship with OpenSim

Teesside University is piloting a quarter million pound (US $400,000) citizenship education project in OpenSim this year. The project, which will eventually involve as many as 900 high students in the... 

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Fri, Oct 15 2010
Initiative: free land for educators migrating from Second Life

Initiative: free land for educators migrating from Second Life

The Immersive Education Initiative, a Boston-based non-profit coalition, announced today that it will offer free land, and free migration services, for educators working in Second Life’s Teen Grid. Aaron... 

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Fri, Oct 15 2010
OpenSim regions hit all-time high, growth rate accelerates

OpenSim regions hit all-time high, growth rate accelerates

The world’s forty largest public OpenSim grids gained 1,605  regions over the past 30 days, and added 10,530 new users. This brings the total region counts on these grids to 12,425, an 15 percent... 

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Fri, Oct 15 2010
Reader Survey Results

Reader Survey Results

According to our first reader survey, the majority of the readers of Hypergrid Business are interested in open source virtual platforms like OpenSim and social virtual worlds like Second Life. Less than... 

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Thu, Oct 14 2010
OpenSim rolls out mesh in one day

OpenSim rolls out mesh in one day

Just a day after Second Life launched its mesh beta, OpenSim already has experimental mesh in the latest test release, and people have begun trying the technology out on OSGrid’s experimental Danger... 

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Thu, Oct 14 2010
Youth charity moves to OpenSim mini-grid

Youth charity moves to OpenSim mini-grid

This month, the Youth for Christ charity celebrates its second year in Second Life. But the big party will be held in OpenSim, the charity’s new home. The reason? The Second Life Teen Grid, where... 

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Thu, Oct 14 2010
TeleXLR8 wants to be the “TED” for virtual worlds

TeleXLR8 wants to be the “TED” for virtual worlds

Founders of teleXLR8, a discussion program conducted in the Teleplace virtual environment, are hoping that the project becomes the next TED for virtual worlds. Teleplace, Inc. is one of the leading providers... 

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Thu, Oct 14 2010
Machinima pioneers launch Pixel Valley Studio

Machinima pioneers launch Pixel Valley Studio

Press Release: Real-time Machinima animation pioneers announce launch of Pixel Valley Studio Frank Dellario and Tom Donnelly, previously from The ILL Clan, found new full services animation company Acclaimed... 

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Wed, Oct 13 2010
An OpenSim grid primer

An OpenSim grid primer

There are a lot of different kinds of OpenSim grids out there — it can get a little confusing. Well, a lot confusing. Here’s a quick primer. Social grids Social grids attempt to replicate the... 

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Wed, Oct 13 2010
GovGrid offers agencies cheap, quick regions and mini-grids

GovGrid offers agencies cheap, quick regions and mini-grids

In response to rising land prices at Second Life — and a need for increased control and scalability — the MuniGov association of local governments has launched the GovGrid project, and OpenSim-based... 

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Wed, Oct 13 2010
Successful Hybrid Event Case Study: Event Camp Twin Cities 2010

Successful Hybrid Event Case Study: Event Camp Twin Cities 2010

“Attend our free webinar!” How many of these emails do you get these days? I don’t know about you, but my itchy “Delete” finger gets really itchy when these appear in my inbox. Why? I think... 

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Wed, Oct 13 2010
Cube3 offers 50% discount to educators

Cube3 offers 50% discount to educators

Since Linden Lab announced that educators and non-profits would see a doubling of their land prices in January, there has been a surge of interest in OpenSim — and a flood of special offers from... 

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Tue, Oct 12 2010
NASA’s Moon World moves to OpenSim

NASA’s Moon World moves to OpenSim

NASA’s OpenSim-based Moon World — a quarter-million-dollar project –  will go live on December 1, allowing students to experience what it’s like to live and work on a NASA moon... 

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Tue, Oct 12 2010
The five stages of OpenSim users — which are you?

The five stages of OpenSim users — which are you?

Marketing guru Seth Godin wrote a short piece today about the five stages of users, which applies to OpenSim as well as to any other product or technology: Novice: wants to be given a manual, told what... 

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Tue, Oct 12 2010
Virtual worlds now at bottom of Gartner hype cycle

Virtual worlds now at bottom of Gartner hype cycle

Press Release: Gartner’s 2010 Hype Cycle Special Report Evaluates Maturity of 1,800 Technologies Hype Cycle Research Provides a Cross-Industry Perspective on Potentially Transformative Technologies STAMFORD,... 

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Tue, Oct 12 2010
Teleplace seeks participants for customer showcase

Teleplace seeks participants for customer showcase

Press Release: Teleplace to Showcase ‘Last Mile’ Enterprise Social Collaboration Successes New Customer Program Highlights Immersive Microsoft SharePoint, Mobile Device Interactivity,... 

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Tue, Oct 12 2010
50-plus employers, agencies at Milicruit virtual career fair

50-plus employers, agencies at Milicruit virtual career fair

Press Release: UBM Studios Milicruit Partners with Over 50 Industry Leading Employers and Government Agencies to Produce the Veterans Day Virtual Career Fair More Than 25,000 Veterans Expected to Attend... 

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Mon, Oct 11 2010
Make Your Events and Expos a Virtual Reality

Make Your Events and Expos a Virtual Reality

Last month I attended one of the most engaging meetings I’ve ever experienced and I was not even there.  The event was EventCamp Twin Cities.  This was a one-day conference for event professionals. ... 

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Mon, Oct 11 2010
What Virtual Business Means to Your Business

What Virtual Business Means to Your Business

Introduction 1. $54 million in cost savings 2. $19 million in productivity and time savings 3. 34,000 tons of carbon emissions eliminated If those kinds of numbers are interesting to you, we hope you... 

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Mon, Oct 11 2010
Trends in the Virtual Worlds Industry

Trends in the Virtual Worlds Industry

How do you keep up with industry trends?  You hear from the people setting the trends.  On September 24th, FountainBlue held its annual virtual worlds conference on Cisco’s campus in Milpitas, CA. ... 

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Mon, Oct 11 2010
Maria on Tonight Live with Paisley Beebe

Maria on Tonight Live with Paisley Beebe

I was a guest on Tonight Live with Paisley Beebe on Sunday, October 10 and had a great time talking about hypergrid and OpenSim. Other guests that night included singer-songwriter Senjata Witt, who performed... 

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Sun, Oct 10 2010
Vendors offer Second Life-to-OpenSim migration

Vendors offer Second Life-to-OpenSim migration

UPDATE: TalentRaspel has lowered its price for exporting Second Life regions. It now starts at US $273 (200 Euros)  per region, and is based on the complexity of the build. Vendors are offering full-region... 

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Sun, Oct 10 2010
Would you want to live for free — under a virtual billboard?

Would you want to live for free — under a virtual billboard?

There’s talk out there in the metaverse of a project to offer free, advertising-supported land in OpenSim. I’ll provide more details as the project gets closer to reality, but there already... 

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Sun, Oct 10 2010
OSGrid to upgrade to HG 1.5

OSGrid to upgrade to HG 1.5

The largest grid on the hypergrid will upgrade to the new version of OpenSim on Sunday, October 17. The new version supports media-on-a-prim as well as a more secure hypergrid teleport standard. The new... 

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Fri, Oct 8 2010
Join a grid or run your own?

Join a grid or run your own?

In the wake of the closing of Second Life’s Teen Grid, and the price hike to educators and non-profits, many organizations are considering moving to OpenSim. The first question they usually ask themselves... 

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Fri, Oct 8 2010
Treatment center gets $865,000 for OpenSim project

Treatment center gets $865,000 for OpenSim project

• Clients three times as likely to complete virtual treatment program as face-to-face program • Outcomes ‘as good or better’ as at physical treatment centers • Private OpenSim grid... 

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