Monthly Archives: December 2011

Fri, Dec 30 2011
Yes, it does have mass appeal

Yes, it does have mass appeal

I’m tired of naysayers complaining that Second Life — and, by extension, OpenSim — has no mass appeal. That it’s too hard to use. That regions take too long to load. That there’s... 

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Fri, Dec 30 2011
Second Life is Not a Game

Second Life is Not a Game

One of my teeny tiny pet peeves is when people harp about Second Life being a game. This is often followed by declarations that games should not be taken seriously. Therefore, Second Life should not be... 

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Fri, Dec 30 2011
Renting land versus buying hosting

Renting land versus buying hosting

We’re running a survey today about OpenSim hosting providers, and I’m getting the sense that there’s a lot of confusion about OpenSim hosting when it comes to renting land on a grid,... 

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Thu, Dec 29 2011
Why the fuss about Island Oasis?

Why the fuss about Island Oasis?

Earlier this month, little-known Island Oasis showed up in our survey as the grid with the most satisfied residents. Now, Island Oasis is tiny — it didn’t even break our top 40 list this month.... 

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Thu, Dec 29 2011
Can you draw a hypergate?

Can you draw a hypergate?

There are a lot of stargates floating around OpenSim. Most are copies of one of the gates that show up in the StarGate movies or television shows. Others are unrecognizable as gates — they’re disguised as... 

7 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Dec 29 2011
Survey: Vehicle physics tops list of missing features

Survey: Vehicle physics tops list of missing features

Vehicle physics topped the list of missing features in our survey of OpenSim hosting providers this week. Because of the holiday — and the short notice — only 70 people responded to the survey,... 

13 Comments | Read More »
Tue, Dec 27 2011
WonderSchool streams world to a tablet

WonderSchool streams world to a tablet

Open Wonderland — an open source, Java-based alternative to OpenSim — is now available on a tablet. According to WonderSchool, a subsidiary of Germany’s THINSIA, clients can now access... 

3 Comments | Read More »
Tue, Dec 27 2011
5 reasons we still need Whisper

5 reasons we still need Whisper

Now that Vivox voice is available for free to small grids and to non-profit grids, there’s going to be less pressure on the OpenSim developers to finish integrating Whisper voice. And that’s... 

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Sat, Dec 24 2011
Free Vivox for all

Free Vivox for all

Merry Christmas, grid owners — Vivox is now available, for free, to any grid owner. You get the same voice as in Second Life — with lip synching and directionality and speech indications.  Hosted... 

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Fri, Dec 23 2011
Teleplace gone; 3D ICC steps in to help customers

Teleplace gone; 3D ICC steps in to help customers

First of all, an apology. In May, we wrote that Redwood City, California-based virtual worlds company Teleplace, Inc. open sourced its platform in order to grow its market — and that the company... 

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Fri, Dec 23 2011
Kitely rolls out Vivox voice

Kitely rolls out Vivox voice

Kitely became the second commercial OpenSim grid to roll out Vivox voice today. Boston-based Vivox Inc. is currently the gold standard of in-world voice, used in Second Life, EVE Online, EverQuest, Star... 

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Tue, Dec 20 2011
How to scale Second Life

How to scale Second Life

Second Life had the potential to be the 3D AOL, to usher in a new age of immersive 3D environments. It failed not because it was too complicated or difficult to use or tried to do too much at once. After... 

26 Comments | Read More »
Fri, Dec 16 2011
Grids gain 915 regions; InWorldz is busiest

Grids gain 915 regions; InWorldz is busiest

The top 40 OpenSim grids gained 915 new regions since this time last month, bringing the total number of regions on these grids to 21,595, a new record high. OSGrid was the single biggest gainer. The non-profit... 

31 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Dec 15 2011
NSF awards $549,458 for Cyberlearning project

NSF awards $549,458 for Cyberlearning project

Press release: WonderBuilders and STCC Awarded NSF Grant to Develop Virtual ESL Learning Environment Boston, MA— WonderBuilders, Inc., an Open Wonderland 3D virtual world platform and services provider,... 

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Wed, Dec 14 2011
Free virtual learning ebook released

Free virtual learning ebook released

Press Release: ‘Virtual Learning for Dummies’ Available From Virtual Communications Leader SAN FRANCISCO, CA — ON24, the global leader in webcasting and virtual event solutions, today... 

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Fri, Dec 9 2011
Two new social worlds launch on Web

Two new social worlds launch on Web

Two new social worlds announced launches today — SmallWorlds, which is live, and Interactive City, which still seems to be the process of getting off the ground. SmallWorlds is a cartoonish, Flash-based,... 

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Fri, Dec 9 2011
Crash of the House of Usher doesn’t keep students down

Crash of the House of Usher doesn’t keep students down

[Editor: Joe Essid teaches a class about Edgar Allen Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher" for the department of English & Rhetoric & Communication Studies at the University of Richmond, using virtual... 

4 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Dec 8 2011
HG Biz Plan: Hypergrid Post Office

HG Biz Plan: Hypergrid Post Office

The premise: I believe that we’re about to see the massive growth of a metaverse in which people can easily travel from one public world to another. Over time, the technology will become increasingly... 

7 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Dec 8 2011
EON Reality backs Singapore 3D learning center

EON Reality backs Singapore 3D learning center

Press release: ITE and EON Reality to Set-Up Centre for Virtual 3D Learning in Singapore IRVINE, CA — EON Reality, Inc., the world’s leading interactive 3D software provider, today announced... 

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Wed, Dec 7 2011
All the pieces are there

All the pieces are there

I belong to a business group in my area that recently expressed interest in setting up a virtual space for its members. The idea is that they could have meetings there, and individual members could get... 

8 Comments | Read More »
Wed, Dec 7 2011
Expert offers free 3D learning seminar

Expert offers free 3D learning seminar

Press Release: Training Expert Randy Hinrichs to Present a Free Online Seminar: “Thinking and Learning in 3D—How to Create Successful Virtual Learning Experiences” Author of the new book “Transforming... 

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Wed, Dec 7 2011
Niche grids, Kitely do well in survey

Niche grids, Kitely do well in survey

The results of the 2011 Hypergrid Business grid survey are in, with mid-sized grids serving language communities dominating the rankings. A record 459 people submitted responses this year, with a total... 

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Thu, Dec 1 2011
Abu Dhabi’s iCampus first digital university in Middle East

Abu Dhabi’s iCampus first digital university in Middle East

Press release: UBM Partners with the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training to Produce iCampus, the First Digital University in Middle East CHICAGO and LONDON — UBM... 

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