Maria’s Worlds

Fri, Aug 26 2011

5 tips for pro builders moving to OpenSim

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Second Life builders and designers coming over to OpenSim might think that it’s the same thing, except for the lack of support for some high-end vehicle physics scripting commands — and bigger...

5 Comments | Read More »

Fri, Aug 19 2011

SpotON3D’s five PR mistakes

Also in: Maria's Worlds

SpotON3D is a small commercial grid, with more money and programmers than customers. It has developed three innovative pieces of technology, two of which nobody cares anything about, and one, a browser-based...

22 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Aug 8 2011

Why grids should still consider licensing SpotON3D’s plugin

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Despite the patent controversy, and public relations problems that ensued from it, SpotON3D has a good product. It’s viewer plugin wrapper might not be a technological breakthrough, but it feels...

28 Comments | Read More »

Sun, Aug 7 2011

How to lose your copyright in three easy steps

Also in: Maria's Worlds

At a public forum today, an OpenSim grid executive told the audience that creators could lose their intellectual property rights if their work is copied. This is a common — and harmful — myth...

12 Comments | Read More »

Thu, Aug 4 2011

5 reasons why OpenSim is innovating faster than Second Life

Also in: Maria's Worlds

In recent months, the amount of innovation coming out of the OpenSim community has been staggering. Hypergrid travel is not only more secure, but now supports cross-grid friendships, messages, and landmarks....

4 Comments | Read More »

Sat, Jul 30 2011

Kudos to SpotON3D for viewer plugin

Also in: Maria's Worlds

A lot of folks sit around complaining about not having a decent Web-based viewer for OpenSim and Second Life. (Okay, maybe just me.) The existing stand-alone viewers require that users download and install...

10 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Jul 25 2011

The ‘official’ real me is legion

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Until yesterday, I’ve been keeping up with — but haven’t been particularly concerned about — the Google Plus real names controversy. After all, I already used my real name in all...

12 Comments | Read More »

Sun, Jul 24 2011

Freebies need licenses

Also in: Maria's Worlds

First of all, I’d like to thank all the creative folks who are creating original products and distributing them in freebie stores on OSGrid, JokaydiaGrid, GermanGrid, FrancoGrid, and many other locations. OpenSim...

2 Comments | Read More »

Thu, Jul 21 2011

5 grid design mistakes

Also in: Maria's Worlds

I’ve been traveling around the hypergrid a lot lately enjoying the new hypergrid landmarks, friends, and messages — and updating the Hyperica directory. And I’ve been amazed at how far...

3 Comments | Read More »

Wed, Jul 20 2011

5 reasons not to rush to Unity

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Yesterday, I wrote up 5 reasons to rush to Unity 3D (with an extra bonus reason). Yes, the platform is technically advanced and easy to use, great for marketing and business applications — but Unity...

16 Comments | Read More »

Tue, Jul 19 2011

5 reasons to rush to Unity 3D

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Two major players in the OpenSim community have recently joined ReactionGrid in promoting the Unity 3D platform. In addition to ReactionGrid’s Jibe environment, we now also have Second Learning’s...

3 Comments | Read More »

Sat, Jul 9 2011

Free campus released

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Educators and companies looking for free, Creative Commons-licensed starting regions for their corporate or school campuses should take a look at Universal Campus. These four regions were originally created...

12 Comments | Read More »

Wed, Jun 29 2011

Five top metaverse blogs

Also in: Maria's Worlds

I subscribe to a lot of virtual world-related blogs in my RSS reader (click here for the bundle) , and follow a lot more on Twitter (click here for the list). Here are the five that I check in on daily. i...

10 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Jun 27 2011

Jibe vs. OpenSim

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Jibe is a new, Unity 3D-based virtual environment created by ReactionGrid, one of the leading OpenSim hosting vendors. Many people confuse the two platforms, but they are very different environments. In...

2 Comments | Read More »

Fri, Jun 17 2011

10 marketing triggers

Also in: Maria's Worlds

As the number of new grids proliferates, grid owners need to look beyond “cheaper than Second Life” as their key marketing ploy. Instead, why not try one of these time-tested strategies? 1....

5 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Jun 6 2011

How to hijack the metaverse

Also in: Maria's Worlds

We all remember the Microsoft-Netscape battle. Okay, maybe some people don’t, so here’s the summary: Netscape was a company that made a free Internet browser and and a not-free commercial Web...

3 Comments | Read More »

Sat, May 28 2011

Second Life vs. OpenSim

Also in: Maria's Worlds

You cannot compare Second Life and OpenSim. One is a social world. The other is an open source piece of server software. You can’t even compare Second Life to individual grids using OpenSim as their...

14 Comments | Read More »

Sun, May 22 2011

No happy endings for virtual investors

Also in: Maria's Worlds

There might be a role for new kinds of exchanges in our virtual future, just as the Internet spurred the growth of online trading and alternative trading networks. But there aren’t going to be any...

9 Comments | Read More »

Fri, May 20 2011

Why pay for OpenSim?

Also in: Maria's Worlds

With OpenSim hosting prices dropping fast and features and stability improving, it surprises to me that people still ask why anyone should pay for OpenSim. Yes, OpenSim is free. You can go to OpenSimulator.org...

7 Comments | Read More »

Thu, May 19 2011

TalentRaspel-PioneerX deal marks next stage of OpenSim evolution

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Germany’s TalentRaspel virtual worlds Ltd. has licensed the RCI grid management technology from PioneerX Estates. (Get the details here.) This is a small story in the normal course things — companies...

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Wed, May 18 2011

What virtual content creators can learn from Netflix

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Netflix now accounts for the largest share of Internet traffic. According to a new report from Sandvine, Netflix movies and television episodes are now more than 22 percent of the stuff traveling through...

1 Comment | Read More »

Mon, May 16 2011

Mesh may accelerate OpenSim migration

Also in: Maria's Worlds

I’ve been reading lately about how great mesh will be for Second Life. But I’m wondering whether it won’t actually be better for OpenSim, instead. Off-world content versus in-world content In...

2 Comments | Read More »

Sun, May 8 2011

The business case for OpenSim

Also in: Maria's Worlds

A reader asked me today about the OpenSim business case — are there enough users on any of the grids to make it worthwhile for a business to set up a presence there instead of in Second Life? The...

5 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Apr 25 2011

The virtual is magic

Also in: Maria's Worlds

I know the iPad is supposed to be magical. But, to me, it doesn’t come close to the magic I feel inside Second Life and OpenSim worlds. When I’m on a grid, I can wave my virtual arms and have...

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Sun, Apr 24 2011

At the Second Life tipping point

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Second Life is a tipping point, and has been precariously balanced there for months. Average daily concurrency has been slipping since the start of 2010, according to data from Metaverse Business. In fact,...

5 Comments | Read More »

Tue, Apr 5 2011

Waiting for an OpenSim content marketplace

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Update: There are now two marketplaces, Cariama and HGExchange, that deliver items to multiple OpenSim grids. Read more here: Where to get content for OpenSim. As a business owner — and someone...

7 Comments | Read More »

Sat, Apr 2 2011

How virtual worlds will converge

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Today, we are seeing an explosion in virtual world platforms. We’ve got various — and incompatible — open source projects, including OpenSim, Open Wonderland, Open Cobalt, Sirikata, and...

4 Comments | Read More »

Wed, Mar 30 2011

Second Life, OpenSim hosts can learn from Kitely

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Kitely offers OpenSim hosting in the cloud — ridiculously easy to use and ridiculously cheap for low-traffic regions. Now, anyone can have their own sim up and running in less than two minutes, at...

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Tue, Mar 29 2011

When do cloud-based sims make sense?

Also in: Maria's Worlds

With Kitely‘s bill-per-minute, cloud-based OpenSim hosting service now available, non-technically inclined folks now have a real choice in what kind of hosting they’d like to have. Here is...

8 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Mar 28 2011

Tipodean and Kitely should talk. Seriously, guys!

Also in: Maria's Worlds

How’s this for a match made in heaven: One company has a Web-based viewer for OpenSim. Still in early, experimental stages, but fast and responsive. Add avatars, voice, and the ability to sit down...

2 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Mar 28 2011

Proprietary code is good for OpenSim

Also in: Maria's Worlds

A lot of debate about open source code versus proprietary code these days centers on the personalities of the folks involved, or on the politics behind the idea of open source. But, from a business perspective,...

2 Comments | Read More »

Fri, Mar 25 2011

Dress for virtual success

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Back when I was fresh out of college, in my first reporting gig, I learned that context matters a lot in getting folks to talk to you. At the start, a typical conversation would go like this: “Hi,...

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Wed, Mar 23 2011

Why PioneerX matters

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Yesterday, I posted a story (yes, a little on the long side) about a new services from PioneerX Estates where they manage your whole grid for you. Everything — estates, land rentals, voice —...

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Tue, Mar 22 2011

Beware vendors bearing gifts

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Resellers of open source software survive by making life easier for their customers. For example, Website hosting providers handle the setup, backups, updates, load balancing and server management for...

3 Comments | Read More »

Fri, Feb 25 2011

How not to work for free

Also in: Maria's Worlds

When aspiring freelance writers ask me for advice about how to get started, here’s what I always start out with: Don’t do anything that other people are willing to do for free. So if you love...

1 Comment | Read More »

Fri, Feb 18 2011

Rod Humble: Here’s how Second Life can rule the world

Also in: Maria's Worlds

The transition to 3D immersive environments is inevitable. Just look at the video game market. When kids are deciding what game to spend their $50 bucks on, they’re more likely to pick an immersive,...

5 Comments | Read More »

Wed, Dec 29 2010

My 2010 predictions scorecard

Also in: Maria's Worlds

In January of 2010, I made a few predictions about what I thought was going to happen with OpenSim this year. I was way off on most of them. The OpenSim developers will continue to call it “alpha software” This...

1 Comment | Read More »

Thu, Nov 25 2010

Thanksgiving on the hypergrid

Also in: Maria's Worlds

It’s easy to get frustrated with the pace of technological change. My wish list of OpenSim features gets longer with every day that I use the platform — but I’ll save it for my Christamas...

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Tue, Nov 9 2010

The hypergrid’s not for everyone

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Ever since Crista Lopes, professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine invented the hypergrid in 2009, people have been debating whether grids should be on or off the hypergrid. On the...

2 Comments | Read More »

Mon, Nov 1 2010

What is OpenSim standard time?

Also in: Maria's Worlds

(Image by Leo Reynolds, via Flickr.) Here at Hypergrid Business, we’re in the process of launching a virtual events directory (now that the vendor directory is up and working). And the question comes...

9 Comments | Read More »

Fri, Oct 29 2010

Growing your sim-com business

Also in: Maria's Worlds

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...

3 Comments | Read More »

Thu, Oct 28 2010

Building OpenSim neighborhoods

Also in: Maria's Worlds

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...

1 Comment | Read More »

Mon, Oct 25 2010

A three-year plan — and then some

Also in: Maria's Worlds

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,...

2 Comments | Read More »

Tue, Oct 12 2010

The five stages of OpenSim users — which are you?

Also in: Maria's Worlds

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...

1 Comment | Read More »

Mon, Oct 11 2010

Maria on Tonight Live with Paisley Beebe

Also in: Maria's Worlds

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

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

Also in: Maria's Worlds

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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Fri, Oct 8 2010

Join a grid or run your own?

Also in: Getting Started, Maria's Worlds, Resources

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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Mon, Oct 4 2010

Advice to educators

Also in: Getting Started, Maria's Worlds, Resources

Today, Linden Lab announced that the price of land for educators and non-profits will double in January. As a result, the price differential between Second Life land and OpenSim becomes even more significant. You...

6 Comments | Read More »

Thu, Sep 30 2010

How I lost 20 pounds in Second Life

Also in: Maria's Worlds

Today, my scale shows that I’ve lost 20 pounds over the past three months. In addition, today at my doctor’s office, I learned that, my blood pressure was down, and so was my body mass index. But...

4 Comments | Read More »

Wed, Sep 29 2010

How to get rid of ‘real life’

Also in: Maria's Worlds

I’m ending it. Beset by criticism on all sides — okay, just one side — I am officially going cold turkey on “real life.” The phrase, that is, not the living itself. Ron Blechner I’ve...

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Maria’s Worlds

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