Hamlet Au has written up an interview he’s done with Ebbe Altberg, Linden Lab’s CEO, and posted a video of the talk as well. I’ll leave you to link to the article and read (and watch) it there, but I’ll interject: it’s my belief we were lucky that the Lab, which was thrashing for direction five years ago, managed to get this man. There may have been some jokes about the “IKEA CEO (some assembly required),” and I myself did a version of that:
But I think he’s been a godsend to Linden Lab and Second Life, and sounds committed to growing what’s old as well as supporting what’s new (Sansar). Hopefully we’ll have him for some time to come.
Remember 2009, when Winter Jefferson, SL’s favorite male-fashion vampire, offered us a makeover for Philip Linden’s avatar? If you don’t, go and refresh yourself, and then prepare. For Iris Ophelia, Hamlet Au’s fashion and gaming correspondent at New World Notes, is trying to make over Ham — for the second time.
Long-time readers of NWN will recall that Ham wore the same skin and seersucker system suit for years, probably (I guess) since he was the embedded house correspondent from Linden Lab in his blog’s early days. It took Winter Jefferson again to update Ham’s look, back in 2010, and then it was still pretty similar to what he looked like before. (Ham does like to stay similar to his RL looks, I’ll say — though he’s usually more in jeans than a suit.) Now Iris Ophelia is taking him on again, all the way from his 200x-vintage hair to his (apparently) shoeless feet. It’s a wonderful piece to read; even Winter has kicked in on it again, and I couldn’t resist offering my own thoughts. (He needs to get away from the ice-cream suits occasionally!)
Hmmm…. Methinks we really need Tim Gunn in world. If anyone, Tim could do something about the clothes on this man….
Hamlet Au comes through again at New World Notes with the perfect excuse for any situation: you took an arrow in the knee, and you’re stuck there. (Ouch, but grin) It’s a mesh arrow attachment that makes it look like you took one for John Wayne at Fort Apache. Have a look, and get the teleport link to pick one up.
In case you haven’t read this already, click through to New World Notes and read this comment by Desmond Shang, the “Guvnah” of Caledon, on why the loss of regions in Second Life may be a good thing for the Grid, instead of a tale of woe, doom ‘n gloom. I’ve wondered myself if SL has grown too much over the years, as I see the Map expand with more and more isolated islands that don’t link together except at the corners — where you can’t cross over from one island to the next by just walking or flying in. According to Hizzoner, a drop in land expansion might be a good thing in the long run.
(Personal thought: if it brings people back to the Mainlands, along with a general cleaning of house there in many of the junkier sims as a form of “urban renewal,” it might be more than just a Good Thing.)
New World Notes had a big budget of news today, and I’d encourage you to go and read it all. (That’s why I provide the link [grin].) But the biggest story today is the announcement Ham discovered in the comments on Cubey Terra’s blog. Another avatar, Cheshyr Pontchartrain, has purchased the leasehold and goodwill to Abbotts Aerodrome, the pioneering aeronautical store and airport begun by Cubey way back in the dim ages of the Grid. This saves the business from the “cold hand of the Alterator” — or perhaps we should say the De-Rezzer — when Cubey chose to close Abbotts down, as was reported last week by Liv Leigh.
It’s good to know that this landmark of SL history will still be among us. Hopefully Linden Lab will consider maintaining some of these as historical services to the community as time goes by, but the best route for such is probably still looking — or hoping — for an angel to come in with cold cash and purchase it, as Cheshyr has done here, or as Frank and Nanceee Sinatra did by purchasing the old Bogart’s club and placing it on one of their regions. Any Lindens reading this, please consider beginning a program of the first option! I’m sure a committee could be set up to advise on such matters, part Lindens and part Residents, to reach a reasoned decision on nominated builds for the Governor to keep in place. Not all of the mainlands are wastelands, after all.
Mercy, today seems to be a big day for news. New World Notes reports that the lovely animated globe map Hamlet Au saw while visiting Linden Lab’s offices back in June, a map that reports concurrency of users, is being worked on for availability to Residents. Rod Humble mentioned this to Daniel Voyager, according to Ham’s article.
Speculation on my part: I wonder if this will replace the concurrency statistics that were originally on the viewer’s splash page, before the current change made to it in the most recent update, but are no longer there?
Instead, it appears that the eminent Mr. Ballmer in Redmond has purchased Vivaty, another virtual world. Hamlet Au speculates that this might be the source of the rumors which shot through the Plitterverse (that’s both Twitter and Plurk) a few days ago that Microsoft was bidding for the purchase of Linden Lab.
So, it appears that Philip Rosedale’s hair and codpiece are safe from getting emblazoned with a Windows logo, I guess. Who knows, though? Steve Ballmer might have made him get a haircut and a suit, finally (grin).
…bright-bladed Philip, colorful of codpiece
Maker of worlds, defender from doom
Far did he ride on his steed, fine and furry
Smiting the emerald-green beast….
(snort, start, glancing down at the copy of Beowulf in my hands)
Wow, what a dream…. Well, I wonder what Ham Au has to say lately…?
(snapping on computer, bringing up New World Notes; going fall-down laughing)
This information is as yet unconfirmed; Mr. Au has not responded to phone calls, tweets and E-mail with invitations to comment. However, Grid government representatives are said to be encouraging Mr. Au to teleport to the Guvnah’s Mansion, where he will be invited to “cooperate with the authorities.” Stay tuned to this blog for further updates, as well as additional giggle-age.
In what can only be described as bizarre, unfathomable, strange, weird, unprecedented, and fantastically amazing, world-renowned Second Life reporter, Hamlet Au has perhaps lost his mind… It all started in a local night club. Witnesses say Hamlet was acting delusional, talking gibberish, nonsensical, and in an almost incoherent state. He kept mentioning something about “bots that were out to get him”. Then it is alleged that Hamlet kicked one o … Read More
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