News Recap – Second Life® turns 17 Years Old: Celebrations to Include Live Music, Fun-packed Festivities; 10 Last Names to Retire; and the SpeedLight Viewer

Happy Birthday Second Life®!

Second Life® has been going strong for 17 years. I’ve been in this virtual world for the last 12 and even after taking short breaks here and there, I always find my way back - no video game matches the diversity, the community and the freedom Second Life® has to offer. Users are invited to celebrate SL's™ 17th anniversary with an impressive lineup of festivities: a live music festival, Meet the Lindens sessions, previews for the new Linden Homes, game shows, community experiences, exhibits, and the SL17B Shop & Hop event featuring 200 merchants, 10 shopping regions, and a special area with dozens of free gifts for residents to enjoy.

The best way to navigate through this mega event is by visiting the SL17B Welcome Area in-world. The hub will display information on events, which will be held from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, July 12. Second Life’s Destination Guide is an alternative way to start celebrating; a special category lists all the events related to SL17B. A calendar has also been created HERE. 

 

Source: SL17B Destination Guide

A resident’s favorite, the Meet the Lindens sessions, will go live to discuss current projects and the future of Second Life® with Ebbe Linden, Patch Linden, Oz Linden, the Marketing Team and The Moles. The sessions will be streamed on the Lab’s Social Media outlets: Periscope, Mixer, Facebook, and YouTube.

Linden Lab® CEO Ebbe Linden – Monday, June 22 at 5 p.m. (EST)

Linden Lab® VP of Product Operations Patch Linden – Tuesday, June 23 at 5 p.m. (EST)

Linden Lab® VP of Engineering Oz Linden – Wednesday, June 24 at 5 p.m. (EST)

Linden Lab® Marketing Team – Thursday, June 25 at 5 p.m. (EST)

The Moles – Friday, June 26 at 5 p.m. (EST)

First Batch of Last Names to Retire

The name-change $39.99 fee was the topic of discussion within the community, but giving the ability for premium residents to change their avatar’s surname turned out to be a success. This optional feature allows users to update their last name by selecting it from a list. Linden Lab® plans to continuously update and change the listings, offering users a good variety of surnames. To make more room for the next batch of new surnames, the first 10 to retire are: 

Alpaca
Covfefe
Damballar
Float
Jazzhands
Mainsail
Nimble
Piggins
Plumday
Yeetly

On Thursday, June 25, the listed surnames will no longer be available for purchase - residents are urged to claim the chosen surname no later than Wednesday, June 24. In addition, users will be able to retain these last names even if they are no longer available for purchase.

Ten new last names will be soon announced and released simultaneously.

SpeedLight Viewer – Playing Second Life® in your Phone

Second Life® resident Glaznah Gassner released a browser-based viewer back in December of 2019. Also a mobile and tablet-ready application for Android, SpeedLight allows your avatar to be online 24/7 and access your IM history even being offline. While the 3D view option is currently under development for further improvement, the viewer allows you to see Second Life®, walk and contact other users. In addition, SpeedLight allows members to teleport, view local maps, search for other residents, access local and group chat, view groups, transfer $L and  inventory items,  browse and manipulate your inventory, offer and accept friendship requests, and keep your avatar online even after closing your browser. 

SpeedLight offers two plans for members: Basic and Gold. Users can upgrade from the Basic free plan to the Gold plan by clicking the “Get More Time” option and making a monthly payment of L$1990. The Gold plan unlocks several features such as unlimited online time; in-world interaction with other residents; IM autoresponder; and sending mass IMs. 

To start using SpeedLight, you must create a viewer's account in addition to your Second Life® account. Tested to work in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, and iOS. 

SpeedLight Website

SpeedLight Support

Third Party Viewer Directory - SpeedLight

"Jane" Eyes from REVE ROSE (Free - Group Gift)

"Rhiannon - Naturals" Hair from SINTIKLIA (400L)

"Lara Dawn - High Arch" Eyebrows from Simple Bloom (159L)

 "Handmaid - Stark" from Medieval World  (250L - New Release. Includes Skirt and Top for Maitreya. Available in Arryn, Lannister, Martell, Stark, Targaryen and Tyrell Featuring House Sigils. Original Ad HERE)

"Brutal Blade" from EZ Weaponry (New Release. Includes Blade Sheath, Cosmetic Version, Scripted Sword with Firo 1.50 Scripts with Shoulder Stance Animation and Fire Scripts Featuring Mouselook, Autofire, Sensitivity, Sheath & Lock, Custom Channels, Shield Draw Settings, Custom Sounds, Two Ranges, Optional Stance and ZCS, GM, CCS and DCS2 Scripts. Includes Trigger Gestures. Original Ad HERE)

 "Hair Ornament" from RAMA (Free - Old Gift)

"Remi Necklace" from [ JUSTICE ] (Free - Old Gift)

Second Life® and SL™ are trademarks of Linden Research, Inc.