| 15:00 |
Carl Metropolitan |
It is 3 PM, SL Time, and it is time to start. |
| 15:00 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Welcome to this Sunday's Oxbridge General Q&A. Andrea and I are here to answer any of your questions about Second Life, Caledon, Oxbridge, Steampunk, Linden Lab, Virtual Worlds, and anything vaguely related to any of the above. I'm also good at trivia questions. |
| 15:00 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Today Andrea has to leave after a few to go get an event ready. So let's go right ot her announcements. |
| 15:01 |
TAMU Oh |
Are you using voice |
| 15:01 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
No |
| 15:01 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
Just a few things to mention. We are having a COU dance after Q&A as it is one of our bi weekly fundraiser days.Caledon Oxbridge Village (103,50,22) |
| 15:01 |
TAMU Oh |
ty |
| 15:01 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
What event? |
| 15:02 |
Cychwynn |
Is there a theme? |
| 15:02 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
Halloween. We will also be having a Halloween Ball the last Wednesday of the month. |
| 15:02 |
Cychwynn |
Ahh, of course. |
| 15:02 |
|
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms):. |
| 15:03 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
A COU event. I will be sending out notices in a bit. Still building the event place for today. |
| 15:03 |
|
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) Wrinkles noise |
| 15:03 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
A notice went out on the Wednesday event at the end of the month. |
| 15:03 |
|
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) offers a cookie to baby Yoda. |
| 15:03 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
That is all for now. |
| 15:04 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Thank you Andrea. |
| 15:04 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
nods. |
| 15:04 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Okay. Time for questions. Ask me anything. |
| 15:04 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Well, anything in about SL, Caledon, Steampunk, etc. |
| 15:05 |
Ember (emberell) |
Is it true that adding gears to anything makes it steampunk? |
| 15:05 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
lol |
| 15:05 |
Carl Metropolitan |
TAMU, most events in Caledon are in text rather than voice. I think it is just cultural. |
| 15:05 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Ember. No. That is not the case at all. |
| 15:05 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Please watch this instructional video on the topic: |
| 15:06 |
Carl Metropolitan |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCuE5rHbPA |
| 15:05 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
What is in Caledon Mayfair? |
| 15:05 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Well, that's the RL steampunk fashion. But at least Finnish fandom would not agree with that thing. |
| 15:05 |
Larky (larkylouz) |
LOL, Ember |
| 15:06 |
Jorge Serapis |
The Chapel Of Hope, for one! |
| 15:06 |
Jan Stroikavskoi |
Me and Sig for another ;) |
| 15:06 |
Carl Metropolitan |
There are a lot of nice homes as well. A branch of the Caledon Library, and a really tall tower. |
| 15:06 |
|
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) looks at Soup |
| 15:06 |
TAMU Oh |
Libraries Rule! |
| 15:06 |
Carl Metropolitan |
But the Chapel of Hope is certainly the highlight of Mayfair. |
| 15:06 |
Jan Stroikavskoi |
Another community of homes Zaida. |
| 15:06 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Yes, they do, TAMU. |
| 15:07 |
Jorge Serapis |
PSA, if I may, Carl? |
| 15:07 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Please do Jorge. |
| 15:08 |
Jorge Serapis |
The Chapel of Hope is available for free for appropriate events. We also have the Memorial Wall there, where plaques with the names of Caledonians who have passed in RL are on display. |
| 15:09 |
|
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) looks very sad as she remembers some of the names on that wall. |
| 15:09 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Thank you. It is a really beautiful building too |
| 15:09 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Okay. Let's go into questions now |
| 15:10 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Surely someone among you must have a question? |
| 15:11 |
Jorge Serapis |
What are the Lindens up to? |
| 15:11 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Do we even know? |
| 15:11 |
Phrynne |
good question. |
| 15:11 |
Ember (emberell) |
Last I heard they were wrangling the hamsters that run the asset servers. |
| 15:11 |
|
Soup Jonson has never met a linden. Been here almost 13 years. |
| 15:12 |
Jorge Serapis |
What? They have to feed them AGAIN? |
| 15:12 |
Carl Metropolitan |
The Lindens are still transitioning SL to the cloud |
| 15:12 |
Phrynne |
That sounds so... funereal. |
| 15:12 |
|
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) has met three Lindens and Ebbe; two of them actually answered. |
| 15:12 |
TAMU Oh |
I've met several Lindens |
| 15:12 |
Phrynne |
Are you sure they're not mythical? |
| 15:12 |
TAMU Oh |
Nope |
| 15:13 |
Carl Metropolitan |
You have to stalk Lindens in their natural habitats. Major events, user group meetings, etc. |
| 15:13 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Strawberry Linden in the Second Life Book Club. |
| 15:13 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Yes, and on Strawberry Linden's show, Lab Gab on YouTube |
| 15:14 |
Carl Metropolitan |
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC31ohsOopvcEe0gx7W65ajzPMpsvf8Ep |
| 15:14 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Book Club is also in YouTube. |
| 15:15 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
Excuse me for interrupting, here is the LM to today's dance. Caledon Oxbridge Village (103,50,22) |
| 15:15 |
Andrea Jones (andreajonesms) |
waves and poofs. |
| 15:15 |
Jorge Serapis |
Other than the move to the cloud, is there anything in the works we peasants need to brace ourselves for? |
| 15:16 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Linden Lab has been promising a Premium Plus membership plan, but so far there are no details and no definitive launch date. |
| 15:16 |
TAMU Oh |
Will Firestorm work on the cloud |
| 15:17 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Yes. From the point of view of a SL user, there should be little difference, except some things will be faster. |
| 15:17 |
TAMU Oh |
Cool. |
| 15:17 |
Jorge Serapis |
It did, with Frame and Bright Canopy. |
| 15:17 |
Ember (emberell) |
It should, Tamu. I don't think they're changing anything that would disable any of the third party viewers. |
| 15:17 |
Carl Metropolitan |
All the change is doing is moving SL away from owning their own servers. |
| 15:17 |
Carl Metropolitan |
What are Frame and Bright Canopy? |
| 15:18 |
Carl Metropolitan |
To be honest, substantially more people use Firestorm than LL's SL client. They would be cutting off a lot of people if they did something to make it stop working. |
| 15:18 |
Ember (emberell) |
Are there numbers on the usage somewhere? |
| 15:19 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I don't know where to find them. I am sure LL keeps such, but they tend to be close-mouthed about stuff like that. |
| 15:20 |
TAMU Oh |
Hmm. |
| 15:20 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Okay. I jut did a quick Google search. |
| 15:21 |
Jorge Serapis |
*waits with bated breath* |
| 15:21 |
TAMU Oh |
suspense is killing me |
| 15:21 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Back in 2017 Firestorm reported 542,967 unique users per month. |
| 15:22 |
Gronk Seriman |
I remember back in the day, Firestorm could tell you what viewer people were using. SL broke that feature long ago. |
| 15:22 |
TAMU Oh |
Are there separate Chinese viewers? |
| 15:23 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I don't know. |
| 15:23 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Usually I know the answers here :( |
| 15:23 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
Premium Plus—pay more money for what? |
| 15:23 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
it's not even really worth having a regular premium membership. |
| 15:24 |
Gronk Seriman |
I actually enjoy my Premium Membership. |
| 15:24 |
Phrynne |
Depends on what you want to do. Having more groups is good. The stipend that comes back, when I add it up, means that I'm paying what, $10 a year? |
| 15:24 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Firestorm has warned about fake Phoenix viewers. |
| 15:24 |
Jorge Serapis |
The only real advantage are the sandboxes... and yeah... the stipend offsets that now. |
| 15:25 |
Jorge Serapis |
Before it went up, I was receiving more in stipends than my annual membership! |
| 15:25 |
Carl Metropolitan |
The sandboxes are nice; I used to have a premium membership. |
| 15:25 |
TAMU Oh |
Do you reccomend a premium membership? |
| 15:25 |
Carl Metropolitan |
And the new Linden Homes on the Bellisaria continent are nice, too. |
| 15:25 |
Carl Metropolitan |
No. I tend to recommend that everyone should live in Caledon :) |
| 15:26 |
Phrynne |
Free land isn't a bad thing, if you want mainland. |
| 15:26 |
TAMU Oh |
LOL |
| 15:26 |
TAMU Oh |
Cool |
| 15:26 |
Cychwynn |
the houses are nice but the neighborhoods are so soulless. |
| 15:26 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I recommend a premium membership if you want to live in the LL owned mainland or LL owned Linden homes. |
| 15:26 |
Carl Metropolitan |
If you don't. Then it is just a nice extra. |
| 15:26 |
|
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) is not that fond of mainland. |
| 15:26 |
Jorge Serapis |
I'd say it can also depend on much you're invested in SL. |
| 15:26 |
Soup Jonson |
You tell them Elf!!! |
| 15:27 |
Ember (emberell) |
Premium does offer higher group counts as well, and an additional animesh slot |
| 15:27 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Invest or infest? :-) |
| 15:27 |
Phrynne |
Invest. |
| 15:27 |
Ember (emberell) |
So depending on your needs, it can be worth the investment (especially since it returns somewhat in L$ stipends) |
| 15:27 |
Carl Metropolitan |
The additional animesh slot is new. |
| 15:27 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I did not know that bit. |
| 15:27 |
Ember (emberell) |
Yes. You get two as a Premium member |
| 15:27 |
Soup Jonson |
Stormhold is a lovely area in Caledon. |
| 15:27 |
Phrynne |
Animesh slot? |
| 15:28 |
Ember (emberell) |
You can usually only have one animesh attachment. |
| 15:28 |
Carl Metropolitan |
300L$ per week stipends currently. |
| 15:28 |
Phrynne |
Ahh. |
| 15:28 |
Ember (emberell) |
Premium allows you to have two attached to your avatar |
| 15:28 |
Phrynne |
I'll stick with my kittehs. |
| 15:29 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I can't find anything about a Chinese language version of Firestorm of SL Viewer. |
| 15:29 |
Carl Metropolitan |
There may be one; I just can't find it. |
| 15:29 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I would ask in the Firestorm Support Group. |
| 15:29 |
Phrynne |
I suspect there is one, though. We have had large groups of Chinese university students coming through Oxbridge sometimes, and they were not that new. |
| 15:30 |
TAMU Oh |
Cool. |
| 15:30 |
Jorge Serapis |
<- still grandfathered at 500L stipend. |
| 15:30 |
Oxbridge Donation Coin R1 (Alternate Lecture Hall) |
TAMU Oh gave a generous donation to help support classes and tutorials at Caledon Oxbridge Gateway. |
| 15:30 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Thank you TAMU |
| 15:30 |
Phrynne |
actually, I think there may be a non-visible-to-us section of SL that is Chinese. |
| 15:31 |
Carl Metropolitan |
It is possible. |
| 15:31 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I did just check and found that Chinese is not one of the possible Marketplace languages |
| 15:31 |
Carl Metropolitan |
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese are the options there on MP. |
| 15:32 |
TAMU Oh |
I use to purchase Japanese objects in 2007 |
| 15:32 |
TAMU Oh |
Not available in marketplace. In-world purchases. |
| 15:33 |
Jorge Serapis |
That's surprising. I'd have thought the Chinese market would be an extraordinarily lucrative one for SL. |
| 15:33 |
Carl Metropolitan |
There has for a long time been a small but dedicated group of Japanese users in SL. |
| 15:33 |
Phrynne |
China wants control of all communications for its citizens. |
| 15:34 |
Ember (emberell) |
There is a Japanese newcomer help sim that I am aware of. And a few good resources. |
| 15:34 |
Larky (larkylouz) |
Please send me the LM to that, please, Ember? |
| 15:34 |
TAMU Oh |
Me too Please |
| 15:34 |
Larky (larkylouz) |
I've run into Chinese visitors (don't remember which language), Japanese, Indonesian, Korean. Not a lot of them, but there are some |
| 15:34 |
Phrynne |
Its versions of social media are monitored by the state. |
| 15:34 |
Larky (larkylouz) |
Never mind, I have it. Sorry. |
| 15:35 |
Soup Jonson |
Google translator has gotten me through thankfully. |
| 15:35 |
Ember (emberell) |
Oh, sorry! |
| 15:35 |
Soup Jonson |
Great tool. |
| 15:35 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Right now, I could not even tell you if SL is allowed through China's "Great Firewall" |
| 15:35 |
Phrynne |
And the reason I think there are hidden regions is that when the Chinese students came through, none were wearing newcomer outfits. |
| 15:35 |
Phrynne |
But... anything could exist here. |
| 15:37 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
I know at least one SL user who is in China—he is not Chinese but he lives in China. |
| 15:37 |
TAMU Oh |
How do you market Caledon? |
| 15:37 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
Market what? |
| 15:37 |
TAMU Oh |
The island [estate]. |
| 15:37 |
TAMU Oh |
The Space |
| 15:37 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
The estate? |
| 15:37 |
TAMU Oh |
Yes |
| 15:38 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Caledon is barely marketed. The owner Desmond Shang has a very profitable and very time-consuming consulting business. Caledon is a small portion of his income and he does not have much time to do more than keeping it running. |
| 15:38 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Mainly by word of mouth. |
| 15:38 |
TAMU Oh |
Back when I was a Newbie this place was hopping. |
| 15:38 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Most marketing of Caledon comes via word of mouth, Oxbridge (we are in the Destination Guide) and by groups of Caledon residents. |
| 15:39 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
I get questions about potential plots about once a week |
| 15:39 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
When i first came online Caledon was huge and getting a parcel here was like winning the lottery. |
| 15:39 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I know that some Caledon sims have groups for that sim that promote their specific region. |
| 15:39 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
RP plots are plots to rent? |
| 15:39 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
Stormhold rules! |
| 15:39 |
Carl Metropolitan |
There are always parcels to rent now, TAMU. |
| 15:39 |
Cychwynn |
it does Zaida! |
| 15:39 |
TAMU Oh |
Cool. |
| 15:40 |
Carl Metropolitan |
If you are interested ask in the ISC group or the COUG group. |
| 15:40 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
and we are at war with tanglewood next door |
| 15:40 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Someone will be able to help you? |
| 15:40 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
:-P :-) |
| 15:40 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
COUG? |
| 15:40 |
TAMU Oh |
ty. |
| 15:40 |
Ember (emberell) |
Caledon Oxbridge University Group |
| 15:40 |
Soup Jonson |
Yes! |
| 15:40 |
Cychwynn |
Or ask Mari Moonbeam. |
| 15:40 |
Carl Metropolitan |
ISC = Independent State of Caledon group |
| 15:41 |
Zaida Gearbox (zaida.gearbox) |
If you walk around and look at the rent meters they will tell you if it is available |
| 15:41 |
Larky (larkylouz) |
The COUG group is the student help group [at Oxbridge]. |
| 15:41 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Click the posters throughout the Oxbridge campus for more information on land in Caledon, too. |
| 15:41 |
Phrynne |
And don't be thrown off if the parcel has trees or a bench. It may still be for rent. |
| 15:41 |
Larky (larkylouz) |
ISC is a Caledon estate social chat. |
| 15:41 |
Cychwynn |
Mari always knows where there are any open plots. |
| 15:41 |
Phrynne |
(and you can return the trees/bench) |
| 15:41 |
Cychwynn |
She helped a friend of mine out perfectly. |
| 15:41 |
Carl Metropolitan |
There is one [a land in Caledon poster] by the donation coin. |
| 15:42 |
TAMU Oh |
ty. |
| 15:42 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Does anyone else know which other sims in Caledon have a "neighborhood association" like Stormhold does? |
| 15:42 |
Phrynne |
I don't think any other ones do, at the moment. |
| 15:43 |
Phrynne |
But there are open parcels in South End, and in Kittiwickshire, or there were yesterday. |
| 15:44 |
Cychwynn |
There is even one in Stormhold. |
| 15:43 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I thought there were several similar associations. |
| 15:44 |
Jorge Serapis |
Kittiwickshire had one, though I'm not sure it's active anymore. |
| 15:44 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I think there is one or two open parcels where I have my home in Port Caledon |
| 15:45 |
Ember (emberell) |
Would the Catgirl group count? I don't think it's any one specific sim... There are a few sub groups like that. |
| 15:45 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I'm thinking of groups that promote and associate around a specific sim here. |
| 15:45 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I thought there was more than one. |
| 15:45 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
What Catgirl group? :-) |
| 15:45 |
TAMU Oh |
Catgirl? |
| 15:45 |
Phrynne |
Caledon Catgirls. |
| 15:45 |
Cychwynn |
We even have a not too active Caledon Discord. |
| 15:46 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
There is no evidence of Caledon Catgirls :-) |
| 15:46 |
Phrynne |
That's what they all say, Elf |
| 15:46 |
Phrynne |
but there is the... tunnel... under the Guvnah's mansion that connects to the Catgirl lair... |
| 15:46 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Stories about Guvnah's catgirl brigade are definitely hearsay :-) |
| 15:47 |
Soup Jonson |
Oh my |
| 15:47 |
TAMU Oh |
Are panthers welcomed? |
| 15:47 |
Phrynne |
Certainly! |
| 15:47 |
Larky (larkylouz) |
Yep. Hear about them any time certain citizens are in chat with the Guv. |
| 15:47 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Some of those tunnels have been terraformed shut. |
| 15:47 |
Phrynne |
some have been reopened, too. |
| 15:47 |
Ember (emberell) |
I mean, I'm welcome, so. [Ember was wearing a griffin avatar] |
| 15:47 |
|
lovejoy2199 wonders why it is always catgirls? What is wrong with doggirls? |
| 15:48 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Okay. Any other questions tonight? |
| 15:48 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Or this afternoon if you are in California? |
| 15:48 |
Elfbiter Skysmith (elfbiter) |
Past midnight here... |
| 15:48 |
Cychwynn |
Yeah, same here. |
| 15:50 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Well, if there are no other questions, I think it is time to adjourn. |
| 15:50 |
Carl Metropolitan |
I will be here next week to answer more. |
| 15:50 |
TAMU Oh |
Thank you for your time. |
| 15:50 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Thank you all for coming. |
| 15:50 |
Cychwynn |
Thanks for your time Carl and everyone. |
| 15:50 |
Carl Metropolitan |
Goodnight! |