Caledon Oxbridge Q&A for 2014-07-20

15:02 Tali Rosca Welcome to another QA.
15:02 Tali Rosca As many of you know, this is a somewhat freeform questions-and-answers session/panel discussion about topics related to Oxbridge in particular and SL in general.
15:02 Tali Rosca The deans will endeavour to answer questions. We each have an area of expertise, as listed here http://www.caledonoxbridge.org/qna_index.php
15:02 Tali Rosca So, who has the first question?
15:04 Wordsmith Jarvinen No one immediately jumping on TOS?
15:04 Meora (menchor) any observations on the TOS change?
15:04 Red Quixote I understand we have a new classroom location, and that Ravelli has deployed a lecture hall
15:04 Tali Rosca Let us take the ToS first.
15:04 Red Quixote np
15:05 Tali Rosca New rules for that.
15:05 Cinnamongirl (gingerprincess68) I was wondering if any of the lectures are progressive in nature ? you know...intro to and on from there?
15:05 Tali Rosca When it comes to skill gaming, well, it's as announced.
15:05 Carl Metropolitan The new ToS does seem to restrict the uses that LL can use your content to only their virtual worlds. However, it is written in a very much less-than-clear manner.
15:05 Josain Zsun ToS looks to still need some work on specifics
15:05 Tali Rosca When it comes to the IP questions, rarely have I seen so unanimous consensus amongst SL bloggers that the update changes absolutely nothing.
15:05 Carl Metropolitan Unless corporate policy is obfuscation, they should fire their lawyers.
15:06 Tali Rosca At the core, they kept the "for any purpose in all media", which is the problematic clause.
15:06 Steadman Kondor most corporate law is obfuscation!
15:06 Ninjanizer what is a TOS?
15:06 Steadman Kondor they are just trying to cover their butts if they want to sell off shares in SL in future perhaps
15:06 Tali Rosca The "clarification" they added does not apply to that clause.
15:06 ααℓιуαн (subtlefire) umm...what is tos?
15:06 Tali Rosca The Terms of Service.
15:06 Larkylouz Terms of Service
15:06 Ninjanizer ah
15:06 Carl Metropolitan It is questionable, Tali
15:07 Meora (menchor) you agreed to them
15:07 Tali Rosca If so, you're the only one I have seen question it.
15:07 Carl Metropolitan That is why I think it is a mess.
15:07 Tali Rosca I'm not saying that to be snarky.
15:07 Carl Metropolitan No. You could be right. I will review it again.
15:08 Tali Rosca The "*And* for any purpose in any media" explicitly comes *after* the sentence where they added the "clarification".
15:08 Tali Rosca Essentially, it turns the previous list into an "included, but not limited to" list of examples.
15:09 Wordsmith Jarvinen Tali, for those new to all this could you quickly summarize the history and problem?
15:10 Steadman Kondor *waiting
15:10 Tali Rosca I was just writing that :-)
15:10 Wordsmith Jarvinen heh
15:10 Carl Metropolitan I am looking at paragraph 2.3 again.
15:10 Gronk Seriman The Terms Of Service is that legalese you have to agree to in order to use Second Life. Linden Lab recently made a change that has some creators of stuff here up in arms. The MOST recent change is what we are discussing now.
15:11 Tali Rosca The terms of service is, obviously, the terms you agree to when you join SL. Roughly a year ago, it was updated with a controversial clause which required you to grant Linden Lab a license to use anything you create "for any purpose, in all media".
15:11 Carl Metropolitan I think that it would be hard for LL to argue based on the language and the history of the contract and statements made by their senior management that the broad reading of the IP license is correct.
15:11 Meora (menchor) And they didn't win the lawsuit with it
15:11 Carl Metropolitan As I said, the language is very badly written.
15:11 Tali Rosca Usually, such hosting services include a clause which says that the provider can "reformat, redistribute" and a long list of similar rights, *for the purpose of providing the service*.
15:12 Tali Rosca SL previously used the same phrasing, but it was explicitly changed to "for any purpose in all media".
15:13 Tali Rosca Causing an outcry, as creators felt LL was making an unreasonable rights grab, and creating some legal snags which makes it difficult to use 3rd party material, since you're required to give away rights you do not even have yourself.
15:13 Tali Rosca This week, LL finally updated the ToS, ostensibly to address those problems, but there is wide consensus that the words they added did nothing to change the actual, problematic clause.
15:14 Tali Rosca I think that was the very fast recap.
15:14 Wordsmith Jarvinen Fast enough. ;)
15:14 Tali Rosca Any questions to that?
15:15 ααℓιуαн (subtlefire) So basically the merchants are worried about it ?
15:15 Martini Discovolante the creators
15:16 Tali Rosca Strangely, no, they are not the ones hit worst.
15:16 Tali Rosca Because as LL rightfully point out, they are not in the business of stealing people's work.
15:16 Wordsmith Jarvinen And some 3rd parties that started disallowing use of textures in SL.
15:16 Tali Rosca So you can probably rest fairly assured that LL will not suddenly open a shop and start selling your items.
15:16 Tali Rosca But educators and writers, for example, are hit very badly.
15:16 Carl Metropolitan You could however read the language such that it allows LL to transfer works from SL into SL2.
15:17 Tali Rosca Because by uploading things to LL, you forfeit all chance to sell your work, since you have already given away all rights.
15:17 Tali Rosca No publisher will pay you for something you have already given away.
15:18 ααℓιуαн (subtlefire) hmm. okay.
15:18 Tali Rosca And you cannot do contract work, because no customer will pay you for something which you then also give away to a 3rd party.
15:18 Tali Rosca It also creates a problem if you, as creator, wants to use library materials; textures or models.
15:19 Tali Rosca Such materials usually come with a clause that you have to attribute the original creator, or that it can only be used as an embedded part of a full build, or similar license requirements.
15:19 Carl Metropolitan You can do contract work. As long as the contract work is agreed to be uploaded to SL. If you are doing contract work that's not intended for SL, then the ToS is irrelevant.
15:20 Tali Rosca Since LL requires you to give away rights to do *anything* with it... well, those rights are not yours to give.
15:20 Tali Rosca And yes, of course, if the customer understands and agrees to the terms, you can do it.
15:20 Tali Rosca But you cannot, say, prototype shapes before using them elsewhere.
15:21 Friends of Caledon Oxbridge Donation Medallion PamDorra Resident gave a generous donation to Friends of Caledon Oxbridge to help support classes, tutorials, & tier at Caledon's Oxbridge
15:21 Tali Rosca But the point I wanted to make is that it's more a legal hurdle for such work than it's a threat that LL will suddenly open a shop and compete against you with your own wares.
15:21 Steadman Kondor If LL is charging users to 'view' SL, I would not want to see spurious agitated creators claiming copyright violation.
15:21 Steadman Kondor We need to give LL a break
15:21 Steadman Kondor They are trying their best, and so is Ebbe Linden
15:21 Carl Metropolitan If you are using SL for prototyping then you are probably better off using an opensim solution anyway.
15:22 Tali Rosca nods. "OpenSim would be a good choice for such work."
15:22 Wordsmith Jarvinen We likely should move on ... a couple of other pending questions.
15:22 Tali Rosca nods.
15:22 Tali Rosca The hall.
15:23 Wordsmith Jarvinen and progressive classes
15:23 Red Quixote that was more of a statement, than a question
15:23 Tali Rosca Let us take the classes first. That one is easy.
15:23 Tali Rosca No.
15:23 Tali Rosca :-)
15:23 Tali Rosca Currently, all classes are "one-shots".
15:24 Tali Rosca Though the contents may vary a little from session to session, depending on questions.
15:24 Wordsmith Jarvinen No, some have multiple parts managed and announced by the instructor.
15:24 Red Quixote I beg to differ, the animation classes I provide, have a 1st & second class,.. as does building
15:24 Martini Discovolante buildign is listed as Beginning and advanced
15:24 Gronk Seriman Photo Salon continues to evolve and build on what was taught before.
15:25 Larkylouz Also, Photo Salon varies from week to week.
15:25 Red Quixote aye, another exception
15:25 Tali Rosca I stand corrected, then.
15:25 Tali Rosca So, is there any way to know when you can join a class?
15:25 Wordsmith Jarvinen Right. So, in general we try to include something about that in the description and the instructor announces the specifics for the weeks.
15:26 Larkylouz In Photo Salon? Any one can come, although if they have not taken the basic class, they will be a bit lost. We always have people of various skill levels - that's part of the fun and the learning.
15:26 Red Quixote suggestions and requests for classes are always welcome too
15:26 Red Quixote at least I welcome them
15:27 Tali Rosca Do we have any classes which explicitly are "part 1" and "part 2" alternating, and you have to have been at the previous to understand the next? (Or otherwise have equivalent skill).
15:27 Steadman Kondor Do you mean, dean wordsmith, that we might put , series 1 of 3, or something like that
15:27 Steadman Kondor yes ditto miss rosca
15:27 Martini Discovolante Tali, Building has Beginning and Advanced
15:27 Tali Rosca -Not counting those which are explicitly listed as "basic" and "advanced" as they are listed as such.
15:28 Wordsmith Jarvinen Something like #1 of 3 and the topic.
15:28 Martini Discovolante folks need to know if a class is sequential
15:28 Sauce Sorrowman It might be an idea to have a rotating topic for the "advanced" classes of scripting/building. so prim torture one week, alignment another week, prim economy another week
15:28 Sauce Sorrowman not sequential, but building from the basic version of the class
15:29 Sauce Sorrowman because there can be a lot of ground to cover in an "advanced" class
15:29 Tali Rosca That would be a 3rd variation, where you were "guaranteed" that a class would be new; not just "perhaps, if somebody asks different questions". It would still not be a specific sequence, though.
15:30 Martini Discovolante i think that has to be up to the individual teacher.... classes take a huge amount of tiem to prepare
15:30 Sauce Sorrowman nods
15:30 Wordsmith Jarvinen Red, when you say 1 and 2 you're referring to Friday and Tuesday classes?
15:30 Meora (menchor) there was the griefers showed up variant of Avatar Safety
15:30 Red Quixote yes
15:31 Tali Rosca Oh, but those are listed as two entirely different classes with different names.
15:31 Larkylouz LOL Meora. I have wondered if Lindal hires her friends to enhance Avatar Safety. <just joking>
15:31 Wordsmith Jarvinen So, that's not varying within the same slot while photo salon does.
15:31 Steadman Kondor chuckles
15:31 Red Quixote that is a quirk of SL,.. I originally named them 1 & 2
15:31 Martini Discovolante we should all get huge black moostaches and "help" Prof Kidd out :P
15:32 Meora (menchor) it made for a good class
15:32 Tali Rosca I'd still say the general point stands: If it's listed as one weekly time slot, you can generally drop in any week.
15:32 Sauce Sorrowman prepares the anvil dropper
15:32 Larkylouz grins at Martini as she pictures a small kitten in a pink flowered dress with a huge black moostache
15:32 Tali Rosca Even Photo Salon which *varies* does not *require* that you have been there before.
15:33 Wordsmith Jarvinen Unless the description says explicitly otherwise.
15:33 Larkylouz No, Photo Salon is not sequential.
15:33 Jasmin Jolbey I think we tried progressive classes a while back with the vehicle building class, anyone remember that?
15:33 Meora (menchor) however one week is class and the next week is show and tell
15:34 Red Quixote that could be done
15:34 Tali Rosca So that answer was not as easy as I thought :-)
15:34 Martini Discovolante sor t od a take and make followed by Show and tell?
15:34 Carl Metropolitan Have we ever considered doing a Show & Tell?
15:34 Red Quixote I couild certainly whip something like that up for animation projects
15:35 Carl Metropolitan I know that both Builders Brewery and NCI regularly run such events.
15:35 Carl Metropolitan Show & Tell is the oldest NCI event actually.
15:35 Tali Rosca Show and Tell are usually a lot of fun and quite inspirational.
15:35 Larkylouz I may never have time, but I envision the Basic Photog. classwith more components that have student interaction. I think that is a better teaching method than pure lecture.
15:35 Red Quixote I don't think NCI does a show & tell anymore,. but I could be wrong
15:35 Carl Metropolitan I'm pretty sure they do. I can check.
15:36 Carl Metropolitan Yes. Newbie Show and Tell is back there.
15:36 Red Quixote really?.. cool
15:36 Carl Metropolitan I think that is one of the events Brace brought back.
15:36 Wordsmith Jarvinen One answer is we aren't doing progressive classes over some sort of term.
15:37 Tali Rosca But do check the prerequisites for each individual class/time slot.
15:37 Wordsmith Jarvinen We may have some variance in what is taught in a class from week to week.
15:37 Martini Discovolante if we do, we will be sure to make note if it on the schedule
15:37 Red Quixote I think the project based class is an idea that could work well with my animation series
15:38 Martini Discovolante People LOVE jproject classes, Red.
15:38 Red Quixote ^^
15:38 Red Quixote I'll have one starting this week then
15:39 Steadman Kondor wonderful :D
15:39 Tali Rosca "Go forth and create!"
15:39 Wordsmith Jarvinen Red, check your writeup on the schedule and send me a mod if you need to update it.
15:40 Tali Rosca Ok, quick comment on the hall, then, since it came up.
15:40 Tali Rosca We now have an area in the Village we can potentially use for classes.
15:40 Martini Discovolante and please do not use the work WORK or KIT -- the SL censors STILL think those are norty-speak!
15:40 Red Quixote no,. I will install it right into Animation Office Hour,.. that needed a litle spark anyway
15:40 Martini Discovolante word* WORK
15:40 Carl Metropolitan How can "work" be on their censor list?
15:41 Martini Discovolante oh! my bad-- it was the word "TICK"
15:41 Red Quixote that SL censor is on some mind-altering substance, for sure
15:41 Tali Rosca Rav has installed the not-quite-finished new mesh lecture hall there, so it *can* be used as is.
15:41 Larkylouz pipes up, "I could send them some *real* dirty words. I heard some *just* this week!"
15:41 Martini Discovolante or they are using the Cockney Rhyming Slang Dictionary
15:41 Tali Rosca My take is that we need to figure out when we have what where, to avoid confusion, before we officially start using that area.
15:42 Sauce Sorrowman Well rhyming slang typically uses the word that doesn't rhyme as the abbreviation
15:42 Sauce Sorrowman e.g. head = loaf (of bread), tea = rosy (lee), stairs = apples ( and pears)
15:42 Steadman Kondor Work has always been a dirty word to me...
15:42 Martini Discovolante (i did nto say they used it properly:P)
15:42 Sauce Sorrowman ;)
15:42 Red Quixote it 'has' 4 letters,.. sheesh
15:43 Sauce Sorrowman must head off and rest his loaf.
15:43 Sauce Sorrowman gnight all
15:44 Red Quixote nite Sauce
15:44 Wordsmith Jarvinen Night, Sauce.
15:44 Martini Discovolante night Sauce!
15:44 Steadman Kondor gnite :)
15:44 Steadman Kondor I never heard that expression, rest the loaf
15:45 Steadman Kondor so, if i said, my loaf is toasted..
15:45 Red Quixote nor have I
15:45 Martini Discovolante i am NOT going ot ask what it means
15:45 Steadman Kondor :)
15:45 Carl Metropolitan Is the new lecture hall going to replace this one, or is it only for the expansion area? I really liked the design.
15:45 Gronk Seriman zips her mouth closed.
15:45 Martini Discovolante just for over flow classes.
15:46 Tali Rosca This hall will be meshified with that design.
15:46 Steadman Kondor it is wonderful! it will feature on the next gazette issue,
15:46 Martini Discovolante ohoh-- i misunderstood, /.
15:46 Tali Rosca Personally. I'd like if the Village "overflow" looked differently.
15:46 Martini Discovolante well this will do for now.
15:46 Steadman Kondor maybe different seat colour or windows
15:46 Tali Rosca I think it would be confusing if we have two entirely similar halls in different places.
15:47 Steadman Kondor or different coloured wood
15:47 Martini Discovolante i rather liked the old 'in the round' NCI model.
15:47 Tali Rosca ...or an amphitheater to emphasis the "overflow for large crowds" aspect of it.
15:47 Martini Discovolante but i thot this woiuld give us a hall sson, and a way for Ravelli to get usage feedback.
15:48 Martini Discovolante soon*
15:48 Carl Metropolitan I still have the old NCI ampitheatre in inventory.i
15:48 Wordsmith Jarvinen Both of which are good goals.
15:48 Martini Discovolante i do like ampetheatre on an island idea.
15:48 Carl Metropolitan It is too primy by modern standards though
15:48 Tali Rosca With the village area being fairly new, I don't think there has been *all* that much thought given to just how it should look.
15:48 Meora (menchor) using an amphitheater for photo salon would be difficult
15:48 Martini Discovolante yus.. adn we are all about hte victorian idea of modernity and progress!
15:49 Carl Metropolitan No. You just have a green screen backdrop you can raise for that class !
15:49 Gronk Seriman When will we see THIS Hall get the mesh upgrade?
15:50 Martini Discovolante that is up to our absent Dean Ormstein, and when he is satisfied with it
15:50 Tali Rosca Rav has been wandering the distant lands of Real Life, and is not quite done with the mesh work.
15:51 Wordsmith Jarvinen And, I believe reading the Gazette, mysterious night installers and their schedule.
15:51 Tali Rosca I don't know any specific schedule for finishing it.
15:52 Gronk Seriman It's a beautiful Hall. I just wish we could use it while the final finishing touches are added.
15:52 Steadman Kondor it is nice to be surprised... but there are new gadgets in the new hall!
15:52 Steadman Kondor so prof's might need to be acquainted
15:52 Wordsmith Jarvinen Partly, there's the issue of mesh optimization.
15:52 Steadman Kondor before a class
15:53 Martini Discovolante and training ... many new ideas went into this.
15:53 Steadman Kondor of course the gazette can be believed. it is pure faction (fiction and facts)
15:54 Tali Rosca We soon out of time, Any other questions at the end?
15:54 Larkylouz hee
15:54 Wordsmith Jarvinen As I recall, Mr. Zsun has a program later that might be of interest to educators.
15:55 Steadman Kondor yes?
15:55 Wordsmith Jarvinen I believe I recall an announcement on ISC.
15:56 Josain Zsun awakes with a start. looks around wide eyed.
15:56 Wordsmith Jarvinen You have something at 6pm of educational interest?
15:57 Josain Zsun It sounded like another discussion session that might be of interest to this group.
15:57 Josain Zsun I would have to revisit the Notice for time & place.
15:58 Wordsmith Jarvinen I think I recall 6pm at SJSU.
15:58 Josain Zsun Yes
15:58 Carl Metropolitan What is it about?
15:58 Martini Discovolante nir in my ISC messages
15:59 Martini Discovolante not*
15:59 Jasmin Jolbey its in the oxbrifge staff group
15:59 Tali Rosca I think I'd like to buy a vowel too.
15:59 Jasmin Jolbey Public meeting on what schools, libraries, & other non-profits & public good organizations want from SL & The much-heralded New Platform
15:59 Red Quixote is there an 'e'?
15:59 Josain Zsun LL accommodations to to edcuational groups.
16:00 Carl Metropolitan Ah. That really doesn't concern us I think.
16:00 Josain Zsun It is still listed in the Notices, but I can't pull a copy.
16:00 Carl Metropolitan Those are the real life educational and non-profit groups :)
16:00 Tali Rosca Not Oxbridge directly, but perhaps it could be interesting for some.
16:00 Tali Rosca Any last question?
16:01 Wordsmith Jarvinen If you have a connection with or significant interest in the work of entities such as museums, libraries, non-profits, colleges and universities, schools, social service and community organizations, etc. in virtual worlds, please join us for a public discussion at SJSU in SL on Sunday July 27m 2014 at 6PM SLT.
16:01 Wordsmith Jarvinen Ahh. So still a week off.
16:01 Ewan Bonham Do you have a LM?
16:01 Josain Zsun Sorry....I thought this was an educational community organization
16:01 Steadman Kondor i am very interested
16:02 Wordsmith Jarvinen I might have an LM from a while ago.
16:02 Carl Metropolitan I am probably being over cynical, Josain
16:02 Steadman Kondor wil try my best to attend
16:02 Joey (jgraceffa4224) where is the other dean
16:02 Josain Zsun SJSU SLIS (32,79,33)
16:02 Joey (jgraceffa4224) the one who occosianlly looks like a teddy
16:03 Martini Discovolante he has the night off, Joey
16:03 Joey (jgraceffa4224) occasionally*
16:03 Tali Rosca I think this is it for tonight, then.
16:03 Joey (jgraceffa4224) oh... your position your sitiing as is quite off
16:03 Wordsmith Jarvinen Thank you all for coming.
16:03 Larkylouz Thank you Deans!
16:03 Steadman Kondor thank you all!
16:03 Jasmin Jolbey thanks for your time :)
16:03 Steadman Kondor take care and till next time
16:04 Martini Discovolante thank you all for coming