Linden Lab

Design the official avatar for Albert Einstein and win one of $2,500 in U.S. cash prizes! Full details of the contest, which is presented by the Institute for Medical Research Canada-Israel in association with Remedy Communications, can be found on the official contest site. Contest entries are due by Sept. 9.

In the mood for machinima? Wed, Sept. 7 at 7 PM SLT check out the latest screening of inworld films.

Thanks everyone for your constructive feedback. We will be reviewing all suggestions for additional Premium enhancements and encourage you to continue the discussion in our forums.

We’re Making Premium Better — Starting with Exclusive Gifts & Sandboxes We’ve been working to bring more value and features to our Second Life Premium Members. Effective immediately, we’re adding new exclusive benefits: Premium-only Gifts and Premium-only Sandboxes — and that’s just the beginning! Keep an eye out for even more surprises in the future as we continue to enhance and expand our Premium Membership offering. YzMZeMxh5TA Here’s the scoop on what’s new right now: Exclusive Virtual Gifts Premium members will regularly receive exclusive virtual items that you won't find anywhere else. The very first gift is a stylish set of furniture crafted by Colleen Desmoulins of The Loft. The set features a sofa, tables, plants and lamps to enhance your home’s cozy factor. You can change the look of most of the furniture to fit your home’s unique style and decor — whether you live in a Linden Home or elsewhere. This customizable furniture collection is the first of many Resident-created gifts Premium Members will be receiving regularly. Premium Residents can visit a virtual inworld kiosk to claim their gift now. Premium-Only Sandboxes Explore your creative side or just get down to the business of creating without the distractions of a more public space in one of the many Premium-only Sandboxes in Second Life. There are four new, exclusive Premium-only Sandbox Islands you can access right now to give you more room than ever to bring your creations to life. Members can visit right now. Keep an eye out for even more surprises in the future as we continue to enhance and expand our Premium Membership offering. Of course, Premium Members still get their own Linden Home, weekly currency rewards, Live Chat support and much more. For more information and details, see Premium membership in the Knowledge Base. 

Check out th SL Flickr Pic of the Day for Sept. 1, "Ananya & the balloons," by Aleida Rhode.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day for August 31: "frost." by Silent Ass@ssin.

Check out the Flickr Pic of the Day for August 30: "Xiong & Julia," by oO_Julia_Oo. 

Experience a year in the life of two residents in Second Life, the online virtual world where you can create anything you can imagine. A PookyMedia Production

Check out this post discussing the possibilities for design using mesh on ArchVirtual.com. "...This long awaited ‘holy grail’ feature in Second Life has now finally arrived on the main grid! The subject of numerous false starts, April fool’s jokes, and much controversy – it is now possible to import 3D models directly into Second Life. The implications from an architectural urban design and city planning perspective are obvious." Photos courtesy ArchVirtual.com

Check out the August 29 SL Flickr Pic of the Day, "Clipso LOTD," by Apploniacriss.

Check out the August 28 Pic of the day, "Timo1," by Lizz Palen.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day, "Fluffy in Pacific Grove" by Draxtor Despres.

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day, "Dreamlove," by Pam Astonia.

Have you visited the new Destination Guide Mesh Showcase? It’s only been two days since the formal rollout of mesh in Second Life, but some amazing creations are already starting to surface. For example, artist claudia222 jewell has created the surreal and sticky Mesh Mellows, where human-bug hybrids dwell in a creepy underground abyss.  The SL fashion blogosphere is also abuzz about the many form-fitting mesh fashions starting to roll out, such as those by Jane, Dirty Lynx, Curious Kitties and LaRosa. To see these advanced mesh creations in action, visit the Mesh Showcase in the Destination Guide. However, you’ll need to use a mesh-enabled viewer, such as Viewer 3. Are you a creator who is using mesh in a new and innovative way? If so, tell us about your designs, fashions or environments using the Destination Guide Suggestion Submission form to be considered for the Mesh Showcase.

Check out the August 25 Flickr Pic of the day, "RoseFairy," by Roiben Sweetwater.

Grab a free parachute and get ready for the ride of your life at the Double B Skydiving Center.

Check out today's Flickr Pic of the Day: "Bodza - Miamai 2," by Bozda Blackadder.

Photo courtesy Zada Bury This year's Zindra Expo promises to be a mix of creative and interactive experiences for Residents, as the four regions of ZEXPO are transformed into a land of surprises and innovative creations. Games, contests, rides and daring attractions will all be in the mix, along with art galleries, concerts, live discussions and exotic play areas. ZEXPO is a celebration of Zindra, the sophisticated adult mainland of Second Life. Zindra will host this Forbidden Carnival, offering 10 days of fun. Be there as ZEXPO 2011 celebrates Zindra and everything adult in SL. To visit these sites, you must 18 years of age or older. Inworld On the web Blog

A film called Life 2.0 will air Thursday evening on OWN (Oprah’s TV network). The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010 and follows several Second Life users, illustrating some of the ways Second Life affected their offline lives (and vice versa). You can watch the trailer for the film here, and check out some past reviews from Second Life Resident (and Betterverse blogger) Rik Riel, as well as from The New York Times, the Huffington Post, and the Village Voice. The film and its portrayal of Second Life inspire a mix of reactions from audiences. If you watch the movie, we encourage you to add your voices and personal perspectives on Second Life to the conversations the film may spark — it’s a good opportunity for us all to talk about what we think makes Second Life interesting and special. If you’re on Twitter, you can join the conversation at #Life2.0.

Today, mesh technology is available gridwide in Second Life. All SL users can now benefit from mesh technology, no matter what you do or where you are inworld. If you shop, be sure to check out items built using mesh — they can sit alongside everything else you own and love in SL, but often look superslick, and may have greater detailing or design than a similar item built without mesh. If you build, mesh is another option to help you access unlimited creativity. All the other traditional SL building options are still intact, we’ve just added to your toolkit. If you sell things, selling objects created using mesh is one way to diversify your offering. If you own land, well-made mesh objects can be used to increase efficiency and maintain optimum performance on your parcel.  Make sure you use the new Viewer to view and upload mesh objects correctly; older viewers will not render objects created with mesh correctly. Please check with third-party viewers; mesh support may vary. A More Technical Look at Mesh You’ve probably already seen mesh technology at work in modern video games, special effects and 3D animation. The term “mesh” refers to an object that consists of polygonal geometry data. That means it is extremely flexible — and it certain situations, it can be way more efficient than the existing prims and sculpties you’ll find inworld currently. Although existing building tools and techniques may still be the best choice in certain settings. You can talk with other designers about mes here. Mesh objects are first created in external programs, such as Blender or Maya, (check here for more information) and then imported onto the Second Life grid. Once there, mesh objects can be manipulated in pretty much the same ways you would manipulate a regular old prim. Learn more about uploading your own mesh items here. 

Check out today's Flickr Pic of the Day: "Venice by Night," by Alicia Chenaux.

Walking through Lemondrop's Forest is like taking a stroll through a classic kid's cartoon, where flying pigs in rockets are the norm. A fun place to visit.

Check out the Men's 24 — one of the most fabulous fashion events for style-conscious men in Second Life. The fun began on Aug. 19 and will wrap up on Aug. 27. More than 24 well-known, talented menswear designers have created delightfully divine, limited-edition items for this fashion fête. Come explore the fantastic sartorial creations inworld here, and check out Strawberry Singh's site for more details!

Can you find your way out of the massive hedge maze? Try it and see.

Calling all Second Life artists! Visit the Linden Endowment for the Arts Full Sim Art Series, running from October 2011 through March 2012. Here you'll discover various art projects and exhibitions from different SL artists. Submit your application today to be a part of the action! Submissions are due by Sept. 10. If selected, you'll get a full sim to use for your installation. Find out more at http://pdx.be/c9cb. Check out the Destination Guide entry here.