Linden Lab

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Astro" by Jaix Lee. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Summer" by ImaOZgrl Tucker. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "New Babies" by °·♥°•·.*Gwin. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

“Will you be my Valentine?” It’s the phrase we heralded with joy as children, possibly angst as a teen, and a slight sense of suspicion as adults - but there is no denying Valentine’s Day is an emotional mashup for many. Are you a romantic or a cynic when it comes to love? Pick your poison from the diverse and delightful assortment of options to explore in Destination Guide’s Romance Category. Find your sweet spot and take a date or friends - old and new - on a thematic adventure inworld. If you’re looking for a place to take a romantic date, why not stop by the Isle of View? We’ve dusted off, spruced up, and revamped a blast from the past with a Swan Boat Ride and some free treats for you and your special someone. Valentine Bears, candied hearts, kissing boothsm and a skyline of fireworks are sure to send the mood for love. For those who have a less candy-coated view of the holiday - you can grab a group of like-minded individuals and partake in the the Tainted Love Hunt - a no-holds-barred look at the darker side of love - with hunt items from many of Second Life’s strange and unusual designers and creators. Before you dive in, stop by the Marketplace Gift Shop to get something for your Valentine or to treat yourself! After you visit these scenic spots - share your snapshot in the Share the Sweetness Snapshot Gallery Isle of View Looking for something romantic this Valentine's Day? The Isle of View brings together everything the discerning romantic requires of their romantic festivities: boat rides, fireworks, kissing booths, forested walks, tasteful fountains, and free gifts. So bring that special someone to the Isle of View and tell them how you really feel. Visit in Second Life Valentine at Winter Ice Rock Festival Romance is the mission at this Valentine's celebration. Bring that special someone to one of the many romantic spots. Restaurants, theaters, concerts, and all your favorite winter activities await in this immersive Valentine winter experience. Visit in Second Life Fotoscope Island Fotoscope Island is dedicated to photography, fun, friendship and romance! Ride the Freefall and enjoy eight minutes of a space ride packed with animations and audio-visual special effects. Fotoscope also has quite a few of other interactive experiences. Dance and cuddle in a wide variety of beautiful spots and hidden locations. Just be sure to take lots of photos, huh? Visit in Second Life 2014 Valentine Town Valentine Town is a visual panorama of all the things that denote love and affection. From chocolate waterfalls to the sugary delight of giant gum balls, expect an endless feast for all the senses, with remarkable vistas and colors bathing visitors with affectionate delight. Visit in Second Life The Tainted Love Hunt The Tainted Love Hunt is a grid-wide treasure hunt about anything but that saccharine-sweet Valentine's Day romance. Tainted Love celebrates; obsessional love, love of pain, loving someone to death, even the love of the suicide pact... Featuring great prizes from some of most troubled, twisted, and talented designers and builders in Second Life, it will run from February 1st to the 28th. Visit in Second Life

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Nothing Compartes to U" by Elo. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

On deck for immediate release are more improvements to Project Sunshine. New updates include better stability and performance enhancements in retry logic, redundant requests, and better detection for appearance conditions. This release also includes lots of bug fixes and quite a bit of cleanup of old code from the old client-side baking framework. Additionally, we’ve integrated support for the latest AISv3 code (which will improve how back-end processing of inventory items work). We are just awaiting the latest server components to go live before this feature is fully functioning. More on this soon. Update to the latest Viewer today and take advantage of the new Sunshine refinements!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "War of the Phoenix" by Gia Nikai Juliesse. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "House on the Other Side" by £õrï £ee Pïþer. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "I'm no toy soldier" by Emily. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Ever wondered how you could help someone in need? Enjoy concerts? The latest episode of The Drax Files: World Makers showcases Brique Topaz’s Feed a Smile, a wonderful way for Residents to provide meals and education to children in Kenya. Feed a Smile hosts a variety of in-world concerts, with proceeds going directly to those who need them most. So watch this episode of The Drax Files: World Makers and learn how you can help make the world a better place. Click the link for the below! ha6gxbTw6iQ Interested in more Drax Files? Catch up with previous episodes below or at Draxtor’s Website. The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 1: Kriss Lehmann The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 2: Jo Yardley The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 3: Eshi Otawara The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 4: Fantasy Faire / RFL The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 5: Engrama The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 7: Rod Humble The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 8: MadPea Games The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 9: Elie Spot The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 10: Robin Sojourner The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode11: Dwarfins The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 12: Ole Etzel The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 13: Creations for Parkinson's The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 14: Rose Borchovski The Drax Files: World Makers - Episode 15: Scottius Polke

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Untitled" by ElviraMidnight. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Untitled" by Frida Roxan. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Enchantment" by Anika Bellissimo. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Untitled" by Vic Rossini. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "January." by North Farshore. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Getaway Car." by Reema Xue. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "If a Tree Falls" by Josie Elderslie. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

February is just around the corner - and it’s never too soon to start planning for Valentine’s Day. For most of us the holiday is a blend of bitter weather and sweet romance, and at the Destination Guide we aren’t immune to Cupid’s arrows, so here’s a few places to share with that special someone. Since romance means many things to many people, we figured we’d give you selections from our Romantic Spots category. Look below for secluded love nests, forested venues, waterfalls, boat rides and more. And if you’re feeling the pangs of an unrequited love, we’ve even got a dating game just for you. Your creative vision really lights our fire, so come on and share those labors of love. Here are a few spots to spark your Valentine's Day planning. Jasmine's Hollow Jasmine's Hollow is an Adirondack steampunk haven that's great for friends, romance, photography or just relaxing. Secluded cabins are tucked along the forest and waterfall-fed lake. Why not row and cuddle in a romantic boat while you look for the hidden cave? Or discover the crash site below the Dirty Grind. Discover all of this venue's many surprises! Visit in Second Life [leroy] Disembark from the nearby ship and immerse yourself in this romantic, secluded spot hidden deep on the grid of Second Life. Could this be Eden? Visit in Second Life Whispering Winds Welcome to the retreat called Whispering Winds. Home to three performance venues, a redwood forest, caves to explore, and many romantic spots. Use the provided teleport posts or explore on your own! Visit in Second Life Dream Scene Dream Scene lets you and a loved one design a special fantasy evening. Choose from one of the many romantic themes — there's everything from a Roman bath to a space cave — then, sit back and let the floating bubble whisk you off on a magical getaway. Visit in Second Life Date My Avi Date My Avi is the hottest singles service (and the only grid-wide system) in and out of Second Life with a fully functional theater, club and more. So come enjoy in-world or at DateMyAvi.com! Visit in Second Life

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "it's my face" by Strawberry Singh. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Parted Wish" by Aarya Phantomhive. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Memoirs" by Sajiah Viper. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

As followers of this blog will know, a number of the projects we’ve been working on to improve Second Life (like Project Sunshine) have been focused on making the virtual world work better and faster for everyone. One of these initiatives has been to improve the infrastructure to speed up HTTP communications between the Viewer and grid services. By reducing demands on the network, this improves performance - and we’re already seeing good results. For example, 75% fewer connections are now needed when the Viewer downloads meshes! We've also built in better error reporting, which gives us more data to help troubleshoot issues when they arise. If you’d like to delve into the details, check out this new post on the Tools and Technology blog: Raising the Roof: The HTTP Project.

Since late in 2012, there's been a project to improve HTTP communications between Viewer and grid services. One of the metrics we've tried to improve is maximum request rate: the number of HTTP requests that can be issued and responded to over a time interval. Improving this figure has been challenging. There are and will always be factors beyond our control, such as the characteristics of the home network, ISP policies and capacities, physical distance to services, and transient network problems, to name a few. However, we can do something about other factors that are under our control. These factors can be fixed limits intended to implement a rate throttle. Or they can also be side-effects of other decisions, such as connection handling. The impact of fixed limits and connection handling is shown in the diagram below taken from texture and mesh fetching. The lowest curve (red) represents the highest possible request rate when using a unique connection for each HTTP request for a maximum of five (5) concurrent connections. The curve above it (blue) shows the doubling of the request rate limit when HTTP keepalives are used. And both of these limits are strongly affected by packet round-trip (ping) times. Finally, the horizontal line at 100 RPS represents an approximate limit on request rate that's independent of ping time. At the beginning of this project, most HTTP traffic, texture fetching in particular, was constrained to region 'A'. This was the result of a combination of factors. One was the lack of connection keepalives. This forced a TCP connection handshake prior to every HTTP request. Another was the delay in launching new requests on completion of previous requests. Viewer 3.4.3 Released in early 2013, Viewer 3.4.3 included a new library, llcorehttp, to begin to address the above issues. It was foundational in that it didn't attack the above problems directly (nor other problems not discussed here), but it established a structure that would allow the problems to be addressed over a series of releases. While its goals were modest, the efficiency and latency improvements yielded some nice gains. Texture fetching was the first component to use the new library and throughput and robustness increased while tendencies to stall have disappeared. With these changes, texture fetching solidly entered the 'B' region of the diagram. DRTSIM-203 Deployed in April, 2013, the DRTSIM-203 server release included the first support for HTTP keepalive connections between viewers and simulator hosts. For small transfers, it halved the number of round-trips required to fetch an object. For larger transfers, the impact of TCP slow-start was also reduced. There were several other beneficial side-effects; the greatest of these was creating fewer TCP connections for a given workload. A high rate of connection creation, called connection churn, is one factor in destabilizing many home routers. Symptoms of this include: router reboots, loss of connectivity, timeouts, and DNS failures. Keepalive connections were enabled for texture fetches and SSL-encrypted HTTP between viewers and simulator hosts. This raised the ceiling into region 'C,' increasing texture download throughput. Mesh downloads continued to use the original connection scheme, and monitoring and enforcement watchdogs were added to protect common services from monopolization. What’s next? We continue to evaluate our HTTP protocols with goals of improving our user experiences. Here are some of our most recent areas of interest. DRTSIM-216/229 + Viewer DRTVWR-329 Mesh fetching, like texture fetching, is a relatively heavy-weight activity in the viewer. It takes time to acquire these assets and display a scene. So mesh fetches will be the next area to receive the above treatment, putting them in region 'C' as well. The challenge is that mesh fetching has been built around extremely high connection concurrency. A new capability service, called 'GetMesh2', will supersede the existing 'GetMesh' service. It is designed around low connection concurrency. That, in turn, will permit connection keepalive and even HTTP pipelining while promising higher throughput, lower overhead and improved router stability. Pipelining As significant as the above changes are, they still leave most users under a ceiling strongly influenced by ping time. Europe and Asia are usually over 100 ms and South Africa often reports 250 ms. There will always be a 'ping tax' on those who are far from grid services. But there is something we can do: HTTP pipelining. Pipelining reduces the impact of ping time by issuing multiple HTTP requests at once without waiting for responses. This will allow our servers to keep filling the download stream rather than stalling between requests. Mesh and texture fetching will get first crack at pipelining. There will be new problems to discover. An essential library, libcurl, has only just started supporting pipelining. We will need to update some of our services as well. But those will be solved and asset fetches will begin to operate in region 'D'. Sky's the Limit Progress doesn't stop with pipelining. There are more opportunities to push upwards into 'E' and 'F' regions. A few possibilities: If you participated in the DRTSIM-203 beta test, you had an opportunity to try our 'Happy' regions (TextureTest2H, MeshTest2H, etc.). These regions ran on hosts with elevated limits to see what would happen. The results were positive and invite a permanent increase as HTTP behavior improves. Updating other HTTP-based services, moving them up the throughput curve. This would include services such as inventory operations and display name lookups, which make heavy, bursty demands. Looking into other transport protocols. SPDY is interesting and tries to solve some of the challenges Second Life presents. How well it solves them is yet to be seen. These shouldn’t be taken as commitments or written-in-stone plans, as priorities and goals may shift, but we’ve seen good results from our work on the HTTP project and are looking forward to continuing to improve Second Life’s infrastructure.

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Untitled" by W i n t e r H e n d e s. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "h e l l o j o e" by Rebekah Lyter. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!