Waialae

Hi. The Second Life viewer allows my avatar to speak using my computer's microphone. The exact same settings in the Firestorm (v 6.3.9) viewer puts the "voice dot" over my head, but my voice isn't heard. It seems like a microphone activation issue. I opened preferences and changed the mic activation from "middle mouse" to another key (used z) but still no voice. I went to the Firestorm wiki and the instructions there mimic the settings I already have in place. Tried different mics on the off chance but still no voice. Any ideas why voice works normally for me in the SL viewer but not in Firestorm?

Hiya Phil. I used the Linux viewer for a long time and it worked just fine - movements were smooth using my keyboard's arrow keys. The difference may be in what distro your friend is using (which version of Linux). I was using Linux Mint. It may be that the distro your friend is using has different functions assigned to the arrow keys, so they end up useless when in SL viewer. How to find out: Burn an install DVD of Linux Mint (free download), then reboot with the DVD still in the machine. When it powers up the BIOS will give you the choice to run the normal Linux distro or Linux Mint. Choose Mint, then download and run SL viewer. If the SL viewer works in Mint, you'll know the problem was the distro.

Excellent info MaxMare. In my limited experience this has changed since Tilia. Before Tilia I was able to purchase L$ with the delayed better exchange rate and all transactions were completed within an hour or so. Now with Tilia I have a Limited order that has been unfulfilled for two days. The minimal difference in exchange rates means a Limited order is not worthwhile - unless you check into SL once a week (or however long the order takes top fulfill).

Hey Jackson. A friend and I have been dumped at sim crossings more often too. She has several boats, small and large, and they all get dumped. The only things that help seem to be 1) lowering avatar complexity, 2) lowering avatar scripts, 3) slowing boat to almost a crawl when crossing, 4) crossing only between two sims at a time (so avoid sim corners, where it becomes possible to cross four sims), and 5) leaving graphics on lowest possible setting until in a place you want to photograph - only then bump up the graphics.

Me and a bunch of friends received a spam IM last night, and it sounds like a chat extender could be the culprit, especially if it allows region-wide (or multi region) communication. I can see where such a thing might be needed by owners of a region where groups of people meet, but is there any need for these things to be allowed otherwise? I picture someone going to a boat rez zone or sandbox and blasting everyone with spam.

Last night me and five friends were sitting together in one region and all received a spam IM from a stranger. It contained a landmark link labeled something like "how to get everything you'll ever need in Second Life for free." Sounded like a scam for sure, and everyone blocked. Sadly, the sender's profile said that s/he is a thirteen year resident; looks like even SL elders can be *&*($! I saw another thread talking about reducing whisper and chat ranges; hope that will help stop some of these large area blasts of spam.

I heard a rumor that LL was tired of cheaters, has banned lots of players, and is rebuilding LR to dissuade known forms of cheating. Reportedly the new LR will require players to wear a HUD on their avatar, probably one that prevents certain scripts, like the extra fast running, extra high jumping, and use of vehicles that I've seen in there. I just assumed that those people were moles, but apparently not. For a long time, certain avatars have been sitting in specific versions of LR and not doing anything but sit there. Have you seen this too? Normally if you sit in one place for too long, "air blob" grabs you and you're out. But these avatars were able to stay in place. I suspect that they may have been admins that were recording the presence or use of scripts and other cheats. All good, more blue and green crystals for the rest of us. I'm excited to see the new LR when it comes out!

I've noticed big differences in inventory between marketplace and inworld stores. This first happened when shopping for clothing in marketplace and a shop said "demo available at inworld store." SO annoying, because shopping inworld is a bigger challenge for my pc, and involves wandering around stores that generally aren't organized very well. Browser searches are quick; searching through an inworld store while it slowly renders seems to take forever. What I usually do is find something in marketplace, and IF it's an expensive item I'll go to the inworld store and check for a lower price or group discount. I have to admit though that some of my favorite finds have been from inworld stores, some of which had little or no marketplace presence.

This question reminds me of an old film called Total Recall, in which virtual vacations replaced physical ones. Virtual travel had/has a lot of advantages, but it is a different experience. Until we live our entire lives virtually, like in another old film The Matrix, we will likely still enjoy travel with our entire body, not just our mind. The OP asked if virtual worlds could help reduce real world pollution though, not eliminate it, and the answer to that is yes. Consider online education, which has been doing this for a decade or more. More recently, professors at University of Hawaii began teaching holographically to students in American Samoa, interacting in real time from thousands of km away. The famous Louvre art museum in Paris conducts online tours, allowing people to explore the Mona Lisa and other works from anywhere in the world. And similarly, if you've ever looked at homes and apartments online rather than checking newspaper ads and visiting every one of them, you've saved a ton of fuel, time, expense, and pollution. So French Couturier makes a good point: virtual worlds definitely reduce pollution. But there is no one answer to a problem as big as human waste. Instead, there are many solutions, and virtual worlds are just one.