Linden Dollars: where’s the panic?
I have to say I was a little bemused at the announcement by Linden Lab of their faith in the strength of the Linden dollar, after a selling run over the past 24-48 hours. On checking the current rate, it shows a 10.4 million Linden exchange throughput with the exchange rate deteriorating to 307.9 Lindens [...]
Merged realities – events and issues for virtual worlds
1. The USA’s National Space Society had their machinima awards ceremony last weekend, in conjunction with the University of Western Australia. There’s some superb machinima featured – you can view them all here. Also, don’t forget to check out the May winners of the UWA’s 3D Art competition, or go have a look yourself in-world. [...]
Second Lie: small business, good sex and humour in SL
It’s been a while, but it’s time for the latest segment with our resident agony aunt, Second Lie. It’s all about sharing insights, finding common ground and a healthy dose of cynicism. Remember, if you want to get your own slice of wisdom, you just need to contact us and we’ll forward your question on. [...]
The Watch – virtual worlds in the news
1. Wall Street Journal (USA) – Second Life Creator Linden Lab Downsizes, Morphs. “Despite some perceptions to the contrary, backers of the virtual community called Second Life say it is growing and healthy. But substantial changes are afoot. Linden Lab, a San Francisco company that was founded in 1999 and launched Second Life in 2003, [...]
Linden Lab announce Viewer 2.1: voice morphing now available
First – some cynicism on what is otherwise a noteworthy announcement. It’s hard to imagine that it’s spontaneity that led to a fairly significant viewer upgrade a day after laying off 30% of its staff. It’s a move that will be seen through by a lot of Second Life residents for what it is: a [...]
Linden Lab announce plans for layoff-funded Second Life in-browser
Linden Lab have now formalised the announcement on staff cuts – not that there’s any detail and plenty of corporate-speak. The whole claim that layoffs improves company focus is tenuous at best, and borders on insulting to those departing. The press release states: Today’s announcement about our reorganization will help us make Second Life® even [...]
Linden Lab staff reductions: the picture painted
As she is wont to do, Tateru Nino has come up with another great story, albeit a sad one for those involved. Linden Lab have laid off a significant number of staff. Putting aside the obvious human impact of decisions like these, it’s certainly not a great look for a company already struggling under the [...]
