Category: tech

I have two computers — a laptop and a desktop — and normally I logon to SL with my desktop. It’s the one with a gig of memory and a kick-ass graphics card. Tonight, however, my ISP decided to screw up and deny me access to everything but IRC for some reason. This means that my access to SL is only from my laptop if I (gasp) connect via a neighbour’s wireless.

Alright, so I managed to log into SL. A short timer later, my laptop is so hot that my hands are uncomfortably warm on the keyboard and the fan is roaring like a leaf blower. This is not good. SL is definitely more CPU intensive than my poor laptop can handle — it’s almost toasted from less than 10 minutes logged into SL. Someone suggested immersing it in ice water, but I think I’ll just unplug the thing. Something tells me that water and electronics don’t go together all that well. :)

Out of curiosity, I dropped in on ActiveWorlds this morning to see what it was like. As Eggy put it, “it’s SL’s grandpa”. It’s a 3D world with chat, like SL, but the feel of it is like a computer game from ten years ago. Avatars are stiff and lifeless, chat is IRC-style in a separate window pane, and I can’t tell if there’s a physics engine. But it’s all there — user-made content, socialization, and a gigantic world with lots of places.

Naturally, the first place I visited was an airport.

(When I switched from the default first-person camera to the third-person camera, I was a little surprised to discover that I’d turned into a fish!)

As Eggy pointed out in-world, the models are mesh-based, so they have shapes that may not be possible in Second Life, where building is primitive-based. Look, no seams!

Not all planes looked expertly-made, but that’s the same in SL, where all content is created by users — everyone has different skill levels, but everyone contributes. Some of the planes would do very well if they were built and scripted in SL.

I can see why ActiveWorlds lasted so long. It must have been cutting-edge in the beginning, and even now it offers much of the same experience and community as SL… but without the lag.

On the rare occasions that Second Life goes down, I usually spend hours moping around the house, or shivering in the corner, pale and withdrawn. I’m an SL addict. Sometimes, when I need a fix, and SL isn’t around, I’ll sign up for yet another There free trial.

I’ve tried There a few times now, and concluded that it’s a poor substitute for SL and lacks substance. It lacks, for example, the ability to create things with very few limitations. There seems to be mainly for chat. Oh and for spending money. Holy cow, things cost a lot, compared to the virtually free access to SL.

In There‘s favour, the avatar movements are very smooth, if you can get past the sickly-sweet Disney cartoon style, and the vehicles aren’t encumbered by the need to stream an entire world of content on the fly.

Anyway, besides skulking around Zephyr to steal as many dune buggies as I can (yes, I know it’s pointless), my favourite pastime in There is to throw my avatar off the tallest mountain I can find. In this case, it’s a place called Motu Motu. As an aside, don’t they get tired of the ubiquitous tiki theme?

However, you can only watch your avatar slide down a cliffside so many times before you yearn for something a little more fulfilling. I’m so very glad SL is back online. I was able to complete the new multi-destination teleporter. You can pick one up for free at my shop.