Wagner James Au / New World Notes
Author, strategist, virtual world reporter
recent posts
- Welcome to New World Notes’ 2006-2025 Archive!
- Virtual World Usage Stats from S&P Global Market Intelligence — Plus VRChat & Second Life Specifics!
- Top Five Posts Including: Huge Rec Room Layoff & Meta Boots Neal Stephenson Off Facebook (Briefly)
- Four Glorious Second Life Sims to Explore — After Watching Sabina Valeska’s Machinima Tributes to Them!
- Virtual World Usage Stats from S&P Global Market Intelligence — Plus VRChat & Second Life Specifics!
about
Category: Real world in SL
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Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting Alsatian Kidd brings the viral “Leopards ate my face” meme to literal life in Second Life, with a Cybertruck added for good measure. After the “Hands Off” anti-Trump/Musk marches across the country this weekend, I was curious if Second Lifers were showing…
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When I first saw these new shoes by Second Life creator Hanna Lindberg, I had to lightly gasp. After she had told me how she made them, I had gasped several times more. The first story of these shoes, you can discern by looking close. Among her first creations using PBR lighting, the detail in…
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Click here to teleport to an impressively lush and detailed new Second Life sim based on Tsurugajo Castle in Japan, often called "Samurai City." While there are many similar locations in SL (there's even an entire samurai-themed RPG!), this one has a special hook — it's funded by the Japanese government, via its tourist agency:…
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Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting I saw this gorgeous pic from Fiona Fei marking the Lunar New Year on Facebook and it inspired me to look around and see what else people were doing to note the holiday. If her name sounds familiar, it’s probably due to…
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Above: Hanna's view of Ukraine last March; Hanna's view of Ukraine this month Last March, Hanna, Ukraine-based creator of the beloved SL fashion brand OSMIA, over 6 months pregnant, was hiding out in a city under active Russian occupation. "I'm having a hard time mentally," she messaged me from a basement at the time. "The…
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Among the many strange moments amid an utterly horrible war, this one must be the most surreal: Hanna of OSMIA, a leading Second Life brand, is a Ukraine citizen in real life, and since Russia's invasion, has been hiding out in her now-occupied city. She is now nearly 7 months pregnant. But because OSMIA is…
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After so many stories about Meta in the Metaverse, the inevitable finally occurred: Meet "Creepy Mark", a chatty bot with a suspiciously familiar appearance which you can buy to silently stalk you in the OG metaverse of Second Life. I just got my own personal Creepy Mark, and now he won't leave my side, following…
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The amazing thing about virtual worlds is that you make tangible connections with people from all over the real world. That also means, tragically, that the real world's troubles often fast follow behind. Which brings us back to Hanna, creator of the beloved Second Life brand OSMIA, who also happens to be a Ukrainian. When…
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Though Linden Lab has not yet announced any plans to ban payments from Russian users on its virtual world platform of Second Life, the US and EU banking sanctions have already taken their toll on SL content creators in Russia — especially those who depend on Second Life for their livelihood: “After the blocking of…
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//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js Image credit: Meriluu Lumoss' "Peace is the only battle worth waging" from the SL Stand with Ukraine Flickr group Last Friday, Linden Lab announced temporary payment amnesty for the thousands of Second Life users based in Ukraine: Effective Monday, we will be further supporting our eligible Ukrainian-based community members by granting them a temporary…
Wagner James Au / New World Notes 