Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Author, strategist, virtual world reporter

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Second Life Fashion Friday: Dramatic Male Styles from The Wildness Factor

July 14, 2023
Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

The Wildness Factor is a blog brought to you by Jack Wild or, more specifically, 00JackWild00. It’s a men’s fashion blog that goes for classic looks with a man who is going about his daily life. Getting in his car, going to his apartment, walking in the rain, etc. His style focuses on neutral colors and styles that will be popular for years to come.

Take this outfit from his Post 596, Is there are more classic wool print than the houndstooth? It’s been around for over two thousand years and still looks good. The leather and wood toggle closure is another nod to historic clothing. Add a cable knit sweater, grey wool pants and a flat cap and you have an outfit ready for anything.
- Hoorenbeek – NG Outfit – Jamie – Teleport @ Hoorenbeek – Mainstore or @ Hoorenbeek – Marketplace
- K&S Creation – Class.Off Backdrop – Teleport @ K & S Creation – Mainstore or K & S Creation – Marketplace
For more men’s classic fashion, click here:

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Now on Kindle: 20th Anniversary Edition of The Making of Second Life. I’m Giving Away 50 Free Copies to Making a Metaverse That Matters Readers!

July 13, 2023

The celebration of Second Life's 20th anniversary isn't over. Now available on Kindle for $9.99, I've just released a special new edition of The Making of Second Life, featuring a new foreword and afterword, and selected images. Get it here.

Making a Metaverse That Matters is in many ways a sequel to my 2008 book, and is just as much about the community of Second Life, as the early creator of the virtual world at Linden Lab. So I have a special offer for readers of the new book:

Share a photo of you or a friend holding a copy of Making a Metaverse That Matters on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Flickr, Plurk, or Bluesky, and tag me in it ("SLHamlet", "wjamesau", or "Hamlet Au"). If you're among the first 50 to do so, I'll get in touch to send you a free copy of Making of Second Life!

Thanks of course to Philip Rosedale for the lovely cover blurb and Gogo of Juicy Bomb for creating the new cover.

Read an excerpt below, featuring the inside story of the naming of Second Life from its early incarnation as Linden World. Creation of the new name was led by now-famed venture capitalist Hunter Walk, with insights from early Internet community pioneer Howard Rheingold.

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Today’s Flickr Pick: Francesca Pfeffer Shoots the Amazing Sentient Animals of Second Life

July 13, 2023

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Francesca Pfeffer has so many fun and unusual photos I was in a quandary which to choose. There are beautiful landscapes, striking fashion photos, and mind-bending décor, but I decided to go with the cats. “At the Store” It reminds me of this speculative novel that imagines a world where animals gain consciousness and the Ants decide to annihilate humanity. It’s called Mort(e) and is great fun, though sometimes heartbreaking. Mort(e) is a cat military leader, maybe like this shopper.

For more cats and a bunny, click here:

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Meta Quest Coming to Roblox — Niche Add-On… That’ll Also Provoke More Provoke Scrutiny to Both Platforms

July 12, 2023

Nice upcoming integration for Roblox users who also happen to own a Meta Quest:

Roblox, one of the largest 3D immersive platforms, will soon be available on Meta Quest, the leading VR headset. Roblox on Meta Quest is available for any user 13 and older.

This opens up another opportunity for developers to create and share their experiences with millions of people instantly on Meta Quest. Roblox developers will be able to bring their existing experiences to Meta Quest or create unique new experiences with VR in mind.

This is a great opportunity for VR developers, inviting them to port their experiences to a much larger audience. (And Roblox already boasts a number of high quality immersive games like Tunneler and Frontlines.)

However, with Quest 2 sales already plateauing at around 20 million, I doubt Roblox will grow the market for the VR headset any further. In fact, Quest usage is already dominated by competing metaverse platforms Rec Room and VRChat — which also suggests that we probably won’t see many Quest users becoming dedicated Roblox users, or vice versa. (Metaverse platforms tend to engender fierce community loyalty, beyond occasional tourist visits to other platforms.)

But both Meta and Roblox corporate heads should also expect more public/political scrutiny coming their way. Top Senators recently enjoined Meta to prohibit its own metaverse platform to teen children:

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Watch: Avatar Customization in Rod Humble’s Life by You Revealed

July 12, 2023

Back in March we had our first in-depth preview of Life by You, the new life simulation game by ex-Linden Lab CEO / former EA/Sims lead Rod Humble, now here's a granular look at its avatar customization features — bodies and clothing above, more below (with an emphasis on facial characterization).

It's a great look at a modern avatar experience with a clean, bright, easy-to-use UI that's still highly granular, where pretty much any appearance can be achieved. Many Second Life users have called for Linden Lab to update its avatar customization so it's closer to this.

But as Humble himself might say, it's far too late to change the SL avatar system: There are too many user-made hacks and add-ons that would be broken by an upgrade, literally putting thousands of community content creators out of a job. (For instance, the whole attachable SL hair industry is built on the Second Life default hair UI being so limited.)

One alternative is to offer SL mobile app users a new avatar UI that's closer to the Life by You version, even if that means creating a kind of class/social divide between mobile and PC users. But that's probably inevitable anyway, since it's almost impossible create an equal experience across multiple devices.

Anyway, more on Life by You avatars and art below:

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Today’s SL Flickr Pick: Naturalistic Avatar Portraits by Kirca Rowley

July 12, 2023

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Kirca Rowley’s stream is full of naturalistic pictures like this one. What really distinguishes her work is evident in the unstudied naturalness of the pose. Her pictures capture an avatar who is at ease in the world, relaxed and immersed in what she is doing. Her skies are often overcast and her pics are often in the shadows or dimly illuminated and that also adds to the natural feeling of her pics.

For more of her great avatar pics, click here:

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Listen: Podcast on 20 Years of Second Life Metaverse Lessons With Myself & Famed Virtual Wedding Dress Creator Sparkle Skye

July 11, 2023
Stream on Spotify above or get on Apple Podcasts here, I just did an incredibly fun episode bout Second Life’s 20th anniversary and its role in the Metaverse’s evolution for the 2 Girls 1 Podcast show devoted Internet culture. Content warning: We get into some weird and/or sexy areas, including a long discourse on TTP, i.e. Time to Penis.

Here’s some blog links to stories we discuss:
Even better, longtime SL content creator Sparkle Skye joins the show, sharing her experiences:

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Today’s SL Flickr Pick: Sunlit Riverside Homes by Natalia Corvale

July 11, 2023

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Natalia Corvale just photographed my dream home. Doesn’t this look lovely. The weathered wood and rusty roof make it seem part of the environment in a way a shiny new houseboat would not. It’s a home that is at home in its environment. And look, you can swim right off your front porch.

For more lush photos, click here:

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Sannyのおすすめバーチャルワールドニュース : 2023年6月 Sanny Reports For Virtual Japan

July 11, 2023

Sanny Yoshikawa が、New World Notesのなかから、毎月おすすめのバーチャルワールドニュースを日本語で紹介します

Sanny Yoshikawa covers the monthly virtual world highlights from New World Notes for virtual Japan.

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Top 4 Posts Including The Trending Down of ChatGPT & A Fact-Check Of Second Life’s Vexingly Complex UI

July 10, 2023