Adobe Spark – Free

Adobe has released a new free web tool, Spark. It is an editor/creative tool for those wanting to quickly put creative things on Instagram, Flickr, YouTube, and other social media. The video shows how it is used as a video editor.

From the video, this image shows that video is one of the three primary areas in which Spark is useful, Posts, Pages, and Video. Amy Landino, the video creator, points out the limits of Spark. It is not going to replace Adobe Premiere Pro.

Spark Options

But, this is may be handy for quick little things and those that can live within the restrictions of a template driven system.

Since it is all free, you may be wondering why it is free. The servers and programming all cost money. So, there must be some financial model behind what Adobe is offering. I think Adobe’s incentive is marketing for Adobe products. There are opportunities they take to promote Premiere and their other retail products. I can’t yet tell if that is the sole benefit to Adobe. But, they weren’t asking for an email address or log in during the parts I played with.

YouTube already has some Spark Tutorials. So, you aren’t solely on your own.

If you have ever wanted to show off your SL creations, avatar, pretty place… this is an opportunity to create with free tools from the premier maker of artistic software.

SL Celebs Make it to Forbes

As it happened a tech contributing reporter for Forbes, Charlie Fink, was talking with Jason Gohlston, Sansar Studio Head, and got set up for his second ever tour of Sansar. Charlie made his own video and Drax with Strawberry Singh also did a video on the HoverDerby: World Premier.

The resulting article is here: VR Action Sport Hoverderby Opens In Sansar. Including a video similar to Strawberry and Drax’s. Both Strawberry and Drax are mentioned and their Atlas Hopping events.

Congratulations Drax & Strawberry.

Blender as a Video Editor?

Need a free video editor? Learn Blender Video Editing in 35-minutes. This is the video that shows you how to set Blender up for video editing.

Even if you are not interested in using Blender for video editing, check this out. I learned a bunch about setting up the user interface.

He is going really fast. The video is loaded with information. Red meat… yum.

One of the better video tutorials I’ve stumbled on.

Second Life News 2018 w14

Servers

The main channel updated to version #18.03.27.513831. The new version has only Internal Fixes.

The RC’s Blue Steel and Le Tigre will update to version #18.03.29.513939 on the usual Wednesday cycle. Also, only Internal Fixes.

Magnum will continue to run #18.03.27.513831.

Sunrise at Isle of May

Sunrise at Isle of May

From the Server and Scripting UG we hear about more region crossing work. Simon Linden is doing some work on crossings. BUG-214653After half-unsit at failed region crossing on vehicle due to network lag, “Unsit” button will not work.

Crossing regions at speed… fast cars, planes, boats, and motorcycles, have a big problem. I was recently testing an Apolon helicopter. Great fun. But, region crossings are an annoyance. Continue reading

Second Life’s The Wastelands

So, what is The Wastelands? It is a game within Second Life™. It is a bit different. It uses a somewhat typical post-apocalyptic setting. The 10 regions making up the game area are all Moderate rated. Full nudity is prohibited and no sex… O.O

Also, the game has been around since 2006. Making it definitely an SL classic.

This video was taken as I begin to explorer The Wastelands. I happened to be there when the monthly meeting was announced and The War Zone game started. Luck. I don’t plan to video the meetings. This is a one-off type thing.

I clipped out parts of the video and sped up parts I left in. So, reading the chat as it scrolls by won’t get you a transcript of the meeting. So, I have a transcript below.

The War Zone game as I understand it is a control the flag game. I have seen it played and heard the rules explained once. The flag is radio-active. So, carrying it will kill you. As you run with the flag the other team is trying to kill you. You are going to die. But, games have the ability to resurrect you. At the end of the game whichever team controlled the flag the ‘most time’ wins. And… you have to stay in the region.

There is a fans’ mobile ‘bleachers’ that follows the flag. You sit on it to follow the moving game. That is kinda neat. It is jerky. So, that is what you see in the jerky parts of the video. It isn’t my computer stuttering. Continue reading

Second Life Third-Party Dev Meeting

This week was a <15-minute meeting. So, not much news.

On the viewer front, there are no imminent updates. So, we likely won’t see any RC or Project viewers changing status this coming week.

All I ever wanted.

All I ever wanted.

The new server-side capabilities were deployed. The viewers haven’t been released. They are still being tweaked. The Abuse Report category change from built into the viewer to delivered by the servers hickuped. The Lindens left out the ‘localization’. Oops. English only. That is being fixed.

Bakes-On Project Viewer passed QA, Oz was unsure of when it was being released (ta-da: released 3/30). See the release notes.

BUG-215951Option to allow nearest neighbor on textured faces. The feature request was rejected. So, this is an example of what a definite Linden ‘no’ looks like.

I take it that some core functionality in the render engine would have to change and the Lindens don’t see an acceptable benefit ratio.

The Lindens are aware of an HTTPS problem for those scripting HTTPS data transfer. They plan to fix it, they just haven’t gotten there yet.

That is about it for the meeting. This link to the video leads to a very quiet meeting this week.

Myst-Uru 2018 Status

The official name Myst Online: Uru Live™ is a game that started about the time of Second Life™, 2004±. Both are multi-player, persistent games. By 2007-8 Second Life was peaking and Uru Live was closing. Those that played Uru were enchanted by the game. For many playing it was a parent and child time of bonding.

Fans saved the game by paying for the servers to run it and the original authors, Cyan Worlds, Inc., accepted and have kept a playable version online. The game moderators that kept the game safe for children are no longer around. So, it isn’t the kid-friendly game it was.

Uru has been called the game that ‘would not die’. Many have predicted its demise. If you click here in CATEGORIES (in the right-hand column), Myst-Uru, you can see my writing about the game over the years. The game has lots of history and exo-drama, drama outside the game. But, while it has survived the drama, it has taken a toll. Continue reading

SL and Other News Bits

Star Citizen now has 2 million user sign ups as it nears Alpha version 3.1. At US$45 per sign up, that is $90 million…

Save Our Lives, sad… as other news sources dig into the recent march the mainstream media story is falling apart. Many, like myself, wondered how high school kids could organize such a march and handle the logistics of contacting participants, moving them, providing for them, and acquiring a meeting place in D.C. Much less pay for everything.

Don´t trust me

Don´t trust me

A deep look shows the actual numbers are more in the 200,000± range not 800,000 and 90% of the 200k were adults >=40-years old. So, not really a student movement as is being reported.

Detective Novels – You may not know but one of the Second Life™ residents writes novels using their SL name as a pseudonym. Caitlin Tobias has written a review of the PUBLISHED novels, Huckleberry Hax – AFK, all of it. The book is out in hardcover, paperback, and digital. Awesome. Continue reading