Blender 2.61 Released

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A new version of Blender was released a couple of weeks ago. It has 180 fixes that will be helpful. There are some new features but those are not for anything we do in Second Life. Also, Gaia Clary has a Collada fix rigged mesh over on Machinimatrix.org.

New Blender 2.61

Simple Blender Install

To have multiple versions of Blender installed download and use the Blender Zip Archive. The zip file contains a working copy of Blender in a folder. The folder can be placed anywhere in your file system and work. One unzips the file to a folder, opens the folder, navigates to the blender.exe file, right click and drag it to the desktop or Launch Bar, release, and select Create Shortcut. That’s it. You have an independent install of Blender.

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Milkshake Viewer 3.2.6 (2) Review

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I found a notice today that Svensk has linked a new article to my Milkshake Viewer review. It was his new article on the Milkshake Viewer. It is in Swedish but Google does a pretty good translation of this one. Whatever, it seems there is a new release of Milkshake out. I don’t see that much new in this release. So, this review is about a controversy that started up around the Milkshake Viewer.

Milkshake? Logo

The last review of Sven’s and possibly mine stirred up some drama, mostly about Milkshake’s author not properly attributing where parts of the viewer originated. That has been corrected in this version and Cinder has spoken up.

People that create things often graciously share those things. In the viewer development world related to Second Life and in other open source game worlds, creators expect some recognition for their work. Considering that this is often the only payment they will ever receive it is understandable they get annoyed when it is denied. But, such upset usually signals the donation was not as freely given as it might have been.

The failure to provide the expected acknowledgement is not surprising in Milkshake. It appeared, at least to me, the viewer was made mostly for the developer and her friends. Unfortunately, it seemed so obvious to me I failed to mention it in my previous article, Milkshake: a New #SL Viewer. Cinder’s recent comments verify that.

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#SL Region Lag

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Some improvements in Second Life have unintended consequences. The Destination Guide and What’s Hot are both nice additions to Second Life. But, there are some unintended consequences from them. One of the negative consequences is over loading regions.

Loki's Game in Destination Guide

I’ve seen lots of improvements in Second Life this year. Region crossings and region lag have been improved. But, those sailing and flying vehicles through crossings are still unhappy. Also, we all have probably had recent problems with region crossings. But, in general things have gotten better. But, the destination guide offers some new opportunities to concentrate more people in a region.

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MIT’s Cute Robot

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I came across this article and the robot is too cute not to pass along. The purpose of the robot is to get information from people. It is a novel approach.

An article about it and the video can be found here: Robot Video Journalist

Too Cute - You must hear the voice.

While the bot is cute you only get the full affect when you hear its voice. Check it out.

I thought it interesting that some people would abuse the robot. They did not provide stats on the number of helpful verses abusive. But, it is probably hard to know. They determined abuse by acceleration sensors in the bot. The video shows one deliberate kick. But, how many of the events were deliberate or accidental is not addressed. Poor little bot…

Niran’s Viewer Finalized Review

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Niran has released the ‘Final’ version of Niran’s Viewer. That is final as in finally complete, not the last. Niran’s blog has an article that is worth the read. I’ll mention the main points, but I won’t cover all the details.

Niran’s Niche

Some viewer developers want their viewer to be the best viewer. Kirsten’s was bleeding edge technology for the best rendered image. Henri’s Cool Viewer seems to be about stretching the life of V1 viewers, which in Henri’s case is probably more about the user interface than the code. Linden Lab’s viewer is about being easy to learn. Firestorm is a power user’s viewer, imo.

Nirans Viewer 1.00

Niran wants to create a viewer with the best render image. For Second Life I think that is an awesome goal. I may be a bit more visually oriented than most. So, I like high quality graphics. I loved exploring Blue Mars. But, I need more computer to run at the quality I want. My duel core just isn’t cutting it with my new graphics card.

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SOPA is Still a Problem

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SOPA is: Stop Online Piracy Act. Sounds like a good thing. But, like most government actions it’s bad for the people. Watch the video. Words cannot describe it. I first saw this on GoSpeed Racer’s site.

[vimeo 31100268]

If you have not seen this video, check it out. Its 15 minutes long. This federal law is about limiting the free flow of information on the Internet under the banner of stopping information piracy. It is another way for the failing music companies and their lawyers to make a ton of money. As the law is written politicians will be able to control speech on the Internet and that has to be bad for freedom.

[youtube IsmpdmVd10M]

OK, you have seen the sky is falling and it is a conspiracy video. It will take some research to verify everything you heard. But, some of the lawsuits are easy to check out. Also, the extradition from the UK can be checked. All that I’ve had time to research checks out. Now it’s time to catch your breath and get some perspective. Facts are always good for perspective.

One can Google H.R. 3261 (USA House of Representatives) or SOPA. Bill is sponsored by Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R – Texas) – Cosponsors are listed HERE and 8 of 31 are from California. Look to see if your rep is in the list. If so, note it so you will know who to vote out in 2012. Latest Major Action: 12/16/2011.

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