Welcome to the eighth Sign of the Kite (SOTK) newsletter of 2016. Remember SOTK is the shortform newsletter that keeps you up to speed with all things Kitely and OpenSim. It is written BY residents FOR residents and is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Kitely. This newsletter is also available in pdf format.
Got news of your world or group, an event, a recruitment drive, a newsworthy shop, product or promotion? Drop a brief notecard on avatar Graham Mills_2 inworld or PM Graham Mills via the Forum. All that’s needed are 2–5 sentences with a title, URL and/or hypergrid address. All times in PDT, please, and nothing A-rated/NSFW. Copy deadline is 17:00 Wednesday for inclusion in Friday’s news.
Note that we’re currently running a fortnightly publication schedule.
Community developments
Dot usefully compiled a list of “hidden” documentation on the Kitely wiki (which Ilan subsequently incorporated).
Dot helpfully updated the list of current events based on the Kitely Events Google Calendar. Graham added a couple (marked *) but also see Seanchai Library events. To Sunday they included:
Tue – Apr 5 – 1 pm PT – Tuesday Chat hosted by Dot on Intersections
Thu – Apr 7 – 7 pm PT – International Dragon Stories at Seanchai Library
Sat – Apr 9 1 pm PT – Metaverse Tour Meet at Crossroads region
Sun – Apr 10 – 1 pm PT – Kitely Community Meeting at the Kitely Welcome Center
Mon – Apr 11 – 8 pm PT – Blues at the Junkyard with DJ Thunder (NMA: Cookie II world)
Thu – Apr 14 – 10 am PT – Blender Chat: Let’s make a t-shirt
How to list an event on the calendar: https://www.kitely.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2481
Viva, Diva!
Well-deserved recognition for inspirational OpenSim developer Diva Canto (RL: UCI computer scientist Crista Lopes) in the form of the $10000 annual Pizzigati Prize for open source software developed for the public good. The prize money will go towards funding OpenSim infrastructure for developers.
A new Sherlock-inspired machinima from Zuza Ritt
Kitely resident and creator Zuza Ritt got worldwide recognition for her BBC Sherlock-inspired machinima Eine Kleine Baker Street. Here she describes her follow-up (and yes, there’s more to come):
The Skull-á-bande machinima is inspired by the BBC series Sherlock, particularly skull picture (on the wall of 221B Baker Street), which is allegedly not only a painting, but it is a little bit plastic, (http://www.sherlockology.com/props/skull-print) and the change made for the special episode The Abominable Bride. This episode was set in the Victorian era, and the painting was a really inspiring “3D picture”. (http://www.art.co.uk/products/p10104415-sa-i1286900/allan-c-gilbert-all-is-vanity.htm)
I decided to create my own, real 3D version. I realized that I am, coincidentally, a creator of virtual landscapes, which could be genuinely hopeful.
As with the previous Eine Kleine Baker Street, the scene is made with mesh objects, placed into an OpenSim region, all movements and interactions are scripted inworld, and all shooting is made inworld. There are no post-production effects, just scenes cut, speed changed sometimes and music added.
And same as previous video, it is music driven; there is no screenplay made before shooting, just ideas in my head, visual ones, and some kind of pace and tempo of takes and later cuts, which have to be done during editing.
The name is, again, a word play with the name of composition, Sarabande (Handel), and there are some more multiple meanings. Including the letter A and Czech Á, a-acute, which is appearing couple of times in a whole story.
I created the skullscape in Kitely, so most of story was shot in Kitely, only the final part being shot at my offline OpenSim grid where the replica of alternative 221B Baker Street is.
I used plenty of my virtual products – trees and landscapes, to make the landscape more “real.” Even with this help I prepared all the cliffs, landscape and avatar about a week before shooting. Shooting itself and editing was about three days of work.
There are plenty of photos of landscape, behind the scenes photos and news published daily at my Digital Sherlock blog. http://digitalsherlock.zuzaritt.com/
On behalf of Sherlock fans everywhere, thanks for this, Zuza!
News from New Media Arts
We gave the Junkyard Blues venue a shoutout in the last issue and their next event is on April 14 but there is a raft of new developments from NMA following the reworking of Cookie II.
Have A.R.T, Will Travel guide
Getting started guide for those visiting Kitely for the first time
History of the Avatar Repertory Company
Antique Pattern Library
Previously available only on the web, Ada Radius announced that the Library will also be coming inworld in appropriate colonial and victorian settings.
Seanchai News
EXPLORE – The Stories Behind The Art
A brand new EXPLORE with our partners at Tacoma Little Theatre (TLT) will open in Kitely April 8th at Noon.
EXPLORE Anton Chekhov and the Absurd will feature the literary work of Russian author and dramatist Anton Chekhov, as well as the absurdist work of contemporary playwright Christopher Durang in support of TLT’s production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.
Blender Classes
(no, we don’t work for Udemy! But we DO love to see folks learn and create awesome stuff for Kitely)
There has been a major price change, simplification, at UDEMY.COM.
All Classes are now $20 – $50, and with this special coupon code you can get another 30% Off!
Use Discount Coupon Code: APRIL034
A bunch of new Blender courses now.. total 33 classes, several are even FREE!
Make beautiful stuff and bring it in to Kitely!
Streaming Music Experience
All Seanchai Worlds will soon begin Streaming ‘different’ kinds of music. Just to kinda introduce you to some odd stuff you might not have experienced. Still in formative stages here, but we’re planning to swap out different styles monthly or maybe bi-monthly.
The first selections will be “Folk Metal” with such artists as: XIV DARK CENTURIES, FINNTROL, FINSTERFORST, THYRFING, KROMLEK, FALKENBACH, WINDIR
Seanchai Library Events
Live storytelling presented in Voice
WWW.SEANCHAILIBRARY.COM
hop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/143/129/29
Guests are always invited to transform & dress in character, or come as you are!
Local Text Chat during performances are encouraged, storytelling is a communal event!
Thursday April 14th
9:00pm – 10:00pm PT
BATMAN IN NIGHTTOWN
The lights go out, jewels disappear, and the chase is on.
Thursday April 21st
7:00pm – 8:00pm PT
SOLOMON KANE
A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things.
Thursday April 28th
7:00pm – 8:00pm PT
CONAN – PHOENIX ON THE SWORD
Conan has recently seized the bloody crown of Aquilonia
Karima Hoisan’s In Your Head
So, wouldn’t it be fun (I thought) if someone could make a Giant Head that we could divide into Left Brain-Right Brain and take our visitors for a ride?
So starts Karima Hoisan’s blog about her new build which we mentioned last time but which is now officially launched via her blog. Putting the neuropsychology to one side, this is a beautiful and entertaining experience that needs to be seen more than once. Simply climb aboard the hoverboard (you can take a friend, I think) and recursively ponder the pleasures of seeing ideas in flight.
(Graham has a personal version with virtual tumbleweed; nah, just kiddin’ [or is he?])
The Second Multi-grid Treasure Hunt
A great opportunity to publicise your world and hypergrid to new ones, the first Treasure Hunt was so successful that a second one is being launched by Tangle Grid on April 15. Kitely avatars will likely be hard to beat if previous experience is anything to go by!
Tutorials
Normal maps
The avatar behind the Kitely Market ProMaterials brand has another tutorial on New World News, this time on the use of xNormal (free Windows-only) to generate normal maps. There are a number of alternatives given in the comments.
Kitely and exporting content
With many new stores opening long-time Kitely merchant Ozwell Wayfarer offers his tips on making content exportable to non-Kitely grids. See also the follow-up by Ilan.
Kickstarting Communities
Tall Pines
Dot and ace builder Paislee Myrtle are co-developing a 2×2 world called Tall Pines. It’s aimed at those who, to quote Dot,
“might like to share a ready-made environment for a homebase — somewhere to enjoy chatting with friends, or horse-riding, or canoeing between the islands — and, of course, exploring the rest of the hypergrid from. It’s not your usual flat land + rental offer — it will be limited to just five northlander homes, all in a beautiful, sensitively developed landscape.”
Worlds End Estates: Oakwood
Long-time Kitely resident and mesh wizard Ozwell Wayfarer has a residential 2×2 world with a wide range of prim options for up to 10 residents.
Market Watch
Lorelei Seetan has some very attractive ladies apparel under her Pacifica Fashion brand. You can also shop inworld on her adaptation of the Evergreen world island. If that isn’t enough she blogs AND distributes free textures therefrom.
Generous mesh creator Ozwell Wayfarer is celebrating the 200th item in his Market store by offering a matching credit for each item of $10 or more purchased before April 15 2016 (limited to Kitely residents for admin reasons). He also has a rather fine village well as his current freebie in two styles and variants.
Constance Peregrine is the first to offer extended sound clips (60 rather than the usual 10 sec), something that she has been championing for some time but which is now being adopted by third-party viewers such as Alchemy.
News of the MOOCs
Anyone experiencing regret or FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) at not having jumped at the massive discount on the Udemy Blender course can now feel somewhat reassured by a restructuring of Udemy’s offer that sees the same MOOC offered for a reasonably affordable £35. Thanks to Shandon for the update.
Notorious skinflint Graham has been taking the free (yay!) EMMA MOOC on 21st Century Learning which is now finished. Week 4 featured educational use of virtual worlds and generated the most activity even if, as usual, opinions among educators were divided. Via the context-sensitive links embedded in the MOOC Graham came across a free (double yay!) book on design of adaptive virtual worlds, i.e. that dynamically adjusted to the needs of the user. The (somewhat academic) example developed was for a virtual art gallery but Graham found the concept intriguing if nothing else.
Graham hasn’t quite given up on his faltering Shakespeare studies yet. The next (and quite possibly the best) MOOC starts on the Futurelearn platform on 18th April. Inworld build, Graham?
Gizmos
Ferd Frederix has a great page of free tools for OpenSim builders including a script that allows you to use media-on-a-prim to choose from 100’s of free radio stations.
(second item) http://www.outworldz.com/Secondlife/tools/tools.htm
Graham scripted a simple HUD that rings an alarm when a fixed period of time has elapsed (defaults to 29 min). He intends using it to remind him to get up and walk around periodically but the same could be useful to avoid avatar timeouts. Being HUD-based the alarm is local to the avatar wearing the HUD unless you rez it inworld. Minimum-price Market “freebie”.
Evidence-based learning: Hinatore
For anyone wanting evidence that virtual worlds can help learning, the evaluation report by Merle Hearns on the Hinatore literacy build is really helpful both in terms of its structure and outcomes. We have mentioned Hinatore before in the context of Kitely developer Aaron Griffiths.
Production team
Production team: Dot Matrix, Serene Jewell, Graham Mills_2, Shandon Loring
This week’s editor: Graham Mills_2
Thanks to forum and community meetup participants for suggestions
Stay in touch
Stay in touch with Kitely events and announcements.
On the Web
Kitely Forums: https://www.kitely.com/forums/
Kitely Calendar: http://ow.ly/W2sDL
Kitely Worlds: https://www.kitely.com/search
Kitely Market newest listings: https://www.kitely.com/market?sort=date
Kitely Company blog: https://www.kitely.com/virtual-world-news/
On the Hypergrid
HYPEvents Event listings: http://hypevents.net/
Opensimworld: http://opensimworld.com/