Better graphics, better community/building tools, and objects that shine! After months of anticipation, version 1.1 is out today, replete with a long ledger of improvements that will make the world anew-- and just as many new tools, to carve out your place within it.

1.1 is a treasure chest of visual effects, with refinements in multi-texturing that make Second Life's landscapes far more vivid. Airborne effects come with an upgraded particle system, so fireworks boom and jet exhaust roars as never before. When it comes to avatars, facial features, musculature, and clothing are even more defined and realistic. To these visual treats add Second Life's user-friendly, full-motion video capture function, which enables residents to download in-world shots and tweak them in their favorite offline editor.

The additions continue in Second Life's world and community design, with new "Telehubs"-- free in-world teleportation and gathering places and information/advertising sites. The in-world map now offers a "live satellite" view, pointing you to popular sites, available land, buyable objects, and upcoming events. New ownership features let you charge for access to your land, or bar others from ever entering it. At the same time, collaboration has never been easier: 1.1 lets you and your friends run clubs/events and own land as a group, with collective building/permission previously available only to individual residents.

All in all, it may be a good time to buy a video card-- especially with a new discount special to our Second Life mailing list members. (See Newsletter item III, for more information on our nVidia™ special.)

Get in line. LindenWorld - the wildest amusement park the real or online world has ever seen - is open for business. With more than 38 attractions built by our own Second Lifers, LindenWorld's fairground workers promise to dazzle, thrill and amuse-- or make way for those who can.

Today, LindenWorld features two roller coasters, bumper cars, go karts, a Spook House, mazes, a freak show, several spinning rides, a giant swing, a waterfall log ride, mazes, Human Pinball AND several unidentifiable but intriguing attractions.

Located on the far West side of Second Life, the new Coney and Luna servers were designated by the Governor as LindenWorld, and a large group of candidates were selected to put their stakes down, and begin building their contribution to the park. These projects are tax free for the owners, who will be able to earn Linden dollars by charging admission or taking bets-- but that doesn't mean they'll get a free ride. Each site will be judged on entertainment value (based on number and duration of resident visits) -- and like Survivor with cotton candy, the least popular rides and games will have to make room for new entertainers.

Get in on a great deal offered by eVGA.com, market leader in add-in graphics cards. Second Opinion readers now have a chance to get in on a deal offered in partnership with nVidia and eVGA, market leaders in PC graphics. Since Second Life 1.1 delivers a visually rich 3D environment with photorealistic textures (see entry I), this may be the best time to upgrade your graphics card-- at a reduced price.

The deal is $25 off three of the newest graphics cards eVGA.com - the nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra, the FX 5600 and the FX 5600 Ultra. From now until November 30th, order one of these graphics card directly from eVGA.com and save by entering the following discount code (beginning with SLP only) at checkout:

• e-GeForce FX 5200 Ultra, 128-A8-N308-TX (SLP6340143085)
• e-GeForce FX 5600, 256MB DDR 256-A8-N318-TX (SLP5511547328)
• e-GeForce FX 5600 Ultra, 128MB 128-A8-N314-AX (SLP3308919073)

Don't miss this great opportunity to see Second Life in all its vivid glory. (At a discounted price, no less.)

Far as we know, it was the first of its kind: on September 21, Second Life was host to a book club conducted entirely within a massively multiplayer online world, with the actual writer present in avatar form. Cory Doctorow, award-winning science fiction writer and famed boingboing.net blogger, sat down with "embedded journalist" Hamlet Linden (aka Wagner James Au) to talk with an audience of fifty-plus residents about his latest novel.

"It's about the utopian, post-scarcity future, in which all 'scarce' things -- like theme parks -- are managed by reputation currencies," said Cory Doctorow, explaining the story of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. "It's also a murder mystery and a love story, and a rollicking adventure you'll be sorry to say goodbye to!" Then for 90-something minutes, Cory Doctorow enthralled the standing-room-only crowd on a wildly diverse range of subjects, from Walt Disney World to immortality to the future of publishing. (Extended excerpts and screenshots are featured in the September 22-26 entries of Hamlet's journal.) At the end, audience members lingered to thank Cory, and to pick up "autographed" copies of Down and Out created especially for the event. It all went off so successfully, Hamlet and the Linden staff are actively looking for other novelists, for the next book club. Which noted author will next appear in avatar form, in Second Life? Keep an eye on New World Notes, for announcements.

Washu Zebrastripe isn't what you'd call a "hardcore user"; she's in-world fewer hours per week than the average teen watches television, and she doesn't build often. Since her arrival last summer, however, she's still managed to be inducted into one of Second Life's oldest builder groups, and to gain a reputation as one of its best avatar designers.

"I don't know much about computers," says Washu, 21. "This is the only game I've really had such a liking for. Even though I don't know how to do all those things that everyone else can." She actually got into the world because an online chat friend of hers wanted them to try out Second Life together.

"However, I had a really old computer, and couldn't play for quite a while." So her friend (well-reputed resident Casval Epoch) went out and custom-made a PC that was powerful enough for her to join in. "It was cheap because he bought the pieces and put it together," she says, impressed, "but still."

At first she got a Second Life account mainly out of gratitude to Casval. "But as soon as I met people I logged in on my own accord." Besides the community aspect, she began making custom avatars, for herself and others.

"People say I'm good at that, but I don't think it takes much to do. I won the 'Most Absurd Resident' contest. No one even wanted to compete against me! It's easy to make avatars, probably the easiest thing to do." All told, she's made 34 of them, and some, like her comical chimpanzee, are now worn by many residents.

Early on, she was invited to join Tyrell Corporation, the cyberpunk-themed group that has been in-world since the very early beta phase. Tyrell's membership is primarily comprised of hardcore builders, but Washu is also a valued member. They've built an entire metropolis of the future, full of intimidating skyscrapers and smokestacks-- and Washu is the big city's one-woman hospitality committee.

"I bring a friendly attitude to it," she says. "I welcome everyone to the area. I make them smile."

How do you stream reality? How does an online world provoke a tax protest? Are we the wave of the future? Second Life was featured in several articles last month, including a mention in (of all places!) a Yale Law School website.

Second Life rates 4 out of 5 stars in PC Magazine's review of virtual worlds. "Of all the virtual worlds we visited, Second Life is the one we want to come back to the most. The people are friendly, and the environment is stunning-and we were able to help build it."

"Enabling Player-Created Online Worlds with Grid Computing and Streaming", an extensive monograph by CEO Philip Rosedale and lead programmer Cory Ondrejka, published in Gamasutra for the game developer website's Resource Guide for Massively Multiplayer Online Games, reveals how the server architecture behind Second Life enabled "reality streaming".

Meanwhile, over in Law Meme, a Yale Law School blog, James Grimmelmann wrote a thoughtful analysis of the SL "tax revolt" first covered in New World Notes. The Yale entry was also linked by Slashdot.)

Futurelooks, a site covering new and upcoming technology, featured a long article on Second Life, saying "The number of things you can do [in here] is almost mind boggling."

Romantic beaches, secluded bungalows, and seaside adventure await you, on the exotic island paradise of Elysium! Evie Fairchild, owner and proprietor of this private island resort, is offering day passes to residents looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday Second Life. Looking for a place to escape? Read on, for more sun-dappled details!

Ms. Fairchild and her team of resort developers have spared no expense, from the richly appointed yacht club, to the finely-detailed recreation of a pirate ship, floating just offshore. Spend a relaxing day in a rustic beach bungalow, or a romantic night in the guest cabin, where (thanks to Evie's genius scripters) the summer rain never ceases beating on the windows, and the fireplace never stops its cozy roaring at the bedside. Stroll together across a footbridge and along the shore; take in the breathtaking view of all Elysium from the height of the famed island light house. Feeling adventurous? Sailboats, wind boards, and a speedy dinghy are available for rent at the small harbor. Or take the adventure underwater, with top-of-the-line scuba gear, swimming among diverse sea life, or exploring a shipwrecked galleon. In all this, rest assured that Evie and her staff have created a resort of peaceful solitude and elegance for the discerning Second Life tourist.

Feeling a touch of island fever about now? Send an Instant Message to Evie Fairchild, to learn about day pass rates and availability.

We hope you liked this newsletter. We'll do our best to make it both useful and entertaining. We welcome your comments, suggestions and story ideas. Send them to: newsletter@lindenlab.com.

Copyright 2003, Linden Lab. All rights reserved.