So, a friend of mine sent me a rather comical screenshot of some random profile from a new HUD he was raving about. “It’s great,” he said. “You should get it.”

At first glance, I thought the “Wink” feature was a bit like Second Life’s answer to Tinder (which, alone, I was excited about, because we need something like that). However, I was entirely off of the mark.

The XChip isn’t even a new tool (it was first created in 2009 as a shoulder attachment), but the most recent evolution of the free technology has people running to grab a copy. This SmartHUD enables you to connect with your friends via an integrated social network (which offers real-time status updates and more), and even offers the opportunity for other developers to apply to create apps that can be integrated into the HUD, meaning the users can opt to buy their apps (so, very much like the current mobile development marketplace in real life). With over 29,000 users and rapidly growing (thanks to Uber), that is a not only a huge opportunity to get a foothold in a solid development window, but it’s also a great indication for the user base.

Per their website, XChip also offers this functionality:

“Communicate easier with the xChip GridComm, our grid-wide chat service. Create your own custom chat channels, invite your friends to join them, and chat with everyone in your channel no matter what region you are in. Or join the Public channel and chat with everyone!

On top of our standard integrated features, the xChip also has a Developer API which allows content creators to create Apps (xTensions) to be purchased by other xChip users. We have created an xChip Marketplace where you can browse, and purchase xTensions and Themes for your in-world HUD. The possibilities are endless.

The xChip has many more features, which include:

Chase User
Warp To
Cluster Attack
Trap
Orbit
Dialog Users (individual or sim-wide)
Elevator
Grounder
Imitate
Platform
Pose Stand
Quick Warp
Quick Sound Player
NPV (Non Physical Vehicle)
Bulldozer
Teleport Sound Effects
SL Sound Library
Built In Animations Library (scaleable)
Movement Lock
AirWalk (anti-gravity primless walker)
DoubleJump
Camera Enhancements
QuickLift
Bump Detect
Teleport Effects
Sim-Wide Radar with on-click actions
Land Control (eject, ban, tp-home, etc…)
Flight Speed Enhancer
Run Speed Enhancer
Jump Height Enhancer
Gravity Force Enhancer”

This is a seriously insanely diverse tool, especially considering you can get the HUD for free. There’s also a very affordable Premium service that enables even more functionality, but XChip also boasts a ticketed support system (very uncommon in SL), a comprehensive website and even advertising opportunities for businesses and services.

I’m pretty impressed. I love to see progressive developments like this in SL, and they’ve definitely raised the bar in the multitool HUD area.

Are you an XChip SmartHUD user? I’d love to hear about your own experiences.

Bria Oceanside

ZoHa Blogger/Social Media

Virtual Reality is definitely the belle of the ball in the technology world with the production and consumer boom in 2016. It’s already amazing that it enables you to be completely immersed in a world and kick up the experience in games and social interactions. But even more so, VR is starting to branch into adding even more reality into a potential experience with facial tracking.

With me, this could be a potentially dangerous thing in multiplayer situations (seriously, I shake my head a LOT), but there’s a new headset in its Kickstarter phase that shows a lot of promise by using trackers that will follow your lips mouth and jaw, as well as your eyelids, eyebrows and pupils. The aim is to enable you to be able to transfer your expressions into your character in both game and social situations. Enjoying a song you’re listening to in-game or in-world? They want to even make it that you can bop your head along to it. There are also reportedly going to be a series of “emojis” that would enable you to pick an expression as well.

It sounds like such a simplistic thing but it’s pretty incredible and would take VR to another level. While this is planned for both iOS and Android, Oculus already has experiments in facial tracking in motion- so definitely expect this to be the next phase of VR headsets. With many companies also rushing to catch this wave before it becomes the norm, you can expect there to be some great developments with the headsets very soon. Ebbe Altberg, CEO of Linden Labs, even voiced last year that Project Sansar intends to incorporate facial tracking as well. This would mean that when we interact with other players, we would be able to do more than emote.

I guess I should be worried. I can’t control my facial expressions to save my life.

You can check out the Veeso Kickstarter here, or see it in action below!

Bria Oceanside

ZoHa Blogger/Social Media

Probably one of the most frustrating things that happens in Second Life is the sense of entitlement that people carry, assuming that just because we’re in this virtual space all etiquette goes out the window. Some may argue that “it’s just a game” or that their roleplay style is of someone that is simply unsavory…..but in either case, there’s no real justification.

Some of these behaviors carry over to social media as well, where many of us have accounts designated as “Second Life only”. In either scenario, I have personally been subjected to a lot of really unappealing behaviors. Here’s three simple tips on what NOT to do.

1. Nix the unsolicited D**k Pics, for the love of God.

Guys, this is definitely directed towards you, and I say this in the nicest way possible. If someone wants to see your junk, we’ll ask. Not once when I’ve received such a picture (and it’s happened countless times) have I asked, implied or demanded such a heinous gift. Also, bear in mind, THIS IS THE AGE OF THE SCREENSHOT. There’s nothing stopping any of us grossed-out recipients from passing that along, even if you send it in-world with no permissions. You’re aware of the glory of Gyazo, right? Your pictures are not sacred and probably shared repeatedly. Don’t make it a bad one.

2.  Don’t talk about our “T&A” as an introduction.

Just because we have these profiles that we put a lot of thought into and names displayed over our heads does not mean you know us upon spotting us. It also doesn’t mean you should walk up to someone and talk about their ample bosom or derriere. That’s a quick way to get an equally unsavory response….unless you’re into that kind of thing. The irony of this is that I never got statements like these in places where you’d expect it, but at “classy” establishments or otherwise non-sexual areas. The strange thing about this is that the offending person always seems surprised when they’re not received positively.

3. Don’t assume we’re all here because we’re interested in sex.

Second Life has different meanings for different people. Sure, there are people who think it’s just a sexual playground, and there are some on the opposite end of the spectrum that find quality socialization and family structure to be their driving force. So, unless you’re specifically in a place that promotes totally carefree sexual encounters, it’s usually better to err on the side of more…..civilized introductions. It’s not uncommon to have someone approach you and flat out ask if you want to have a romp. Just don’t be that person.

Long story short, if you don’t know boundaries and haven’t been clearly instructed that any of the above is acceptable, it’s usually safer to play it safe and have….you know….a normal conversation.

Bria Oceanside

ZoHa Blogger/Social Media

Clearly, this has been a tumultuous week for America. With the highly-publicized murders of two black men at the hands of the police to the heartless execution of dedicated individuals in uniform, I think it’s safe to say that we’re collectively overwhelmed.

The reality is, however, this is nothing new. We just now have the technology to share these incidents. Second Life is no exception.

Last week I had made a decision, before this incredibly horrific chain of events began, to create an interactive Black History Museum in an iconic part of Second Life. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for enlightenment and tribute, and it especially is going to highlight the modern-day struggles that are going to be very much an integral part of our history when our kids reach our ages.

I kept the building in theme with the land, made a tasteful sign, and had been driving myself crazy learning about scripting so I can make this a very unique experience for those who choose to peruse the exhibits. However, while working on the interior I noticed that my neighbor (a well-known RP police officer) decided to put up a wall around his property, and then a courthouse to block the entrance without a word.

I could have been angry; could have thrown a fit. Instead, I continued to work on my scripting. It’s the exact type of passive-aggressive behavior that I am used to receiving, and it was only more motivation to make the museum the best it can be.

I also watched as a well-known figure in Second Life bravely shared her own experience with religiously insensitive remarks in response to a gorgeous post that she put on Flickr for Eid. While many rushed to chastise the person who had the nerve to be a jerk, that really is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to contemporary discriminatory mindsets…..especially online.

No, those of us who are the recipients of passive aggressive to discriminatory behavior are not being “too sensitive”.  Racial/color/religious bias has never gone away and it’s not new. Don’t sit here and blame Obama. Don’t sit here and blame the “race card”. Don’t sit here and try to prove yourself an expert on an experience you’ve never personally had.

While I love Second Life and social media SO MUCH, it also illustrates how enabling it is when it comes to people that normally would keep their raging bias under wraps. I had someone in-world call me “tampon nose” because of my wide nostrils, or tell me my experience with bias is invalid because I’m a “mixed breed” (what am I, a friggin dog?). Today, the topic of lynching came up and a well-established figure in the Second Life community felt the need to joke around about it in a group, then later said she was trying to be lighthearted about it.

Lynching needs to be joked about? I’m sorry, does it make you uncomfortable, thus pushing you to resort to insensitive humor? You do realize that, even this week, it’s still happening? That’s exactly why the conversation must be had.

We live in this moment of easy distractions by the next thing that’s trending. People decided to focus on Pokemon: GO instead of remembering that there was a critical series of events this week that must not be ignored. While people of color were becoming more vocal about their experiences and rage, others were saying “Oh look at this Squirtle” or “I’ve had enough negativity, I’m going to avoid these things and just talk about happy things”.

As a person of color, I don’t get to just avoid it. It’s the life I live. The rest of the world is looking at the US like they’ve lost their minds and travel advisories are starting to pop up. A good friend of mine RL told me that her UK class was supposed to go to Kentucky for a class trip. They cancelled it, due to too many students being black.

So, what I’m trying to say is, don’t be one of those people that is insensitive because you don’t want to be bothered with understanding what this reality is for many of us. Don’t be that person who goes #ALLLIVESMATTER when you see a #BLACKLIVESMATTER post, especially when you don’t need to stress about going to a convenience store or be scared over a trivial traffic stop.  Don’t be that person who force feeds insensitive jokes because you think you’re entitled to be a jerk. Be that person that tries to become enlightened. Be that person that can be a small part of a centuries-overdue solution to a lapse in humanity.

Being online doesn’t give you a free pass to forget humanity.

Bria Oceanside

ZoHa Blogger/Social Media

So, this was not an easy post to write, but a needed one. I struggled with it as I headed back home after another unexpected in-world memorial. Yet another person taken too soon; yet another reminder that our time on this earth is ever so limited.

It goes without saying that it’s nearly impossible to form bonds with people in Second Life without eventually experiencing loss. The first time it happened for me, it was the unexpected (albeit not entirely surprising) death of my SL son Tommy. I say it wasn’t surprising because we had many arguments about the state of his health and his stubborn stance when he didn’t think it was bad enough to see a doctor. I felt otherwise. And that was a lost that caused me to walk away from Second Life for a couple of years.

And it happened several times since, almost every time it was someone that was taken unexpectedly. It was rarely a situation where someone actually knew their time was nearing an end, so you don’t have that time to mentally prepare yourself for it. Twice, there was cancer. Neither time was any easier to cope with.

Whenever I hear people talk about “I keep SL in SL”, I just smile and nod, because that is a really sad way to live your Second Life. You have the opportunity to meet and explore your SL with so many different people, and I can’t fathom how someone can connect with people but maintain a level of disconnect at the same time. I feel like it’s almost more of a “wishful” thinking in those cases, because you either connect with people or you don’t. It’s hard not to connect with the person behind the avatar.

As I sat through this latest memorial, so many people got on voice and expressed similar stories about how they didn’t spend enough time with the person they loved and lost. And it was another stark reminder that, if we have people that we care about in Second Life, we need to take the time to make sure that they know that. If you love someone in Second Life, rather than worry about whatever taboo you think there is, tell them and show them. Don’t worry about the “what if’s”.

Life is far too unpredictable for us to take these moments for granted. I’ve watched so many people care so much about people and not ever properly express it, or have a “I’ll do it tomorrow” attitude. Sometimes, just like people we know in person, tomorrow never comes.

So love fully, love without fear, and appreciate each moment.

Bria Oceanside

ZoHa Blogger/Social Media