Those of you who follow me on Twitter have heard me refer to this announcement: I will no longer be writing for SLI. As Lead Blogger, and one of the remaining founding members (along with Aimee), I've found writing for you all to be one of the most rewarding experiences I could have asked for. I've seen amazing things, met wonderful people, and generally had the time of my virtual life! Now I'm moving on.

This is not to say you've heard the last of me, though some of you will be sorry to hear that! No, in fact, I'll be jumping right aboard a brand-new blog, which will be announced tomorrow right here on SLI! So, shed no tears for wolfie; I'll be in good hands. Good, warm, massive hands.

slscout.com is the latest SL-focused social networking site, and it's got all the right elements: embedded videos, forums, etc. Even better, they're holding a contest right now wherein users can post their favorite photos, have them rated by other users, and possibly win the First Prize of 25,000L!

Join up today!

(Thanks, Johnvan!)

Nexeus Fatale, DJ Extraordinaire, has hit upon a great way to give back to the community. His 'DJ For a Cause' mission is to donate his DJ services to anyone, individual or organization, who fits the requirements: Their event must be philanthropic in nature (such as fund raising) and has to embody the Holiday theme of giving to others.

I see this as a great way to promote SL's philanthropic nature, which is embodied in its residents. These days, most of the press goes to sensational events, and not enough to the altruism that I see so often in-world. Nexeus is on the right track with this, and hopes that others will follow this example. You can read more of this here.

(Thanks, Nexeus!)

This is your moment of WTF? Dorling Kindersley, who many of you may know through their wonderful Eyewitness Series of illustrated reference books, have created a new game in Habbo Hotel to promote a new Christmas book called Do Not Open. Apparently it's going well, attracting over 1,000 players in its first week.

However, DK is calling this approach the 'Second Life For Teens model' -- but they're not using Second Life to do it! Couldn't they have called it the 'Virtual Worlds For Teens model' instead? Not to assume too much about the intelligence of the average member of the public, but I can see people getting confused about this quite easily. And it begs the question: Does DK have an interest in SL at all?

(Via The Bookseller)

Grady Booch might not be a household name, but he's the Chief Scientist for IBM's Rational Software Corp. unit. In a recent interview with Computerworld, Booch has held forth on a number of topics, including his take on SL. His approach to explaining the value of SL to himself is practical:

"IBM has 50 or so islands that we own [in Second Life]. We've derived business value by using it internally. I can look at the lectures I have done and say, "I have saved IBM money." Certainly the company saves huge costs on employee travel and accomodations by holding meetings in SL. Why isn't this being trumpeted more often as worthwhile to the average user? He has a bit more to say, so go check out the rest of the interview.

Tech Digest does a good job here of highlighting 20 trends gleaned from their recent trip to the Virtual Worlds Forum Europe, and they go like this:

1. Shedloads of virtual worlds will be launched in 2008
2. Teen-focused virtual worlds are huge
3. Brands still get it wrong
4. There's a problem with communication
5. There will be big growth in corporate use of virtual worlds

... and 15 more. It would be boorish and redundant to list all twenty here, even without explanation. You'll simply have to trust me and go check out the list yourselves.

This Tech Digest story has it that TokyoZERO, in a partnership with a company calling itself Sun (though not Sun Microsystems, as that's not their logo), are apparently working on a way to get SL on your cellphone. Or perhaps not you, but the Japanese. Now, we've been on this before. Is this any different? For that matter, has anyone tried this other service, and does it work? I can't imagine shoehorning all of SL's features into a cellphone, no matter how advanced. There are some things that just need a mouse and keyboard for a fully realized experience, and SL is one of them.

Someone who reads Japanese: please look over this site and send us some answers!

Welcome to the eighteenth episode of On the Inside, Second Life Insider's Official Podcast!

This episode features Ansel Gasparini, the author of Second Life: A Guide to Your Virtual World. It's merely coincidental that this episode falls on Halloween, as there's nothing scary about this book! Enjoy!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to On the Inside directly in iTunes (MP3)
[RSS] Add the SLI Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically
[Mp3] Download the MP3 directly

Even the venerable Straylight sim is getting the Halloween treatment! Thanks to Kriss Lehmann for pointing it out to me, else I'd not have seen it. As you'll see in the gallery, apparently a race of spiders has taken over a good stretch of the forest, and an eerie green glow is emanating from afar. But wait! All is not lost! Make your way to the reception area, and look! A jaunty Halloween party awaits all who enter!

I took advantage of the festivities to chat up a fellow canine and enjoyed the orbiting witchkitty on her broom. There are likely more fun things to be seen, but I'm a wolfie on a mission, I am. Go check it out for yourself!

(Thanks, Kriss!)

Nebulosus Severine has taken a slightly different tack with her build -- she's based it upon the classic horror tale 'The Masque of the Red Death', by E. A. Poe, which can be gotten here. It's recommended that you read through the story to familiarize yourself with the layout of the place, and to imbue yourself with the proper atmosphere so you can truly appreciate what Nebulosus has done here.

In fact, not only should you read through the story, but you should also check out the lovely slideshow put together by Vady; not only is it representative of the sights to be had there, but it's also presented in a notably gothic, decaying-projector style that completely complements the build itself. Bravo, Nebulosus! Old Edgar Allen himself would be proud of you!

(Thanks, Nebulosus!)

DarkDharma Daguerre is a hell of an artist. Not only is this one fantastic build, but look at her avatar! That alone would be reason enough for coverage, but the classically spooky haunted house is full of little tricks and treats as well. 9 tarot bags of goodies await your discovery, with various surprises contained within. Let it be known that the house itself belongs to Sagittar Spengler, who did us all a favor by letting DarkDharma work her mischief within.

And hey, if you're as impressed as I was with everything, that might entice you into inquiring about her avatar creation business, which is just across the way from this build! I've only taken a few shots, leaving it for you all to discover, which is all the fun!

(Thanks, DarkDharma and Sagittar!)

Continuing with SL's best Halloween-themed builds, here's far-and-away one of the creepiest I've ever enjoyed. The fine folk calling themselves ELITE (Electronic Lesbians In Their Element) have created quite an amazing build they call Dykemare on Elm Street.

Great builds are more than mere geometry; excellent textures are of far more value than prim contortions, and these are fantastic! A lot of weathering, cracks, grunge, and overall color choices make for a claustrophobic, decaying site that will have even the most stalwart heart quail in fear. For those brave enough to make the trip, there's also a photo contest, the winner of which will net 3,500L! Go check 'em out!

(Thanks, Kelly!)

Sky News, previously covered here, has 'discovered' Wonderland, a sim in which Ageplay is condoned at best, and encouraged at worst. A representative from the Kid Avs community has made this statement: "It's really upset alot of us as we've known about this place and its reputation for weeks, and no matter how much we AR linden lab or IM the Lindens ourselves, they don't seem to want to close it down. Now it's our Kid Av community that's going to get it in the neck. Its like, what was the point of starting up all those policy reviews about broadly offensive behaviour, then not doing anything when a real problem sim appears? Its very frustrating, all our hard work ignored."

Now, let's understand a few things here. According to the article, "Wonderland is a virtual children's playground where paedophiles cruise and kids are solicited," said Jason Farrell, a Sky News reporter who's reportedly been researching this for some time. Well, on the surface of it, there's no actual proof, once again, that these child avatars are being driven by actual children. It's likelier that these are adults roleplaying as children. Regardless, this is exactly the sort of 'broadly offensive' behavior that Linden Lab is famously against, yet nothing has been done about Wonderland, despite repeated entreaties over a period of weeks from the community of residents who roleplay nonsexual children. Of course, the mainstream press pick this up and run with it, making Linden Lab look bad, the child avatar community look bad, and all of us in Second Life look bad by tenuous association.

We've contacted Linden Lab for a statement, but received no response by the time we went to press. If/when we get a reply, we'll follow up. The way Sky News is pushing this right now, you can bet that none of us have heard the last of this.

I got some responses to my call for Halloween-themed builds, so I'm going to give them some love as promised. First, we have a lovely graveyard dancefloor, which can be yours courtesy of Csteph Submariner and SLexchange. I've tested it, as you can see in the Gallery; it's definitely danceable! And don't weep for me, dancing all alone; as a werewolf, I'm obliged now and again to do the odd Monster Mash.

(Thanks, Chris!)

When you live in San Francisco, every day is Halloween. I've had this holiday sneak up on me so fast my head spins like Linda Blair's. So it was with some pleased surprise that I found the house shown above, and wanted to share it with you all 'cause you're just so swell. Believe me, this shot does not do it justice. I won't link without permission, though, so if the owner is reading this, drop us a comment!

With that said, October 31st is coming, and I know some of you are planning parties in SL to celebrate it. Some of you are even decorating especially for the holiday. Let's see what you got!

If you have a build you'd like to receive some attention, send me your SLurl and I'll come get some shots and post them here. I believe there are many great things in SL that most people never get to see, and that's a damned shame. So this is my contribution to builder culture; send me your stuff!

[UPDATE: Turns out this is the infamous Bates Motel; how could I not recognize it? It was built by Furiae Blackthorne, and many thanks indeed!)