The Alphaville Herald

Shock! Video Celebrating Cyber-terrorism Wins Second Prize in Fox Sponsored Contest

Just a few weeks ago, Fox News was lamenting the virtual terrorism (and ageplay) in Second Life and calling upon Democratic Presidential candidate John Edward Edwards to condemn it. Today, Fox sub-sub-sub-sub- division Fox Atomic celebrates those exact very same cyber-terrorists by honoring a griefer-made machinima video celebrating Toronto-based griefer Plastic Duck. More shocking still: [...]

Julian Lombardi: Second Life’s Technical Problems “Inevitable”

Second Life not Scalable? Image stolen from Lombardi’s blog.Julian Lombardi, one of the six original architects of Croquet and executive director of the Croquet Consortium AND the original designer of ViOS (Visual internet Operating System) has posted a rather sobering assessment of the scalability prospects for Second Life. Lombardi observes that ViOS went though similar [...]

Fear and Loathing in Second Life Part 9: Gideon Stays in Starwood Aloft!

[Yes yes, I know, we last left Gideon Television in the Big Brother contest, but that was so long ago and we at the Herald are so in the now, and more than that I'd like to think that Gideon was still there getting decorating tips from the Gorean mistress. So today we fast forward [...]

China Zaps Internet Addiction

Low-voltage shocks help internet addicts sleep better – Lindens prefer herbal tea by Onder Skall Kids: when your parents tell you to get off the damned computer and get some fresh air, you’d better. If not, they might send you to China for treatment. When you arrive at the ‘treatment clinic’ you’ll be locked in [...]

Usefulness Is Dangerous

Blingsider, Tard*Star, New World Goats Notes are completely safe by Bayesian TextBot be very very afraid of games – and the Second Life Herald Roderick Jones recently posted an article to Counterterrorism Blog entitled “MetaTerror: The Potential Use of MMORPGs by Terrorists“. The article is primarily about Second Life, and on the whole compliments Linden [...]

Project: Buzz Kill

by Onder Skall The BBC covered yesterday what the Herald covered last week- “Project: Top Secret” has launched in an effort to build a user-created MMO. As a trade-off for being a bit late to the party they were able to provide us with an overview of how many signups they’ve received. At this point [...]

Alternatives To Second Life

by Onder Skall, courtesy of Second Life Games Let me start this off by stating that I have no interest in the “world vs. platform” debate. It’s boring and played out, so don’t you dare try to draw me in. What I’m trying to do here is answer the simple question: Where are the best [...]

The Elf Maiden and the Drow Prince

as told by Morgdah Graves[This story was told around a campfire in Avilion. Magical Affairs correspondent Curious Rousselot was given permission by Morgdah Graves to bring this story to our readers - the Editrix] Once, a long long time ago, there was an Above Ground Elvin family of the Sidhe. They lived in peace and [...]

Plywood #71: Secret Lives of Avatars

Anshe Chung Takes Flight

SL’s business girl has a business life on British Air by Onder Skall Wonderland’s world-travelling gaming guru Alice reports that “business life”, an in-flight magazine for British Airways, carries a cover story featuring our own Anshe Chung. Unfortunately, as she puts it: “no mention of flying willies.” I guess you can’t have everything. That cover [...]