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Apr 19thiPhone 6+ (and 6)
This is Misabel again, Lila/Olive’s sister. She’s the technology expert in this family, but I thought I’d share my impressions of the iPhone 6 and 6+ anyway.
I have had the chance to use both the iPhone 6 and the 6+. By now it’s old news, I know, but I would still like to say something about my impressions. Before the iPhone 6+ I had (and still have) an iPhone 4. I still love that one and I still use it.
As for the 6+ I love it too. I love the big screen, I love the great battery time. In all fairness, my old iPhone 4 still has good battery time. With the iPhone 6 + I might have managed to get by without any e-book readers, surf pads etc, except for one thing: despite the great battery time, I’d probably end up charging it every day. As it is, with normal phone use, it lasts about 5-6 days, just like my old iPhone. Like my old, old iPod Touch used to when it was new (but it’s still pretty good, only a bit small). Using e-book readers, cuts back on my phone battery use. Just don’t get me started on the great battery time of my e-book readers… 😉 (Unfortunately, my beloved Cybook Odyssey Frontlight doesn’t work right now, or rather it doesn’t work without me using the charger cable – not for charging, but to be able to turn it on. If it can’t be repaired, that’s what I’ll do, but I’m still hoping the little problem with the on/off button can be fixed.)
Unfortunately, the iPhone 6 that I’ve had my hands on, has always been trouble, since it was bought. Twice it’s been handed in for repairs (both times it pretty much died when it had to be charged.) That brings me to the other trouble with it – the dreadful battery time. I’ve read somewhere that people in general thinks of the iPhone 6 and 6+ as having better battery time than earlier phones. I don’t know about the 5 and 5s, because I haven’t had any experience with them, but I do know the iPhone 6 is a lot worse than the 4 and 4s. That’s also the impression I got when I read about the new iPhones. The 6+ has both a bigger screen and a better battery life, the 6 has a bigger screen, just not quite that big.
If the iPhone 6 had worked ok and had a better battery time, I’m not sure what my choice would have been. Maybe I would have settled for the 6, because I do have my e-book readers for reading and my computer for writing. I know there are ‘power banks’ that you can charge and take with you, but I’m afraid that such a poor battery will die soon and I’m not sure there would be any point.
Some people have complained about the size of the iPhone 6. I don’t understand them at all. I find it easy to hold both new iPhones in my relatively small hand. Sure, I need to use my other hand for the touch screen, but I did that with my older, smaller devices as well.
My conclusion: the iPhone 6 + is awesome. If you’re an Apple fan, who doesn’t want to use more than one mobile device, pick this one.
by adminApr 16thBeginner’s guide to Open Sim
Maybe you never thought that the 3D world was for you, but you might be surprised. There’s actually plenty of things to do even if you’re not a ‘computer nerd’. You can listen to music, either a DJ who’s playing his/her favorite songs or going to real live concerts. In some ways, the 3D world is like the ordinary world. Some things are good, and some are not. You can also explore exciting regions. Some have been straight from the creator’s imagination and some are built to resemble historic or present day areas. Some regions have an educational focus. You can also visit an art gallery or photo exhibitions. If you’ve made friends in the 3D world, or would like to meet new people, maybe someone living in a completely different part of the world, it’s a nice way to chat.
Follow the instructions below, to see how you can start out in 3D worlds (in this case Open Sim, and particularly Craft World, though it works the same in most of the others). It’s simple and free.
1) Visit the page Craft world in your web browser.
2) Click: Register an avatar
Pick a first and last name for your avatar, password, contact email and what gender you’d like your avatar to have. Don’t use your real name. Try to think of something you’d like to use for a long time.
3) Now you exist in the 3D world, but to actually go there, you’ll need a viewer. On Craft World’s page, click on How to start, where you’ll find links for download of different viewers. Pick one (or more). Firestorm is very popular. We tend to use Singularity, which seems to suit us best. Download and install it.
4) Start the viewer and log in with your new avatar. For Grid, pick Craft World. It’s usually already among the alternatives. If not, pick grid manager/configurator and type in the info from the above image.
5) Now you’re an avatar in a 3D world and you can start exploring. Maybe you’d like to come and see me :).
I’m in Luna Fiori. My name is Olive Tor there. If you like, come and say hi.
by adminFeb 26thThe Metal Hare’s Mix – newspaper
I made my own newspaper about 3D worlds, the internet, technology and a bit of science. If you’re interested you’ll find it here.
by adminDec 6thMac Hidden App: Here’s how to find the hidden paint app on your Mac
Apple’s OS X 10.10 Yosemite software introduced so many new features that users will still be trying to learn them several months after installing the update. But OS X also has some old features that you might not know about. In fact, there’s a hidden paint program on your Mac computer that has been sitting right under your nose this whole time, and a recent pose will show you how easy it is to find.
Read more here.
by adminJun 21stHappy Midsummer and Summer Solstice, everyone!
by admin
Jul 25thClever use of opensim
Read more:
http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2013/07/250000-project-models-swedish-cities-in-opensim/
by adminAug 15thOur own sim…
After playing in Second Life, Inworldz and OSGrid and a few other less active worlds, we decided it was time to get our own sim. In SL and in InWorldz, that costs “Real money”, and anyway, it will never be your own sim.
We had heard about the open simulator project and thought it sounded interesting, but after trying and failing a couple of times, we decided on a compromise. In OSGrid, you can have your own sim for free, as long as you host it on your own computer. That was a little easier. The software had been adapted, slightly, to OSGrid and was easier to work with. Also, the support forum was extremely nice and helpful.
After only a day or two, we had our own sim up and running. It will take quite a lot of work to make it look nice, but it’s already a complete island with avatars and imported objects, that we’ve created in other worlds.
by adminJul 21stHow to start using Second Life
I thought I’d do a post about how to start using Second Life. There are other 3D worlds (for instance InWorldz) but this will be about joining SL (becoming a ‘resident’).
Signing up is quite easy. You just visit the Second Life homepage and click the Join Now link. There’s also a link to click to get more info.
I think that these days you need to provide ‘payment info’ but that doesn’t mean you have to pay anything. The basic level of Second Life membership is free and you can do enough without ever having to pay for the upgrade to a Premium account. However, if you do, you’ll get some of your money back as ‘pocket money’ every week.
Once you’ve signed up and downloaded the viewer (sort of like a web browser, except it’s in 3D, there’s the official SL viewer as well as a couple of others that you can use instead if you prefer), you need to start creating your avatar (which is a 3D version of yourself if you like and in any case, it’s your alter ego inside the 3D environment).
If you think it’s difficult to customize your avatar you can start out with one of the ready made avatars included in your inventory. There are actually quite a few to choose between, both male and female, realistic or more fantasy like. For instance, you can be a vampire or an elf/fairy, or a gladiator. There are also some ‘future’ and steampunk people.
In fact, if you want to spend money in SL you could be anything you like, such as a famous actor, a robot, a pony, teddy bear or even a plant. Anything goes. Even if you’re not interested in upgrading or putting real money into your SL account, you can mix and match the several different items of clothing, hair, skin and shapes that come with each avatar to create your own unique avatar.
There are also several freebie places to teleport to (that’s how you get around in SL – from region to region – in SL regions are called sims). The freebies are usually of quite low quality, unlike the things included in your basic avatars.
After you’ve finished creating your avatar, you might want to go to a ‘newbie’ or ‘noob’ orientation place. There are several different ones, and you’ll probably end up in one of them right away. That will be your first ‘home’ (the place you always return to and log in to). If you upgrade and buy land you can have your own home, but some sims allow you to join their group and then set home there. For instance, the communal SL Botanical Gardens is one such place that allows ordinary residents to set home in their sim.
After that you can just start exploring, socializing, listening to music or maybe even building things. Some people make buildings, others furniture. You can also focus on trees and other things to put in your garden. Then again, you could learn to make clothing and other items for avatars, including hair (which is quite a complex process, I believe). Building or creating items is one good way to make money inside SL.
You can also use real money and exchange them for Linden dollars (the SL currency). There’s actually an exchange rate. The good news is that one L is not worth much. I think it’s less than a cent/penny. So if you do decide to splash out on some fancier items a little real money goes a very long way.
Finally, I’ll just mention the different groups. The majority of groups are really no fun at all, from my point of view. They’re just a way of marketing items for sale, even though supposedly, you as a member will get good offers. There are also specialized groups such as ones for veg*ans or music lovers. If you join a music group, you’ll get notifications about upcoming music events. Sometimes real life famous artists come and perform in SL, and sometimes you get really great ‘amateur’ performers as well. There are all kinds of different types of music, from medieval and baroque to jazz, rock and pop, so there’s something for everyone. The events I mentioned above are actually live events. Someone is singing and/or playing music at their homes, sometimes in real studios and you get to listen to them in SL, using your avatar and the viewer interface.
by adminJun 19thSecond Life revisited
It seems it’s been ages since I last posted anything about Second Life. That’s because it’s been ages since I was in there. Lately though, I’ve found myself missing it and wanting to go back. Since I don’t have a strong enough computer, I’m lucky that I can use my sister’s (or rather, our company’s).
Things seem to have changed enormously since I was last logged in, or maybe it was just that I was too ignorant to be aware of all the bells and whistles.
Just to be clear, my interest in Second Life is mainly ‘playing with paper dolls’ – that is, customizing my avatar – giving her a great hairdo, lovely clothes etc. For instance, lovely or not, I have taken photos of my own eyes, lips and skin to create an avatar ‘skin’, so much of my avatar is really me.
Another interest is exploring. Unlike most people, I don’t come to SL to meet someone to chat with, I just ‘travel’ around and visit fascinating ‘sims’ (regions).
Just a little background: Second Life is one of the most famous 3D communities. It’s a world where ‘the men are men, the women too, and the children are FBI’. That’s a joke that hints at one of the rather unsavoury aspects of SL – virtual prostitution, in this case ‘age play’, meaning people (men, I suppose) pay someone else (usually women, I imagine) to use a child avatar to sell virtual sex.
To return to the more attractive aspects of SL, I have just discovered something really cool in the advanced settings of the SL viewer (it’s a sort of 3D graphic browser). A few years ago, one of the representatives of Linden lab (the company behind SL) promised radically improved graphics, so much so that it will feel like stepping into a high quality animated movie. He wasn’t exaggerating. If you’re willing to sacrifice RAM, you can get that sort of image quality now. The vistas are breathtaking. It really is like logging into a movie. Everything is animated. The avatars and buildings cast shadows. The water reflects sunlight in a way that looks almost real. You can see the wind ruffling your avatar’s hair.
I’m glad I’ve rediscovered SL. It may not be ‘work useful for society’ as my grandmother used to put it, but it is fun and fun is exactly what I need to distract myself from everyday life – my First Life.
by admin