Second Life

2007-09-01T05:53:33Z

24.148.161.249: /* Islands and other locations */

[[Image:SecondLife.png|right|Second Life]]
'''Second Life''' is an online [[Wikipedia:Virtual world|virtual world]] consisting of hundreds of interconnected large-scale areas populated by interactive [[avatar]]s, whose players may choose to take any form they can create or purchase. The major form of short-distance transportation is flight, while transportation between areas is typically performed through teleportation; both abilities are innate. The "main grid" is restricted to those 18 or over, as some regions contain strong violence or sexual content. A teen version for those 13 to 17 is also available.

*'''Address''': http://www.secondlife.com

Second Life has over 8,268,883 registered users and 1,548,131 active users as of july 21, 2007; logged-in users range from 20,000 to 50,000 at any one time. The system is funded through a combination of account subscriptions and "tier" (a form of [[Wikipedia:Land value tax|land value tax]]). Users have the option to own or rent land parcels in a variety of sizes - as in [[real life]], some owners may zone their land to restrict certain activities, such as commercial development. Business in the game's virtual currency (exchangeable for real-world funds) is encouraged by the ''[[Wikipedia:Linden Lab|Linden Research]]'', and a variety of content vendors have sprung up to meet demand.

==Second Life and furry==

The [[furry fandom]] has a major presence in Second Life, with multiple areas devoted to providing accommodation, entertainment and creative services specifically for members of the furry community. Themes range from the pedestrian to the bizarre, although trees are common in furry haunts. Each user can create their own objects from the inbuilt primitives, but the majority of users rely in part on objects created and sold by others. These include body parts for avatars, accessories, vehicles (which may be purely aesthetic or provide extra functionality), toys, [[pose ball]]s for avatar animation, and scripts to provide extra features (like "push" and "shield" defensive/offensive capabilities).

==Controversy==

On September 8th 2006, Linden Lab reported via a security bulletin (which was also emailed to all SL users) that the servers holding player account information had been attacked using a zero-day exploit. According to Linden Labs, this attack on the servers may have begun as early as September 3rd and they only noticed an increase in activity on the 6th which they then quickly locked out. Their investigation showed that the attack allowed a significant amount of customer account information to be downloaded such as credit card numbers, PayPal transaction ID's, real life names, Second Life names, account passwords, and contact information.

As part of their effort to improve the security of their servers, Linden Lab had invalidated the passwords (assuming they were already compromised) of all Second Life users and has required said users to reset their passwords. Linden Lab further mentioned that while the compromised payment information was encrypted, no encryption is unbreakable given enough time and computing power. They had thus stated that if any SL user believed themselves to be the victim of credit card fraud, they (the user) should contact their credit card company.

The short form of the bulletin in available at http://secondlife.com/corporate/bulletin.php

== Outline ==
[[Image:SecondLifeCarrot.png|right|thumb|150px|Second Life lets you create your own objects]]
Second Life was started in 2003 as a project by "Linden Research, Inc." doing business as "Linden Lab".
Second Life's primary attraction has always been the level of customization; from the ground under your feet to the clouds in the sky. This was quite literal since the game's developers intended for the user to be able to create the world to their desire, as is quoted in the Second Life overview on its site:

:''"Second Life is a virtual world - a 3D online persistent space totally created and evolved by its users. Within this vast and rapidly expanding place, you can do, create or become just about anything you can imagine. Built-in content creation tools let you make almost anything you can imagine, in real time and in collaboration with others."''

Second Life is considered by some to be a variant of the ''Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game'', or ''[[Wikipedia:MMORPG|MMORPG]]'' for short. The true answer to the question "is it such a game?" is "yes and no" - Second Life is technically not a [[role-playing|role-playing game]] by itself.
Also, unlike other role playing games, there is no goal to reach, no levels to gain, no enemies to defeat, therefore it isn't a game at all. It is more a MUSE: Multi User Simulated Environment.
Rather, it is a platform that allows games and worlds to be built within its framework. It is better classified as a richly graphical multiple user chat kingdom ([[MUCK]]) rather than an MMORPG. Some go so far as to just call it a [[Wikipedia:Metaverse|metaverse]], which isn't that far of a stretch. Membership requires a credit card or [[Wikipedia:Short message service|SMS]]-capable cellphone, both for security reasons and because each region has its own content rating, from PG to Mature (which can be very mature at times), though as of April 2007, both of these appeared to no longer be required.

Second Life has become one of the popular forms of online entertainment for members of the furry fandom; at last count there were over 500 furries registered as Second Life users, and the true number is probably several times that by now. This arose out of the fact that the avatars, humanoid objects representing the user, are very customizable and the game's disposition for allowing users to create anything has made the concept of a virtual "[[fursuit]]" possible. Many furries of Second Life don't like to be considered to be wearing fursuits. Instead, they pretend it is their real body. These consist of a variety body parts which are attached to the user's avatar. These parts include [[tail]]s, [[wing]]s, legs, and so on - some have even made complete sets that resemble mythical beasts such as [[dragon]]s, complete with scripted flame effects. Such avatar add-ons can be sold by their creators, who retain the ability to control distribution of their objects as part of their copyright, enforced by inbuilt copy restrictions. Some choose to give works away for free, for apparently [[Wikipedia:altruism|altruistic]] or promotional purposes.

The high interactivity is also a plus for online social networks - as a result, various [[furry]] communities began to pop up in the game and are now a sizable force in the virtual world. In the October 2005 issue of ''[[Wikipedia:Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games]]'', "Furries" (used as a proper noun) were noted as a major user-base in Second Life in an article about the use of MMOs for self-actualization.<ref>Liu, Johnny. "Waking Dreams." ''[[Wikipedia:Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games]]'', October 2005; pp. 58-59</ref>

Signing up for a new account no longer requires a credit card or an SMS-capable cell phone. Also, current members have the option of changing their billing information in the members area so their membership fees can be deducted through [[Wikipedia:PayPal|PayPal]].''

== Age policy ==
{{rating-nc17-button2}}
As with most social environments on the Net, there is no way to tell inside the game how old someone really is. The game's Terms of Service state quite clearly you must be over the age of 18 to enter the "main grid" of Second Life. If anyone is found to be under 18 in the main grid, they will be banned from the game and all money and inventory will be forfeit. It is generally assumed that almost all players in the main grid are over the age of 18.

Second Life rates the individual sections of the game as Mature, or PG, with other possible ratings. These ratings help moderate the behavior of people that populate the various sections of the game, as they won't tolerate someone breaking the PG rating by performing a Mature-rated act in a PG-rated zone. The rating system is not in place to keep children out of areas in SL; it is there because many adults don't want to be exposed to [[:Image:SecondLifePenisVendor.jpg|adult material]] during their time in the game or to take a break from it for a time by visiting a PG sim. [[Luskwood]] is a prime example of a furry PG sim, safe from displays of naked [[hermaphrodite]]s with a huge [[phallus]] and even bigger [[breasts]] parading around as one might see in a mature furry sim like [[FurNation Worlds]] (technically they are not supposed to be visible from a casual flyover).

=== Teen Grid ===
{{rating-14-button2}}
Late in 2005, Second Life created a separate version of its game designed with teens in mind, strictly separating those 18 years of age or greater from those 17 and under. Server-side tracking differentiates teen users from adult users, sending teens to the Teen Grid instead of the main grid. The Teen Grid has different rating policies than the main version; being made for teenagers, none of the regions are rated Mature and nothing may exceed the general PG13 to PG17 rating spans.

* '''Website:''' http://teen.secondlife.com/

== Environment and Economy ==

=== Costs and land ownership ===

Membership of Second Life falls into one of two categories: "Basic" and "Premium". Basic accounts are free to create and incur no monthly fee. If you wish to have more than one account however, secondary accounts ([[Alt|Alts]]) incur a one-off fee of US$9.95, which may be paid with a credit card, or a positive [[Wikipedia:PayPal|PayPal]] balance.

Basic accounts are subdivided into "verified" and "unverified". A verified account means that the user has submitted a credit card, PayPal account, or telephone number to verify their identity. However, users may create an account without any verification of their identity. This was a highly unpopular move that sparked protests<ref>PierceP, {{youtube|TfV1DrrY2r4|The Protest}}</ref>. In response to this, Linden Labs added the ability to prevent unverified users from entering a parcel of land, and introduced an option to the LSL function [http://secondlife.com/badgeo/wakka.php?wakka=llRequestAgentData llRequestAgentData()] to return an agent's payment status as one of:

* No Payment Info on File
* Payment Info on File
* No Payment Info on File AND Payment Info Used (Only Beta/Lifetime users fall under this status)
* Payment Info on File AND Payment Info Used

The fears of "open registration" were that it would lead to an influx of minors on the main grid - both opening Linden Labs to potential lawsuits and its users; and allow [[griefer]]s to quickly and freely create a new account as soon as one account is banned for their misdeeds.

Premium accounts come at a rate of US$9.95 each month, with discounts for paying quarterly or annually -- $22.50, and $72, respectively. The premium accounts come with the privilege of owning 512 square meters of land, known as 'First Land'. This is approximately 1/256 of 1 simulator, or "not much". They also come with a weekly stipend of L$300. The ability to acquire additional amounts of land bring an additional charge, called ''land tier''.

* US$195.00/month: 65,536 square meters - Entire Region
* US$125.00/month: 32,768 square meters - 1/2 Region
* US$75.00/month: 16,384 square meters - 1/4 Region
* US$40.00/month: 8,192 square meters - 1/8 Region
* US$25.00/month: 4,096 square meters - 1/16 Region
* US$15.00/month: 2,048 square meters - 1/32 Region
* US$8.00/month: 1,024 square meters - 1/64 Region
* US$5.00/month: 512 square meters - 1/128 Region

These are the official Linden rates - it is possible to find island owners (see below) who will sell or rent land for lower rates, usually with some restrictions as to its use. It is also possible to get low-cost rented accommodation with no specific land ownership, and to own land without a premium account through a "group" to which the land is deeded. Many users own no land or accommodation at all - it is not required for object ownership, although object creation can be another matter.

Land, once purchased, may be traded between users at market rates. Large contiguous plots of land (or even relatively small plots of land in a busy place) can often sell at a hefty premium. Linden's tier remains the same whatever the selling price.

=== Referrals ===

Each user who joins Second Life gets an unique referral link. Giving this link to people who have yet to sign up, and getting them to do so used to credit the user with a certain amount of Linden Dollars -- the in-world currency. Since late January 2006, only premium account signups will result in a bonus, of L$2500, staggered over a three month period, where you get L$500 on the spot, another L$500 after one month, another L$500 after two months, and the final L$1000 after three months, to prevent gaming of the premium account referral bonus.

=== Currency ===

Users can buy or sell their Linden Dollars (L$) from within the game using the Lindex money market run by Linden Research. There are also third-party exchange services.

Exchanges can be performed with any number of Linden Dollars. The Lindex calculator will give you an idea of what you'll be receiving as a result of your sale. The amount that you receive as a result of your sale gets placed into your account, where you may have it applied to anything you owe for your account if you are a premium user, or may have it sent to you via PayPal for a US$1 charge. For larger amounts, you may also have a check mailed to you for a fee - US$5 if you're inside the United States, or US$15 for locations outside of the United States.

There are some furs who extract do this with the earnings from their businesses (custom avatar creation, generic avatar vending, etc.), turning it into profit that allows them to do whatever they want to pay for, up to, and including starting their own islands. Historically-speaking, the L$ is a relatively volatile currency prone to bouts of inflation. It can therefore be a good idea to remove any significant sums from the game, unless they are to be spent quickly in-game.

=== Objects ===

Objects in Second Life are constructed from [[Wikipedia:geometric primitive|geometric primitives]] known as "prims" which are combined, manipulated and textured with images. A variation on this is the "flexiprim", which allows for more realistic movement of flexible objects like [[tail]]s and hair.

== Islands and other locations ==
[[island (Second Life)|Islands]] are user-owned simulators within Second Life. You can buy your own island but the price to play is pretty steep: $1675 for start up costs and a server (you don't own the server itself though and due to multiple CPU servers, you are effectively buying space on a single CPU for your island), as well as $295 a month maintenance fee. Islands, as opposed to the mainland, get a dedicated processor to run on. Mainland sims (regions) may have to share resources with up to 3 other neighboring regions. An additional benefit is that purchasing an island allows you to contact the Linden Concierge directly with questions, bypassing the standard technical support lines and forums.

Prior to the creation of islands, every simulator belonged to a large land mass. Regions of these simulators sometimes ended up dedicated to specific groups, including the furry fandom.

There are currently a number of furry-owned or themed islands and regions in Second Life:
[[Image:Luskwoodlobby.jpg|thumb|200px|The Lobby at Luskwood, the primary hangout for many furs]]
===[[Luskwood]]===
* Luskwood consists of two sims/regions, '''Lusk''' and '''Perry''', with some elements spilling into '''Clara'''; PG-rated, though not heavy on rules (for example, unlike most PG areas, weapons are allowed in Luskwood), Luskwood (started in mid-2003) is the oldest Furry-themed area in SL. Though not an island in practice (it resides on the SL mainland,) these regions are wholly owned by the Luskwood group, and can be considered its own furry-themed area.

*It is home to [[Luskwood Creatures]], the first furry avatar makers on SL. Luskwood builds many varieties of furry avatars, and is considered a sister-sim to, and administered by some of the same folks who run Taco.
:{{see also|Luskwood}}

===[[FurPleasure]]===
[[Image:Market_logo512.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The FP Sim logo, with the marketplace backdrop]]
* A mature friendly furry themed sim cluster including a popular club, shopping area and residential areas in '''FP Enigma''', Owned and run by a group of dedicated sim admins headed by [[Foxdie Ghia]] and [[Kit Keiko]]. The sim is dedicated to and run in the memory of [[AOD Enigma]], Providing a fun and stimulating place for all furs and nonfurs to relax and socialise
* Started as a small club in the highflyer sim, and then expanded into sprawler due to further need for space. The first sim was purchased shortly after was co-owned by Iyeyasu Muromachi (who now owns Asian Delight) and [[AOD Enigma]]. AoD Enigma passed away in 2006 at the age of 21, and the sims ownership was moved over to Foxdie Ghia who currently owns the sim.

===[[FurNation Worlds]]===
[[Image:FurNationWorldsLuxor.png|right|thumb|200px|The Luxor on FurNation Prime]]
* FurNation Worlds is a group of several simulators run by the crew at [[FurNation]].
* Each of their simulators seems to serve a particular purpose.
** FurNation Alpha is a residential area with a medieval theme.
** FurNation Vista is a sandbox with residential areas.
** FurNation Gamma is a sandbox with residential areas.
** FurNation Prime is the welcome area and general starting point for FurNation.
** FurNation Worlds Mall is a commercial simulator for people to sell items from rented vendor spots.
*** Prices range from L$50/week to L$1500/week depending on location, size, and type of spot rented.
** FurNAtion Phoenix is a residential simulator.
** FurNation Mythica is primarily a residential simulator.
*** The Club called The Ark recently relocated to the east side of this simulator.
** FurNation Dragon is a residential simulator.
** Purgatory is a themed simulator connected to FurNation.
** Drakeal Prime is a residential sim connected to FurNation.
** Drakeal Tui is a simulator connected to FurNation by extension of Drakeal Prime.
:{{see also|FurNation Worlds}}

===[[The Forest]]===
[[Image:SecondLifeForestDeluxeApartments.png|right|thumb|200px|Treehouse apartments in The Forest]]
* The Forest was the first furry-oriented island in Second Life.
* The Forest is under [[Anshe Chung]]'s ownership and is a part of the DreamLand continent developed by her.
:{{see also|The Forest}}

===[[Fur Valleys]]===
[[Image:FurValleys-27Jun07.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Map of the Fur Valleys island chain, June 2007]]
[[Image:CubConclaveClubResurgenceDancer.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Dancing [[babyfur]] in [[Cub Conclave]]]]
* The largest chain of furry-themed islands in Second Life to date, often known simply as '''The Valleys'''.
* The first island in this chain was founded in November 2005 by [[RedFox Costello]]. Since then, the island chain has grown, with the addition of many new islands. These include:
**'''Fox Valley''', a residential island, owned by Redfox Costello
**'''Wolf Valley and Jaguar Valley''', a residential island, owned by [[Mako Minogue]]
**'''Tiger Valley''', a residential island, owned by [[David von Foxkin|Foxkin Impfondo]]
**'''FlyinTails Airfield''', an aircraft-themed island, owned by [[Effsey Nelson]]
**'''Rabbit Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Dragon Valley''', containing the Foxkin Rentals offices, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Ryu Valley''', a volcanic island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
*** The [[Macro Room]], devoted to [[macro]] furries, is located here
**'''Istaria Prime''', owned by [[Crawler Woyseck]]
**'''[[Serenity Woods]]''', a recreation of the original '''The Forest''', originally run by the former The Forest guides, but now owned by Mako Minogue
**'''Critter Valley''', a residential island, owned by [[kodi Sachs]]
**'''Zeta Valley''', a [[zoophilia]]-themed island, owned by [[Wolphin Fluffball]]
**'''Neko Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Otter Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''[[Cub Conclave]]''', a [[babyfur]]-themed island, owned by [[Raven Welesa]]
**'''[[Kit Estates]]''', a babyfur-themed residential island, owned by Raven Welesa
**'''Pony Island'''
**'''Lovecraft Forest''', an H.P. Lovecraft-themed island, owned by [[Kerwin Newall]] and [[MathueTaxion Theewles]]
**'''Furry Park''', a residential island, owned by [[Effsey Nelson]]
**'''Cheetah Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Ferret Valley''', a residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Meerkat Valley''', a commercial island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Cougar Valley''', a mountainous residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Lynx Valley''', a river-run residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Mink Valley''', a paw-print shaped residential island, owned by Foxkin Impfondo
**'''Lemming Valley''', a residential island with steep cliffs, owned by Foxkin Impfondo, pays homage to the 1991 video game "Lemmings"

* The '''Fur Valleys''' also include many ocean regions (also known as voids), all owned by Foxkin Impfondo. Most are each rentable as an entire region, but all allow visitors and residents to sail around the greater part of the Valleys. These voids include:
**'''Dragons Void''', a rentable void, managed by [[djomnifusion Snickerdoodle]]
**'''Kitsune Sea''', a [[fox]]-shaped island, managed by [[Autumnfox|Autumnfox Vesperia]]
**'''Strianic Ocean''', a [[dragon]]-shaped island, managed by [[Stria Inbiri|Stria Teazle]]
**'''Onyx Ocean''', a rentable void, managed by [[Cera Watts]]
**'''BlueRay Sea''', a rentable void
**'''Geckos Void''', a rentable void
**'''Moonlight Sea''', a rentable void in the shape of a crescent moon
**'''Sydney Sea''', a rentable void
**'''Crocodile Rock''', a rentable void named after the song by Elton John
**'''Dolphin Deep''', a rentable void
**'''Drakes Void''', a rentable void
**'''Kitten Cove''', a rentable void
**'''Raccoon Lagoon''', a rentable void
**'''Salamander Sea''', a rentable void
**'''Yang Sea''', a rentable void in the shape of the yang half of the yin-yang symbol
**'''Yin Sea''', a rentable void in the shape of the yin half of the yin-yang symbol

:{{see also|Fur Valleys}}

===Rocket City FurMeet===
*The [[Rocket City FurMeet]] sim contains an exact replica of the hotel that the [[real life]] [[convention]] is held in.
*The sim is staffed and upkept by many of the real life staff members of RCFM, headed by [[Lacy Amberwolf]].
*At the end of each real life RCFM, the staff posts a banner that states Welcome Home! to returning con-goers.
*Numerous dances are hosted throughout the year.

===Hantu (sim)===
*The Herm HQ, Doogtopia, Herm Industrial, and other fur owned establishments are owned in the North, and Northwest sections of this SIM.
*The areas owned by furs have banded together to create a couple of roads on their land and work to keep a similar style along the ground level of their land. The roads are currently unnamed.
*Herm HQ is a location designed to attract herms and those interested in meeting [[hermaphrodite]]s.
*Pavi's Sandbox. The primary lot on which residents build items without interfering with the other land in Hantu.
*The Mostyn Corner Shopping and Boutique is owned by Paviamostyn Assia (AKA Pavia) and has shop buildings for rent in the northwestern corner of the SIM.
*Herm Industrial offers rentals of 16m x 16m buildings with 125 prims per location. Tenants are required to have the buildings fit the theme on the outside but skyboxes are built however the renter wishes.
*The Tool Shed. Deise Morgan owns and runs this shop that sells goggles, gasmasks, collars, and other assorted gadgets and avatars.
*Lunatic Visions is owned and run by Foxknight Graff. This is a store for the avatar attachments that she makes and sells.

===[[Dragon Spire]]===
*The Dragon Spire is a club catering towards dragons and avians but does not make any restrictions on species. The club is located in the NorthEast corner of of the Dunvegan simulator and is located just above cloud level.
*The club is known for its public sex and cuddle poseballs, volunteer DJs, and a side wing with rooms for those wanting to use a SexGen bed. A second wing with additional rooms is under construction.
*The club has restrictions on building and scripting for non-club members which effectively prevents the most abusive griefing, and one can only become a club member if invited by member of sufficient authority.

===[[Abbotts Aerodrome]]===
[[Image:Sl abbotts aerodrome cubey terra.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Abbotts Aerodrome]]
* Abbotts Aerodrome bills itself as "the most famous airport in Second Life". Occasionally referred to as '''Abbotts Furrodrome''', Abbotts is among the most fur-friendly airports in Second Life. The Aerodrome features free demo flights, a skydiving center, A.I. flights, and shops owned by some of the leading aircraft designers in Second Life. Founded by Apotheus Silverman and Cubey Terra in 2004, Abbotts Aerodrome is a center for aircraft development and skydiving.

[[Image:Alchera1.gif|thumb|200px|The town center of Alchera.]]
===[[Alchera]]===
* A Furry based roleplay island sim, it is based within the medieval era and holds a [[fantasy]]/Oriental theme. Opened to the public on January 20th, 2007, it is the first serious adult roleplay sim made expressly for furries and anthro players. Created as an open and friendly role play environment, it is open to all anthros of any race, mythology and preference.
Other then roleplay, it also offers quiet and relaxing oriental themed residential housing for $400L a week for 1024sq meters. Personal housing costs $150L for a room of a player’s choice plus 50 additional prims. [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Alchera/38/88/24/]

===[[Gay Yiffy Club]]===
* Gay Yiffy Club is a popular furry nightclub, partially due to the open and welcoming atmosphere for every species, gender or alignment (even though its name suggests to cater only to [[gay]] [[male]] furs). Originally built by [[Senjin Soothsayer]] and managed by [[Kiroja Fluffy]] and [[Darkfoxx Bunyip]]. It's not even an island SIM, yet it's traffic surpasses most islands. The club is commonly referred to by its abbreviation GYC and thanks it's popularity mostly to the very active staff containing dancers, DJs and Bartenders. The club features dance-floor, bar, darkroom, stage, pool, private rooms, lounge area and a separately located shopping area.
Unlike other clubs, public display of intimacy is not frowned upon, and even encouraged.
:{{see also|Gay Yiffy Club}}

===[[Rainbow Tiger]]===
* Originally a dance club owned by [[Spike Nico]] and an adjoining mall owned by [[Shadow Garden]] in the '''Cleary''' region, Rainbow Tiger has expanded onto a full island. Rainbow Tiger currently has: [[Club Rainbow Tiger]], a large dance club with live DJ's spinning tunes regularly as well as a large 3 story mall, swimming pool, events center, casino, and an exercise room. It is also the primary retail location for OrcaHorse, owned by [[Fore Odets]]. Rainbow Tiger has been awarded Developer's Incentive awards twice by Linden Lab since its creation. A second island named [[Rainbow Stallion]] was added at the end of March 2006, and is being developed as a residential area. Both sims are rated 'mature', and are open to all species.
:{{see also|Rainbow Tiger}}

===[[Tartarus Island]]===
* The new home of [[The Fur Dungeon]], a club that once existed on the mainland. Underwater dungeon areas and an array of domes (including, presently, a mall and movie dome) complement the club itself. Created by [[Musuko Massiel]].

===[[EuroFur]]===
* Furry themed sim especially made for french and european furries, maintained by kerunix Flan and [[ButtBadger]]. This sim includes a club, a mall, a residential building, a beach, some yiff skyboxes and several parcels for rent. Some elements are still under construction.

===[[Oinari]]===
* This furry themed island sim is the headquarters of [[Furry Japan]] owned by [[Fakefur Okonomi]], founder of Furry Japan. The island is divided among the officers of Furry Japan, who do a variety of experimental shops and houses. Japanese is naturally the primary language here, and visitors are recomended to bring a translator HUD or fluency

===[[The Wild (Second Life)|The Wild]]===
* Furry [[Wikipedia:Myst|Myst]] themed island owned by [[Shaun Wallaby]].

===[[Mythos Prometheus]]===
* Mature-rated furry-themed island sim run by [[Sabvriel Padar]], (liberum veto) [[Solus Candour]] and [[Msakaji Yoshiro]]. Mostly a residential island, with laid back rules, several houses nestled amid beautiful landscaping, and apartments for rent up in the sky. Also hosts a small shop for vendors, and [[The Hangar]] club. Residence in the sky apartments is one of the most affordable at 100L$ per week for 100 prims, which makes them popular and causes a waiting list to accumulate for the space. The residents of the skyboxes are among the more friendly 'neighbourhood' style cliques and as a new denizen of the sim you can expect sudden visits from the other residents.

===[[Coonspiracy]]===
* Southwest corner of Noonkkot sim, a hangout for raccoons, gators, swamp foxes, and the like.

===[[Meeting Island]]===
* Mature-rated furry-themed island sim run by [[Pounce Teasle]]. '''[[Raccoon Hill]]''', formerly '''[[Fae Valley]]''' from the '''Fur Valleys''' sim conglomerate, was added in May, 2006, but has since vacated. '''Meeting Island''' is best known for the furry [[escort]] establishment, [[The Seven Tails Brothel]].

===[[Lost Furest]]===
[[Image:lfcenterance.jpg|thumb|200px|Pawprint lake at Lost Furest, welcoming visitors.]]
*This island sim is "Mature" rated and correctly named Sables Dalliez >Lost Furest<.
*Visitors usually are thrown off by the sim's name, expecting trees and foliage yet finding an island full of sand. The name actually represents the act of being at rest or as we call it "Fur-Rest".
*Home to the [[Lost Creatures]] furry avatars, founded by two creators [[Cheetah Kitty]] and [[Daisuke Tokugawa]].
*Awarded Developer's Incentive awards three times by Linden Lab and has recently become a heavy traffic area, earning the islands name in the top 20 most popular places often.
:{{see also|Lost Furest}}

Collecting donations for Island upkeep fees is a popular activity on islands, furry or otherwise.

===[[Furry Plateau]]===
* A PG-rated Teen Grid location, currently in the sim "Unreal" next to the Teen Grid's version of FurNation and Sylver Bu's "Tiamat Market".
* Founded by [[Reggie Clifton]] and [[Phox Sillanpaa]], [[Furry Plateau]] is undoubtedly the most popular furry location in Teen Second Life, often appearing 1st or 2nd in the popular list.
* Furry Plateau will soon be moving again to a new private island simulator called "Furry Plateau" that will be purely Furry Plateau, purchased by Caleb Francis ([[Lupercaleb]])

===[[TSL Fur Fest]]===
Teen Second Life (TSL) Fur Fest (TSLFF) is the Teen Grid's first [[furry]] and [[anthropomorphic]]s [[convention]]. TSLFF was founded by Ferret Surface ([[Ferret Vulpsi]]) and the first TSLFF was held in 2007 on August 17th, 18th, and 19th mainly in the sim of Unreal. The convention was mainly attended by members of the FP, FN (TSL), and Taimat communities however the con was a grid wide event and made history as the first furry convention (or convention of any kind for that matter) to be held on the Teen Grid.

== "Second Life Furry" logo ==
[[Image:Slfur.png|right|100px]]
In (early 2006?), a "furry admin" meeting for all furry and/or furry-friendly sims' administrators or owners was held to discuss several unifying strategies regarding the fandom population in world ([[Inferniel Solvang]] was the lead fur for this particular encounter.) Of the many proposals, one was the creation of a common, official symbol or logo for identifying purposes for sim or fur.

The final design, a SL logo inspired image, came to be thanks to the design of SL [[furry artist]], [[Yiffy Yaffle]]. The logo can be viewed on most of the older furry sims, with propagation to newer ones going at a slow, but steady rate.

== Video ==
[[Image:SecondLifeFundayPawPetShow.png|right|thumb|200px|Furs watching the Funday PawPet Show in Second Life]]
As of version 1.6.0, Second Life now hooks [[Wikipedia:Quicktime|Quicktime]], if it is installed on the user's system, to provide an interface that allows one to watch movies within the client itself. A '''very''' fast connection is suggested in this case, as you will be streaming world data ''and'' a video at the same time. If Quicktime is not installed, the user will be reminded that Quicktime is needed to watch video within the client when they enter a parcel with video.

A number of furs use the video feature to watch the [[Funday PawPet Show]] on their land.

Some users have taken advantage of this new feature to bring forward a new business: Movie Rentals. One may rent adult movies from a couple of the businesses in Second Life, for the express purpose of being able to watch pornography on their land for a couple of hours.

== Preview Grid ==
As Linden Lab draws closer to a potential release, be it a sub-version upgrade, or a full point-release jump, they release preview versions of the client, to allow all interested parties to test the new client and its features. This is extremely important to builders, scripters, and texturers, as knowing how the new software will handle their works is very important.

The Preview client is run on a separate grid from the current client, which means there are less people to interact with. Most of the people available test their wares, making sure they won't have to do a full rebuild or rescript for the next version, as well as reporting bugs.

== Technical advice ==

Due to the amount of data that is sent between the client (you) and the servers, Second Life requires a fast internet connection, at least 128kbps, though more (768kbps or better) is highly recommended, at least 512MB of RAM (preferably at least 1024), and a CPU faster than 800MHz, though the bare minimum will not be as pleasant an experience. Linden Lab suggests that you invest in hardware that will exceed the minimum specs. There are also specific graphics card requirements due to the game making use of a certain OpenGL standard. The system requirements for interested people is listed at the Second Life website partially, and more exact requirements can be found inside its technical support area.

Although it is not impossible to use a dial-up connection with Second Life, nearly every option of the game requires serious cutting back; close to the bare minimum. This makes the experience flatter and less pleasant, with lag so heavy that movement is difficult and awkward with occasional stop-frame style "clipping" animation. Walking forward one step, for example, might occasionally result in sliding forward more then a yard or two before being snapped back to your intended position in a rather sudden jerk, or scenery change. Sometimes, said movement could make you sink through the ground or pass through other objects (like a wall) before the snap-back occurs. Then you find you need another of the regular 24MB to 25[[Wikipedia:Megabyte|MB]] updates to play. There aren't many dial-up users on Second Life as a result. ISDN provides a usable experience, but only just. Mobile broadband solutions such as UMTS or HSDPA are usually good enough, however.

Second Life has been dealing with issues over ATI's video card drivers for quite a while. It has become practice on the forums to suggest to ATi users to pick up the [http://www.omegadrivers.net/ Omega Drivers], a set of user-modified drivers recognized by ATi (according to their author) as "''the best-modded drivers in the Internet''". These Omega Drivers enable features that Second Life can use which aren't easily enabled in the default drivers.

== Fan-sites ==

Linden Lab's policies regarding the use of trademarks on Second Life fansites are loose, provided the following stipulations are met.

* There is no attempt to pass off a fan site as Second Life or Linden Lab itself.

* The following legal text is present on all Second Life related pages: "Second Life® and Linden Lab® are registered trademarks of Linden Research, Inc. No infringement is intended." this must include the ® circles though can be any size the website creators see fit.

== References ==
<references />

== See also ==

* [[Wikipedia:Second Life|Second Life]] on Wikipedia
* [[:Category:Second Lifers|Second Lifers on WikiFur]]
* [http://secondlife.com/movies/secondtake.wmv Second Life Promotional Video] -- This file is directly available on the Second Life Home page. The video is linked to an image titled "watch the video" that will alternate with the free trial promotional image link. There is also a [http://www.apple.com/games/trailers/secondlife/ Quicktime version] of the video.

== External links ==
{{rating-ma-button}}
* [http://www.livejournal.com/community/secondlife_furs/ Second Life Furry Community] at [[LiveJournal]]
* ''[http://www.alphavilleherald.com/archives/000505.html The Second Life Herald: Miravoir Meets The Furries]'' — Article about furries on Second Life
* ''[http://secondlife.blogs.com/nwn/2005/04/furry_like_me.html New World Notes: Furry Like Me]'' — Another article about furries on Second Life
* ''[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm?chan=tc&chan=technology_technology+index+page_today's+top+stories My Virtual Life]'' — Business Week reporter examines Second Life in detail
* ''[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982009.htm Virtual Land, Real Money]'' — An interview with [[Anshe Chung]]
* {{youtube|1LlMZjCBJhE|Beatfox and his flexy foxy tail}} - an video example of flexiprims in furry avatars
* [http://jolie.silentshadows.net Jolie Grant: SL Furry Model] - a website with models created by [[Jolie]], a furry who made it into the human modeling world with her avatar
* ''[http://www.graphxpress.com/cgi-bin/wcotp.cgi?date=20060702 Second Life]'' - ''[[West Corner Of the Park (comic)|West Corner Of the Park]]'' strip about [[FurryMUCK]] players who spend time in both worlds
* ''[http://www.ninjaweasel.com/ Ninja Weasel Studios]'' - A popular furry avatar store located on the Tokachi City sim in Second Life (temporarily offline)
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''A piece of this article has been copied directly from the Second Life website and no challenge is being issued in regards to the material of the quote taken in any way, shape, or form.''

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