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Now available at the ski lodge in Wengen and in the plaza near the Luna shopping center -- and soon to spread to the rest of the continent like wildfire-- Prim Attack is a solitaire 3D puzzle game to dazzle the eyes and tease the mind. Inspired by matching games in the vein of “Tetris” and “Bejeweled”, Prim Attack challenges you to shift multi-shaped prims across the board, creating rows of like objects to score points. Head project scripter Don Linden and his team plan to add XML-RPC functionality to Prim Attack soon, so Residents can register their high scores on the website, and compete for the in-world record. With an awe-inspiring 27,950 points, Daniel Linden holds the current high score, but Resident gamers now have a chance to give him a prim run for his money.
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 "Live Help", that is, is a new feature from Second Life’s version 1.5 launched August 31st. Giving Residents
a new way of seeking in-world advice, from technical issues to basic building and scripting queries-- no matter how late in the night the cry for help must come, Live Help provides quick and easy feedback for Resident’s most pressing questions. Located in the Help pull-down menu, Live Help sends out an Instant Message SOS to a team of volunteers, heroic veteran Residents who devote their time and expertise to assisting new users around the clock.
"I thought it would get unused but I’ve been very surprised [at the response]," says Jova Song, a Live Help volunteer reached by the Opinion at 2AM (PST). Volunteers field anywhere from just a few to several dozen queries every hour. "[A] lot of the time," fellow volunteer Adam Zaius adds, "it’s pretty simple questions, but it does give you some insight into problems that have been experienced before."
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 As the continent of Second Life continues to expand at a rapid pace, so does the diversity of the land. Moss-covered hills, palm trees, and dozens of tiny islands await the traveler in the Northeast. But if you
plan on exploring those forty-some new simulators by vehicle, beware -- this primitive land has no roads! What’s more, there are rumors of an altar there, left behind by some forgotten tribe, somewhere in the regions
of Uba, Tuvan, or beyond. Meanwhile, snow-capped simulators emerge in the South, offering even more opportunities to explore and settle that winter wonderland.
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 So goes the US , so goes Second Life. As we get closer to November 2nd, the American presidential race is finding its way in-world more and more often—billboards popping up regularly, advocating for and against each major candidate. More prominently, there’s a virtual John Kerry campaign headquarters in Ebisu. For a time, Kerry’s platform was neighbors with a decidedly anti-Kerry site, provoking controversy on all sides. Embedded journalist Hamlet Linden has the scoop here.
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Detroit Free Press - August 1, 2004
“When ‘Second Life’ players need a new high-rise apartment built in the game world - or just a cottage for two - they turn to Josh Eikenberry of Monroe, Mich. Eikenberry, 22, plays as "Lordfly Digeridoo" on the immersive online world title where players build everything, including the landscape, used in the game…” Boston Herald, August 5, 2004
“ ‘I made a lot of this stuff myself - I made the flowers,’ said Mahay, a case manager for disabled adults… Using Linden Lab's servers, players worldwide have built fantasy homes, rocking dance clubs and shops that sell virtual paintings, accessories and clothing. They also can chat, dance, teach classes and set off fireworks. Machines didn't make this matrix, humans did…”
The Los Angeles Times, August 8, 2004
Hamlet Linden pens Sunday Opinion piece for the LA Times about being an embedded journalist in a virtual world.
“Last June, the creators of Second Life, a massively multi-user online world (or MMO), offered me the oddest assignment in my eight years as a freelance writer. They wanted me to join their virtual community, not as a fellow resident but as an embedded journalist… Most times, I do my reporting in a crisp white suit, in tribute to Tom Wolfe. In the war zones, I'll look more like Hunter S. Thompson, with aviator sunglasses and a Colt .45…”
Unfortunately, this piece is no longer available online.
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