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Second Life: The Official Guide

A book by Michael Rymaszewski

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A great combination of beginner and advanced information...

Mar 18, 2007

by duffbert
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

Yes, I call myself a geek but I have yet to check out the phenomenon known as Second Life. That changed yesterday when I finished the book Second Life: The Official Guide by Michael Rymaszewski, Wagner James Au, Mark Wallace, Catherine Winters, Cory Ondrejka, and Benjamin Batstone-Cunningham. I can now see the appeal on a number of levels...

Contents:
Part 1 - Getting a Second Life: What Is Second Life?; Getting Started; The Grand Tour
Part 2 - Living a Second Life: Changing Your Appearance; Using Your Library; Managing Your Inventory; Building; Using the Linden Scripting Language
Part 3 - Success in Second Life: Who Are You?; Making Money; Real Residents; A Cultural Timeline; The Future and Impact of Second Life
Appendices: Real-Life Education in Second Life; Glossary; Additional Resources; Menu Commands and Functions

My learning style would be best described as "read first, then try." One of the reasons why I had not yet tried out Second Life is because I had no idea as to what was involved and how to get started. Yeah, you can always dive right in, and then clean up mistakes as you go. This book allows you to avoid the "mistake" phase, orient yourself from the start, and start getting the most out of your on-line experience. The writing is a nice blend of intro and advanced material. For newbies, there's the "here's where to start, and here are the basic instructions on how to move around and interact" information. At that level, Second Life is basically a three-dimensional chat room. But the real fun comes when you start building your own objects and scripting your own actions and gestures. There are chapters included on how to manipulate the Linden Scripting Language to personalize your avatar. And using "prims", you can create and build just about anything you can imagine. For creative types, Second Life is a playground without limits. Architecture, engineering, fashion design, you name it. And a little time spent with Second Life: The Official Guide will spark your imagination and get you geared up to expand your creativity. The book even explains how it's possible to buy and sell using Linden dollars (which *do* have a real-life exchange rate).

A very useful and aesthetically appealing book that will likely hook you into a new virtual existence.

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More Second Life: The Official Guid... reviews

review by cyclone_march. February 08, 2007

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Not bad as a guide for a very nebulous world

Pros: Disk, explanation of the platform, warnings against the seedier aspects of SL Cons: Testimonials and at times the book feels more self serving than detached. The Bottom Line: If you plan on being in SL for a while but want to do more than chat, this could be a useful asset. Second Life the Official Guide is a book with many parents: Michael Rymaszewski, Wagner James Au, Catherine Winters, Cory Ondrejka, Benjamin Batstone-Cunningham, … more

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About the reviewer

Thomas Duff (duffbert)
Ranked #48

Thomas Duff, aka "Duffbert", is a long-time member of the Lotus community. He's primarily focused on the development side of the Notes/Domino environment, currently working for a large insurance … more