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Archives for November 2006

Second Life income taxable in Australia?

November 30, 2006 by Leave a Comment

Reuter are running a report that the Australian Tax Office has ruled that profits made in-world will attract a tax liability. Quoting a Fairfax newspapers article, there’s also discussion by Reuter’s of the UK investigation into the issue of tax liability.

So we’re assuming this means that if you are making serious money in SL, then registering an ABN may be worth considering. If you are making more than $50 000 Australian, then it’s another ball game again. The Australian Tax Office has all the fun detail on the tax system.

Filed Under: Australian News, Virtual Worlds

Aussie landmarks appearing as Second Life locations

November 30, 2006 by 6 Comments

Whilst looking for a location for SLOz’s new in-world location, I came across sims with the names of Boggabri and Toowoomba. Neither looked much like their counterparts of course, but I’m wondering what the impetus is for those names being selected…

Filed Under: Australian News, Virtual Worlds

Version 1.1.3 of SL is released

November 29, 2006 by 2 Comments

Linden Labs have released the much awaited update to SL and the initial response has been… well… a lot of queuing to actually get back in. Linden are asking people to wait in queue and eventually they’ll get in. Another example of SL and the real world merging!

Any reports of usability of 1.1.3 gratefully accepted.

Filed Under: General News, Virtual Worlds

Staking the Claim

November 29, 2006 by 15 Comments

SLOz is the first Second Life news portal aimed at informing Australian SL users on events in-world, real world issues impacting on SL and pretty much anything else SL related. If you have an event you’d like to promote, contact me. Not interested in promoting new Casinos or Free Sex Communities however.

The plan is to provide at least one news story per day. In the short term the emphasis will be on non-Australian content but as Aussies start promoting themselves in SL then that will become the focus.

Filed Under: TMJ Site News, Virtual Worlds

Howard Jones Podcast

November 24, 2006 by Leave a Comment

I had the pleasure of interviewing electronic music legend Howard Jones last week for Australian Macworld Magazine. I created a podcast of the interview which can be found here.

Filed Under: Music-related

Your privacy

November 19, 2006 by Leave a Comment

Privacy Statement

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We do not usually seek sensitive information (e.g., data relating to race or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, criminal record, physical or mental health, or sexual orientation) from visitors. We will, where necessary, obtain visitors’ explicit consent to collect and use such information

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Cookies do not collect personal information such as your name or email address. Further, most browsers permit individuals to decline cookies. However, under specific circumstances, visitors may be denied access to some parts of our site if their browsers are set to decline cookies.

Information Use

Personal information is used only for limited purposes. For example, when you register with the Web site to gain access to premium content or request future communications about The Metaverse Journal’s areas of interest, we may use the information you submit to create a personal profile to customise our response to further requests or inquiries. In addition, the Webmasters may, where necessary, use your information for various site related tasks.

We will ensure that our marketing activities comply with applicable law, and implement procedures to obtain necessary consents before sending you email containing information about The Metaverse Journa offerings. You may at any time request that we discontinue sending you such materials.

Disclosure of Information to Third Parties

Although we may provide visitors’ information to service providers that handle information on our behalf, we will usually not share the information with third parties for secondary or unrelated purposes unless otherwise disclosed at the point of collection.

Where appropriate, personal information may be disclosed to law enforcement, regulatory or other government agencies, or third parties where necessary or desirable to comply with legal or regulatory obligations or requests or for the purposes identified above.

Access to Information

We are dedicated to providing reasonable access to visitors who wish to review the personal information retained when they register with our Web site and correct any inaccuracies it may contain. Visitors who choose to register may access their user profile, correct and update their details, or unsubscribe at any time. Visitors who have any problem accessing their profiles, or would like to request a copy of their personal information should contact us. In all cases we will treat requests to access information or change information in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Information Security

We have in place reasonable commercial standards of technology and operational security to protect all information provided by visitors from loss, misuse, alteration or destruction.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

SLOz reserves the right to modify or amend this privacy statement at any time and for any reason. Nothing contained herein creates or is intended to create a contract or agreement between The Metaverse Journal and any user visiting the Web site or providing identifying information of any kind.

Children’s Privacy Protection

The Metaverse Journal understands the importance of protecting children’s privacy in the interactive online world. The Web site covered by this privacy policy is not designed for or intentionally targeted at children 13 years of age or younger. It is not our policy to intentionally collect or maintain information about anyone under the age of 13.

Spam

The Metaverse Journal is committed to ensuring the privacy of your personal information and the ten privacy principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988. We are dedicated to providing reasonable access to individuals who wish to review the personal information retained by The Metaverse Journal and to correct any inaccuracies that personal information may contain. Individuals who would like to request a copy of their personal information or a copy of the The Metaverse Journal Privacy Policy should contact us. In all cases we will treat requests to access or change information in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Should you wish not to receive further information or to be removed from our mailing list, please contact us.

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SLOz does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or suitability of purpose of information contained within www.creativeshed.com

Unauthorised attempts to upload information to or change this website are strictly prohibited and may be subject to criminal prosecution.

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by The Metaverse Journal.

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by The Metaverse Journal of the linked websites, or the information, products or services contained therein.

For other than authorised activities, The Metaverse Journal does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.

Neither The Metaverse Journal nor any of its employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.

The Metaverse Journal also reserves the right to modify, suspend or discontinue this website with or without notice at any time and without any liability to you.

You understand and agree that the this website is provided on an as is and as available basis.

The Metaverse Journal disclaims all responsibility and liability for the availability, timeliness, security or reliability of this website.

Filed Under: General News, Virtual Worlds

Second Life – The Next Big Thing?

November 17, 2006 by Leave a Comment

Second Life is a virtual world, and it’s pretty well explained in the following video:

Now, like a travel brochure, Second Life isn’t quite as nice looking in total as the video shows – there are reams of casinos, shacks and endless suburbia. There’s also orgies, strippers and pole dancers. Yes, some big businesses have set up shop in the game and some big name artists have started doing gigs (Ben Folds and Suzanne Vega to name two). But it is going to change the world?

I think there’s a more than 50% chance it actually will. And there are lots of things to like about the change but also a slew of concerns. Addiction is one of the obvious concerns, addiction treatment potentially one of the greatest goods. There is probably a cohort of people addicted to the game already and their real life may be suffering. On the other hand – could a virtual world make it easier for real life addictions to be addressed in the most non-threatening way ever? An example: you are a heavy cannabis user and you’ve come to the realisation you need some help. You live in a small town where seeking help will stand out in a big way. Log on to Second Life, find a counsellor and get the ball rolling with no-one ever knowing. Of course, there’s issues around confirming the comptency of the ocunsellor you’re dealing with, but the potential is there. And I think Linden Labs themselves seem really switched on in their approach to potential issues.

Filed Under: General rant

Aanuka Break Free? Not really

November 7, 2006 by Leave a Comment

I’ve always felt that people who write complaint letters to TV stations and the like, to be individuals in need of a life. I recant on this view now, only because I want to whine / complain. I’ve even taken pictures to back up my whining (usually a sign of REALLY having no life, but this of course doesn’t apply to me).

The premise: Take my family on five nights at a 4-star plus resort. We chose Aanuka Resort at Coffs Harbour based on one recommendation and some website browsing.

Complaint 1: The old ‘the website pictures don’t match the reality’ issue. Now, I’m fairly aware that the accommodation promoted on a website always has the benefit of wide-angle lenses and the like, but in this case the disparity was huge. Go to the Aanuka Resort web page. There’ll you’ll see a lovely photo gallery including shots of the rooms. An important note: I booked one of the most expensive rooms, so it’s not a case of the penthouse suite on the website and I had booked a basic room.

The front entrance:

The light and airy hallway:

The main living area:
(couch was a sofa bed that was impossible to sit up straight in)

The spa ensuite:
(hard to see from pic but spa was old and grouting was far from clean)

The main bedroom:
(the bed was actually two singles which was ok – however the vertical blinds were mouldy)

The kitchen:
(This was quite spacious although dishwasher didn’t work well and fridge made a terrible noise everytime you opened it)

Other gripes – balcony area was filthy, plumbing had problems including noise that woke the kids when we turned the shower on, and cockroaches galore (though probably to be expected being based in a rainforest-like setting)

Complaint 2: Basic resort facilities:

It could be just me but it would be nice to be able to access a resort’s facilties without having to walk a tortuous route that requires backtracking. I’m talking close to a kilometre walk to get to food. Now, that distance isn’t that bad if you know you can get there without needing an umbrella if it rains, gumboots if the rain is heavy and a torch in some sections if the sun has gone down. I am not joking.

Complaint 3: Non-basic resort facilities:

On the way to Coffs Harbour we stayed in a ‘cheaper’ apartment complex called the Sevan Apartments – the place was stunning and had free wireless broadband – a compact little wireless transmitter and ethernet cable was given at check-in and it worked beautifully. What do you get at Aanuka? A dial-up option which involved removing the wall phone off its bracket (I couldn’t get our phone off) and plugging into that phone outlet.

Food – the range was ok but the main restaurant was closed the one night we wanted to use it. If you order room service expect to pay more than if you eat at the restaurant (not unusual) PLUS a $5.00 delivery fee. I kid you not.

Pools – the pools were good – although the one morning where it was really warm, the small kids pool was closed – I couldn’t see why aside from the fact that there was a small palm branch in the water. On a rainy day we used the cave spa which was nice and warm. Trouble is the spa didn’t work. Myself and another family asked for it to be looked at, nothing happened in the 90 minutes we were there.

Overall: this resort does not deserve its 4-start rating. Did the kids enjoy themselves? Yes they did – once the youngest one got over the smell of the room (“I don’t want to go back to the smelly room daddy”) – it was just a little musty. The cleaner who came when we complained about the filthy balcony area was wonderful and the plumbing issue was fixed at our request the following day. That said, this seems a pretty tired place in need of some greater upkeep. I’d look at spending your money elsewhere….

Filed Under: General rant

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