Blogger: Second Life Population Numbers Suspect
Blogger: Second Life Population Numbers Suspect
December 27, 2006
The popular MMO Second Life has been featured in a number of stories recently on GamePolitics and in the mainstream media.From the Mark Warner campaign stop to the establishment of a Second Life presence by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationn (NOAA), wherever you turn these days, it seems like SL is the place to be. A number of corporations, including big media like Reuters (SL screen shot at left), have also set up shop inside the game.
But an investigative blog piece at Corante questions whether the current buzz surrounding Second Life is real or a marketing creation. Author Clay Shirky wonders aloud whether game publisher Linden Labs has juiced the number of actual SL users:
If you like your magic tricks to stay mysterious, leave now, but if you want to understand how Linden has managed to disable the fact-checking apparatus of much of the US business press, turning them into a zombie army of unpaid flacks, read on...
Linden’s definition of Residents, however, has nothing to do with users at all — it measures signups for an avatar...
They reported adding their second million Residents between mid-October and December 14th, but they also reported just shy of 810 thousand logins for the same period. One million new Residents but only 810K logins leaves nearly 200K new Residents unaccounted for...
Like a push-up bra, Linden’s trick is as effective as it is because the press really, really wants to believe...
Shirky cites mainstream coverage of SL's supposed population in the New York Times, USA Today, CNN, Forbes and Fortune. Shirky's piece also appears on ValleyWag. For some additional perspective, check out the comments about Shirky's article on Terra Nova, a site which dissects MMO's in a serious way.
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Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:40am
JDKJ: We can sit here all day and debate the relative merits. However, I think the events of recent days suggest that an FN Five-Seven ain't exactly the same as that Daisy BB gun you got for Christmas when you were a kid.
JDKJ: We can sit here all day and debate the relative merits. However, I think the events of recent days suggest that an FN Five-Seven ain't exactly the same as that Daisy BB gun you got for Christmas when you were a kid.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:38am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: tumbling can be quite dangerous. However, the rounds that commonly tumbled were variants of the SS90. Civilian ammo tends to tumble far less commonly.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: tumbling can be quite dangerous. However, the rounds that commonly tumbled were variants of the SS90. Civilian ammo tends to tumble far less commonly.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:33am
JDKJ: I understand that while they don't have much expansion effect, they tend to "yaw" on impact. Yaw can be almost just as damaging as mushrooming.
JDKJ: I understand that while they don't have much expansion effect, they tend to "yaw" on impact. Yaw can be almost just as damaging as mushrooming.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:30am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Except when one considers the lack of expansion for the 5.7, it basically ends up leaving a far smaller hole.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Except when one considers the lack of expansion for the 5.7, it basically ends up leaving a far smaller hole.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:29am
JDKJ: But if the latter's travelling at close to twice the speed of the former, there's a compensatory effect on the weight difference.
JDKJ: But if the latter's travelling at close to twice the speed of the former, there's a compensatory effect on the weight difference.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:27am
Austin_Lewis: And of course, having nothing pass through or into one's brain is always the preferrable outcome.
Austin_Lewis: And of course, having nothing pass through or into one's brain is always the preferrable outcome.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:26am
Austin_Lewis: For comparison, commonly available 9mm run from 115 to 147 grains. 5.7s run between 28 and 40 grains.
Austin_Lewis: For comparison, commonly available 9mm run from 115 to 147 grains. 5.7s run between 28 and 40 grains.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:24am
JDKJ: Again, I'd rather not have any foreign objects either lodge in or pass through my brain, thank you very much.
JDKJ: Again, I'd rather not have any foreign objects either lodge in or pass through my brain, thank you very much.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:22am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Better than a larger projectile expanding as it lodges itself in one's brain.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: Better than a larger projectile expanding as it lodges itself in one's brain.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:20am
JDKJ: If it "passes right through" your brain . . . .
JDKJ: If it "passes right through" your brain . . . .
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:18am
Austin_Lewis: I'd rather be hit with the 5.7. The round barely expands, and would likely pass right through.
Austin_Lewis: I'd rather be hit with the 5.7. The round barely expands, and would likely pass right through.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:17am
JDKJ: I'd rather be hit with a 9mm at 1200ft/s than a 5.7mm at 2100ft/s. But if I have carte blanc in the matter, I'd rather not be hit at all.
JDKJ: I'd rather be hit with a 9mm at 1200ft/s than a 5.7mm at 2100ft/s. But if I have carte blanc in the matter, I'd rather not be hit at all.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:12am
Austin_Lewis: Sadly, IIA is the same armor that police, especially in the south where heat is a concern, use.
Austin_Lewis: Sadly, IIA is the same armor that police, especially in the south where heat is a concern, use.
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:11am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: It does have a higher velocity than some other rounds on average. However, it fires a VERY small projectile. It can pierce some low-grade body armor, I and IIA stuff, but it fails to pierce anything thicker.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: It does have a higher velocity than some other rounds on average. However, it fires a VERY small projectile. It can pierce some low-grade body armor, I and IIA stuff, but it fails to pierce anything thicker.
Posted 11/07/09 at 07:53am
JDKJ: And while 5.7mm is relatively small in the sense of its projectile size, it's got greater velocity than a lot of other lager calibers. You know what they say: "It ain't the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean."
JDKJ: And while 5.7mm is relatively small in the sense of its projectile size, it's got greater velocity than a lot of other lager calibers. You know what they say: "It ain't the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean."
Posted 11/07/09 at 07:44am
JDKJ: A_L: I suspect that when the story's fully told, it'll be her male partner (Sgt. Todd) who deserves the credit for finishing off the job she started. Not to say that her actions weren't heroic, just to say . . . .
JDKJ: A_L: I suspect that when the story's fully told, it'll be her male partner (Sgt. Todd) who deserves the credit for finishing off the job she started. Not to say that her actions weren't heroic, just to say . . . .
Posted 11/07/09 at 07:07am
Austin_Lewis: That officer did a great service and shot him four times, even though she was shot herself.
Austin_Lewis: That officer did a great service and shot him four times, even though she was shot herself.
Posted 11/07/09 at 07:05am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: It's true, AP ammo isn't available to those oustide LEO/Military fields. The round is smaller than most pistol rounds, but even a pistol round will pierce police soft body armor, especially at close range.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: It's true, AP ammo isn't available to those oustide LEO/Military fields. The round is smaller than most pistol rounds, but even a pistol round will pierce police soft body armor, especially at close range.
Posted 11/06/09 at 10:12pm
JDKJ: No. Reports from the gunshop are that he purchased the gun but did not purchase any ammunition for it. But I understand that AP ammunition in 5.7 X 28mm isn't readily available to those other than law enforcement and military.
JDKJ: No. Reports from the gunshop are that he purchased the gun but did not purchase any ammunition for it. But I understand that AP ammunition in 5.7 X 28mm isn't readily available to those other than law enforcement and military.
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Comments
I play There.com for the simple fact it's more stable, no one chases you around with extra appendages, they don't give false statistics to the membership and the CEO actually cares about it's members and has interests that support people both in and out of the virtual world.
However i do agree that this "bra pushuppery" clouds the fact that SL is more like a slightly less sucky sims ripoff then any real means to advertise.
Better than SL anyday
"Two million users!" is to "810,000 logins" as push-up bra cleavage is to real breasts.
Anyway, I played SL for maybe a day or two and aside from the horrible slowness of textures loading (not my computer or connection's fault) it found it to be boring as hell....
Ladies underwear has never been my strong point.
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