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Firefox

KataSpace, a WebGL MMO, Goes BSD Open Source->

Submitted by wjamesau
wjamesau writes "Developed at Stanford by a team led by a veteran of Linden Lab, KataSpace is a new web-based MMO architecture with a BSD open source license that runs on WebGL, the 3D graphics protocol that'll come pre-installed with the latest builds of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Basically, it'll let anyone develop an MMO or virtual world space that runs on the web without a plug-in. Demo space with avatars at the link!"
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The Blue Mars Bot That Won AI's Loebner Prize->

Submitted by wjamesau
wjamesau writes ""Suzette" is a chatbot program which just won 2010's famed Loebner Prize, inspired by AI's classic Turing test. Talk with her on the web or as a hot brunette bot in the 3D social world Blue Mars, where she has a backstory as "a Replicant... originally intended for use as a terraform engineer" but is dealing with a poor memory upload. (Which partly explains why she sometimes says bizarre things.)"
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Mozilla

Developing virtual worlds with Mozilla's WebGL->

Submitted by wjamesau
wjamesau writes "Is the web the future of 3D virtual worlds and MMOs? Stanford researcher Henrik Bennetsen just launched a new startup that creates virtual worlds in WebGL, the Mozilla 3D graphics standard that's coming pre-installed in the next versions of Safari, Firefox, and Chrome. (Video demo at link.) Formerly a researcher at Linden Lab, Bennetsen now thinks virtual worlds won't be delivered in a standalone client: "Metaphorically [Linden] thought 3D would eat the web... I'm pretty sure these days at least initially the web will eat 3D.""
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Games

Avatar Breast Physics Added to Second Life-> 1

Submitted by wjamesau
wjamesau writes "Using the open source code to Second Life's viewer software, a team of programmers made realistic breast physics for female avatars a customizable viewing option. "It's basically just modifying the breast buoyancy slider in realtime, fully client-side," the team lead explains. Which means female breast physics are only viewable to someone who's running Second Life with the GPL-compliant viewer, called Emerald. (If a virtual bosom heaves in a Second Life forest, but only you see it on your monitor, does it actually jiggle?)"
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Wireless Networking

Rumor: BlackBerry launching TV episode service->

Submitted by wjamesau
wjamesau writes "NewTeeVee reports that multiple sources say RIM is planning to announce a full-episode television service for BlackBerry users as early as next week. "By downloading content in the background over Wi-Fi, RIM would avoid clogging 3G networks. Downloaded programs would be ready to play when users want to watch them on the go.""
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Role Playing (Games)

Open Source Chat Bridge Between Virtual Worlds->

Submitted by
wjamesau
wjamesau writes "The Parallel Selves Message Bridge, a new addition to the code forge of OpenSimulator, the "Apache for virtual worlds", makes it possible for users within one OpenSim world to send IMs to users currently logged into another Second Life-compatible world. Check out the screen cap of my avatar in SL chatting with someone in OpenSim. In the future, technology like this could make it possible to keep in contact with friends in other virtual worlds and MMOs without having to log out. Imagine orcs and space commandos and furries in alternate realities but still in contact!"
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Role Playing (Games)

Midian: The Collaborative Storytelling MMORPG->

Submitted by
wjamesau
wjamesau writes "A popular cyberpunk-themed mini-MMORPG in Second Life, Midian is a game that's basically played by people telling stories — creating elaborate backstories for themselves, relating them in chat which reads like narrative, then improvising based on their interactions with others — basically, a sci-fi novel written by 3000 people."
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Microbiology Lab: Staph Only!