Truth & Beauty Lab Answer Board

The latest creation from the Truth & Beauty Lab, the Answer Board, was released yesterday 18-March-2012. The Answer Board is a Pandorabot based rotating sign that provides answers to just about any question or topic one can think of. The board responds to local chat and provides its answers from, first, Wikipedia if it finds a matching article then Wolfram Alpha if no Wikipedia article is found then AI chat from pandorabots.com if no Wolfram Alpha answer is found.

The Answer Board is preconfigured and requires no setup other than rezzing, positioning, and resizing if desired. It uses a shared Wolfram Alpha Application ID which gives the board access to Wolfram Alpha but on a shared basis with a limit of 2000 queries per month. Therefore, it is recommended that the owner of an Answer Board register for their own Wolfram Alpha Application ID at http://products.wolframalpha.com/api/

Although ready to use out-of-the-box, the Answer Board can be extensively customized. A detailed Owners Manual is provided and available in PDF, Office, and OpenOffice formats. Non-owner users who touch the Answer Board receive a User Guide which is also available in PDF, Office, and OpenOffice formats.

The Answer Board can provide information on just about any topic due to the wealth of information available via the combined resources of Wikipedia and Wolfram Alpha. Based on the recently released Pandorabot V7 technology, the Answer Board can automatically detect the user's language and query that language Wikipedia. Language detection is provided for Nihongo, Russkiy, Nederlands, Português, Polski, Italiano, Español, Français, Deutsch or English. It is the smartest scripted agent in Second Life.

In addition, the Answer Board can be enabled as a Greeter to detect and greet new arrivals, deliver notecards and landmarks, and emit a wide variety of particle displays. There is an extensive command set available to the owner and an easy to use dialog menu. The Answer Board is available for L$395 on the Second Life Marketplace at https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Truth-Beauty-Lab-Answer-Board/3304679

Here's what the Answer Board looks like:

New Truth & Beauty Lab Products 2/2012

The Truth & Beauty Lab (formerly Restless Studio) would like to inform you of some new products that may be useful, interesting, fun, entertaining, or otherwise of value.

Smart Rings and Smart Cuffs - http://bit.ly/y1hNrX

Stylishly textured in gold or silver, this line of single sculpted prim Smart Jewelry from the Truth & Beauty Lab can query Wikipedia, provide answers from Wolfram Alpha, emit a wide variety of particle displays, animate your avatar during particle displays, scan the area for objects and avatars, and target an object or avatar with a particle beam. One advantage of owning a Smart Ring or Smart Cuff is that, since the items are worn as attachments, you can travel anywhere on the grid and your Pandorabot featured ring or cuff is there to command.

Menhir Internationalized Pandorbots - http://bit.ly/ysFh7w

The Menhir Pandorabot is a single prim object shaped and textured as a Menhir ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menhir ). Menhir Pandorabots are scripted to include all the features of the Truth & Beauty Lab Pandorabots and the textured single sculpted prim provides a realistic recreation of a Menhir. Preconfigured Menhir language versions are available in English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Nederlands, Polski, and Português. The language configured Menhir will query the Wikipedia in that language, understanding that language chat and responding in that language when possible.

Smart Dance Pole & Smart Tip Jar Combo Pack - http://bit.ly/rMzxle

Automatically login an avatar and have it automatically start pole dancing, chatting, quoting Wikipedia, greeting new arrivals, delivering notecards and landmarks, monitoring and responding to group chat, and more. A super smart pole dance bot! The Truth & Beauty Lab Smart Dance Pole is scripted with the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On and configured for use as a dance pole. It is an artificially intelligent dance pole and integrates with the Smart Tip Jar, accepting tips, triggering a pole dancing bot to undress, emote, change outfits, and interact with your visitors. Using an integrated Smart Dance Pole and Smart Tip Jar allows you to maintain an artificially intelligent pole dancing bot avatar who accepts tips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round without monthly fees or hourly charges. The Smart Tip Jar can automatically trigger your dance pole bot avatar to undress when a tip threshold is reached and get dressed after a specified duration. NOTE: The Smart Tip Jar splits all tips - 90% going to the owner and 10% going to the Truth & Beauty Lab.

T3-M4 Scanning Follower Droid - http://bit.ly/zj69hQ

The Truth & Beauty Lab T3-M4 Scanning Follower will follow its owner at a configurable offset and can be controlled via a dialog menu interface. Included in its features is the ability to scan the area for objects and avatars then assemble and display a report which includes statistics on the resource consumption of the detected objects and avatars. The T3-M4 Scanning Follower can fire a laser at selected avatars or detected objects/avatars from one of its scans. It also makes cute bot sounds. The boxed product includes preconfigured Scanning Followers - two T3-M4 Astromech Droids. The droids are a realistic reconstruction of the T3-M4 from the Old Republic Star Wars era. The T3-M4 Scanning Follower integrates with the Truth & Beauty Lab Pandorabots so versions of it that chat, query Wikipedia, supply answers from Wolfram Alpha, greet arrivals, etc are also available in the marketplace store. A single prim Eye Candy Scanning Follower is also available for those who prefer to conserve resources and display cool visuals while providing identical functionality as the 39 prim T3-M4 Scanning Follower.

Particle Textures Display Heart - http://bit.ly/y0Fyaa

This single prim sculpted heart rotates, emits particle displays using the particle textures in its contents, and accepts new particle textures allowing you to view your particle displays easily and quickly. The prim cycles through whatever particle textures are in its contents. Clicking the heart prim steps to the next particle texture.

Truth & Beauty Lab Heart Follower - http://bit.ly/y4rPKK

This single prim sculpted heart rotates, follows its owner at a specified offset, changes textures, emits particle displays, and can be used to scan the area for objects and avatars producing a complete detailed report.

Second Life Haiku Generator - http://bit.ly/AjiqZ9

Rez this portrait of Basho, the famous Japanese haiku poet, and click it to get an automatically generated Second Life related haiku. Each time the portrait is clicked a different Second Life related haiku will be generated. The large collection of words and phrases used to construct the haikus is constantly growing and the haikus are generated on a server so you never have to update the inworld object.

The Truth & Beauty Lab Marketplace - http://bit.ly/xaFZ92

Many more new, entertaining, informative, useful, fun, and interesting products are available at the Truth & Beauty Lab Marketplace. Please visit https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/44210 and browse the shop.

Feedback

Do you have suggestions, requests, comments, criticism, kudos, testimonials, funny stories, etc. concerning any of the Truth & Beauty Lab products? Email missyrestless@gmail.com or IM Missy Restless and let me know what you think. I'm always happy to help if I can and many products ideas and improvements have originated with suggestions and requests from clients & casual encounters.

Internationalizing Your Pandorabot's Wikipedia Query

If you want to allow non-English speaking Second Life residents to trigger a Pandorabot Wikipedia query in that person's native language then use the following settings in the Configuration notecard of your Pandorabot.

In order to detect German (Deutsch)  residents input and also to output Deutsch answers from your Pandorabot, use these settings:

LANG_CODE = de
LANG_NAME = Deutsch
WIKIPEDIA_TRIGGERS = was ist ein ,?, was sind die ,?, was ist ,?, was sind ,?, wer sind ,?, wer ist ,?, wo ist ,?, wo sind ,?, what is ,?, what's ,?, what're ,?, what is a ,?, what is an ,?, what is the ,?, what are the ,?, what's a ,?, what's an ,?, who is ,?, who are ,?, who're ,?, who's ,?,,?

To detect French (Français) residents input and output Français answers from your Pandorabot, use these settings:

LANG_CODE = fr
LANG_NAME = Français
WIKIPEDIA_TRIGGERS = quelle est la ,?, qui est le ,?, ce sont ,?, quelles sont les ,?, ce qui est une ,?, qu'est-ce qu'un ,?, quels sont les ,?, ce qui est ,?, qui est ,?, qui sont ,?, où est ,?, what is ,?,what's ,?,what're ,?,what is a ,?,what is an ,?,what is the ,?,what are the ,?,what's a ,?,what's an ,?,who is,?,who are,?,who're,?,who's,?,,?

 To detect Dutch (Nederlands) residents input and output Nederlands answers from your Pandorabot, use these settings:

LANG_CODE = nl
LANG_NAME = Nederlands
WIKIPEDIA_TRIGGERS = wat is een ,?, wat zijn de ,?, wat is de ,?, wat is ,?, die is ,?, die ,?, what is ,?, what's ,?, what're ,?, what is a ,?, what is an ,?, what is the ,?, what are the ,?, what's a ,?, what's an ,?, who is ,?, who are ,?, who're ,?, who's ,?,,?

To detect Italian (Italiano) residents input and output Italiano answers from your Pandorabot, use these settings:

LANG_CODE = it
LANG_NAME = Italiano
WIKIPEDIA_TRIGGERS = cosa è un ,?, ciò che è uno ,?, qual è il ,?, cosa è ,?, chi è ,?, che è il ,?, cosa sono ,?, chi sono ,?, quali sono le ,?, what is ,?, what's ,?, what're ,?, what is a ,?, what is an ,?, what is the ,?, what are the ,?, what's a ,?, what's an ,?, who is ,?, who are ,?, who're ,?, who's ,?,,?

To detect Portuguese (Português) residents input and output Português answers from your Pandorabot, use these settings:

LANG_CODE = pt
LANG_NAME = Português
WIKIPEDIA_TRIGGERS = o que é ,?, quem é ,?, o que é o ,?, quem é o ,?, quais são ,?, quem são ,?, o que é um ,?, o que é um ,?, o que são o ,?, what is ,?, what's ,?, what're ,?, what is a ,?, what is an ,?, what is the ,?, what are the ,?, what's a ,?, what's an ,?, who is ,?, who are ,?, who're ,?, who's ,?,,?

To detect Spanish (Español) residents input and output Español answers from your Pandorabot, use these settings:

LANG_CODE = es
LANG_NAME = Español
WIKIPEDIA_TRIGGERS = lo que es ,?, quien es ,?, ¿cuál es la ,?, quien es el ,?, ¿cuáles son ,?, que son ,?, ¿qué es un ,?, lo que es un ,?, ¿cuáles son las ,?, what is ,?, what's ,?, what're ,?, what is a ,?, what is an ,?, what is the ,?, what are the ,?, what's a ,?, what's an ,?, who is ,?, who are ,?, who're ,?, who's ,?,,?

To detect Polish (Polski) residents input and output Polski answers from your Pandorabot, use these settings:

LANG_CODE = pl
LANG_NAME = Polski
WIKIPEDIA_TRIGGERS = co jest ,?, , który jest ,?, co jest ,?, , który jest ,?, jakie sa ,?, którzy sa ,?, co jest ,?, co jest ,?, jakie sa ,?, what is ,?, what's ,?, what're ,?, what is a ,?, what is an ,?, what is the ,?, what are the ,?, what's a ,?, what's an ,?, who is ,?, who are ,?, who're ,?, who's ,?,,?

 And so ends the most awesome blog post ever.

How to Animate Your Actorbot or METAbolt Pandorabot

The Pandorabot Actorbot Add-On and Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On can utilize dance, sit, and stand animations much like an Animation Overrider (AO). To enable this feature, drag animations from the owner's inventory into the base prim. In order for the preconfigured dance, sit, and stand commands to function properly the dances must contain the string “dance” in their name, the sits must contain the string “sit” in their names, and the stands must contain the string “stand” in their name. The strings “dance”, “sit”, and “stand” are case insensitive. To rename an animation in your inventory, right click on the animation and select “Rename”. Alternately, you can simply load your animations in the dance pole without renaming them and ignore the dialog menu otions to specify animation type. Renaming animations according to type is recommended.

Note that any AO the bot is wearing will most often have no effect since the bot is "sitting" on the base prim. In fact, it is recommended that bots detach any AO prior to being deployed as some AO's can interfere with the animations in the base prim.

Many excellent animations are freely available either inworld or on the Second Life Marketplace. Once you have located an AO for your bot, extract the animations from the contents of the AO, rename them if necessary, and drag them to the contents of the base prim. To extract the animations from an AO, drag the AO from your inventory to the ground. Right click on the rezzed AO and select "Edit". Click on the "Contents" tab and drag the animations you wish to use from the edit window to your inventory.

A few Marketplace links to free or inexpensive AO's and dances:

• AO's L$0 - L$10
• Dance Animations L$0 - L$10
• Dance Pole with 17 sexy animations (for the Smart Dance Pole)
• Vista Basic Female AO (2 stands)
• TuTy's Elite Sexy Female AO (9 stands, 4 ground sits)
• Bright AO (lots of male and female animations - excellent AO)
• Restless Dance Ball (my dance ball - several dances, L$75)

Inworld you can find many excellent inexpensive animations for L$10 - L$15 at Kuso Kuso. Note also that you do not have to use animations from an AO. Many standalone animations are suitable for use in the base prim.

How to Setup Your Wolfram Alpha App ID

All recent Pandorabots can query Wolfram Alpha for factual answers and computational replies. This includes the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On, Pandorabot Actorbot Add-On, Smart Dance Pole, Inner Spheres, and all Pandorabots. Wolfram Alpha provides what is arguably the largest most intelligent database of publicly accessible information in the world. Wolfram Alpha and Wikipedia enabled Pandorabots are arguably the smartest scripted agents in the world.

However, your Pandorabot is initially configured to access Wolfram Alpha with a shared Application ID that is limited to 2000 queries per month and used by all other unconfigured Pandorabots. It's important to setup your Pandorabot with its own unique Wolfram Alpha AppID.

To configure your Pandorabot with a unique Wolfram Alpha AppID, signup for a Wolfram Alpha Application ID by visiting http://products.wolframalpha.com/api and click the "Sign up" button. Fill out the form with a valid email address, any name you wish, and a brief description of your Pandorabot. Check the terms of use agreement box and enter the password you wish to use and confirm your password. Click "Sign up" again.

You should now be signed in to the Wolfram Alpha Developer Portal and, on the My Apps tab. Click the "Get an AppID" button and fill out the "Get a New AppID" form. Use any Application name and description you like. Click the "Get AppID" button. Copy the APPID string and click "OK".

The APPID string you copied should be stored somewhere. This is the Wolfram Alpha AppID you will use in your Pandorabot. Edit the Pandorabot Configuration notecard by right clicking on the Pandorabot or base prim and selecting "Edit". Click on the Contents tab and right click on the Configuration notecard selecting "Open". Add the following line at the top of the notecard:
    ALPHA_APP_ID = the-appid-string-you-copied
Save the notecard and close the edit window.

To recap:

• Visit http://products.wolframalpha.com/api and click "Sign up"
• Fill out the form and click "Sign up"
• Click "Get an AppID" and fill out the form
• Click "Get AppID
• Copy the APPID string and click "OK"
• Edit the Configuration notecard and set ALPHA_APP_ID

Setup the Smart Tip Jar with the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On

You can easily configure your Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On so that it will operate with the Restless Studio Smart Tip Jar. This can allow your Smart Tip Jar to accept tips, trigger outfit changes, and chat emotes when tipped. Normally the Smart Tip Jar is used in conjunction with the Smart Dance Pole to accept tips and trigger outfit changes of a pole dancer. However, it can also be used in conjunction with the latest Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On.

To configure your Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On to work with the Smart Tip Jar, edit the METAbolt_Config notecard in the add-on's Contents. Set the following variables at the top of the notecard:

DEFAULT_OUTFIT_UUID = some-clothing-folder-uuid
NAKED_OUTFIT_UUID = clothing-folder-uuid-used-when-tipped
TIP_LISTEN = TRUE

Also edit the Tip_Config notecard in the Smart Tip Jar's contents and set the following variables at the top of the notecard:

DANCER_NAME = Bot's Fullname
WILL_STRIP = TRUE

The NAKED_OUTFIT_UUID is the UUID of the clothing folder that will be worn when the tip threshold is reached. The DEFAULT_OUTFIT_UUID is the UUID of the clothing folder worn after the tipped outfit duration is over. Setting WILL_STRIP = TRUE simply means that your bot avatar will change outfits when the tip threshold is reached - that may or may not be a naked outfit, it's up to you.

In addition to the above notecard changes, follow the setup procedure detailed in the Restless Studio Smart Tip Jar Manual.

You can purchase the Restless Studio Smart Tip Jar on the Second Life Marketplace.

Smart Tip Jar Enables Pole Dance Bot to Act as Tipped Stripper

The newly released Restless Studio Smart Tip Jar integrates with the Restless Studio Smart Dance Pole accepting tips, triggering a pole dancing Pandorabot to strip, emote, change outfits, and interact with your visitors. Using an integrated Smart Dance Pole and Smart Tip Jar allows you to maintain an artificially intelligent pole dancing bot avatar who accepts tips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round without monthly fees or hourly charges. The Smart Tip Jar can automatically trigger your dance pole bot avatar to get naked when a tip threshold is reached and get dressed after a specified duration.

The Smart Tip Jar is designed to be used by a bot logged in via METAbolt and utilizing the Smart Dance Pole but can be used as a normal tip jar as well. The tip jar is a sculpted single prim with a gothic design and glossy glass texture. The tip jar object has No Copy / Modify / Transfer permissions to allow the owner to resize, retexture, configure, and give the Smart Tip Jar as a gift.

Both the Restless Studio Smart Tip Jar and the Restless Studio Smart Dance Pole are available on the Second Life Marketplace as follows:

• Smart Tip Jar - L$295
• Smart Dance Pole - L$395
• Smart Dance Pole & Tip Jar Combo Pack - L$650

The Restless Studio Smart Tip Jar Manual is freely available for download or viewing in PDF format.

Setup a Pole Dance Bot with the Newly Released Smart Dance Pole

I recently modified the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On and integrated it into a dance pole I created. I released this as the Restless Studio Smart Dance Pole, available on the Second Life Marketplace. Using the smart dance pole you can easily setup a pole dance bot.

Setup steps are detailed in the Restless Studio Dance Pole Manual. To setup your Restless Studio Smart Dance Pole for use with a METAbolt avatar:

1. Create a Second Life account with Scripted Agent Status set to bot 
2. Install METAbolt on a Windows computer and enable Auto Sit 
3. Drag the Restless Studio Smart Dance Pole from your inventory to the desired location 
4. Right click the pole and select "Edit"; Click the "Contents" tab of the edit window
5. Edit the Configuration notecard and set FIRST_NAME and LAST_NAME 
6. Drag desired animations from your inventory into the dance pole Contents 
7. Set the "Description" field of the dance pole to your dance bot avatar's Key 
8. Place your dance pole bot avatar within 10 meters of the pole 
9. Login your dance pole bot with METAbolt

This allows you to have a dancer on her pole in your club 24/7. Since the smart dance pole is a Pandorabot, it can chat with your guests, query Wikipedia, send email, check spelling, greet new arrivals, deliver notecards and landmarks, and all the other features of a standard Pandorabot. All for L$395.

How to Upgrade Your Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On

There have recently been a number of improvements to both METAbolt and the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On. Support for the recently released METAbolt Group Responder has been added to the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On. This allows your bot to detect trigger phrases in group chat and respond with customized group IM's. Additional security has been added to the METAbolt LSL API and configuration for this security feature has been added to the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On. Also added is support for easily moving your Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On to another SL object (e.g. a drum kit or dance pole). Many improvements have also been made to the Pandorabot scripts.

If you own a Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On and want to freely upgrade to the current version, you can do so by following these steps:

• Copy any changes you have made to configuration notecards
• Copy/Move any items you have added to the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Base Prim (e.g. landmarks, notecards, textures, ...)
• Take the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Base Prim back into your inventory (log your bot out, right click the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Base Prim and select "Take")
• IM Missy Restless (search for "Missy Restless", click on the "Missy Restless" search result, click on "View Full Profile", click "Instant Message")
• Drag and drop the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Base Prim item from your inventory onto the Instant Message window (note, the object will have the name of your bot)

You should receive the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On update as soon as I receive notice of the transfer. When you receive the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On box, rez it, open the box, copy the contents to your inventory, and rez the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Base Prim. You will need to re-do any changes you made to your previous Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Base Prim (use the saved configuration notecards as reference). Note: I may be away from my computer - if you do not hear from me drop me a reminder.

Enjoy!

Moving the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Into Another Object

The Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On base prim is, by default, a box. The box disappears when the METAbolt logged in avatar bot sits on it and reappears when the avatar logs out. What if you want that base prim to remain visible and you want it to be something other than a boring box ? Maybe you want it to be a drum kit for your bot drummer or a bar for your bot bartender. Here's how to do that.

First, get the latest Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On from the Second Life Marketplace or by exchanging your current base prim for the latest. Follow the setup procedure described in the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On Manual but add these two settings to the METAbolt_Config notecard:

INVISIBLE_BASE = FALSE
RESIZE = FALSE

Set TEXT_ENABLED = FALSE in the Configuration notecard.

That's it, you can move the scripts and notecards into any object that has Modify permission. I've even had success moving the scripts into already scripted objects although of course this can be problematic if the existing scripts have channel or other conflicts with the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On scripts.

When moving the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On to another object it may be necessary to adjust the sit target. This is a vector consisting of 3 offsets from the base prim - left/right, forward/back, and up/down. The sit target can be specified in the METAbolt_Config notecard with the TARGET setting. For instance, a sit target for a thin vertical object where you want the avatar at the bottom of the object might be:

TARGET = <0.0,0.0,-0.6>

A drum bot might need a sit target toward the rear of the object:

TARGET = <0.0,-0.5,0.2>

NEW! METAbolt Group Responder Now Supported

A new revision of the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On was released today with support for the METAbolt Group Responder plugin. Now you can configure your Pandorabot to monitor group chat and respond when specified trigger phrases are detected.

This new feature is available in the version 6.0 and later Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On package at https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Pandorabot-METAbolt-Add-On/1793057

There are several add-ons and plugins available for METAbolt. These can be found at http://www.metabolt.net/metawiki/METAbolt_Addins.ashx . Included there you will find the METAbolt Group Responder plugin. Details and installation instructions for the METAbolt Group Responder plugin are available at http://www.metabolt.net/metawiki/METAbolt-Group-Responder.ashx

The Group Responder plugin allows your METAbolt Pandorabot to monitor group chat and respond when group chat contains one or more trigger phrases. To enable this feature first configure your group response settings by editing the METAbolt_Config notecard and setting the GROUP_LISTEN, GROUP_UUID, EXACT_MATCH, TRIGGERS, and RESPONSES variables.

Example Group Responder settings in METAbolt_Config:

GROUP_LISTEN = TRUE
GROUP_UUID = f8e95201-20af-b85f-a682-7ac25ab9fcaf
EXACT_MATCH = FALSE
TRIGGERS = permission to land|permission to takeoff
RESPONSES = cleared for landing on runway 23|cleared for takeoff on runway 11

Once you have configured your group response settings in METAbolt_Config, the Group Responder plugin is installed, and METAbolt is running:

1. Click “Plugins” ? “MB Group Responder” from the METAbolt menu bar
2. Check the "Enable LSL interface" checkbox
3. Click the "Start" button 

In addition to the added support for the METAbolt Group Responder, this new release of the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On has the Greeter disabled by default. To enable the Greeter edit the Configuration notecard and set GREET_ENABLED = TRUE then edit the Greeter_Config notecard and set one or more of:

    GREET_ENABLED = TRUE
    GIVE_LANDMARK = TRUE
    GIVE_NOTECARD = TRUE
    GIVE_NAMED_NOTECARD = TRUE

Using the Free EVE Avatar as a Pandorabot

You can use the really cute and well done EVE Avatar as the avatar for your Actorbot or METAbolt Pandorabot. Login to the Second Life Marketplace as the account you use as your Actorbot or METAbolt bot and search for "EVE Avatar". Click on the "EVE Avatar (Free)" link (somebody else copied the original and is selling it for L$100).

Login to Second Life as the account you use for your Actorbot or METAbolt bot, accept delivery of the EVE Avatar, rez the new object from your inventory, unpack and copy it to your inventory. After delivery and unpacking you can simply wear the new EVE folder and your bot should look like the EVE avatar. Logout of Second Life and Log back in using either Actorbot or METAbolt (I'm assuming here that you have already setup your Actorbot or METAbolt as a Pandorabot).

Caution: you cannot use sit and stand animations in the Pandorabot base prim with the EVE avatar as they cause the underlying shape to stick out of the robot attachments.

METAbolt 0.9.49 Released Sep 3

A new version of the METAbolt thin client for Second Life was released September 3, 2011. This version, 0.9.49, provides support for avatar physics and contacts sets as well as several other new features and bug fixes. Owners of the Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On are encouraged to update. If you currently have a previous version of METAbolt installed then all that is necessary to upgrade is to exit METAbolt if it is running then start METAbolt. You will automatically be prompted if you wish to download and install the update.

If you do not have METAbolt currently installed then you can download the current version at http://metabolt.net/downloadbinary.aspx

The new contact sets feature (METAbolt calls it friend groups) is pretty cool. It allows you to specify groups of contacts and is a planned but as yet unreleased feature of Viewer 2 and Phoenix/Firestorm. The avatar physics feature already exists in Viewer 2 and Phoenix. This allows your avatar to "wear" a physics layer that can specify how you want your breasts and rear to bounce.

Inara Pey has a nice review of the new features in METAbolt at http://modemworld.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/metabolt-updates/

The METAbolt Forum announcement for this release describing the features and bugfixes is at http://www.metabolt.net/METAforums/yaf_postst531_METAbolt-V-0-9-49-0-is-on-release---.aspx

Voice and Actorbot Advanced Triggers

Pandorabots can be configured to speak in either a male or female computer generated voice. The Pandorabot will display what it says in local chat and, if configured for voice, speak the chat as well. It does this passably well. To configure your Pandorabot to speak, edit the Configuration notecard and add one of the following lines to the top of the card:

    VOICE = Female
of
    VOICE = Male

However, if the Pandorabot is an Actorbot Add-On and you use the Actorbot advanced settings at sinewaverobots.com to program a trigger with a chat action then that chat will not be voiced. This is a known limitation of the Pandorabot Actorbot Add-On. Since the chat is generated by sinewaverobots.com and not the Pandorabot scripts it does not pass through the speech capability of the Pandorabot scripts.

It's possible I will come up with an update that will allow programmatic Pandorabot speech via Actorbot settings at sinewaverobots.com but for now speech is only supported via local chat in Second Life.

METAbolt 0.9.46.0 Does Not Support Physics Layer

Due to changing versions of libopenmv the current release of METAbolt does not support the physics layer. What this means is that your Pandorabot METAbolt bot should not wear any physics layer. There is a known issue with interaction of the physics layer and viewers not supporting the physics layer where the avatar may occasionally be "Ruthed" (take on the appearance of the Ruth starter avatar). To be safe, for now, do not wear a physics layer on avatars using METAbolt 0.9.46.0.

I have communicated with Legolas Luke, the primary METAbolt developer, and he indicates that physics layer support is coming. Stay tuned.

I Just Want a Greeter - What are my Options?

One common question I get goes something like:

"I'm searching for a bot who welcomes my guests and talks to them. Must my pc be running all the time with the viewer open ? Or do you use your own software ? Is the Bot always logged in ?"

Pandorabots come in several styles all of which can be used as greeters, provide artificially intelligent chat, query Wikipedia, deliver notecards/landmarks, and more. Your options for setting up a Pandorabot greeter/conversationalist include the following:

1. The 2-D Pandorabot V5 is basically a texture applied to a scripted object. The 2-D Pandorabot V5 does not need a viewer running nor is it logged in to Second Life - it is simply an object that is rezzed at your store or home. It can be configured as a greeter, chats, queries Wikipedia, spell check, and other features you expect from a Pandorabot. However, it is a static two dimensional cutout and is not as realistic as the other Pandorabots.
2. A 3-D sculpted Pandorabot V5 is similar to the 2-D Pandorabot V5 but is a sculpted object made to resemble a parrot. It can be rezzed in place or worn. It is a static three dimensional sculpted prim and does not require a viewer nor is it logged into SL.
3. An animated 3-D shape and particle display that contains a Pandorabot V5. Similar to both of the above, the Inner Spheres Pandorabot is a rezzed object, does not need a viewer, and does not need to be logged into SL. It is a rotating set of geometric shapes and particle displays - intelligent eye candy!
4. A 3-D animated avatar Pandorabot is the most sophisticated of the Pandorabots. These require a viewer and must be logged into Second Life just like any avatar. They provide a realistic animated avatar and, in some ways, are indistinguishable from a "real" person :) They use a thin text client as viewer so they consume very little computer resources. The viewer can be left running and minimized without undue strain on a normal system. The 3-D animated avatar Pandorabot must be logged in to be visible. They come in two varieties - the Actorbot Add-On and the METAbolt Add-On. I prefer and recommend the METAbolt Add-On as it is lighter weight, in active development, and supports the physics layer. Both are Windows only clients.

The prices for the models of Pandorabot described above are:

• 2-D Pandorabot V5 is L$245
• 3-D sculpted Pandorabot V5 is L$245
• 3-D Inner Spheres Pandorabot is L$245
• 3-D animated avatar Pandorabot is L$395

All are available on the Second Life Marketplace at http://tinyurl.com/3goercp

Yahoo! Spelling Suggestion Service Fixed

Some of you may have noticed that the Pandorabot spell check function was not working properly. No suggestions were being provided by the Pandorabot. This is because Yahoo! changed their Spelling Suggestion API to require an application ID.

Fortunately, this was fairly easy to fix and the required changes could be made on the server side in the PHP code used to access Yahoo!. The service has been fixed and all Pandorabots should now be providing spell checking services inworld.

To test your Pandorabot, simply chat in local "spell madnna" or any word you want spelling suggestions for rather than madnna. The example "spell madnna" should return the spelling suggestion "madonna". Note, if you have configured your Pandorabot to chat on a private channel then you will need to precede the test with the channel number (for example, "/55 spell madnna").

METAbolt Upgrade Supports Physics Layer

A newly updated METAbolt client is available for download. The new version, released May 30, includes support for the new physics layer. Linden Lab recently added the physics layer which allows avatars to configure parameters that control breast, stomach, and butt bouncing. Prior to this release, avatars logged into Second Life with METAbolt could not wear the physics layer.

Here is the notice from the METAbolt forum:

This is a major upgrade and may require you to remove the version you have and then install this one...that is only if you experience issues after the upgrade.

What's new and what's changed?

[ Features ]

* New feature to upload images under the Tools menu option
* The new "body physics" layer is now supported
* New META3D feaure to view and intereact with objects in 3D via the "View 3D" button on the Object Manager window
* You are also to view and interact with attachments/huds via the attachments icon, in 3D.

[ Enhacements ]

* Files can now be attached to Group Notices
* Upgraded to the latest version of libomv
* Inventory folders are now displayed in alphabetical order by default

[ Fixes ]

* Return button in Object Manager was not checking for land owner and was disabled all the time
* Minor bug fixes in Inventory

Pandorabot vs Actorbot vs METAbolt - Which Bot to Buy ?

People seem to often be confused about which of the Restless Studio Pandorabots to purchase. I am frequently asked which one best suits their needs and what is the difference between them. I'll try to provide a brief overview of the differences between the various models and a capsule feature review.

All of the Pandorabot models provide an artificial intelligent chat, Wikipedia query, greeter, notecard/landmark dispenser, spell check, email, group invites, speech synthesis, and dialog menu interface.

The simplest Pandorabot is the Pandorabot V5 which comes in a variety of appearances. In addition to the male, female, and Steven Colbert / Bob Dobbs two dimensional textured cutouts there is also a 3D sculpted parrot either perching on a stand or worn on the owner's shoulder. The 2D cutout Pandorabots are really all the same and each can be configured to appear as male, female, rotating Bob/Steven head, parrot, or any texture you add to the contents. The 3D sculpted parrot can only be configured to appear as the sculpted object either perched or worn.

The Inner Spheres Pandorabot includes the same scripts and functionality as the Pandorabot V5 but appears as rotating changing textured geometric shapes that emit a variety of particle displays. This is intended to serve as an art display or club entertainment as well as provide the standard AI chat and Wikipedia query features of the Pandorabot V5. The Inner Spheres Pandorabot can also be worn and you can configure it to appear as your avatar.

The Pandorabot Actorbot Add-On and Pandorabot METAbolt Add-On are 3D animated Pandorabots that appear as an avatar and provide all of the Pandorabot features as well as the ability to cycle through dances and stand animations. Whereas the Pandorabot V5 and Inner Spheres Pandorabot are prims that you rez, the Actorbot and METAbolt Pandorabots are actual Second Life avatars that are automatically logged into Second Life via a free desktop client that you run or (in the case of the Actorbot) via a server that you pay for by the hour (5L per hour per Actorbot).

It can be difficult to choose between the Actorbot and METAbolt Pandorabots. The differences and features of each make them well suited for a variety of deployments. I'll try to review each briefly to give you an idea of which might be better suited for your needs.

Actorbots can be programmed to perform specific actions when a given trigger condition is met. For instance, if an Actorbot is paid 250L that could trigger an action. Actions can be any one of instant message, chat, send group invitation, give object, wear outfit, play animation, stop animation, or sit on prim. The Actorbot Pandorabot is more programmable and scriptable than the METAbolt Pandorabot. On the other hand, the METAbolt Pandorabot utilizes an extremely lightweight desktop client that can run as many bots as you like. The Actorbot desktop client is limited to three free Actorbots, does not have near the features of the METAbolt client, and is somewhat more resource intensive. If you want to "drive" your bot via your desktop then the METAbolt Pandorabot is better equipped and really quite feature full.

Use the Inner Spheres Pandorabot as an Avatar

The Inner Spheres Pandorabot, a set of rotating geometric objects, can be worn as an attachment. In fact, using the alpha mask feature of the appearance editor, you can make your avatar invisible and wear the Inner Spheres Pandorabot. In this way you appear to be rotating cool objects emitting particles!

First, edit your appearance (Edit -> Appearance). Save your current appearance in case you want to restore it later by clicking the "Save As" button and giving it a name. Click the Alpha tab. Check all of the Alpha boxes (Head Alpha, Upper Alpha, Lower Alpha, Hair Alpha, and Eye Alpha). Click "Save As" and save your invisible appearance.

Click "OK" and exit the appearance editor. You should now appear invisible except for any attachments you may be wearing. Remove all attachments. I even detach my AO as an invisible avatar really doesn't need an AO.

Locate the Inner Spheres Pandorabot in your inventory. Right click on the Inner Spheres Pandorabot and select "Attach to -> Spine" (or another attachment point if spine is in use). You should appear as rotating geometric objects and respond as a Pandorabot.

The most common problem with wearing a Pandorabot as an attachment is the use of the greeter when teleporting to other locations. I recommend turning the greeter off or minimalizing your greeting. To configure the greeter and a few other things to tailor your Pandorabot as an attachment you will need to edit your configuration notecards.

Right click the Inner Spheres Pandorabot you are wearing and select "Edit". In the Contents tab of the edit window find the Configuration notecard. Right click the Configuration notecard and select "Open". Add the following lines to the top of the Configuration notecard:

FIRST_NAME = <your avatar's first name>
LAST_NAME = <your avatar's last name>
NAME_ENABLED = TRUE
TEXT_ENABLED = FALSE
RESTRICTED_ACCESS = 1
HOVER_ENABLED = FALSE
GREET_ENABLED = FALSE
AI_ENABLED = FALSE

Save your changes and close the edit window. Some of the above are only suggestions based on my experience using Inner Spheres as my avatar appearance. I like to set NAME_ENABLED = TRUE because then the Pandorabot will only respond when either my first or last name is used in local chat. Otherwise it responds to all local chat and that can be annoying. Since I will be teleporting to other locations I turn the greeter off. Use your own judgment.

If you wish to leave your greeter on but fine tune it's behavior, set GREET_ENABLED = TRUE in the Configuration notecard and edit the greeter configuration notecard Greeter_Config. Several parameters allow you to adjust your greeter in the following ways:

If you wish to send new arrivals an Instant Message greeting, set
GREET_ENABLED = TRUE
Otherwise, set GREET_ENABLED = FALSE

If you wish to give new arrivals a landmark, set
GIVE_LANDMARK = TRUE
Otherwise, set GREET_ENABLED = FALSE

If you wish to give new arrivals a notecard, set
GIVE_NOTECARD = TRUE
Otherwise, set GREET_ENABLED = FALSE

If you wish to give new arrivals the named notecard NOTE_NAME,
GIVE_NAMED_NOTECARD = TRUE
Otherwise, set GREET_ENABLED = FALSE

I also like to edit the Inner_Config notecard and set:

SOUND_ON = FALSE

Finally, I edit the Inner Spheres Pandorabot and position it a little higher so the rotating prims don't go underground and the whole assembly appears to float slightly above my head. This way I can wear a cape or hat or other attachments and it will look like the invisible caped person with rotating geometric objects floating over her head is present.