CSI: NY "Eyecons"

Faylinn

Faylinn

Adam Fangirl
Super Moderator
When I was watching "Time's Up", I noticed a little cellphone in the corner of the screen. In my review of the episode, I noted that the phone number displayed in that same scene was not actually a 555 number, which you'd usually see on tv. Today when I went on CBS.com to see if they'd added back the character bios (they haven't), I saw that they had a link about "eyecons" on the main NY page.

Eyecons is an interactive feature only on CBS. Watch CSI: NY for hidden phone numbers, web sites, and codes. When you see the video egg alert illuminate on screen, dial the number, try the web address, or enter the code into the Eyecons box provided. This will "unlock" special behind-the-scene footage you can't get anywhere else. It's your reward for watching CSI: NY live. Eyecons on CBS. Once it spins, you're in!
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So I thought I'd make a thread about these little gems and see if anybody has used them to access the exclusive content. I didn't call the phone number--I'm not sure if it's a limited time thing or what.

I think we should put the clues themselves in spoiler boxes in case someone wants to find them on their own. With that in mind:

I believe it was in the scene where Adam shows Lindsay the ad for Browning's assistant. On the computer screen, there is a phone number: 212-561-5802

There may be more than one per episode, but that's the only one I've noticed. What about you guys? :)
 
I noticed the phone number too, but didn't think too much of it at the time. I thought that maybe they had vetted it to make sure it wasn't someone's actual number.

INteresting concept... can't wait until they deploy it further.
 
So I called the number! :p

OK, I recommend you call yourself--the message is less than a minute and it's kinda fun. It's Zuiker, and he tells you to go to the CSI: NY page at CBS.com to enter a code to watch special content. The code is: daz07 and I believe you enter it in the "eyecon" box. Now, someone please go watch it and report back, because last time I tried the new NY homepage it crashed my browser! :p

Thanks to Fay for finding this! :D
 
Ok well it was Zuiker explaining that you will be able to download a second life software (or something) but it is based in NY and you get to loom around and solve crimes! I havent got much time to explan it in too much detailbut that the overview of the clip! :)
 
Is anyone downloading the software? I gotta say, I like the idea of multiplatforming, but eh, I don't have time to go poking around Second Life. I will be curious to hear if anyone tries it out, though!
 
I love you Top, but your spoiler coding skills suck. :lol:

I'll call the number later to hear it for myself, but I went ahead and watched the video with the code Top posted. (CBS.com screws with my computer too, by the way)

Top[/b]'s code]Ok, so the video is basically just Zuiker explaining about Second Life--typical, considering that it's all they're talking about right now. :p Anyway, he goes into a bit more detail about the things you'll be able to do if you log on to play after "Down the Rabbit Hole", and he also said that they've totally replicated NYC in the game--including the labs. So we'll be able to explore the labs and maybe see how everything is arranged--I gotta tell you, I couldn't map out the crime lab if I had to, so that might be a fun way to get a better idea of how things flow. ;) As for the software, I didn't really want to--I signed up on Second Life not too long ago (and urg, you can't choose your own last name, you have to pick from some lame ones they have in a list), and I stopped when it got to the downloading part. My computer is older, and I'm always afraid that new software will cause it to crap out completely............But yeah, an interesting little video, and I'm looking forward to finding some more of these little "eyecons"--I wonder if they had any in the first three episodes that we missed?
 
I hate spoiler code!!! :mad: :mad: :mad: Or rather, it hates me. :p Blech, fixed.

Anyway, it sounds interesting, I just hate hoaving to download stuff onto my computer. If anyone tries it, please share! :)
 
Well if we aren't moving again in the next couple of months or I don't get a real job, I'll be there and will happily report back to y'all! *Nerd Alert* :p
 
Re: CSI: NY "Eyecons" (CSI in Second Life)

Hi,

I'm only an occasional visitor to this site, but I'm a three year Second Life veteran. I'm more a fan of the origianal CSI cast but I've gotten hopelessly excited about the CSI:NY event this week.

Here's what I know so far from following both CSI and Second Life news bytes: This Wedensday during the airing of "Down the Rabbit Hole" CBS will air commercails directing people to a website where they can download a custom Second Life browser, register an account and select an avatar. Once you log in through the SL client you'll be dropped into an orientation area in the virtual NYC area created by Electric Sheep Company, who also produced the Second Life footage that you'll see in the episode. (Zuiker made a mistake in that video by the way: CBS did not "acquire" ESC but they are likely working on a contractor basis and pouring a lot of funding into the project from what I've heard. Disclaimer: I work with a production group that is a competitor to E-sheep and I know people who work or have worked for them.)

You can get into Second Life at any time by going to SecondLife.com and registering through their webpage, however at this time I recomend you wait for Wedensday, as the custom client E-sheep is releasing for the CSI event is supposed to be much easier to use than the official Second Life one. To get in at all you will need a pretty good computer (1ghz CPU minimum and a good modern graphics card, preferably one from ATI or NVidia made in, say, the last 4 years) and broadband internet.

At any time you'll be able to teleport to other areas of Second Life outside the CSI areas...it's a huge place and there are better guides than me out there. I know there's supposed to be a list of featured places as part of the non-CSI branded version of the new client software and maybe in the CSI:NY one too. I will insert a warning: Second Life is a lot like the Web in many ways: average people create most of the places in the world. Some of it's good, some of it's bad, and just like the web, some of it is very Not Safe For Work. (For this reason people under 18 aren't supposed to be in SL.) If you don't want to see adult content you can generaly avoid it- it's only permitted in regions marked "Mature", and only present in a small percentage of those. I'm saying this now so people don't get the wrong idea, accidentaly stumble into an adult area and go "zomg, it's all p0rn!", because that's definately not the case! The fact that SL allows such a large degree of freedom of expression and gives people the tools for it (you can build your own buildings, make your own clothes and accessories, upload images and more) works both ways and the world is full of fantastic people and places.

I haven't got any insider info about the episode or the SL interactive portions, but I can answer general Second Life questions if people want to post them here. Meanwhile I'll keep hoping the episode is good: video games, virtual worlds and the internet are subjects that have so far been done very poorly handled in TV portrayals so far. (The Miami episode "Urban Hellraisers" was downright offensive in yhe way they portrayed the game, gamers and the game developers/producers, particualy to someone like me who wants to get into the video game industry.) However the promos so far and the fact that Zuiker and ESC have worked on it seem promising.
 
Re: CSI: NY "Eyecons" (CSI in Second Life)

^ Txs so much for stopping by and giving that info EllePollack!

I did not know what to think about 2nd life at all - don't know any one who's in there either so I am a bit hesitant to go and try it out. And since the commercials can only be seen by those in Canada and the US, I'll probably wait until someone here has tried it; but it sure sounds very interesting.
 
Re: CSI: NY "Eyecons" (CSI in Second Life)

Yeah, thanks for the little rundown, EllePollack. :D I pretty much knew NY's involvement with Second Life, but I don't know much about SL itself. I have heard that there are 'mature' sections of the site, though, so it's good to point that out for anybody not wanting to wander into the wrong place. :p

Meanwhile I'll keep hoping the episode is good: video games, virtual worlds and the internet are subjects that have so far been done very poorly handled in TV portrayals so far.
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I have a question about the graphics--are the ones you see in the commercial typical to the kind of thing you'd actually see in SL, or is it more fantastical than the usual avatars and whatnot? (Like the little flying bunny thing or whatever it was.) I'm worried that the graphics will look hopelessly cheesy on the show and make people think the whole thing is ridiculous.

To get in at all you will need a pretty good computer (1ghz CPU minimum and a good modern graphics card, preferably one from ATI or NVidia made in, say, the last 4 years) and broadband internet.
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Broadband I have, newer computer I don't. :p I'll give it a go and see how it works. Otherwise I'll have to wait until I get that new laptop I'm saving up for. ;)
 
Re: CSI: NY "Eyecons" (CSI in Second Life)

Faylinn said:

I have a question about the graphics--are the ones you see in the commercial typical to the kind of thing you'd actually see in SL, or is it more fantastical than the usual avatars and whatnot? (Like the little flying bunny thing or whatever it was.) I'm worried that the graphics will look hopelessly cheesy on the show and make people think the whole thing is ridiculous.
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That's a bit of a trick question. Simple answer: they are using real SL footage and the graphics do accurately represent what SL is capable of. The caveat is that what you see is the result of experienced creators with mad art skills and if you venture into the wild, what you see will vary depending on the skill of who made it. (Fortunatly, for those who lack the mad skills, you can buy items to customize your avatar with the in-world currency*; there are many decent free items avalible as well.)

More detailed answer: I am assuming that if you go in through the CSI portal, the default avatars you have to choose from will have been profesinaly made by the e-Sheep, with nice clothes, hair and custom skins. The default human model is customizeable through a variety of built-in sliders; for really nice looking humans, the custom skins (painted in photoshop and uploaded as images you apply onto the avatar (often abreviated "AV")) and hair (worn on the head like wigs) are pretty essential to get things looking really nice. Non-human avatars are built by modeling the parts and attaching them to the human avatar shape: robots, bipedal animals and all sorts of fantasy/sci-fi are very popular and common. If you want to break from the biped mold you have to add custom animations.

All this sounds complicated but the people who make and distribute avatars have made it as easy as possible for the people who use them, usualy at the level of selecting the folder containing the avatar you want and choosing "wear".

To give you an idea, the avatars my friends have include catgirls, bunny girls, a magic white rabbit, a mad scientist, a wooden cube, a goldfish in its bowl, a spider-woman, a mad scientist, 20-foot tall robots, four legged flying dragons, and of course humans of every shape, size and wild color.


*The currency of SL is the $L or Linden Dollar ("Linden Lab" are the makers of Second Life). You shouldn't need to worry about having $L unles you go outside the CSI:NY areas, I'm guessing, but if you need it, the easiet way to get it is to buy it through the client or the SL website. The $L has no value outside Second Life, but people buy and sell it on an open currency exchange. Last I looked the price was around $L270 to US$1. (This is why when you hear about SL, you often hear about being able to make money in-world: the real money is made by people who make things to sell or run events/services and the like...the afformentioned people with skills. Avoid like the plague any places promising free money, as they are generaly boring time sinks meant to get people to stay at their place and artificialy inflate their rank in the popular places list.)
 
Re: CSI: NY "Eyecons" (CSI in Second Life)

Oh, and the moving mouth on Zuiker's avatar in the video? That would have been added in post.

Also, I haven't seen anyone link to this youtube video from this site but CBS posted it a few days back: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kfXb6zb6Upc . Searching for Second Life on Youtube will also bring up a lot of videos, both ameteur and artfull.
 
Re: CSI: NY "Eyecons" (CSI in Second Life)

OH yeh i've seen that- hilarious first scene!!!

Pstt EllePollack, a little tip- Next time when you want to add something t a post click 'Edit' on the blue box abouve your actual post! :)
 
Re: CSI: NY "Eyecons" (CSI in Second Life)

:lol: :lol: Mac as a drag queen...

I totally just spent about $1 phoning that number on my cell. It was worth it...

Law and Order SVU just did a similar episode, but New York's take on it looks much interesting. The interactive parts are pretty neat, and its a good way to get involved with the show. Looks like adam is going to get some good screen time as well.
 
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