Cartoon of the Day

From the "Bid the Lindens Bald" party. Among those there was this tiny skunk, Tazzie "Tazz" Tuque, in a Fairelander "Pawlice" uniform.

By Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Hindsight"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Furry Andy on Jan 2015

Rebel Yell

Gemma Cleanslate is back from exploring Second Life. Her latest article is about a new sim called Rebel Yell. If the name sounds familiar, they're a tribute group that has entertained residents for years. Now, they have a lasting place on the Grid. Gemma took a look around, and had a few things to say about the hangout.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

RFL Graphic: Team Standings

Here's a picture showing the status of over fifty teams in the Relay for Life. There are two teams, the Relay Rockers and Unmasking a Cure, that have reached the Ruby fundraising level, which takes 750,000 Linden dollars (or $3000 USD). Third place is the Skill Gaming team, which made Emerald rank, which takes 625,000L (or $2500 USD). Fourth to seventh place are Goreans in Relay for Life, Touched by Angels, Team Shadow, and Aether Chrononauts Tiny Steps (ACTS), which are Jade level, which requires 375,000L (or $1500 USD). The Sunbeamers lead the list of Platinum-ranked teams, the others being Cure Chasers, Friends for a Cure, and Harmony of Hope. This level requires 250,000L to reach (or $1000 USD). The Gold level teams are Fighting Sunflowers, Sail for Life, Honoring Hope, the Free Spirit Hippie Brigade, the Relay Cure Masters, RGF Estates for Relay for Life, Team Sol Existence, and Team 427. Reaching Gold status requires 125,000L (or $500 USD).

Fourteen teams made it to Silver level fundraising, which takes 50,000 ($200 USD). These include Fly for Life, Inspired Dreamwalkers, Team Bonanza, and the Steelhead Salmons. The Bronze teams number twenty-four, those which raised at least 12,500 Linden dollars (or fifty US dollars). These include repeat teams Too Tough to Die, the Second Life Coast Guard team, Relay for Christ, Team Live Wire, Giant Snail Races, and Meli's Maniacs.

These statistics are four days old, so it's probable one or more teams have moved up and more have joined the ranks of the Bronze teams.

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Bay City's Ten Year Anniversary Parade And Concert on Sunday

Just a reminder. Bay City, the largest urban area in Second Life and the first big project of the Linden Department of Public Works, has their anniversary event this Sunday, May 20. The parade starts in Harwich at 12:30 SLT, then goes down their main road, Route 66, ending at North Channel where the Bay City Fairgrounds are.  Following the parade, a concert starts at the Fairgrounds at 1:30, starting with DJ GoSpeed Racer, followed by live musicians Parker Static, Erika Ordinary, and Stratus Mactavish. The music is scheduled to last until 4:30PM.

Press Release: Memorial Week Bennefit Concert at Veterans Isle

Frets Nirvana and US Military Veterans Group announce the 2018 Memorial Week benefit for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life! 

Frets Nirvana, the premier guitar artist in the virtual world Second Life and the US Military Veterans Group announce the 2018 Memorial Week benefit on May 20, 2018 in Second Life for the Veterans Support Organization  Home For Our Troops . 

Frets Nirvana states:  “HFOT is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Since its inception in 2004, over 90 cents of every dollar spent by Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans. DURING THAT TIME HFOT HAS BUILT OVER 240 SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOMES NATIONWIDE FOR WOUNDED VETERANS.”

In 2017 the community in Second Life sent over $10,000 to Homes For Our Troops, thanks to may kind hearts and great Second Life performers. 

Home for Our Troops benefit concerts feature premier Second Life talent monthly at Veteran’s Isle.  The concert on May 20, 2018 is scheduled from 10 AM - 4 PM PST.  Featured artists will be DJ Waya Snowpaw, Hogan Baily, Paul Nowles, Melenda Baptiste and Wolfie Moonshadow.

ABOUT HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS  - HFOT builds homes as a departure point for Veterans to rebuild their lives, and once again become highly productive members of society. Despite their life-altering injuries, many Veterans have embarked on new careers, completed their college degrees, or started families. Empowered by the freedom a mortgage-free and specially adapted home brings, these Veterans can now focus on their recovery and return to their life’s work of serving others. Many have embraced their roles as motivational speakers, sharing their messages of persevering through tragedy with groups and classrooms around the country; others take to a national platform to promote awareness of veteran suicide, homelessness and PTSD. Their incredible stories are the driving force for the work for HFOT.  HFOT has received Charity Navigator’s highest rating of 4 Stars for six consecutive years. Charity Watch has awarded HFOT an A rating and included us on its list of Top-Rated Military & Veterans Charities.

To learn more about the Homes For Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org

Scenes From Bid the Lindens Bald

For five days earlier this month, people could donated to three kiosks in the "Bid the Lindens Bald" fundraiser. On Wednesday May 9, the totals were finalized and the loosing team had to lose their hair for an amount of time determined by how much the winning team raised. So who kept their hair and whom ended up with a shinny scalp?

Read the story in Events.

Announcemement: Second Life Home and Garden Expo Starts Saturday

It’s Almost Time for the Expo!

Get the latest in decor for your Second Life at the Home and Garden Expo!

A number of sims of shopping, auctions and events await you through June 2nd at the annual Home and Garden Expo benefiting Relay For Life.

This Expo features the great creators of Second Life’s Home and; Garden products. The first Expo was held in the summer of 2008.  Joining in with the Home and Garden Expo is the RFL Breedables Faire. 

For the seventh year the Breedables are back, intermingled with the Home and Garden shops and holding auctions galore!

For more information, check the blog: https://slhomegardenexpo.com/

Announcement: This Week At The Science Circle: “The Anthropocene Epoch”

    Saturday, May 19th

    "The Anthropocene Epoch“
    By Phil Youngblood / Vic Michalak
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/events/2018-05-19/
   
    6 AM - 7 AM PDT
               and
    10 AM - 11 AM PDT

There is a saying that in English goes, “One cannot see the forest for the trees.” The traditional meaning is that it is difficult to see the bigger picture if you cannot see beyond your own little part in it. So it goes with seeing the bigger picture of global changes because we live on such a small part of our planet, and for such a relatively short time.

In March 2008, The Science Circle officially began its tradition of presentations of a variety of science topic with “The Anthropocene Epoch.” Ten years later, we will again explore the concept of geological epochs and evidence that humans have had such a significantly high impact on our planet that we are even now leaving evidence in rock and ice layers, in the atmosphere, and in the fossil record, that will be evident thousands and millions of years from now.

Some of the questions we will explore are: “How has the Earth changed over its history?”
“What caused those changes?” “What was the impact and how long did it last?” “How do we know?” “What natural changes are occurring right now on Earth?” “How are humans changing our planet and by how much?” “Are humans the only living things changing the Earth?” “What are the possible short and long-term consequences of our activities?” “Is there anything we can do about it?”

This is a subject that is having an impact on every one of us for centuries to come. Come join us!

For more information: Click Here.  

The Science Circle (61/127/32) 

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Sci-Fi Expo.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Two

Last week, Rita Mariner sent in her first of a number of reader submitted articles about Subnautica. Subnautica is a single player survival game taking place in an ocean of an alien planet. In Part Two, she describes what happens after the beginning part of the game as you venture further from where your life pod landed. As you explore more and gather more resources, you become able to build better tools. But you will be needing them to face greater dangers.

Read Rita's reader submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Could *You* Be A Reporter?

Over the years, the Second Life Newser has had many talented writers within it's ranks. DrFran Babcock, CNN iReporter Any1 Gynoid, and many others have made their mark in the paper. But the Newser has always been open to new talent, and new writers coming in. Often these new writers have been readers of the paper.

Could you be a writer? We're looking for people who can write well, of course. But we're looking for people who can do a story several paragraphs long at least once a week. We're looking for people whom want to know more about Second Life and want to share what they've found. And of course looking for people with a great love of writing.

If you have all of these qualities, there just might be a future in our team of Second Life journalists for you. IM the editor inworld, or send an email if you're interested.

Bixyl Shuftan
bixylshuftan(at)gmail(dot)com

Events This Week at the Sunweaver, Montecito Bay, and Furry Fashion Clubs

It's a week full of events at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs and the Furry Fashion Lounge

Club Cutlass: Best in 'H,' School Daze, Lemon/Lime

The Happy Vixen: Spots, Vampires, Sports, Werewolves, Dinosaurs, Formal/Black Tie, Best in Black, Wings, Hawaiian Luau, CAYA

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Momtecito Bay: Felines, Pastels, After Dark, Ghouls and Monsters

Furry Fashion Lounge: Jungle, 7 Deadly Sins. Genderbend, Food, Hippies vs Hipsters, Superheros and Villains, Demos, Murder, Mystery, and Monsters

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.

Sneak Peak: The SL Newser SL15B Exhibit

It's about a week until the exhibitors for the SL15B celebrations are notified. In the meantime, work has been continuing on the Second Life Newser's exhibit. Build by Silvia Ametza and Aimeelou Destiny, it's been taking shape. Here's another sneak peak of what to expect. And of course, the Sunweaver Comunity is working on it's own exhibit.

On May25, the regions are open to builders with May 29 being the deadline for parcel claims. Performers have longer to decide whether or not to take part, their deadline being May 31.

Bixyl Shuftan

Net Neutrality Scheduled to End June 11

By Bixyl Shuftan

On December 14 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to end it's protection of Net Neutrality. The decision came despite numerous advocacy groups, over 200 businesses and trade groups, as well as skepticism of the public at large. Among the corporations calling for it's continuation is Linden Lab, whose founder Philip Rosedale predicted "especially negative" consequences as Internet providers could easily introduce bandwith caps and by-the-megabyte billing.

The new rules did not go in effect right away  They had to be posted to the Federal register first. For some reason, this had not been done for over four months, provoking guesses as to why. But on Thursday May 10, the FCC stated in a notice that thirty days after the following day, or June 11, the new rules doing away with the Net Neutrality protections would begin. "These unnecessary and harmful internet regulations will be repealed," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai stated.

So what happens next? There is a bill in Congress being pushed that if passed would require the FCC to keep the current protections. But while it needs only one more Senator to support it, it faces an uphill battle in the House. In the courts, more than twenty states have also filed suit to stop the FCC from repealing the present-day rules. Several states, including California and New York, are considering legislation enforcing Net Neutrality within their boundaries. But a spokesman for the FCC states such legislation would be illegal and would be challenged in court.

Gigi Sohn, an advisor to a former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, commented that net neutrality's future will probably "stay murky" through the rest of the year.

Because of the importance of the issue of Net Neutrality, the Second Life Newser declared FCC Chairman Ajit Pai as it's "Man of the Year" for 2017 as we felt the potential harm of the disposal of these new regulations to Second Life outweighed the accomplishments of any one group of residents or any one accomplishment of Linden Lab.

Sources: CNN, Motherboard

Image Credit: Lanai Jarrico

Bixyl Shuftan

"Ask Ebbe Linden" and Merchants Wanted by Linden Lab for SL15B

There's a couple things going on with Linden Lab that Second Life residents may find of interest, notably if they want to hear the CEO speak or are interested in shopping events.

The youtube program "Designing Worlds" turns ten this year. As part of their celebration, they recently announced they'll be interviewing Ebbe Linden, the avatar of the CEO of Linden Labs Ebbe Altberg. The show is scheduled to be shown on Monday May 28. On the day of the announcement, the Prim Perfect website was taking questions to ask. But the time limit was Midnight that night.

For those whom like to shop, Linden Lab announced they would be organizing a shopping event to go alongside the SL15B celebrations. They also were asking for merchants to take part.

We’re actively seeking Merchants who are willing to participate in an inworld Official SL15B Shopping event! Our inworld shopping events have been very successful and we hope to continue that tradition with a big SL15B. We are looking for quality Merchants across all categories to be a part of this exclusive event. If you think that this is something you’d like our brand to participate in, read on! Space is limited!

Merchants interested in taking part in the event were asked to fill out a submission form in this link no later than June 5.  The event is scheduled to go from June 18 to July 2.

For more information, check the official Second Life blog. 

Sources: Prim Perfect, Linden Lab

Bicyl Shuftan

Team Sunbeamer's "Bid Me Pantsless" Extended to May 18

Remember the "Bid Me Pantsless" event announced on April 30? It had been scheduled to end May 4. But partially because one of the participants couldn't be there that night, the time for the bidding has been extended. You now have until May 18 to "Bid Rita to the Dogs," "Bid Liksa Goat," and "Bid Bixyl Pantsless." The totals will be added up at 8PM after the party at Club Cutlass where the kiosks are.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunweaver%20Bay/114/117/757

Bixyl Shuftan