SL8B and a Tour of London

Today, Netera Landar reports on her trip to Second Life's London area, which started out as a trip to the Second Life Eighth Birthday celebrations. Talking with one of the people, she was given a tour of the sims there.

Read more in Places.

Pony-Up at the Bank

It was a normal day at the Podex Exchange. The tellers were chatting a little about the yearly celebrations held by Linden Labs, a few whom couldn’t wait to go when off duty, and a few whom didn’t like the idea of fighting the crowds. They also talked about going to beach parties, or possibly some of the new areas which had been developed.

Sometime in the middle of the chat, a colorful figure walked into the bank. It was a small pony, a girl. But it didn’t look like the Amaretto ponies they knew of. She was blue, had a colorful head of hair neatly styled, was wearing a dress, and big puppy-dog eyes.

The pony went to a teller, and asked what was needed to get a loan. The teller answered that they did not make loans, but were an exchange service. They would exchange a number of currencies for Lindens, and vice versa. The pony thought for a moment, then told the teller it had a few Euros. A deal was worked out, and the pony soon had some Lindens.

“I’m making a store for other ponies,” the little mare spoke, “I went to somewhere that I heard was for ‘pony girls,’ but it was too scary for me.” The little pony shivered, “I make a much nicer place with lots of color and rainbows. Oh, and apple trees! The place has to have those.” The teller smiled, and wished the little equine well.

The pony then began to walk out. But before it got to the door, a woman waiting at the chairs nearby got it’s attention, “Aww, aren’t you cute. I have something for you.” She offered the small filly an apple, and the pony happily ate it, “Thank you, nice lady.” “You’re welcome little friend.” The pony smiled, “Friendship is magic.” And with that, the little pony left the exchange and went on her way.

The Podex Exchange is located at Moonbeam (26, 223, 34), with a website at http://www.podex.info/ . Jacek Shuftan is the CEO.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day: 1920's Berlin

Dropping by the 1920's Berlin exhibit in the SL8B event, a German chef dropped by, holding one of his sausages. Those who know me will recognize a familiar pun.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Scenes from The Lost Gardens of Apollo

Sunday the 26th saw the end of an admired classic sim, "The Lost Gardens of Apollo." Before it faded into history, many stopped by to see the place one last time, or finally see it before it was too late. For those who couldn't make it, here are a number of screenshots.

See more in Places.

Events this Week in Second Life from June 28 to July 4rth

The Second Life Eighth Birthday is gone, but the exhibits are still up until July 2. For those who want an event with plenty of people, there's still plenty to do around the Grid with it's usual dances, live music, and game shows. But on Tuesday is the special "Arabian Nights" Relay for Life event. Plus next week the Fourth of July and it's parties, including the Guardians For Life Beach Party.

Read more in Events.

(updated late June 28th)

Tiny Empires

Today, Xymbers Slade looks at the popular inworld game Tiny Empires. It's possible you may have come across people talking about "free acre" or "the trader." They were players of this game, sometimes called TE for short. Around for some time in Second Life, the game continues to be popular, and Xymbers gave it a try to see what makes it tick.

Read more in Design.

Press Release: Zexpo 2011

ZEXPO 2011 runs AUG 26 thru SEP 4
Celebrating the Adult Side of Second Life: Zindra and Beyond


ZEXPO is an annual convention/tradeshow/festival that takes place on a large region known as ZEXPO Island on the 'A' rated mainland of Zindra, in the virtual world of Second Life. The Island features a new large event every season and the ZEXPO show itself is an exciting convergence of merchants, performers, artists, play areas, famous personalities, specialty organizations and everything that represents SL's sophisticated adult side. ZEXPO is very inclusive and very innovative, mixing creativity and inspiration with business networking, education and hope for the future.

The concept of ZEXPO 2011 (and other events on the island) is one of positive PR and outreach for the adult mainland of Zindra. While Zindra is 'adult' land, it does not contain only 'adult content' (though adult content is certainly permitted.) and is often known as the most liberating place in SL. While ZEXPO 2011 is about promoting Zindra, it also welcomes non-Zindran content in an effort to cross-promote interests and reach out across more of Second Life and beyond. Some believe that a healthy adult mainland means a healthy adult SL which means a healthy SL.

This year's show features an emphasis on Creative and Active Investment, Adult Sophistication and a fun 'Forbidden Carnival' theme. Other innovations include a hotel booking system, where attendees will be able to obtain accommodations for the show's duration, a plethora of exciting Attractions and Mini-Events, and a Forbidden Float Contest, where exhibitors can create moving parade floats.

SHOW WEBSITE: https://sites.google.com/site/zexpo2011/home/
LANDING AREA: Distrel (240, 12, 49)

First Contacts:
Show Producer: Ginette Pinazzo
Exhibitors Information: Bady Boozehound

Cartoon of the Day: Relay for Life

The Passionate Redheads aren't the only team whom go for laughs. This picture, titled "Fuzzball's New Hair," came with an announcement of Team Steelhead officially making the Platinum category by raising $2,000 US. The announcer stated, "I said if we make it, I'd wear the wackiest wildest hair around. Well.........here it is."

The notice was titled, "Make Sure Tiggs Sees This." Not being at the event, I don't know who Tiggs is, or if Fuzzball is the guy's real name. But I figured they'd get a chuckle out of the cartooning.

Bixyl Shuftan

Meet Mikati Slade

The Second Life Eighth Birthday event is officially over, but there are still stories to tell. Among the people Grey Lupindo met at the event was Mikati Slade, an artist from Japan whom had an exhibit up for the celebration, and whose art can also be found elsewhere on the Grid.

To read more, go to People.

Goodbye SL8B

Well, the SL8B (Second Life Eighth Birthday) is officially over. The final events were last night, Sunday June 26. The good news, the exhibits will stay up until July 2, so those whom couldn't be at the event much or at all due to other commitments or the lag from the traffic have a few days to enjoy the sights. And there are plenty of them.

I heard a couple people whom would have nothing to do with the event, "I have no interest in seeing the Lindens pat themselves on the back." But most I talked to were at least somewhat interested. More than a few thought the show wasn't really about the Lindens, but those residents whom took the time to make SL what it is.

We at SL Newser still have a few more SL8B stories to tell over the next few days. If you the readers have a story of your own you'd like to tell, by all means let us know (send to bixylshuftan@gmail.com), and we'll publish it.

If you want to see more pictures, like Wildster Beaumont's sunset screenshot up above, check out the SL8B Flickr.

And so ends one of Second Life's major events. Stay tuned next month for the Relay for Life walk.

Bixyl Shuftan

Monarch Motorcars - Drive One Home Today!

Today, we welcome our new writer Netera Landar to Second Life Newser, and have for you her first article for us. She took a trip to Monarch Motorcars, to look at the finely-crafted models, and have a few words with owner and builder Yorba Naidoo.


Read Netera's story in Design.

Greeting and Gathering at SL8B

It has been great fun being a greeter at the SL8B. People arrive at the Welcome Center and we say hello and give out some gifts. We recommend areas to visit and where to attend the parties going on at the moment. Roaming is wonderful too. We stop and visit exploring avatars and give them gifts too. The stages are good places to meet new friends and see some wonderful shows. I witnessed a wonderful musical performance the other day about Beethoven. Wow!

The other day I went to a live concert with a wonderful singer performing. There were some obnoxious griefers there annoying everyone. But the veteran performer advised everyone to just enjoy the music and ignore it, and on she went with her music. Amazing how some people come with the purpose of interfering rather than enjoying. So many people put so much time into the preparations for these events, scheduling, advertizing, advising, and being available to assist . Instead of entering into the joy of the moment certain visitors try to disrupt and destroy. It causes wonder as to their motive.

There are diverse activites going on everyday. Thursday morning I found a writing group working on poetry and quick words. The best thing I have done so far was to join the Yokohama Marching Band as we marched through the air over the sims! My first time!

There are only so many hours left to join in the festivities. I hope you will save some time to roam the 20 sims and see the magical sights and events. Get there!

Gemma Cleanslate

"The Lost Gardens of Apollo" Fades Away Today

Earlier this month, the "Crooked House" was facing the end, but thankfully got a reprieve. Unfortunetly, it wasn't the only place in trouble. Two other sims are set to fade away. One is the Mioan Empire, set to end July 6. The other is the Lost Gardens of Apollo, set to disappear today.

Stopping by the Apollo sim, I was surrounded by beauty. There was lush vegetation all around, and birds would occasionally fly overhead or nearby. Further away were some cuddle spots for couples, and small pools one could float in or sun themselves on the sides. A few towers stood high above the island. The place could only be described as an Eden.

I ran into the manager Samlowry Hawks. He was heartbroken by the impending end, and encouraged me and other visitors to take one last look at the sim before it vanishes. He had made this machinima in a hurry, then uploaded it as a tribute to the place and what it stood for.

"Dane Zander, Sean Hadlee, Flix Zeppelin and your servant, Samlowry Hawks, are sad to announce to you the end of the sim 'The Lost gardens of Apollo.' This early place of Second Life (2005) was known for the quality of its surrounding and the good taste of its relationships. As part of Second Life history, many veterans began their special moments in our virtual world by visiting its ballroom reserved to men and women of wealth and taste. Many love stories passed through this dance floor. It's tai chi place was well known and appreciated as far as groups were created just for this parcel of the sim."

"This machinima is a filmed memory for next generation of residents to remind them this incontrovertible place, part of the phenomenon of Second Life in the years 2006 and 2007. To all the past visitors, thank you for your kindness, your kind messages I received since the news was official. To you all, you will all miss us and as "the Lost Gardens of Apollo" cultivated some kind of way to see virtuality, we, all the team, hope you will spread the spirit of the Gardens we worked so hard to defend in there all around the metaverse."

"Thank you so much for all these years of happiness and discovery. So long dear companions. Rest in peace, 'The lost gardens of Apollo.' "

If it's still around, check out the Apollo sim before it vanishes.

"Please never forget this place. Thank you for your kind visit. Just note this was not just a VIP place. It was created to be what Second Life must have: a haven. This Eden will pass. Please keep in your mind that a silly man dreamed enough to make an island to be just right."

Bixyl Shuftan

A Few Scenes at The Birthday in SL8B

On Thursday June 23, I heard there would be a few Lindens about in the SL8B event. I never did find Rodvik, but I did find one other Linden, as well as a number of others out to have fun at the Cake Stage during "The Birthday," as well as checking out a few exhibits.

Read more in Events.

Sunweaver Landlady Voulenteers for RFL "Bid me Human" event

The Relay for Life group "Passionate Redheads"raised nearly 80,000 Lindens this season from two "Bid me Human" fundraisers. On Tuesday, they hope to repeat their success with a third. This time, Rita Mariner, the landlady bunny of the Sunweaver Estates, is offering to drop her fur for a while.

Daaneth Kivioq informed me of the event, which will take place on Tuesday. As before, a donation of 5,000 Lindens are required to change Sunweaver's purple "bun-bun" to regular human, with every 1,000 there after adding another day. Unlike the previous "Bid Me Human" events, there will be two kiosks, one to donate to for making her human, the other to donate to keep her bunny. If the result is a tie, or the "furry" kiosk is higher, "Bun-Bun" keeps her fur. If the "Human" Kiosk is higher at the events end, even if my a single Linden, then she turns human.

The event is Tuesday, June 28, from 5 to 7 PM SL time.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL TV: "Designing Worlds" at the SL8B opening

The "Designing Worlds" show earlier this week was about SL8B, with Elrik Merlin interviewing the Greeters' team leader Honour McMillian.

Scenes from SL8B

Yep, that's Michael Linden. Normally, companies fear moles. But this little guy didn't give anyone a reason to worry. He happily danced along with everyone else at the birthday party at the cake auditorium yesterday, June 23, just after Noon SL time.

More pics will be up later today.

Classic "Crooked House" is Saved

A week ago, SL Newser reported on the "Crooked House" build, whose owner could no longer justify the sim payments. Unless this unusual structure found a new owner, it would vanish.

More recently, we were contacted by a Veritas Raymaker, saying there was more news. We found the house was now on the destination guide, "Visit this recreation of Robert A. Heinlein's 'Crooked House' by Seifert Surface. Explore the interconnected rooms of the house, which is modeled on a four-dimensional hypercube."

But more importantly, it now had a new home, in the Galaxy Quest sim.

Hamlet Au reportedly got in contact with the new owner, whom he declined to name, describing him only as an anonymous academic, "I do strongly believe in doing what I can to help fellow educators who are less familiar with Second Life understand the unique affordances that our world has for education. And Seifert's build illustrates several of these affordances artfully, and in a fun and intriguing way to boot."

So the Crooked House is now safe.

To get to the Crooked House, go to the Galaxy Quest sim at (128, 64, 772)

Source, New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan

Fundraiser Ball at Versailles

Mesdames et messieurs,

Versailles in SL is proud to invite you to a ball dedicated to the patrons society of Versailles. The ball will be followed by a fundraiser and an exclusive auction of interior and exterior items that were exclusively created for Versailles in SL. The ball will begin at 2 PM SLT on Friday June 24 followed by an auction at 3 PM.

Donations will be accepted throughout the event and will be much appreciated.

Vive les patrons de Versailles!

Chateau de Versailles2 (228, 126, 29)

from DesireMe Fallen

Scenes from SL8B

Haven't been able to spend as much time in the SL8B as planned. Thankfully Grey and Gemma have been able to. Among the things I have gotten a look at, this ferris wheel I took a ride in. Unfortunetly, panning out to get a better view, the computer crashed just after I took this shot.

Fortunetly, others took a number of shots. Among them was this "Sands of Creation" by Perefum Cao, taken by IcaruS. You never know what someone's going to make at a sandbox.

For other pictures, check out the SL8B Flickr, with as of this post 630 screenshots from 79 residents.

New SL Viewer 2.7.1, “With Improved Search and Real-Time Shadows

With all the hype about SL8B, it was easy to miss the news of the latest version of the official viewer being released. What do the Lindens have to say about it?

In the latest version of SL Viewer (2.7.1) released today, we’re introducing the new Search beta as the standard search technology that helps you find interesting people, places, events, items for sale, and other things to make your inworld experience more fun, collaborative, and meaningful.

They talked about “Enhanced Classified Listings,” “sorting features” that enabled residents flexibility in search for example searching for someone by either their user name or display name, and “featured land listings” for “quick links to available properties.” They’ve also “added a few subtle, but helpful, usability enhancements ... based on resident feedback.” They did remind readers that, “SL Viewer Search is still in beta and we continue to smash bugs, tweak relevance, add features, and optimize it for international Residents.”

They mentioned one other improvement:

You might have noticed the cool log-in screen images with shadows that give them greater dimensionally and lifelike feeling. Now, you can have them too. This version of the SL Viewer introduces dynamic lighting for multiple local lighting sources, as well as high quality real-time shadows from the sun or moon. And, it’s easy to enable. In the SL Viewer’s Advanced mode, choose Me > Preferences, go to the Graphics tab, click the Advanced button, and just check Lighting and Shadows.

But of course, “If your graphics card can’t support this option, then it won’t be available.”

Yours truly can’t use Viewer 2, at least not the latest versions. Checking the forums, threads such as “Viewer 2.7.1 Search page never loads” and “Crashing after update,” suggests other residents are having trouble logging in as well.

So what do you the readers have to say? How much improved are Search and Shadows?

To view the official blog post, Click Here.

Debi Latte Performs at SL8B

I haven't seen as much of the SL8B as Gemma and Grey, and progress can be slow due to the lag from all those people. But I have seen a little. This includes when my friend singer Debi Late performed live at the Cake stage on 6 SL time Tuesday night June 21st.

There were a few dozen whom showed up, causing a bit of lag. But that didn't spoil things as long as we had the music stream on, and her velvet voice was there for all to hear. Her chaacteristic coffee cup tip jar was soon flowing at the brim. Unlike her performances at Mystery, however, it didn't linger on "naughty numbers."

Debi Late will perform live again on Sunday, at the Mystery sim at Noon SL time.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

ZZ Studios Officially Becomes Age-Verified

Second Life Newser was recently in contact with one of the managers of ZZ Studios, an exotic adult-themed media company and social hangout, whose owner we interviewed in April. As of Monday June 20th, “the studio is going Age Verified officially.” The parcel the place is on will be for all effective purposes Adult-ranked.

ZZ Studios was moved to Falcon Valley before Second Life had an Adult rating for it’s sims. Even though the nature of the media sold was clearly adult, the company and club were never asked to move when the new rating was established. When Linden Lab merged the Teen Grid with the Main Grid, that did create some worries about minors possibly slipping in. Officially, the decision is because of the “very adult” subject matter of the studio, but worries about the teens were another reason.

The Falcon Valley sim is still ranked as “Mature.” What has changed is ZZ Studio's parcel itself will require those wanting in to be age-verified. Any group members who didn’t bother to get verified or refused to for privacy reasons will be blocked from entering.

Bixyl Shuftan

Events this Week in Second Life from June 21 to June 27th

This week, Second Life officially celebrates it's eighth anniversary. Twenty sims packed with exhibits, and events. But for those who want a break from the hustle & bustle (ie lag), there's plenty else to see.

For a list of happenings, go to Events.

News from Book Island

Book Island now has a few prime shops for rent. Whether you're a writer, editor, agent, publisher, artist, or just a lover of books, send Selina Greene a message for details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our host for the Tuesday & Thursday Happy Hours, Hakeber Haber, has one of her short stories, "After The Battle", published on the web :-) Here's the blurb:
"What happens after the battle, when the evil is slain and the world rejoices? Endings aren't always clean, and for some, the battle never truly ends. "
Here's the address for the story: http://www.wattpad.com/1567884-after-the-battle
Hakeber is an extremely accomplished writer :-)

This week you can find Hakeber Haber at Book Island (207, 227, 37) from 4-5 PM

SL8 Fantasy and More

During the press preview of the SL8B regions, Grey Lupindo took advantage to scout the sims. She "saw so many great exhibits over the weekend that it was hard to pick which ones to write about first." But she picked a few, which she described in detail.

Read more in Places.

"Bid Nydia Human" Nets 50,000 Lindens

The "Bid Me Human" event held by the Passionate Redheads was highly successful, raising 50,000 Lindens. But it was an event filled with unexpected twists and turns, including one donor with a special request.

More on the fundraiser in People.

SL8B Begins!

"You’re invited! Second Life’s 8th birthday (SL8B) celebration begins on Monday, June 20th and runs through Saturday, July 2nd. This year, there are 21 SL8B regions that open at 10:00 am. on Monday, June 20. There will be more than 300 exhibitors 300 live performances, and all the cake you can eat. And, did someone mention the freebies on the Marketplace? Yep, there are already free SL8B bears for everyone. We’ve got a great line up planned and you won’t want to miss a thing!"

The region opens at 10AM SL time. And at 11 AM, Kim Linden will give a short opening address at the "Cake Stage." The stage shares the corners of four sims, SL8B Captivate, SL8B Stunning, SL8B Fascinate, and SL8B Pizzazz.

Gemma Cleanslate will be among the greeters at this major event in Second Life.

For more information on SL8B, one can check the SL8B Blog, including the Auditorium Schedule.

Ready to Mezmerize! A Preview of SL8B

Gemma Cleanslate was recently invited to take a preview trip to the Second Life Eighth Birthday area. What she found was "magnificent," both the sims and the builders involved whom took full opportunity to show what the residents of the Grid could do

Read more in Design.

Sunday Cartoon

"Sucks to be you"
by Bixyl Shuftan

Relay for Life: "Bid Nydia Human"

This Sunday, the "Passionate Redheads" Relay for Life group will be hosting a "Bid me Human" event, with DJ "Naughty" Nydia Tungsten as the volunteer.

"That's right, for all those that would love to torture this little white vixen, here is your chance. Come bid me Human Sunday June 19th at 4 pm SL time. First week will cost you $5000 L's each day there after is 1K, so come see how long you can keep me human. This will be held at the H.M.A.S. Little Dove in the beautiful Southern Colorado sim. All proceeds go to Relay for life and the awesome work they do."

The event will be at the Southern Colorado sim, (110, 35, 105)

SL Machinima: "The Magic of Second Life"

"The Magic of Second Life," by acclaimed machinima artist Phaylen Fairchild, captures the evolution, magic and imagination of SL from inception to its eight year anniversary (SL8B).

The “Crooked House,” a Brilliant Build in Danger of Leaving Second Life

Today, we look at a fascinating place created by the mathematical mind of Seifert Surface, the "Crooked House." Based on house transformed into a four-dimensional structure in a science fiction short, this build seemingly does the impossible of sending visitors in an endless loop of twisted rooms. Unfortunately, this great build is in danger of fading away from the Grid.

Read more in Places.

SL Machinima: "When Second Life Turns Eight"

When Second Life Turns Eight (SL8B)

On June 23, 2011, Second Life will be officially eight years old. Can you believe it? A hard-working team of Resident volunteers and Lindens have been busily preparing for the annual birthday bash—laying down the groundwork (literally) for you to celebrate.

The event kicks off at 10:00 a.m. SLT on Monday, June 20 and runs through Sunday, June 26 with a glittering assortment of musicians, speakers, artists, business leads, media mavens, merchants, social organizers, and other amazing Residents like you.

from Chantal Harvey

Scenes from Second Life

This scene was posted on Facebook by Minx Destiny

"Found them like this. Who says Ozimal and Amaretto can't get along?"

Coming Events: SL8B and Burn2

All of a sudden, I feel like I am caught in a time warp.

I am a greeter for the SL8B. That begins as you know on June 25. Building is underway, performers preparing, stage managers ready, greeters meeting , and the electricity is in every step. I spent some time in a machinima changing avatars and spinning on an avatar wheel. It was great fun and you will be able to view it soon.

In the midst of this, I had a notice to come to a meeting for Burn2, 2011! Wow.. I thought that was a long way off. Well, it is not until October, however work is beginning. Emcee Widget filled everyone in on the plans for this year's Burn2 Rites of Passage. It will be held October 1 through 9. There will be 8 sims to begin. However there is a plan this year to ask for “donation” of sims for 90 days. They will be moved to the 8 sims and then returned to the donors.

There are hopes that donations will also help provide more sims even up to 18. They will also taking donations for sims that will be purchased for 2000L. If you donate to he purchase of a sim it will be done in increments so that if the 2000L is not reached your donation amount will be returned to you . That means there can be more creative plots available to those who wish to participate. The information tent is open on Deep Hole so you can visit: Burning Man- Deep Hole (241, 89, 24).

Plots are ready for purchase or, for 100L you can enter a lottery for a plot. Right now is the time to look at the volunteer positions that are open . There are many fun jobs you can do . Here is a list of volunteer positions you can read about and on the page you will find a link to the application: http://www.burn2.org/open-jobs.

There will be more information coming as the build time starting in August approaches and I will keep you apprised. It is early yet but time passes so quickly in Second Life!

Burn On!!

Gemma Cleanslate

Cartoon of the Day - GUILTY!

Vixie Valiant in another "arresting" development.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Feed a Smile at the Lavender Field

Grey Lupindo reports on the "Feed a Smile" charity at Lavender Field. Representing a real-life charity based in Kenya, Brique Topaz runs both the organization and the location on the Grid, which offers both a nature area one can relax in, and a concert area for raising money during events.

Read more in Places.

Events this Week in Second Life from June 14 to June 20th

The Second Life Eighth Birthday is still over a week away, but there are plenty of things to see and do in the meantime. Among the dance parties and talk shows is a Relay for Life event. Nydia Tungsten herself will put her fur on the line for a "Bid me Human" event.

Read more in Events.

Being Human

It's been a few weeks since the "Bid me Human" event in which I went from being a foxboy to a human appearance. So what's happened since then? Have people reacted to me differently, or has nothing changed?

Read more in People.

“Jail and Bail” at the "Back to the 50’s Weekend" for RFL

This weekend was the "Back to the 50's" event for Relay for Life as people in the sim for the occasion had a number of events to go to, from the "Sock Hop" to the drive-in theater. But there was also one event that required a team effort, the "jail and bail," in which people would get arrested, and need their friends to help bail them out.

Read more in Events.

A Loss: Feathers Boa's Going Away Party

It is a sad day in Second Life for those who love the exquisite art of Feathers Boa. There was a going away party today at her gallery in Esterhal. Feathers is one of the most proficient artists in interactive art in SL. Her pieces are stunning and and many of them have deep personal meaning from her life. She is retiring from SL art and will be mostly inactive for a while.

Beladona Memorial said to her “You have had a unique voice here ... and utilized the interactive qualities of SL to create art that was not possible elsewhere. Thank you for being here.” and Feathers wish to all, “ I hope my heart comes through.” Some of her work is in a few galleries in SL and will remain.

Feathers real life has become very busy with a move to the west coast and a new job in graphics, and she must concentrate on those for now. It is my sincere hope that in a year or so perhaps she will have a show in Retrospect. For the time being if you know her art and want to experience its dimensions again, or, if you have never had that pleasure, this show will be in Feathers Bay Gallery in Esterhal until June 29.

Don't miss it! Her pieces are all on sale for that time.

We love you Feathers.

Esterhal (215, 211, 790)

Gemma Cleanslate

Sunday Cartoon

By Bixyl Shuftan

The Luskwood 80's Party

On Saturday night, June 10, Luskwood held one of it's bigger parties. This one was a look back to the decade of Pac-Man, Rubiks Cube, and kids shows around top-selling toys, "Rock the 80's."

It's the final countdown! Tonight at 7pm PDT bring your spandex and big hair to Luskwood's 80's party at Pub Giant Eltee Head to rock out with DJ Zorin.

The show was not at the Big Tree, but in a building in the eastern part of the Perry sim with a huge wooden carving of a Lusk head on the roof. Inside, one could find 80's icons around, from the Rubiks Cube and Atari joystick on the floor near the door, to pictures various 80's shows, both cartoons such as "He-Man," and sit-coms like "Punky Brewster." A few of the people dressed up as 80's icons themselves, such as one man in his "Ghostbusters" uniform, and Luskwood's Dougal dancing on the stage in his "Thriller" garb. DJ Zorin was in a "brony" avatar, which is based on the 80's toy "My Little Pony."

The party was scheduled only to go from 7-9 PM SL time. But like many events at Luskwood, it went late into the night as people showed up late from other events, or perhaps had trouble getting in, as the number of residents in the sim kept hovering at 49 late in the night. Or perhaps people wanted to take advantage of the party atmosphere at the area while they could. Unlike some residential areas which hold parties weekly or a few times a week. Lusk doesn't have this kind of party more than once a month, at times not more than once every few months.

There was much joking around at times. Someone asked Zorin what if in real life he'd change into his avatar at the most inconvenient times, "no hands, just hooves." Zorin wittingly joked he'd just get people to help him out by looking at them with those huge puppy-dog cute eyes of his. The response was, "Yeah, but imagine trying to find glasses for those huge eyes, or contacts."

Of the era, someone had this to say, "The 80s were utterly ridiculous. Ridiculous fashion, ridiculous music, ridiculous TV, ridiculous movies ... but the ridiculousness of it all is what made the 80s so fun. ... every decade does (have it's own weirdness), but none of them stand out as much as the 80s." Consumer products as we know them coming out, the endgame of the Cold War, it was "a time of blatant optimism for the future," and perhaps those are reasons people look back at those times so fondly.

Bixyl Shuftan

Mesh Uploading Ability to Require Safeguards

With Mesh being much-anticipated by many, people talking about it’s potential to change Second Life, some have been wondering what the catch is. There have been some whispers that Mesh would mean the end of the usability of Viewer 1-based viewers. But only just now has Linden Lab explained. There are a couple conditions needed to enable Mesh on one’s computer on the Second Life Wiki.


“In order to prevent usage of intellectual property with the mesh upload tool, prior to uploading a mesh with a Mesh enabled viewer, 2 checks will occur before the user will be allowed to upload. The first check will be to verify payment information is on file and the second is a chance to educate the user with a short tutorial. After the user completes the tutorial, they will be enabled to upload content. “


So in order to use Mesh, residents essentially need to identify themselves to the Lab in case someone protests his intellectual property rights are being violated. And if Linden Lab feels there’s a problem, “user can be indefinitely flagged as not mesh enabled.”

Second Life has had problems over intellectual property before. Last November, the Lindens cracked down on Battlestar Galactica roleplay groups after Universal Studios, which owns the copyright to the TV show, complained. Although one can already reproduce copyrighted items in Second Life, Mesh with it’s promise to revolutionize content creation would presumably make it much easier. And there are some hints of such potential. One of Second Life’s readers sent us a screenshot of what was presumably the Mesh grid. The picture shows likenesses of World of Warcraft characters Deathwing, the Lich King, and others. Pictures like this would certainly make Linden Lab’s lawyers nervous.

Both Hamlet Au and Tateru Nino commented on the issue. Hamlet Au saw two problems, that most builders and scripters on the Grid don’t legally copyright their products, and that “3D files often have a dubious or ambiguous IP rights provenance. For example, when Linden Lab announced that mesh was coming back in 2009, the company's own demo included a sculpture of the Incredible Hulk.” Tateru felt that this would mean free account builders would "have to get payment information on file or be unable to upload arbitrary mesh objects, period."

Naturally, there were a number of comments by readers. One commented to Hamlet, “This is one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard,” feeling all it would do was hassle content creators. Another commented the more he read about Second Life, “the more I feel Linden Lab is spying on its customers.” But there were others whom could understand the Lindens’ viewpoint. One of Tateru’s readers wondered if this would put nonwestern builders at a disadvantage, “In many countries outside the western world the use of credit cards is not that common.” Another commented, “Someone opened Pandora´s Box with Mesh Imports and now this someone struggles to control it. Good Luck with it.”

Tateru put it appropriately when she commented Mesh’s potential was matched by it's potential for trouble, and “Balancing the two interests is going to be tricky.”

Sources, Second Life Wiki, New World Notes, Tateru Nino,

Bixyl Shuftan

The Linden Memorial

One year ago, Second Life's residents were shocked to find out a third of the Lindens had been dismissed from the Lab, their avatars deleted. Residents expressed their thoughts in many ways. Codebastard Redgrave expressed them by building a memorial. A year later, she has a more lasting memorial to the laid-off Lindens up.

Read more in Places.

The Prize Plane

JessicaBelle Dayafter is noted for two things in Second Life. One is being a top pilot in the New Bastogne WW2 combat RP. The second is for being a designer of planes designed for use in this and similar combat RP areas, as well as fun for casual flight. Her German FW190 is her best known plane, but also developed a rendition of the US Navy Grumman Hellcat.

During the planning of the Second Life Newser party JessicaBelle Dayafter agreed to put up one of her JessicaBelle Aeronautic Productions planes as the big prize. The choice of planes was awarded during the second party to Kikas Babenco. We told her to contact Jessica for the plane, as well as sending Jessica a message.

Later on, I had a few words with Jessica. She gave me a few screenshots, “ I took the pics near the Flying Tigers sim, ‘cause the sim owner has my planes on display. She loved them so much.” She told me she had gotten in contact with Kikas and they met up. Kikias was given the choice between the FW190 and the Hellcat, and chose the FW190. There was one small complication, “It was her first time flying in Second Life. So I was trying to teach her.”

The results of Kikas’ training were, interesting, “The FW-190 is real fast. I told her many times this, and not to go above 40% throttle.” Trying it out in the Flying Tigers area, the plane flipped over, and she accidentally pressed the throttle, and the plane “was dragging us along the dirt.” So she had her guest-pilot a slower Stuka. It worked better, “had a leisurely ride around the combat sim,explained in great detail,and was about to have her try again but she had to log.”

The two met up later in the day and training resumed, but they soon found they weren’t alone. One of the opposing team’s pilots had spotter her, “He must really not like me. I was showing her how to fly in the Stuka, we're still almost 2 thousand meters up, and he comes gunning at us. Hee-hee.” And without VICE turned on, the fighter inflicted no damage for all his efforts.

It was an eventful day for Jessica.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day: WW2 RP Area

By Bixyl Shuftan