Happy Easter

Taken at the Aero Pines Easter Egg Hunt

By Bixyl Shuftan

SL Videos: "Relay For Life Volunteers "

Filmed by "Oldlex," released on March 23, 2013.

Tales from Podex: Easter Basket Banditry

It was another day in late March at Podex, and as usual the tellers were doing business with clients as they dropped by. With winter on it's way out, not as many were buying winter gear. But this was a month of holidays, and with Saint Patricks Day and Easter, people were buying decorations. The Relay for Life fundraiser had also began. And to get the money for all of these, people were going to the Exchange for quick cash.

Between customers, the tellers talked about what they were and would be doing. One talked about how great the sights were at the Fashion For Life. Another planned to go to Easter services. Still another would be going to one of the egg hunts.

It was at this point a figure walked in. He wasn't dressed in much, just a pair of shorts. He carried a basket full of eggs and chocolate bunnies, and had a couple long ears on his head. But they were a different color than the coat on the rest of his body.

The tellers looked at him, "one finally saying Um, can we help you?"

"Yes, I'm here on official duty to hide some Easter eggs, and this looks like a good spot. Would you mind if I hid a few around here?"

"You want to hide eggs here?"

"Yeah, including that one room, I believe you call it the vault."

"I think not." The teller then chucked a bit, "Your disguises are so lame, Clumsy Cooper, they're funny."

"Who's Clumsy? I'm just here to hide some eggs."

"Yeah, right. Just turn right around, and we won't call the cops on you."

"Okay, be that way!" Clumsy then pulled out one of the eggs, "These are actually bombs. Just had over the Lindens and no one gets hurt."

The teller laughed, "The only bomb is your act. We're calling the police/"

Clumsy reacted by taking the egg and hurling it at the teller. But it never hit him. Instead, it bounced off the counter, and beaned Clumsy right in the forehead, "Owwww!"

"Get 'im!!"


Realizing his ploy had failed, Clumsy then bolted from the exchange, He rushed down the steps, and down the beach to a nearby club. The SLPD were soon on the scene, but all they could find at the club was a discarded bunny ear headset. The unsuccessful thief had gotten away. Clumsy Cooper is currently wanted for attempted griefing. 

But even if Clumsy Cooper's stunt had actually worked, there was no way he could have gotten away with any ill-gotten gains. “All our exchanges are done through electronic transfer,” a teller later explained, “He wouldn’t have walked away with a single Linden.”

The Podex Exchange has a record of being one of the safest Linden exchange services in Second Life, the data processing done outside the exchange, and has a record of thousands of satisfied customers. Transactions can be done at their website, or their location inworld at Moonberry (26, 223, 34).

Note: The preceding is a fictional story, written for the dual purpose of advertisement and entertainment.

Bixyl Shuftan

Ghostbusters Sim

Grease Coakes recently heard about a sim and "light RP' in Second Life, "Slime Square." There, fans of the movie, or those looking for an action-filled game, can get a proton pack and zap n' trap the spectral denziens. Grease talked to the owner of the place, and engaged in a little of the Ghostbusting action.

Read Grease's article in Extra.

Ask DrFran: How Can I Get Him Back?

In her latest column, DrFran gets a letter from a lady whom was in a relationship in the past, and now wants to try and find love again. So what's the answer to her questions? DrFran had a few things to say on the matter.

Read DrFran's column in People.

From Pet to Avatar

There's a joke about pets and their owners eventually starting to look like one another. That came to mind when I stopped by the place of a friend of a friend. The lady owned a number of pet Meeroos, but what got my attention was her avatar. She sported a Meeroo avatar. While Meeroo avs are not exactly new, as there's a mod kit that allows a brand of furry av to be modified to look like one, the ones I saw before were human sized. This one was about the size of her larger pets. She told us it was made from mesh.

For those who don't know, Meeroos like to snuggle with their owners. And when one of hers asked to, the result was "like an odd date," as she put it. She is currently trying to design a hug animation that would allow humans and furs to embrace her like her pets.

*Correction* I thought she had told me she made the av herself. Kristine later sent me a message the avatar was from the Meeroo creators, a "RooU."

Bixyl Shuftan

A Day of Relay Events

Last Saturday had a number of events for the Relay For Life cancer fundraiser with various teams holding a variety of events. The big one was the "Cross-Country" race over 45 sims on the Second Life mainland. But there were plenty of others that day, from DJ marathons, to fencing competitions, to Jail and Bails, and more.

Read more in People.

Bruce Boxleitner to be Interviewed on Krypton Radio

Krypton Radio, which broadcasts in the Steelhead Estates and other places in Second Life, as well as outside the Grid, will be having a guest known to science fiction fans on one of it's shows. This Saturday on "The Event Horizon" radio show, Bruce Boxleitner of Babylon 5 and Tron fame will made a guest appearance. Boxleitner has a new show in development, Lantern City, a Steampunk series.

Fuzzball Ortega, who is known on Krypton Radio as personality Gary DaBaum, felt that Second Life's large population of steampunk fans, would take great interest about this week's topic.

The Event Horizon airs every Satruday night at 9:00 PM SLT. It is a panel discussion show with writers, artists, filmmakers and others in the science fiction, fantasy, comic book and gaming world.

One can listen in at Krypton Radio here: http://listento.kryptonradio.com:8000 .

For more information on Lantern City, click here: http://www.lanterncitytv.com/ . One can also watch this trailer on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TzTT_gYMyw .

Reader Submitted: Trader Whiplash's "Bid Me Bald"

Trader Whiplash of T1 Radio and the "Relay Rockers" Relay For Life team sat through his "Bid Me Bald" Event on Wednesday March 27th. While the total amount raised for the haircut is unknown, it is known Trader "will be bald until April." So at least 25,000 Lindens were raised, as the rules were it would take 5000L to make Trader bald for a day.

"Bid Me Bald" has become something of a tradition of the Relay For Life in Second Life, inspiring spinoff events such as "Bid Me Furry" or "Bid Me Human" for furred Relayers. But Trader always goes through the first one his group holds every year.

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Exploring eLab City

Grey Lupindo recently heard about eLab City. The location had been created as the setting for a university research project about human behavior in virtual worlds. The project has been over for some time. But the place is still an interesting one to explore, and our intrepid reporter looked to see what there was around.

Read Grey's article in Places.

Deesha Romance and Relaxation Area

Second Life Newser recently found out about a place with an unusual combination of elements: science-fiction and romance. Deesha was set up to be a place for people to relax and enjoy the sights, and offers some surprises to visitors. It offers enough to get some couples returning again and again.

Read more in Design.

SL Video: "MASH 4077th Site in Second Life"

"Radicals for Life invites you to come and tour the MASH 4077.  Has been painstakingly recreated for RFL.  Come see the place where Hawked, Colonel Blake and Radar spent their time for 11 years.  In approximately 3 weeks the whole MASH build will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.  All funds will go to Relay.  So if you're a MASH fan and want to visit the set, please stop by.  Watch for other events to happen on this site."

Hawk's Pride , Seaside Treasure Estates (94, 15, 2006)

This Week in Second Life March 26 to April 1

March comes to a close this week, ending with Easter Sunday. So be on the lookout for Easter-related events, such as Easter in London, Easter Town, and Bunny Night at Club Zero Gravity. Look for churches to have special Easter events. There's also the Buddy Walk and the DJ Olympic Award. And there's our regularly scheduled races, book and poetry readings, live and DJ music events, races, and talk shows.

Read more in Events this Week.

The 2013 Buddy Walk

While the Relay For Life is taking place, there is one other fundraiser going on at the moment, The Fifth Annual Buddy Walk. Begun in real life to raise awareness for Down Syndrome, the event came to Second Life five years ago. This year's walk is also known as the Buddy Walk Fair and Expo, covering more days and events, and a designer's fair with clothes up for sale for charity. While there, Second Life Newser ran into organizer Lillu Juno, and had a few words with her.

Read more in Events.

"The SL10B Community Event Is Coming"

Yesterday on Monday March 25th, the website for Second Life' 10th Birthday celebrations, also known as the SL10B, was announced. The website listed banners, dates, and this year's theme: "Looking Forward, Looking Back."

It’s that time of year when we celebrate the anniversary of Second Life – and this year, the tenth anniversary of the founding of Second Life, will be very special. This year we will have 20 sims for builds and stages and fun and freebies, and we invite you to be part of the festivities. Many of your classic favourites will be back. There will be a cake. There will be a main stage, and other stage venues. There will be gifts to take away – which may well include a (non-Linden) souvenir bear. There will be an auditorium for talks and presentations. And finally, there will be a time capsule into which you can put your past year’s best creations.

Applications for volunteers,  performers, and exhibitors are accepted from April 15-May 20th. The event officially begins on June 16th and the events go on to June 23rd, with the sims remaining open to June 29th.

The staff for SL10B includes KT Syakumi, Doctor Gascoinge, Saffia Widdershins, Marianne McCann, and Crap Mariner.



For the SL10B website, Click Here: http://sl10b.com/

The First Sims: Da Boom

With the tenth anniversary of Second Life a few months away, DrFran Babcock was interested in what had become of the first places on the Grid. The first of the firsts she wrote about was the place the late Lalo Telling called, "The Orgin Point - The Anchor of the Grid" of the early Second Life: Da Boom. DrFran takes a look at the nearly decade-old sim, and what it has to offer visitors.

Read more in Places.

Reading of 100 Word Stories at Book Island

Last week, Grease Coakes wrote about a discussion about Book Island. During the weekend, he made another trip over. This time it was for their reading of "100 Word Stories." So what kind of story could be told from just 100 words? Grease put his pen to the test to find out.

Read more in People.

Reader Submitted: The Cross-Country Snail Race

On Saturday March 23, 2013 was the first of RacerX Gullwing's cross-country Giant Snail Races this year. Keeping up with the racers in the lag can be a challenge at times, and yours truly lost track of the races entirely on this 45 sim track. Fortunetly Jasmine Shuftan was able to get a couple pictures (up later), and Bain Finch was able to get to the Finish Line for this picture of the winners. The race was won by Alden Cortes.

Congratulations.

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

The Burnal Equinox Opens

The Burnal Equinox opened at 12 noon SL time with a gathering of burners and visitors at the entrance to parade to the center camp. 

The lamplighters led us from the entrance all around the sim lighting as they went, and drumming and dancing all the way. All the crowd followed right along dancing and enjoying it all the way to the center camp roof where the parties will be held until Sunday night! 

There are some amazing creative  builds here on the playa . Take a walk around to see them all. There will be parties with great DJs most of the time so don’t miss them. 

When you enter you will find some freebie folders near the gate . Be sure to stop and pick them up . There is fire in them.... wear it!. There is also a sinking ship that you will see in your travels that also has freebies in it. That ship will burn! 

See you on the playa! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/69/39/24

Gemma Cleanslate

SL Video: "Duran Duran - Electric Barbarella Party"

By "Jjccccc"

"Filmed at Tion at the Duran Duran Sim Second Life
Music by Duran Duran - Electric Barbarella"

Shockwave's Alien Egg Hunt Maze

Grease Coakes recently stopped by Shocky's Lair near the SL Newser office to take a look at what's become an unusual Easter tradition in the Sunweaver Estates: the "Alien Egg Hunt." The object is to get through the maze while blasting as many targets as you can. But careful, as the targets are also hunting you.

Read Grease's story in Places.

Giant Snail Cross-Country Snail Race Tomorrow

On Saturday March 23 at 11AM SL time, the first of this year's Giant Snail Cross-Country Races will take place on the mainland area officially known as Sansaria, starting in the Abitibi sim at (50, 167, 2). The races are organized and run by RacerX Gullwing and his team. He estimated the racetrack covers about 45 sims.

On the Snail Race's Facebook page, RacerX wrote, that the race was set up "to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Every penny collected goes to them. ... We'd like everyone to pay 1,000 L, but if that's not in your budget then give what you can. All are welcome. The more (who come), the crazier it gets."

"Were going to have a lot of fun trying to get as many giant snails as we can to run the race. (There are) no starting position scarfs this year. Just put your money in the kiosk here." He invited people to get a free giant snail avatar, personalize it, and then show up at the race, "It will be laggy at first, (and) many will crash. But just relog and try to pick up from where you left off. There is a hud you can wear that will roughly tell you where you are, and it (should) tell you if you get off the path."

RacerX wrote there will be four or five of these marathon races this year, no more than once a month, starting at different places across the Second Life mainland.

 11AM Abitibi (50, 167, 2)

SL Enquirer: The SL Enquirer's Easter Egg Decorating Contest

Easter is just around the corner! What better way to celebrate with The SL Enquirer than decorating some Easter Eggs for a grand display at our media center. 

Contest Begins March 21 and ends on March 31st by Midnight PDT.


Read more Here.

Relay For Life "Skunk Aid"

On Sunday March 17th, there was a "Skunk Aid" event. Aimed at the Relay Rockers team, there were people from a number of Relay For Life teams in a fun-filled event full of jokes and skunk-related wear.

Read more in People.

A New Newspaper Vendor

Second Life Newser recently received a gift from Tolsen Decycla: a new newspaper vendor. Feel free to ask one of the Newser staff for one. Or if you run into Tolsen at Icewater Vilage while fishing, be sure to say hello.

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Kelly Yap's Art Show

Grease Coakes was recently invited to play the music for an art show event by Kelly Yap. Before the party, he got a good look at the exhibitions, with works from Second Life artists such as Trill Zapatero and Tani Thor. There was quite a bit to see, including one of the artists coming by.

Read Grease's story in Design.

Press Release: Burnal Equinox at the Virtual Playa

On Burnal Equinox, the mid-time of our burning year, we propose a celebration of the transition of seasons. Come home to the playa. Choose the season and the reason, as we are in a time of shifting and of metamorphosis.

BURN2 opens this annual event at noon SLT on Friday, March 22, with the Lamplighters procession leading the BurningMan 2.0 community around the Playa and on to Center Camp. Three days of celebration will culminate in a special BURN of a PIRATE SHIP! We’ve also got a great lineup of DJs to get your feet on FIYAH!

The Playa will OPEN to the public at NOON on FRIDAY, March 22nd, at the following location:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/67/47/24

It will be a joyful, music-filled, passionately flaming weekend – come HOME and CELEBRATE the transitions of life in true Burning spirit! Join the rest of the virtual Burning Man community, join the processions, parades and parties, view some AMAZING artist builds and drum and sing and DANCE!
http://burn2.org/

QuickTips: "Meeting and Making Friends"

The next in the series of "QuickTips" videos from Linden Lab about Second Life, "Meeting and Making Friends."

Second Life is a fun and social space, so meeting and making friends is easier when you understand the basic controls and options for chat. Learn about the text and voice chat features that can help you meet and make friends in Second Life in our latest QuickTips video tutorial.

Events This Week in Second Life March 19 to March 24

It's a week full of events in Second Life. There are a number of Relay events this Week, such as the Relay Rockers "Bid Me Bald" and the "Cross-Country Giant Snail Race." Also going on is the "Buddy Walk" for Down Syndrome. For religious groups, this Sunday is Palm Sunday. And of course there are the regularly scheduled DJ and live music events, book and poetry readings, talk shows, and discussions.

Read more in Events this Week.

Press Release: Sixth Annual Relay Rockers "Bid Me Bald"

Its Back Again - For the SIXTH Year!

Bid Me Bald - The Relay Rockers Signature Fundraising event in support of the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life of Second Life, returns for a 6th year!   The event which pairs Relay Volunteers with a Barber Chair and a Pair of Scissors has been a mainstay event for the Rockers since 2007 and has been used by other teams across Relay For Life of Second Life.

In 2007 when Relay Rocker's co-founder Trader Whiplash was undergoing Chemotherapy for leukemia the Rockers offered to shave their heads in SL in support of him.  Instead the team decided to make it a fundraiser and to support and honor EVERY survivor who has borne the side effects of cancer treatments.  Volunteers make an appointment with the Rockers Barbershop and place a special kiosk out.  For each L$5000 raises they agree to go bald for 1 full day. Totals are rounded up and the average donation is about L$25,000. 

As always the first haircut of the season goes to Trader and he will be placing his kiosk out at Arinulta Beach this wednesday, March 20 and has an appointment for March 27th!

( http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Arinultra%20Cay/182/26/24 )


Please join the Rockers as we Celebrate survivorship and honor all survivors and participate in Bid Me Bald!
                     ******************************************
Bid Me Bald Dedication:

Bid Me Bald recognizes, with honor and respect,  those for whom the choice was made, not by themselves, but by Chemo and other cancer treatments. 

We have the choice and we choose to sacrifice our hair to honor these Survivors and to help the American Cancer Society find ways to fight cancer, support survivors and their caregivers and help us all celebrate more birthdays.

   Thank you!
  
   On Behalf of the Relay Rockers
   -  Nuala Maracas, Capt.
   -  Trader Whiplash, Capt
   -  Ariel Goldrozen, Co-Capt
   -  Arizona Ballinger, Co-Capt
  
For More Information or to become a Bid Me Bald participant contact
Melodie Jigsaw,  Bid Me Bald Coordinator

SL Video: "Relay For Life of Second Life - What If?"

From Relay leader Stingray Raymaker, "What if there was a virtual world that you could use to make a difference in the real world? relayforlife.org/secondlife"

Happy Birthday Kryxia

Kryxia Silverfall is a tall, mild-mannered vixen whom can be seen at the Happy Vixen on weekends and occasionally at Club Zero Gravity. Besides DJing, she's been helping out a little behind the scenes at the FCA club alliance. Sunday marked her birthday, and friends of hers arranged for a surprise party with an underlying St. Patrick's theme at Nydia Tungsten's "Angel One" station. DJ Megatheron provided the tunes.

Happy Birthday Kryxia.

Book Island Discussion

Grease Coakes recently took a trip to Book Island. Book Island is a sim about writing and writers. Over there, there were two discussions that day about fiction and writing. So what does on at these discussions? Grease had a few observations.

Read Grease's story in Events.

Eye on the Blog - "Advertising on Second Life Web Properties"

Lately there's been something new on the secondlife.com page, advertisements. Linden Labs has been tacking ad banners to the top and right margins. While one is a  banner for it's new "Versu" interactive fiction player, others have nothing to do with Linden Lab, such as websites to check for felony records. The Lab states they're "taking care" to make sure no banners from porn or similarly objectionable websites come up.

What might get the attention of Second Life users is that the Lab plans to add banners for Second LIfe goods from inworld sellers.


These ads are a great opportunity for advertisers to reach the large, global audience that visits the Second Life web properties every day, and we want to extend that opportunity to Second Life merchants as soon as we can. For Merchants, advertising on the Second Life web properties will be a new way to get their offerings in front of potential customers, while at the same time making the ads extremely relevant to every Second Life user who sees them. We have some work to do before we can make the ads purchasable by Second Life business owners, and it’s too soon to say precisely when we’ll be able to, but we wanted to let you all in on this plan early on.




Such a move would be a win-win situation for Linden Labs as not only do they have an additional source of revenue, but merchants using the ad space stand to gain as well from the advertising. And of course ads for SL content are probably going to be less pestering than bail bond services.

For the blog post, Click Here.

Press Release: 5th Annual SL Buddy Walk Charity Fair and Expo - March 17-31, 2013

The SL Buddy Walk was created to celebrate the World Down Syndrome Day in Second Life. Many of your favorite SL entertainers and store brands will be taking part to promote and raise money for Down Syndrome awareness. The Buddy Walk was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. Please see our website for more information!


Relaxation(133, 104, 28 )

The Buddy Walk was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. It is also the world's most widely recognized public awareness program for the Down syndrome community. Last year in RL there were over 295 Buddy Walks world wide.

The Second Life Buddy Walk is done in conjunction with the NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society) and takes place around World Down Syndrome Day.

Contact Lilly Juno for more information.

Source: SL Enquirer

Happy St. Patricks Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

QuickTips - "Getting Help"

The next in Linden Lab's "QuickTips" videos, how to get help for bugs and similar issues.

Second Life is fun — but sometimes you might encounter a problem inworld.

Need help with your land? Have a billing question? We want to help you make the most of your Second Life. This week’s QuickTips video tutorial walks you through the many support options available to both basic and premium Second Life users.

Learn more about our Knowledge Base and Support Portal, as well as Abuse Report options and more.

"Pie Day" at the Happy Vixen

On March 14, some people showed up a little early at the Happy Vixen beach club. So with no party yet, and considering the date was 3.14 or "Pi(e) Day," pastries were ordered. And it wasn't long before someone tossed one at another, and then the deserts started flying.

With the water nearby to wash anyone, it was a fun day for all except possibly for the janitor.

"Happy Pie Day."

SL Video: "Grease Coakes at the Heart of Gold"

While DJing at the Heart of Gold, Grease made this video of the music event, getting a good view of the space phoenix club.

Tribute City

Gemma Cleanslate recently took a look at a relatively new place in Second Life, Tribute City. Located in WW2 Tribute, the sim in the past was the location of the Flying Tigers and air combat. Today, the Tigers have moved on. But the sim has taken on new life in the form of fishing spots, four clubs for partying, newcomer freebie and help, and much more.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

Ask DrFran: Lonely; Not Alone

In her column today, DrFran get's a letter from a reader with a problem. He and his girl were busy doing things together on the Grid. Now with her having gotten a job inworld, he's feeling a bit alone and unsure what to do when she's not around. What to do? DrFran has a few answers.

Read DrFran's column in People.

Holiday Decor at the Corner

 Here come two holidays in a row. Saint Patrick ‘s day on March 17 and Easter on March 31. If you need decorations it is time to get over to the Corner of Revolving Time. In the yard you will find some great decorations all for free as usual. 
There are flowers in vases, Flower arches, tables, cakes and gifts, teddy bears and flags. 

Pink and Zain have also put out some swings and picnic benches for you to grab. I also found some nice spring trees and flowers for the roof. I also noticed a cute new beach area where you can hang out next to the water slide. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ophelia/34/218/22 . 

Don’t waste time before you go over. St Pat’s day is almost here and you will want the pot at the end of the rainbow and the huge shamrock hat for that day. All these items are at the best price you can find in SL, FREE.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ophelia/193/192/22

 

Gemma Cleanslate