Breaking News: Linden Lab Cancels Basic Account Group Limit Cut

On Wednesday, Linden Lab announced that in addition to their Premium account price hikes and increasing the fees to cash out Linden dollars, they were cutting back the number of groups residents with basic accounts could have. The residents reacted quite negatively, more than a few calling the Lindens saying that more groups per resident was taxing the system either highly exaggerated, or outright false. Finally, the Lab partially relented. Less than two hours ago on the official blogs, the Lab announced that due to the "strong and convincing feedback from many in our community," they were cancelling the cuts for basic account group limits.

... many Residents have shared how they rely heavily on Groups to stay informed about new product releases as Merchants use this feature to regularly communicate news and updates to their customers, and how much Groups are used for keeping communities active.

We hear your concerns and, as a result, Group Membership limits for Basic Residents will NOT be reduced as part of our Premium Membership changes rolling out on June 24.

The other parts of the May 29 announcement, notably the Premium account price increases and the cashing out fees doubling, remain the same.

A Look At A Linden Houseboat

The new Linden Homes have been all the rage in Second Life. This is especially true of the houseboats of which when 709 new ones were released for Premium residents to get, they were all occupied in less than half an hour. So just what is the fuss about? Among those who have the houseboats is the Newser's own Gemma Cleanslate. She recently wrote about her new home.

Read Gemma's story in Design.

Join The Newser Crew For Their 9th Anniversary Party

It was nine years ago that the Second Life Newser came to be. And to celebrate our anniversary, we're throwing a party.

The Newser crew is inviting it's friends and readers to the Happy Vixen, the beach club of the Sunweaver/Angel community that has been the location of our main office building since our beginnings. We will have three hours of music and dancing from DJ Grease and DJ Snowbuns.

The Happy Vixen is taking part in the Relay for Life Club Crawl (details here), so instead of tips for the DJs, people are invited to make donations to the two Relay kiosks at the club.

The fun will be tomorrow, Saturday June 1, at 12 Noon SL time.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Purrfection%20Estates/236/219/24

Grumpity Linden Tries to Explain The Price Increases, Group Limit Cuts

The news of Linden Lab's Premium account price hikes, basic account group limit cuts, and cashing out fee increases on Wednesday May 29 got quite a number of reactions from the residents. In the early morning of Thursday May 30, Grumpity Linden decided to start a thread on the official forums, "A Brief Note On Pricing Changes," to explain why the Lab made these decisions.


Of why the Premium account prices were rising:

We looked. We hadn’t raised premium prices in the history of premium prices in SL. Crazy! A lot of value has been added to premium over the last few years (new Linden Homes, double tier, reduced mainland prices, premium access, more offline IMs, more transaction history, more groups, more animesh, experiences, and yet more to come) and we are raising prices to reflect that. 

Of why they were lowering the group limit of basic account members:

We’re not lowering limits out of spite, groups really are quite a strain on our back end for a variety of painful historical reasons, including overloading group functionality instead of having other tools.  This subject alone is worth a novel liberally sprinkled with tears. So anyway, we don’t hate basic users, and in fact we work hard to retain our free-to-play offering as one of the most generous across many industries. But yes, no big surprise, we do want to nudge active residents to become subscribers, because we think it’s a great value, and - as many have noted - we’re also running a business. 

But no, we're not shutting our doors to non-premium residents. Rumors of our insanity and villainy have been slightly exaggerated.  

Of the credit processing fee hike:

Fees to process credit are going up, effective June 24.  L$ buy fees are not. Yes, this is another step in rebalancing the economy.  It’s also the right step, because the regulatory climate has evolved dramatically since SL first started out, and in order to continue to offer a platform for creators to actually make money, we have a lot of ongoing work to keep up with those regulations. Compliance is generally no fun (shh don’t tell our compliance people I said so - they’re wonderful and actually think it’s fun!) but it keeps all of us in business and the bad guys out. If we weren't doing this work, we would literally have to stop offering the ability to process credit.

Grumpity would go further to explain why the Lab felt these moves were necessary:

We’re making lasting investments into SL in infrastructure, features, and content.  While we set aside some special morsels only for premium members, the work we are doing benefits everyone - region crossings, attachment reliability, marketplace improvements, inventory stability, land auctions - are just a few examples.  No one project will please all of our residents, but we make an effort to address the needs of all communities in turn. We can’t get everything done immediately, but we’re focused and determined to keep SL successful and evolving. It’s a unique and thriving world we work hard to support.

Look, this is obviously a bitter pill.  We can't keep slashing land prices at the rate we did last year.  We can’t raise other prices and yet keep everyone happy.  But we sincerely believe this is the best path forward - and hope you will come around too.  

P.S. we haven't given up on Last Names either. 

Grumpity did get credit from some residents for her willingness to come forward and speak, but few were convinced, content creators and merchants saying the Lab was making it very hard for them to do business inworld. Jo Yardley suggested if the cashing out fees kept going up, some residents might start dealing directly with each other via Paypal than use Linden dollars.

The debate is almost certainly to go on for quite some time. Readers are invited to made comments and send reader submissions. How will these price hikes and group limit cuts affect you?

Bixyl Shuftan

CDS Swearing In Ceremonies

On Wednesday May 29, the winners of the elections earlier this month in the Confederation of Democratic Simulators were sworn in. The ceremony took place at the Praetorium of Colonia Nova at 1PM.

"The affirmation of office is a public declaration that in the office to which you have been duly elected," told the members of the 31st Representative Assembly, "you will solemnly affirm to uphold the Constitution of the CDS and take the duties of the RA seriously. So please if you would, insert your own name into the RA affirmation and read the text into the local chat:

"I,  .... , having been elected as a Member of the Representative Assembly of the Confederation of Democratic Simulators, do solemnly affirm that I will faithfully discharge my duties as such to the best of my ability, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Confederation of Democratic Simulators, and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Confederation of Democratic Simulators."

Each of the RA members gave their oath, including MadmaxSoulLover Resident. the freshman."Thank you everyone," he told the people, "I am truly honored." "Yay! I'm no longer the newest newbie!" commented Lyubov, " Boy we have work for you Max!" Han Held, a former Chancellor, commented, "I'm excited to see our government filled with 'new blood'; this is awesome!"

Chancellor Kyoko Furse-Barzane (Samara Barzane)'s reelection was a formality as she was unopposed, but reaffirmed her oath to office at the ceremony.

The Inaugural Ball will be on the weekend after next, on Saturday June 8.

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab Raising Price of Premium Accounts, Reducing Group Capacity in Basic Accounts

Yesterday on Wednesday May 29, Linden Lab announced "Land Price Reductions, New Premium Perks, and Pricing Changes." But it's the "Pricing Changes" that are getting most of the attention plus The "Premium and Basic Account Changes."

The Lab announced "the difficult decision to make our first Premium price increase in over a decade." Their monthly rate was going up by over 25% from $9.50 USD a month to $11.99. Their quarterly rate was going up by almost 50% from $22.50 every three months to $32.97. And their yearly rate was going up by almost 40% from $72 a year to $99.

The Lab did say on June 3 they would be offering a "limited time offer" until June 24 for Premium account residents to renew at the old rate for one more cycle, including for those being billed monthly to switch to quarterly or annually and for those billed monthly to go quarterly. For basic accounts going Premium, being billed quarterly would no longer be an option. That option would remain only for existing Premium accounts.

Linden Lab was also increasing the credit processing fee for selling Linden dollars to Paypal and Skrill accounts from 2.5% per transaction to 5% (with a minimum fee of $3). In Nov 2017, it was raised from 1.5% to 2.5%. The Lab gave "increased regulatory and compliance costs" as the reason.

The good news for Premium account residents, Linden Lab announced that effective June 24, their group limit would rise from 60 to 70. The number of stored offline IMs would rise from 50 to 80. Unfortunately, Basic account residents would be taking a hit. Their group limit would be cut from 42 to 35, and their stored offline IMs would go down from 25 to 15.

This is the first time that group capacity for residents has been trimmed back. In October 2010, the limit for all accounts was raised from 25 to 40. In January 2011 it was raised to 42. In June 2015, it was raised to 60 for Premium residents, with regular ones still having a limit at 42.

The best news was for landowners. Linden Lab announced that the tier for full sims was going down again, effective June 3. For most, it would be from $249 USD to $229. The rate for grandfathered, or "bought-down", sims was also being cut, from $195 USD to $179. The $30 fee to add to the prim limit was unchanged.

The residents were quick to react, numerous comments in two threads in the Discussion Forums, "$99 Problems," and "What Are Your Opinions ..." There's also one in VR Universe. Needless to say, there were many expressing disappointment and anger, with accusations the Lab was acting out of greed.

For the blog post in full, Click Here.

Announcement: RFL Club Crawl Tomorrow

We are thrilled to announce our 3rd Annual Club Crawl Competition sponsored by Harmony of Hope. We have great clubs involved in this Relay For Life competition.  Clubs will have RFL events at the times listed below.  Events are held Friday, May 31 6 pm - Sunday, June 2 6 pm. At 6 pm, Sunday, the club with the highest amount of donations to The American Cancer Society showing in their kiosk will be announced the 2019 Club Crawl Champ.  The winning Club will receive a trophy for display at their club as well as social media announcement.  Please Join us and support these clubs as they volunteer their staff and time to support Relay!

                    Participating Club Landmarks
Bonanza Country Club : Saphire (213/198/22)
Club Cutlass : Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757).
The Club : Yes (67/80/23)
Wildcat Country Club : Wildcat Country (167/208/23)
Gathering Oak Club : Sunny Beach (182/136/22)
Dumpster Dive : Copacabana Beach (178/207/3001)
The Happy Vixen Beach Club : Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24)   
Zero Gravity : Sunweaver Space (129, 249, 3597)      
             
                     Schedule of Events
FRIDAY:
Bonanza Country Club    6 - 8 pm
Club Cutlass                   6 - 8 pm
The Club                        6 - 10 pm
Zero Gravity                  8 - 10 pm
Wildcat Country Club      6 - 12 am

SATURDAY

Wildcat Country Club     All day
The Happy Vixen           Noon - 6 pm 
Gathering Oak Club       4 - 6 pm
Bonanza Country Club   6 - 8 pm
Club Cutlass                  6 - 8 pm 
The Club                       4 - 10 pm 
 
SUNDAY EVENTS
Wildcat Country Club     All day to 6 pm
The Dumpster Dive       Noon - 6 pm   
Happy Vixen                 3 - 6 pm
The Club                       4 - 6 pm
Gathering Oak Club      4 - 6 pm 


Harmony of Hope team members will be hopping throughout the weekend...JOIN US!
Questions contact Cathy10 Longoria and/or Random Padar

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Linden Homes houseboat area

By Bixyl Shuftan

The Raglan Shire Tiny Poetry Slam

Raglan Shire is having it's ArtWalk this month. But that's not the only thing going on with Second Life's most noted group of tinies. Every Monday, the community lands host a "Tiny Poetry Slam." What is a Tiny Poetry Slam? Marcel Mosswood went to one, then talked to one of it's hosts, Copper Mistral, to find out more.


Read Marcel's story in Events.

Announcement: Swearing In at The CDS Praetorium

Today, Wednesday May 29, at 1PM SL time is the swearing in of the CDS Representative Assembly and the Chancellor of the 31th term. The event takes place in the Praetorium of Colonia Nova.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Colonia%20Nova/18/164/40

Announcement: "Fundraiser for Robert" Today

Please keep Robert (RcknRobert Resident) in your prayers and well wishes. he was on his way to work Friday am, when he was hit by a car. he is badly messed up. most of his injuries will heal some better than others. he did have three disc fused in his neck. and may have a couple more surgeries ahead. it  will take a while for some of injuries to heal.  he does keep us updated. and his spirits are good , he is laughing, and saying most of the nurses are treating him well.  and he is hoping to get a private room and his laptop soon. so he can rejoin us friends. if he does happen to show up during our funraiser we will make it a welcome back home to sl party too. he does not know of the fund raiser or welcome back party. hope to see you.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/River/201/69/22
(Adult-rated sim)

Relay Sims Appear on Map

With the Re;ay Weekend taking place earlier this year than usual, this means the area for the event goes up early. So checking the map, I noticed around the American Cancer Society were the sims for the Relay track. Numbering about a few dozen, they're mixed in with the sims of the recent Sci-fi Con, which just ended, and most are still just green fields.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs, Lyuba's Game and Dance Center, and Furry Fashion's Furscape

Club Cutlass: Best in 'T,' Uniforms, Silk Outfits

The Happy Vixen: Best in Green, Disney, TBA, Crazy, Asian, Newser Anniversary Party, Demos, Bunnies and Mice, Dark, Rave for Relay

Club Zero Gravity: DJ Snowbuns,  DJ Perri, The Blues Furs

Montecito Bay: Swimsuit, Surf n Turf, National Smile Day, Creepy n Cute, Breakin, Robots and Cyborgs, Rave

FF Furscape: CAYA, Rainbow, Creepy vs Cute, Pajamas, Purple, Space, Tails, Late Night, Pokemon, Steampunk, Black and White

Lyuba's Game and Dance Center: Apocalypse to Thunderdome, Monday Blues

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'. 

Memorial Day

Have an honored Memorial Day, from the crew of the Second Life Newser

Anthropomorphic Influences

It's well known that fans of anthropomorphic characters, aka "Furries" have been a part of Second Life about since it started. But they're also a part of many games. "World of Warcraft," the old powerhouse of MMOs, had a few anthro races. "Skyrim" has two. And more. Mods of popular games allow you more options at playing a nonhuman character. Nydia Tungsten recently had a few things to say about the issue.

Read Nydia's story in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

SL16B Sims Open to Exhibitors

Yesterday, Sunday May 26, the sims of the Second Life Birthday were open to exhibitors. The Newser, and other people applying to have exhibits at the grounds of the event celebrating Second Life's anniversary got notecards notifying them they had been accepted.

Hello and welcome to Second Life’s 16th birthday celebrations! We are thrilled to have you joining us this year! It is hard to believe that 16 years have passed since Linden Lab first opened the doors to this wonderful adventure we call Second Life. We are excited to have you bringing your building skills and creative vision to the party. This year to memorialize Second Life’s “Sweet Sixteen” we are going all out with a rock-around-the-clock extravaganza. So pull out the poodle skirts and the leather jackets and meet us for a ice cream soda at the diner because this year we are going “back to the future” and partying 1950s style.

People were asked to contact one of three moles to get invited into the Exhibitors group, and to get their plot for their build. As people were asked to mark plots with something to tell others they got it, The Newser quite literally threw it's hat into the ring, or rather our fedora.

And what will be the building of the Newser's that reflects both the 1950s and Second Life's vision? Well, you'll see. We'll show you a couple sneak peeks between now and then though.

Stay tuned.

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: Memorial Day USO Show at Veterans Isle Tonight

MEMORIAL DAY USO SHOW - OUTSIDERS @ US Military Veterans Center, Veterans Isle. Presented by Paul Woodrunner and the Outsiders

Mon. May 27th, 6PM SLT.
OUTSIDERS DANCE TROUPE Honors our Fallen Heroes @ BOB HOPE THEATER
HONORING Freedom and the American Way through powerful dance, music and its many moods! Hope to see you.

Supporting Homes for our Troops, HFOT kiosks on either side of stage.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Veterans%20Isle/144/40/769

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Bay City Anniversary

By Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life Birthday Sims Update

With the Second Life Birthday less than a month away, the sims have appeared on the map and are taking shape. There are some interesting details such as the heart-shaped lake in the middle, and the piers in SL16B Stunning in the southeast corner.

When the sims will be open to exhibitors has yet to be announced, though people have been given until Friday May 31 to apply to be one. The SL16B is scheduled to last from June 20 to July 8.

Scenes From Bay City's Anniversary

On Sunday May 19, Bay City celebrated it's 11 anniversary. The event was marked by the Grid's largest annual parade, followed by a music and dance event at the Fairgrounds. The Newser was there, and got some pictures.

See the story in Events.

Announcement: May Roma Festival, Bona Dea and Mercuralia

This weekend we celebrate Bona Dea, honouring the Goddess Fauna; and Mercuralia, honouring Mercurius, God of Commerce.  Hope to see you Saturday morning!

* *

Saturday, 25th May

10am - Bona Dea Ritual and Maypole Dance
Our festivals begin with a ritual for Bona Dea, "The Good Goddess" - Also known as Fauna, She is the daughter of Faunus, and a goddess of virginity, fertility, and healing. Bona Dea's rites included only women - even paintings or drawings of men or male animals were forbidden - but in our ROMA, the menfolk are welcome to Her rites. After the rite, we will have a traditional maypole dance, music, and picnicking!
The Temple of the Five
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Insula/24/52/26


12pm - Faunalia Fishing Contest
As Flora is a Goddess of green, growing things, so Fauna is a goddess of all who sport fur, feathers, or... scales! Come try your luck in the Faunalia Fishing Contest - catch and collect beautiful pets and have a chance at winning prizes - using the 7Seas Fishing system,  1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners receive cash prizes.
Roma Fishing
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/129/9/22


All Saturday and Sunday
Sponsored by the C.D.S., in honour of Bona Dea
An art show of women artists from the personal collection of Chancellor Kyoko Furse-Barzane , nestled into the heart of Roma, and consisting of both 'flat' pieces and sculptures.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ROMA/176/73/26
Torin Plaza


*****************************************************

Sunday, 26st May

11am -  Mercuralia Ritual and Treasure Hunt
Mercury isn't just the herald of the Gods - He's also the patron of merchants and commerce! So this Mercuralia, we will be honouring Him with a ritual on the roof of Trajan's Market! After the ritual, there will be Mercury's Treasure Hunt - Mercury has dropped His parcels and most of His money while flying home to Olympus! The pouches are now scattered throughout ROMA!  Can you help Him find them? But watch out - each pouch will give out only one prize, and then it will disappear. So you will have to be swift to find these elusive pouches before anyone else does!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ROMA/184/42/26
Roma Plaza


12pm - The Mercury and Fauna Grand Feast
Our Festival winds down with the Mercury & Fauna Grand Feast - come celebrate the return of Spring with us! Dancing, good conversation, curated music and a delicious feast.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/200/195/30
Field of Mars


1pm - Legio XIII's Vinovium Messenger Race
In honor of Mercurius, racers must help soldiers pass messages of vital importance to the defence of Roma!  All can participate - cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd; a Legionary winner will also get a medal.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ROMA%20Transtiberim/18/177/42
Legio XIII, Fort Western Gate

SL Video: Raglan Shire Artwalk 2019

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Nitwacket on May 19, "Keeba Tammas and the Tiny Maniacs opening the 14th Annual Raglan Shire Artwalk - open through June 16th"

Palmwood City

Many residents of Second Life came of age in the 1980s. Just as many of those in previous generations look fondly at the style of things at the time of their youth, many in this one look back to  the "neon-vibe aesthetic" of buildings. One community in Second Life got it start from one man seeking to build a place using that style : Palmwood City. Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident), the Newser's newest reporter, talked to the founder Jimmy Talon about the beginnings of the area, and what it offers now.

Read Cyfir's story in Places.

Applications Being Accepted For SL16B Live Music Faire Auditions

On Wednesday May 22, Linden Lab announced it was taking applications for the live music event for Second Life's sixteenth anniversary, the "SL16B Live Music Faire."

In recent years we’ve taken the popular idea of music festivals and brought them into the virtual world - all the music, merriment, and good times without the sunburn. Last year marked the 4th Music Fest, and this year, things are going to be a little different! We do have a Music Faire that we’re very excited to announce! Like Music Fest, Music Faire is a way to enjoy a ton of live music within Second Life as part of the birthday celebrations.

 

We’re holding an audition showcase to highlight some of the musical talent in the Second Life community. Many of you have been performing for years in virtual venues all over the grid, and we’d love to have you come showcase your talent. All genres are welcome! From bands to solo acts, rock and roll to electronica - we encourage anyone to sign up for consideration.

Those wanting to sign up for auditions are asked to complete an application on the signup page (here) by Saturday June 1. "While we encourage everyone to sign up," Linden Lab stated, "it is not a commitment on your part and does not guarantee a spot at the auditions." Invitations to the auditions will be sent via notecard and/or email.

The dates and times of the auditions are as follows:

May 27, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
May 28, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
May 29, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
May 30, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
May 31, 2019 6 AM - 3 PM (SLT)
June 3, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
June 4, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
June 5, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
June 6, 2019 6 AM - 6 PM (SLT)
June 7, 2019 6 AM - 3 PM (SLT)
The location will be given "in a future blogpost." Every musician will have five minutes at most to play.

The Lab also stated it was extending Exhibitor and Performer applications to Friday May 31. Merchant applications for the shopping event will close a day later.

For the blog post in it's entirety, Click Here.

Image from inkie Pixelstyles.

Veterans Isle Fundraiser Nets Over 70,000 Lindens

On Sunday May 19, Veterans Isle was the scene of it's monthly benefit concert. A number of live musicians and one DJ performed for the crowd. The event was organized by guitarist Frets Nirvana to raise money for Homes For Our Troops, a charity that works to help wounded veterans keep roofs over their heads.

 This is the week where we should remember those who have sacrificed the ultimate for our country.  And we are kicking it off with our Homes For Our Troops benefit.  ...  Come on out and help those who sacrifice for our freedom …and enjoy a great night of music.

Following DJ Waya Snowpaw came performers Lazarus Doghouse, J Lively,Cryptic Harmony, and Franklee Anatra. As the musicians played, the crowd donated cash into the two house-shaped kiosks on either side of the stage.

At the end of the concert, a total of 70,475 had been raised.

Normally, Veterans Isle holds it's events on the last Sunday of every month. But as for May that would make it Memorial Day weekend, it was the Sunday before to allow fans to attend real-life events.

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

Press Release: A Very Successful RelayStock 2019 Concludes

CRFB Finals and Bid Lindens Bald Raise more than L$1 Million

The 6th Annual RelayStock multi-team Relay For Life event concluded Wednesday with a solo performance by  the Tiny Maniac Band and the 3rd annual Bid The Lindens Bald fundraiser. The annual event hosted by the Relay Rockers, and sponsored by X-City Games, gathers RFL of SL teams for a weekend of ‘Peace, Love, Music and Hope”. Teams are provided prepared VW van and tent sites set on a 1960’s style outdoor music festival venue. RelayStock is organized by Rockers’ co-captain Arizona Ballinger and this year hosted more than 30 teams, who came together to celebrate the RFL season. Teams were also provided the opportunity to host 90 minute segments on the RelayStock stage and raise funds in their own kiosks.

RelayStock also host two of the Relay Rocker’s signature fundraising events: the CRFB Top DJ Fundraising Competition and Bid The Lindens Bald.

The weekend, which kicked off on Friday May 17, hosted live performances by Wild Eagle Tribute Band with MrMiKie String, Austin Moores, Todd Rumsford and Keeba Tammas and the Tiny Maniacs and more that a dozen DJs.  On Sunday afternoon the Relay Rockers concluded their 2019 Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back Top DJ Competition crowning Tril MacLeod as the 2019 CRFB Top DJ.

The 3rd Annual Bid The Lindens Bald fundraiser at RelayStock.  Five teams of Linden Lab from different departments put their virtual hair on the auction block with the team raising the least going bald in Second Life for 30 days. Teams were made up of nearly 30 members from Concierge Support, Tier 1 Support, Customer Account Operations, Land Operations, and Support Management. On Wednesday afternoon SL residents, along with dozens of Lindens with their distinctive blue tags and text, got to watch Governor Linden shave the hair of the members of the Tier 1 Support team. They will be bald in Second Life for the next 30 days.  Overall the event helped raise L$429,000 ($1716) to support the American Cancer Society.

The fundraising was shared by 3 RFL teams, the Cure Chasers, Roos With A Dream and The River of Life.  Earlier in the week, the Relay Rockers reached their season goal of raising $15,000 and decided to retire their own kiosks in favor of helping these three teams.  Rockers Captain and former RFL of SL Chair “We couldn’t have done it without these three terrific teams supporting us.” Nuala Maracas explained. “The CRFB Top DJ competition drew competitors from across SecondLife, including DJs affiliated with the River ( DJ Landy ) and the Roos (DJ Kayla Flow). These 2 competitors raised nearly L$800,000 ($3200) towards the Rockers fundraising goals. The Roos and Sienna Thor of the Cure Chasers were a constant presence throughout the competition, during RelayStock and at many RFL team events all across SL. The River hosted several CRFB events at their own venue and while the Rockers will continue to fundraise until the end of the season, we decided to recognize these 3 teams by retiring our kiosks and dedicating our remaining fundraisers, such as the Twisted Hunt, to these 3 passionate and supportive teams.”

The CRFB competition kicked off on March 30th with 15 DJs. Each competitor presented a 1 hour set of music while their supporters ‘voted’ for them by donating to a special kiosk set up for them by the Relay Rockers. The preliminary round, which raised L$ 1,050,081 ($4200) eliminated all but the top 4 djs.  DJ Landy ( L$ 102,773) DJ Kayla Flow (L$ 121,523) DJ Tazzie Tuque (L$ 145,000) and DJ Tril (L$ 302,600) qualified for the semi final rounds. Landy and Tril outlasted their challengers and moved on to the Finals.

The finals were held on May 19th on the RelayStock stage. Both presenters turned out large numbers of supporters forcing organizers to raise the region limit in order to accomodate the crowd. Following a short rainstorm which provided lots of mud for attendees to dance in at the front of the stage, Landy began his 90 minutes. His kiosk quickly rose, ultimately topping out at L$186,000, bringing his 3 show total to L$504,773  ($2019). Tril followed and it was obvious she came prepared to win top honors. Donations to her kiosk passed the L$300,000 level quickly and after just 40 minutes stood at more than L$500,000. Her final total was an amazing L$575,100 bringing her 3 show totals to L$1,183,184 ($4732). Overall the 2019 CRFB Top Dj Competition provided L$2,518,618 ($10,075) to help the American Cancer Society Save Lives, Celebrate Lives and Lead the Fight for a World Without Cancer.

Awards to all participants followed with special appreciation awards presented to host venues Junkyard Blues, The River, Greased Lightning, and EZRyder/Motorworld.  The Rockers also presented appreciation awards to the Roos With A Dream, The River of Life, Cure Chasers, X-City Games and the Headhunters MC for their support.

The weekend concluded with Relay Rocker co-founder and T1Radio DJ Trader Whiplash playing music from Woodstock as Relayers danced in the mud and celebrated late into the evening.

The Rockers wish to thank Linden Lab, X-City Games, all of our CRFB Competitors and their supporters, They also want to thank the 100’s of Relayers and Second Life residents who turn out each year for 3 Days of Peace, Love, Music & Hope at RelayStock.

Peace

The Relay Rockers

Photos can be downloaded at

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nualamaracas/albums/72157680454717238/with/47088067904/ 

Chouchou Sim May Be Saved

The news about Chouchou about to close down drew quite a reaction among a number of residents. This included an appeal by Kira Balestra on the Second Life forums for Linden Lab to save the place. As it turned out, they were listening. Yesterday on May 22, Patch Linden posted the following on the forum thread:

Your calls have been heard! 
 
I need the region owner to contact me directly (via email or through support) to start the process of entering the region into the Second Life Region Preservation Society.  I have not seen contact from them so far.
So it seems the sim can be saved, but it will mean owners Juliet Heberle and Arabesque Choche contacting Linden Lab to do so. While the Lab had brought back the Lost Gardens of Apollo apparently without contacting it's owner, it took five years. Hopefully Linden Lab can get in touch with the musicians for a smooth handover.

Stay tuned for further details

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Happy Vixen

By Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: "RFL Party For The World" , Saturday and Sunday May 25-26

From 1PM Saturday May 25 to 1PM Sunday May 26, a 24 hour Relay for Life event will be taking place at the Kyral Threndor Yacht Club. Fifteen DJs will be taking part in the event. Besides the music and dance, some RFL swimwear is up for sale, only available at the event, and two sailboat skins are up for auction.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Absolution/90/165/29

Announcement: 15 Year Collection of RFL Linden Bears!! Get Yours!

The special 15 year commemorative collection of Linden Bears is now for sale in the Relay building.  If you've missed getting any of the bears in the past, you can now grab them individually, at the reasonable fee of only $L75 each OR you can just buy the entire collection.  Come and get yours!!

Remember.. every bear we sell goes towards our goal! Enjoy!

American Cancer Society (118,46,24)

Interview With Marcel Mosswood

In a few weeks, the Second Life Newser will be celebrating it's ninth anniversary. Last year, we gave the reporters a chance to speak a few words. Since then, we've had one more join the crew: the talented Marcel Mosswood. Her fellow reporter (and virtual neighbor) Deaflegacy recently interviewed her, and Marcel had a few things to say.

Read Deaflegacy's interview in Extra.

Miss Globe Universal Pageant, An Interview With The Chairman

To some, beauty pageants are old-fashioned reminders of a bygone era. Others see them as a chance for women to shine. In Second Life, every year there is the Miss Globe Universal Pageant. The pageant seeks to "empower women from all over the world, build the confidence they need in order to do their absolute best and help further build careers" and "challenges all women in every way and helps them discover new things during their journey's." Marcel Mosswood recently had a few words with its founder and Chairwoman, Rose Mikaelson (DjRoseAthena). Rose had a number of things to say about the upcoming event.

Read Marcel's interview in People.

Chouchou Sim Reportedly To Close

Some sad news. According to New World Notes, the Chouchou sim will reportedly be closing soon. Made by two Japanese musicians who named it after their band, they stated the sim would close this Friday or any day afterwards. The two musicians, vocalist Juliet Heberle and composer Arabesque Choche, had met in Second Life, and performed there in numerous events without having met each other in real life. But eventually the couple did meet for real, married, and have a child. While they have been expanding their audience over the Internet, they cut back on their performances in the virtual world.

The scenery of Chouchou, and it's sister sim Chouchou V, was artistically beautiful. When I arrived, all was night and everyone around were black silhouettes. The soft ambient music added to the atmosphere. Visiting later, night had turned to day, first a cloudy white sky, then a clearer blue one. Besides the ground area with a few features such as a piano in the water, a half-sunken birdcage, and ladder leading up to nowhere, clicking on the last one led to two places in the sky. These were Islamey, a Japanese temple with cherry blossom trees, and Mememto, a large cathedral. There was a cinematic hud one could touch and receive, which made the screen look like a movie theater projection.

It was Kira Balestra, a fan of the sim, whom had told Hamlet Au that the sim was set to close. She appealed in the Second Life forums for the sim to be saved, which received numerous fan pictures.

By all means, visit the place before it's gone.

Flickr page

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chouchou/187/129/23

Source: New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan

New Second Life Viewer Release Notes Website

There was some noteworthy news in the Second Life Tools and Technology blog on May 16 , Release Notes.

Over seven years ago, I posted my first set of Viewer release notes to the Second Life Wiki, where we have kept all of our release notes to this day. Over the years, we’ve made some minor tweaks to the appearance and how we generate them, but for they most part they have remained the same.
 

While the wiki has served us well for release notes, it’s time to improve their readability and browsability. We’ve been putting together the finishing touches to a new website dedicated solely to release notes, with a new look and feel that makes the individual pages easier to find, and easier to read - take a look!

Previous release notes will still be archived on the wiki, however, new releases will be shared and published on the new website.

 

Our goal is to improve overall accessibility and ease in browsing and reviewing release notes. I, personally, am excited to see the dedicated new website and hope you are too!

The website has more than just it's main page, but also separate pages for Repositories, Version Numbering, their Viewer Support Policy (to support their two most recent viewers), and pages for recent viewer releases, such as 6.2.2.527338 .

As mentioned, the Second Like Wikia also keeps records of release notes.

Hat Tip: Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan

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

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs, Lyuba's Game and Dance Center, and Furry Fashion's Furscape

Club Cutlass: Best in 'S,' Rainbow Colors, Law and Disorder

The Happy Vixen: Anklebiters, Caramel and Chocolate, Best in Blue, Best In Gold, Best in Pink, Military, Pantsless, Nude, TBA

Club Zero Gravity: DJ Snowbuns,  TBA, The Blues Furs

Montecito Bay:Sharks, Sun and Surf, Chamber Music, Creepy n Cute, Neon, Anti-Love, Wildlife

FF Furscape: CAYA, Celtic/Green, Sci-fi, Barely There, Anime, Newbs/Trollls, Horror, Late Night, Jungle, Formal, Leather and Lace

Lyuba's Game and Dance Center: Apocalypse to Thunderdome, Monday Blues

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'. 

CDS Election Results

Last week, the elections in the Confederation of Democratic Simulators took place. With the Chancellor Samara Barzane (Kyoko) running unopposed, the only contest was for the six people running for five open seats in the Representative Assembly. On Saturday May 18, Callipygian Christensen announced the results in a group announcement, and on the forums.

As  a member of the SC, and manager of these election polls, I would like to thank all the candidates who placed their names on the ballot and offered to serve.

The successful candidates,  forming the next RA, will be:

Em Warden
Lyubov
Laura Azalee
Rosie Gray and
MadmaxSoulLover.

Twenty four (24) ballots were cast representing only 37.5% of eligible voters.

Congratulations to the winners.

RFL Team Sunbeamers "Bid Me" Results

Earlier this month, Relay for Life's Team Sunbeamers started two more of it's "Bid Me" events. WolfSinger SilverShadow (WolfSinger Fluffball) volunteered for "Bid Me Bunny." Team Captain Rita Mariner put her appearance on the line as well with "Bid Me To The Dogs."

The four kiosks were at Club Cutlass for people to donate to, having until Friday May 17 at 8PM to do so. Shortly after time was up, the results were made public in a group announcement.

WOLFSINGER

WOLF - 50L
BUNNY - 13,010L - 4 weeks as a rabbit

RITA

BUNNY - 1065L
DOG - 6,025L   - 2 weeks as a dog

So far, Rita's been taking her new look in stride, cracking a few dog jokes here and there. But Rita having a reputation as a tough bunny, so far no one's talking about putting her on a leash. As for "Bunnysinger," so far no comment from the DJ whom will now have to deal with "hare-raising" puns.

With these "Bid Me" events done, and the Relaystock over, the team is looking towards the Relay Weekend, a few weeks away. There may or may not be one more event. But at Platinum level fundraising, it can only be considered a successful season for "The Little Team That Could."

Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: Survivors and CareGivers at the Relay Weekend

Surivors and Caregivers we need you!!

Relay weekend is to celebrate our Survivors and their Caregivers (remember caregiving is physical and virtual)

We need your help to get things ready!

#1 - Survivor sim
Please fill out the attached notecard and return to Savannahraye or Lizzy Gracemount as soon as possible. We are asking that all notecards be returned by May 15!

Your photos (and stories)  will become part of the Survivor sim build!

Also, we are updating the old Survivor stories book (the current one is from 2011!) and are including Caregivers stories as well.  The book will be available for you to receive a copy on the Survivor sim during Relay weekend - then will be moved to Hope Haven following Relay. The new format will be an online magazine!

#2 - RFL Honor Lap
Have you registered for the 2019 Honor Lap for our Survivors & Caregivers? This is the opening lap of Relay! Registration for the Honor Lap is not required - but it helps us make sure everyone is spread out around the track (so we don't crash the sims from the start!) You will also be invited to join the RFL Honor Lap group and be given a tag as a Survivor or Caregiver.
Register here:
http://bit.ly/2YcLo2Q

#3 - Survivors and Caregivers Gifts
If you would like to donate a special gift for our Survivors & Caregivers to receive during Relay weekend, we would love to have them! All gifts are welcome - mens, womens, childrens, decor, avatar enhancements, etc.
Questions or to donate, please contact-
ℳαч Iνч Äмaяa Рєndrαgσn (raidenrose)

If you have any questions or need any further information about celebrating our Survivors & Caregivers Relay weekend or Survivors & Caregivers inworld support, please contact Sandie Slate (Sandie Loxingly)

SciFi Convention 2019, An Interview With Merky (Richmerk)

From May 17 to May 26, The Sci-Fi Con is taking place in Second Life. This nine-day celebration of science-fiction from traveling to strange new worlds in space to powerful supercomputers and intelligent robots to superheroes and supervillains with strange powers battling one another, and more, raises money for the Relay for life of Second Life. SL Newser reporter Marcel Mosswood recently had a chance to interview Merky (Richmerk), the Coordinator of the event. Merky had a number of things to say about the con.

Read Marcel's interview in Events.

Reader Submitted: Blast From the Past - Fox Haven

Everyone in Second Life has a story, it's just a question of how long and how detailed. It's a similar detail with places. Some are private areas sealed from public view that are known only to the owners. And then there are communities where dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people interact and do things together. SL Newser reader Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident), recently sent a story about a place he used to live at: Fox Haven. It wasn't a large community like Caledon and the Sunweavers, but a number of people called it home. Eventually, real life pressures on the owner caused the land it stood on to fold. But the memories go on.

Read Cyfir's reader submission in Places.

A Busy Weekend

Quite a lot happened this weekend in Second Life. Bay City, Second Life's largest urban area and community, celebrated it's 11th anniversary with a parade and party. The Relaystock took place with three days of rock music, dancing, and mud. The monthly benefit concert took place at Veterans Isle. The Sci-fi con was going on. And more.

More on some of these events later.