More Activities With the BBB

 

It's been an event-filled week for the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy and their friends. There's been a number of parties at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds as part of their second anniversary celebration. But that is not all. There was an event at an art exhibition in which people could ask one of the artists questions. On the mainland continent of Sartori, the BBB opened up it's Bellisserian Embassy there. And then there was the balloon tour. Gemma Cleanslate was there to report on the happenings.

Read Gemma's story in Events.
 

Announcement: Space Remembrance Day - Monday January 31

 

Join the National Space Society in SL at 3 pm SLT on Mon 31 Jan as we remember those lost to making real our dreams of space.  We discuss space disasters, space risks, and their effect on the future of space exploration and development.

 National Space Society (104,124,3005)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/National%20Space%20Society/104/124/3005

Our Space Remembrance playlist is now playing in our region or at:
http://spacemusic.gclefstreams.eu:11032

SETTING THE DATE for Space Remembrance Day:
The three American space tragedies which roughly define this observance are the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia missions. NASA sets their date of observance inconsistently, based on scheduling and other considerations at the time, and different NASA Centers may hold events on different days. This is not publicly announced very far in advance, so we set our own date. NSS in SL considers that this is likely to be an important annual observance for future space settlers, and that they will want consistency (and a three day weekend!), so we have instituted the “Space Remembrance Monday Holiday Bill”…we hold our observance on the final Monday of January. This year, NASA will observe their Day of Remembrance on Thursday, January 27th: 

https://www.nasa.gov/specials/dor2022/index.html
 

A Busy Weekend

 

Quite a bit happened this weekend. The Winter Burn took place (picture above). So did the last events of the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy's Second Anniversary celebration. There was also the monthly benefit concert at Veterans Isle for Homes For Our Troops. And more.

More on these stories later.
 

Cartoon of The Day: Jailbird DJ

 

Taken at Club Cutlass's "Cops and Robbers" event. So what would a DJ be in a prison uniform? Recalling that those wanting their own radio stations have had to deal with skyrocketing fee hikes, one possible reason came to mind. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

SL Video: "Bad Music Video"

 *

(Click here if the video does not play)

By Swann Productions on January 17
 

EOTB: Linden Lab To Email Survey About Second Life to Residents

 *

For those who feel, "Linden Lab needs to listen more to it's residents," some of you will get a chance to have your say. A few days ago on the official Second Life blog, the Lab announced they would be emailing "thousands" of users, "an invitation to complete a survey and give feedback."

As 2022 begins, we are looking to set new goals and make Second Life Residents happier! 

Later today and in the following weeks, research@secondlife.com will be emailing thousands of Residents with an invitation to complete a survey and give feedback. Please keep an eye out for it, and feel free to share your thoughts on how to make Second Life a more pleasant experience for all. We’ve also been conducting qualitative research with a smaller group over the past few weeks. If you participated in that research, you are still eligible to take part in this survey.

There was also a mention of Flickr and how it's team was also doing "its own independent research on the Second Life community." Second Life has it's own official group on Flickr. And there was a mention of the upcoming Lab Gab episode with both Philip and Oberwolf Linden.

To read the blog post in full, Click here.
 

Press Release: January 2022 Homes For Our Troops Benefit

 

Frets Nirvana and US Military Veterans Group announce 2022’s January benefit for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life for December 19, 2021!  

Frets Nirvana, longtime supporter and contact for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life in conjunction with the US Military Veterans Group, announces the 2022 January benefit for the Veterans Support Organization Home For Our Troops at Veteran’s Isle .  


Frets Nirvana states:  “HFOT is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent by Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans. DURING THAT TIME HFOT HAS BUILT 324 SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOMES NATIONWIDE FOR EXTREMELY INJURED VETERANS.”

In 2021 the community in Second Life sent  over $21,000 to Homes For Our Troops, thanks to many kind hearts and great Second Life performers. That was a 40% increase over 2020’s donations of over $15,000.

15 Veterans and their families received the keys to their forever homes in 2021 and the donations received in Second Life were part of that effort.  Currently HFOT has 73 projects underway for extremely wounded veterans.  

Home for Our Troops benefit concerts feature premier Second Life talent monthly at Veteran’s Isle.  The January 30 concert for 2022 is scheduled from 4pm to 9 pm PST. Featured artists will be DJ Waya Snowpaw,Quartz, Chapman Zane, Hogan Baily and Reggie Sunset.

Sponsored by Frets Nirvana and the U.S. Military Veteran’s Group of Second Life.  To learn more about Homes for Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org.
 

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "CRISPR" and "Science Communication In A Pandemic"

 

"CRISPR Year in Review 2021"

Saturday January 29

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM SL time

Every year there are new advances in genome engineering enabled by CRISPR/Cas editing systems. In this talk, the most important and interesting news in CRISPR-based gene editing from 2021 will be presented. Come learn about Technology Advances, New Tools, Intellectual Property, and Target Genes and Modified Organisms from a practitioner in the field. This year’s emphasis will be on the wide range of uses and modifications in medicine and agriculture.

Presentation by Dr. Stephen Gasior (Xootfly)

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/72/129/30

*  *  *  *  * *
 

"Science Communication In, Or In Preparation For A Pandemic"

Saturday January 29

9:00 PM - 10:00 PM SL time

Mitigating the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic has been hugely dependent on society’s adoption of personal protective measures to curb the spread of the virus. Misinformation has also been cited as a threat to the employment of countermeasures like vaccines. To what extent is the public understanding of the mechanisms by which diseases spread or medical solutions function important in improving survival outcomes during a pandemic? Is it sufficient or perhaps better to be reliant on expert opinions and policies alone?

Fireside

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/161/99/25
 

The Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy's Second Anniversary

 

The Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy is celebrating it's second anniversary. They are best known for their passport system, which has proven popular among people in and outside the Linden Home continent. The celebration involved parties at the Belliseria Fairgrounds, and tours for both fun and to give residents a chance to get stamps for their passports.

Read Gemma's story in Events.
 

Technical Difficulties For The Grid on Tuesday

 *

Tuesday January was the day rolling restarts were done this week around the Grid. Usually they go routine. But this time something went wrong. Some residents would have trouble logging in, and others noted some sims looked offline. When I tried logging in on Sunweaver Bay, the login screen got stuck in the middle of the progress. In various Second Life Discord channels, people noted their difficulties.

Eventually, the Lab noticed there was a problem, and posted on the Grid Status Report.

We are aware rolling restarts are taking longer than normal, and we are working to bring these regions back online as quickly as possible. We thank you for your patience! Please follow this blog for further updates. - 08:06 PST

We apologize for the delay, and are continuing to work to bring these regions back online as quickly as possible. We thank you for your patience! Please follow this blog for further updates. - 09:10 PST 

 

We are continuing to work on restoring the regions still offline from this morning's Rolling Restarts, and are making progress. Please watch this blog for updates. - 09:45 PST

 

Getting online, there was chatter about it in several groups I was in, including the Bellisserian chat. At one point, Abnor Mole spoke up, "The restarts this week have been going... poorly. The region your home is in it probably one of those affected, but it is not alone. The Lindens are well aware of the problem and working on it."

Eventually, the Lab finally fixed whatever the problem was, but decided to restart some of the sims again to make sure.

We believe this issue has been resolved but will be restarting some regions as part of the final process. Thank you for your continued patience! - 12:45 PST

Eventually, all was back to normal, with the usual lag, and the residents went on.
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

Happy Australia Day

 

Happy Australia Day

Picture taken at Club Cutlass

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

The Tenebris Falls Roleplay Community

 

The Newser recently heard about a promising new roleplay area and community: Tenebris Falls. The roleplay was organized by people who wanted both a place that would last, and a group that was open to a broad range of character types. In the story behind it, various supernatural beings try to live side by side with humans in a modern North American town. We met up with a few people behind it, who talked some about what it had to offer, as well as exploring the place.
 
Read the story in People.
 

"It All Starts With A Prim" - Oldest Known Prim Rezzed 20 Years Ago

 

So how old is the oldest known prim in Second Life? While the world officially went online on June 23 2003, 18 years ago, people were here when it was in beta, so some objects are known to be from early 2003 or even late 2002. But what about January 25, 2002, twenty years ago yesterday?

Yesterday I found out this oldest known prim (to be technical, a copy of, but it retains the creation date) was on display at the Ivory Tower of Prims sandbox, courtesy of SarahKB7 Koskinen. It was a safe that when clicked on, the door opened to show the prim. And when examined, it showed the date: Friday January 25, 2002, 8:46 PM. Twenty years old.

There was no creator listed, as it had been made before Second Life's tools could show who made objects. According to Inara Pey, it was an Avi Bar-Zeev who not only rezzed it, but was the creator of prims. Talking to Philip Rosedale in Second Life's early days, Philip was trying to figure out how to make them, and Zeev offered to, "wrote a couple of hundred lines of code to make all the primitives in the world, with various knobs and capabilities to stick them together."

The safe is no longer at the Ivory Tower sandbox, the item being returned at Midnight. But later, to commemorate the Prim's creation,  SarahKB7 headed to Da Boom, the oldest sim on the Grid, and exactly at 8:46PM rezzed the original prim, then a brand new one over it, "The 2 prims are exactly 20 years of age apart.  I will call my newer prim the +20 Prim!"

Happy anniversary to the Prim, and thank you Avi Bar-Zeev.

Addition: Sarah would later message me, saying I made a slight mistake with the phrase "It all starts with a prim," saying, "the actual correct phrase has always been 'It all starts with a cube' (smile)."

Source: Modem World  

Hat tip: Tantari Kim

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and Furry Fashion Lounge

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: TBA

Happy Vixen: Fairies and Wizards, Uniforms, Nearly Naked, Leather, Madkatt Mashup, TBA, Lace, Black and White

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: Feathers and Fur

Xanadu: DJ Christine, DJ Jesse

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, Knuckler Release Party, After Dark

Furry Fashion Lounge:  Nature vs Tech, CAYA, Knuckler Release Party, Cartoons, Wasteland, Late Night, Retro

Deathlands Fallout Shelter:  DJ Wolfy, DJ Nafrini

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.
 

Announcement: CAF Knucker Avatar Release Party at Montecito Bay

 

Montecito Bay is proud to present the CAF Knucker avatar!

The Knucker comes as Bakes on Mesh, and the skins can be tinted to any color desired. Comes with many different markings in an included box. There will be more skins available in the future. For those wanting to dress it, it has a tophat, neckbow, t-shirt and headbow left/right. The creator includes a little over 40 accessories that aren't clothing items that come included with the avatar.

Currently the Knucker has six dances in its action HUD and one meme dance. You can click these dances independently or click the randomize dance to let it dance for you at random. It comes with a random sound maker, and walking sounds.

The party is Friday January 28 at 6 PM. There will be three raffles for a chance for a free avatar. The contest is "Best in Fantasy."

See you there.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Montecito%20Bay/44/154/902
 

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries

 

THIS WEEK: Sci-fi, short stories, and feline warlords! Join us in Secondlife for fun and adventure, this week

Check out the stories and the storytellers! 

All events at Nowhereville (203/43/26) , unless otherwise noted.

Stories told in open voice unless otherwise noted. All times SL/PT

--------->> COMING THIS WEEK

**TUESDAY, January 25th:

   ~  at Noon: RUSSELL EPONYM, Live in The Glen  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nowhereville/194/131/21
   
   ~  at 7pm: Emily Chenoweth and Johnny Marciano's KLAWDE: EVIL ALIEN WARLORD CAT begins with Caledonia Skytower.
 
**THURSDAY, January 27th, at 7pm: THURSDAY NIGHT SCI-FI, presented by Finn Zeddmore.

***

Second Life Destinations: Hanging Gardens of Babylon

 A little more than a week ago, Linden Lab featured on Second Life Destinations a build inspired by one of the Seven Wonders of The Ancient World, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

*  *  *  *  *

Creator Patch Thibaud is actually an architect in the physical world as well, and his years of experience inform every detail of this majestic locale. After observing some work on Patch’s Flickr, Resident Crista reached out to him to build a region for her. Of the request, Patch says, “I agreed to participate as long as I got to do The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which was an ideal subject; an evocative and romantic concept, monumental in scale - and nobody has any idea what the original looked like, if in fact it existed at all.”

Patch’s affinity for building in the metaverse is strengthened by the fact that “there is no one in between me and the final result; I don't have to deal with contractors, estimators, building codes, etc.,” and yet there are limitless possibilities. Furthermore, Patch feels that “in all 3D modeling software I am familiar with, you are working in an abstract, gridded space. In SL I am used to working outdoors, with a beautiful sky and perhaps with beautiful water, and the context of an entire world.”

The concept of storytelling has been incorporated into many visual art forms, and as a trained designer, Patch adopted an episodic approach to the immense project. Patch created an extensive history for the estate: “This build imagines a structure originally built in mud brick by the Assyrians; later seized and rebuilt in stone by the Romans; {eventually} acquired by a cardinal during the military struggles of Renaissance Italy, who rebuilt the temple complex at the summit to include a villa for him and pleasure gardens and pavilions; subsequent alterations and additions by the cardinal’s family, including the ballroom and the Moroccan Garden; and finally the current owner, who restored the whole structure and its gardens, and inserted a gallery for art, built in the modern style.”

Crista is also a longtime Resident, having started her inworld adventures 14 years ago. For Crista, Second Life is “a part of myself… part of my life and {it has} taught me many things that made me what I am now, in RL and SL. I am one person living in two different worlds. A wonderful SL can make a better RL. The Gardens were my SL dream for years… A ton of thanks to Patch Thibaud, I am not sure if we have a better builder. Sharing the beauty he makes, {as well as the} sensations and feelings deriving from it, is the biggest pleasure and satisfaction in this world.”

(Click here if the video does not load)

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Antiquorum/47/157/24/
 

Cartoon of The Day: Split Decision

 

Taken at the Happy Vixen. This avatar is of two colors, split down the middle of the head. Which brings new meaning to having a split decision.

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

SL Video: "Spanish Passion"

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Zipperwolf in August 2015
 

Opening of Sansara Embassy, and Tour

 

Gemma Cleanslate was recently at the opening of the Bellessarian Embassy in the mainland continent of Sansara (not Sansar the virtual world no longer owned by the Lab). But instead of a formal party, what followed were visitors being invited on a tour by bus. The result was an hour of thrills, and more than a few spills.

Read more in Places.
 

Various New Year's Happenings

 

New Year's Eve was a busy time in Second Life, with many places having parties. Yours truly went to several, and took a number of pictures. So many were taken, it took a while to get them all up. But here they are.

See the pictures in Events.
 

Eye On The Blog: Updating Script Performance

 
On the official blog yesterday, Linden Lab announced they had "released a change this week" with the aim of improving script performance in the Grid: Uplift.

Uplift has been an ongoing adventure for a number of engineering teams, but the goal of improving the SL experience for all residents has not changed.

Uplift brought in new hardware and the ability to reconfigure it quickly to react to changing circumstances. A few months ago, we quietly changed hardware configurations to provide better performance for the simulators, but our job was not done there.

After this upgrade our engineering teams dug deep into the simulator to modernize it and take better advantage of AWS capabilities. We referred to this as our “Tooling Update,”  which allows LSL scripts to run more efficiently. Regions with heavy script usage will likely see more scripts run and even some spare time returning to the simulator.  The release also includes a modernization of our compiler and supporting runtime.  Newer tools allows for better code generation and awareness of modern CPU designs.

But the Lab admits there have been unforseen problems that residents may experience.They stated, "with more scripts running, other areas of the simulation environment may be driven harder.  Scripts that were already approaching throttles or other limits may find a throttle engaged .... We do see the possibility of revisiting these throttling limits as a result of these improvements. They could see higher request rates as scripts perform more work."

For the blog post in full, Click Here.
 

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "Webb Telescope," "Organic Chem Basics"

The James Webb Space Telescope: A Summary

Saturday January 22,

9:30 AM to 10 AM SL time

I briefly review the science mission of the JWST and discuss its potential discoveries. I do this in the context of the discoveries of Webb’s predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.

– Dr. William. F. Wall / Syzygy Asymptote

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/72/129/30

*  *  *  *  *

Beragon’s Bistro: Webb Telescope

Saturday January 22,

10 AM to 11 AM SL time,

A discussion hosted by Matt Burr at the Light house Cafe

The Light House Café

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/225/230/28

*  *  *  *  *

Organic Chem Basics: Diels-Alder and Similar Reactions

Saturday January 22,

9 PM to 10 PM

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Dr. Benjamin List (Max PLack Institute)  and Dr. David MacMillam (Princeton University) for “the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.” One of the first reactions that they found could be catalyzed by purely organic compounds was the Diels-Alder reaction. The Diels-Alder reaction is a well-known example of a fundamental class of reactions in organic chemistry, and it can proceed unaided, be catalyzed by metal-containing compounds, or most recently catalyzed by purely organic species. We’ll talk about what makes the Diels-Alder reaction special, and how it has been catalyzed in the past, and why the recent Nobel prize is seen as a jump forward.

A presentation by Dr Michael J. Shaw

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/125/132/22

Announcement: Deep Blue Sea Gridwide Hunt

 *

Get ready to dive into the deep blue sea!  Take a trip into the oceans blue and find deviously magical mermaids, frightening krakens, and mysterious creatures.  Sail the high seas and discover some pirate treasure adventures with us on our free gridewide hunt and chill out with open:air's live event experiences. Adventure calls and Chronicles will open January 15th at noon SLT and end February 5th

To start the hunt use the SURL at the bottom of this announcement. Simply click the hunt prim example by the Deep Blue Sea HUNT sign to receive your landmark to your first destination. You’ll be looking for a Treasure Chest in each of the stores you visit! The landmark to the next location will be located in the folder along with your prize. Alternatively you can use the page on the website for hints. https://chroniclesandlegends.com/the-deep-blue-sea-hunt-guide/

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nymphai/107/75/3378
 

Announcement: "Celebrate Ascendant Base's Grand Opening" in Star Wars Sim

 

You are cordially invited to come party among the stars at the grand opening of the Ascendant Base (a science fiction sim in the Star Wars Roleplay universe). We will have music with DJs and live music from Spiral Sands, Gypsy Witch, Kyizl and more from 6 PM to 9 PM SLT on Saturday January 22nd, 2022.

Ascendant Base is a science fiction sim in the Star Wars Roleplay universe that is open to all players and science fiction fans. It is a full and maxed-out sci-fi sim made by fans large enough to have room for multiple role-play events to co-occur.

There will be tours of a 6 level 300-meter-tall space station and the planet it orbits.

Whether you are a Star Wars Role-Player on Second Life or just a fan, come out and join us for this grand opening and bring your sci-fan friends.


The landmark will be live 24 hours before the event: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ascendent%20Base/118/128/4004

Hat tip: Brandi Streusel
 

Cartoon of the Day: Big Blue

 

Taken at the Happy Vixen, Skylark "Snowbuns" Lefavre demonstrates a huge blue fox avatar. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Microsoft Announces It's Buying Activision/Blizzard

 

In what would be the biggest computer gaming business acquisition in business history, yesterday on Tuesday January 18 Microsoft announced it was buying Activision/Blizzard. The deal would be at 68.7 billion US dollars, or about $95 a share.

“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella would state, “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”

Activision/Blizzard is best known for the well-known MMORPG World of Warcraft. But has also been successful in games such as Overwatch, Hearthstone, Diablo, Starcraft, and Call of Duty.

Microsoft had already been a company heavily invested in gaming such as with it's X-Box and having acquired the popular Minecraft some years ago. The deal would make it the third largest gaming company. It is notable that while Minecraft's maker Majong was acquired while both the game and company were doing well, in recent months Activision/Blizzard has suffered a series of blows, most notably a rash of sexual harassment allegations. It's stocks have sunk more than 37% since it's high last year. Activision/Blizzard's CEO Robert Kotick would continue for now, though is expected to step down once the deal closes, which may take as long as a year and a half to complete.

Sources: Microsoft, Reuters, The Verge

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy's Second Anniversary Celebration

 *

The Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy, or BBB, the people who made the popular passport stamp collection system, are about to celebrate their Second anniversary. It will be an eight day celebration, starting on Sunday January 23.

The party will run from January 23rd to February 1st and will open on the 23rd with a boat rally and DJ dance event, followed by a grand Opening Ball and fireworks. The full schedule of events will be published in the next edition of the Gazette and will include (among many other things) an art exhibition on the theme of travel.

There will be events every day of the celebration, such as DJ parties, boat rallies, and Meet and Greet events with the Bellisserian ambassadors. There's also an art exhibition.
 
The event will be held here : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bellisseria%20Fairgrounds/163/240/24
 

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and Furry Fashion Lounge

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: MTV Flashback, Blue and Purple, Off to Africa

Happy Vixen: Rumble in the Jungle, Undies, Fantasy, Best in Red, Madkatt Mashup, TBA, Boots and Bikinis, Rave

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: Scalies

Xanadu: DJ Christine, DJ Jesse

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Furry Fashion Lounge:  Barely There, Bunnies VS Cats, Felines, Nocturnals VS Diurnials, Late Night, Scales vs Fur

Deathlands Fallout Shelter:  DJ Wolfy, DJ Nafrini

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.
 

Reader Submitted: "Elf Equality" Protest

 *

"Having toured and scoured the Fantasy Community Center I have detected a glaring lack of a statue to our beloved Rillifane, Leaf Lord and primary Deity to Wood Elves, and many Fae, faeries, humans and lovers of the wildes.  This blatant slap in the face can nae stand unanswered. Tis bad enough we must endure taunting from Sun Elves about our natural ways,  They call us simpletons and ignorant.  And they say we are nae fit to sleep with pigs but I assure ye we are.   I stand at an appropriate location to correct this injustice, and urge an exploratory board be formed, a committee convened, a clutch clatched to resolve this injustice forthwith, fifthwith even.  I submit this with a resounding,  Hmmmph!" 

Tealcie Annibles 

Editors Note: The "protest" was in the name of fun.
 

The New Vietnam Veterans Memorial

 

In 2007, a team created a replica of the Vietnam Veterans memorial in Second Life, highly detailed with all 58,000 names. Four years later, it was gone. Recently, over ten years later, the Newser came across a new Vietnam Wall. Getting in touch with the group behind it, Legacy Vets, they explained much about how it came to be, and of course the meaning behind it.
 
Read more in Places.
 

"Pandemic" Game Pulled From Steam By Developers

 

"Pandemic," an online game by Asmodee Digital, has just been taken down from Steam at the request of the developer. There was no official announcement, though one player posted on Reddit that contacting the company he was told "we are taking the Pandemic app off the stores. We have worked hard over 4 years on Pandemic and withdrawing it from the stores has not been an easy choice. This decision was made with a heavy heart for a multitude of reasons that we cannot disclose."

Jody Macgregor would write, "When a planned Pandemic giveaway on the Epic Games Store was canceled in 2020, it was assumed to be a matter of sensitivity given the Covid-19 pandemic was in its early stages. It seems a bit late to follow up for the same reason, so presumably there's something else behind this delisting."

The game has been taken down from the developer's website, so the page is accessible only through the Wayback Machine.

Source: PC Gamer
 

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries

 *

THIS WEEK: A fun new series, more Indy, and a surprise Wednesday! Join us for fun, adventure, and fellowship this week.

Check out the stories and the storytellers! 

All events at Nowhereville (203/43/26) , unless otherwise noted.

Stories told in open voice unless otherwise noted. All times SL/PT

--------->> COMING THIS WEEK

**MONDAY, January 17th, at 7pm: Larry Niven's A WORLDS OUT OF TIME with Gyro Muggins.
    
**TUESDAY, January 18th:

   ~  at Noon: RUSSELL EPONYM, Live in The Glen  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nowhereville/194/131/21
   
   ~  at 7pm: Emily Chenoweth and Johnny Marciano's KLAWDE: EVIL ALIEN WARLORD CAT begins with Caledonia Skytower.
 
**WEDNESDAY, January 19th at 7pm : POE SPECIAL - Beyond Porch and Portal with Shandon Loring
 
**THURSDAY, January 20th, at 7pm: YOUNG INDIANA JONES Adventures continue, presented by Shandon Loring.

****
 

Cartoon of The Day: "Mane Attraction"

 

Taken at Club L!vew!re. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

SL Video: "The Drivers of SL Grid Drive - Hauling Missions"

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Zada Bury on January 10, a series of photographs, with narration, about a "Get The Freight Out" run in Second Life.
 

Press Release: Signups Open For Burn2 Winter Burn

 

Burn2 Burning Man Regional Winter Burn 2022

We kick off the new year with a new outlook with a lot of frosty fun for you.

Winter Burn will take place January 28th through 30th, and we have a delightful theme for this one: Gingerbread Houses (with Jack Frost Effigy).

Twas the winter of 2022…
Gingerbread Man was heading home for the winter after the holidays. Oh, how much he missed his village home, with gingerbread houses and treats scattered every which way! He said to himself, “I will run just as fast as I can” then sang, “You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!”

At last he arrived - what could it be? There was much more than he expected to see!

Jack Frost had nipped! Home was in drifts! Blankets of snow soft as whipped cream! Oh, what a dream! Icy sculptures and frosted art on the ground, gifts from creators the whole world around. Candy lined paths ensured that no one got lost. And in the midst of it all…
the beloved Jack Frost!

And so this is how Burn2 brings you a Winter Burn
[00:24] Mrs. Mia Wallace (Mia Quinote):  theme with “Gingerbread Houses” and a Jack Frost Effigy. Let’s dare to dream, after a couple of trying years. It’s now a time for hope - dry each other’s tears. Hope for a better 2022 and build a fresh start all shiny and new. Come join us, and welcome this new year, new snow, new chance for new things to happen, and celebrate together - us and you!
________________________

BUILDERS!! PERFORMERS AND VOLUNTEERs INFORMATION>>>>
The playa has now been opened for building! You can sign up for your (free) plot but they are limited so sign up now if you want one!

Performers are invited to come to play on one of our two stages - booking is also open now!

If you've considered helping out with stage crew at events, here's your chance. You can sign up for stage crew now, too!

SIGN UPS ARE HERE>>>
https://www.burn2.org/winter-burn-2022/

HOW TO COME TO Burn2:
https://www.burn2.org/who-is-burn2/come-to-burn2/

Burn2 Volunteer sign up!!
https://www.burn2.org/who-is-burn2/we-are-volunteers/vdb-signup/

BURNER BUS: Burning Man- Deep Hole (166,33,24)
 

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "2020s Vision" And "Events Or Discoveries That Inspire"

 

"2020s Vision: The Future Is Nearly Now"

Saturday January 15,

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM SL time

In a daily fog of uncertainty, we may lose track of transformational changes just over the horizon. So where are we headed? Some of the world’s smartest people in government, social research, academia, business, economics, science, and other fields have looked 20 years into the future and seen a time of abundance and shared opportunities. Let’s update on evolving technologies and trends from an optimistic perspective beyond the turmoil of today.

Presentation by Dr. Steven Van Hook

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/125/132/22

*  *  *  *  * *
 

"Events or Discoveries That Inspire Your Love for Science"

Saturday January 15,

9:00 PM SL time

“Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation.” -NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin as he followed Armstrong onto the moon’s surface

“Every brilliant experiment, like every great work of art, starts with an act of imagination.” -Jonah Lehrer

Fireside

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/161/99/25
 

Breaking News: Philip Rosedale Returns to Linden Lab

Good news to fans of Philip Rosedale, the founder of Linden Lab and Second Life. He's back at the Lab. There was an announcement today that High Fidelity, the company Rosedale would found after leaving Linden Lab, had "acquired an interest" in Linden Lab. Some people from High Fidelity will be joining the Lab, including Rosedale, whom is back as a "strategic advisor."

The transaction will help Second Life further scale its operations and strengthen its commitment to growing an innovative, inclusive, and diverse metaverse where its inhabitants’ ingenuity drives real-world value for themselves and others.

"No one has come close to building a virtual world like Second Life," says Second Life founder and High Fidelity co-founder, Philip Rosedale. “Big Tech giving away VR headsets and building a metaverse on their ad-driven, behavior-modification platforms isn’t going to create a magical, single digital utopia for everyone. Second Life has managed to create both a positive, enriching experience for its residents — with room for millions more to join — and built a thriving subscription-based business at the same time. Virtual worlds don’t need to be dystopias.”

“Since Philip started Second Life in 1999, its visionary approach has not only stood the test of time, but positioned it for the future,” says Brad Oberwager, chairman of Linden Lab. “He and the High Fidelity team have unmatched experience and I can’t wait to capitalize on the vast opportunity in front of us.”

The Lab would state both Philip and Overwolf Linden would appear on a special edition of "Lab Gab" in a couple weeks. Residents are invited to submit questions using (this Google doc), but have until Midnight Sunday January 16 to do so.

Click Here to go to the Press Release.

Click Here to go to the announcement in the Linden blog.
 

"Grand Opening: Chaotic Community Club"

 

Hello my friends, family members and dearest ones! The Lions Hell was our baby but we had our paws closed for a few months, but I am happy to announce that we are reopening our club. I would like to send you an invitation to our Chaotic Community Club. Where our builder Sjö and her Manits share a business together! With their blood and sweat and many tears of laughter, they built a new home for us, so that we could have a place, where we can welcome you every day. Starting from January 15th, 2022. We would all be delighted if you came and celebrated with us on this day and many more to come! Presents are NOT required, your presence among us will already be plenty. Starting at 11 a.m. SLT! DJ Sjoefn DeLoos, DJ Sonnenplume, Dj Bora´as and Dj NoFear Deir will be playing amazing music for you during the evening

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vabel%20Set/96/95/3501

Announcement: Draxtor Despres Looking For Second Life Couples For "Love Made in SL"

 

Want to be featured in a special Love Made in Second Life episode for Valentine’s Day 2022? Let us know if you met your significant other in Second Life, are not (virtual) camera-shy, and are ready for your close-up! Contact Draxtor Despres at madeinsl@draxtor.com

Watch previous Love Made in SL episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist...
 

 

Cartoon of the Day

 

Taken at the Happy Vixen. One might think a high tech device might get us started faster than a cup of coffee. But there's nothing quite like a glass of caffeine.

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Post-Christmas Winter Attractions: Winterland And Rebel Yell

 

Christmas may be over. But that doesn't mean the end of winter fun. So Gemma Cleanslate has been continuing her search for winter-themed places. One was Winterland at Adagio Gardens. The other is Christmasville at Rebel Yell. So what did Gemma think of them?
 
Read Gemma's article in Places.