Interview with Faust Steamer (Walton F. Wainwright), Builder of The SL14B Stage Left

Besides the Cake Stage, the build the Second Life Fourteenth Birthday will likely be known for the most is "The Guardian," or "Stage Left" as it's official name is listed. The huge beast with three moving heads wowed and impressed many. The man who designed and made the build was Faust Steamer (Walton F. Wainwright). Second Life Newser recently had a chance to interview him about his time inworld, and how it led him to create this noted structure.

Read the interview in People.

Interview With Mikati Slade

In June 2011, Second Life Newser reporter Grey Lupindo interviewed one of the SL8B exhibitors named Mikati Slade whom had made a cheerfully bright art exhibit she called "Japanese pop art." Since then, Mikiati has gone on to build greater things, notably three of the Second Life Birthday's massive Cake Stages. As the thirteenth of the SLB events was winding to a close, we caught up with the noted builder, and she explained a little about how she came to Second Life and what kinds of skills were involved in making her huge confectionery creations.

Read the interview in People.

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the SL13B Auditorium. Sometimes mesh items can appear misshapen while loading, which can be very brief in a sim where there aren't many. But in a crowded event, sometimes the glitches can last a little while, such as this mesh head.

By Bixyl Shuftan

"SL13B Rights and Wrongs"

KT Burnett (KayT Resident), whom recently started a new Second Life blog "The Digitized," posted a commentary "SLB13: Right and Wrong" about what she felt what went well, and sometimes better, with the Birthday celebration, and a few things that could be improved on.

Among the pluses were the freebies and always having greeters at the Welcome area, separating the event into a busy week of events for those who love activity and crowds, and a more relaxed week (which in the past was as short as a couple days) in which residents could leisurely explore the exhibits with the crowds gone, and the Lindens at both the "Meet the Lindens" events and "dragging the Lindens in front of live audiences" which she felt "this had been something the community needed so badly – the feel that Linden Lab has not deserted Second Life, that they care, that they take interest in what’s happening on the Grid."

Such a big event inevitably has things going wrong. And among the minuses, in her opinion minor inconveniences, were that most performers did not put on a show that was significantly different from their usual performance, many exhibits were challenging to photograph (something I can relate to), and that she wondered if some exhibits could have done a better job in reflecting, or speaking about, the community they came from.

In the case of the Second Life Newser's exhibit, we've had an interesting challenge: what kind of exhibit represents a newspaper? The settings of our stories change with the locations. In the past,we've had office buildings. But after a while, we were soon asked to come up with something different. When our friend Silvia Ametza offered to build us a 19th Century style riverboat, that in my opinion would fit in a cowboy adventure, we went for it. Since we have a couple cartoons every week, it was suggested we put some up, so we did in the form of a slide show. And in the end, it worked. The exhibit got a number of complements from people who saw it.

What we'll build next year, well, that depends on the theme. Unless real life decides to throw a real humdinger of a monkey wrench at us, the Newser will be there.

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: More Cake

Nic Blackthorne sent these wide-screen pictures showing more detail of the SL13B Cake Explosion, "We are the ants at the bottom."

We Want Your Second Life Birthday Stories

You've seen some of our stories about the Second Life Birthday. Now let's see some of yours.

The Second Live Newser is always interested in what you the readers have to say about virtual life on the Grid. And goings-on about the Second Life Birthday is no exception. Was a ride especially great, or was something basically a thinly-disguised advertisement until the volunteer staff took care of it? How many auditorium events did you see in which newbies not knowing any better sat on the stage? How many friends of yours when you told them where you were going scratched their heads and asked "What's the SLB?"

Send us your cheers, your jeers, and your chuckles.

Mail submissions to bixylshuftan(at)gmail.com.

PLEASE include your SL user name and tell us if you wish it to appear with your story.

Second Life Newser reserves the right to investigate any names used in submitted stories. Please ask permission before using anyone's name or picture or use an alias for them.

SL Video: "Draxtor visits SL13B Dungeons & Knightmares"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Draxtor Despress, streamed live on June 22, Draxtor looks at Loki Elliot's "Dungeons and Knightmares" tribute game - "Loki Eliot has outdone himself at SL13B = will we be able to solve the mysteries?" As this is unedited footage, there's almost an hour as Draxtor chats with people and takes several times to get through the game.

Some profanity in the video.

The Second Life Birthday "Cake Explosion"

The Second Life Birthday may have officially ended a week ago, but the volunteers and fans met up for one final event that's become a tradition whenever there's a Main Stage by Mikati Slade at the SLB: the "Cake Explosion." Second Life was there as the cake was raised up into the air, and let go to fall to the ground in a shower of virtual slices and frosting.

See the pictures in Events.

Image credit: Tantari Kim

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the SLB Cake Stage. Memes are nothing new, but what usually comes to mind are those catchy phrases and pictures on the internet that just rapidly spread from person to person, Some hate them, some love them, and others don't especially care that much. Someone thought it was cute to take a certain one and make an avatar head out of it. Oh well, good for a laugh.

By Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Draxtor Visits SL13B [and the madness ensues]"

(Click here if the video fails to load)

From Draxtor Despress on Tuesday June 21. This is an uncut hour and a half of video recorded live when at the Second Life Thirteenth Birthday. For those whom have only seen his "Drax Files," this may seem slow going at times. But there is some good footage of places such as the Cake Stage and Mad Monster Mountain, and some bits of commentary, "I'm going to have to be careful not to swear." "Hello VR people, take off your goggles and put on these goggles."

*Note* Some profanity in the video, but how often do we hear Draxtor swear?

Cartoon of the Day: Laggy Pants

Taken at "Meet the Lindens" with Ebbe Linden. Jumpman Lane, the writer of "Slut Magazine," prepares to get in line to get his picture with Ebbe Linden. Unfortunately, he seems to have developed a slight case of "butt lagging."

By Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: The SL13B - An Experience To Remember

by ClarisseJane

Each Birthday,  Second Life of Linden Lab comes with big plan of ideas calling all Second Life creators, performers, coordinators and greeters to join on the weeklong celebration.

I remember last year where I applied as a greeter despite a fact that I was busy as a hostess on one of prestigious and oldest ballrooms in Second Life, I almost did not make it, when I lodged on 2nd to the last greeter training.  This year I prepared myself, I applied once again two months ahead of June, monitored it every day, and went on first training schedule. It was quite a heartfelt happiness for me.

When the opening of Second Life 13th Birthday (SL 13B) hits the date June 19 noon time, it  comes with a blast of parties. I pop on the Pirate Ship - The Welcome Area. I did not have the time to question how the ship looks like at first, when Treacle Darlandes (Greeter Lead) came after a few seconds to monitor us greeters at the welcome area. I was open mouthed when the Greeter Lead asked me if I am doing fine. I said “oh my gosh Treacle chats with me.” I was star-strucked first time. I managed to get back my composure quick and answered her right away said “all is perfectly fine.”

Then on my third day as greeter, I tried to explore the hype SL 13B Celebration. I went to visit first the Left Stage, when I saw there was only one Stage Coordinator, and no hostess.. I decided to postpone my tour and stayed. The party started with quite a few guests around, less than ten with the DJ playing house genre. Then slowly, it started.. a lot came, some are flying over and others just walk all through the long lines of big scattered papers on the ground until they reached the Left Stage. One person said that he tried to take a walk exercising his legs through it all, and all smiled at him.

All of a sudden, more stage coordinators came making it to three, Catboy Qunhua (Welcome Area Builder) came, Clocke52 (Stage Left Lead) rushed in, Sullybaby Gomez (Exhibit Assistant Lead) landed all smiles. I said, “oh oh my gosh Celebrities” as I was star-strucked again.

On the last day, June 26, just a few minutes before the last party ends, I went to the SL 13B Cake Stage. No one can stop me now I said, and believe it or not, all the main staff of SL 13B Celebration are all there except Catboy, were all accounted for. Seeing all the Staff and Sponsors for making SL 13B Celebration amazed me. I may not had experienced this last year but this time I am full of joy, as if my whole day is complete, as it made me aware that all the guests on the Cake Stage, are all present for making SL 13B Celebration a BIG SUCCESS.

I thank Second Life for this experience, a truly worth an experience to remember.. as the theme says it all.. A Shared Adventure to recall a few years from now.

Gently I turned around, the fire works display is still an hour to go, I went back to see the Left Stage to take remembrance photos. When I glance around where snapshots drop by drop went on, I saw the Editor of SLNewser (which is another story) and smiled full of glee.

http://www.slcommunitycelebration.info/staff-and-sponsors-for-sl13b/

ClarisseJane

Two Exhibits From the SL13B: Dungeons and Knightmares and Mad Monster Mountain

There's a number of great exhibits at the SL13B, but there were a couple I was looking forward to trying out. Loki Elliot, the head of the Second Life Goonies, can always be counted on having something interesting at a Second Life Birthday event. It was on a larger plot than most exhibits, but it has to be to hold all the detail.

Loki's exhibit was a game which was a tribute to the British TV show "Knightmare." In the TV show, a team of four youngsters would try to complete a quest in a computer-generated dungeon, one acting as the dungeoneer, who wore a helmet that covered his eyes, and three "guides" who observed their comrade in the simulated dungeon via a TV screen. The Second Life version was somewhat different in that you could see what your avatar was doing. But otherwise it held the spirit of the show.

The helmet was necessary as it provided a Heads-Up Display whenever entering a new area. The first puzzle was simple enough, but one needed the help of a fellow adventurer to get through it. After that come puzzles that need the player to guess the right answer, and challenges that require the player to do a bit of navigating. At least one more puzzle requires the help of another player. Following the finishing of the last room, the player gets a small prize.

You can see the first episode of the TV show (here). While not necessary to play the game, it does show a little about what it took in the late 80s and early 90s to make a virtual experience.

Loki's exhibit is at SL13 Beguile (150, 126, 24)

Elsewhere at the SL13B was "Mad Monster Mountain," an exhibit by the gaming area and group "Madpea," headed by Kiana Writer. Here, they had a haunted amusement park ride. For it to run properly, one had to give permissions to have your avatar acted upon. Then the car would take you in and take you through many chills and scares, at one point a doll-like voice singing "It's a mad world after all ... "

There's no prize here, other than simple scary fun.

(Click here to see the video)

Mad Monster Mountain is at SL13B Spellbound (171, 138, 21)

Bixyl Shuftan

SL13B Celebrations Go Out With a Bang

Sunday June 26 was the last day of the Second Life Thirteenth Birthday, or SL13B, celebrations, and all day there were events, mostly at the music stages, such as "Stage Left" shown here.

Over the weekend, a number of live musicians and DJs performed, including DJ Tantari here at the Tree Stage.

And of course one could see the many exhibits, such as this one set up by the National Space Society.

There was unfortunately a bit of sadness with the celebrating. Bewell Ormega (Todd J. Retzlaff), had passed away at age 50. He had helped with the fireworks at the SLB for five years. So in his honor at Noon SL time, there was a special fireworks show in his honor at the Cake Stage, the pyrotechnical displays of this year being his last.

And as the last hour of the celebration came, only one stage would have a performance, the Cake Stage.

Dozens of avatars gathered at the meeting point of the four sims making up the stage, "Friends do not let friends crash alone."

Byach Littlething was the DJ for this last hour while more fireworks shot off around everyone, with a variety of avatars, and a few noteable personalities among run-of-the-mill residents.

Mikati Slade, the builder of the Cake, was among those partying, as was Golan Elde.

At one point, Marianne McCann shouted, "If I may be so bold but to say, three cheers to our baker, Mikati, for the amazing cake stage!" "Hip-hip HOOOORAAAAAY MIKATI!" "Yep, she really takes the cake." "She's outdone herself this time! I adore cake stage!" "" "LOVE my Cake Hat!" "Everyone is so proud of you Mikati for all of your hard work."

"Happy Birthday, Second Life! 13 years... Simply incredible!" "Come back next year!"

And so, the official events of the SL13B are over, But this isn't quite the end. The exhibits are not scheduled to come down until July 3rd. But some exhibitors take them down a day or two or three before that, so those who were waiting to avoid the lag to see them better not wait. And there will likely be a few unofficial events, including the blowing up of the Cake Stage.

"See you next week when we blow up the cake!!!"

Bixyl Shuftan

Lindens at the Cake Stage

There's been a lot going on at the SL13B, and a little time to write it. One event that stood out was called the "The Roleplay Mashup Meetup," which took place on Monday. But for many residents, the name was a little confusing as it was intended as a costume party and not a roleplay, and to many the costume part got lost in that it was a chance to meet up with a number of Lindens. Some were Lindens whom were familiar faces, such as Xiola and April Linden. But others were less than familiar. There were also a few other notable personalities, and no shortage of avatars.

See the pictures in Events.

SL Video: "It's SL13B"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Hexapoda on June 23

Ebbe Linden at the SLB

At 3PM SL time at the SL13B Auditorium all this week, "Meet the Lindens" events have been taking place. On Monday, Brett and the popular Torley Linden were interviewed. On Tuesday, it was the turn of Ebbe Linden, Ebbe Altberg in real life, the CEO of Linden Lab. The interview was carried out by Jo yardley, with help from Zander Green, with Saffia Widdershins taking questions from the audience. Yours truly was also in the audience, taking notes the best he could.

Ebbe at first talked about what he did before coming to Linden Lab, stating he had worked with "technologies that empower people," having worked at Yahoo. He described himself as being involved with Linden Lab since almost the beginning, a man he had known since college whom was working with the Lab had approached him "back in the day" when Second Life had barely started, eventually meeting Philip Linden. He got the overall concept of the virtual world, which was further sharpened by his oldest son becoming a user. He saw it as "an incredible opportunity for someone to go online and create ... do business." When he was approached with the offer to lead the Lab, it was an opportunity he couldn't turn down.

Ebbe Linden stated he wanted the residents of Second Life to be "passionate" about their virtual world. He was impressed with what artists and others were doing, and the "sheer complexity of user creativity," calling the place a "complex ecosystem." He called virtual reality a "huge opportunity," albeit one with a "huge number of problems to be solved." As none of the bigger corporations were involved, in some ways it was "uncharted territory." He gave praise to the builders and roleplayers whom were in "lots of communities" with "lots of reasons for being here." He emphasized the diversity of the virtual world where the residents could "learn from each other, share with each other ... incredible blend of things, awe-inspiring to me."

"I can't take much credit for Second Life. I've tried to do good things in the past couple years ... have had a good team with me."

Ebbe would then answer some questions. On Oculus Rift, Ebbe stated that integrating it with Second Life properly had been a "huge effort" as the virtual world hadn't been designed with it in mind. In contrast, Sansat had been designed with the virtual headset in mind. But he did say that some video cards had just come out that would be of help with using Oculus Rift in Second Life.

Asked about when proper mirrors could be available in Second Life, Ebbe stated he couldn't answer that question as there was no signs of the technical problems involved being solved.

When asked about recent fluctuations in the value of the Linden dollar, Ebbe answered the problem was between the users of Second Life and Linden Lab was staying out of it, at least for now, "we're on the sideline's watching it." He stated the Lab could get involved if it wanted to, such as increasing the supply of Lindens, "but we're trying to be passive and let the market go where it wants to." As to how it started, Ebbe felt as the number of users of Second Life had remained very stable, it was possible the value fluctuations could be related to some decisions made by Linden Lab such as discontinuing third party currency exchangers and the chance for residents to gain grandfathered pricing levels.

Asked about Sansar, Ebbe stated it would have a "different feel" than Second Life. While like Second Life there would be a great deal of freedom on what one could do, it was still under development and until it had been developed more, "we don't know quite hoe it's going to be. ... Sansar is not trying to be the same thing as Second Life. It's supposed to be a different product. ... For some, it will not be as good as Second Life." While there would be some "overlap" with what could be done in Second Life, there would be differences.

Asked about Sansar's avatar controls, Ebbe stated that they were still being worked on, "we can't fly, yet." But there was the option for either a first person or third person point of view. As now now, avatar customization options were very limited, but this too was still being worked on.

Ebbe was then asked if users of Sansar would have the option to chose their own names for their avatars, or would they be having to use real-life identities. Ebbe answered he was leaning to the latter, "I think what's best for Sansar is real names. ... anonymous identities makes things confusing."

After the interview was done, Ebbe got up, and those in the audience were invited to walk up to say hello, or pose for a picture. One girl posed in front of him with a "selfie stick," much to the amusement to a few.

On Wednesday today, Landon and Oz Linden will be interviewed. On Thursday, Pete and Xiola Linden get their turn. Finally on Friday, Patch and Dee Linden will close the "Meet the Lindens" events.

Addition: Inara Pey later put some transcripts of the event on her newsblog (here). Among what the transcripts shown was an important line of dialogue that I had missed.


Bixyl Shuftan

The SL13B Opens

At 12 Noon yesterday, the Second Life Thirteenth Birthday celebrations officially opened to the general public. And with that, hundreds of residents descended on the seventeen sims. This included the SL Newser's exhibit in SL13B Electrify (40/10/20).

Next door, the Second Life Coast Guard's exhibit also got some attention. Several of the sailors and officers were around.

At the stages, various DJs and live singers performed for the audiences.

At the Auditorium at 5PM SL time, Saffia Widdershins interviewed Zander Greeme of the Fantasy Faire.

There were a few just outside the building panning in and listening from there, but most sat in the ausience.

The SL13B continues tomorrow and all week until next Sunday. Don't forget to stop by.

Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life Thirteenth Birthday Celebrations Start Today

It's been weeks since the preparations began, and this is the day it all begins. The Second Life Thirteenth Birthday Celebrations start today at 12 Noon SL time (3PM EST). While one can TP anywhere onto the grounds, by heading to the official entrance at SL13B Impressive (156/154/118) and making one's way down, one can pick up a list of landmarks, and a few goodies such as fancy glasses for the event.

And once you've made your way down, there's seventeen sims of exhibits and stages to explore and enjoy events in.

There was some last-minute work being done on the Cake Stage, but it will be ready come heck or high water.

There are many dozens of exhibits around, representing places such as Bay City, and repeat favorite builders such as Loki Elliot.

And while you're there, don't forget the Second Life Newser's own exhibit at SL13B Electrify (40/10/20).

For more information, check out the SL13B blog. You can also read the entry in the Linden Blog, and check various screenshots of the SL13B grounds in Flickr. 

See you at The Birthday.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL13B Sneak Peeks

Feeling a little anxious about not yet being able to attend the Second Life Birthday celebration? Maybe a good book to pass the time would help. At the northeast corner of SL13B Stupendous, someone was certainly set for some heavy reading with these oversized books.

And nothing wrong with a cold drink while reading. These two vending machines were pluged-in nearby. Unfortunately they were empty when I checked them out.

One of the exhibitors, Madpea, released this video teaser of their exhibit, "Mad Monster Mountain."



(Click here if the video fails to play)

"We made this video to tease you guys on the amazing experience you will be able to have at SL13B. Visit us there, and dare to try our ride! The Gates will open on Sunday June 19th and you will find us on the Spellbound region:" 

The SL13B is just two days away, opening at Noon SL time on Sunday June 19th.

Bixyl Shuftan