Team Firestorm's Anniversary Party

 

 Saturday September 6 was the day of Team Firestorm's anniversary party. From 12:30 PM to close to 4PM, various musicians performed music at the intersection of four of the group's sims. When I looked, close to about 140 people were there, so there were likely more earlier. 

 

 I arrived too late to see Maxamillion Kleene, but did see Tally Mercury sing live.

 

 Due to the lag and viewer crashes, I could never get a wide shot of the crowd. This picture was the best I could do. After Tally finished his set, DJ Trick returned to do an unscheduled set for about an hour.

 

 There were a few gifts for people to pick up, such as a pet dragon. 

 

 Beq Janus, Team Firestorm's manager, was among those there, happily celebrating with everyone, and thanking her teammates and Firestorm's loyal users.

 

"A special thank you to Teresa, without here you'd probably have to rely on me to remember stuff and organize things and yeah.... that wouldn't happen. Teresa is the true powerhouse behind organizing this party so a massive hug and thank you to her for putting this all together."

 

 For those who didn't make the party, Team Firestorm usually has the freebies up for a few days afterwards. You can get them near Firestorm Ghost Town (14/240/3903).

 

Happy Anniversary Firestorm

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Firestorm Anniversary Party Saturday Sept 6

 

 Team Firestorm, the people behind Second Life's most popular viewer, is celebrating it's fifteenth anniversary tomorrow, Saturday September 6. And they're throwing a party to celebrate. 

 

Firestorm is turning 15 this week! Our actual birthday is on September 3, but we want to celebrate BIG TIME, and we want you to join us. That is why we are moving our party to the weekend… Saturday September 6. Yes, we will have a party. And yes, there will be gifts – three really nice ones. There will also be some amazing entertainment. There is only one more thing we need – you! Please join us.
 

 The events are scheduled to go from 12:30 PM to 3PM

 

12:30 – 1 PM SLT – DJ Trick
1 – 2 PM SLT – Maximillion Kleene (Live Singer)
2 – 3 PM SLT – Tally Mercury (Live Singer)

 

There are also a few gifts for people to collect, including a pet dragon.  

 

It is asked that people used the following SURLs based on the first letter of their SL account name

 

A – J:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Ghost%20Town/14/240/3903
K – R:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Aerodrome/238/15/3903
S – Z:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Dow%20Forest/237/238/3903 

 

For more information, check the Firestorm blog (here).  

 

Fifteen Years of The SL Newser,

 

It was fifteen years ago yesterday in which one chapter in Second Life journalism ended, and another began. 

 

For about three and a half years, the Second Life Newspaper had been reporting on goings on in Second Life. Starting off as a simple blog in 2005, "one man's dream," it grew and developed into a real newsletter with a staff that ensured it was updated every weekday. Yours truly would join in 2007. But sadly real-life would catch up to the owner and editor, and in Spring 2010 we were informed the paper would soon be closing.

 

A few of the staff would simply depart and go on to different things, but four of us, Gemma Cleanslate, Shellie Sands, Grey Lupindo, and myself, had joined the dream of reporting the news and were not about to just give it up. So we got together and made plans for a new one, with me as the owner and editor since I had been the "office manager" of the SLN. And so on June 5 2010, Second Life Newspaper ended, and the Second Life Newser began.

 

It wasn't easy. While we had plenty of experience writing the news, this was a new paper, and owning one isn't the same as managing one. And we started just as some *major* news was hitting from Linden Lab laying of a third of it's staff to the CEO leaving and Philip Linden returning as interim, to the closing of the Teen Grid and others. But we were persistent. By the end of the month, our friend Ranchan Weidman and the Sunweaver community had provided us with an office, and the land to put it on. And it was becoming clear to everyone we were around to stay. We would report on the people, places, and events of this virtual world that has become for many of us truly our second life. 

 

Since those first days, much has changed. Linden Lab went from where to go after the end of it's Golden Age, for a time creating or buying other products. But after a few years, over time it would close them or sell them off, the last one being the next-generation virtual world Sansar which while looking good never really took off. Confidence with the Lindens would fall and rise over time as blunders of theirs made residents wonder about them, and smart moves encouraged users to invest more time and money as well as spreading the word.  And Linden Lab itself would find itself purchased. But the new investors knew a good thing when they saw it, and let the Lab to continue as it has. 

 

The land and people have changed. Over time, we've written about many places and people. Sadly, many areas would close, and time and real life would take some people away. But other locations would open, and other people would join. The residents over time would be less Boomer and Gen-Xer, and more Millennial, who would bring in new attitudes and outlooks. 

 

We have changed. Sadly Shellie and Gray would have to depart the Newser, but others would step in such as Grease Coakes, DrFran Babcock, and others. Those who have remained have gotten older, and have had some real-life challenges, yours truly's hair has become mixed with gray in real life, but the writing goes on. Some of our competitors have not, shutting down over time for various reasons. 

 

But much remains the same. This is still the virtual world that brings out creativity and inspiration. Builders continue to make great landscapes, buildings, and other creations such as lifelike virtual pets, vehicles large and small, and more. Artists come here to show their masterpieces and see what they can do in a three-dimensional landscape. Fundraisers, such as those done by the Relay for Life and conducted, bringing in money for valued charities that help thousands. And much more. 

 

And the future? Despite the naysayers over time who thought Second Life was doomed, it has continued over time and remains stronger than ever. And while we the staff of the Newser have seen some real-life challenges, we remain committed to continuing to bringing you the readers the news of this great, and sometimes crazy, virtual world. On occasion real life may slow us down a little, but we still deliver the news. 

 

Special thanks to the Sunweaver Estates and the Angels to giving us a location inworld, Farshore Radio for helping to spread the word, to James and Dana who taught us how a newsletter should be run. And of course special thanks to you the readers whose readership makes this paper possible.  

 

Bixyl Shuftan

Editor

SL Newser

 

Mieville Celebrates 15 Years

 

 

On Saturday July 8, there was a party in the Mieville community to celebrate a milestone, it's fifteenth anniversary. 

Time to party! Theme: Celebrating Mieville! Let's continue to kick off Mieville's 15th Anniversary in style with great music and party fun! DJ Anna LOCATION: Mieville Doyle dance floor Mieville Doyle (71,42,24) 

 

The event was held from 6-8 PM. There was a little joking around while I was there via an alt, including looking back at the community's founder, "Perryn would be proud." This would not be the only event to celebrate the community's anniversary.  There were also three anniversary market areas set up.

Mieville made the news last year when it's founder Perryn Peterson vanished and was presumed dead. This left the fate of the community uncertain until Linden Lab stepped in earlier this year and offered a rescue plan for the sims. 

 Bixyl Shuftan

 

Fiftteen Years of Writing Second Life News

How long could you keep writing about something every week or so? It was November 2007 in which yours truly started helping to cover the news about this virtual world. Fifteen years later, I'm still writing away. I took a little time to look back at how it began, and what's been accomplished.

Read the commentary in People. 

The Luskwood Tribute Party

If another community you admire isn't able to organize a key anniversary event, what do you do? The Luskwood community, the oldest in Second Life, turned fifteen this fall, but it's founders couldn't hold a grand anniversary event. For the the Happy Vixen, the beach club of the Sunweaver/Angels community, the answer to the problem was to hold a tribute party. The party was a big success, with a number from Luskwood dropping by. To everyone's surprise, so did one of the Lindens.

Read the story in Events.

Luskwood Turns Fifteen, Tribute Parties Today and Tomorrow

Luskwood reached a milestone this fall. The community, the oldest in Second Life turned fifteen years old. They usually celebrate birthdays with large weekend events, in the past few years held jointly with the Trotsdale community of which the two communities hold close ties, the last one held in October last year.

But this year they haven't been been able to organize one of their LWB events. So the Happy Vixen club in Purrfection Estates will be having tributes to both Trotsdale and Luskwood this week. The Trotsdale Tribute is today at 2PM SL time. The Luskwood Tribute will be tomorrow, Thursday November 29, at 8PM SL time.

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

The SL15B Gift Grab: The Last Gift

After fifteen weeks, The Second Life Fifteenth Birthday Gift Grab, (described in their blog post of the event and briefly at the end of our June 22 article of The Birthday), is coming to an end. The first fourteen weeks have offered gifts from silly string to hoverboards, to crystal balls, to teddy bears, to magic wands, and more. The fifteenth gift we were told would be reserved only for those who had collected every one of the previous fourteen gifts, and was promised to be extra special.

Finally on Monday September 24, the fifteenth and final gift was made available. The clue on the Linden blog was, "The FINAL SL15B Weekly Gift Grab Hint is: Home of the Moles is where this could be. Hidden among things for everyone to see." The clue led to Meauxle Bureaux (152/127/29). The sim was quite picturesque at certain angles.

For those whom had the first fourteen notches on their "Swaganator HUD," the gift was available to claim. So I got it, and headed to a sandbox to see what the grand prize we'd all been waiting for was.

And it was ... a crystal carriage. You could sit on it. But to operate it, you needed the HUD that come with it. Once attached, you could move the carriage around, even fly it in the air. Something that would be fun for Fantasy-themed areas.

And that's it. That's the last of the SL15B Gift grab gifts. Hope you had fun collecting them. Do you have a story about a hunt area that was extra good or bad? Anything to say about a gift that was really great or a disappointment? Send your reader submissions to bixylshuftan@gmail.com

Bixyl Shuftan

Fifteen Years Ago

Fireman's Prayer

When I am called to duty,
whenever the flames my rage,
give me strength to save some
life whatever be their age.
Help me embrace a little child
before it is too late,
or save an old person from
the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert,
and hear the weakest shout.
And quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling
and give the best in me.
To guard my every neighbor,
protect his property.
And if according to my fate
I am to lose my life,
please bless with your protecting hand
my children and my wife.

9/11/01 - We will never forget

Poem by Firefighter A.W. “Smokey” Linn