Who Should Be Second Life's Man of The Year?

 

A few days ago, Time Magazine named the people leading the development of AI as the Persons of The Year for 2025.  The "Man of the Year" edition of Time is something the magazine has done for almost a century, the person, group or persons, or thing that has made the news the most in the past year. Its not always awarded to a man, and like this year sometimes it's a group of people. The choices are occasionally controversial. One year, it was awarded to "The Computer" due to the impact of them on technology and lifestyle & entertainment. There have been time's it's been awarded to someone who did a lot of death and destruction or otherwise affected peoples' lives for the worse. 

 

So with this in mind, who would be the man, or woman, or people, of the year for Second Life in 2025?

 

The Second Life Newser has announced a "Man of the Year" every year for almost a decade. Over time, we've chosen a variety of people, We've chosen Lindens. One year the Moles got it as a group for their work on Bellisseria. Citizens and communities have gotten it. 

 

Should it be someone behind a noteworthy project? Should it be a group of people helping others, such as the Relay for Life Volunteers? Or maybe this was someone or something that had such a big impact on the Internet, it was clearly felt within Second Life?

 

We have a few people in mind, but we certainly can use some suggestions. Who do you think should be Second Life's Man, Woman, or Persons of the Year?

 

Source: Time Magazine, Wikipedia

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Who Should Be The Second Life Newser's Person of The Year?

 

 About a week ago, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine was declared Man of the Year by Time Magazine. The "Man of The Year" as the edition was originally called is something they have done every year for almost a century since 1927, the person or group of persons the magazine feels has made the largest impact on the news for the past year. On occasion, it's been awarded not to one man or woman, but to a group of people. The choices have occasionally been controversial. One year, it was announced "The Computer" was given the title due to the impact of computer technology. A number of times, the Man of the Year had made the news due to very negative reasons such as the oppression of a people or peoples, death, and/or destruction. 

 

So with this in mind comes the question who had most impact on Second Life News in 2022? Who should be our Man, Woman, or Persons of The Year? Last year, it was awarded to Patch Linden for partially stepping into the role left empty by the late Ebbe Linden following his passing. 

So who should be our choice for 2022? 

Should it be someone behind a project that helped people in real-life, such as the numerous charities such as the Relay for Life that make use of the virtual world? Should it be someone behind a breakthrough that could change the virtual world as we know it? Should it be a noted filmmaker? Should it be a noted community leader or community officer whom made a difference? Or maybe this was someone on the Internet whom had such a big impact, they had a huge impact on what happened or could happen here in Second Life? 

We have a few people in mind, but we're willing to take suggestions. Who do you think should be Second Life's Man, Woman, or Persons of the Year?

 

Source: Time Magazine, Wikipedia

Bixyl Shuftan

Who Should Be Second Life's Man of The Year?

 

On Monday, the noted real-life news publication Time Magazine announced their Person of the Year for 2021: Elon Musk. The "Man of The Year" as the edition was originally called is something they have done every year for almost a century since 1927, the person or group of persons the magazine feels has made the largest impact on the news for the past year. As it's not always a man, women have achieved it. On occasion, it's been awarded to a group of people. The choices have not always been without controversy. One year, it was announced "The Computer" was given the title due to the impact of computer technology. A number of times, the Man of the Year had made the news due to the death and destruction, and sometimes oppression, that he caused.

So with this in mind comes the question who had most impact on Second Life News in 2021? Who should be our Man of The Year?

The Second Life Newser has announced a "Man of the Year" every year since 2014. Over the years, we've chosen Lindens. Last year the Moles got it as a group for their work on Bellisseria. Citizens and communities have gotten it, or the "Runner Up."

So who should be our choice in 2021? The Pandemic has continued to be a problem in real life, so perhaps someone who best showed how Second Life can be useful for real life? Should it be someone who passed away from the virus? Other people passed away in the past year, notably Ebbe Linden, Second Life's last CEO. Should it be someone or a group of people who raised money for charity, such as the Relay for Life? Should it be a noted filmmaker? Should it be a noted community leader or community officer whom made a difference? Or maybe this was someone on the Internet whom had such a big impact, they had a huge impact on what happened or could happen here in Second Life?

We have a few people in mind, but we're willing to take suggestions. Who do you think should be Second Life's Man, Woman, or Persons of the Year?

Source: Time Magazine, Wikipedia

Bixyl Shuftan

Volunteers of the Decade

 

The past decade has seen many people, groups, and communities make the news. Some do so over and over again. Some make a deep impact. There is one particular group which has done both.

For a century, the American Cancer Society has worked to combat the disease of cancer. It's most successful and signature fundraiser is the Relay for Life. A community-based charity, soon after Second Life came to be the Relay came here, and grew. In it's centennial year 2016, the Relay for Life of Second Life ranked as the Relay's 19th largest team worldwide.

From February to July (formerly March to August) every year, with spinnoff events in the Fall and winter, the Relayers hold events to raise money to fund research to help find treatments and cures for cancer. While the disease is serious, the Relayers make the events a social occasion and have fun doing it. Since it started in the virtual world, it has raised a total of four million US dollars.

As mentioned before, this is one of the largest Relay groups worldwide, with people across many regions and communities, across Second Life of all kinds of avatars, and many nationalities and languages. The high point of the Relay season, the Relay Weekend, which has hundreds of avatars walking around a forty-plus sim track with exhibits around it, is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, yearly event in Second Life. Among the people whom are a part of it are the neighbors of the Second Life Newser, the Sunweavers, who take part through it's own  team, the Sunbeamers.

Not everything about the Relay has been fun times. As the group's numbers include people with cancer and family history's of, inevitably some people every year pass away from the disease. Over time, they have included Shady Fox, Artistic Fimicloud, Catt Gable, and others. With occasional scammers making news with fake charities, some people have come to mistrust every one of them, even one with a good record such as the Relay. And in an era of fake news, there are the occasional charges of global conspiracies. But despite the setbacks, the Relay continues on, helping to fund treatments and cures, and bringing closer the day all cancers have safe and economical cures.

For it's continued successes in aiding real-life medicine, and for involving many hundreds of Second Life residents, as well as being a prime example of the good that can be done with virtual worlds, it's the decision of the Second Life Newser editor to name Relay for Life in Second Life as Second Life's People of the Decade. In a decade that has seen the worst Pandemic in the past century end many hundreds of thousands of lives, it is fitting the title goes to a group dedicated to saving lives. 

Honorable mentions go to Ebbe Altberg/Ebbe Linden, Draxtor Despress, and the Second Life Birthday volunteer staff (2012-2018).

Bixyl Shuftan
Editor, SL Newser

Who Should Be Second Life's Man (or Woman) of The Year?

On Thursday evening December 20, the noted real-life news publication Time Magazine announced it's choice for Man of the Year, with President-Elect Joe Biden and VP-Elect Kamala Harris sharing the cover. For almost a hundred years since they chose Charles Lindbergh in 1927, the magazine has done an annual issue featuring the person, group of people, an idea, or thing that has "for better or for worse... has done the most to influence the events of the year." Over the years, most American Presidents have made the achievement, as well as noted people such as Mahatma Gandhi. They've also chosen groups of people such as "The Middle Americans" in 1969 and "You" in 2006, meaning the millions whom contributed to the Internet and the World Wide Web. Not all of it's choices were popular. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Allahtollah Khomeni selections which drew criticism from the readers. And a few such as "The Computer" in 1982 were met with confusion. But it's a tradition that's gone on through the years as reporting the news has gone from not just print media and radio, but television, cable TV, and then the Internet as well.

It's a tradition that starting in 2014, the Second Life Newser decided to take on with Linden Lab's new CEO Ebbe Altberg as Second Life's Man of the Year. Since then, we've got after the person or persons whom had the most impact on Second Life news, our last winners being the Linden Moles in 2019 for their work on the new continent of Bellisseria. And like Time Magazine, not all of our choices were popular. The choice of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai for his dismantling of Net Neutrality and the potentially chilling effect it could have on Second Life was one that got both criticism and head scratching.

Others whom got the achievement were the Second Life Birthday volunteer group in 2018, the Relay for Life volunteers in 2016, and in 2015 the community of Steelhead. There were also a number of people whom made runner-up such as Barbie Alchemi and Fran Serenade, and Draxtor Despress.

So who should our choice be in 2020? With the Pandemic raging in real life, should it be those whom have made an effort to educate Second Life residents about it? Should it be a noted resident whom caught or passed away from the Coronavirus? Should it be a person or group of people whom raised money for charity, the Relay Life being an obvious example but there are others. Should it be a noted filmmaker? Should it be a noted community leader or community officer whom made a difference? Or maybe this was someone on the Internet whom had such a big impact, it had a big influence on what happens or could happen here?

We have a few people in mind, but we're willing to take suggestions. Who do you think should be Second Life's Man, Woman, or Persons of the Year?

Source: Time Magazine, Wikipedia

Bixyl Shuftan

Volunteers of The Year

Second Life had it's share of movers and shakers in 2016. A number of people made headline news in the past year, many for the better, a few for the worst, and some quietly working behind the scenes. For a century, the American Cancer Society has worked to combat the disease of cancer. It's most successful and signature fundraiser is the Relay for Life. A community-based charity, soon after Second Life came to be the Relay came here, and grew. Today, the Relay for Life of Second Life ranks as the Relay's 19th largest team worldwide.

From March to August every year, with spinnoff events in the Fall and winter, the Relayers hold events to raise money to fund research to help find treatments and cures for cancer. While the disease is serious, the Relayers make the events a social occasion and have fun doing it. In a little over a decade, it has raised over a million dollars.

As mentioned before, this is one of the largest Relay groups worldwide. With people across many regions and communities, across Second Life of all kinds of avatars, and across nationalities and languages. The high point of the Relay season, the Relay Weekend, which has hundreds of avatars walking around a forty-plus sim track with exhibits around it, is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, yearly event in Second Life. Among the people whom are a part of it are the neighbors of the Second Life Newser, the Sunweavers, who take part through it's own  team, the Sunbeamers.

Not everything about the Relay has been happy. As the group's numbers include people with cancer and family history's of, inevitably some people every year pass away from the disease. This year, they included Catt Gable, Zaphara Cazalet, and Shady Fox. Nikoli Redmayne, whom was aboard an airline with a bomb, met his end at the hands of a different enemy. With occasional charlatans making news with fake charities, some people have come to mistrust every single one, even one with a good record such as the Relay. And in an era of fake news, there are the occasional charges of global conspiracies. But despite the setbacks, the Relay continues on, helping to fund treatments and cures, and bringing closer the day all cancers have safe and economical cures.

For it's continued successes in aiding real-life medicine, and for involving many hundreds of Second Life residents. the Second Life Newser has named the Relay for Life in Second Life as Second Life's Persons of the Year in 2016. In a year that in real life has been the end of the lives of so many public personalities, it is appropriate the title goes to a group of people helping to save lives.

Honorable mentions recommended to the Newser by it's readers are Sue Peregrine for her continued work in keeping the d'Alliez community together, Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith for their continued work in maintaining the Calas Galadhon Park sims, JP Laszlo the former leader of the Trump Organization in Second Life for the attention (and controversy) he brought Second Life to those outside it, and Dane Zander for Linden Labs bringing back his Lost Gardens of Apollo after years in the virtual nether. Others whom deserve an honorable mention include the late Ladyslipper Constantine, whose volunteering for many events in Second Life sadly came to an end with her passing this year, the Insilico roleplay community for surviving setbacks that almost meant their demise and ending the year safe and sound (and the person or persons who are providing the money), and the Linden Moles for their continued work in Second Life, such as the Horizons homes and sims and bringing back Mont Saint Michel and the Lost Gardens of Apollo to the grid after having vanished.