Tripp Foxtail and The Travelers Station

 

Last week, Tripp Foxtail announced he was closing his several locations in Second Life, including the main one, the Traveler's Station. This was soon followed by him saying the Traveler's Station would be staying. I ended up having a conversation with Tripp, and he would show me a few things.  

 

Read Bixyl's story in Extra.  

Drivers of SL

 

Sometimes when driving, you just want to get where you're going. And sometimes it's the journey itself that's more important, listening to the radio, and taking in the scenery. And on occasion, there's no particular destination, except maybe back home, eventually, the journey made just to see new things and new places. If this is something you like doing, there's a group for you, the "Drivers of SL." The Newser interviewed a few people behind this large group of people here in Second Life.

Read the story in People.

 

Abnor Mole's Trolley Ride

Some of the more interesting events aren't planned, but happen spontaneously. One last week started off with a simple question in Bellisseria group chat by Abnor Mole. The end result was over twenty people going on a trip across part of the Linden Home continent. The Newser was there to tell the story.

 

Read the story in Events. 

 

Montecito Bay Transit

 

The Montecito Bay sim has seen a number of changes in recent months, notably the addition of three neighbors: Monstra Aquavia, Crux Dark Citadel, and Novae Dilucula. For the Bay itself, one notable change is the addition of a mass transit monorail system in the city.

There are a few stations in town where one can wait for the rail car. Once the doors open, just walk in and have a seat. If it closes before you get on, you can still click on it and select sit, but you won't be able to choose which seat. Then just enjoy the ride. The track has some twist and turns, going slightly up and down at a few points. There's also a short tunnel the car goes through. The track takes you past some noteworthy sights, including the video arcade, a pool of green slime, and the Azucar Tower, the name that started appearing over a year ago on the sim before it changed.

Once the car approaches the station you want to get off at, don't hop off too early as you'll end up falling through the floor. Wait until it comes to a complete stop. Once that happens, the doors open and you're ready to exit.

Stay tuned for more later.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

More On The Mainland Pod Service

On Friday August 21, Yavanna Llanfair, the creator of the Yavascript pod travel system that covered most of the continents of the mainland, announced she would be "suspending all services" due partially to a 24 hour ban by Linden Lab she had traced to a pod glitch and partly due to the lingering effects of a Coronavirus infection. The service had been going since it's start exactly ten years earlier.

It didn't take long for news to spread. Besides the Newser article, it was also mentioned in Modem World. A thread was started in the official Linden forums. Forsaken Roeth would film a video about the closing and the comments of various people in the pod riders, herself having to hold back tears.



The result has been numerous statements of people expressing their sadness, and some people wondering why the lack of a response by Linden Lab to her ticket. On Saturday, Patch Linden would respond.

I am potentially as confused as everyone else.  But then again I've been out of town this week and I have some catching up to do.  In any case while standing in the house of mouse, this did make it to my attention to look in to.    While I'm digging in to find out what happened there are a few things I can assure everyone of:

1. We've made no policy changes surrounding automated vehicles on the Mainland.
2. We like the Yavapods system
3. We use it in Bellisseria as the "engine" for the ferry boats, with Yavanna's permission of course
4. We keep having it back to SLB every year

These items do not seem like a recipe for a change in policy.  Hopefully things will unfold and we'll get to the bottom of this in a positive manner.  I can't really see any other way forward, and the team and I have no reason to not support or help Yavanna. 

Of her account being suspended for 24 hours and the lack of a response to the ticket she filed:

This is where part of my confusion is.  The LDPW and the Moles do not have a real ticket system.  We sometimes receive JIRA's for issues, but that's not really a ticket and the Moles are not reachable directly through the support ticketing system.  While I'm not here to dispute any of this, there also seems to be some real confusion on what or how this happened.  If this took place in July, this is the first I'm becoming aware of it.   There is no "fight city hall" here, again, we have no reason to do anything other than help with the system and the situation.

Ebbe Altberg/Ebbe Linden, the CEO of Linden Lab, would also have a comment. In response to a Tweet by Anne Brightstar, he responded, "No one is stopping them from running."

It should be noted not every single resident is speaking out in favor of the pod car travel system staying. Prokovy Neva would make a detailed post saying it was preferable that the system be closed down, on the grounds all the riderless pods going around were "endless spam," and when going about on roads as half-spheres, they looked like something from "outer space" that didn't fit in with most sims. But most everyone else on the official forums was speaking out in their favor.

Taking a look at the pod stations this weekend, many of the pod rezzers I checked were still up and running well. One would just click on the sign, jump on the pod (or boat at some stations), and click on the vehicle to get going. But this was not the case of every single one. A few at the Durango (154/188/118) station would vanish about a minute after running. Of the two stations at Bay City, they run differently than the others I found with the railcars and boat already there, and not moving until about a minute after the person or persons get on.

So as of Sunday, the pod tour system is still up and running. The problems are some of the routes are glitched, and of course there's the uncertainly of if the system will still be running. But Patch Linden's comments do hint at a solution soon that should put the minds of the pod car fans at ease. Asadora Summers, a moderator for the Pod Riders group, would say on Saturday, "Things are very much way better than they were yesterday morning ... just believe me that all things will go back to what we know." She would also thank fans for the well-wishes they'd sent Yavanna, and invite others to send her notecards so she could email her the messages. Also, there would be a "Second Life Pod Riders Group" set up on Discord where fans could share pictures and stories.

Stay tuned for more details

Addition: Earlier I reported one of the Bay City stations wasn't there and the other didn't work. Another look showed the first was there, the car and boat were just some distance from the LM, and the pods at both do work, they just need some time after the person hops on to get going.

Addition Part Two: I had an alt check a few more routes. While one did glitch soon after starting (probably a sim crossing), most were running fine, including one that glitched earlier.

Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life Mainland Pod Service Closing After Ten Years

The Newser was just tipped off to a sad announcement. After ten years of taking residents around the mainland, the Yavascript pods made by Yavanna Llanfair will be shut down after today. The reasons are a lack of communication with Linden Lab following a 24 hour ban, and her recovery from a Coronavirus infection that has had lingering effects on her body.

Dear pod riders,

Today is the 10th anniversary of the first road pod - "YavaScript Pod V5.0 (MCT)" - MCT standing for Monowai Constant Tour, which I put on the road in the morning of Saturday 21st August 2010. I have set that pod running again; it will run until it is swallowed by some random event (like a sim restart or a crash).

 However, I am sorry to report that it is also the last day of the pods as we know them today. I have made the decision to suspend all services as of later today. The reason is as follows:

For the entirety of the running of the pod service, I have said I will only run the service where I considered I had the approval of the Lindens and the community. Whilst there have always been a few who would criticise (sometimes quite vocally), they have been a very small minority. And I have always felt that the Lindens have tacitly approved of them, though they would never say so directly. Certainly a number of moles have expressed their approval, and to them I am very grateful.

On 27th July, my account was suspended for 24 hours because of a pod crash in Mieum (on the Wellington Road). At least, that is what I traced it to, because the Linden who suspended me would not tell me of the reason - merely that the object was returned to me. I explained that it is impossible to avoid crashes in all circumstances. I raised a ticket to the LDPW asking them to let me know if this meant my pods were no longer welcome on the roads. I said that I would take anything other than a positive to be a negative. My ticket was closed without comment.

It would have been a shame for the pods to have fallen short of their 10th anniversary, and so I have continued the service until today. And for now, I will merely suspend all operations by flicking a switch on my server. This means that the road pods will still rez, but de-rez shortly after (within 5 minutes). Pods will also still be available from the pod stations by clicking on the rezzer. But this is not a sustainable situation, as the vast majority of people come to know about the pods by seeing them pass on the road, so without that, the service is far less likely to be sustainable in the longer term.

I announced back in June that I was stepping back, due to a long Covid-19 recovery. That recovery is still not complete; whilst I have made progress, I still have some issues, mostly neurological. And stress is therefore something I have to avoid at all costs. Therefore I am not willing at present to fight anyone on this. Maybe one day I will. If the Lindens wish to get in contact to ensure me that the pods are welcome again, I will of course re-instate them. But I suspect that is not likely to happen.

I will continue to support pod owners who run their own systems.

Thankyou to each and every pod rider for coming along on the journey with me. It has been exciting and a lot of fun. It isn't necessarily over, but for now autonomous vehicles from the YavaScript stable will no longer be on the SecondLife mainland roads.

Thankyou,
Yavanna Llanfair

For those wishing to check out the pods one last time, head to the main station at Durango (154/188/118). You can also join the Pod riders group (link here) for a list of her other stations.


Yavanna would list the following as her reason for coming up with the rides.

Why do I make these tours? Well, I believe that mainland should be enjoyed and appreciated. Yet there is so little on mainland as a whole which attracts people, simply because they don't know about it. Most people don't travel around and look to see what is there; they go from landmark to landmark in their inventory, without taking the time to look around them. But mainland has so much going for it; beautiful areas, historic locations, educational establishments, rail and sea transport, which most people probably don't know exist. Mainland should be alive, it should be a community. We should all care about it, and then maybe we would take more pride in it and in our buildings. The road network is extensive (though not always as complete as it might be). It is there for using, and should be used as a way to help fulfil this need.

Going about, there was a lot to see while taking a ride. It was an effortless way to cover a lot of ground and see how much was on the mainland. It is a service that will be missed.

Remember, after today, the pods will probably no longer work.

Update: As of Sunday, the pod service as a whole is still working. 

Hat Tip: Sandie Loxingly

Bixyl Shuftan

EOTB: Second Life Destinations - Vive La Paris

While the Coronavirus crisis has mostly shut down world travel, one can do some virtual vacationing here in Second Life. This week in the Linden Blog, the latest Second Life Destinations is a tribute to a favorite global tourist spot: Vive La Paris.

Designed by longtime SL resident Trouble Dethly Crystal, Vive La Paris was built as a special gift by the creator for his girlfriend in Argentina.  

“Whether it is her favorite song posters adorning the walls of the music store, the outdoor gallery of some my favorite images by her, to the cheese and flower shop and everything in between, the region is my love letter to her,” says Dethly. 

Highlights of the region featured in the video include the Eiffel Tower, shops, cafes, and an outdoor exhibit of Second Life photography. 

“Initially, the region was only meant to be rented for two weeks like the other date experiences I have taken her on, where I would hire a couple of live singers for a private show...This time I even had a friend roleplay as a waitress so we could experience a full-service dinner. It was after this date that Ara and I decided to keep the region to share with others to explore, to use as a backdrop for their photographs, or even take their partner or friends for a full-service roleplay dinner.”




There was also a video made by Draxtor Despress.


https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Simpson%20Bay/122/80/26/

A New Intercontinental Route for Pod Riders

While some residents are content to remain in their own small corner of the Grid, others like to explore around. One way residents can do so on the Second Life Mainland are the Yava Script Pods. An automated form of transportation, all a resident has to do is hop on, adjust the speed to allow everything to rezz, then sit back and enjoy the ride. Pod routes exist on several continents. Klaus Bereznyak recently found out that there's a new route that was recently made between the station on the Corfeld sim station on Corsica and the DeMorgan sim station on Gaeta V. He decided to check it out.

Read Klaus' article in Places.

SL14B: Pod Travel

"The Birthday" is just days away now. Performers are being notified, and exhibitors and volunteers are busy with last minute adjustments. Here, I'm using one of the "pods" that automatically move one down the roads, as well as providing riders with a little info on some of the exhibits.

Sunday June 18 is the big day, the gates opening at Noon SL time. For more information on the SL14B, check the blog at: http://www.slcommunitycelebration.info/ .

See you there.

Looking Back: Sean Voss' Second Life Tours

Today, Second Life residents have many resources on which to find noteworthy places online. About a decade ago, that wasn't the case. There was the "Search" function, but it listed only popular places, whose numbers could be skewed by bots. There were blogs, though some were more reliable then others. Better were newsletters such as the Second Life Newspaper. From late 2007 to early 2008, one man decided to take it upon himself to find interesting places and then show them to a tour group: Sean Voss. Among those in the group was then SL Newspaper writer Bixyl Shuftan. Eight years after Sean gave his goodbye, Bixyl looks back at the time the tour group made rounds across various places in Second Life.

Read the story in Extra.

"Yuri's Night"

Last weekend on Saturday April 12, the National Space Society in Second Life celebrated "Yuri's Night," an event held to commemorate the successful journey of Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.

Yuri's Night is an international celebration held on April 12 every year to commemorate space exploration milestones. The event is named for the first human to launch into space, Yuri Gagarin, who flew the Vostok 1 spaceship on April 12, 1961. The launch of STS-1, the first Space Shuttle mission, is also honored, as it was launched 20 years to the day of Vostok 1 on April 12, 1981. In 2013, Yuri's Night was celebrated at over 350 events in 57 countries.

The goal of Yuri's Night is to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers. Driven by space-inspired artistic expression and culminating in a worldwide network of annual celebrations and educational events, Yuri's Night creates a global community of young people committed to shaping the future of space exploration while developing responsible leaders and innovators with a global perspective. These global events are a showcase for elements of culture that embrace space including music, dance, fashion, and art.

The event took place from about 4PM SL time to 10 PM. Originally scheduled to be at the Sagan Planetarium in the Aspen sim, the event was moved to high in the sky over Spaceport Bravo. Pixel Bombastic performed live music for the crowd of science fans.

 

 

For those dropping by, there was a box of freebies one could pick up, which included t-shirts, mens and womens pendants, moonwalk and Russian dance animations, and an SK-1 Soviet space helmet.

 

Among the exhibits there was Yuri's capsule from his Vostok rocket, "Gee, that Vostok capsule really was just a steel ball!" "(laughter) Pretty much."

One lady commented, "Yuri was received by Brazilian President Quadros, and we are very effusive in how we ... our joy, (laughter) he is correct, but the Russians are like that ... They are also very effusive, as the Italians. ... The ability of joy of the Russian people is indeed admirable, Russian folklore and the music is beautiful too."

A good time was had by all.

Bixyl Shuftan

"Journey On A Pixelated Road"

About four months ago I came across a website for Minecraft called Far Lands or Bust, where a man named Kurt began to walk across the length of one Minecraft world. For the record, that's roughly 32 *billion* meters (where one block is a meter). Technically, that would only take about 820 straight hours of nonstop walking, but I learned that Kurt has been doing this since 2011 and has only gone about 700,000 meters from spawn. Because the "Far Lands" (a place where the graphics get screwed up due to variables being overwritten) were removed a few versions ago, he's continuing to use an "outdated" version of Minecraft (Beta 1.7.3 where the current version is Minecraft "official version" 1.7.4 --- quite far apart in developments)

He is doing it for the charity Child's Play as he explains on his website (farlandsorbust.com) and in his youtubing of the episodes (currently at 327 episodes and counting). He's raised over $170,000 for it. I thought to myself "Y'know, that looks really fun. But they're episodes, they're taped, edited, and a far out of date version of Minecraft. No pyramids, no jungle temples, no trading with villagers, no nothing." So I thought I'd try and do the same, only I'd do my episodes live.

Thus was born "Journey On A Pixelated Road."

Come join me (Xymbers Slade) and give me something to talk about whether it is SL related or not as I attempt to waltz across the length of one (up to date) Minecraft world, updating snapshots and release versions as they happen. I'll be livestreaming from 9 PM to midnight my time (6 PM to 9 PM SLT) and continue to do so every monday, wednesday and friday if the idea takes off. I tried to do something similiar a weekend or two ago and got no visitors (when you advertise to 4chan and not even THEY show up to troll, something's not right)

www.twitch.tv/vladvenom --- there's a 20 second delay in the streaming, but I'll pay attention to the chat as best I can.

Xymbers Slade

Bed Bug Hotel

Grey Lupindo does quite a bit of traveling in Second Life, as well as in real life. Unfortunately, real life travel has recently been getting a new hazard that hasn't been encountered in this country for decades: bedbugs. There's a place in Second Life made to educate people about how to avoid being the victim of these critters, the Bed Bug Motel. Grey checked in to see what the place had to offer.

Read more in Places.

Reader Submitted: Continental Tour - Exploring Second Life's Mainland

Someone once stated that about two thirds of Second Life residents seldom venture beyond their own home sim. Considering how popular clubs and shopping are, this is probably an exaggeration. But thinking about it, how much do we explore? Beyond a few favorite clubs, stores, and friends' places, do we explore much. Second Life has a *lot* of virtual land out there for residents to travel on, especially on the Mainland, also known as the continents. Becky "Sha" Shamen wrote an article about these landscapes, and why, and how, one could make a cross-country journey.

Read Becky's article in Places.

Queen of the Sagitarian Sea Revisited

Almost three years ago when Second Life Newser was first published, one of our first locations covered was the huge passenger liner the SS Galaxy. The ship is so big, it covers three sims. Gemma Cleanslate whom wrote about the ship then recently went back to see how the vessel was doing, and found it still had plenty to offer.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

SL Video: "Traveling"

A machinima made by a "Pep Lemmon" in 2011, showing a number of locations. Note AM Radio's classic locations early in the video.

"Music and video by Pep Lemmon. This machinima was filmed in several well known locations in the virtual world of Second Life.

"In the second half of the video I played a little bit with some tweaks that you can find in the advanced menu in Phoenix viewer. Thanks to all the amazing builders and sim creators who make possible filming in such wondeful locations."

Dahlia's Second Life Adventures

Netera Landar recently did one of her more adventuresome interviews. Dahlia Jayaram, whom once made news by sailing across the waters of Second Life, is back. This time, the traveler is making a hot air balloon journey across the continents of the Grid. To talk with her, Netera flew with her, braving storm clouds, air traffic, potential pirate gunfire, and ever-trecherous sim crossings


Read the story in People.

Random Ride Through the Stargate

Xymbers Slade recently decided to do some exploring. Not sure where to go, he went to a Stargate to teleport him to random locations in it's network. Not having used it before, he wasn't sure what to expect. What he found, he wrote about.

Read about what Xymbers found in Places.

PookyMedia: Time Travelers Episode 2 - The Future Will See You Now

This Machinima from PookyMedia is a continuation from Part 1. "The Time Travelers find themselves in a future where they see their part, the pattern and the plan in it. Join them for Episode 2 of this fantastic new animation series."