Kobuk Farshore, Elif Ayiter, Get Top Awards at MachinimUWA VIII: Pursue Impossible

Click here if the video fails to play.


On Sunday December 13, the winners of the MachinimUWA VIII video and art competition, "Pursue Impossible" were selected. Both the best filmmaker and the best sculptor received 60,000 Linden dollar prizes (about $240 USD) In a close vote by the judges, the  top prize for machinima went to Kobuk Farshore.

An awe-inspiring and brilliantly crafted film, 'Pursue Impossible' by Kobuk Farshore of Alaska, took the top spot and its L$60,000 prize for the 8th UWA International Short Animated Film Challenge (MachinimUWA VIII - Pursue Impossible), in a thrilling one point victory over defending champion and four time winner of the UWA film challenges, Tutsy Navarathna, the dominant Frenchman from Pondicherry, India, who delivered a tour de force with the stylish and visionary 'Death of Death?'. The US-Swiss combination of Haveit Neox and Lilia Artis finished 3rd, but also won one of the 2 UWA Special Prizes through their thought provoking offering, 'Tis An Egg'. Indonesian Diana Al Martini was the other recipient of the UWA Special Prize, with a film showing 3 amazing Australians who successfully pursued the impossible, Professor Barry Marshall, Dr Fiona Wood and Turia Pitt.

Top prize for the best artist went to Elif Ayiter (Alpha Auer) for his work "The Bridge." One can take a look at his 3D work at UWA (198, 106, 324), and the main gallery at UWA (20, 175, 247).

For the UWA Grand 3D Art Challenge, 'The Bridge' by Elif Ayiter of Sabanci University (SL: Alpha Auer), Istanbul Turkey widely regarded as among the most brilliant creators in the virtual world, was the winner over Australian Carmsie Melodie's work, 'Achieve Impossible' inspired by Thomas Edison and Nicola Tesla. The UWA Special Prize, selected by the UWA members of this international judging panel, went to Krystali Rabeni of the United Kingdom. Her creation Dream within a Dream' was deemed to the artwork that best encapsulated the UWA essence of 'Pursue Impossible'. Haveit Neox & Lilia Artis proved formidable winning awards across both the film and art challenges. The curator's award, went to someone without whom these challenges might never have come to be what they are, West Australian, quadrapop Lane. The alpha and the omega. It all started with quadrapop Lane in 2009 and its fitting that she is honoured in the last, as the sun sets on the Grand UWA Art & Film challenges in 2015.

 This is the last of the University of Western Australia's yearly 3D Art and Machinima contests, they having announced there will be no more of this particular event, though may have others in the future should funding be available.

For more information, check the UWA blog.

Cartoon of the Day: At the Xmas Expo

Taken at the Christmas Expo's snowman contest. This scene of a dalek avatar next to a "dead" snowman build on the ground just begged for a cartoon. ;-)

By Bixyl Shuftan

Dark Dharma's Haunted Manor

Becky "Sha" Shamen recently decided to explore a place other than the usual Christmas-themed ones for December. Instead she dropped by the Dark Dharma's Haunted Manor. So why explore a location in December which looks more like "The Nightmare Before Christmas?" Becky had answers to this and more.

Read Becky's article in Places.

Nydia Tungsten on the "Anti-Christmas Party"

Tomorrow on December 17 at the Primal Passions Club at Sunweaver Bay (170, 215, 25), Nydia Tungsten will be DJing for the "Anti-Christmas" event, a dance party with a range of music parodies from mild to wild. But it seems there's been a bit of confusion about the event. So Nydia asked for a little time to explain.

Read the story in People.

The Snowman Contest and the Holidays For Hope Ball

This weekend, the Relay Expo had a few last events. One was the snowman contest, of which the winner was declared on Sunday December 13. Later that day was the high point of the festival, the Holidays for Hope Ball. Second Life Newser was at both, and took a few pictures.

Read more in Events.

SL Video: "If I Had You"

(Click here to see the video)

Nydia Tungsten's latest video, done on December 9, "Just me and a few Angels having fun at 'Primal Passions.' I would like to thank the owner Rayven for the use of her fantastic club and urge you all to check it out. And again, as always we make No money from these videos we just do them for fun, we hope you have fun watching them."

For those whom want to see Nydia DJing, stop by the Happy Vixen Beach Club today between Noon and 8PM SL time at Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24), and the Primal Passions Club on Thursday from 4 to 6 PM at Sunweaver Bay (170, 215, 25).

*Note* We originally had the wrong time for Thursday. It has been corrected.

Calas Christmas Sim

Earlier, Gemma Cleanslate mentioned that the Calas Galadhon Park area had winterized. But she left a description of the special Christmas area for later. Today, she has her article on the Xmas sim there. Designed by Ty Tenk and Truck Meridith, there is much to see and enjoy, and sure to get one in a holiday mood.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

Down South

Kelly BloodyKitty writes today about a new club in the area she used to work at: "Down South." This country-themed club in the Heracles sim has the rustic look of a converted barn. Kelly dropped by to take an in-depth look.

Read Kelly's article in Design.

Fundraiser for Felina Fermi

Yesterday, we reported that Rypanthian Abilene, one of the residents of the Sunweaver Estates, had passed away. His departure leaves a big hole in the life of his longtime friend of fifteen years and partner Felina Fermi, whom not only has to deal with his loss, but that Rypanthian was the one paying for their home. So to help, Club Happy Vixen is holding a fundraising event for her.

The special event for the Happy Vixen will be on Tuesday December 15 from Noon SL time to 8PM. The last the Newser heard, there are still openings for DJs. Those interested in helping out contact Nydia Tungsten or Skylark Lefavre. Nydia and Dusk Griswold will be among those DJing.

The Happy Vixen is located at Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24). 

SL Video: "The Drax Files: World Makers [Episode 34: Cheeky Pea]"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Draxtor Despress on December 9, "The mainstream media likes to point out how 'living online' destroys relationships in the 'real' world but for one American-Scottish couple the virtual world of Second Life became a facilitator: a conduit to finding each other's 'soulmate'.

"'You can absolutely tell who someone is by meeting their avatar in SL' says 3D designer Isla Gealach, who moved in with Ewan Mureaux two years ago after having met almost 8 years ago online.

"Ewan, who makes a living doing land deals and writing scripts in Second Life, points out that by allowing to freely use an avatar identity as proxy for communicating, Second Life is unique in the category of social networks: '…it can cut through societal constraints and gets more to the heart of who you are!'

"Completing the Edinburgh based family is Isla's daughter who at 9-years of age has a solid grasp of the concept of virtual goods. No surprise there, since her mother makes her income by selling home and garden accessories via the Cheeky Pea brand.

"The perceived esoteric nature of her work prompts Isla to use the term intangible rather than virtual when put on the spot about her profession: 'I always respond to skeptics by saying that I make environmental spaces where the experience and the memories people have with my products are real!'

"'As real as anything else!' says Ewan Mureaux.

"And, suddenly, there is virtually nothing more to add...or is there?

"For more information on Cheeky Pea check out http://cheekypeasl.com/."

Memorial Show at Kindness Park

The Winter Expo wasn't the only event for charity going on last week. A week ago on Sunday December 6, there was a show at Kindness Park in the Napa Valley sim. Money donated went to the Mark V. Lee Memorial Fund. So who was Mark Lee and what was going on at Kindness Park?

Read more in Events.

Sunweaver Rhypanthian Abilene Has Died

The Sunweaver/Angels community suffered a loss this weekend when word came one of their number, Rhypanthian Abilene, usually known as "Panth" to his friends, had passed away a couple days before. Rita Mariner, the Sunweaver leader, gave the news in a group announcement.

It has just come to my attention, that Panthian, Felina's mate and long time friend.  Passed away 2 days ago, of a heart attack.  I am collecting info on the funeral, which is in the Netherlands, Hopefully we can still send flowers.  My sympathy to Panth's RL family and especially to our own Felina, who lost a friend of 15 years.  I will be collecting funds for the flowers.  Any prayers and offers of condolence to her and Panth's  family will be deeply appreciated.

Both Rypanthian and his partner, Felina Fermi, came to Second Life and partnered in 2006. Before that, they had known each other in MMO games.

Scenes From the RFL Christmas Expo

It's been a busy week for the Newser crew, especially for Gemma Cleanslate who volunteered to help out at one of the biggest events in Second Life: The Relay for Life Christmas Expo. But yours truly was able to drop by to get a few pictures.

One of the events there was a performance on the Eylsium stage, high above the Frozen sim, on Sunday December 6. The cupcake-shaped seats were close to filled as a number of staff danced around on stage.

Some of the scenes were very well done. The glowing lines on this picture were left by the sparkles on the girl's hands.

Also a big draw: The DJ stage. A number of musicians have been performing there.

Among those who played on Sunday were the noted Jaycatt and Frogg. Their act differed from usual as Frogg Marlowe's normal amphibian avatar was gone and looked more like his real-life self. But his music was the same crowd-drawing and applause-getting as before. Jaycatt Nico was his usual furred self as he played the piano.

The singers would play throughout the week. On Thursday, Ichie Kamachi, whom the Newser recently interviewed, graced the crowd with her velvet voice. With Santa not far away, she had to save her more mischievous songs for other venues.

The Christmas Expo continues, so drop on by the Expo sims, south of the American Cancer Society sim, and enjoy the music and shopping. You might even run into a certain white-bearded fellow in a red suit.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Drving Home For Christmas

(Click here if the video does not play)

From RG Giano on Jan 2015, "Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea - Secondlife machinima.
Calas Galadhon ! The best winterscene to celebrate Christmas in Secondlife. Tamara and myself just loved the beauty you have created at Galadhon. Thank you so much. Wonderful scene!"

Santa's Workshop

Becky "Sha" Shamen's explorations across Second Life took her to a Christmas-themed place: "Santa's Workshop." At this depiction of where St. Nick and his elves make their toys to give to children, there's much to see from the coal mine to Elf Comm Central to Elfementary school. And there's also a hunt where one can find up to twelve gifts from Santa to take home.

Read Becky's story in Places.

Raglan Shire's "Winterfest"

If you're a fan of Christmas and Winter, and enjoy the antics of the Tinies of the Raglan Shire community, you'll want to check out their "Winterfest" events. Having started on December 6, it's scheduled to go on until some days after New Year's. There is no official list of Winterfest events, so one has to check the Raglan Shire Calendar for goings-on such as their "Candy Cane Hunt" going on now.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Raglan%20Shire

Announcement: First Annual Blake Passage Christmas Lights Boat Parade

MarkTwain White posted the following on the Virtual World Sailing Forums.

"Be sure to put this Saturday, December 12 on your calendar. At 10AM  the 29 region Blake Passage area will host first annual Blake Passage Christmas Lights Boat Parade.

"The residents of Blake Passage are working on getting their homes, docks and boats decorated to welcome all of us to join them for this special holiday event which will become an annual tradition. Get your boats decorated for this special night time parade as we celebrate the holidays with our festively lit boats and cruise from Skagway (the heart of the Blake Passage regions) down to the Hollywood sim where DJ Benny the Boozehound will rock the Bowl with music to listen to while lined up to get under the mistletoe.

"Please decorate your boats responsibly avoiding adding any Grinch inspired lag to the event. No Mega Yachts please. Sailboats will proceed under power with sails down. This is a cold evening event based in general sims. We ask that our topless cruising friends bundle up on this one special night and dress for the season."

MarkTwain would later state, "The inspiration for The Blake Passage Christmas Lights Boat Parade is the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade which will be holding it's 107th annual parade later this month."

A Word From The Editor: Aiming To Put "Food On The Table"

Yours truly has made a name for himself, under his pseudonym, writing about Second Life for about eight years now, five and a half under this newsletter. What most of you don't know is that before Second Life, I was writing under my real-life name, Murray M. Lee, self-publishing several science-fiction stories in the website "A Writers Block." The website is no longer online as something went wrong and it vanished from the web. While yours truly still does a little story-writing on the side, progress has been slow, as my first priority has been here.

Partially due to real-life developments, friends and family have been suggesting I make more of a push to use my writing talents to make a real-life income, "Second Life is fine and dandy, but it has not been putting food on your table," I've been more or less told. Actually it has been helping to put food on the tables of others, but that's another story. While I have made money here, I've been donating what I make to the American Cancer Society via Relay for Life, and Veterans charities.

So at their suggestion, I'm going to do a little experiment. I'm going back to writing some things under my real-life name. About once a week on a new website, I'll upload a little something. Sometimes an essay, sometimes just a joke, maybe short stories. Things are only just beginning there, the only two guidelines are "writings about other than Second Life" and "make real money" by getting people to want to advertise there.

The name of the website, since the aim is to help "put food on the table," that's what the working title will be: "Food on the Table." Right now, it's very much a work in progress. Only the basics are set up. Only one writing has been uploaded there. But there will be more to come.

This does *not* meant I'll be cutting back on my writing here. It simply means I am looking an additional market. As long as Gemma, Becky, and the others on the team keep writing a steady stream of stories, this newsletter will keep on going strong, especially if we get some sponsors to replace Podex and Steelhead, of which the losses of (due to Linden Lab and the founder's real-life problems respectively) were a big hit to our bottom line.

But if you're curious to see other writings of mine, please check out "Food on the Table."

https://foodonthetablesite.wordpress.com/ .

Bixyl Shuftan aka Murray M. Lee

"Moral And Legal Imperatives For Sentient AI" Discussion Today, Featuring Real-Life Author Zoltan Istvan

The Turning Church online group will be hosting a discussion in Second Life early today about what should be done about artificial intelligence as it becomes smarter and more self aware. It's notable that there will be some people attending whom are known among futurists and transhumanists in real life.


Each year on December 10th, International Human Rights Day, Terasem conducts a Colloquium on the Law of Futuristic Persons. The event seeks to provide the public with informed perspectives regarding the legal rights and obligations of “futuristic persons” via VR events with expert presentations and discussions. Terasem hopes to facilitate development of “a body of law covering the rights and obligations of entities that transcend, and yet encompass, conventional conceptions of humanness.”

There will be some people there whom have made names for themselves among futurists and transhumanists, notably Zoltan Istvan, the author of "The Transhumanist Wager," a "philosophical science-fiction novel." Others include Susan Schneider and John Havens.

The discussion will be held  at Terasem (130, 175, 29), today at 10AM.

Hat Tip: Hamlet Au 

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

From Xymbers Slade

Winter Holiday Village and Calas Galadhon Park

While looking around for Christmas places in Second Life, Gemma Cleanslate checked back on two she had looked over in the past. One is Winter Holiday Village, which has been on the Grid for eight seasons, but this year has something new. Also getting a mention is Calas Galadhon Park, which changes every season, and once again gets it's winter look.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

Eye On The Blog: Linden Lab Offering 50% Discount For Training on Virtual Clothing Maker

On Monday December 7, Linden Lab announced on the official Second Life blog that residents would receive a fifty percent discount for taking the training course by "CG Elves" for "Marvelous Designer," which was described as "an advanced tool for creating 3D mesh clothes." The offer was good only until December 30.

Marvelous Designer is an advanced tool for creating 3D mesh clothes, and for a limited time, Second Life creators can save 50% on an online training course from CG Elves that will teach you how to use this software.

Visit the CG Elves site through this link, opt in to the “Mastering Marvelous Designer: Beginners Course & Advanced Workshops,”  select any add-ons you may want, then use secondlife-special in the coupon code section of the checkout cart to receive your discount.
This offer is only good until December 30th, 2015 - so find out more about the training course and if it’s right for you by visiting the CG ELves website today!

Is Linden Lab trying to encourage residents to take up making mesh goods? Ciaran Laval called it "a step in the right direction," noting it had a resume with some impressive names, such as being used in the "Assassins Creed" game series, and one of "The Hobbit" movies. Inara Pey wasn't sure what to make of this "unusual promotion ... to be honest, I’m scratching my head a little over it." She noted that although it came with a fifteen day free trial, Marvelous Designer wasn't cheap, with a $59 monthly subscription fee, a $360 yearly subscription, which could be discounted up to fifty percent to $180, and a lifetime one time cost of $550. The training program itself was $399 before the discount, of which the limited offer cut down to $199.50. She also brought up Project Sansar, wondering if this was some "vague pointer" the upcoming virtual world would support this designer's tool.

Hamlet Au hasn't written about the training course discount yet. Instead, he responded to a comment made by one of his readers, about how the "Prim-Based Era" of 2007/2008 was Second Life's "golden years" of content creation, as prims made it relatively easy to build and create, comparing it to "Minecraft" in which although limited to blocks, people were capable of building some amazing things there (such as actual working cell phones). But mesh "completely broke the whole 'easy to make' part of the content creation. If nowadays a new player came to me and was like 'HEY, that looks nice, how do I build something like that?' I would go 'Sigh... you study modeling, unwrapping, rendering, texturing, animation and programming for 5 years and who knows, you might get there...'"

For the Linden Lab blog post, Click Here.

Announcement: Homes For Our Troops Raised Over $650 in Donations in November

I am proud to announce that we have sent over $650 in donations to Homes For Our Troops from our our efforts in Second Life for the month of November 2015. Thank you to everyone who helped and supported. Especially our performers at our monthly benefit. Thank you Keeba Tammas, Quartz and Max Kleene and the management of Kat Vargas. It was very kind of your donate your services. It is a great way to start this holiday season!

Frets Nirvana

Press Release: Burn2 Santalarity: "Great Things Come in Small Packages"

You are invited to participate in our next adventure! We have a new challenge for artists and builders - because our theme this time is this: Great Things Come in Small Packages.

Like a fable borne upon a mist of time, a magical, mysterious transformation is wrought upon the ancient dry lake bed we know as the playa. When the mist clears you see an alpine wonderland of mountains, hills and valleys.

Oh, but that is not all! As you draw in for a closer look, you notice something incredible: everything is small in size. You are surrounded by miniature villages and diminutive trains, with LIlliputian creatures and beings populating the scene. But don't let their small sizes fool you - things are rarely as they appear.

Doesn't that just stir up all sorts of things in your mind? Petites, Tinies, Micros..miniature camps and mini-mutant vehicles, the world goes small! Of course, we'll have a fun little Burn, too. You are invited to participate!

Tinies, petites and other small avatar creatives are especially invited to be a part of this event, to build, DJ and perform.

To sign up for your FREE plot (Limited number, sign up early!), visit the builder application at http://www.burn2.org/santalarity2015-buildapp.

If you are a DJ or live performer, sign up for your slot here: DJ/Performer Self-signup.

Not a builder or musician? Not a problem - friendly Greeters to welcome visitors are great. Contact Freia Guillaume to sign up.

If there are any questions, contact the event leads:
iSkye Silverweb
Ladyslipper Constantine

Stay tuned for news in the Burningman 2.0 group in SL or on this website.

Bot Invaders

Becky "Sha" Shamen recently had a conversation with Jenwen Walpole, the owner of Escort Oasis, which began as part of a group chat and moved on to a one on one at the club. Most of her concerns were printed on a notecard sent in the chat's group. Jenwen was concerned about an old problem in Second Life: the use of 'bots to artificially boost a venue's numbers. This wasn't about just the lost revenue at her club, but she felt the problem was dragging down Second Life as a whole.

Read Becky's article in Extra.

The Windlight Winter Art Show

The Relay for Life's Christmas Expo is not the only charity event going on in Second Life. Team Diabetes in Second Life is having it's Windlight Winter Art Show in cooperation with Windlight magazine. The show features a number of artists, such as Bryn Oh, and photographers. Plus there are a number of places to ship. Gemma Cleanslate dropped by on Press Day to get a look at things, and was not disappointed.

Read Gemma's article in Events.

University of Western Australia Announces Dec. 13 Art and Film Show Will Be Their Last

On Friday December 4, the University of Western Australia in Second Life made a dual announcement. The date of their yearly 3D Art and Machinima show would be at December 13 at 6AM, with the films playing 24 hours before the event. There will be a total of over 500,000 Linden dollars given out as prizes. Unfortunately, they also announced that this event, which has gone on for several years, will be their last, the "Grand Finale."

So what will happen next? This isn't the end of the UWA sims themselves as they will continue. Nor will it be the end of art events, which will continue to run under FreeWee Ling. However, it "IS THE END for the major international art and film challenges that have run annually since 2009. There may be special art of film events if funding is secured to run those special events (of if a large amount is suddenly available to the UWA for work in virtual worlds)."

"It has been an amazing honour to run these challenges over the years, and it's with a heavy heart the sun is now setting."

For the announcement on the UWA blog, Click here.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

It was seventy-four years ago in which the Japanese Empire launched it's attack on the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. Over 2400 Americans would lose their lives in the assault, including nearly 1200 of the 1500 crew of the USS Arizona after a bomb penetrated into and detonated the forward magazines and destroyed much of the ship's interior. Most of the ships were salvaged, but the Arizona was left as a memorial to it's crew. In 1962, an official USS Arizona Memorial was opened.

 Second Life has it's own USS Arizona Memorial, located in the Oahu sim. In the past, the place was the site of events, such as the 70th Anniversary commemoration. No event was planned for today, but the memorial remains for people to come by and pay their respects.

 The Pearl Harbor Memorial is at Oahu (180/10/24).

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at Furry Fashion

By Bixyl Shuftan

Scenes From Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015 has come and gone, and people are getting into the Christmas (and Hanuka) season full swing. For those who missed the events then, yours truly took some pictures at happenings he was at on Turkey Day, and the following Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

For the pictures, go to Events.

SL Video: "University of Western Australia Machinima VIII Pursue Impossible"

(Click here if the video does not play)

From "Inworld Films by Suzie Anderton," one of 45 machinimas, or inworld videos, for the "MachinimUWA VIII" contest , this year's theme, "Pursue Impossible."

Announcement: "Violent Earth" at "Star Talk Radio"

The Science Circle
 

"Star Talk Radio" 

Neil deGrasse Tyson
                 

 "Violent Earth"
              

Saturday December 5th
           

Asia/Oceania 5 AM PST     

Europe/America 10 AM PST
            

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/96/204/2000

Telrunya and Christmas at the House of Avro

When not involved with getting ready for the Christmas Expo (see below), Gemma Cleanslate has been continuing to explore holiday-themed places in Second Life. She came across two recently, Telrunya, and Christmas at the House of Avro. Telrunya offers picturesque scenery. the House of Avro offers Christmas shopping. So what did Gemma think?

Read Gemma's article in Places.

Christmas Expo Opens

The frosty frozen sims of the Christmas Expo for the Relay of Life are now filled with the wonderful shops of the many merchants who are donating so much work and energy to benefit the Relay . A list of all the participants and their locations can be found here https://slchristmasexpo.wordpress.com/exhibitor-list-shopping-guide/ 

The members of the committee have put together a wonderful event that all will enjoy visiting. Santa and elves will be there waiting for visitors. There is a naughty and nice package in many stores so be sure to look for them. Many merchants also have placed presents in the stores too and there is a hunt for bells filled with goodies. In the Christmas Tree lot some gorgeous trees made especially for this year are for sale.

 There will be music and dancing on the stages and the opportunity to build a snowman. A good way to get a look at each sim is to sit in Santa’s sleigh which will take you up into the air and give you an overhead view. He loves driving you around. He also loves having his picture taken while you sit on his lap in his special area.  Or, Rudolph is found at several places and if you hop on and navigate your own tour. I tried all these out and they work !  The skating area is open for business so bring your skates . 

I was lucky enough to be on the sims while the preparation for all this was in progress working with the merchants and their stores. They put a lot of effort in their own décor inside the igloos and other buildings of the artic environment and you will love visiting each one. The wares are gorgeous and It is wonderful that they have invested so much into making the Expo a big boon for the American Cancer Society (which works internationally). Their work is a donation in itself and they are to be thanked. On the website the wonder sponsors are listed too. And for those into gachas, yes there are some there.

The committee for the Expo should also be thanked for their effort in the decorations of the sims. I called it a frosty frozen place but the bright décor of the trees and shrubs and brilliant splashes of the rich red colors bring life to the regions. The gingerbread  stage held up by ribbon candy is sweet and the wrapping paper stage is brilliant. The Christmas Expo opens on December 3 and runs until the 14^th. I am glad I saved some lindens after all my visiting of markets to spend. I saw a lot or things I would like and you will too. Remember this is for a great cause.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xmas%20Expo%20Arctic/37/220/28

Gemma Cleanslate

Scenes From Second Life: The Jolly Blue Giantess

 With Lomgren Smalls as a neighbor, small avatars are not exactly a shocking sight. Giant avatars, however, are a different story.

At Furry Fashion last weekend, yours truly dropped by a "Best in Blue" event. And quite a number in theme showed up. In the words of one, "It's like Avatar (the movie) in here." Then someone named Arisu Starfall showed up. While also in a blue avatar, it was unlike the others due to her huge height, standing close to forty feet high. The sight of her drew cries along the lines of "Don't step on me!" Arisu didn't step on anyone, but tiptoed to the side and made some adjustments in her outfit. "Why so tall?" someone asked. The giantess promptly answered, "Why so short?"

Arisu would later share in the contest prize that night, proving "Size does matter."

Bixyl Shuftan

Where Are They Now? Penance Sauterau

Readers from the days of our predecessor newsletter, Second Life Newspaper, may remember Penance Sauterau. Known as Penny to her friends, her articles were mostly about the adult and game areas in Second Life. Her departure was one reason the "Adult" section was closed in late 2009.

She still comes to Second Life on occasion. As it turns out, she's still writing, but for the pop culture online magazine "Inside Pulse," writing about wrestling and a few other subjects.

Press Release: Windlight Winter Art Show & Winter Showcase

Team Diabetes of SL is pleased to announce the first annual Windlight Winter Art Show and Winter Showcase! This event will take place from December 7 to December 14 and will include seven days of live djs, performers, tribute concerts, art exhibitions, contests, shopping, a hunt, a gingerbread building contest and more!

The art show is sponsored and produced by Windlight Magazine and Windlight Art Gallery and will feature the following artists and photographers:  Bryn Oh, Cica Ghost, Skip Staheli, Wicca Merlin, Dawnbeam Dreamscape, JudiLynn India, Kayly Iali, Saoiriseheart Resident, Warm Clarity, Eeraftr Resident, Honey Bender, WrenNoir Cerise, Roffellos Resident, Layachi Inhen, Richie Narstrom, Ilyra Chardin, Bluesrocker Resident, Sparkie Cyberstar, Tripleplaynitely Resident, Inara Pey, and Johannes1977 Resident.

The 2015 Winter Showcase is sponsored by Tayren’s Fantasy Fashions and will feature the following brands:  Tayren’s Fantasy Fashions, Moonstar, Feyline Fashions, Wiccas Wardrobe, Zuri Rayna Jewelry, Spyralle, Kittycat’s Creations, The House of Avro, An Lema, Park Place Home Décor, Pink Ice Boutique, A Little Bit of Everything by Neck, Jamie Wolf Photography, Potomac Signature Homes, Lyrical B!zarre Templates, [JOH], Hearthaven Photography, Kaerri, and Meshopotomia.

The modeling firm, Solaris, will also produce a winter queen themed fashion show, featuring jewelry by Chop Zuey.

For a list of participating artists, brands, creators, and events, please see the official website of the Windlight Winter Art Show and Winter Showcase:

http://teamdiabetesofsl.org/windlight-winter-art-show-winter-showcase/

For more information about Team Diabetes of Second Life, please visit our official website: www.teamdiabetesofsl.org

Team Diabetes of SL, Plush Nonprofit Commons (232, 27, 26)

Cartoon of the Day: Who Gives The Naughty Gifts?

Taken at a more adult-themed Christmas area I stumbled across. For those who don't know, "Krampus" is a devilish figure whom in Christmas past was depicted as either delivering switches and whips to punish naughty kids, or sometimes taking away the naughty kids to punish them himself. He's been making something of a comeback in recent years, though. With that in mind, would he be handling the "naughty but nice?" It might be better for Santa's marriage if he did. ;-)

By Bixyl Shuftan

Arcadia Asylum

In her last article, Becky Shamen brought up the Arcadia Asylum freebie area. Feeling the place deserved an article of it's own, she wrote about the locations she found there, in addition some of the rides, including one straight out of a Jules Verne / H. G. Wells novel. So what did she have to say?

Read Becky's story in Design.

News and Commentary: New Terms of Service Provoke Questions.

Logging into Second Life yesterday, I was greeted with a new Terms of Service to read and click "Accept" on in order to go about virtual life as before, which can be read in this link here: http://www.lindenlab.com/tos. And as soon as I logged on, I was IMed multiple times by friends bringing up certain lines, asking if these changes meant things from the Lab stating that legally any content uploaded belonged to them, of which another change in the ToS in August 2013 on thie matter caused a controversy that lasted for months, to clearing Lindens of wrongdoing should they decide to ban someone for sending reports against someone whom had some influence on the Lab. The Second Life Universe forums didn't take long to come up with a thread on the topic, "Ah well, at least the responders to your support tickets can still be snide to you, even if you can no longer be snide back."

The announcement announcing the ToS changes stated there were three major ones, (1) to "remove outdated references to Desura and Authorized Resellers," (2) to "explicitly address our intolerance of harassment of Linden Lab employees," and (3) to "clarify the arbitration provision in accordance with applicable law." The first was the result of their selling of the Desura game and application program provider service over a year ago and their banning of third party virtual currency exchangers, such as Podex.

Inara Pey touched upon the second and third statements in her blog. Of the second, "There has been speculation this relates to certain personal attacks directed towards Ebbe Altberg through the likes of Twitter. However, it would seem more likely (I would hope) that this section is intended to address similar attacks which have been made through the Lab’s own forums, etc., over which they have full jurisdiction." Of the third, "While I am not a lawyer – and so the following statement is purely speculative on my part – it would appear that included in these changes is an attempt to prevent class action suits from being bought against Linden Lab as a part of the arbitration process:"

My own opinion, Linden Lab could be trying to protect themselves against a class action suit by banned residents, such as the one Intilibber Brautigan was a part of. And of course the Lab has a history of trying to cover their behinds with lines and lines of poorly written legalese that can be interpreted quite broadly, leading to distrust by residents whom have learned to assume the worst at every change the Lab makes.

So what do you the readers think? Please leave your comments below.

Bixyl Shuftan

Events This Week at the Sunweaver Clubs

It's another week of exciting events at the Cutlass Clubs. The alphabet themes continue with "I and J," followed by a little military action with "It's War!" and rounding things out on a fun note with "Winter Fun." The Happy Vixen has a salute to Japanese animation with "Anime Night" followed with a salute to sailors with "Navy Night," and then "Best in White." Come on over and have a little fun, and possibly win a prize.

Read the schedule in Events this Week.

Winter Comes To The Sunweavers

With December now upon us, many sims across Second Life are taking on a winter look, with a fresh blanket of snow. This includes a couple of the Sunweaver sims: HV Community, where the SL Newser office resides, and Sunny Beach.

HV Community simply has a blanket of snow. It hasn't gotten cold enough for flowing water to freeze.

In Sunny Beach, which has fewer buildings, the land has more of a winter wilderness look, with Jasmine Dawn having done the landscaping. There's a leafless forest of dormant trees.

In the middle of the sim is a fire people can relax at and warm themselves, or they can head inside the cabin.

This won't be the end as our noted builder Shockwave Yareach has been building something of his own, which should be finished well in time for Christmas.

Press Release: 2015 Holiday Spectacular

A Broadway inspired event with Live Music, Custom Built Sets, Dancers, Custom Costumes and more!

There will be only 3 performances at the following venues:

December 5, 2015
2pm slt - The Rose Theatre

December 12, 2015
6pm slt - The Grey Owl

December 19, 2005
8pm slt - Key West

LIVE MUSIC BY:

AMFORTE Clarity
Franklee Anatra
SaraMarie Philly

SET DESIGN AND DIRECTION BY
Kage Stratten

PRODUCED BY
Kalli Birman (Brandy Maltas)

COSTUMES AND CHOREOGRAPHY BY
JennyLynn Capalini

MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Manfred Hancroft

DANCERS
Andee Cooper
Blaize Batra
JennyLynn Capalini
Kage Stratten
Manfred Hancroft
Monty Talbot
Rhylea Bravin

SPONSORS
GizzA Creations
Azul
Cynful Clothing
Vanity Hair

This production has come together through weeks of hard work and dedication. It is meant to be the epitome of the spirit of the winter holidays. We want the public to enjoy the performances with love, caring, belief and festive nature that is the holiday spirit. You bring yourself and your friends and we will provide the magic.

I am attaching some logo designs and a few sneak peaks of the sets. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.

Brandy Maltas (Kalli Birman)
Producer