Game Review: Saints Row IV

Nydia Tungsten is back with another gaming review. This time she writes about Saints Row IV. The fourth game in the series, the characters have grown from humble orgins as a street gang to high profile public heroes. As part of the game's over-the-top plot, the player and his team and allies now have to contend with an alien invasion. So what did Nydia think of this crazy game?

Read Nydia's review in Other Grids and MMOs.

Press Release: Jamm for Genes at The Pocket from 12 AM Friday August 1st

Since 2007 Jamm for Genes in Second Life has raised over $10,000 for the Children's Medical Research Institute - an Australian Charity with global benefits.In  2014 Jamm for Genes in SL we will hold fund-raising concerts throughout the first weekend in August, supported by the generosity of over 50 Second Life musicians who will perform while all tips are donated to the fund-raiser.

Our official target for the fundraiser is $A1,000. We made our 500,000 Linden  SL target last year again for the first time since 2009, and we are hoping we can reach $L500,000 (equating to about $2,000 Australian)  again this year. We have official approval approved (Sanction 000196) to raise funds for donation to the CMRI through the "Jeans for Genes" charity,

Jamm for Genes in SL will begin at 12 am on Friday 1st August -  Jeans for Genes day - and continue throughout the weekend with a lineup of top class live musicians including regulars from The Pocket, B&Bs and Lacey's Place as well as artists from all around the grid who care about raising funds to solve the puzzle of genetic illness and make a better future for kids.
.

Jamm for Genes is  part of the annual Jeans for Genes fund-raiser by the Children's Medical Research Institute - see these web links for more information.

http://www.jeansforgenes.org.au/-About-Us

http://fundraising.cmri.org.au/event/jammforgenes

For free Jamm for Genes in SL supporters gear see the SL Marketplace at

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/147286

All times and dates are Second Life time (USA PDT)

Tales From Podex: In the Black, and White

By Bixyl Shuftan


It was a day in late July at the Podex Exchange. Customers came in as usual to purchase Linden dollars for whatever means they wanted. Some chatted with the tellers a little, talking about getting some swimwear for the beach. Others talked about the big event this month, the Relay for Life Weekend. People from across the Grid would be gathering at the over forty sims around the American Cancer Society area, with numerous exhibits up. Between clients coming in, the tellers talked amongst themseves, some saying they too would be checking out the Relay area after the weekend when most of the people were gone.

It was while they were talking that someone walked in. He was dressed only in a simple pair of shorts, but his appearance wasn't so simple. His hair was white, with his body covered with a coat of fur. It was mostly black, with a white chest and stomach, but his large fluffy tail was mostly black with two distinct white stripes going down it's length.

The tellers stared at him. "Stinky the Skunk?" one finally asked.

The monochrome visitor chuckled, "I'm not him. He's slightly shorter, has a higher-pitched voice," he paused, "and doesn't wear pants. I get out a bit more, and some places require them for anything with opposeable thumbs."

"Oh, well, what can we do for you?"

"The same as everyone else who comes here I imagine, getting a few Linden dollars."

"Certainly," spoke another teller, "As a Linden exchange service, we offer reasonable rates. Have you been a resident of the Grid for less than thrity days?"

"Well no, would there be a problem if I was?"

"Newer residents, those whom have been here less than thirty days, are limited to 25,000 Lindens of purchases per week."

"Oh, well it's not quite that high."

"Just fill out this form then. You'll need to chose which of several international currencies you intend to purchase the Linden dollars with."

The client filled out the forms, and soon the transfer was made.

"Great, well, onto the Relay."

"So you're headed to the Relay for Life?"

"Yeah, that's why I needed the Lindens, to support my friends there. I'd offer to be a builder, but my construction skills, well, they stink."

They had a good chuckle, and the visitor went about his way.

The Podex Exchange is located at the Code sim at (45, 218, 61), with a website at http://www.podex.info/. Jacek Shuftan is the CEO.


Note: The preceding is a fictional story, written for the dual purpose of advertisement and entertainment.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the Relay for Life opening ceremonies, there were close to a hundred avatars there packed in a small area in two sims. The result for my computer, even though it's less than a year old, was lots of grey avatars that took a long time to rezz, or in this case, a prim hairpiece.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Brahma Yoga Class Still Going On In Second Life

It's been two years since Pramiil Magne, the Guru of the Brahma Yoga class inworld, departed Second Life. For many groups, it's often the beginning of the end when their leader leaves. But Brahma Yoga continues to thrive at it's location at Airtol Hill. Grease Coakes recently went to the location to talk to it's new leader Stjohn Noyes and a few others about how they remember Pramiil, how they've been since joining the group, and more.

Read Grease's article in People.

Whatever Happened to AM Radio?

Longtime Second Life residents may recall AM Radio, the artist known for his creative builds such as "The Far Away," in addition to his unique look, dressing like an old-time chimney sweep, all in black with a stovepipe hat. In 2011, he announced his places would be coming down, and quietly departed from the virtual world.

So what happened to AM Radio? James Wagner, known in Second life as Hamlet Au, went to find out. As it turns out, in real life he's Jeff Berg, a tall, bearded man in his 30s. He first came to Second Life at the suggestion of his boss. The avatar, it turns out, was made to resemble Berg's father as a young man. And indeed much of his family's history was an inspiration for AM Radio's artwork.

Second Life ended up changing the man behind the avatar. He admitted having problems with low confindence before coming inworld. As people told him how much his work was admired, he began to feel more esteem in real life and found it easier to interact with people and express his opinions, "Being AM Radio absolutely got me past a barrier."

But he began to wonder if his time in Second Life was causing him to neglect the people around him in real life in addition to his photogrpahy and painting. Plus the university that owned the virtual land where his work was placed was shutting down it's presence inworld. While some people offered to host them, "the terms and the timing never worked out." AM Radio never made any backup copies, so most of the works are truly gone. Fortunetly Ziki Questi was able to take ownership of "The Far Away," where it still lies in Dreamworld North at (220, 130, 22).

Although Second Life is behind him, Berg continues to do well, having gone back to real life paiting and photography, and becoming one of his company's leaders. He was the head of a team that won a Webby award in 2013, and he was at the ceremony to accept the trophy, "I was on the same stage as Jerry Seinfield and Kevin Spacey." One man on stage remarked of Berg, "I didn't know Shannon Hoon was still alive," and the audience laughed.

Of the virtual world, he feels it still has a future, saying it reminded him a little of Apple Computer managing to hang around in the days before the iPhone. His advice to virtual artists, "Welcome new mediums, but don't let yourself be guided by them. ... Avoid showcasing a particular technological capability, but instead, build experiences that remind us how human we are and have always been."

To read Wagner's story in it's entirely, Click Here.

Image Credits: ZIki Questi, James Wagner

Bixyl Shuftan

"Skill Gaming" Deadline Postponed One Month, One Game Maker Reacts

On July 9, Linden Lab announced they were updating their policy on "Skill Games," games that offer a prize of Lindens and require a number of Lindens to play but are not technically considered gambling by Linden Lab. Originally, the new rules were going to go in effect on August 1st. On July 29, the Lab stated they were extending the deadline for the makers and owners of the games to comply with the new regulations by a month.

... we are changing the date that the changes described in our previous blog post go into effect. Instead of starting on August 1, the updated Skill Gaming Policy will go into effect on September 1, 2014. The original blog post and the FAQs will also be updated to reflect this new deadline.

The Lab stated they had "recieved many applications" from people wanting to be approved to build and set up the games. But one "Skill Game" manufacturer and owner, Foxyfurman Kumaki, the avatar behind PI Games, had a statement given out by notecard at his Fishbowl Games gaming hall that informed people he would not yet be ready.

In accordance with Linden Lab’s new Skill Gaming Policy and its accompanying new TOS regarding skill games in Second Life, PI Games will not be an Approved Creator of games by the maker Foxyfurman Kumaki and consequently will not be issuing public Reasoned Legal Opinions in reference to games by the maker Foxyfurman Kumaki.

We want to be clear that as of September 1st 2014, games made by Foxyfurman Kumaki will NOT be compliant and therefore not allowed in Second Life due to Linden Lab’s new Skill Gaming Policy and its accompanying new TOS regarding skill games in Second Life, and accordingly, we cannot support or endorse the continued operation of these games in any form.

To be very clear if the object OR the scripts have Foxyfurman Kumaki as the Creator, the item is NOT compliant and cannot be allowed to run as of 9/01/2014.

Pi Games LLC, is in the process of considering and developing a free to update solution to the solo owned games currently on the grid that will meet the requirements of Linden Lab’s new Skill Gaming Policy and its accompanying new TOS regarding skill games in Second Life, including the requirement and necessity of pro-actively complying with all applicable Federal and State law, and anticipates having a release to the general population within 120 days.

Contacting him via IM, Foxyfurman Kunami stated he knew at least one other game maker whom also would stop operations of it's games. He stated he would inform the Newser if and when his games received approval by Linden Lab.

And so, Linden Lab's new policy on "Skill Games" is already resulting in people in the industry suspending operations, at least for a time.

Bixyl Shuftan

"The Pocket" to Close Until 2015

On Friday July 25th, the Australian club "The Pocket" held what is likely to be the last of it's regular events at least until next year. For some years, the venue has hosted live music events every Friday night in Second Life. On this final night, musicians such as GregEllisToronto Resident, Beth Odets, and OhMy Kidd performed the crowd. OhMy was not only one of the musicians, but also an owner of the club.

Chatting with OhMy via IM, he stated events in real life were making it unable for him to continue to keep holding regular events at the club. He hoped that he would be able to resume normal operations in early 2015.

"The Pocket" was at one time co-owned by the late Delinda Dyrrsen, whom was one of the staff at the noted "Tonight Live" talk show, and was a coworker of Second Life Newser's editor at SL Newspaper.

*  *  *  *  *

July  will be the last month of regular scheduled Friday night shows at The Pocket. The Pocket is as successful as ever with great music, great audiences, and great fun so we are going out on a high!

In August we will hold the 7th Jamm for Genes in SL raising funds for the Children's Medical Research institute. Last year we beat our target of L500,000 - can we go higher in 2014?

Our final concert on Vahalla will be in December, rounding off the year with a concert to congregate, celebrate and commemorate the people, players and punters from seven years of The Pocket.

We will maintain a stage at the original location of The Pocket in Fendahl , and continue to support Jamm for Genes in SL as an annual event, and to support other SL fundraisers, awareness raisers, and worthy causes.
I must take this opportunity to thank bundy for her visionary creation that made The Pocket possible at Vahalla, Freestar for her generous support of The Pocket at Freestar Bay, Delinda for making The Pocket dream come true in the first place, and to the Roo Wranglers, especially Autumn, Cellandra, & Mayo.

I cannot thank the musicians enough  - I do hope that someday you will get paid what you are worth!

Peace and Love
OhMy Kidd

Press Release: "An Invitation to Bid Me Bald - Trader Whiplash & Nuala Maracas"

From July 27 through August 10 we will be participating in a BID ME BALD Fundraiser to support The Relay For Life of Second Life & the American Cancer Society on Behalf of Hands, Hearts & Hope.  We would be honored if you would make a donation on our behalf to help. As a BID ME BALD participant we am offering our hair to help find a Cure For Cancer.

BUT THIS HAS A TWIST ...............

Bid Me Bald Challenge..

A  'Shaved" Head to Head Competition Pitting 2 Relayers in a Fundraising Race!

Here's how it works.. Two Relay Volunteers - Sebastian and Bailey -  place Kiosks Side for 2 weeks and challenge their friends to donate. Each $L5000 earns 1 day without hair, but here comes the twist!

On Haircut day the totals of BOTH Kiosks are combined to determine the number of days without hair. The days are then assigned to the participant with the LOWER Total!

*Note.. In the interest of fair play and chivalry either challenger can declare they will accept the bald days regardless of totals. (All Bribes to be paid to the Kiosk!)

We are challenging all our friends to come and donate  to our special kiosks and  BID ONE OF US BALD! Our goal is to raise at least $L50,000 each (20 days of baldness).

Kiosks will be out from July 27 thru 4.30pm on August 10 @ (SLURL)

Make Your Choice! Who will be combing their hair with a towel?

Please come and help!  We all know that cancer patients have no choice when their hair falls out during treatment, but we do, and through Relay for Life we can do something to help those people, our loved ones and ourselves, by joining together to FIGHT CANCER!

$L1000 equals $4.35!  A Small amount to anyone! Please Consider a Bid of at least that amount, but remember, every single linden makes a difference!

                                            Please accept our Challenge and
                                                           BID ME BALD!!!
                                       
Until There's A Cure,
Nuala & Trader


*Bid Me Bald recognizes, with honor and respect,  those for whom the choice was made, not by themselves, but by Chemo and other cancer treatments.

We have the choice and we choose to sacrifice our hair to honor these Survivors and to help the American Cancer Society find ways to fight cancer, support survivors and their caregivers and help us all celebrate more birthdays.*

The Beach At Arinultra - LEGENDS Classic Rock , Arinultra Cay (179, 28, 23)

DrFran Gets Furry – The Quest for Cover Hunt

After taking a break to concentrate on the Relay, DrFran Babcock is back on the shopping hunt scene for Fashion articles. She finds one aimed toward furry shoppers, the "Quest for Cover." So what quality freebies did DrFran find on the hunt?

Read DrFran's article in Fashion.

Bergson Bowling Center : Let’s Get Bowling in Second Life

Do you like a game of bowling?  In his article for today, Wesley Regenbogen writes about the Bergson Bowling Center. Here, one can take a bowling ball and try to get a strike. So just how does one bowl in Second Life? Wesley describes how it works.

Read more in Design.

Holocluck Henley DJs from the Scifi Con

On Friday Night, Holocluck Henley performed a DJ session while his real-life self was at the SciFi con in real life. Instead of from his Starship Diner, he held the party at his TARDIS way above the sim of Hydrangea. Instead of tips, he set out a Relay Kiosk

The TARDIS is party ready! Hearts & Souls presents an encore of DJ Cluckey's 3rd annual Time & Space set from the SciFi Con. It starts at 7pm SLT. All tip donations go into the kiosks around the control room!

It was a fun dance in a "Dr Who" setting. We couldn't think of "Who" wouldn't have fun there.

Cartoon of the Day

And the coffee cup from the Relay Weekend gets more use.

By Bixyl Shuftan

The Moon Landing Anniversary in Second Life

Forty-five years ago last Sunday, July 20, Man landed on the moon. Although the anniversary got scant attention in the media, in Second Life members of the National Space Society took a little time to celebrate. People were invited over to take a few freebies, read some information, look at some builds of NASA moon objects, and hold some conversation with fellow space enthusiasts. Getting there was just "one small step for an avatar."

Read more in Events.

The Relay Winds Down

With the Teardown postponed for a day, the Relay for Life Weekend's track saw more activity as people took the time to both visit builds they hadn't yet seen up close, and to hold impromptu parties. Individual teams held small gatherings at their camps, which sometimes attracted well-wishers dropping in. Plus there was the event held by T-1 Radio on Wednesday afternoon.

At the Relay station's record player build, Trader Whiplash played the tunes while the Relayers danced away. People talked and joked and cheered one another, congratulating one another for a job well done.

Thursday was The Teardown. While a few builds remained up until late in the day, most were down or were in the process of being taken down by the time some American Relayers were getting home from work.

Hey folks!  As we move in the wrap-up of Relay Weekend I want to take a moment to say thanks for making this year's track such a success and so easy to maintain!  I barely had to ask anyone to move their items back onto their parcel!  YAY!  I'm tearing it all down now so be advised I will be returning items on the track to their owners.  Later tonight, we will return any builds that have not been removed in order to prepare to return the regions to Lindens and hopefully, be ready for next year!  Thank you!

I was able to see some members of Team Aether Chrononauts making an event out of their teardown, taking parts of their build, hoisting them into the air, unlinking the prims, and letting the pieces drop. But usually camps were taken down quietly without any announcement.

And so comes the end of another Relay season. While technically it won't be the end until the official wrap-up party in August, for most Relay volunteers this is the end of the long event. A few were talking about the Relay in the InWorldz Grid, or the Christmas Relay Expo.

The Relay wasn't all fun and games. There was a griefer incident involving "sim crashers," which was quickly squashed. There was also a protester against the American Cancer Society mentioned in Relay chat, but witnesses were saying he wouldn't offer any evidence of his rants. A couple teams also told me of nerves getting frayed and tempers flaring a little as the Relay Weekend approached and it was crunch time, but differences were patched up.

But for just about everyone, the 2014 Relay was a happy time, which left happy memories, and will be missed. At least we have records of it.

The Newser will soon have it's show of scenes from across the track. For now there are other links one can go to.

http://wildstarbeaumont.blogspot.com/

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/wildstar_b/

http://www.softpaw.org/LJimages/SL/RFL14

https://www.flickr.com/photos/softpaw_sommer/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/feelingdoing/ (DrFran Babcock)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielvoyager/

The Relay Weekend was the last event of it's size in Second Life until Burn2 in October.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Wipe Out"

(Click here if the video fails to load)

Nydia Tungsten does it again with a tribute to a classic surfer tune, "Thank You Rita, Mato, Skylark Ice, Val Brandi and everyone else that helped with this one, I hope you all like it. "

A Collection of Relay Weekend 2012 Pictures

For Relayers whom are feeling a little bit of a letdown from the season ending, some might find a collection of pictures by Softpaw Sommer a refreshing look back. Softpaw, the fae kittygirl of Steelhead, had taken over three hundred screenshots of  the RFL track during the Relay Weekend from 2012, including of the Kremlin-like "Pug Palace" pictured above.

http://www.softpaw.org/LJimages/SL/RFL2012a/index.html

The Hanging Trial

Among the roleplays in Second Life is the Wild West roleplay known as Tombstone. The place has seen a number of shootings, and now one of the players in the sim, is expected after to depart. Gemma Cleanslate looks at how the trial progressed, and the results.

Read about the trial in People.

Eye on the Blog: Experience Keys

Last week, Linden Lab announced on their official blog a new feature: "Experience Keys." This is a shortcut that allows a resident to grant permission for scripted objects of an encounter or experience to act on the avatar multiple times without asking for permission to continue at every single step.

Experience Keys are a new tool in Second Life that make it so you can opt-in to an entire experience made up of numerous scripted objects, rather than having to grant avatar permissions to every individual element of that experience. In other words, they allow creators to make experiences that are more immersive, because they’re not interrupted by permissions dialogues. Additionally, with Experience Keys, each of the scripts in the experience has access to a common private database that stores information across user sessions and simulator restarts; a powerful new capability for scripters. 



(Click here if the video fails to play)

Partially to show off what Experience Keys can do, the Lindens set up a game for residents to play: The Cornfield. To play it though, a resident needs the "Experience Keys Project Viewer." There are a few known issues with the viewer, though, such as the avatar looking "distorted" after changing appearances, and crashes with a certain video card.

... you can have some fun and get a sense for the ways Experience Keys can improve inworld content by checking out The Cornfield- a new (free) game, thematically inspired by a bit of Second Life history and created by the moles. Watch the trailer below, then grab theExperience Keys Project Viewer and go check it out for yourself 

One can get to The Cornfield Here: Portal Park1 (127/122/24)

One can read the blog post in full here: (Click Here).

Of "The Cornfield" game, Marianne McCann wrote a review one can check out (click here).

Scenes From the Relay: The Brooklyn Bridge Prank

On Thursday July 24, an incident in real life was played out in Second Life. Two days earlier in New York City, a group of people sneaked up to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, took down the American flags, and replaced them with white ones (actually American flags bleached white) before climbing back down. As white flags are international signs of surrender, some wondered if they might be some kind of political statement. As of the writing of this article, the perpetrators are still at large.

At the Relay Weekend track in Second Life, one of the builds was of the Brooklyn Bridge. While everyone was busy taking down builds or visiting those left one last time, someone flew up to the top of the bridge and planted white flags. The American ones could not be removed, though the white flags were clear to anyone looking up.

Unlike the real-life incident, the prankster here won't get into trouble. But the individual, or possibly the pair, has yet to be identified.

Upper image by DrFrab Babcock

Bixyl Shuftan

Dance Island

Wesley Regenbogen recently took a trip to a club called "Dance Island." Hosting events since 2007, the club continues to entertain patrons. So what did Wesley think of the place?

Read Wesley's article in Places.

Team Sunbeamer Photos

On Wednesday July 23, the day before the scheduled teardown, they Relay for Life Team Sunbeamer got together for a few group photos.

The build, and others, comes down sometime today.

Scenes from RFL: "Almost Enough Coffee"

The cartooning tools are acting up, so for now here's a funny picture from the Relay Track during the "Coffee and Donuts" themed Lap.

Bixyl Shuftan

RFL 2014 Wrap Up – An Editorial

While Editor Bixyl Shuftan was still out getting pictures of the Relay Track, DrFran Babcock went ahead with her own article about it. Her focus was on a few key builds that she felt deserved special attention. Some such as the Steelhead Salmons build were done with a touch of humor. Others such as Alia Baroque were simply good.

Read DrFran's article in Events.

Relay Track Teardown Postponed to July 24

Over Relay chat and announcements, yours truly heard some good news, The Teardown of the Relay Track, scheduled for today, was postponed until tomorrow, Thursday July 24.

So one more day to enjoy the builds, but don't dally. Already some are being taken down. You just might be able to catch some rides, such as the one in the Harmony for Hope's build pictured above.

Official SL Video: "The Return of the Cornfield"

(Click here if the video fails to load)

From Linden Lab, "For many years, the Cornfield was a region of mythological status. A region where naughty avatars were sent to think about what they had done. Rumor had it that the Cornfield was a vast starlit field, cut off from the rest of the world. It was thought to be a harmless tale told around moonlit campfires. 

Until now...

The Cornfield is exclusively available in Second Life. To learn more about the technology 'Experience Keys' that is used in The Cornfield, visit the Second Life blog at: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Featured-News/Check-Out-Experience-Keys-in-The-Cornfield/ba-p/2776400 "

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LR%20Portal%20Park1/69/185/24/

RFL: The "Drain Party" and Teardown Date Announced

One of the traditions that's arisen about the few days the Relay Track is up after the big weekend is over is that among the impromptu parties that spring up is that somebody floods his sim, often just an extra foot of water, and holds a "Flood Party." This time on Monday July 21, there was a different twist. In one of the water sims, the water level was lowered, and a "Drain Party" or "Unflooded Party" was announced.

It was a bit sureal in places, with fish "swimming" around in the air, but it was still fun, "In an attempt to flood a different sim,... well.. accidents happen. A time machine, a weather control system,and a few violations of the laws of physics later..... Unflooded party! 3:30 ish  till whenever people fall over (again)!"

With DJ Fuzzball spinning the tunes, and his daughter Mindy going around with a toy ray gun, "pew pew," people danced away in the damp sand and shallow water.

Unfortunetly, the post-weekend fun will not last long. Tuesday will be the last day people can walk the track and see most of the exhibits. The Relayers have to take them down the following day.

"At this time, the plan for campsite teardown is Wednesday, July 23rd.  Please enjoy the regions until then.  Visit the campsites, take pics for memories, discover what you might have missed, and visit the Activities Regions and BUY MORE luminarias! Thank you for an amazing Relay Weekend!"

Hurry up and see the track and exhibits while you can.

*Addition* The Teardown date has been moved to Thursday July 24.

Bixyl Shuftan

A Tribute to The Airliner Tragedy

Last week, Flight MH17 of Malaysia Airlines crashed in the eastern Ukraine, has been the scene of conflict between the country's armed forces, and pro-Russian separatist rebels trying to break the region away from the country and unite with Russia.  The cause of the plane's demise was quickly found to be an anti aircraft missile. Although the Russians and rebels claim the Ukrainian government shot down the plane, there is evidence that the separatists, using Russian equipment were the cause of the disaster. Of the 298 people killed, the majority were Dutch citizens, resulting the country being in mourning. The airline, already in trouble from another of it's planes vanishing somewhere in the Indian Ocean earlier this year, may not survive a second disaster.

While on the Relay track, I came across this tribute to those who perished on the plane, showing the nationalities of those who were killed.

The Oldbie Project – Kim Anubis "Making Lemonade Out of Lemons" Part One

DrFran Babcock recently took time from her work on the Relay Wizards build to interview Second Life resident Kim Anubis. A longtime resident, Kim has done much from creating "The Magicians" company to writing real-life books about Second Life. Never having lost her enthusiasm for Second Life, the interview was an interesting one for DrFran.

Read DrFran's interview in People.

What a Relay

The Relay Weekend has always been a blast for yours truly, and this one was no exception. Yes, it lagged like the dickens, the opening and closing events showed mostly gray avatars on my computer (image from Bain Finch on Facebook). But there were lots of events, lots of friends and acquaintances met, and a few new ones made. It was announced that the Relay fundraising season had set a new record: 405,000 US dollars.

There were some statistics announced (posted later on Facebook by Dwen Dooley): "over 3000 people in the rosters on over 190 teams. 400 separate donations on the convio. You guys rezzed 9000 regular kiosks. Rezzed 13000 vendors. In those vendors you stuffed 24000 products. This is unbelievable! 280 random riot vendors, 1100 raffles, and sold 16800 raffle tickets. Think about how many rolls that is in real life! 1272 auctions. You rezzed 26249 fundraising tools in total, and that does not include the luiminaria. 5200 luminaria lit on this track. Since wrap up in august last year, there have been 150,000 donations to our fundraising tools. We had some new stuff this year - gotya vendors - you guys rezzed 400 of them! That's 6800 donations. That is a lot of stuff! We had two other new things this year - one was the dual team kiosk, and you guys had 2059 of them. You raised 623,000 lindens in dual team kiosks. The other thing is the journeyman challenge and it has some winners!! The people who successfully completed that: Rwena Dubrovna, Chevelley, Dakota Schwade, Mary Teodosio, Cuddly Waffle, Jenna Thursday, Leia Cale and AHoffman Philly. Jamie Broken for the lap stuff here at relay. She sent me the finalised totals: in 10 years, 110,594 avatars, and we have walked 215,366,720 meters, or 133,823 miles."

Besides the Big Picture, there were numerous smaller ones. Team Wizards, which Newser writer DrFran Babcock is part of, won an award. So did the Steelhead Salmons, whose community helps sponsor the Newser. The Sunbeamers, the team of the Sunweaver community where the Newser office makes its home, while not achieving any awards, did reach Gold status, proving that the team is proving a worthy successor to the award-winning Passionate Redheads, as well as being a source of pride to the virtual community behind it.


More will be written later on, but first a bit of rest. Real Life and it's responsibilities aren't pausing, and so detailed articles about the Relay will simply have to wait.

Bixyl Shuftan

Relay for Life: Relay Weekend Awards Winners

At the Relay Weekend's Closing Ceremonies, the following awards were announced.

Cancer Education Awareness

1st Place: Harmonia of Hope
2nd Place: Relay Rockers
3rd Place: LV Silver Screeners

Returning Team Participation

1st Place - Relay Rockers
2nd Place - Team Shadow
3rd Place - Unmasking a Cure

New Team Participation

1st Place - Team Strange Journeys
2nd Place - True to Life Survivors
3rd Place - Relay Ravens

Exhibition Design Award

1st Place - Home & Garden Expo/Fiction For a Cure
2nd Place - Survivor Campsite by Bianca Bender
3rd Place - Committee Campsite by Luna Barak

Designer Sim Award

1st Place - Eliz Wantanabe
2nd Place - Eclair Martinek
3rd Place - Beq Janus

Interactive Creative Fundraising Award

1st Place - Relay Rockers
2nd Place - Tribute City Relayers
3rd Place - Harmony of Hope

Best Theme Campsite

1st Okace - Tribute City Relayers
2nd Place (3 way tie) - Steelhead Salmons, Relay Wizards for Spunky, Foundation for Life
3rd Place - Harmony of Hope

Press Release: Gala at the Rose Theater at Angel Manor

TOMORROW ~ Monday July 21st, 1-4 PM SL time

We have an awesome line up of performers for this event
1:00 ~ Xander
2:00 ~ Tamra Hayden
3:00 ~ Mankind Tracer / Seth Regan

ATTIRE: festive
Everyone is invited, please bring your friends

Angel Manor (213/215/34)

A Creations for Parkinson's Team Fox Benefit Concert

Cartoon of the Day: RFL Weekend

Ever feel like this in the morning?

Taken at the 2014 Relay Weekend Track, with Skylark LeFavre

By Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "The Greatest Relay for Life Cross Country Giant Snail Race Ever"

This event, the last of the Giant Cross-Country Snail Races, took place eight days ago on July 12. It was held on Second Life's mainland on the continent sometimes known as Heterocera. It was truly a long one, going across forty sims from the traffic circle next to the "Motel 7" at Fillip to next to the Hobo Railroad Infohub in Calleta.

This time instead of just watching, I decided to take part in the race, getting one of the 500L scarves. Normally me and the others with it would have started back a good distance from the ones whom put down 2500. This time however there were some technical difficulties, so we got to start closer, though still behind.

I wondered if lag would end up helping me out to a middle position. Instead it worked against me, and I crashed a number of times, ending up further and further behind the pack. At least there was plenty of scenery, and not as much trouble from ban lines as I worried about.

Gareth8 Albatros was the winner, followed closely behind by Snurky Snoodle, with Shady Fox third. Yours truly came in dead last. You can see me coming in the finish line in the video's closing credits. Still, for refusing to quit and making it to the finish line, Giant Snail Race organizer RacerX Gullwing handed me one of the trophies.

Bixyl Shuftan

Relay For Life Weekend Schedule

Here's the schedule for the Relay Track this weekend. Getting there, just get an LM from group announcements, port to the American Cancer Society sim and port to somewhere on the track from there, or just ask a friend there for a teleport. If a sim is down while walking the track, just port to the one ahead.

*  *  *  *  *

10am - Opening Ceremony
The fun-filled weekend begins!  Join us at the Ceremonies Stage on the 4 Activities regions.  If full, the ceremony will be broadcast in every region along the track!

11am - CELEBRATE - Survivor/Caregiver Lap
The first lap of Relay weekend begins with the CELEBRATE ceremony – the honor walk for Survivors and Caregivers.  Please line the track and help our Survivors celebrate their victory over cancer, and to recognize the Caregivers that have given care to cancer patients.  This lap and time is reserved expressly for these heroes.
12:30pm -  Teams on the Track

….And the Themed Laps Begin!

2pm – CRAZY HAT – wear the craziest hat you can find!

3pm – CARTOON CHARACTER/ANIME – become that cartoon character of your dreams!

4pm – BLACK AND WHITE – wear only black and white during this lap!

5pm – SCIFI/FANTASY – represent the Sci-Fi or Fantasy character that you wish to be!

6pm – PIRATES – arrgghhh mateys, pull out your eye patches, pirate hats, scarves and more!

7pm – BALD IS BEAUTIFUL – and so it is… let’s honor those that have gone bald for the cause or due to treatment and remove that hair!

8pm – PURPLE! – what is our favorite color? Yep! You got it…Purple from head to toe!

9pm – REMEMBER – this is our Luminaria Ceremony Lap, a time to remember those that are no longer among us. We darken the regions, and walk quietly with glow of the luminarias to guide our way as we listen to the Luminaria Ceremony Dedications

The Luminaria Ceremony -  a solemn reflection with readings and inspirational music; sims are darkened in remembrance of those and their loved ones who have lost their battles to cancer, who are still battling it, or who have fought it in the past; As the sims darken, the luminaria bags that line the track glow to remind us all to remember.  All are invited to participate in this lap but we ask that you please walk the track in silence.

10pm – MOST COLORFUL – how many colors can you wear?!?

11pm – 10TH ANNIVERSARY – ONE TEAM! Listen to the Planning Committee as they entertain us through the hour!

12AM/Midnight – PJ PARTY – put your jammies on … but DO NOT go to bed!

JULY 20th – RELAY CONTINUES

1am – HOPPY BALL BOUNCE WITH US – let’s bounce bounce bounce around the track! Find your hoppy balls in the Relay Info Stations!

2am – SIXTIES (60’s) – it’s groovy dude! Tie-dye and mini-skirts! Peace baby!

3am – BEACH PARTY – beach party beach party there on the track… but be sure to wear sunscreen!

4am – KIDS and CHILDREN – dress up as a kid, become a toddleedoo, shrink your avi… let’s play!

5am – HEROES EVERY DAY AND SUPER – we all have those we consider heroes…who is yours? Superman, parents, doctors, Batman, WonderWoman, etc!

6am – FIGHT BACK – it’s time to make that pledge…what will YOU do to fight back against CANCER? Listen in to the special ceremony!

Pick up your specially made FIGHT BACK ARMY CAP and Fight Back Flags - available at the Relay Stations,  and join us as we make our fight back pledges to save a life this year -your own, a friends, a family member, or someone you don't even know yet.  Together we all can FIGHT BACK against cancer.

7am – INTERNATIONAL, CELEBRATE YOUR NATION! – wave your flag, dress up in your colors, show us your costumes!

8am – COFFEE AND DONUTS IT’S BREAKFAST TIME! – good morning… we all need that shot of caffeine to keep us on the track…just a bit longer!

9am – FORMAL HOUR – time to put on your finest gowns and suits and walk the track in those dress shoes.. we are almost there!

10am – CLOSING CEREMONY – head over to the Activities Regions and tune in to the stream!

Come to close out our amazing weekend with this closing tribute to what we've accomplished and how we will, as ONE big Relay For Life of Secondlife team, continue to Fight Back and keep our Hope alive.  This Ceremony takes place at the center state in the Activities Regions but will also be broadcast throughout all of the sims.

11am – VICTORY LAP – It is time to walk the track once more… meet the Relay Committee… Celebrate YOUR Relay!

12:30pm – RAFFLE DRAWS – be sure to buy your tickets before this time!

1pm – SILENT AUCTIONs end – did you place the winning bid?

Continue to walk the track, visit the campsites, the designer builds, the mega event campsites, the museum, etc.