Lacy Musketeer's Memorial Service at Rocket City

It was last Thursday that Lacy Musketeer, a noted resident in Second Life known to many, died suddenly without warning. On Saturday, a memorial service was held in Rocket City, one of two places she was a big part of. Many people she knew came, and a number spoke about her.

Read the story in Events.

Veterans Isle Concert Raises 125,000 Lindens

On Sunday Night, July 29, Veterans Isle was the scene of it's monthly charity concert for Homes For Our Troops. Four live musicians and one DJ performed music for the crowd during the five hour event, which went from 4 to 9PM SL time. The event was organized in part by guitarist Frets Nirvana.

Tonight’s the night folks!  Get away from the heat outside …but heat it up at our monthly benefit for Homes For Our Troops.    We are going to have some fun tonight …and help those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.

DJ Waya Snowpaw started things up at 4PM. At 5, Ang Gustafson took to the stage. 6PM was Erika Ordinary, giving a performance that the crowd thought was anything but. At 7PM, the audience was howling for Wolfie Starfire. Last but not least at 8PM, Savana Coronet finished off the event.

The fundraiser brought in 125,350 Linden dollars, most of it in the final two hours.

To learn more about Homes for Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org

Reader Submitted Cartoon: Why SL Needs To Bring Back Last Names

From Liska Fuchs

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and the Montecito Bay clubs

Cutlass: Best in 'E', Shiny Silver, 50s Dance

The Happy Vixen: Toga, TBA, Racoons and Wah, Odd Colors, Vampires and Wolves, Angels vs Demons, TBA

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Montecito Bay: TBA

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.  

Upcoming Sim For the Sunweamers

The Sunweaver Estates, where the Newser's main office is, will be getting some new land. Over the weekend, a new sim appeared north of SunWater Three. It wasn't until a day later that it appeared on the map along with a name, Carbunkle Grove.

There's just one not-so-small problem. No one, not even it's owner TitanArdillaFurry Resident can get on the place.

Stay tuned for more details on what will be the 11th sim on the main Sunweaver landmass (Sunweaver Isle is some distance to the east, and Purrfection is elsewhere on the Grid).

Bixyl Shuftan

Update on Bellisserria

As Bellisserria's Linden homes are slowly completed and filled up, more and more interesting details are appearing. Some people are taking the land of their homes and making them places for builds such as coffee houses and merfolk hangouts. One small problem, to get a Linden home in Bellisserria you have to wait, sometimes for a while.

Read Gemma's story in Places.

Hangars Liquides Crowdfunder Passes $3400, Owner Says Sims Are Safe

On Saturday night, July 27 at 6:51 PM, Djehan Kidd announced that enough money had been raised in her crowdfunder to keep the Hangars Liquides cyberpunk city sim up and running past the end of July, when payments needed to be made.

That's it! THE SERVERS WILL KEEP RUNNING on August 1st ! YAR!

Wow, so, 'Id like every donor, from the fundraiser AND from SL, to write to me in the next 24 hours so we can make a group picture because I think everyone is happy we could make it, couldn't we?! 

There is still way to go, you can still donate! But the very emergency is over!

The amount raised by then was $3477, of 52% of the $6682 goal for the fundraiser. Djehan had stated 50% of the crowdfunder goal was what was needed to pay for the sims before time was up at a minute after Midnight on August 1.

Chatting with Djehan, she was breathing a sign of relief. "Now, I can sort out much easier, august 1st was a real emergency. Everything will be spent on server space, but the invoice date was August 1st. This invoice is 3K so yes. ... such happiness, this is such a community thing, it is amazing! As a non profit, it's a big thing, to see we can still have community stuff like that."

"I really am grateful and very humbled, super touched in the heart (smile)."

Hangars Liquides has been in Second Life for over 12 years. It ran into trouble when Linden Lab stated that it couldn't keep it's nonprofit discount while renting out apartments for those wanting housing on the sims.

Bixyl Shuftan

Mod Monday At The Avagora Tonight

Monday at 6pm SLT! Don't miss it, we have Project Maehem And Twilight Imaginarium!

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Montecito%20Bay/53/130/703

RFL Announcement: 2020 Open Brainstorm Tomorrow

From Stingray Rainmaker, "Everyone is welcome to attend one of the two brainstorm sessions .... We'll unveil the 2020 structure. Everyone will have a chance to share ideas on various elements of the Relay season and event.

"You only need to attend one session (they're the same)."

Tuesday, July 30, Noon and 7PM SL time.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/American%20Cancer%20Society/

Reader Submitted: Lacy Musketter Memorial

 July 27, 2019 at 6PM SLT a memorial was held at Rocket City Community on Rocket City sim for Lacy Musketeer who had passed away earlier this week from an apparent heart attack. Upwards of 45 avatars came many who stood and recounted tales of knowing her and the things they did.

    The sim was set to night time as Koterie Itoku stated "*Once I heard the news that she had passed, I immediately rushed over here and dropped the sun down as low as I could*". "*The reason for that, is she and I always had a thing where she would try to always leave the sim dark because she liked it when the sun was down, and I very much different. And it was always a thing. I felt like, okay Lacy, you can win one last time.*"

    Some choose to use voice instead of typing. Other people such as Oscelot Haalan transcribed for the non-voice using. Thus no one missed most of what was said. During this lag became a factor to some and just getting to the speaking platform was a challenge but it did not stop them from what they had to say. The event lasted an hour and a half with several people sharing and poem reading. Lacy Musketeer will be missed by many and certainly not forgotten.

 Cynthia Farshore

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries

CYBERPUNK, SEA KINGS, & IMPERIOUS AUNTS:
We've got a lot of stories to share, and there's a lot of summer left for tales of humor, adventure, discovery, romance. Join us for another week in #secondlife, and on our properties in #kitely.

Check out the stories and the storytellers at www.seanchailibrary.com .

All stories told in open voice unless otherwise noted. All times SL/PT

*SUNDAY, July 28th at 1:30pm: TEA TIME with JEEVES.  Our summer series continues, featuring P.G. Wodehouse's unforgettable characters: Bertie Wooster, and his valet Jeeves. THIS WEEK: "The Aunt and The Sluggard" with Da5id Abbot, Kayden Oconnell, and Caledonia Skytower, live on Stream in Ceiliuradh Glen. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Holly%20Kai%20Estates/220/60/2966

** MONDAY, July 29th, at 7pm:  Patricia Wrightson's THE ICE IS COMING concludes with Gyro Muggins. 

**TUESDAY, July 30th, at 7pm:  Jeanne Birdsall's THE PENDERWICKS IN SPRING concludes with Caledonia Skytower, live on stream.

**WEDNESDAY, July 31st at 7pm: A CYBERPUNK SUMMER! Short stories with Finn Zeddmore - this week Rich Larson's "Meshed" and more!

**THURSDAY, August 1st at 7pm: Anthea Sharp's THE SEA KING'S DAUGHTER with Shandon Loring (Also in Kitely!  Find teleport from the main Seanchai World grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI)





All sessions held at the Seanchai Library in Second Life unless otherwise indicated. Schedule subject to change, because that is just how life rolls sometimes.  

PLEASE NOTE: We are taking a short break August 5th-10th so that the Seanchai Staff can enjoy a bit of summer, but we'll be back with TEA TIME on Sunday, August 11th - never you fear!

The International Spaceflight Museum

It was a week ago that the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing was celebrated. It was a day with much discussion about spaceflight. But it's not just events like those in which people can learn about space. At Spaceport Alpha and Spaceport Bravo is the International Spaceflight Museum, often called just the ISM. Having been in Second Life for well over the decade, it's one of the best-known science areas on the grid

Read the story in Places.

SL Video: "Waiting For A Houseboat"

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Razar Stone on July 20, 2019, "Been waiting for a house boat on SL. how about ya?" he asks. While Linden Lab is offering houseboats to Premium residents, what isn't mentioned is that the demand is so high, the wait can be a while.

Club Zero Gravity Looking For DJs, Hostesses

To those whom like the idea of playing music to a crowd in space, "The party beyond the stars" is looking for people to do so. Club Zero Gravity, which was created over ten years ago and has been in continuous operation since June 2017, is looking for DJs and hostesses to expand it's weekly hours.

While the club is open to odd hours, the times particularly desired are as follows:

Monday : 10am - 4 pm
Wednesday : 10am - 2pm
Thursday : 11am - 4pm
Friday : 1-4 pm

For inquiries about jobs, or other questions about the club, message owner Ranchan Weidman or manager Matoazma "Mato" Kazyanenko.

Club Zero Gravity is a member of the Furry Club Alliance.

Sunweaver Space (129, 249, 3597)

Press Release: July Benefit for Homes For Our Troops

Frets Nirvana and US Military Veterans Group announce 2019’s July benefit for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life! 

Frets Nirvana, the premier guitar artist in the virtual world Second Life and the US Military Veterans Group announce the 2019 July benefit in Second Life for the Veterans Support Organization Home For Our Troops. 

Frets Nirvana states:  “HFOT is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans are multiple amputees, paraplegic, quadriplegic or suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Since its inception in 2004, over 90 cents of every dollar spent by Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans. DURING THAT TIME HFOT HAS BUILT OVER 274 SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOMES NATIONWIDE FOR WOUNDED VETERANS.”

In 2018 the community in Second Life sent over $13,000 to Homes For Our Troops, thanks to may kind hearts and great Second Life performers.  HFOT built 34 homes for extremely wounded veterans in 2018.  We hope to help them exceed that in 2019!

Home for Our Troops benefit concerts feature premier Second Life talent monthly at Veteran’s Isle.  The July concert on July 28, 2019 is scheduled from 4pm to 9 PM PST.  Featured artists will be DJ Waya Snowpaw, Anj Gustafson, Erika Ordinary, Wolfie Starfire and Savannah Coronet.

Sponsored by Frets Nirvana and the U.S. Military Veteran’s Group of Second Life.  To learn more about Homes for Our Troops visit https://www.hfotusa.org

Lacy Musketeer has Died

There was sad news announced today. Lacy Musketeer of Nisa/Dreaming Twilight died earlier today. The news was first announced by Amehana Ishtari.

It is a great sorrow to make this announcement but there will be no story stream tonight. Lacy Musketeer, from Rocket City and Nisa/Dreaming Twilight has passed away very suddenly from what they believe was a heart attack this morning.

In her profile, Lacy described herself as:

1. A mom. A real female. With a real kid.
2. A science brain. Science is my big intellectual turn on.
3. An artist. Nuff sed.
4. Taken. Spoken for. Not available for romance.
5.Nursing a rather unhealthy obsession with Q and Z.

My world is amazing and wondrous, as well as frustrating/maddening/trying: from my day job to my endeavours in SL, creating nice things as I can, from graphic design to drawing, from discussions on physics to quiet nights under the stars; each day is new, each day is different, each day is fascinating in its own way. Thank *you* for being part of it.

Lacy is survived by her child, and her real-life/Second Life partner of nine years, Crim Mip. Crim is known in the Sunweaver area as a DJ.

Following the announcements of her passing, a number of her friends gathered at Dreaming Twilight in Ontario (219/213/57). People talked about how they missed her, and how they could best honor her memory.

Lacy's Nisa was a sponsor of the Newser in 2014 and 2015 when it was in Exomoor.

Addition:  Amehana Ishtari and Oscelot Haalan were Lacy's SL sisters in her inworld family

Addition 2 :  Over a year after this was published, the Newser was messaged by someone, stating he was Lacy's real-life husband. Talking to someone close to Lacy, she stated the two were married in the past and he was the father of her son, but the marriage had ended years ago.

Bixyl Shuftan

Rand Lupindo of Timber Wilds Industries

In his most recent interview, Cyfir talks to Rand Lupindo (Randermander), the founder of Timber Wilds Industries. Often called TWI for short, this avatar company has been around for almost a decade. Cyfir talked to how he and his company got it's start, what goes on in their sim, a noteable challenge they faced early on, and one of their upcoming plans.

Read Cyfir's interview in Design.

Club Gearz Now Featuring Games

For fans of the Steampunk-themed City of Steelhead, good news. Besides the weekly music and dance parties held at it's Club Gearz every other week, one can now go there for the games. Owner Fuzzball Ortega recently to Ember Games, bought up a number, and placed them on the second floor of the venue.

Bixyl wrote an article about Ember Games shutting down, so I bought some of the games. U-Know (Uno), Skippy (Skip-Bo), Clued Up (Clue), Zilch, and Sparkle (Bejeweled) are set up on the second floor of Club Gearz. The Pacman game, haven't set that up yet. Need a skyplatform, methinks.

As mentioned in Fuzzball's announcement, some the games are based on real-life ones such as Uno and Clue. But others such as Zilch are original. There are a total of six. Expect a seventh, a maze game inspired by Pac-Man, available via a teleporter to a skybox, sometime in the future.

Club Gearz normally has parties every other Friday night from 7 to 9 SL time. It alternates with the "Green Fairy" club in Ravenwood Forest, the one survivor of the original Steelhead sims.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Steelhead%20Bay/161/175/25

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at Club Cutlass. Nope, you're not seeing double. Usually there's only one vixen with this particular appearance on the dance floor. But there was an exception one night.

By Bixyl Shuftan

LEA 2.0 - An Effort To Save The LEA

Last week, it was announced that the Linden Endowment for the Arts, or LEA, would be closing at the end of August. Since then, a number of people have expressed sadness and hops that somehow it can be avoided. Tansee Resident and Riannah Avora did more than just talk. They started a movement to try to keep the LEA in existence: LEA 2.0 The New Future. Marcel Mosswood met up with them, and talked to them about the group and what they hope to accomplish.

Read Marcel's interview in Design.

Commentary: Fashion Bloggers, Why They Matter

Longtime readers may remember SamanthaS Nightfire from the early days of the Second Life Newser. Having gone from reporter to talk show hostess to wrestler, Samantha ended up having to take a break from the virtual world due to real life. Having come back to Second Life, she's come back to reporting. For her first article back in the Newser, she takes a look at fashion bloggers. While there's no shortage of blogs about fashion, doing a good one isn't as easy as it may look.

Read Samantha's article in Fashion.

Hangars Liquides Fundraiser at 45%, "At 50% We Save The City"

In an update to the crowdfunder started last week to save the Hangar Liquides sims, it was recently announced that 43% of the $6683 USD goal had been reached. But Djehan Kidd's announcement suggested preserving it for the short term needs just a few more dollars.

Fundraiser is at 43% now. AT 50% we save the city.

Please donate, consider becoming a benefactor, you can give anything, any amount, we're almost there

The amount has since gone up to 45%, or $3032 raised. I asked in the group chat if just half the money was needed to save the city. Djehan had left for the night, but one of the group told me "50% saves the city, and gives more time to pay the rest of the funds needed."

The link to the donation page is: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-hangars-liquides#/

Stay tuned for further details.

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and the Montecito Bay clubs

Cutlass: Best in 'D', Really Red, Xmas in July

The Happy Vixen: Black and Blue, Steampunk, TBA, Oddballs, Slumber Party, Wings and Tails, Best in Red, Bikinis and Boots, TBA

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Montecito Bay: TBA

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.  

SL Newser's SL16B Exhibit Appears on Designing Worlds

(Click here if the video fails to play)


Designing Worlds has it's second video .
of the Second Life Sixteenth Birthday up. At about 37:22 into the video, Saffia Widdershins and Elrik Merlin drop by the Second Life Newser SL16B exhibit. They also have a few words with yours truly (and you get to hear why I describe myself as having "a voice for newspapers."). Saffia called Silvia Ametza's creation, "A very clever build, using perspective," saying it looks much bigger than it is further away.

Space Frontier Saturn V Moon Rocket Ride (2009)

It was fifty years ago last Saturday that Man first landed on the Moon. There were many celebrations over the weekend, just as there were around the time of the forty year anniversary. It was ten years ago that in Second Life, Wicked Quasimodo built an interactive Saturn V rocket. Bixyl Shuftan wrote about the massive space vehicle in detail.

Read the 2009 article in the Second Life Newspaper Archives.

Eye On The Blog: "Information About Privacy and Security in Tilia"

Last Friday, Soft Linden, Linden Lab's Information Security Manager, posted in the Tools and Technology blog, "Information About Privacy and Security in Tilia."

A large number of you attended the Tilia Town Hall  last week. Aside from the many questions you had about how Tilia affects Second Life L$ and monetary activity, privacy was a common concern. Grumpity asked if I would answer a few of the questions about Tilia privacy and security which surfaced in the town hall and in our forums.

There were four sample questions and four lengthy answers.

Where did the Tilia team come from? And why should I trust Tilia with my personal information?
 

Soft answered, "The Tilia team is made up of people you previously knew as Linden Lab employees." He called the team "passionate about privacy and security," and that many had alts in Second Life and knew many of the residents there. They also promised, "the information you store with Tilia is never provided to third parties for purposes such as marketing, " and We won’t even provide that information to the US government unless we are compelled to do so through a legal process such as a subpoena or a search warrant."

 

Does Tilia change how my information is secured?
 

In short, yes. Soft stated, "Figuratively speaking, we locked the old vault inside a bigger, stronger vault." Of the 'new vault,' it "uses modern algorithms to encrypt sensitive information in a way that would require both enormous computing power and an enormous amount of memory for an attacker to crack… if they could even get a copy of the encrypted data. These algorithms are specifically tuned to defeat expensive decryption acceleration hardware." Their existing encryption technology was called "industry standard at the time."

It sounds like a lot has changed at once. Aren’t large changes risky?

Soft answered, "Tilia was designed with security and privacy as its primary considerations." They had people, "some of our key privacy and security practices and procedures," and that they pay a security company to attempt to hack into their servers to test the m.

What does Tilia mean for Second Life privacy and security in the future?

"We have many plans for Tilia," Soft stated. They are in the process of moving "additional forms of information ... Now that we have a new privacy and security foundation, we can extend the amount of information that enjoys this level of protection. If it pertains to your real life identity, we believe in leveraging Tilia protection wherever possible." It also mentioned their goals were ensuring, "compliance with upcoming privacy and security regulations."

To check the blogpost in it's entirely, Click Here.

Bixyl Shuftan

Apollo Moon Landing 50th Anniversary Celebrated at National Space Society

Saturday August 20 was a big day for space fans. It was the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, the first time in human history Man had set foot on a place other than Earth. A number of  places in Second Life had events to celebrate the occasion. Among them was the National Space Society sim, owned by the National Space Society in Second Life.

At their Tranquility Base area high over the sim, a number or people celebrated with a "Sock Hop." On display were pictures, and one could see videos of the event.

At this event, and others, a number of people talked about the landing and it's significance. One person had basically lost hope that we'd return withing his lifetime. But most whom expressed an opinion felt we'd be back, eventually. It was pretty much agreed this was an event that would continued to be talked about for ages to come.

For those wanting to see "real time" footage of the event, check out this website: https://apolloinrealtime.org/11/

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries

WELCOME TO THE SEANCHAI LIBRARIES
"We bring stories of all kinds to life, in VIRTUAL WORLDS."

www.seanchailibrary.com

All events at Senchai Library at Holly Kai Park, unless otherwise noted
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Holly%20Kai%20Estates/215/44/27


Seanchai Library is a proud sponsor of Fantasy Faire Radio ... so we invite you to join us:

--------->> COMING THIS WEEK:

All stories told in open voice unless otherwise noted. All times SL/PT

** MONDAY, July 22nd, at 7pm:  Patricia Wrightson's THE ICE IS COMING continues with Gyro Muggins. 

**TUESDAY, July 23rd, at 7pm:  Jeanne Birdsall's THE PENDERWICKS IN SPRING continues with Caledonia Skytower,

live on stream.

**WEDNESDAY, July 24th at 7pm:  A CYBERPUNK SUMMER! Short stories with Finn Zeddmore

**THURSDAY, July 25th:
      ~ at 7pm: LOXELY by Sarra Cannon from  "Once Upon A Star: 14 SF-Inspired Faerie Tales" (Once Upon Anthologies Book 4) with Shandon Loring (Also in Kitely!  Find teleport from the main Seanchai World grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI)

      ~ at 9pm: SEANCHAI LATE NIGHT - Contemporary Sci-Fi-Fantasy with Finn Zeddmore

Cartoon of the Day

It was fifty years ago yesterday Man finally made it to the Moon. Eventually, people will return. Though should wolves of the two-legged variety do so as well, there'll be another breakthrough moment.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Burn2 Conception: Communal Earth

The Burn2 Conception, the spinoff event of the successful Burn2 festival, is taking place this weekend. At Burning Man - Deep Hole, there are a number of exhibits and a number of music events. The theme of the event, "Communal Earth," to look at issues related to the Earth. Marcel Mosswood was there, and wrote about the event.

Read the article in Events.

SL Video: "Exploring Hangars Liquides, The World's Largest Cyberpunk City in Second Life"

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Isabelle Cheren on April 19, "In today's vlog I am taking you exploring a sci fi cybernetic experience in Second Life. All details of the destination and what I am wearing from EQUAL10 in the blog post below. More information about this amazing place will be also found."

Some of her talk has little to do with Second Life, but the camera shots are great. 

Blau Rascon and The Second Life Avatar Index

Some readers may remember the Second Life Avatar Review Files or SLARF (slarf.org). This website provided a number of reviews for various furry, and a few feral, avatars. Unfortunately, a few years ago, the website stopped updating, and then went offline. Among the writers for it was Blau Rascon, whom had left after joining up with the Kenzart Kreetures avatar company. Last September, he started a similar website: the Second Life Avatar Index. Cyfir recently had a chance to talk to him about the Avatar Index, and what he's been doing at KZK.

Read Cyfir's story in Extra.

Interview with Hangars Liquides Creator: Djehan Kidd

Djehan Kidd is the artist behind Hangars Liquides, a cyberpunk-themed city in Second Life that unfortunately made news last week when she announced the place was in danger of disappearing. A few days ago, I had the chance to interview her. We would talk about how she came to Second Life, how Hangars came to be, and a few other projects she's worked on.

Read the interview in People.

Eye On The Blog: "#Apollo50th #SecondLifeChallenge"

It was fifty years ago this week that the Apollo 11 rocket launched, and on July 20 that year two of it's astronauts would walk on the moon. Various places and groups in Second Life are having celebration events, such as the National Space Society. Linden Lab is getting in on the events by inviting people to take part in their latest "hashtag SecondLifeChallenge" event, "#Apollo50th," which Xiola Linden posted about yesterday.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon launch! Four days later, mankind touched down on the moon's surface and  "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." was born! We wanted to celebrate the momentous occasion with a #SecondLifeChallenge

To take part, the Lab is asking residents to take screenshots and/or videos of themselves and/or friends exploring outer space locations. You then share the picture on social media "using the hashtags #Apollo50th, #Apollo50, #Apollo11,  and #SecondLifeChallenge," as well as posting on Flickr. Of the Flickr pictures, "using the hashtags #Apollo50th and #SecondLifeChallenge ," you submit them to two Second Life Flickr groups, Second Life Official, and Second Life Challenge - Official.

The Lab is offering no prizes, nor is there any competition.

The blog post would also mention the National Space Society's celebration of the Moon Landing tomorrow, Saturday July 20, and the International Spaceflight Museum.

To view the blog post in full, Click Here.

CDS Announcement: Stella Marina Block Party

Come enjoy a lazy summer afternoon at The Stella Marina Block Party in Colonia Nova!        

Date:  July 20, 2019
Time:  12-2pm slt                                               

Tour our new fishing village, dance to the music of DJ Callipygian Christensen. Fun, food and frolicing goats.

Announcement: "Moonshot" Apollo Anniversary Party at The Ark

The Ark is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing with eight hours of music, including DJ Tantari with her new "Walking on the Moon" set.

DJ Books - 12 pm - 2 pm
DJ Xiao - 2 - 4 pm
DJ Tantari - 4 - 6 pm
DJ Cranky Rabbit - 6 - 8 pm

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Quarabia/90/128/501

Note: Sim is rated adult, and there may be nudity at the club

Crowdfunder To Save Hangars Liquides Sims

In a further development on the continuing story about the Hangars Liquides cyberpunk-themed sims in danger of closing at the end of the month, it was announced in the group that a crowdfunder to save them had been launched on indiegogo.com.

We have just launched our crowndfunding campaign to save the city.

You can donate anything you feel like, keep in mind the 100 EUR perk is like the regular rentals yearly.

Djehan Kidd is offering two perks for people do donate. For a donation of $112 USD, you'll get an apartment in Hangars for a year. For a donation of $1122, you get one of four platinum rooftop lofts.

As of the writing of this article, $1257 of the $6735 goal had been raised.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Bixyl Shuftan

Addition: As of 1PM SL time, the amount donated is $1572 USD.

Linden Endowment of the Arts Set to Close August 31

In what can only be described as a stunning development for artists and supporters of the arts in Second Life, the Linden Endowment for the Arts is set to close down on the last day of August.

The Committee of the Linden Endowment for the Arts regrets to inform residents of Second Life that the LEA regions will be closing at the end of August 2019.

In November 2018, the Committee decided that the best way forward was for the members to step down, and allow Linden Lab to revamp or re-organise the program, with new members if they wished. At that time, the bi-annual Land Grant (the AIR regions) were shuttered. A small number of the Committee stayed on to administer the Core regions until the remaining grant commitments ran their course.  Those grants are now coming to an end, and therefore the LEA will be closed at the end of August 2019

The Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) was established to help create a center of arts activity in Second Life. It was founded in 2010 and launched its first events in 2011. For the last eight years, it has been a collaborative venture between Linden Lab and the arts community. Guided initially by a board of renowned Second Life artists and more latterly also bringing in people with a strong interest in promoting the Arts in Second Life, the LEA has been committed to providing access to engaging experiences in the arts for the Second Life community. Over the last eight years, through its exhibitions, programs, and events, the LEA has fostered awareness of artists’ contributions to our virtual world and encouraged others to get involved and be inspired.

It has long been divided into two parts; The Core Regions and the Artists in Resident Regions.

The LEA Land Grant (the AIR Regions) was a program to distribute 20 regions (LEA10 - LEA29) generously donated by Linden Lab. These regions were used to promote art and artistic endeavors in Second Life. Full regions of virtual land were made available to in-world artists through an application process. The AiR Land Grant was a 6 month grant.

The LEA Land Grant was shuttered by Linden Lab in January 2019 at the request of the LEA Committee, pending decisions on the future of the LEA.

The Core regions  (LEA1- LEA9)  hosted a variety of artistic events and installations for a three month period. The Core regions included a Welcome Area, a four region theatre, a sandbox for artists, and partial and full regions that could be used for the three month period, with a great emphasis on community art events.

This program will be closing at the end of August when all the regions will be shuttered by Linden Lab at the request of the Committee.

The Committee wishes to express its gratitude and deep respect for the artists of Second Life, whose work they have been privileged to support over the last eight years. We hope that in time Linden Lab will be able to create a new program that will continue their support of the arts in Second Life.

Any questions concerning the Linden Endowment for the Arts should be addressed to PatriciaAnne Daviau or JMB Balogh.

The  Linden Endowment for the Arts Committee:
PatriciaAnne Daviau, JMB Balogh, LaPiscean Liberty, Jayjay Zifanwe
Advisors:  The Dove Rhode and Corcosman Voom


Until recently, there were many more LEA sims. But in November 2018, it was announced 19 of the 29 then were closing down as part of "restructuring" of the LEA.

Saffia Widdershins invited me to talk to her for a few minutes. She stated Linden Lab had nothing to do with the LEA closing down. If anything, they wanted it to keep going. But the LEA Committee "were pretty much burned out." After inviting a number of people to join the Committee, and being refused, they had decided to step down so a fresh start could take place.

Saffia told me this wasn't necessarily the end of the LEA. It could still be saved in some form, "But the initiative needs to come from the arts community. They need to pull together and create a workable proposal (or several proposals) for the Lab."

Inara Pey had a number of things to say on her blog, "As was pointed out to me after I wrote the article on the 2018 restructuring announcement, running any organisation like the LEA is going to be a thankless task; there is no remuneration for time given, there is always going to be hostility over actions taken and the grants awarded, and so on; it really can be a thankless task. ...

"However, there can be no doubting then when all is said and done, the LEA did a tremendous amount of good for the artists who participated in its programmes, offering many the means to express themselves and reach audiences in a manner that might never otherwise been able to achieve.

"While the LEA many have had its warts and at times had to face undue criticism, it has through its nine years of existence been a force for good for those arts who have been able to make use of its facilities and it has certainly helped enriched art within Second Life and allow many to appreciate work and installations they might otherwise never get to see. So, it’s not unfair to say its passing will be missed."

So will the LEA be saved, or will this chapter of the history of the arts in Second Life come to a close? Stay tuned for more details.

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: Moon Landing Day 2019 - 50th Anniversary

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s first first landing of humankind on the Moon. Join us at our Tranquility Base venue on Saturday, July 20th, for two historic video watch parties, and a Space Age Sock Hop with DJ Aristippus (details below).

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/National%20Space%20Society/50/100/3675

Video watch parties:

We will gather at Tranquility Base at 1pm SL time ahead of the landing time, and again at 7:30pm SL time in advance of the first steps on the Moon, where we will watch the videos and discuss the past, present and future of space exploration and development. You can view these videos on our screens or in your browser any time, but the information below will allow you to sync with the timing of the historic events.

Apollo 11 Moon Landing - CBS Coverage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E96EPhqT-ds
Video start time to sync:  1:02:28 pm SL time

Apollo 11 First Steps on the Moon - recently restored video of the first lunar EVA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9HdPi9Ikhk
Video start time to sync:  7:52:45 pm SL time

You can also watch and listen to:
“Hope Eyrie” (The Eagle Has Landed) - anthem of the Space Age
Performed by Julia Ecklar, written by Leslie Fish, video edited by Per Malm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cVOOXQo22o


Space Age Sock Hop with DJ Aristippus!

4-6pm SL time, Saturday, 20 July

Join us at Tranquility Base (see landmark above) for some songs with a space theme, some that come from the Moon landing era, and a whole lot of classic rock and roll. Costumes not required, but we encourage spacesuits or period sock hop outfits. Freebie classic avatar spacesuits available!

Aristippus, The Sexy Dj, has been DJing for many years. He mostly plays songs that he has uploaded from his personal collection of vinyl LPs and 45s. He is an original Baby Boomer, born in Year 1 of that generation. As such on Oct. 4, 1957, he was almost 11 years old when Sputnik went up, ushering in the age of space exploration.


For more information on the Apollo 11 mission:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_11/

http://apollo11.spacelog.org

http://www.earthtothemoon.com/apollo_11.html


Check out the Apollo 11 exhibit at the Neil A. Armstrong Library and Archives here:

Begin Apollo 11 historical tour here
[ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/National%20Space%20Society/152/123/3012 ]

Get a FREE Apollo 11 wearable spacesuit here
[ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/National%20Space%20Society/77/124/3005 ]


See the Saturn V / Apollo stack, Launch Umbilical Tower, and Vertical Assembly Building at the International Spaceflight Museum's "Spaceport Bravo" region:

Saturn V / Apollo stack at ISM Spaceport Bravo
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Bravo/57/57/38

Listen to our Moon Music playlist through the end of July:


Sponsored by the National Space Society in SL and the International Spaceflight Museum:

We are the in-world presence of the National Space Society, an international organization of like-minded people, from the interested public to grassroots activists to astronauts and space scientists.

http://space.nss.org

Welcome to the International Spaceflight Museum! We strive to create full-scale, accurate models of rockets and other spacecraft, and present astronomical information in an interactive, accessible way. This museum was started in late 2005, and has been at the present location on Spaceport Alpha since early 2006.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Alpha/48/78/24

http://ismuseum.org

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at Club Cutlass' "Toon Time." "Wreck-It-Ralph" as the "bad guy" in his video game is a sympathetic one when you think about it. His home, a stump in the woods, is uprooted to make way for an apartment complex. And the impulsive guy that he is, vents his fists at the source of his problem. Sly Cooper may be technically breaking the law in his heists, but that be steals only from other thieves *and* would rather avoid violence, makes him the hero of his game. Fortunately in Ralph's movie, everything turns out well for him in the end.

By Bixyl Shuftan

SL Newser 9th Anniversary SL Photography Contest Results

After a week for the readers to vote on their favorites, as well as the judges, we finally have the results of the Second Life Newser 9th Anniversary SL Photogrphy Contest. The contest was in two parts, popular vote and judges vote.

The results of the judges' choices were:

3rd Place (100L and a trophy) : Tie vote - Dean (serenedean) and Witcher (witchercraftsmn)

2nd Place (250L and a trophy) : Lady Onia (Ladyonia)

1st Place (500L and a trophy) : Pink Clarity

Almost 100 readers came to the SL Newser office to vote on their favorite pictures. The results of the readers' choices were:

3rd Place (100L and a trophy) : Anjel.Mills

2nd Place (250L and a trophy) : Lady Onia (Ladyonia)

1st Place (500L and a trophy) : Dean (serenedean)

Congratulations to the winners. You should be receiving your prizes soon.

Bixyl Shuftan