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Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs and Furry Fashion Lounge


Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver, the Montecito Bay clubs, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: No Event, TBA, TBA

Happy Vixen: No scheduled events, TBA, Tacky/Fashion Tragedy, Bunnies and Foxes, Best in White, Beast Mode, Pink vs Purple, Birthday Suits, TBA

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Montecito Bay: TBA

Furry Fashion Lounge: CAYA, Wings, Hooves and Horns, Felines Vs Canines , Space, Fantasy, Late Night

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.

People of the Year: The Moles



The Moles of Second Life, the residents of the Grid hired by Linden Lab to build and script things, haven't always gotten much notice. "The other blue dots" often went about unnoticed, though some residents did give them a friendly thank you for their efforts, notably the people of Bay City whom hold a "Mole Day" every February.

Most years, the Moles have a big project to take care of, recent ones being the Tyra and the Magical Glytches game and updating the Linden Realms game. But this year, they had their work cut out for them. Bellisseria, which had it's beginnings with the SSP landmass, has been nothing short of a massive undertaking with a lot of work done before it's opening in April. And they've continued to work at it, increasing it's landmass over time with details large and small. This included building and opening new Linden Homes, including the new camper homes in a campsite area. Sometimes they've been building with residents looking over their shoulders. And all this time, they've kept a sense of humor about it. The Moles' efforts didn't just build land, but the people whom moved into the new Linden homes came together into a new community, one that's been the scene of fun activities, and some beautiful shows. This month, what was probably Bellisseria's last major expansion was done. While perhaps there's a little more to do, what's been accomplished this year can only be called a great success.

For this, and keeping in mind their previous accomplishments, the Second Life Newser declares the Moles it's Second Life's 2019 Persons of the Year.

So what is it like being a mole, their interview at this year's "Meet the Lindens" events had a few details. (Click Here)

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: New Years at the Goblin Cave


Duchess Cynthia Farshore invites everyone to celebrate the coming of the 20's at the Goblin Cave! Starting tomorrow around 7 PM SLT, that's one hour till midnight east coast, on till it passes the west. Wear what you want but be fun and come styled in the 1920's. Hopefully this party no one will crash it at the end. ..but there may be some explosions!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Downs/104/89/32

Great Canadian Grid Offline


So soon after High Fidelity is about to all but shut down, another virtual world is in trouble. According to an article on Hypergrid Business, dated December 28, as well as some chatter on Discord, the Great Canadian Grid, a small Opensim world, has been taken offline.

The reason for the world being offline is apparently a personal dispute between it's owner Roddie Macchi and that of a larger virtual world, Digiworld's Terry Ford. Digiworld had been handling the smaller world's grid management services. Then somehow the two owners got into an argument of some kind, and the Great Canadian Grid was taken offline after these services were stopped.

Macchi has reacted by starting a Gofundme campaign, which he says is to help pay for technical help and new services to restore the Great Canadian Grid.  As of the writing of this article, $1,175 USD had been raised.

There was no shortage of negative comments following the articles, as well in Discord. A few compared the Great Canadian Grid Gofundme to the InWorldz one over a year ago, which was unsuccessful in saving it. Some felt the incident not only made the two grid owners, but also Opensim as a whole, look bad, "It deeply saddens me it has come to this but it is our farewell to opensimulator altogether. My wife and I are heading back to our mainland parcel in Second Life ..." "... you complain that 'Why are people from Second Life not coming to you?' Coz you are terrible managers."

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Second Life Newser - Monthly Recap"




(Click here if the video does not play)

Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident) gives a recap of the top ten most popular Newser stories in the past month (turning up the volume suggested).

Monday, December 30, 2019

"Old Town" And "Let It Snow"


Christmas is over, but winter continues. And there's no shortage of places with winter activities to do. Gemma Cleanslate recently checked out two. "Old Town" is actually somewhat new, built on the Grid last year. But the area is quite scenic and has activities every week. "Let It Snow" also has a good amount of scenery, but also shops and a place to just sit and relax with a hot chocolate.

Read Gemma's story in Places.

Nine Questions For Xiola Linden


After eight years, one of the more popular Lindens, Xiola Linden, is departing Linden Lab. Coming in at a time the Lab had been distancing itself from the residents, Xiola has been quite a force in reversing that with events such as the Creepy Crawl and the "Lab Gab" show. The Newser wanted to interview her, but inworld was a problem as Lindens are busy. So we brought back an old style of interview, "Nine Questions." Xiola had a number of things to say, including how she came to Linden Lab and her future plans.

Read the interview in People.

High Fidelity Fading Away


When the Newser last wrote about High Fidelity in July, the company was in trouble, having laid of a quarter of it's staff and made other cutbacks. But these moves failed to turn things around and the situation has continued to go downhill. Today, while High Fidelity isn't dead yet, it certainly seems close.

Earlier this month, Philip Rosedale, the co-founder of the company, had an announcement titled "Updates and a New Beginning," which had some bad news for fans of the virtual world platform. Among the things announced, High Fidelity was going to "turn over control of the codebase to the community. As of January 15, 2020, we’re going to make High Fidelity’s Github repository private. We want to give community leaders time to create their own repositories and systems as desired."

There were more layoffs announced, "we will reduce our team size in half effective today."

All High Fidelity applications are being removed from online stores and no further accounts are being created, "we’ll also be withdrawing our apps on the Steam Store, Oculus Store and our Virtual You: 3D Avatar Creator app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Since there are no High Fidelity supported environments, we’re not offering registration for new accounts which these enable."

Taking a look at a "User FAQ" page on the forum, High Fidelity's Marketplace is closing, and there will soon be no more cashout's of the virtual currency, "The Marketplace will close. The public Marketplace pages will be removed, you will not be able to purchase new items, you will not be able to add new items available for sale, and you will not be able to edit existing items’ details. We will also no longer offer cash-out of HFC after January 15, 2020."

Philip Linden felt that the reason for High Fidelity's failure to succeed was that virtual reality had yet to take off due to technical limitations that had yet to be solved, "four fundamental advances in hardware need to happen before HMDs replace mobile and desktop general-computing use. Until VR headsets don’t feel like, as The New Yorker’s Patricia Marx puts it, “a gerbil’s casket [has] been plastered onto the upper half of my face,” compelling social virtual worlds won’t gain traction. So where does that leave High Fidelity?"

Philip's parting words to High Fidelity's users were, "Your passion and dedication to the possibilities of VR and virtual worlds is inspiring. We’re grateful for your support over the years and hope you’ll try out our new product once launched." But the reaction by some users was quite negative. In the forums, one thread was, "Never Forgive, Never Forget," the poster remarking, "I call on the community to never forget the actions of High Fidelity corporate. How they have treated their users and how they have treated their employees. If or when High Fidelity comes out with their next project or a updated version of this project. We should remind High Fidelity of their past and educate their perspectives users of their past. Philip we do not forget. We do not forgive." But not everyone was so critical, DrFran saying, "I don’t know about you, but when people constantly criticize, belittle, and second guess everything you do, you tend to distance yourself from therm. I think HiFi realized the toxicity of the user base, and had to decamp. I don’t blame them for their actions. Their ball; their game."

Ryan Schultz commented of the announcement, "High Fidelity will soon be a dead platform, the first major victim of the social VR wars (but probably not the last). R.I.P." Hamlet Au's assessment was more optimistic, "High Fidelity's underlying code can still be developed by the community under an open source license. ... This seems to open up the possibility of the High Fidelity virtual world becoming the basis for... OpenSim 2." One of High Fidelity's users, Theanie, had his comments, "I ... am not in a state of mourning. The High Fidelity code is thankfully open source, and that means the platform will never really 'die.' There are already multiple forked projects in the works that could prove to be viable successors to the now-defunct platform. However, before we can move on toward that bright virtual future that awaits us, it’s critical to spend time on reflection. As the old saying goes, “Those that don’t learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.” We need to analyze the mistakes that were made, so as to prevent them from happening again."

In any event, the sun is setting for what was the next virtual world made by the man whom led the building of Second Life.

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: New Year's Eve Prim Drop at Bay City




It's time for the prim to drop once more!

Bay City's New Year's event set for 31st December

BAY CITY, SL (28th December, 2018) - Citizens of Bay City, Second Life's® city by the bay, will be marking the end of the year in fine fashion, attending the annual "Prim Drop" in the Bay city Fairgrounds in North Channel on the evening of the 31st of December.

The party will include an expanded, two-hour set of DJed tunes presented by Marianne McCann, as well as fireworks and other festive fun. Food, drink, and other party favors will be provided for all attendees.

The event is an outdoor, high-class, wintertime soirĂ©e, and black tie attire and/or full dress is requested. All Second Life® Residents are welcome to attend and ring in the New Year with the Bay City community.

This will also be the last event within Bay City this year for donating to Child's Play Charity (www.childsplaycharity.org). Child's Play is a 501c3 non profit organization offers online communities such as ours an opportunity to help seriously ill children around the globe during their hospital stays with the purchase of games and gaming equipment. To date, Bay City has raised over L$200,00 for Child's plaay this season.

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab® and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest group for Residents of Bay City.

For more information,  please contact Marianne McCann.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Cartoon of the Day



Taken at Caledon Moors. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Cartoon of the Day: Santa's Brownies



Taken at Caledon. Not sure what that floating whale was doing there. Though one wonders what Santa's reindeer would be thinking if they saw it.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Friday, December 27, 2019

Top Stories of The 2010s, Part One


The 2010's are almost over. Over the past decade, the Newser has reported on thousands of stories. But some stand out more than others. As time goes on and new residents show up, what was big news then becomes unknown or forgotten to more and more. So in this part of a miniseries, the Newser takes a look back at some of the major headlines in which residents were anxious to read on what happened next.

Read the first part of this look back in Extra.

Bellisseria Land Expansion To South



It's been a few months since we last talked about new areas in the Bellisseria continent. When I last dropped by in very early December, I hadn't noticed any major changes. But it seems since then, the Moles have been very busy.

The land that was originally planned for the south has finally been filled in. But the terraforming didn't stop there. The Moles made a huge extension to the south, dividing it from the north and central lands with a river. When the first land of the new continent was placed, while it was enabled to sail from the continent of Jeogeot to the south to it, it took a lot of ocean. Now just a couple sims separate the two continents.

Besides the continental expansion, a number of islands have also been placed. Some of these are for houseboats, including another "pickle" island. And there are various smaller islands which were placed for scenery.

Looking around, the new land not only had houses and houseboats, but some already had people inside. Looks like at least some of this new area has already been open for Premium residents to grab.

So what's next for Bellisseria? Hard to say. The Lab could easily make a new continent and/or houseboat islands to it's east. But the area has already attracted a number of residents whom have been banding together into a community. The new continent has been Linden Lab's biggest success this year. What they'll try for 2020, it'll be interesting to see.

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "Audience Questions"


"Audience Questions"
Saturday December 28
10 AM to 11 AM

Your questions to our scientists!


Panel participants:
  1. William Wall, Astronomy
  2. Robert Hendrix, Medical Science
  3. Mike Shaw, Chemistry
  4. And perhaps Sarah Doxiadis
Host scientific debates: Matthew Burr

For more information, Click Here.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/67/129/32

Thursday, December 26, 2019

My Decade in Second Life


Christmas is over, and people are looking back at what happened over the past year. But as this is the last month of the decade, people have also been looking back at the past ten years as well. Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident) first signed up around 2010 under another name. But his adventures didn't truly begin until a couple years later when he started his current account. So how have things gone for him? He had a few things to say while looking back.

Read Cyfir's story in People.

Second Life Blogger Daniel Voyager on Hiatus


One noted blogger about Second Life, Daniel Voyager, will be taking a short break. A few days ago, he announced due to real life events, he would be taking a break until sometime "in early 2020."

I have decided to take a break from Second Life due to RL commitments. Everything is good so don’t worry. Breaks are good and everyone should take them once in a while. 

I have enjoyed blogging about Second Life during 2019 especially keeping track of the new continent. The lab and the Moles have done such a great job this year.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a happy new year 2020.

Christmas Gift of Kittens



Yours truly got lots of Christmas cards (thank you all who sent them), as well as a few other presents. But what stood out was a gift of kittens.

The little kitties are all at the Newser office.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas



Merry Christmas from the Second Life Newser

One Week Left at Montecito Bay's NuYu Modtacular Gacha Event



From Montecito Bay, we wish you guys a Happy Holidays! If you're going out tonight, be safe, especially if you're shopping! It's A MAD HOUSE EVERYWHERE! We wish you guys an awesome holiday, regardless of your beliefs, and hope you all return to us next year safe and sound! Lots of changes are being planned after the New Year, so stay tuned for that!

You also only have this week and the sliver of next to finish your NuYu shopping, so get any last minute gacha plays and Auction bidding in you can, because at midnight on January 1st, all vendors will be returned and it will be as though nothing was ever there!

So again, Happy Holidays and have a great New Year!

Becky Nosferatu

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Devon Dream and Caledon Downs


There's a lot of Christmasy places to see in Second Life. With just one more day to go until the holiday, the Newser has two more to show. At Devon Dream, one can ride teacup bumper cars and see an aurora. At Caledon Downs, one can take a train to Santa's secret base. Plus not far to the north is something fans of winter sports should love.

Read the article in Places.

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs and Furry Fashion Lounge


Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver, the Montecito Bay clubs, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: No Event, Beach Party, New Years

Happy Vixen: No Event, TBA, Silver and Gold, Gift Wrapped, CAYA, Skunks and Squirrels, Angels and Demons, Hot in Red, TBA

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Montecito Bay: TBA

Furry Fashion Lounge: CAYA, Xmas Eve Ball, Xmas CAYA, Cyberpunk, Rave, Royalty, Late Night, Silver and Gold

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.

Reader Submitted : World of Warcraft Winterveil Sleigh Ride



From Jasmine Dawn. In World of Warcraft, it's the "Feast of Winter Veil." This year, there's a new activity in the cities Ironforge and Orgrimar: a flying sleigh pulled by reindeer that players can hop on.


And Jazzy's Worgen character decided to ride it for a bit, before she was "off for a little Winter Slaying."

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries


HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Seanchai Library

We'll be sharing stories 'round the holidays both at our home branch, and at The Dickens Project. Join us this week for stories LIVE in #secondlife, and on our properties in #kitely, live in voice.
Check out the stories and the storytellers at www.seanchailibrary.com

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

** TUESDAY, December 24th: No stories

** WEDNESDAY, December 25th: No stories

** THURSDAY, December 26th:

   ~ @2PM: GHOST STORIES with Caledonia at The Dickens Project
   ~ @3PM: "LOVECRAFTIAN TALES" with Arik Metzger at The Dickens Project
   ~ @7PM: VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS GHOST STORIES

** FRIDAY, December 27th:
At The Dickens Project: HAUNTINGS TWEEN THE HOLIDAYS:
   ~ @1PM: Patch Linden and Caledonia Skytower
   ~ @2PM: Elrik Merlin, Da5id Abbot, and Caledonia Skytower
   ~ @3PM: Bryn Taleweaver
     
And more music and Roleplay events at The Dickens Project in its final weekend.  Check out the website: https://irelandslstory.blogspot.com/p/dickens-events-calendar.html

Monday, December 23, 2019

Commentary: Top Ten Videogame Music Tunes


A number of elements go into video games, the graphics, the plot, the action. But what about the music? A great tune of the right kind can certainly help set the mood to a scene. And the opening music will be part of a player's first impressions of a game. Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich) decided to write a commentary on what he thought were the ten best video game tunes. Some of the games were well known. Others, including his favorite, not everyone would know about.

Read Cyfir's story in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

United Artists of Second Life


With the Linden Endowment of the Arts, or LEA, fading away, a few people or groups have been stepping up to help fill the void. Among them is the United Artists of Second Life gallery, or UASL. Newser writer Marcel Mosswood recently met with the group's founder and manager Riannah Avora. Riannah explained she had been among those trying to stop the folding of the LEA. When it was clear that wasn't happening, she started UASL to help out artists in the virtual world.

Read Marcel's story in Design.

Benefit Concert at Veterans Isle Raises Over 150,000 Linden Dollars



On Sunday December 22, Veterans Isle held it's monthly fundraising concert. Organized in part by Frets Nirvana, the events raise money for the Homes For Our Troops charity.

It is the final Homes For Our Troops benefit tonight folks .... kicking it off with great music.  We are going to give it all tonight to make 2019 the one to beat! Help us exceed 2018'S total donations of $13000 folks.

At 4PM, things started with DJ Waya Snowpaw playing music for the crowd. At 5PM, Zak Claxton took to the stage. Sophie Brumati's turn to perform was at 6PM. At 7 SL time, it was Neomaximus Brandenburg on stage. Last but not least was  Mimi Carpenter  whom sung from 8-9 PM SL time.

As the performers played music on stage, the audience donated cash to two house-shaped kiosks on either side of the stage. When the last singer stepped down, 150,130 Linden dollars, or over $600 USD, had been raised.

More information on Homes For Our Troops can be read at https://www.hfotusa.org.

With a successful year behind them, Veterans Isle and Frets Nirvana can have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Bixyl Shuftan

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Cartoon of the Day



Taken at the Linden Snowball Fight. What Kenny Luckless was doing with that huge sausage, he wasn't saying. But it helped in "meating" people.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Saturday, December 21, 2019

SL Video: "Second Life Christmas 2019 at Calas Galadhon"




 (Click here if the video does not play)

From Inworld Films on December 2, featuring the Calas Galadhon region by Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith, "Merry Christmas everyone."

Friday, December 20, 2019

Xiola Linden Stepping Down From Linden Lab



The Linden Snowball fight today from 10 to 11 SL time was lots of fun. But there was one sad moment. Near the end of the event, one of the Lindens taking part, Xiola Linden, told people she would soon be departing Linden Lab. Her last day will be January 3.

Xiola Linden was with Linden Lab's public relations, and one of the most familiar and popular Lindens, it not the most popular. She frequently appeared in many events with residents such as the Second Life Birthdays and the "Creepy Crawl" each Halloween. More recently, she started co-hosting the livestreamed show "Lab Gab" with Strawberry Linden. In the most recent episode on December 18, she also announced she was leaving (14:50).

"Just a little over eight years ago was when I showed up for my first day at 'The Lab,' and I basically walked into my dream job. It was a place that I had for a very long time been a resident of since 2006. ... It's been a job that's allowed me to grow, and it's been a job that's been challenging. ... The product has it's challenges in terms of ... how do you explain Second Life to someone who's never done it because it's to many things to so many people on it. ... It's giving me a ton of incredible stories of things that you can not only imagine but realize. And I learned from the community to see the way that they continuously adopt the features of the platform and do it in ways that we never expecter or would do. So ... here we are eight years later and it's still my dream job. I still can't even imagine who I would be or what I would be like without this community and without Second Life and without the Lab.

"That said, it's come time for me to work on some new dreams. ... So yes, my last day at Linden Lab will be January 3rd. ... That's not to say I'm no longer gonna be in Second Life, because, you bet your bottom dollar ... I'm still going to be in Second Life, maybe even more so since I won't have to be doing it as a full-time job as well. I'll have more time to just come in and run amok. It's been awesome. In my time here, I've gotten a chance to work on so many products, not just Second Life obviously. I've been here for Sansar, for some of the other products we've had in our portfolio in the past. It's been awesome of course. Second Life is the dearest and nearest, and the one I have the most experience with.

"So yeah, that's my announcment. I should shut up before I start crying again."

Whereever you go Xiola, we all wish you the best of luck.

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Subnautica Revisited


SL Newser reader Rita Mariner is quite the fan of the game Subnautica. It's unique among survival games in that it takes place mostly underwater. Although she got the game well over a year ago, she continues to play it a great deal. So why so much time in one game? She recently wrote a reader submission to explain why, and a few tips on how to win.

Read Rita's submission in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Calas at Winter


Gemma's exploration of Christmas and winter-themed places took her to an old favorite, Calas Galadhon. Created by Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith, the region changes it's look every season and has something new to see and walk through. This winter, there are two new sims for the winter, and plenty of new sights all over.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "Charles Dickens Project"


Saturday December 21
10 AM to 11 AM

Put on your Victorian attire (optional) and join us at the Dickens Project for a holiday tour. We will discuss research in virtual worlds for historical simulation and see examples.

Marie Vans

Read more (here)

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Dickens%20Project/233/68/21

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Linden Snowball Fight Tomorrow, Friday Dec. 20



Have you wanted to toss a snowball at one of Linden Lab's finest? Well, tomorrow you're getting your chance. On the official Second Life blog yesterday, the Lab announced this month's Linden Snowball Fight.

Tis the season to let it go and get into some icy fun at the Winter Wonderland Snowball Fight Arena for some snow-slinging fun times!

Get your warm clothes and throwing arms ready - it’s time for a Lindens and Residents snowball fight! This Snowball Showdown means you're free to pelt your fellow Second Life Residents and Lindens with a bevy of sparkling snowballs- launched fresh from the snow-arsenal available at the arena. 


The frozen frenzy will take place twice on Friday December 20. The first will be from 10 to 11 AM. The second will be from 2 to 3 PM. To get there, head to Portal Park, then look for the doorway with the Winter Wonderland sign. It is suggested that you get there early and have a good computer as the event will probably be crowded.

Christmas Expo Pictures



For those who didn't get much time to see the Relay for Life Christmas Expo last week in Second Life, or are already missing the sights, photographers Wildstar Beaumont and IshtarAngel Micheline (P.S. Hernandez) posted a number of screenshots on their Flickt pages. Some are funny, some are detailed, but all are worth seeing and the sets are a good way to remember this big Christmas event.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Cartoon of the Day



Taken at the Bay City Christmas Party. At one point, someone was in a pill avatar. Yours truly felt it called for the obvious puns.

By Bixyl Shuftan

News and Commentary: More on Youtube And COPPA


Youtube has long been a staple on the Internet. It was a place that people could post videos, as long as they weren't porn or graphically violent, for friends and anyone else interested in watching. Over time, there were changes. There were the ads, there was monetization, there were the takedowns of videos that were seen as infringing of copyrights, and others. But one recent change has scared many video makers: the new rules concerning COPPA. Second Life music video maker Nydia Tungsten ended up removing most of her videos as a result, and many others are doing or considering doing the same. So why are they worried? The new rules in question are just too vague to trust.

Read the commentary in Extra.

Linden Lab Announces Contest For New Last Names


Last month, Linden Lab announced they would soon be making last names, or changing one's existing last name, an option for Premium residents (provided they pay a fee). On Monday, the Lab announced a contest for suggestions for new surnames.

Sharpen your quill! Get your wits about you! We are happy to declare the Last Names contest is officially open.  What contest, you say? What name changes?

We will make Name Changes available to Premium account holders in early 2020.  It will be possible to change First Name, Last Name, or both. There will be a one-time fee per Name Change. Just like in the olden times, First Name will be freeform, Last Name will be from a list - and here is where this contest comes in: we want your help coming up with the first batch of Last Names! 

To take part in the contest, fill out the contest form (here).  Residents are allowed to make three suggestions for new last names (existing ones cannot be reused). Those who think they have a clever idea should check the list of existing last names, as there are a LOT of them. The five residents coming up with what the Lab sees as the most original and clever names will be allowed to change their account names for free, or choose another account for the change. It wasn't specified on whether or not this could be someone else's account if the winner wanted to give the name change to a friend.

Taking a look at the page for the contest in the Second Life Wiki, there was an estimated price of what the upcoming price would be to change one's surname.

estimated value at US$39.99 plus $11.99 to represent the value of a month of Premium Membership

So it appears the price to change one's name in Second Life will be $52 dollars USD, or $40 for those who already have Premium accounts.

So if you think you have a particularly clever idea for a surname, go ahead and enter the contest.

To read the blog entry in full, Click Here.

New Toulouse Hit By Storm



Earlier this month on December 8, the sim of New Toulouse was hit by a storm. The result was some flooding in the streets. Francesca Alva took a series of pictures of the scenery. Fortunately, the water soon retreated, and there was no major damage, a party at a local venue soon following.

New Toulouse is best known for it's annual Mardi Gras event, which in 2020 will take place earlier than usual, probably on the weekend of February 22/23.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs and Furry Fashion Lounge


Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver, the Montecito Bay clubs, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: Best in 'D', Blue and Purple, Fancy Dress

Happy Vixen: Angels and Ivy, Pantsless, Twisted Christmas, Funny Hats, Fairies and Wizards, Winter Ball, Big Hair, Winter, Red White and Black, TBA

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Montecito Bay: TBA

Furry Fashion Lounge: CAYA, Silver and Gold, Green, Santa Baby, Demos, Genderbend, Late Night, Red and Green

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.

Who Should Be Second Life's "Man of the Year?"



Time Magazine recently announced their Person of the Year. Over the years, the news magazine has given the title to the man, woman, group, or object that the editorial staff felt was the greatest newsmaker in the previous year, for better or for worse. Some of their selections have been controversial, such as Stalin and Ayatollah Khomeini. And some raised eyebrows such as "The Computer" in 1983. This year it was teen activist Greta Thunberg.

With this in mind, whom was the person, persons, or object who had the most impact on Second Life in 2019? In 2018, it was the volunteer staff of Second Life's 15th anniversary celebration. 2019 has had it's number of newsmakers involving Second Life, from the Relay volunteers, to the moles, to the people waiting in line for their Linden Home houseboats, to Juliet Heberle and Arabesque Choche whose Chouchou sims were chosen by the Lab to be preserved, and others.

So whom do you think should be the Newser's Man (or Woman) of the Year? Feel free to leave your comments below.

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries


A CHRISTMAS CAROL WEEK!

It's Carol Week at The Dickens Project - one of the most incredible weeks in our annual calendar. Multiple presentations of each stave of "A Christmas Carol" with the climax - THE BIG READ next Sunday. Join us this week for stories LIVE in #secondlife, and on our properties in #kitely, live in voice.

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

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

Tuesday, December 17th: Stave Two - The First of Three Spirits
@ 2pm: Dubhna Rhiadra, Corwyn Allen, and Faerie Maven-Pralou
@ 7pm: Corwyn Allen, Gloriana Maertens, and Caledonia Skytower

Wednesday, December 18th: Stave Three - The Second of Three Spirits
@ 2pm: Aoife Lorefield, Da5id Abbot, and Dubhna Rhiadra
@ 7pm: Kayden Oconnell, Gloriana Maertens, and Caledonia Skytower

Thursday, December 19th: Staves Four & Five - The Last of the Spirits & The End of It
@ 2pm: Aoife Lorefield, Da5id Abbot, and Dubhna Rhiadra
@ 7pm: Shandon Loring, Kayden Oconnell, and Caledonia Skytower

Friday, December 20th: A Special Presentation - The Last of the Spirits & The End of It
@ 1pm: Aoife Lorefield, Caledonia Skytower, and Patch Linden
(come 15 minutes early and enjoy the WOOTMAS cheer of the Raglan Shire Carolers)

THE DICKENS PROJECT IS OPEN:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Dickens%20Project/125/118/22

Monday, December 16, 2019

Christmas Town


Gemma Cleanslate's latest stop in her exploration of Christmas places took her to an old favorite: Christmas Town in the Townies sim. Build by Laura Liberty, the location has entertained people for ten years. Looking around, Gemma found some things that were much the same. But there was much that was new, notably a tribute to Christmas movies.

Read the story in Places.

Christmas Expo Events End, Over Six Million Lindens Raised



Yesterday, Sunday December 15, was the last day of events at the Relay for Life's Christmas Expo. Among the last events was the Holidays of Hope Gala, which took place in an area high over one of the Relay sims. The party took place from 1 to 6 PM SL time, with the music provided by Madelyn Majestic for the first two hours, and Trader Whiplash for the last two. The hour in the middle was for "special guests Satin and Erin."

The fundraising goal of the organizers was five million Linden dollars. The event ended up exceeding their expectations. After the last events,a total of  6,013,534 Lindens have been raised. This amount will likely go up a little as people continue to buy items from shops and stalls.

This was the tenth Christmas Expo event in Second Life. It is unknown how much longer the sims will remain open, save the permanent American Cancer Society. They may come down today, or remain open until tomorrow or Wednesday. The 2020 Relay season itself will take place in about a few months.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Snow Day 2019 - Particle Performer - Delain Canucci"




(Click here if the video does not play)

From Keif Denimore on December 15. On Saturday Dec 14, the Bellisserian Fairgrounds had their "Snow Day" party. The sim was full, but yours truly could see a ring of avatars on the map. Looks like the avatars were part of a great show. This film shows the beauty of it. So for those who couldn't make it, here's what it looked like. 

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Cartoon of the Day



Taken at the CDS Inaugural Ball

By Bixyl Shuftan

Saturday, December 14, 2019

SL Video: "Come Away With Me"




(Click here if the video does not play)

From MistressofdDesign on Feb 2008, "Second Life Machinima for Valentine's Day 2008. Captured with FRAPS, edited with Sony Vegas Movie Studio."

Friday, December 13, 2019

Scenes From The CDS Inaugural Ball, Bay City's Christmas Party


There's lots going on this month when it comes to events, especially those with Christmas themes. Among those the Newser was at last weekend were the Inaugural Ball at the Confederation of Democratic Simulators, and Bay City's "Annual Tree Lighting, Concert, and Fundraiser." There was much music and dancing at both, and of course lots of fun.

Read and see more in Events.