Friday, January 31, 2025

Valentines Day Shop And Hop Opens Today

 

Yesterday, Linden Lab announced that the Valentines Day themed "Shop and Hop" shopping event would be opening today, Friday January 31.

The 2025 Valentine Shop & Hop is almost here with 280 participating merchants across 14 shopping regions. All are offering their best to inspire your Valentine's fantasies from a romantic evening with your bae, to a party with your friends, and everything in between. You will definitely find something to suit you! 
 

As the announcement stated, there's fourteen sims with almost three hundred stores, with plenty of romantic-themed items. Each store has at least a 20 percent discount on it's wares, maybe more on some, and there's at least one free gift for shoppers whether or not they're in the store's shopping group, or a 300 Linden dollar gift certificate. 


For those wondering, all of the sims are rated Moderate. There is no separate area for adult-themed stored as there was in the recent past.
 
For a list of the sims, click here to check the Destination Guide page.

For a list of the stores, click here to check the Linden's blog post.

To just jump in, head here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/128/129/54  

Bixyl Shuftan

Online Cartoonist Tiffany Ross Hospitalized

 
 
Sad news for fans of Tiffany Ross, the artist behind "The Cyantian Chronicles" and a number of other online comics. A link posted on her Discord stated she was recently admitted to the hospital for problems with her lungs.

Tiffany became very ill the second week of January and it’s serious—VERY serious. She’s in the ICU with extensive respiratory issues, and is having a difficult time. Which is, to say the least, expensive.

We’re in a bit of a holding pattern as Tiffany works to pull through and her family decides what further help they might need—but in the mean time, we’re asking if you would share the link to her books and build up her sales.

She’s a talented artist, a killer beta reader, and an excellent author. ... She is warm and funny, generous to a fault with her edits, and a stellar human. 

It's been posted on her Discord that she is improving, but slowly.
 
Tiffany Ross started the Cyantian Chronicles, originally titled Satin and Silk, in the late 1990s (check the review of in in this article). Over time, she would start others such as Alien Dice. She has also gotten into writing, describing herself as an "urban fantasy" author, having written a novel, "Rex Regis," and has contributed to several anthologies. 

Bixyl Shuftan

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 
 
Saturday February 1
 
    ~*~
 
    At 10 AM PST   

    Seasons in The Solar System
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/seasons-in-the-solar-system/
    By Phil Youngblood
    Auditorium
 
    ~*~
 
    NOTE: Non-members required to register once
    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway


╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Game Review: Dreamlight Valley

 
Have you ever wanted to interact with your favorite childhood story characters, and maybe some characters from stories after your childhood? There's a game in which you can: Dreamlight Valley.  In this adventure, you interact with a number of Disney and Pixar characters, sometimes multiple ones, to carry out quests and other objectives,
 
Read the review in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games

Press Release: Homed For Our Troops Benefit Concert, Tuesday February 4

 

Frets Nirvana, longtime supporter and contact for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life in conjunction with the US Military Veterans Group, announces the February 2025 Homes for Our Troops benefit in Second Life.   The benefit will be held on February 4 from 6PM-9PM SLT.

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 have suffered severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent by Homes for Our Troop has gone to directly support Veterans. DURING THAT TIME HFOT HAS BUILT 404 SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOMES NATIONWIDE FOR EXTREMELY INJURED VETERANS.”

This HFOT benefit concert will feature the following DJ’s and artists from 6PM-9PM on February 4, 2025:

DJ Zack 6 PM
Nom Falta and Frets Nirvana Dual Streaming 7 PM

This is going to be a unique musical experience in Second Life for everyone ...and it will be supporting a great cause!  Noma Falta, the Queen of the Blues in Second Life and Frets Nirvana, a unique guitarist and musician, will be dual streaming for the benefit of Homes For Our Troops.  It may not get any better than this regarding music in Second Life.  And while enjoying these great musicians everyone will have the opportunity to support the efforts of Homes For Our Troops.  Come early to save your spot!

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 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

New Belisserian Sims On Map

 
 
For those who have been patiently waiting for some new land in Bellisseria, good news. There's a group of new sims just off the east coast of the central part of the Linden Home continent. 


The eighteen sims are in a single group, not currently connected to any other. So far, they appear to be all ocean, though this may change. What is known is the names, including some funny ones like Down Here, Oyster Rocks, and Imover Atol.

Will these be the sims for the next Linden Homes? Time will tell.

Bixyl Shuftan


Press Release: Mole Day 2025

 

Bay City Observes "Mole Day", All Welcome

Event to Honor Members of Linden Department of Public Works for their Hard Work

BAY CITY, SL (26th January, 2025) -  Bay City will once again convene to honor the Moles of the Linden Department of Public Works with a celebratory event held at the Bay City Fairgrounds.

Initially recognized in 2010 by the residents of Bay City, Mole Day serves as an occasion to express gratitude for the Moles and their invaluable contributions to Bay City and the broader Second Life® Grid. Residents from all Second Life communities are cordially invited to attend and share their appreciation for the LDPW’s remarkable moles.

Held on the same day as Groundhog Day, February 2nd, the annual Mole Day event will commence with a DJed set by GoSpeed of KONA Stream at 11:00 a.m. SLT. This will be followed by a performance by Wolfie Starfire, commencing at noon.

For context, “Moles” are members of The Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW). The LDPW is a program dedicated to enhancing the quality of life experienced by residents and visitors on the Linden Mainland. The LDPW comprises a team of Resident builders, scriptwriters, and other professionals who collaborate to create new content on behalf of Linden Lab and the benefit of all users. Notably, all members of the LDPW have Second Life accounts with the surname “Mole.”

The Moles are responsible for constructing the infrastructure of Second Life, including public roads and railways, coastal waterways and protected lands, and larger-scale projects such as the Linden Homes regions, premium content, and experiences.

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, or to participate in the event, please contact Marianne McCann.

 

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, Furry Fashion, and Club Scorn

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

Club Cutlass: Favorite Animals, Rock & Roller, Country

Happy Vixen: DJ Malit, DJ Arooo, TBA, DJ Scratch, DJ Squeaks, DJ Khyra

Club Zero Gravity: DJ Snowy
 
Bouncing Bunny Beach Club:  DJ Snowy 

Xanadu: DJ Jesse 

Club Squeaks: Closed to regular events
 
Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Club Scorn: TBA, DJ Juana, DJ Gwen, DJ Aldi, DJ Poison, TBA, DJ Malit, DJ Gwen
 
Furry Fashion:   Horror, Wings, Pajamas, Weird & Wonderful
 
Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'
 

Monday, January 27, 2025

Winter Burn Aurora

 
Burn2, the Second Life version of the Burning Man festival, has been so popular, there are spinoff events around the year. This past weekend, the Winter Burn took place. Named "Aurora," there were numerous music events and art displays. Gemma Cleanslate was there, and took pictures. 

Read Gemma's story in Events.

EOTB: "Explore the ExtraFPS Viewer"

 
 Philip Linden was recently in a video in the latest blog post by Linden Lab, "the first in a series of recurring video updates that expand upon our Viewer Release Notes."
 
 
 
The update includes voice dot display options, a sharpening filter, tonemapping and exposure controls, and more, "These improvements are not just for the official Second Life viewer but are also included in the latest Firestorm Beta." People were encouraged to download the video and give feedback: feedback.secondlife.com.  For the release notes, Click Here.
 
"Stay tuned for even more insights from Philip in the future as we continue to make changes to and improve Second Life."
 
To see the blog post in full, Click Here
 

Featured News Back on The Dashboard

 
 
 It was a few weeks ago that I wrote about something missing on the Second Life website dashboard page, (https://secondlife.com/my/), the featured news was no longer on it. But a few days ago, it was back. It was labeled "Blog Posts," but still back.

So thankfully the latest from the Lab is a little easier to come across. 

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Cartoon of The Day: Robot Kitty

 
 
 Taken at Club Scorn. One of the props was this robo kitty. So why have one for a pet? I could think of one reason.

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Saturday, January 25, 2025

SL Video: "Evacuate The Dance Floor" (2014)

 
 

From Nydia Tungsten, filmed at the Happy Vixen beach club on June 2014, "Trying out some new software with this Video, so this was last min ... so not my best work I bet but I still hope you enjoy it. Thank you to the Dancers, Mina, Mato, Rita and a Sawyer clone, Bix and Umbra."
 

Friday, January 24, 2025

More On ABC's Downfall

 
So what's new in the story of the troubles at Awesome Breed Creations?  Various bits and pieces. One was an invitation from another breedable company. The other were further signs that the downfall of ABC isn't going to have a happy ending.
 
Read the story in Extra

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 
 
Saturday January 18
 
    ~*~
 
    At 10 AM PST   

    Agrobacterium – The biography of a natural genetic engineer
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/agrobacterium/
    By Chandrakanth Emani
    Auditorium
 
    ~*~
 
    NOTE: Non-members required to register once
    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway


╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝
 

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Runitai Linden Leaving The Lab

 
 A few days ago on Thursday January 16 at the Content Creation User Group Meeting, one Linden, Runitai Linden, announced he would soon be leaving Linden Lab. He would speak a few minutes after the event started.

"It's been almost twenty years, and it's been, I'll always be grateful for the time here, no doubt. And everything Second Life has done and (I'll) always be proud of what Linden Lab and the residents have accomplished here. But, I've been convicted recently to pursue a career in public service, and at the same time I felt that calling, things stopped coming together in my head for doing the work that needs to be done here.

"I really feel as though I've done all that I can do, and that it's time for me to go on to something else.

"I wouldn't be able to do that if it wasn't for all of you. The career I've chosen doesn't exactly pay a living wage so I'll definitely be living off my savings. But I feel this is what I have to do. I also feel that the Second Life team has never been stronger. Everybody at the Lab and the open source community does such great work. Such talented people, just world-class engineers all around. I have no doubt Second Life will thrive in my absence.

"But it's definitely time for someone to step up into this role. You have to be fully committed to Second Life. And that's something I could do. And I did it for as long as I could. But I have to make a change. I hope that makes sense (and) it isn't too cryptic. But I will definitely miss all of you. I'll miss this place. Well, it's been a rollercoaster, that's for sure.

"I won't claim to know what all the future holds. But it is definately something I need to step away from, at least for a time. But as a parting gift, I will place a copyable and transferable copy of my bear on the table for anybody who wants to take a copy. Spread that to all."

Runtai has Davep as his display name, and joined Linden Lab in August 23, 2005, making him one of the longest-lasting Lindens in the Lab. Inara Pay would state he "has been a core member of the graphics / rendering team" for most of his years before being moved over to work on Project Sansar but would be moved back to it before it's sale to Wookey. Coming back, he would be working on the viewer's visual details, and more recently working on some of the bugs coming out as a resilt of the PBR updates.

She would also say Runitai would be going to work as a paramedic and "his openness, honesty, and jovial nature will be very much missed."

Source: Modem World

Bixyl Shuftan

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

EOTB: Lab Announces Upcoming Changes "To The Financial And Billing Systems of Second Life"

 
 
A few days ago on Friday January 17, Linden Lab announced they would be making some minor changes to how residents buy and sell Linden dollars. 
 
We are introducing improvements to the financial and billing systems in Second Life in partnership with Tilia, our trusted billing provider. These upgrades aim to streamline and modernize transaction processes, ensuring a more secure and reliable platform for our community. While you may notice some visual updates when interacting with payments and payouts, the overall experience will remain familiar and seamless.


The announcement promised wallet integration, better cashier and account dashboards, faster payouts and more options for them, The updates will be released "on a rolling basis with everyone" near the end of January. This includes a different look for the screen appearance. 

There are currently no changes to the fees, but there is one less option for transactions, unless you already have it. Starting in January 30, people will no longer be able to add Skrill as a payout method, though if you already have it you can still use it. 

Also, five countries will no longer be able to have new payout connections: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Bosnia. That Russia and Belarus can't is no surprise due to Russia being under sanctions and Belarus having close ties to it. 

For the blog post in detail, Click Here

Bixyl Shuftan

More Reader Submitted AI Artwork

 

 Jasmine Dawn did a little more AI artwork, in addition to what was shown last week. This one she was trying to get a more younger version of myself, "From the early years, a vary young and very naïve investigative reporter, barely having knocked the shine off those dress shoes and the smell of a new leather overcoat. A young Bixyl started out on a grand adventure to sniff out the news-worthy."
Then she went for a Japanese style magna comic form (as far as she know, the Asian script is saying random nonsense).

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, Furry Fashion, and Club Scorn

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

Club Cutlass: Doctors and Nurses, Saints and Sinners, Parody

Happy Vixen: DJ Malit, DJ Arooo, TBA, DJ Scratch, DJ Squeaks, DJ Khyra

Club Zero Gravity: DJ Snowy-
 
Bouncing Bunny Beach Club:  DJ Snowy  -  Best in Mustelids

Xanadu: DJ Jesse 

Club Squeaks: DJ Squeaks
 
Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Club Scorn: TBA, DJ Juana, DJ Gwen, DJ Aldi, DJ Poison, TBA, DJ Malit, DJ Gwen
 
Furry Fashion:   Creepy, Disney, Hooves and Horns, Insects and Aracnids
 
Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'
 

It Came From Belliseria Chat: "Take Me Home" Song

 
Take me home, 
Linden Roads, 
to the place, 
I belong, 
Bellisseria, 
Linden Home Nirvana, 
take me home, 
Linden Roads. 

Ms. CC Creeggan (CronoCloud Creeggan)

Monday, January 20, 2025

Hazbin Hotel

 
There's a cartoon being made not by a professional company but an artist and her small indie company that's caught a following of fans on the Internet: Hazbin Hotel. Bixyl Shuftan went to check out what promised to be a hell of a story. So was the devil in the details?
 
Read the article in Places

Tik-Tok Social Media App Goes Offline, Then Restored

 
 
On the night of Saturday January 18, The social media app TikTok went offline. Those trying to access it instead got the following message:

Sorry,TikTok isn't available right now

A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.

We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate Tiktok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!

This was the result of a law passed in April last year in which the app would be banned from use within the United States unless it's Chinese-based parent company ByteDance sold it. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court upheld the ban. 

But the next day, Sunday January 19, TikTok was back. President-Elect Trump had stated he would issue an executive order giving the app a reprieve.

Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!

You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.


Since 2018 when it was merged with another app, Musical.ly, Tik Tok has been a sensation, with millions using it to share short videos from funny to serious. It's been especially popular with teenagers and young adults. But while social media platforms have always been subject to criticism, notably for gleaning data from it's users, with TikTok it was moreso due to the parent company being from China, whose government has been criticized for violating human rights and has been increasingly confrontational with the United States. It caught attention in 2019 when other social media was showing images of Hong Kong protests, but they were absent on TikTok. Despite that US election-related posts were on, the company's response to the criticism was that the platform was for entertainment and not politics. But leaked documents showed moderators were told to remove content the Chinese government considered sensitive. Concerns about collected data ending up in the hands of Bejing would lead to the Pentagon bagging the app from all US Military smartphones. Trump in his first administration had issued an executive order to ban US companies from dealing with the app or it's owner and then a second ordering it's sale within 90 days. But those legal efforts collapsed when Biden's Presidency started. But TikTok's problems continued, with stories that the app encouraged extreme dieting in teenagers. Continuing national security concerns would lead the FBI and FCC to ban the app from it's mobile devices. In March 2024, Congress would debate the law that would ban Tik Tok from operating in the US, and President Biden would sign it after it's passage in April. 
 
While many have praised the ban, calling TikTok too much of a security risk, others, notably it's users have protested, some saying they keep in touch with the news or make some money through it.  Ironically enough, Trump who was once a critic, began making use of the app in his 2024 election campaign that year. In anticipation of the ban, some users began signing up with another Chinese app, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote (or Little Red Book).

 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

Sunbeamers Registered For 2025 Relay Season in Second Life

 
A few days ago, Rita Mariner, the leader of the Sunweaver community, as well as it's Relay for Life team the Sunbeamers, had an announcement, "Sunbeamers are now registered"
 
Sunnies: The SUNBEAMERS are now registered, so if you're interested in joining, sign up on the RFL website: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY25VirtualEvents?team_id=2790583&pg=team&fr_id=110159

Rita

The Relay for Life is currently in the registration phase, with the various teams signing up. The Kickoff is on Saturday February 15

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Cartoon of The Day: Incredible Costume

 

Taken at the Scorn Country Barn. Brandi Streusel was showing off the results of an impromptu costume contest. There was undoubtedly some incredible imaginations at work.

By Bixyl Shuftan
 

Saturday, January 18, 2025

SL Video: "Everything OK"

 
 
 From BlockJane Records in August 2022, "Song & Video Production by Sara Scruton"
 

Friday, January 17, 2025

Adagio Winterland

 
Christmas may be over. But winter continues. And Gemma Cleanslate took a look at one snowy location: Adagio Winterland. While the sim has multiple locations, Gemma was focused on just the Winterland. Open year round, it gets visitors who come for the skating, the karaoke, the balloon ride, a snowball fight, the horseback riding, or just to see the snowflakes fall.
 
Read Gemma's story in Places.
 

Commentary: ABC Downfall Leaves Many Unhappy Customers, May Cloud Future of Breedables

 
 Breedables have been a fun and interesting part of Second Life's history. The pets bring activity to someone's otherwise static parcel. People can come up with interesting coat patterns when breeding them. And then there's the events with some such as auctions and with horses racing. 

But trouble seems to follow them. With the first breedable to make it big, the Sion chicken, if they ever got returned to your inventory, they could up and die. Ozimals would sue Amereto, claiming the horse breedables company copied some of their code. People with any breedable could occasionally be harassed by neighbors who claimed the scripts caused lag. 

And there was the chance that the company could up and close. Most notably was when Ozimals did in 2017. And there was also Biobreeds in 2022. But when both companies closed, there were efforts to preserve the virtual critters they made and sold over the years. 
 
But in the latest controversy, at Awesome Breed Creations, the horse owners have been left high and dry with broken critters. 

Why?

Malkavyn Eldritch and Ozzie Drucker and their teammates could have just walked away. But they didn't. They had a love of what they created, which they shared with their customers, and made an effort to make sure their creations would live on. As of the writing of this article, there has been no such effort from ABC's owner Stephanie Merrienboer, or so much as a word. And from what I've heard, this person hasn't either paid or spoken to her team as well. 

This leads to a couple bad possibilities, either something happened to the owner so she's unable to do anything, or she "took the money and ran."

Of the scriptor Sentire Bravin, there was one notable detail. In his farewell message, he mentioned "I am actively working toward establishing my own company to continue delivering the quality and reliability you have come to expect from me and my team within the breedable horse community." But breaking the products on your way out the door of the place you used to work at isn't exactly the best way to endear yourself to one's most likely future customers. 

If nothing gets done at all, this will likely have repercussions down the road. Before, the previous two closings gave the impression that if the worst happened, your pets might not be able to breed any more but they'd still be functional. The shutting down of ABC is giving the impression of "let the buyer beware." People inclined to get breedables would get fewer, that is if they were inclined at all. I have heard of people passing up breedable pets to get lasting ones at companies such as Teegle. While they don't reproduce, they don't get hungry or get sick, or glitch out if something happens to the company. These businesses will likely benefit from the ABC mess. 

What is known is there are many, perhaps many hundreds of ABC horse owners, frustrated, saddened, and likely some heartbroken as all the time and effort they've invested and in the end ending up with broken pets with no prospect for a fix.

Bixyl Shuftan.

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 
Saturday January 18
 
    ~*~
 
    At 10 AM PST   

    Playing God: How Selenium Nanoparticles Change Plants, Heal People and Protect Nature
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/selenium-nanoparticles/
    By Anton Shiriave
    Organized by Stephen Gasior
    Auditorium
 
    ~*~
 
    NOTE: Non-members required to register once
    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway


╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝
 

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Reader Submitted AI Artwork

 
 
 Jasmine Dawn has been tinkering with an AI art program, and came out with a few pictures, including one of a certain news fox at the office.
 

"Let me see if I can add a fedora."


Now this one looks extra cool. Maybe it's the shading, but it came out great.

More to come 

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

It Came From Bellisseria: "Spring Can't Wait"

 
 
Traci Quandry-Marabana (Traci Quandry), whose pictures have become a Newser favorite, had one in Flickr that was worth some chuckles, "Sprint can't wait. Found out one thing, minions cannot ski."
 

Do YOU Have A Story?

 

On occasion, Second Life Newser will print an article or picture submitted to us by one of you, the readers.

Have you seen a particularly well-detailed sim? Went to a great event? Found yourself in a hilarious "only in SL" predicament? We're very interested in what you the readers have to say. Send us a story or funny picture, and if we like it, we'll post it as a Reader Submitted. For pictures, jpg format is preferred.
 
This is where you the readers come in.  On occasion, Second Life Newser will print an article or picture submitted to us by one of you. We're very interested in what you the readers have to say. Send us a story or funny picture, and if we like it, we'll post it as a Reader Submitted. For pictures, jpg format is preferred.

Mail submissions to bixylshuftan(at)gmail.com.

PLEASE include your SL user name and tell us if you wish it to appear with your story.

SL-Newser reserves the right to post in the appropriate section, edit,  and to investigate any names used in submitted stories (please ask permission before using anyone's name or picture that's clearly someone or use an alias for them).
 

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, Furry Fashion, and Club Scorn

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

Club Cutlass: Off to Work, Rainbows, Medieval/Renaissance

Happy Vixen: DJ Malit, DJ Arooo, DJ Charlee, TBA, DJ Scratch, DJ Squeaks, DJ Khyra

Club Zero Gravity: DJ Snowy - Movie Characters
 
Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: DJ Snowy - Pink White and Blue

Xanadu: DJ Jesse 

Club Squeaks: DJ Squeaks
 
Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Club Scorn: DJ Charlee, DJ Juana, DJ Gwen, DJ Aldi, DJ Poison, DJ Charlee, DJ Malit, DJ Gwen
 
Furry Fashion:   Blue and Purple, Caya, Pool Party, TBA
 
Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'

Reader Submitted: An Open Letter From An ABC Horse Owner

 
To Sentire Bravin,
 
I am sorry that Awesomebreed didn't pay you for your code in the last year.   You were paid prior that though so removing all your code even from pets and shutting down the pasture screws over customers who have been here for years more than it screws awesomebreed person who clearly doesn't care.  I wish that person had never apparently bought ABC from I can't recall his name when they broke up.   
 
Many of us have spent 1000's over the years and many hours breeding horses.   Screwing over 100's of customers because the owner is a jerk, is not fair.  Please out of decency leave us functioning pets and allow us to remove pets from pasture, please.
 
Kitacelia

Monday, January 13, 2025

Trouble With ABC Breedables


Breedable virtual pets have been a part of Second Life for most of it's history. And over time there have been a number of companies who have made them. But sometimes they run into trouble. One of the first to make it big was Ozimals. But in 2017, the company folded due to an internal dispute. Thankfully it's last act was to save the pet bunnies it's customers had. But those of another company may not be so fortunate. 

For some years, Awesome Breed Creations has been in the business of selling breedable horses and the feed for them, as well as medicine and accessories. People would breed them for desired traits, as well as auction them and hold races. But a few days ago came some trouble that may spell the end of the business. The person in charge of the scripts that brought the horses to life, Sentire Bravin, had resigned. 

I am writing to formally announce my resignation from my role as a software and content developer, effective immediately. This decision was not made lightly, and I deeply regret having to take this step.

I have the utmost respect and admiration for the staff and developers I’ve had the privilege of working alongside. Their dedication, talent, and passion for creating one of the finest breedable experiences in Second Life have been both inspiring and enriching. It has been an honor to collaborate with such a talented and exceptional team.


But, he stated he hadn't been paid in over a year. As a result, he was quitting, and had turned the scripts off.

As a result of the prolonged lack of payment, I have removed all of my code and data from ABC servers. Additionally, I have formally notified the owner of ABC to cease and desist from any unauthorized use of my code. I understand this will impact the functionality of ABC products, but this is a matter that Stephanie (the owner of ABC) must address. ...


Unfortunately, the results of the code and data removal was that the horses became frozen, the stats display above them showing red. They were now little more than props, static, not able to walk around, breed, be ridden, or anything else. Kitacelia, an ABC breeder for a number of years told me the "Pasture" where horses can be stored was inoperable and nothing could be taken back from there. The ABC website was also down. 

"I lost 1000's of dollars worth of pets," Kitacelia told me, "... not be able to turn on accessories/horns/wings on them or movement/sound ... I can't even get my remaining pets out of pasture ...  can't turn movement on or off or add accessories to the ones in inventory or inworld." Checking Penny Shuftan's horses in the Sunweaver community where the Newser office is, they were glitched as well.

Besides Sentire, there was also an announcement of two others on the team resigning, Saphear Saunders and Krystal Silverweb

After an incredible 10+ years as the artists behind Awesome Breed Creations, it’s with a heavy heart that we share the news of our departure from the development team. This decision has not been made lightly, but unfortunately, we’ve reached a point where it’s no longer financially sustainable for us to continue under the current circumstances.

Since August of this year, our development team has not been paid, and despite numerous attempts to contact Stephanie Merrienboer (the owner and CEO of ABC), we’ve been met with silence. We’ve received no explanation or reasoning as to why this has happened. We are aware that Stephanie has internet access and has been in touch with others, so there’s no reason why she couldn’t have spoken to us or even laid us off respectfully if the company was experiencing financial hardships (which, to our knowledge, it wasn’t). We’ve poured countless hours, effort, and love into ABC over the years, and we feel deeply disrespected to be treated in this manner. It isn’t right.

As a result, we’ve had to find other work and make the difficult decision to halt the development of any new horses or content for ABC.


Nikki Detritus, the Racing Commissioner, would also comment. 

I need you all to know that the RA and myself are all saddened by what has happened. I am still trying to hold out with some hope but that is hard to hold on to when you have no clue what has happened. None of us.. Not the RA, the VSRs, the auctioneers, the managers knew about this. The only ones who knew are obviously the ones not getting paid. BUT even THEY held on for so long because the loved ABC.  I know people are angry and emotions are high and rightly so.. But please lets stick together as family and treat each other nice as it is none of our faults and we are all sick over this. Jockeys and Owners.. I need you to know ONE thing..  I NEVER wanted to be the Commissioner.. I have worked as an RA member for close to 10 years now and I never wanted that position BUT I am so glad that I did take it. I learned a lot and I got to know all of you.  It was some of the BEST times of my SL life!  I care about each and everyone of you and will always cherish the memories of the great times!

While at the ABC store, I ran into a couple people, one who was quite upset, "I spent 30000 Linden ...  I had 150 horses cost me in food almost $ 150 a month. ... There are breeders who have 500 horses ... we have all been scammed!" He mentioned the Auction House had been closed for a month.

As of the writing of this article, there has been no comment from ABC's owner. What we do know is the horses are broken, and there are many upset and sad owners. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Reader Submitted Cartoon: "Impostor Dragon"

 
 

From WowsyChirp (mutableferris Resident), showing a critter ending up in the middle of a semi-circle of dragons, who have different responses, "(math formula)" "Is this a butterfly?" "Cookies!"
"Can I eat it?" "Flowers in winter?" "Looks like a seal." "What is this thing? How dare you come into a dragon circle!" With two thinking to themselves, "Let them not see, act normal." "How did I end up here?"

Wowsy would comment, "the pic might have more than one impostor."

Saturday, January 11, 2025

SL Video: "Second Life Works In A Browser"

 
 

 From Draxtor Despres, "Dear Lord Philip of the Rosendale I praise thee (and thy team) that I am allowed to LIVE TO SEE THE DAY !!! It works! IT WORKS VERY WELL!!!!"

Friday, January 10, 2025

Reader Submitted: "Ice Cold Unicorn"

 
 
 From DeniseUnicorn Toonie, "Explored SecondLife some a bit ago. Found this unicorn ice sculpture in the Velvet Island sim. This Unicorn is ice cold. Must have watched one too many reruns of 'Frozen' with their kids."
 

This Saturday at The Science Circle


Saturday January 11
 
    ~*~
 
    At 10 AM PST   

    Seasons in The Solar System
    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/seasons-in-the-solar-system/
    By Phil Youngblood
    Auditorium
 
    ~*~
 
    NOTE: Non-members required to register once
    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway


╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝
 

Thursday, January 9, 2025

New Default Appearance In SL Forums and Blogs, Featured News Removed From Main Page

 
 

 
There's been a couple changes on the Second Life website. One is the appearance of the forums and blogs. They went from having a white background to a dark one. I wondered if it was something I clicked, then one post showed others were seeing it too
 
As it turned out, this was the new default appearance. To change it to another, head to the bottom of the webpage on either the forums and blogs, go to the middle bottom, and click on "theme." You can have it back to how it was, or something a little different. 

On another note, there's been a change to the Dashboard page on secondlife.com, at least when I see it. It used to be that the last few articles of Featured News had their titles shown and could be directly accessed. A few days ago, I noticed the Featured News was gone from the Dashboard. 

Featured News can still be accessed from the Dashboard by going to the top of the page, clicking on "Community," and then selecting "Forums." But as someone interested in the latest from the Lab, it was more convenient to see it directly on the dash.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

2024: Year In Review

 
2024 is over, and not only are we starting a new year, but a new quarter century. But before we say goodbye to the old year, let's take a look at its triumphs and tragedies,its wins and blunders, and other interesting moments. 
 
Sadly one of the more consequential events was someone writing a slanderous article accusing a number of Lindens and Moles of ageplay. It had no real evidence of the accusations, but enough residents were talking about it to the point Linden and Mole chatter on Bellisseria group chat quieted down for a while, and Patch and a number of other Lindens and Moles were scarce for a while. The Lab announced they would investigate the accusations. But they would also make some changes in child avatar policies, notably they could no longer be nude and could no longer be in adult sims, even if there was nothing sexual out in the open. The later got some complaints as some residential areas were rated Adult only out of worry the Lab had a problem with couples being intimate behind closed doors, and there were events, notably Burn 2, where nudity was okay but allowed child avatars to be among the visitors and volunteer staff. 
 
Probably the development Linden Lab was talking about the most was it's Mobile Viewer, available for newer smartphones powered by Android and IOS. At the start of the year, it was available only as a "private alpha" for Premium-Plus residents, and they had to be on a waiting list. In June, Premium and Premium Plus accounts could get it on "early Beta." In November, it would be released officially, and available for all residents to use. But there was one detail that complicated going about on it. Since it was available through Google Play and the App Store, their terms and conditions meant that it couldn't be used to access adult regions. Firestorm announced it had no plans to make it's own mobile viewer.
 
Another development for Second Life was PBR, or Physical Based Rendering, technology. This made possible reflective surfaces off metal and water, and allowed for actual working mirrors.  Introduced in June, it would take off in popularity when introduced into Firestorm viewers later in the month, which got people using it and content creators making items such as furniture mirrors. But, some residents experienced technical glitches and crashes, leading to the opinion of some that the technology was rushed to be in time for the Second Life Birthday. One former Newser reported was saying the update make SL so bad, he was leaving and not returning. With the most popular viewer, Firestorm, having a "three viewer policy" in which older viewers were gradually phased out, those who were finding PBR features made SL almost unusable feared what would happen if the last viewer before the update, 6.6.17, was phased out. Finally in mid-August, the Firestorm team announced they were modifying their policy and 6.6.17 would be around "forever." The Lab would also acknowledge some residents were having issues and resolved to fix the bugs, as well as working closely with Team Firestorm. The bug fixing would go on into September and presumably later.
 
Other Lab developments, on WelcomeIsland, on January 30 there would be a new Community Exhibition where SL communities could place a display to advertise themselves to newcomers. JIRA support ended in February, it's operations transferred to a community portal.  In April, the Lab would lower the land impact, or weight, or mesh items. In September, the Lab would announce they were working on a combat system for those interested in taking part in battle games. Voice would change in Second Life, the servers moved to WebRTC.
 
In July, the Second Life Blogger Network was put on hiatus. A new one would appear in November. Also in July, Linden Lab would take a poll for it's next Linden Home theme. The results would be delayed, then in August it was announced the winner was the Tiki/Water Theme, with Alpine Style Theme (Snow) as the runner up. But for some reason, neither or any other new Linden Home would be made available this year. 
 
In October, Linden Lab would do a partial reversal of it's controversial Gacha Ban in 2021. Gacha machines can be made and sell items like they did before, but these items can no longer be transferable and able to be resold. While this made some happy, some longtime gacha fans complained part of the fun was being able to give away or trade them while some critics complained they were still bad.
 
There was some expansion of Bellisseria, notably early in the year. There would also be a new water connection between it and the Mainland in June. In April, Bellisseria would celebrate it's fifth anniversary. It would also have numerous events around the year on it's Fairgrounds, such as Bellisseria for Life in spring and it's own Mole Day in September.

In June, the SL21B, the Second Life Twenty-First Birthday celebrations would take place with the theme "Elements." As always, there were numerous resident and community-created exhibits. Among those taking part was the Newser, with it's exhibit build by the talented Silvia Ametza and her team. There would be a few town hall events. At one, Patch Linden would announce 21 residents could upgrade their accounts to lifetime Premium Plus. One difference between this and earlier Birthday celebrations, all the official music events were in the first ten days, then no more.

Brad Oberwager, the head of Linden Lab, would confirm in October that there were some layoffs saying there were "changes across the whole organization, and some people got promoted, some people got moved into different parts of the organization, and some people, we had to say goodbye ..." Philip Linden aka Philip Rosedale, the founder of Linden Lab, would become it's Chief Technical Officer in October. One Linden, Strawberry, would close the blog of her private account, Strawberry Singh.

In December, Linden Lab offered a gift to the residents, six months free of the gaming company Madpea's Unlimited service. But it would also offer them to take part in an experimental AI character designer. After a few days of heated debate on the forums, it would pause the program.

One change in Linden Lab was the sale of it's virtual currency exchange service Tilia in May. It had been created several years ago in response to growing US Government scrutiny about virtual money.
 
In May, the Grid would experience a welcome milestone. The number of sims had gone up past the 28,000 mark for the first time in years. Sadly the number has declined by a few hundred since, due to the closing of some private regions. 
 
For Team Firestorm, founder Jessica Lyon stepped down as it's Project Manager in January after almost fourteen years of being in charge of the people behind Second Life's most popular viewer. She remains on the team as it's CEO, but is no longer leading in day to day matters. 

Second Life's largest fundraising organization, the Relay for Life in Second Life, would hold a number of events for this year's season, Decades of Hope: the SL Living Expo, Belliseria for Life, Fantasy Faire, Sci-Fi con, Fandom con, Making Strides, The Renaissance Festival, I Pink I Can, the Winter Expo, and of course the main fundraising season from February to late June, with it's high point the Relay Weekend in early June. Once again, hundreds of thousands of US dollars were raised, over $454,000 as of the end of the main Relay season. Mattie Carlton (Mattie Foxpaws) would do a song for the Relay in honor of a departed friend, "We Are Here." The team of the community hosting the Newser office, the Sunbeamers, would hold a number of events such as it's annual air show (with the Anemone Wing Walkers and Team Phoenix), took part in multiteam events such as the Relaystock and would reach Ruby level for the second year in a row.

There were numerous other events in Second Life. In March there was the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference. This year, it was noticed that when the Lindens had a meeting there, Patch Linden was absent. There was the Burn2 art and music festival in October, the Second Life version of the Burning Man festival in real life, which had spinoff events in Winter, Spring, and Summer. There were the monthly Homes for Our Troops benefit concerts at Veterans Island. Mieville would hold events such as Silk Road. There was Virtual Ability's events, such as the Annual International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference. Team Diabetes would hold fundraising events, such as Scare Me Silly and the Art Bazzar Bay City would have Mole Day in February, a Truck Food Festival, Oktoberfest, and many other events such as it's anniversary parade and party in May.  Team Firestorm, the people behind Second Life's most popular viewer, would hold their anniversary party in September, their fourteenth. Halloween was celebrated in many places around Second Life, notably on the Luna's Empire sim which brought back it's Ghostbuster-inspired free to play game.

While 2024 was a Presidential Election year, the Newser would have less coverage than in previous years due to the increasing amount of political drama and the increasing desire of some residents to get away from it. But there were some events such as the Red White and Blue Civic Awareness Party at the PBC. Much like eight years ago, Trump's victory was followed by numerous cheers and screams on social media.

Some Lindens would depart the team. In February, Mojo and Styfy Linden left. Alexa Linden, and an unknown number of others, would leave in October.


And sadly some residents would pass away. Among them, Lorivonne Lustre aka Lorraine Mockford of the VWBPE, Sylys Sable/Sylys Weezles, a regular at several clubs, including the Happy Vixen, Smoke Texan, the part owner of the Stagg Island 9/11 memorial, Kim (kimberleyalice1961 Resident) of Kim's Kreations, Lady Lovie Benoir of the Premier Business Center, Kara Foxdale, a tarrot card reader the Newser interviewed in the past. There was also Arabella Cinquetti of Lightning Video, her store closing just after her passing in March, and the servers for her videos going offline in April. Among the locations affected was the Happy Vixen, which had a movie theater with her videos. The Sunweaver community would say goodbye to Zorro Wurramunga, also known as the "Fisher Fox." 

One noted longtime resident, Xavier Thiebaud, known for his work in the arts and founding a popular group, would announce he was departing Second Life for personal reasons, having a farewell party in August following the last showing of his plays.
 
Of locations in Second Life, Wedcot Center would be back in March following being offline for a few months. But another tribute to a Disney park, Magicland, would close in April, though the builds would remain on the sim for a while. Also in April, the last of the University of Western Australia sims closed, noted for it and it's sister sims holding art and machinima contests with some large prizes. Oahu, the home of the Pearl Harbor Memorial, would close and then reopen after it's original owner stepped in to revive the island. In December, Club Furzona, which the Newser wrote about a few years ago, announced it was leaving Second Life, but no destination was mentioned. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial would move to Veterans Isle. 

For the Sunweaver/Angel community, there would be the return of Nydia Tungsten's KVXN Radio in August.

Draxtor Despress had been working with Linden Lab for ten years. But in March it would come to a close. He would continue with his Book Club a little longer, but it would soon have it's final show in November. He would restart his Drax Files videos. 
 
Ryan Schultz, who blogged about Second Life and other virtual worlds, would announce in November he was having to cease updates on it. 

On the Internet, Facebook would go through an outage in March. In October, the Internet Archive/Wayback Machine would be hacked.

In gaming news, in January a private server for the discontinued game "City of Heroes" got the go-ahead by the game's owner NCSoft to operate in an official capacity. In September, Nintendo, the owners of the Pokemon franchise, sued the owners of Palworld on the grounds the game infringed on some of it's copyrights. Later, gaming updates would make a change with one detail people thought made the game resemble Pokemon a little, but the lawsuit remains.

2024 was an eventful year, and hopefully 2025 will be a great one.

Bixyl Shuftan
SL Newser