Two SL22B Exhibits

 

Sadly, time is running out for the SL22B , with just a few days left to explore. If you haven't been there, you're missing out some cool and interesting exhibits. Two at SLB Captivate are a Wild West Town.

There were a number of buildings, and a medicine show wagon.

 

 Each of them had a sign with some information. Reality was sometimes a bit different than what you see in the Westerns in these places in which the myths and legends of continue to shape America today.

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Captivate/75/140/21

 

Close by was  Erik Mondrian's Pyramid Map exhibit.

 

 Erik's three-dimensional topographical map provides a new look at Second Life's continents that the regular map doesn't provide. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Captivate/73/37/21

 

There's much more to see, so by all means see these places, but don't stop there. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

SL Video: "Terrain Model of the Sansara & Heterocera Continents in Second Life"

 

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 From Erik Mondrian on June 29, "A topographic model I made showing Sansara [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sansara] and Heterocera [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Hete...], Second Life’s two oldest mainland continents — with 982 and 433 regions, respectively. You can get a closer look at Heterocera in one of my previous videos:    • Terrain Model of the Heterocera Conti...   You can also see a model of the atoll inworld [http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife...] by going to my exhibit parcel for SL21B [https://community.secondlife.com/blog...]. I gathered each region’s elevation data at half-meter X and Y intervals using an interconnected set of LSL scripts — feeding that data to my computer via a series of HTTP requests — then (re)constructed and textured the terrain model(s) in Blender using its incredibly powerful Python API [https://docs.blender.org/api/current/...]. The textures themselves were downloaded from SL’s “Picture Service” [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Pict...], with UUIDs available thanks to Tyche Shepherd and her indispensable Grid Survey database [http://gridsurvey.com/api.php]."

 

SL Video: "One Last Look at Mario2 Helstein’s M2D Region"

 

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

 From Erik Mondrian on December 28, 2022, "Renowned for his particle effects and dynamic digital sculptures, Mario2 Helstein [@m2dchannel249] is an extraordinary visual artist who since 2010 has been building 3D art installations and performing virtual light shows [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDKXX...], starting in Second Life and later in Sansar as well [https://www.virtuality.blog/m2d-proje...]. He has also sold many of his creations through his M2D brand (Mario2 Design). 

 

"Sadly, Mario recently announced his retirement, closing his SL store and saying that he would no longer be producing new work or performing (at least not for now). On December 11, 2022, as part of his M2D Light Week event (a “Light & Sound Experience”), he gave the last of several very well-attended farewell shows [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv5CN...], which were beautifully captured by @AkikoKinoshi. 

 

"The flythrough video here is one that I shot at the M2D region on December 23, the day before everything was erased. My deepest appreciation to Mario for re-opening the region for me so that I could make this video—and I wish him the best in wherever life takes him next!"

Reader Submitted: Map Distances

 

Maps of Second Life can be misleading, especially when trying to show the entire world at once. Because of a few outlying regions (or agglomerations thereof) that are positioned extremely far from the Grid’s geographic center, Second Life can appear mostly empty despite its enormous size.

 

 Distance can seem less important in a world where teleportation is possible—and often the only way to travel. Still, some trivia: The western- and easternmost Second Life regions are currently about 449 km apart, with roughly 665 km between the regions in the far north and south.

 

Erik Mondrian

 

SL Video: Synthesizing Pixels at Escapades Island

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Erik Mondrian on June 28, " Built by the legendary Loki Eliot, Escapades Island is a Second Life destination that is definitely not to be missed (https://secondlife.com/destination/es...), with fun activities and many hidden places to discover—not to mention a full roster of events that are held throughout the year. One of these is the annual Anniversary Weekend, for which Loki designed a go-kart track that encircles the region. After recently filming a flyover of the track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBoyt...) as well as a video of the meadow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xT_T...), I decided to try altering those two clips in my video editor, applying various effects & adding music. This is the end result."
 

SL Video: Cetatea Poenari in Second Life

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Erik Mondrian on October 11, "By request, a music video of Cetatea Poenari, the Second Life home of the Drakul family. Built by Vlad Drakul-Dragonash and Nazaire Dragonash and named after a ruined Romanian castle that was once occupied by the real-life Vlad III Dracula (also known as Vlad the Impaler), Cetatea Poenari defies description and seems to stretch far beyond the limits imposed by its virtual borders. From the Valley of Horses and Arefu Prison to The Slaughtered Lamb pub and Snagov Monastery—and with the magnificent castle itself keeping watch over all from above—this is a region with many different paths and hidden places for the curious traveler to find. Thanks again to Vlad, Nazaire, Rain, and the entire Drakul family for asking me to film here!"

Seeing Double?

Taken at the Virtual Ability conference yesterday. Nope, this isn't some fancy computer editing. Erik Mondrian is one of the handful of others who wears the same type of avatar as me, a red Luskwood fox, for their main appearance.

It's about twelve years since I got the avie, but it still has it's fans.