Cartoon of the Day: Exercise For A Purpose

 

Taken at the SL18B

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Reflections on The SL18B

 

"Ebbe is gone, but Second Life goes on." That was the message the Lindens were sending at this year's Second Life Birthday. There were other details. But the recent death of CEO Ebbe Altberg overshadowed them.

Last year, there were no great revelations at the SL17B Linden and Mole discussions. The Lab wanted to reassure the residents the move to The Cloud was going smoothly, and it was offering new types of Linden Homes and expanding the Bellisseria continent. But those details would soon be overlooked as days later came news of Linden Lab being acquired. So for two years in a row, the announcements made by the Lab were in the shadow of other news around the time. 

But what the Lab did have to say this year was noteworthy. They announced the new class of upcoming Linden Homes: fantasy. They also announced the continued expansion of Bellisseria to place the neighborhoods of these now homes. There would be new starter avatars and a new starting area for new residents. The Lab stated it was getting closer to having a chat app available for mobile devices (and a few weeks later they would announce Apple had accepted one). There was an acknowledgement by Brett Linden that the Lab hadn't done quite enough to promote nonhuman avatars, such as furries, in the past. And of course there was the first time one of the Lab's new owners appeared in an interview to speak to the residents. 

The overall layout of the sims seemed similar to last year's to me, especially the entry area. While it wasn't the exact same layout as the trees had some giant mushrooms mixed in with them, it did have much the same feel (As my viewer does not see the EEP feature for skies, perhaps there was effort in there that I missed). It was notable that for the first time, the sims didn't have a number in their names, called "SLB" instead of SL18B." Perhaps the latter will be how the Lab names the sims from now on.

While the Cake Stage from previous SLB events is still missed, the design of this year's stage to look a little like a turtle got some compliments. For the first time, there was a Skill Game area.

And of course there were the exhibits. Like last year, the Lab informed the exhibitors they weren't going to be overly strict to keeping in theme. While some took advantage of that, other exhibitors tried to stay within it. The result was an interesting mix of exhibits that helped make "The Birthday" worth going to, notably once the music events were all over.

It was noteable that soon after the celebration ended came the announcement from the Lab that it's chat app for mobile devices would soon be ready. If not for the passing of the late CEO, this might have been what the event would have been remembered for.

Despite the overall layout being so similar to last year, it was a good SL18B. Exactly what next year has in store, who knows. Probably a new kind of Linden home. Perhaps a new game, or maybe a new continent (unless they keep growing Bellisseria). 

And thank you for what you've done, Ebbe Altberg.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Cartoon of the Day: On Top of The Newser Exhibit

 

Taken at the top of Silvia Ametza's SL18B Newser exhibit. While going about the SLB grounds, Mia Wallace decided to climb it, then I followed, then Zoren Manray. While this wasn't quite the conversation that followed, we had some fun times.

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Second Life Birthday Sims Closed

 

Since Thursday June 17, the sims of the Second Life 18th Birthday were open to the public. That is, until sometime in the morning of Friday July 9. Checking a little after Noon, I found the sims to be closed, and later on checking the map, they were shown to be offline. 

Checking around the day before, many of the exhibits had been cleared out.  

I came across one exhibitor, Pixels Sideways, in the middle of her takedown. She would post in group chat, "All tidied up.  Thank you Moles for all your creative work and help.  Ya did good! :-)  Thank you to the exhibitors and performers for your creative visions and music.   TY to the Shop n Hop merchants for all the fab swag,  And TY Linden Lab for keeping the lights on and the plumbing intact.  Raises a glass - to Ebbe.  TY for guiding us here.  We'll keep the engines running & the creative juices flowing and continue to create merry mayhem throughout Second Life.   Ciao everyone.  Stay safe out there. Hope to see you around the playground. xoxo"

And so, another Second Life Birthday is now history. For some, there is Burn2 Conception and Burning Man to look forward to. But for others, already people are looking forward to SL19B. Among them, Marianne McCann, "As one might say among Burning Man folks, 'Next Year Was Better!' You will always look fondly on SL18B... but next year, just *imagine* what may come! All the things you learned at 18B, and another year of exploration." 
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

SL Video: "Milan Zepp Live at The Second Life Music Fest 2021"

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Jackson Redstar SL Videos on June 22
 

Reader Submitted: The Newser SL18B Exhibit From Nearby

 From Mia Wallace, pictures of the SL18B Newser exhibit from the nearby Brazilian Marines in SLB Pizzaz.

The last one was from inside the tent.
 

Second Life Birthday Sims To Close Today (For Most)

 

Yesterday, Tuesday July 6, was the last day the SLB sims were scheduled to be open for the Second Life Eighteenth Birthday. So the sims had a number of people going about for one last look at the exhibits. Group chat was full of people saying how much they enjoyed the event, and more than one commented they were going to have to leave some exhibits unseen as they didn't have enough time to see them all.

An alt of mine was able to get in the sims after Midnight. So it's possible the sims will be accessible for part of the day. But the schedule is for the sims to be closed and the exhibitors to take what they want picked up. 

Yours truly was up late last night exploring around, so before writing more, it's time for some much-needed rest.

Addition: My alt was still able to get to the sims at 9AM SL time, but the main music stream was turned off and some exhibits were already gone.  

Addition 2: At 1PM, my alt could no longer get into the SLB sim. So presumably they were closed to the general public at Noon.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Last Scheduled Day For SL18B Exhibits

 

Since Thursday June 17, the various exhibits of the Second Life 18th Birthday have been available for all to see. But today, Tuesday July 6, is the last day scheduled most will be able to see them. Tomorrow, the plan is to close them to the public as exhibitors are given a couple days to pick up what they want. 

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a great time celebrating Second Life's 18th Birthday! We want to thank you all for contributing your creativity to the the event. Now comes the sad point where we have to close the party, The regions will stay open thru Tuesday, July 6. Please come and pick up your exhibits July 7-8 before the regions disappear on July 9.

Again thank you for being a part of SL18B. Now let's start planning for next year!!

So if you haven't seen all the builds yet, now's your last chance, such as this zoo in SLB Amaze (44/117/23)

There are a number which are interactive and you can have fun on, like Nance Clowes' Amusements with neat rides, also at SLB Amaze (211/86/23).

I ran into Mrs. Mia Wallace (Mia Quinote) at the Burn2 Burning Man Regional  build at SL18B, which has a hidden area, "Pro tip: click that freezer door wink wink!" SLB Pizzazz (81,32,23)

One other build Mia liked was "Larry's Garage", which had links to several notable places across the Grid at SLB Incredible (110,79,23).

In SLB Sparkle (40/33/22) was "Sarah's Adventures in Second Life," a narrated tale of a child avatar's life in an SL small town. 

At SLB Incredible (73,11,23) was The Emerald City, which had a tribute to Ebbe Linden.

"Let's Enjoy The Sea" had some boats to ride, SLB Stunning (146/148/24)

And of course the SL Newser's own exhibit at The exhibit is at SLB Pizzazz (187/171/23).

Be sure to see them before "The Birthday" closes down.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Lab Gab Interview With Oberwolf Linden (Bradford Oberwager)

 

During the course of the Second Life Birthday, a number of Lindens were interviewed at both the "Lab Gab" and the "Meet the Lindens" events. But there was one whom was making his first public appearance inworld: Oberwolf Linden, aka Bradford Oberwager, the Executive Chairman of Linden Lab, and one of the two people leading the acquisition of the company last year. Strawberry Linden had a number of questions for him, such as how did he find out about Second Life, what were his impressions of it, what experiences did he have inworld, and what were his plans?
 
Read the article in People.
  

"SL18B Greeters and Hosts"

 

From the Second Life Flickr page, Gemma Cleanslate, and other volunteers of the SL18B whom did greeter and event host duty.
  

At The Relay And SL Birthday

 

After taking a break from writing for several weeks, Gemma Cleanslate is back with another article. After a little time to relax in Yosemite, she took part in the Relay Weekend, walking the track and taking in the sights of the camps and exhibits. Just after it ended, it was time to help out with the Second Life Birthday as a greeter. When she finally had a moment, she wrote about her experiences.
 
Read Gemma's story in Events.
 

Scheduled SL18B Music Events End

 Saturday June 26, and Sunday June 27 were the last days the Second Life Birthday would have scheduled music events. at 8AM SL time, DJ Tantari would play her "Journey into Sound" to a light but enthusiastic crowd.

 The spirited vixen has been DJing for quite some time, known for narrating sessions with lyrics from the tunes. She's also done a tribute set for the Newser (link here).

The parties on Sunday June 27 would go all the way to Midnight. the 11 PM party had over 80 people.

 
I ended up crashing a few times. So this was about as good as a picture I could get of the crowd. Not everyone appeared in my viewer, and those who did were often gray or half rezzed. At the end of the set, volunteer Vee (Varian Altney) told the crowd, "Gentlebeings, not-so-gentle beings, others, and even humans, I'm sorry to report that the SLB Stages are now closed! On behalf of the Stage Crew and Greeters of SL18B, thank you all for coming and taking part in our celebration!" Zoren Manray, one of the exhibitors, joined in, "WOOT! Hope you had a happy birthday SL!!! Here's hoping many MANY more years!"

But while the scheduled events may be over, the exhibits are still around. They will be up until Tuesday July 6. Some residents prefer waiting until the music exhibits are over before heading to the SL Birthday sims so they'll have less lag to deal with.

One that caught my attention was "Purple Wing: The Wings of the Challengers," by Tina Grace (tinaimai Resident). One could board a Nieuport and fire at the Fokker Eindecker spinning around in the air. It's at SLB Pizzazz (211/101/23).

Another one that got my attention was "Where in SL Are Holocluck and Tindy?" It's at SLB Incredible (189/86/23). 

It should be noted while the scheduled events are gone, some unsecheduled ones are possible. And on the last night the sims are scheduled to be open, Tuesday July 6, there's likely to be a DJ or two taking the stage for a few last tunes before the lights go out.

So visit the exhibits while they're still up.

Bisyl Shuftan
  

DJs At The SLB

 

There's a lot going on at the SL18B. There's the "Meet the Lindens" events. There are the numerous exhibits. And there's the music. On Monday, I stopped by two DJs playing music at the DJ stage. One was Grease Coakes.

DJ Grease played to a crowd at the DJ stage at 4AM SL time, a mix of humans, furs, a gryphon, and one glowing shape. He would later post his set on Mixcloud, "played for the amazing people who make up Second Life. Trance and video game remixes are meshed in tightly for an amazing two hour dj set. The theme of "Other Worlds" for SLB this year fits in nicely with this trance set. The picture is based upon Dragon Warrior Monsters 1. Thus the last song is a piano remix of the town theme from Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 DWM 1 and 2 is all about traveling to other worlds as you jump into an epic adventure!" 

A few hours later at 10 AM was DJ Moff (MoffettMephit Resident) of Montecito Bay. He and Emmy (Emorald Resident) greeted me. 

There was quite a crowd there, including the Relay's black unicorn Avariel Falcon and Squeaky Mole.

Moff compared his set to a spaceship run, "Welcome board Crux Space Flight 168 to Tech Noir! We've begun boarding for all classes, so please, step inside, buckle up....and leave the rest of this trip up to your Captain, Super Rockin' Magic Moff! We expect a VERY smooth, uneventful flight.....(famous last words....)"

"OMG Finally! we're approaching the Pacific Coast! ... It's been a long drive, but we're almost there. I hope we don't run into anything WEIRD though. ... I told ya I'll get ya to the SpacePort! OMG the Mole fell off! *throws a teleporter* We can't wait! The ship will depart soon! ... Alright, let's see if 88mph will do the trick! HANG ON! ... OMG I think it worked! I can see the space port!"

Before long, someone in an ostrich avatar came out. And then was going around riding a banana. As Moff put it, "Now THAT is properly weird!" 

Eventually, the set would end, Moff saying, "This was fantastic! Thank you SLB18 crew for having me." Over the stream, he would say "Thank you all for having me! Happy Birthday Second Life!"

Check the schedule for more DJ events (here).
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

"The Mouse," The SL18B Gift Car

 

I've been hearing about a new little car that's being offered at the Shop and Hop for free as a gift: The Mouse. With it's small size, plus the ears and tail decorations, the little car has gotten some positive comments in some Second Life group chat. I decided to get one to see for myself. So how does it handle?

Read more in Design.
 

EOTB: "SL18B Talk Show Specials"

 

From Monday to Friday at the Second Life Birthday, there will be discussions at the auditorium at the Second Life Birthday. These are a special Lab Gab, a special episode of the Second Life Book Club, and four "Meet the Lindens" events.   

Monday June 21

8AM SL time: The Second Life Book Club - "Special with the founder of Second Life Philip Rosedale, and Professor of Anthropology at UC Irvine Tom Boellstorff. They will be talking about 18 years of Second Life!" SLB Awesome (31/232/23) (Youtube link)

2PM SL time: Lab Gab  - "SL18B Special with the Linden Lab Leadership Team" (Check here) 

Tuesday June 22

1PM SL time: Meet the Lindens with VP of Product Operations, Patch Linden - "Patch works to bring the best of product and support-based decisions on a daily operational basis to the virtual world platform for Second Life, while maintaining oversight on how all of the various teams within Linden Lab can best work together for the highest good of the Residents and the business." SLB Awesome (31/232/23) (Youtube link) 

Wednesday June 23

2PM SL time: Meet the Lindens with VP of Product, Grumpity Linden -. "Grumpity will speak in-depth about several Second Life initiatives including recent efforts focusing on growth, a stronger, more balanced economy, movement towards better community cohesion, and an overall forward-looking approach." SLB Awesome (31/232/23) (Youtube link) 

Thursday June 24

1PM SL time: Meet the Lindens with VP of Marketing, Brett Linden - "Brett will speak on recent acquisition and retention efforts for Second Life including advertising, public relations, content strategy, and social media." SLB Awesome (31/232/23) (Youtube link)

Friday June 25

1PM SL time: Meet the Moles - "The Moles are builders, scripters, and content creators employed by Linden Lab to work in the Linden Department of Public Works" SLB Awesome (31/232/23) (Youtube link)
 
To check the Linden blog post in full, Click Here.
 

The Fantasy Linden Homes At A Glance

 

On Thursday June 17, Patch Linden announced the next theme of Linden Homes: Fantasy. Looking in in SLB Mesmirize, I found four examples of them.

Amberbrooke : A two story with an upper floor in the roof. There are seven rooms, with a large central room on the first floor. On the second floor there was  a balcony one could step out on. Skylight windows on the roof let light in.

Mistbrooke - A one story house with five rooms and a back porch area one could put patio furnishings on.

Stonebrooke - Another one story house with five rooms. One enters a small round entranceway to get into through the front.  -

Rosebrooke - This house could be called one and a half stories, with three rooms on the first floor and stairs leading to two small rooms on the second. The front has a porch area.

The area itself looked like something of a fantasy story (or the Fantasy Faire). The plants around the houses had an unearthly glow about them. There was the occasional group of crystals. At night, some of the flowers and tree leaves were glowing, as well as the edges of the roofs of the houses. The globes on some stone walls, the earlier mentioned crystals, and some script on the sides of the bridge over the water were also glowing a little. There was also some purple lights in the water.

Also adding to the atmosphere were some of the residents dropping by to look around from a fairy to a furry with wings to a tiny riding a unicorn to someone in a feral horse avatar, along with some regular-looking humans. Perhaps this is a clue as to whom will be getting these Linden Homes. 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Cartoon of the Day: Shopping Mermaid

 Taken at the SL18B. The problem with being a mermaid is your lower half is designed for going about at sea, not on dry land. While some in Second Life just float around, perhaps explaining it as some kind of mermaid magic, realistically they'd be like this lady I saw at the SL18B freebie shop, crawling about on the ground. Where's a scooter when you need one?

By Bixyl Shuftan 

 

The SL18B Begins

 

The Second Life Eighteenth Birthday is on! At 9AM on Thursday July 17, the twenty-three sims (and surrounding water sims) were open to the public. The theme this year is "Hidden Worlds."

Both Dancerina Starlight and Gemma Cleanslate, SL Newser reporters, were among the volunteers as greeters. While one can drop in anywhere, the official entrance is at SLB Beguile (16/99/53).

There are a lot of exhibits to see.

Silvia Ametza made one for the SL Newser. The build reflects the theme of "Hidden Worlds" by taking a look at the Earth and it's core. There is a number of information about the planet, and in one corner a poke at the "Flat Earth Society." The exhibit is at SLB Pizzazz (187/171/23).

Nearby is the Safe Waters Foundation exhibit, at SLB Pizzazz (197/239/6). 

Other exhibits include the American Cancer Society one, at SLB Sparkle (52/105/23). 

For freebies, there's the gift shop at SLB Enchant (214/128/23). 

Among the gifts are this SL18B teddy bear, which you can personalize. It's made by Nance Clowes.

Going down the paths in some sims, with the giant mushrooms and dim light, it looked like a dark fantasy forest at times.

The land matched the new theme of Linden Homes: Fantasy.

That's all the time we have now. We will go into detail about the Linden Homes later.

Bixyl Shuftan