My Time At Second Life Newspaper (2015)

 

Today, the SL Newser turns sixteen. But what did people read before it? While there were tablods such as The Herald, there was also the Second Life Newspaper, owned by JamesT Juno with Dana Vanmoer as editor. It started small, a blog with occasional glances at the virtual world, but soon grew into a respectable newsletter with a good sized staff. I would join it in October /November 2007, and become a respectable member of the team. This was a different time, the Golden Age of Second Life when it and not social media was talked about as the future of the online world and it would be mentioned on the news and even prime time TV, while we the residents made all content entirely inworld in these pre-mesh days with only a small amount of the content created by the Lindens. So what was covering the news in these times like?

 

Read the 2015 article in Extra. 

 

RFL: Relay for Life Events Today

 

ONGOING
Be Mine for the Cure Valentine's Flower Sale 
Team Dragon Cancer Fundraiser
Stranger Things: Pedal For the Cure
G&S Farming Market RFL Event
RFL Heart Day Bake Sale
A Survivors Introspection
LoveHunny Painted Purple Event 
G&S Tuna Fishing Event - RFL 
Ameretto Breedables - RFL
Ani-Cats Animesh Breedables - Breeders Sale
Purple Urban Wonderland Drop By
Purple Tribute Home & Garden
Paint the Grid Purple Stop
Paint The River Purple!!
Paint the Grid Purple - Limited Card Sale

9am Team ES 2026 Season Opener: Going Wild for Relay
2pm Paint our Pavilion Purple
2pm Purplicious Party 
2pm Shropshire's Trail Ride For Life
3pm The 4th Annual Kickoff DJ Battle
4pm The River goes Country for a Cure!
5pm It's all about the purple

View details here - http://tinyurl.com/ACSinSLEvents
Submit your events to the calendar here - http://tinyurl.com/ACSinSLSubmitEvents 

Signal Linden Leaving The Lab

 

 Linden Lab is saying goodbye to one of it's own. On Friday November 21, Signal Linden announced on his Twitter/X account he was leaving. 

 

Today is my last day at Linden Lab! It's been an awesome nearly 10 years.

In an increasingly channelized digital environment remains one of the few platforms where creativity, exhuberance and natural social connection is encouraged and supported. 

In a second post: 

Virtual worlds remain a places where people can carve out little niches and build out their own nest - the cozy web.

Second Life is growing, and I'm excited to see where it goes in the coming years. 

 

Signal Linden was hired by Linden Lab in January 2016. He worked as the Engineering Director on the server and viewer. On his profile, he stated he had a personal account since 2005. He would appear at some events such as Lab Gabs and Second Life Birthday Town Halls, as well as Bid Me Bald fundraisers. 

 

 "Thank you for everything <3"

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

A Few Words With Beq Janus

 

Last Saturday, Team Firestorm celebrated it's fifteenth anniversary party. Among those there was the team's Project Manager Beq Janus.So what did she have to say to the Newser?

 

Read more in People. 

 

Team Firestorm's Anniversary Party

 

 Saturday September 6 was the day of Team Firestorm's anniversary party. From 12:30 PM to close to 4PM, various musicians performed music at the intersection of four of the group's sims. When I looked, close to about 140 people were there, so there were likely more earlier. 

 

 I arrived too late to see Maxamillion Kleene, but did see Tally Mercury sing live.

 

 Due to the lag and viewer crashes, I could never get a wide shot of the crowd. This picture was the best I could do. After Tally finished his set, DJ Trick returned to do an unscheduled set for about an hour.

 

 There were a few gifts for people to pick up, such as a pet dragon. 

 

 Beq Janus, Team Firestorm's manager, was among those there, happily celebrating with everyone, and thanking her teammates and Firestorm's loyal users.

 

"A special thank you to Teresa, without here you'd probably have to rely on me to remember stuff and organize things and yeah.... that wouldn't happen. Teresa is the true powerhouse behind organizing this party so a massive hug and thank you to her for putting this all together."

 

 For those who didn't make the party, Team Firestorm usually has the freebies up for a few days afterwards. You can get them near Firestorm Ghost Town (14/240/3903).

 

Happy Anniversary Firestorm

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Firestorm Anniversary Party Saturday Sept 6

 

 Team Firestorm, the people behind Second Life's most popular viewer, is celebrating it's fifteenth anniversary tomorrow, Saturday September 6. And they're throwing a party to celebrate. 

 

Firestorm is turning 15 this week! Our actual birthday is on September 3, but we want to celebrate BIG TIME, and we want you to join us. That is why we are moving our party to the weekend… Saturday September 6. Yes, we will have a party. And yes, there will be gifts – three really nice ones. There will also be some amazing entertainment. There is only one more thing we need – you! Please join us.
 

 The events are scheduled to go from 12:30 PM to 3PM

 

12:30 – 1 PM SLT – DJ Trick
1 – 2 PM SLT – Maximillion Kleene (Live Singer)
2 – 3 PM SLT – Tally Mercury (Live Singer)

 

There are also a few gifts for people to collect, including a pet dragon.  

 

It is asked that people used the following SURLs based on the first letter of their SL account name

 

A – J:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Ghost%20Town/14/240/3903
K – R:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Aerodrome/238/15/3903
S – Z:
https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Dow%20Forest/237/238/3903 

 

For more information, check the Firestorm blog (here).  

 

My Time At Second Life Newspaper (2015)

 

It was Fifteen years ago this Wednesday that the Newser came to be. But who was reporting the news of Second Life before that? In 2006, JamesT Juno would start the Second Life Newspaper, and others would join him in covering the news about this virtual world. This included Dana Vanmoer who would take over as editor, as well as Gemma Cleanslate and Bixyl Shuftan, who would go on to write for the Newser. So what went on during this earlier time of Second Life? Bixyl Shuftan would describe how things went from his point of view.

Read the article from 2015 in Extra. 

 

RFL Team Sunbeamers at the SL Living Expo

 

 

At the SL Living Expo, the first of this years Relay for Life events, some Relay teams have set up a number of tents at the SLLE Activities sim. Among them, the Sunbeamers, the Relay team of the Sunweaver community,where the Newser has it's office. 

Sunbeamer Mission: Shine the light of the Sun on Cancer, and burn it out of existence. 

To Relay for the Defeat of Cancer in all it's forms.  

Support our members and their families who may have had or are currently suffering with cancer. 

Remember those who cancer has taken from us, not with sorry but with joy. 

To enjoy the life we have and cherish it, for you never know when it might be cut short. Party on.

There were a few descriptions of events, such as the weekly Moon Dance, starting Thursday February 20, and the Air Show

Stay tuned for news of the first Sunbeamer events.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Linden Lab Looking For Engineering Manager

 

 

On Linden Lab's "help wanted" page, there's a new opening that suggests they're taking the development of their mobile viewer fairly seriously. It's for a manager for the engineering team for their Mobile Viewer. 

We’re looking for an Engineering Manager to help bring Second Life to mobile devices. 

This is a technical lead role, reporting to Second Life's Viewer & Server Director of Engineering. In this highly collaborative position, you will write software, architect new systems, mentor staff and manage a small team responsible for bringing the mobile Second Life viewer to life.

This is a hybrid role, with some expectation of in-office presence in our Seattle office or San Francisco HQ.

The requirements for the job are:

 

8+ years experience as software engineer including mobile development; 3+ years in a technical leadership role

 
Modern web, game, C# and Unity development experience

 
Familiarity with game networking, UDP/TCP

 
A track record of leading teams and shipping successful projects

 
Earnest interest in learning new technologies

 
History of working with cloud based computing platforms such as AWS, Azure, GCP

 
Great communication, awareness, self motivation and collaboration attributes

 
Familiarity defining the strategic direction for AI initiatives and ensuring alignment with broader business goals

 
Curiosity for experimenting with and implementing novel AI capabilities to solve complex problems and create new user experiences

 

The Lab did say people can apply anyway even if they don't meet every single requirement. The salary will be between $163,000 and $223,000. 

 

Hat tip: Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan

RFL Team Sunbeamer Meeting

 

 

 On Sunday July 14, the Relay for Life's Sunbeamer team held a post-season meeting at the team's HQ in Sunweaver Bay. They talked about about how things went this year, what went well, and what didn't. There was discussion about possibly retiring one event, and adding in a new one.

 

Among the things discussed was that while previous years had souvenirs in the Sunbeamer HQ, the ones for this year seemed absent. It turned out they're at Club Cutlass, elsewhere in the sim.

Go Sunbeamers! Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Interview With Aldaris (Bawnty Resident) About RFL Team Scorn

 

It's been a busy Relay season, with almost two hundred teams taking part. Among them was a new one, Team Scorn, captained by Aldaris (Bawnty Resident), which ended up in Gold ranked fundraising. Recently he was interviewed by Bixyl Shuftan about how the team came to be, and what it did.

 

Read the interview in People. 

 

My Time At Second Life Newspaper (2015)

 

It was fourteen years ago this Wednesday that the Newser came to be. But who was reporting the news of Second Life before that? In 2006, JamesT Juno would start the Second Life Newspaper, and others would join him in covering the news about this virtual world. This included Dana Vanmoer who would take over as editor, as well as Gemma Cleanslate and Bixyl Shuftan, who would go on to write for the Newser. So what went on during this earlier time of Second Life? Bixyl Shuftan would describe how things went from his point of view.

Read the article from 2010 in Extra.

The Relay Rocker's Annual Bid Me Bald Team Challenge

 

The Relay Rockers team in the Relay for Life in Second Life is known for a number of things. Among them is their "Bid Me Bald" events.  On Sunday April 14, their Annual Bid Me Bald Challenge, an event they did with eleven other teams, with someone from the winning team giving a haircut to someone from the team that raised the least. So in an event in which even the "loosing" team raised thousands, how much was raised and who gave a haircut to who?

 

 Read the story in Events.

Reader Submitted: The Sunbeamer Moon Dance

 

 You never know what you might find on the dark side of the moon. In SL, you can find humans, furries, robots, Roos and more at the weekly RFL team Sunbeamers Moon Dances with deejay Cynthia Farshore. Kudos and a big THANK YOU to the team for hosting their first of many BYOK events this season. They repeatedly show their "One Team" spirit by bringing together many teams at this weekly dance where attendees can contribute to the fundraising efforts of every team present, rather than only to their own. And on a side note, their very first event of the season just happened to be on the same day that a private American company landed a craft on the south pole of the moon, over 50 years since the last time an American space craft landed on the moon. What synchronicity!

Journey Texan

 

The Linden Snowball Fight

 

Winter offers many kinds of activities, from skiing, to sledding, to skating, snowman building, and more. But there's nothing quite like a good 'ol snowball fight. And one Second Life tradition is the Linden Snowball fight between the residents and Linden Lab's finest. This year, the snow scrap had a different twist to it. Bixyl Shuftan was there, and took a few pictures, and observations.

 

Read more in Events. 

 

A Busy Weekend: Linden Motown Trivia, Firestorm Anniversary Party

 

 

 This past weekend was a busy one in Second Life. Saturday Sept 2 was the Motown Trivia Party, at 12 Noon SL time. Madori Linden would ask various trivia questions.

Madori Linden: 4. What is the address of the original Motown recording studio?
a. 2648 West Grand Boulevard
b. 7365 Woodrow Wilson St.
c. 7373 Churchill St.
d. 6245 Avery St.

 

The place was a bit crowded, and laggy, but people braved the slow rezzing to answer trivia, or just for the music and dance, or to be at a Linden event. Some would get Madori Linden bears.  The event was scheduled to last until 2PM SL time.

 

 Sunday Sept 3 would have another big event. It was the day of Team Firestorm's Thirteenth Anniversary Party, taking place on a stage at the intersection of four sims. It started at 10 AM with Maxamillian Kleene singing some tunes. At 11 AM, it was Bell Tabak's (PrettyBelle72) turn on stage. In the four sims, the number of people attending was over a hundred. 

Jessica Lyon, the head of Team Firestorm, had always made it to previous anniversary parties. But unfortunately it would not be the case this time as a close family member was in the hospital someone quoting her, "cousin and I are sharing 12 hour shifts, ... and no Internet." During the event, someone shouted, "Jess asked me to several times during the party send her Thanks and Love to our Firestorm User Community. You guys are the best!!! Without you we wouldn't be celebrating today!!!"

 

 While the event is over, people can continue to drop by and grab a couple free gifts. Head to Fiewstorm Dow Forest at (219/229/3901). "Happy Anniversary Firestorm!"

There were other events going on, such as the Spoonful of Sugar charity event which started over the weekend. There will be more on that later. For those interested in checking it out now, head to SOS Uber Island (173/92/25).

 Bixyl Shuftan

Firestorm's 13th Anniversary Party This Sunday

 

Second Life's most popular viewer, Firestorm, is officially turning thirteen years old this Sunday, September 3. And for the event, Team Firestorm is planning a party. 

Can you believe it!! 13 years!! Yes, that is right, Firestorm is finally a teenager. We turn 13 on Sep 3, 2023! Of course, we are going to celebrate! You are invited to join us. We will have a party and there will be gifts – two really nice ones. There will also be some great entertainment.

Two live musicians are scheduled to perform at the event. At 10 AM SL time, Maximillian Kleen will be doing music on stage. At 11 AM, Pretty Belle will be singing. The event should last until Noon SL time.

There will also be two gifts available for anyone to get. One is a pet tiger. The other is a pet baby dragon on a stump that wiggles when pressed.

In the blog, it was stated the location of the party would be posted on the blog a few hours before the event. But in the past, it's been held at the Firestorm Dow Forest at (219/229/3901).

RFL Team Sunbeamer Meeting

 

 

 On Sunday July 30, the Relay for Life's Team Sunbeamers had its post-season meeting. They talked some about what went right, which led to the team having it's most successful year ever in terms of fundraising, it reaching Ruby level. But there were also some ideas for what to do next year.

 

The team's off-season donation jar set out at Club Cutlass has been  collecting some Lindens. Team Captain Rita Mariner announced it had collected enough so far to put the team at Silver rank next year (provided what it takes to reach it doesn't change).

Go Sunbeamers! Go Relay!

Bixyl Shuftan

Team Sunbeamer Group Photo

 

 

 On Tuesday June 14, some of the Relay's Team Sunbeamers met up for their annual post-Relay Weekend group photo, in front of the camp at RFL Advocacy. Not everyone could make it, such as Cynthia Farshore, Shockwave Yareach, and Mattie Carlton. And some were in Bid Me and Relay avatar challenge looks. But it's a picture for the Sunbeamer books.

Bixyl Shuftan

 

My Time At Second Life Newspaper (2015)

 

Yesterday was the thirteenth anniversary of the SL Newser. But before the Newser, there was the Second Life Newspaper. It was founded by JamesT Juno as a simple blog with short entries in 2006. But he would soon bring Dana Vanmoer and a number of other writers into it as a full-fledged newspaper, with yours truly joining up in November 2007. This was considered the golden years of the virtual world, when it was the darling of the tech media and talked about not just by computer nuts but was mentioned in mainstream news and prime time TV shows alike. So what was it like to cover the news about Second Life then?

Read Bixyl Shuftan's article from 2015 in Extra.