Avatar Review, the DSD Leopard

Theonlyjohnny Resident, or Jamie as he calls himself now, is back with a story. He recently purchased a new avatar, the DSD Leopard, and wrote an article giving his opinion on it. So did he consider the av able to leap in the air, or floundering in the water?

Read Jamie's review in Design.

Crew Meeting

 Saturday October 4 was the day the Newser crew met for it's monthly meeting at our office in HV Community. Attending were Wesley Regenbogen, DrFran Babcock, Nydia Tungsten, Theonlyjohnny Resident, and Bixyl Shuftan (myself). Also there was Any1 Gynoid, a former CNN iReporter for Second Life, and Jian Allicot, whom expressed interest in Nydia's idea for broadcast news videos.

Dr Fran showed up a little early. She was back from a vacation in real life, and looking forward to writing again. As usual, she had a pet with her, this time a little piggy she insisted was "lunch." Heh, at that size, expensive bacon.

And with me putting the spotlight on Fran on her pets so much, well, turnout's fair play. Here I am with "Chilly," the Firekitty from the Firestorm anniversary party last month. It got a few jokes from Any1, whom brought up an infamous joke between Johnny Carson and Zsa Zsa Gabor about the pet cat she brought with her and was on her lap. ... well, infamous to me.

Never a dull moment around here.

Bixyl Shuftan

September 2014 Crew Meeting

On Saturday September 6, The Newser held it's monthly crew meeting. Those attending were Gemma Cleanslate, DrFran Babcock, Wesley Regenbogen, Theonlyjohnny Resident, Mermaid Celene (Celenehighwater), and Editor Bixyl Shuftan. Also there was Any1 Gynoid, whom has an interesting history with the paper.

Topics included subjects such as September 11th and Talk Like a Pirate Day. Also discussed was about an interview of a former wrestler that had to be pulled when some readers from the wrestling community told of having never heard from him. No one had pulled one over the paper like this before, and it was resolved we would be more careful about writing about wrestlers none of us had heard from.

But not all was of serious matters. DrFran showed off her pet pink kitty, which she had gotten from a gacha. This got a few jokes, including one from Any1 asking if she being a catgirl should get on someone's lap as well.

Bixyl Shuftan

Crew Meeting

On July 5th, the Newser held it's monthly crew meeting at it's office building at HV Community, with DrFran Babcock, myself (Bixyl Shuftan), our new writer Winter Wardhani, Grey Lupindo, Gemma Cleanslate, and Theonlyjohnny Resident, whom was now in a female avatar with the display name "Joney Fox," which got a bit of ribbing from me.

Grease showed up a little late. There was a bit of flash-bang effects his way from Johnny/Joney. Never a dull moment at our meetings it seems. No need for coffee to stay awake.

Topics included the SL11B, Linden Lab's developing a new grid, the upcoming Relay Weekend, and other subjects. It's one busy time for us.

Bixyl Shuftan

Attack on Titan at Grenadine

Remember the "Attack on Titan" sim and game that made news last year? Theonlyjohnny Resident found a second one which one can just roleplay one, or they can do some combat gaming. But one just doesn't jump into the gaming, but first has to be approved and then has to go through a nine phase training course. So what did Theonlyjohnny think of the place and game? He tried them out and offers his review.

Read Theonlyjohnny's article in Design.

Balanvi

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

Most people hear rentals and they think of a plot of land, for thousands of lindens a week. However that is not always the case. At Balanvi, the rentals are everything but pricey.

I know from experience. I have rented quite a few places in Second Life, but none of them compare to Balanvi. Not just in price, but in what you get with the price. In most cases, you either get what you pay for, or you get less than what you pay for. However with Balanvi, you get neither. You get more than what you pay for.

You not only get a good sized plot of land, but also get a fully furnished house. I paid L$ 299, for a week here, and I was amazed at what I received. The house could actually be changed, and not just between one or two others. I had a choice between the following numbers of houses,

40 General Rated Houses,
42 Mature Rated Houses,
54 Unfurnished Houses.

The sheer number of the houses to choose from was amazing, and even more amazing, instead of having to just move to a different piece of land, for a different house, you simply clicked a menu, chose your house, and it would rezz on your land. It was that simple, and easy. However it doesn't stop there. You also receive 100 prims to decorate the house however you like it.

Renting the house, is as easy as click and pay, actually, it is just click and pay. It is seriously that simple. All you do, is right click the mailbox, and pay it. If you pay for 4 weeks, you will receive a 10% discount, making it an even better deal.

As for the houses you can choose from, if you think they will be terrible, or they will all look a bit alike, don't worry, each house is completely different from the others. Each house is also amazing, and awesome looking.

When you first come to pick out a place, you should head to the mainstore. The mainstore is awesome, and it is where you will find which places are available. Take a look at all the places offered and then make your decision. Don't be afraid to come and take a look. It's an amazing sim. Even the owner is nice. He will help out, as soon as he can, and he isn't nasty, like some sim owners.

Even Balanvi's website is open and inviting. It has a help section, a place to look at the different houses, a section just about the referral system, and much much more. So take a look at the website too. /http://www.balanvi.com.

As I stated above, there is a referral system. If you refer someone to the sim, and they rent a place, then you will earn 50% commission of the first payment. When you have successfully referred someone, you must fill out a referral form, otherwise how will the owner know you have referred someone? It is just that easy. It not only helps get the word out about Balanvi, it also earns you some lindens, and finds someone else a place to stay. It really is a win-win-win situation, which is rare.

All in all, if you're looking for an actually affordable place to live, then come and check out Balanvi. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Crew Meeting

A few scenes from last week's monthly crew meeting. Here, the Newser crew discusses possible stories to cover this month.

 There was also a bit of funnery involved, such as when a froggy friend of DrFran's stopped by.

And Johnny decided to "pony up" on his avatar collection.

Stay tuned for some interesting articles this month, and a special announcement early next month.

Bixyl Shuftan

Arcadia Asylum

The Arcadia Asylum gets no shortage of attention, and some time ago Second Life Newser took a look at the place. Recently, Theonlyjohnny Resident took a look at the store to see if it was still as good as before, and did not walk away disappointed.

See Theonlyjohnny Resident's story in Design.

Avatar Review: Orange Nova Sergals

With so many fox, wolf, feline, and other avatars out there by furry avatar makers, eventually companies come up with something different. One design is the "Sergal," which is half wolf and half dragon. Developed originally by KzK, later on Orange Nova came up with their own. Theonlyjohnny decided to compare the two to see which was best.

Read Theonlyjohnny's review in Design.

Avatar Review: Seawolf Dragon

In January, Xymbers Slade reviewed the Dragon Guardian avatar from Spider Productions. Today, we have another article about a dragon av, Theonlyjohnny Resident takes a look at the one from Seawolf. So what did he think of this scaley firebreather? Here he gives his opinion.

Read Theonlyjohnny Resident's article in Design.

Crew Meeting

 On Saturday April 5, the Newser crew had it's monthly meeting at its office in HV Community. Those present were Gemma Cleanslate, DrFran Babcock, myself, and Theonlyjohnny Resident whom had recently rejoined us.

We talked about a few topics, including real life cutting into the time of some of us. But there were also some whimsical moments. DrFran shows off a lock and key she got from a gacha sale.

Bixyl Shuftan

Battle of the DJs at Tiki Paradise

In a few days, on Friday the 4th, the club, Tiki Paradise, will host a DJ battle, at 1800-2000 (6 pm-8 pm). The DJs performing are fairly new to the club, Safi and Hudley. The music they will be streaming has yet to be determined. However, when it is determined, it will still be kept secret to keep the battle fair.

I originally started to organize the battle three days ago, to prove to everyone how much a host really can do. However, that soon changed, when I went to a friend's set. Their set usually draws about 20 people, however less and less people have been coming, and this set really hit the low, the only people in attendance were the host, the DJ, the two owners, and me. I realized that most people go to clubs, not for lindens, but to hear great music.

It is sad, yet it's assuring at the same time. It's sad that we can't get people to come, even when there's a contest, consisting of, at least, L$ 250. It's reassuring, since it shows how much greediness has decreased. So, rather than sitting back, and watching the club die, I decided to do something, and that is when I really had a reason to get this battle all set up, and going.

So make sure, if you want to hear some great music, while helping a club out, at the same time, come to Tiki Paradise. Not to mention, it's sort of my way of getting back to hosting at the club, which has been a second home to me, since I joined SL, over a year ago.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wolfs%20Wood/226/170/21

TheonlyJohnny Resident

Siden Survival/Horror Sim

Theonlyjohnny came across a horror-themed sim in his travels: Siden. Here, one takes on various script-controlled frightful enemies. But there's more than just racking up a body count. One also has to watch one's condition, and the detail in the buildings and terrain is great.

Read Theonlyjohnny's article in Design.

Johnny at the Tiki

Earlier, Theonlyjohnny Resident wrote on Club Tiki Paradise. Here he is during host duty, playing a piano which has the dual function as a tip jar. While hosts work for tips, this was the first time he knew of someone playing a tip har.

Greed in Second Life: Part 1- The Viking RP

Do some residents in Second Life seem a little too eager for a few extra Lindens? Theonlyjohnny Resident thinks so. In today's article, he writes about his experiences at a Viking roleplay that fell apart in his view because of the owners demands for cash from the players.

Read Theonlyhohnny's story in Design. 

Cartoon of the Day

Picture by Theonlyjohnny Resident

Caption by Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Tiki Paradise

Reader Theonlyjohnny Resident sent the Newser a contributing article about a favorite club. Tiki Paradise is described as a quality beach club, with a number of good DJs.

Read Theonlyjohnny's review in Design.