On Sunday September 17, there was the opening of a new underwater sim. Inspiration Bay, also known as Wild Fairy Pond, was open to visitors, and there was a live music event to celebrate. The area is part of Whole Brain Health's land, and the event announced by Wisdomseeker (Lissena Resident).
Come celebrate the opening of our new sim with its massive underwater environment, designed and developed by landscaper Luna Bliss! Includes a special performance by Aubryn Melody at our underwater stage! We hope to see you there!
Dropping by, the place was well-designed with plenty of underwater plants, rocks, fish, and occasional stone structures. It was all quite colorful. And it wasn't just one small area in the sim, but walking around I found much to explore. There was a place were one could get a snorkel if they wanted. In others, one could get a swimmer's AO.
In a notecard, the place was described as a collaboration with the Safe Waters Foundation. It would also say of builder Luna Bliss, "Luna has supported our classes in the past, generously donating her creations for students to build their projects, and we invited her to develop Inspiration Bay." The notecard also described the smaller surface area, "We have horses to
ride the trail, rowboats, sailboats, canoes to tour the surface. You
can spot the very fun Riverboat at Southwest corner, which also has a
high-dive!"
I missed the tour that was offered, but did see the start of the live music event. Aubryn Melody was on stage, singing while playing her guitar, while the various people in the audience, merfolk and human, danced away. This included Luna, who was among the mers with her tail.
A number of things happened at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference, including a few discussions by the Lindens (more about them later). And near the end they gave out their Thinkerer Award. This was at the closing ceremony in which a number of people were thanked (including the Newser). The winner of the award was Wisdomseeker (Lissena Resident).
PI Day celebrates--well--PI Naturally it is celebrated on 3.14
This year Emileigh Starbrook, creator of so many amazing exhibits for the San Francisco Exploratorium, will be exhibiting different ways to use PI -- Enjoy her "Math Art with Humor"!
"Lissena, who also goes by Wisdomseeker, guides us through the colorful and comforting realm of Inspiration Island,
which she created with several other volunteers to promote wellness in a
fun and accessible way. In this region you can also find Whole Brain
Health, which Lissena describes as 'the virtual arm of our nonprofit
Ageless Mind Project. Our mission is to give people the tools to stay
sharp, active, and healthy, based on research coming from neuroscience,
gerontology, positive psychology, and creativity.'
"The COVID display in the courtyard was built by Lady Brielle,
a medical librarian who maintains the text as new data becomes
available. Lady Brielle has been a tireless essential worker throughout
the pandemic, and her work has not gone unnoticed. Lady Brielle us that 'our outreach work in Second Life has been recognized by the National
Library of Medicine and won an award in Research by the Hospital
Libraries Section of the Medical Library Association.'
"Information on COVID-19 is displayed in Spanish, American Sign
Language, and English. The creators of Inspiration Island took a
multidisciplinary approach to presenting information so that as many
people as possible can be positively impacted by visiting. In addition
to medical data there are stories submitted by other Residents about
their personal experiences of social distancing to remind us that what
we’re feeling is totally natural, and we’re not the only ones who feel
that way. There are also many activities to facilitate mental
stimulation and help people feel connected.
"This vibrant region is the labor of love of a devoted community. Marly Milena,
a volunteer who provides 'programs focused on creative expression on
Inspiration Island. I have introduced a way of working with arts-based
processes, called Symbolic Modeling (SymMod for short). We use the
building tools so people can make art in SL, and then we guide them in
exploring meanings, new ideas, feelings, etc'
"Thuja Hynes,
the associate director of the project, builds educational exhibits and
tours. Two of his current projects are called Simply Imossible and Hero
Walk. There are also many weekly events. Faust hosts the Positive Change Circle at Whole Brain Health on Sundays at 3pm SLT, and Arisia Vita plays piano in the gaebo every Monday and Wednesday. Priceless contributions are also provided by community members Catseye Tennen, Ghaelen D'Lareh, and Marylou Goldrosen.
"Second Life is proud to host a space that incorporates elements of
education, creativity, and community, and Inspiration Island is a living
example of the positive it can bring. Lissena feels that the activities
found here “give you insight into yourself, encourage your creativity
and your sense of purpose and reduce loneliness, which is really
important.” It is open to people from all walks of life, so stop by for a
visit today."
Last Friday, the Newser had a story about Whole Brain Health on Inspiration Island. There was one thing yours truly forgot to add, a video about them made in Sept 2016.
When it comes to matters of health, people frequently talk about their heart, joints, and digestive system. But what about the brain? As the brain is where the mind and soul are, what goes on there affects us more than other parts of the body. There is a place in Second Live devoted to the health of the brain: Whole Brain Health. Located at Inspiration Island, it is aimed at a "multi-faceted approach to brain fitness. ... it takes place in a 3-dimensional environment allows a level of engagement that is unique to online brain-training programs." I recently had a chat with group leader Wisdomseeker (Lissena Resident) about them.
TODAY Friday 29th April Title: Natmoud Island Presenter: Benny Rigaux-Bricmont – Twilight Rhode Time: 9 AM PDT NOTE: Advance registration via IM to Jes or Nymf
Saturday 7th May Title: The Role of The Elders in the Climate Change Dialogue Presenter: Lynne Berrett – Lissena (Wisdomseeker) Time: 10 AM PDT Abstract & Location http://sciencecircle.org/?page_id=241
