A Glance At The Archives

 

 The start of the new year means a few things for the Newser. Among them, the place on the front page where our archived articles can be accessed looks a lot neater. Usually there's a long list of articles and months. But every January 1, it gets shortened to just what's up for that day, and the previous years. 

So this is about as neat as it gets every year. And well, as you can see, we've been at it for quite a long time. Stay tuned for more.

SL Newser Archives: Fourteen Years

 

Each of the articles the Newser has done is easily accessible. Just go to the year and month in the archives. The archive display on the front page often looks like a jumbled mess with the months and list of articles. But every January 1st, there's a "reset" or sorts in which all the months of the previous year are neatly tucked away, and there's just one or two in the new one so far. It's kind of neat to see, at least in my opinion.

And lately, it shows how far we've gone. Fourteen years of reporting, with hundreds of articles, announcements, cartoons, videos, etc., sometimes over a thousand, each year.

 

And very soon, this year will have many, many articles as well.

Happy 2024

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Newser Archives Yearly Change

 

 

 It's this time of year the SL Newser Archives section on the front page go through something I don't quite have a word for. Normally people see a list of articles, cartoons, announcements, and other posts for the current month, followed by the previous months with the numbers of post next to them, followed by previous years. So the beginning of January is about as neatly compact as the section gets.

As you can see, Gemma and I, and the other reporters, and those posting reader submissions, have posted a LOT over the years, going close to or over a thousand most years, for a total of 12,169 on New Year's Eve. This year was, rough, so a few less than recent years. Hopefully in this fourteenth year of reporting for us, things will go smoother.

Bixyl Shuftan

Our Twelfth Year Begins

 

At the start of every January, the display of our Archives looks a bit neater. All the titles of the articles, announcements, cartoons, and videos once a month is up get packaged away under it's month. And every January, the previous twelve months get packed away. The number of articles and things we've posted remains up. So it shows how busy we've been.

As our twelfth year begins, we're proud of what we've accomplished, not just by our numbers, but with what we've written in the past easily accessible and read by those interested in what happened in the past.  

And as another year begins, we look forward to bringing you news of the people, places, and events across Second Life. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Editor, Second Life Newser
 

Before The Newser ...

 

Before the SL Newser, there was the SL Newspaper.

As we look back to our beginning today, we also look back at where for some of the crew the story truly began. Bixyl Shuftan (myself) and Gemma Cleanslate got our start in JamesT Juno and Dana Vanmoer's Second Life Newspaper. From it's humble start as a blog in 2006, as the months went by it changed into more of a newsletter, and a year later was Second Life's top source of information with a team of reporters. But nothing lasts forever, particularly in virtual reality, and forces beyond the owners' control in real life would force it's closing in June 5, 2010.

For over three years, the Main Page remained up for those interested in reading it. Then in January 2014, it was taken down. While some of the articles can still be accessed through the Internat Archives, it can be difficult. A few stories from it were reposted, notably around May and June 2005 for our fifth anniversary. But the real effort was our SL Newspaper Archives section. It's slow work, so it's a long-term effort. 

We won't be able to post everything as sadly, the other sections are gone, and so are some of the main page articles. But we can do some of them. Recently a little of the humble first few days were reposted, as well as the "Australian Ban" scare, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the goodbye posts of Gemma, myself, and Dana.

While we look to the future, we also remember the past, and take care of things in the present.
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

Berlin Wall Display in Second Life (2008)

It was thirty years ago this month that the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Cold War and the failure of Communism, was opened and began to be taken down. For years, the city of Berlin was divided, the state of East Germany keeping it's subjects behind a barrier of concrete, barbed wire, minefields, and guards with orders to kill anyone trying to flee. Hundreds died trying to cross it before it the guards began letting people through and over in in November 1989. For Baby Boomers and Generation Xers old enough to know, the fall of the wall was history in the making, a revolution without a shot being fired. But for younger generations, many know little to nothing about it. In November 2008, a Christo Larsen built a Berlin Wall exhibition in Second Life, detailing the history around The Wall. The article was originally published in Second Life Newspaper that month.

Read the republished article in Places.

Emilin Nakamori’s Physical Machines (2008)

Sansar has certainly put the spotlight on what's new from Linden Lab. But what about what people could do with Second Life in the past? In late summer 2008, I met up again with a girl I had met at the SL5B: Emilin Nakamori. She was a builder who made machines with moving parts geared to work with Second Life physics. Interested in how far she she could push the limits, she began to make really big machines.

Read the September 2008 article in the SL Newspaper Archives.

New Section: SL Newspaper Archived

When Second Life newspaper, the predecessor to the Second Life Newser was closed in June 2010, the front page remained up for a few years before being taken down. Many of the articles remained accessible through files in the Internet Archive/Wayback Machine. Over time, some notable ones have been reprinted in the Newser, often with some commentary of what's happened since concerning the subject.

But lately, it seems the articles from before 2010 on the front page, and all but the latest one on SLN's "Community" have vanished even from there. So we're gradually recovering the ones remaining and posting them in a new section in the Newser: SL Newspaper Archived. Already, we're uploaded articles such as the return of the Svarga sim, the introduction of Viewer 2 and Ozimal bunnies, the closing of the virtual world "There" virtual world, and others. More will be uploaded over time, giving a look at our predecessor paper, and some writers whom were unable to go over with us.

To check out the archived articles, Click Here: http://slnewspaperarchives.blogspot.com/

Demonstration in Second Life Supporting Iranian Protesters (2009)

One might not think of Iran as having anything to do with the Internet or social media, let alone Second Life. But a number of the Iranian public have proved surprisingly savvy when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. Following the results of a rigged election in June 2009, dissidents used these means of communication to broadcast images of demonstrations and hardliner crackdowns. On June 25, a demonstration of support of the opposition was organized in Second Life.

Read the 2009 article in Events.

Silverscreen: "Home of the Movies in Second Life" (2008)

In 2007 and 2008, there were a number of examples of real life businesses looking to Second Life as a place to advertise. One such place was Silverscreen, where one could find movie sets of certain motion pictures, such as "Transformers" and "300," in addition to a few freebies of such movies available. Bixyl Shuftan found out about the place in May 2008, and wrote the following for Second Life Newspaper.

Read the 2008 article in Places.

“We Gotta Say Goodbye, For the Summer” - Bahama Beach Club Closes (2009)

Part of the time Bixyl Shuftan was with Second Life Newspaper, he was with the Foxworth community. Among the others was Rory Langdon, a DJ in both Second Life and real life. Wanting a club of his own, he got some land and came up with a beach club: the Bahama Beach Club. But not everything lasts forever, and it was decided to close the place with one final party.

Read the 2009 article in Places.

Real Life Businesses in Second Life (2008)

In our looking back at Second Life Newspaper today, we see how it took a look at a trend that many residents today would find odd: real life car companies trying to use Second Life to advertise their automobiles. This was a time when the virtual world was much more popular in real life media, and with the public's attention here, some felt there was money to be made. In March, Dana Vanmoer wrote about her and James taking a look at some of the cars being offered by real life automakers. So what did they think?

Read the 2008 article in Design.

A Couple Humorous Stories (2007)

So what was the first article yours truly wrote about Second Life? It was when I answered a call from Second Life Newspaper for reader submissions, so I sent them a couple tales of amusing incidents. One was about an unexpected reaction to my brand now furry red fox avatar. The other was about giving a creep trying to freak out women his just deserts.

Read Bixyl's first story, originally published in November 2007, in People.

Caricavatars Political Satire Sim (2007/2008)

In our looking back at Second Life Newspaper, we take a look at a sim whose purpose was political satire. Caricavatars was created by Christophe Hugo, who displayed examples of builds and avatars that were often caricatures of notable people in politics. However for all his satire, which was often particularly biting, he himself could be a little thin-skinned to anyone he saw as insulting or annoying, such as Second Life Newspaper reporters Brutha Voodoo and Bixyl Shuftan when they dropped by on two different occasions.

Read more in Extra.

Sci-fi Author Larry Niven & Artist Michael Whelan Appear in Second Life (2008)

Another article originally published in Second Life Newspaper. In 2008, Second Life was much better known by the public than it is now, and well known people such as published authors were more likely to come in for virtual appearances. Among them was science-fiction writer Larry Niven, known for novels such as "Ringworld" and the "Man-Kzin Wars" series. in late August 2008, he made an appearance at an Alzheimer's charity fundraiser, along with Michael Whelan whom illustrated many of his works. At one point, they took questions from the audience.

Read the 2008 article in Events.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Second Life (2007)

In November 2007, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was opened in Second Life. This was a detailed replica of it's real life counterpart, often called simply "The Wall" due to it's shape, two black granite walls of a 50,000+ list of names of the dead and missing. SL Newspaper wrote about the event a few days later.

Read the republished article in Places.

The Western Front (2009)

Originally published in Second Life Newspaper in November 2009

*  *  *  *  *

By Grey Lupindo

To honor Veterańs Day, I visited the First World War Poetry Digital Archives at the Western Front exhibit. (219, 199, 646).

This site focuses on the First World War and how it was experienced by the British poets, soldiers, and nurses who served in it. The site has archived poetry, letters, interviews and photographs into an interactive exhibit.

At the point of arrival, the site requests that you change into one of its free uniforms, either a soldier or nurse, before you proceed into the encampment. I chose a nursés uniform for my tour. To enhance your viewing, it also gives directions on changing your sky to evoke the mood that existed near the front lines. This is easy to do and adds a lot to the experience.

The exhibit starts with a typical encampment of tents. As you walk through the sim, the sounds of marching soldiers and bugles can be heard. (Walk slowly because it takes time for the soldiers to rez.) When they do, you will hear interviews with the men who lived through that War.

The topics include typical war information on weapons and training, but also less common information on day-to-day life in the camps.

In addition to the figures that rez, there are blue and red boxes scattered around the site. The red boxes are archived interviews, images and videos of the veterans. The blue boxes are readings of the poetry by Edward Thomas, Siegfried Sassoon, and others, accompanied by images of the poets and their manuscripts. There is a teleport to the hospital tents, trenches, and front lines. Near the rear of the site there is a transport that will give you an aerial view of the trench system, but I couldń't get this to work. However, I teleported easily to the hospital tents and trenches. 

The interviews at the hospital were an interesting and sober reminder of the horros of  that war.  From here you can walk through the trenches to the front lines. Allow yourself time to go slowly through the trenches because many of the items are not initially visible.

Grey Lupindo 

*  *  *  *  *

Over five years later, the Western Front exhibit is still up at Frideswide (219, 199, 646). Grey Lupindo would be among the reporters founding Second Life Newser.

Berlin Wall Display in Second Life (2008)

For those of the Baby Boom and Gen X generations, Europe was a different place in the recent past that it was now. Following the Second World War, Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union and it's satellite states keeping it's people in with barbed wire, minefields, and border guards with orders to kill. The most visible spot was the Berlin Wall, which was set up around West Berlin, a spot of territory inside East Germany where citizens could live under a democracy. After it's construction, many died trying to cross it. In November 2008, a Christo Larsen built a Berlin Wall exhibition in Second Life, detailing the history around The Wall. The article was originally published in Second Life Newspaper that month.

Read the republished article in Places.

New Homeland For The Jews (2007)

The early Second Life Newspaper was at first much different than the newsletter it would become, with short posts with one or two pictures. But throughout 2007, it would publish more and longer articles. In May 2007, SLN reporter Miralee Munro covered the opening of the Jewish Historical Museum and Synagogue in Ir Shalom.

Read Miralee's article in Places.

SLN Archives: BNT Bankrupt 53 Sims Offline ( October 2009)

With the anniversary of the Newser less than a month away, Second Life Newser will be reprinting a few of the stories of it's predecessor, Second Life Newspaper. One event that was important both in terms of it's impact on residents and the paper itself was the bankruptcy of BNT holdings in October 2009. Over fifty residential sims were lost, and their residents had to find new places to live. For James and Dana's SLN, meant the loss of their own home as well as the paper's office and their sponsor.

Read Dana's reprinted article, and additional commentary by Bixyl Shuftan, in Extra.