"Busty Belles" Club Wrecked, But Rebuilding

 

A few months ago, the Newser wrote about the owner of the "Busty Belles" club, Jodi Eyre passing away. Despite her loss, the handover and continued operation of the venue went smoothly. 

 

Talking to Frost Beam (JD013 Resident), someone on the staff with build permissions leveled the place when they weren't getting their way, "the co-founder ... nuked it, when we were waiting for them to make up there mind on a few issues." A couple days later, the situation was better, "Mostly needing the help getting stuff, like the beach back up and we have our GM working on building new rental homes. On top of the co-founder taking the building the club was using, he also took the clubs beach and all the rental houses which had some people living in them. ...  I wasn't expecting himm to take all the rentals (frown) That made me feel really bad for making people homeless.

"My GM Tiffany had to rush build the new building for the sets.  But I think we still need some for other parts on the club, like the beach and the homes." Frost was optimistic, "When a founder or co-founder up takes the building a club is in, that normally spells out the end of it. We are still here, still rockin, and always welcoming in people. I kinda of treat this place like my home, and my staff and patrons are like my family." One nearby dancer, Domino Sorbet Presley (DominoPresleyTS Resident), commented, "Yah good thing we had hurricane relief. Whether we are here or somewhere else we won't quit."

 

So Busty Belles won't go bust any time soon.

 

On a final note, later this month on the 18th, Busty Belles will host a Making Strides fundraiser, a "Pink Ribbon" event, starting at 6PM SL time.  

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Exploring Creativity and Scientific Inquiry Through the Metaverse: Our Journey in the Student Building Challenge

 

Among those at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference was Marcel Mosswood. She came back from her hiatus from the Newser to report on one of the events there, in which she guided three groups of students on three different projects. So what did they accomplish?

 

Read Marcel's article in People.

 

Office Chair Issues

 

 

 Well, a recent small meeting at the Newser office in HV Community had a slight snag. I'd gotten some new chairs to go with the new building. While they seemed to work well when I got them, on the day of the meeting there was a snag. We couldn't sit in them right. It seemed out of the early days of SL in which you needed a poseball to sit properly.

Thankfully Gemma had a solution. She rezzed a dinner table with chairs. While a bit unconventional for an office, it was certainly welcome especially with lunch available.

Hopefully we'll have the chair situation taken care of soon.

Bixyl Shuftan

A New Office

 

 
The Newser is getting a new office. Ranchan Weidman, who's provided the office buildings since our start in June 2010, gave us a bigger one that takes up just about all of our plot. 

It's certainly very roomy. But, we're going to have to rearrange our furniture some. At least when real-life and our writing schedules give us a break. 

The second office went up in December 2012, and almost ten years later the third office building was set up in September 2022. There are also satellite offices in Belisseria and Book Island.

The location remains at HV Community (140, 85, 25) 

Thank you again Ranchan,

Bixyl Shuftan

The White Vixen Enterprises Building

 

 

 Another of Penny Shuftan's (Deaflegacy) screenshots. This one is of the White Vixen Enterprises office building in the Pacific Waters sim. The angel statue in particular got her attention.

 

The SL20B Tapestry of Time And Gift Area Building

 

 

At SLB Impressive at the SL20B grounds is one tall and interesting building worth checking out: The Tapestry of Time and Gift Area building.  The past few SL Birthday events have had a Tapestry in Time building, a huge circular structure of which the inner wall was divided into sections, describing each year in detail with a gift area in one place in the interior. But this year was a little different. To reflect the theme "Our Fantastic Future," the new building was a shiny, futuristic looking one.

Rather than walking around the wall to see the info and pictures of each year, one would teleport to various spots with them this time. They start at 2003, the year of Second Life's official opening, and end this year in 2023. As before, there is a gift area with numerous freebies. It is on the ground floor where people arrive at the building via teleporting.

 

Unless there's some last minute change, the final day the Second Life Birthday sims will be open is tomorrow, Tuesday July 11, so hurry up and head over. 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Impressive/109/81/23

 

*Addition: The time of the SLB sims has been extended to Sunday July 16. *

Bixyl Shuftan

The Newser Is Officially In The SL20B

 

 

 The sims at the Second Life Birthday grounds, at least those for exhibits, are now open to exhibitors. Among them was the Second Life Newser, whose exhibit is being built by the talented Silvia Ametza. Instead of everyone being notified individually, exhibitors were send a spreadsheet with our locations. Ours is in the SLB Fantasy sim.

So here's our traditional "placeholder" picture, a large version of the editor's hat on the ground (or us "throwing our hat in the ring" to use an old expression). If it seems smaller than usual, Silvia had started work right away. We can't show any sneak peeks of the build once it's on the sim, nor of anyone else's exhibit even with their okay, the Lab asking us to keep things under wraps. So this will be the sole picture of the celebration grounds, at least until the day before the SL20B starts.

The SL20B goes on from Thursday June 22 to Tuesday July 11.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: Toady Nakamura's Building Class - Spruce-X

 

✯~ Spruce-X! ~✯ Mesh tree & star take off, fly up, and come back! Sounds & Particles, very funny! Textures!! Everything provided. Picture, location, times & TP links! http://bit.ly/29VVWOI 
 
▶ Tues - 9am Build class  – Dreams East Classroom
 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreams%20East/177/43/21
 
▶ Weds - 9am - Scripts - Class #2 !!! - Dreams High!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreams/85/198/3101
 
Build class is NEW !!
 

Misadventures in Rust Angels: The Base Defense Contest

 

As a survival MMO, Rust is among those most noted for it's competitive (or downright merciless in some places) PvP action. Wanting to avoid the "PvP kiddies," many players prefer the PvE servers such as the Angels server for Nydia Tungsten and some of her friends. But how do you keep things from getting too predictable and give something extra special for the players to do? For server moderator Umbra, the answer in August was a race. For September, he had another competition: who could design the best base in terms of resisting a raid.

 

Read the story in "Other Grids, MMOs, and Games."

 

The New Office Building

 

 

 It was almost ten years ago in December 2012 in which the SL Newser got a change of office buildings. While the first one stood for about a year and a half, the second building stood for almost ten years. But nothing lasts forever, and a few days ago, Ranchan Wiedman who manages the sim contacted us saying the new office building was ready to be put in place. So most of the furnishings were taken out, and yesterday Ranchan placed the new structure.

 

Both buildings have a few things in common, such as plenty of windows for a good look outside. The previous building people could get up or down via a spiral staircase in the middle. The new design is more of a zigzag, slightly slower in climbing upstairs, but a little less likely to slip and fall down.

A few items were taken down for good such as a retired reporter's desk and the terminal of an old sponsor that couldn't be moved. In the case of a picture left by the late Alleara Snoodle, as it couldn't be moved Ran did her best to work around it.

We'll be spending a few days putting some of the furnishings back, and putting in some new furniture and decor. We'll miss the old office, it served us well. But we'll soon have the new one fully up and running.

 

The location remains at HV Community (140, 85, 25) 

Thank you again Ranchan,

Bixyl Shuftan

Hamster Neighbors

 

 It seems the Newser office in HV Community has some new neighbors. But their choice of home is a bit unusual. Of all things, the homeowner put in a hamster house.

No word if they're any relation to the Bell Hammies or any other hamster of note.

 

Sunweaver Rail Stop

With the Relay season over, Team Sunbeamer builders Shockwave Yareach and Cynthia Farshore are free to work on other projects. One was this rail station at Sunweaver Eclipse, on the south end of the large island in the sim. It's part of the community estates rail network.

I had a few words with Cynthia, who stopped by. She told me this wasn't the only stop in the rail system they were working on. 

Shockwave and Cynthia are staying busy.

 

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Interview With Sudane Erato of The CDS And New England

 

With the CDS turning 14, the Newser recently had a chat with one of it's longtime residents, Sudane Erato. She was around at the experiment in democracy in Second Life since close to it's begining, and was willing to talk about it's early days, and some things that changed over time. But she's done more than just observe. She's made a number of buildings at the CDS, in addition to New England where she also resides.

Read the interview in People.
 

Animal Crossing Sim of Retroville

 

Many readers are likely familiar with "Animal Crossing," an open-ended game by Nintendo that's gotten several sequels over the years. Recently the Newser found out about a place in Second Life that's modeled off it: Retroville. So how did Retroville come about and what can one do there?

Read more in Places.
 

Announcement: April Fools Welcome Mat

 

✯⁂ ~  April Fools Welcome Mat ~ ⁂ ✯ New!  Two Prim  / 1 LI welcome mat.  Stomp on it and it has a message for you!! See the photo!!  Everything provided! Picture, location, times & TP links! http://bit.ly/29VVWOI    

Tuesday, March 30>
*9am - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dreams%20East/177/43/21

*5pm -   
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cathedral/55/99/59

History of class:
First time ever!

Weds March 31 - Script Class 9am > each class stands alone, but it helps you to be at all/most of them. This week -- food for everyone !! Texture animations!!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pandorus/102/146/3251 

SL Video: "Watch The World"

 

 (Click here if the video does not play)

 By Robbie Dingo, posted by "Sharefestival" on April 2008, "(Duration 4'17") 'Frameless heads on nameless walls, with eyes that watch the world and can't forget - like the strangers that you've met'. [Don McLean]. Ever looked at your favorite painting and wished you could wander inside, to look at it from different perspectives? Spend a single day in one of mine, from early sunrise on a new day, to dusk when lights come on in cosy homes; through a peaceful night, till morning. Shot on location in Second Life then post-produced, this was an idea I had a while ago. The Sim in this work was on temporary loan so it's all been swept away now, leaving only the film behind. It was always intended however that the video would be the end product, not the build. This work is dedicated to the many weird and very wonderful strangers from around the globe I have met, but have never really met."

Hat Tip: New World Notes

"The Shelter" Closing After 16 Years

Some sad news for longtime residents. It was announced that the longtime newcomer hangout "The Shelter" was closing. The place has been up since August 1, 2004. The news was posted in the Second Life forums.

While there was reportedly a group announcement, apparently it's now closed to new entries, so as of now, what the announcement was word by word is unknown. Word has it the location will be preserved by Linden Lab. But it's days as an active newcomer hangout to receive help from any volunteer staff around are over. The last event is a formal dance Sunday August 30 at 7PM.

Xymbers Slade would write about the Shelter in 2011.  The place is at Isabel (25/207/59), though due to glitches teleports may occasionally not go through. So one may need to manually teleport to a nearby location and walk over. The main area of the brick building hasn't changed a great deal over the years, with a dance floor in one corner and a sitting area in the other. There are a few places one can pick up a copy of the rules, which are basically to behave oneself, and get a few helpful hints. There are a few free items, notably a car in the corner. At this time, social events had been scheduled every day of the week. Outside the main area is a mall area with a number of small stores.

There are a few tunnels and rampways. One ramp led to the top of the building, which had a memorial garden area for a few residents whom had passed away. One winding tunnel went to an outdoor area with a balloon rezzer four tours. There were a few empty side rooms. Curiously, one place next to the Shelter was a banned parcel.

While there are other newcomer areas and groups, notably Caledon Oxbridge University, The Shelter was perhaps the best known. While the reasons for it's closing can only be speculated on, that it will not be around is a sad event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isabel/25/207/59

"Thank you for 16 years of memories and fun."

Hat Tip: Sandy Loxingly

Bixyl Shuftan

Donkey Kong Tribute Game

For those of who whom remember the Relay Weekend's build by the Second Life Cheerleading Squad, a tribute to the Donkey Kong arcade game in which you played from a first person perscpective, some good news. Sugar Paw (casio2000 Resident) has been building her own. She had played the one at the SLCS camp, and had been inspired by it to rebuild it.

Talking with Sugar Paw, she told me she had spent "a week on building it and perfecting the physics with the experience script another week. All that is left is the logic of the game like scores and rules." She felt she should have it done in several days, "If I had a full day doing it, I would finish it within 3 days." Of how it works, "most gaming sims now days uses Experience Tools for avatars to experience more of a game feel, like having attachment HUDs and teleports including animating and force windlight without any disturbance during play, gives more of a play then worry of how to and old ways of interacting with objects."

Currently the Donkey Kong tribute is on a skybox in the Ravenlock sim. Once the game is finished, Sugar Paw says it will be moved to the sim's main area, "There will be 10 top scores, the top winner will get a prize once a month." Asking about a name, Sugar Paw told me her friend Meanspirit "wanted to call this game The Poke-Kong." They might go as far as to add a large Pokemon at the top.

Besides the arcade game tribute, Sugar Paw has been working on other things, "Avatar HUD, scripted skin appliers and builders HUD and combat system for up coming Halloween." She had other projects on a "waiting list" for later. She also has her own brand of merchandise: Toxic-X Design. The Ravenlock sim is also known for it's Pokeman games.

Bixyl Shuftan

Bellisseria Update: Working on The Railroad

In real life, railroads have only been around for a couple hundred years. But they've had quite an impact on our transportation and culture. In Second Life, while one doesn't really need a rail line to get around, there's just something about riding the rails, as well as the sight of the tracks. So in the Bellisseria regions, the Linden moles have been laying down track. Yours truly took a look at some of the work being done in the newer eastern Bellisseria continent.

Read more in Design.

Dorie Bernstein And The Dreams Sims

Newser writer Marcell Mosswood recently met up with Dorie Bernstein, who runs the Dreams sims. The sims are the home to support groups, such as the Brigadoon Explorers. They're also the setting to events, which include Pimatory and building contests. Dorie is also a builder in her own right. Marcel interviewed her, and she had a number of things to say.

Read Marcel's story in People.