Reader Submitted: At The Cake Stage

From Sheba Metaluna. More of her pictures can be seen on her Facebook page.

What's In A Name? Defining What To Call SLB Events.

There's little argument the Second Life Birthday was a great celebration, and if there's one big complaint, it's that it didn't last quite enough. But there was one small issue mentioned to me not about the SLB, but about how I described the last big event, the "Cake Explosion." I had described it as an "unofficial" event, and one reader felt this wasn't the case. But there was a reason I gave the event that description, even though I personally loved it.

Read more in Extra.

Reader Submitted: At the SL15B

Taken by Rakucia Resident. Her at the last official party of the Second Life Birthday at the Cake Stage on Sunday June 24.

Scenes From the SL15B

There's a lot to see and do at the Second Life Birthday.  There's the Auditorium, there's the three stages, there's the dozens of exhibits, and more. Bixyl Shuftan was there to check out some of the places, as well as catch a few goings-on.

See the pictures in Events.

SL Video: "SL14B Cake Explosion"

(Click here to see the video)

From RacerX Gulwing on July 3, "The Cake stage explosion!! Made by Mikati Slade. Some of it was sped up because my frame rate was at 1 to 4fps. I figured 30 minutes at 1 frame per second was to long so cut it back to about 10 minutes of the best footage"

SL14B: "One Last Hurrah"

Even though the SL14B officially ended on Sunday night at Midnight SL time, as the time before the sims are closed grows short, people are showing up for a little more fun while they remain open. yesterday, Saturday July1, had a number of impromptu music events, such as Stage Left.

There were smaller events in other places too, such as this trippy dance area at Mediamagic. Thefloor and walls were display screens, showing videos that gave the place quite an effect. making the place look hues of red, blue, green, mixed, and images of people at times. That's Mikati Slade on the left.

But there were other things to do, notably look at the various exhibits around.

So today's the last day. Don't forget to drop by at 4PM for the "Cake Explosion" when the Cake Stage gets blown up in a public event, followed by a party at Stage Left that promises to go on to Midnight.

One last party will be held July 2nd from 8am SLT to Midnight SLT with live performers and DJ's.  It will start at the Cake Stage until Mikati blows it up at 4pm.  The party will continue at Stage Left once you climb out of the rubble.  Don't miss it!

See you there.

Reader Submitted: Rakucia's Journeys

 Two pictures submitted by Rakucia Resident. One is of the pink sharkgirl and her pet kitty going about the Paris 1900 sims.

Hearing about my troubles getting a good picture during the Masquerade Ball at the Cake Stage during the SL14B, she sent me this picture as well, she with a couple fans.

Scenes From the SL14B: "Match Game"

On the night of June 20 from 9 to 10PM SL time, Catboy Qunhua held an inworld version of "Match Game" inside the SL14B Cake Stage. Two contestants had to fill in the blanks to phrases given by one of a panel with Tindallia Soothsayer and five others. It was an hour of game show style entertainment that used to be better known in Second Life in the days of "The 1st Question," though one can still find it in places, such as Luskwood's "Primonary."

Journeys Across the SL14B: Dragon Island and the Stages

This is the week of the Second Life Fourteenth Birthday celebration, and there are a great many builds there. Besides the exhibits by regular residents, there is the welcome area and the four stages. The Cake Stage, once again this year by Mikati Slade, always steals the show. But the others, such as "Stage Left" by Faust Steamer, also have much to admire. Yours truly went about on Press Day to get some pictures, and a little later to the stages to see them in action

See the pictures in Places.

SL14B Opens, Masquerade Party Today

June 18 was the opening day of the Second Life Fourteenth Birthday, or SL14B, celebrations. And as the clock hit Noon, the sims were open to all and people poured in. Within minutes, there were hundreds around the SL14B grounds.

We'll have more on the SLB later as it has been a busy day, and we need to rest before we can write more. But we can tell you about one Linden-organized event today: The Masquerade Ball. The Lab advertised it as, "where mystique and intrigue are sure to reign supreme! There is also a L$5000 prize for the best at the ball ." The event will take place at the Cake Stage, "stay tuned for details once those locations go live!" The Lindens also promise "a special commemorative avatar and bonus gift from the Lab." 

The event at SL14B Fascinate (202/247/22/) is from 11AM to 1PM.

For more locations for certain SL14B exhibits, theaters, and more, check out the SL14B portion of the Destination Guide at  http://secondlife.com/destinations/sl14b . And don't forget to check out the SL14B blog at: http://www.slcommunitycelebration.info/ .

SL14B on Press Day

Press day is always exciting on the SL14B sims because we are all looking for the first glimpse of the wonderful builds scattered across all the regions. It is the time when we can finally publish pictures of the builds themselves instead of just teasers. Since I was not working this year at the event, I let Bixyl do the teasers. 

I absolutely love the entrance this year. It is an amazing creation by Darkstone Aeon . There was a grand greeting for the press when I arrived!  I hope people take the time to examine it during the week .

 There is so much to see there. You can ride a dragon, or take a hot air balloon ride around the outside. One can also sit in the welcome center building and relax, hoping the dragons don’t get you.   But don’t miss the cave! Before you leave the entrance mountain extend your draw line to get a view of the distance at the top of the stairs. 

Not too far from the Dragon mountain is the auditorium, or as it is called this year , the Entertainment Hall, Digital City. The builder for this ediface is  Anthony (ADudeNamed Anthony). All week long meetings and lectures will take place there and you can see the schedule on the website.

Quite visible from this area is the Cake Stage. Mikati Slade has worked her magic again in creating a marvelous build. There will be many parties on this stage. 

We will visit the parties at the other stages during the week when the parties are going on.

                  

Also not far from the auditorium is the Time Capsule. Will Webb is the curator of this parcel. it is here that collector’s items from all the past birthday celebrations are on display.There is a capsule from 2003  belonging to Ryan Linden that cannot be opened until 3001. Amazing. 

  

This will all be yours to enjoy beginning on June 18 at 12:00 noon and will continue with events and games until June 25 . The sims will remain open until July 2 so you can get to explore more of the magnificent builds . Take a pod ride and jump off when you want to see a parcel. 

 The actual birthday is June 23. I warn you , If you really want to see all the builds plan on spending many hours on the all the sims. There is a big hunt going on in all the regions during the time it is open. There are also gift centers where you can pick up your presents from many of the builders. Check out the website to see everything you will encounter so you don’t miss anything. http://www.slcommunitycelebration.info/

Much more to come. Here is where you start at 12:00 noon Sunday.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL14B%20Impressive/96/122/80

Gemma Cleanslate

Linden Lab Announces Music Fest Schedule, Two Costume Party Events

Xiola Linden posed in the Linden blog yesterday June 13 about the schedule for events sponsored and arranged by Linden Lab for Second Life's anniversary. First of all mentioned was the shopping event organized by Linden Lab going on until June 26. Then she mentioned their Music Fest.

We are going to rock the Grid with three days of music - from Italian Opera to full on Psychedelic Rock - and you won’t want to miss out on that. Our 3rd Annual Music Fest is coming, and so much cooler than Coachella - literally, you can blast the air conditioning or fans from the comfort of your computer! Details about lineup and location to come - but be sure to save the dates, get your tail feathers ready to shake, and find those ‘rock on’ bento gestures for the show!

The event takes place over three days, Friday June 23 to Sunday June 25, with four hours of music each day. On June 23, the action takes place from 11AM to 3PM. The location and lineup were not given out yet.

But this wasn't all. Xiola announced a couple "costume party" events for the anniversary, "Come As You Were," a "noob" avatar themed party, and a "Masquerade Ball." Both will be at the "Cake Stage" at the SL14B grounds.

We will be hosting two costume parties inworld - Come as You Were, and a Masquerade Ball. We all come into this (virtual) world as total n00bs, and the Come as You Were party is a nod to those days of yore - whether it was yesterday or over a decade ago. Put your best Ruth forward, as there’s a costume contest and a L$5000 prize on the line! We’re also hosting a Masquerade/Masked Ball - where mystique and intrigue are sure to reign supreme! There is also a L$5000 prize for the best at the ball! Both parties will take place at the Cake Stage in the SL14B Community Celebration Regions - stay tuned for details once those locations go live! Those Regions will also be home to where you can pick up a special commemorative avatar and bonus gift from the Lab. 

Xiola also mentioned the resident-run SL14B, and posted the link on the Destination Guide to SL14B events, and asked residents planning any other special events for the anniversary to contact them about it.

For Xiola's post in full, Click Here.

SL14B Update

With about a week and a half until the Second Life Birthday celebrations, the map has been taking shape as more exhibitors work on and finish their plots. Among those, the SL Newser exhibit on the left edge of SL14B Electrify, which is largely complete aside from some last-minute adjustments. Silvia Ametza, the chief builder for the exhibit, informed me that after some suggested script adjustments by one of the volunteer staff, the exhibit passed an inspection.

Work has been done on three of the stages and the auditorium. But the main stage, also known as "the cake," is not on the map. Almost certainly, it's been worked on by it's builder(s) elsewhere. Almost certainly, it will be on the SL14B grounds soon.

One curious detail was that a duplicate of SL14B Dazzle appeared south of the main mass. Why this was done has not yet been revealed.

Tomorrow June 10, those applying to perform for the SL14B will be notified through email. The remaining schedule for the preparation and the celebration goes as follows:

June 15-16: Sims Closed to Exhibitors for Walkthrough
June 16-17: Extra time for adjustments
June 17: Press Day
June 18, noon SLT: Opening Day!!
June 23: The Birthday
June 18-25: Open with Performances
June 26- July 2: Open for viewing–No Performances
July 3-5: Breakdown
July 6: Sims Go Offline

For exhibitors, there's also a hunt one can register for, if you have a gift in theme to give.

Once again, the SL14B officially begins on Sunday, June 18 at Noon SL time.

Interview With Mikati Slade

In June 2011, Second Life Newser reporter Grey Lupindo interviewed one of the SL8B exhibitors named Mikati Slade whom had made a cheerfully bright art exhibit she called "Japanese pop art." Since then, Mikiati has gone on to build greater things, notably three of the Second Life Birthday's massive Cake Stages. As the thirteenth of the SLB events was winding to a close, we caught up with the noted builder, and she explained a little about how she came to Second Life and what kinds of skills were involved in making her huge confectionery creations.

Read the interview in People.

Reader Submitted: More Cake

Nic Blackthorne sent these wide-screen pictures showing more detail of the SL13B Cake Explosion, "We are the ants at the bottom."

The Second Life Birthday "Cake Explosion"

The Second Life Birthday may have officially ended a week ago, but the volunteers and fans met up for one final event that's become a tradition whenever there's a Main Stage by Mikati Slade at the SLB: the "Cake Explosion." Second Life was there as the cake was raised up into the air, and let go to fall to the ground in a shower of virtual slices and frosting.

See the pictures in Events.

Image credit: Tantari Kim

Cartoon of the Day

Taken at the SLB Cake Stage. Memes are nothing new, but what usually comes to mind are those catchy phrases and pictures on the internet that just rapidly spread from person to person, Some hate them, some love them, and others don't especially care that much. Someone thought it was cute to take a certain one and make an avatar head out of it. Oh well, good for a laugh.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Lindens at the Cake Stage

There's been a lot going on at the SL13B, and a little time to write it. One event that stood out was called the "The Roleplay Mashup Meetup," which took place on Monday. But for many residents, the name was a little confusing as it was intended as a costume party and not a roleplay, and to many the costume part got lost in that it was a chance to meet up with a number of Lindens. Some were Lindens whom were familiar faces, such as Xiola and April Linden. But others were less than familiar. There were also a few other notable personalities, and no shortage of avatars.

See the pictures in Events.

SL Video: "It's SL13B"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Hexapoda on June 23

SL Video: "SL12B Cake Explosion "

(Click here if the video fails to load)

Of the Cake Stage takedown party on Sunday night, July 5th, Nic Blackthorne had a video up, soon after. The "explosion" takes place around 11:25 into the video, and around 31:30, I appear in the video.