Election Day in The US

 

After months of campaigning, some might say since just after Inauguration Day 2021, it's finally Election Day in the United States. And we at the Newser encourage all Americans to vote, if they haven't already done early voting. 

In the past, the Newser (and the SL Newspaper before us) wrote a number of Election-related articles. This year, not much. As time has gone on, politics has gotten more divisive and toxic than any time in living memory, with not just the Presidential candidates but also their supporters branding the others as evil, dumb, or both. 

So while we encourage people to vote, we also ask that we respect each other, and while any reasonable accusation of voter tampering should be investigated, once the Election results are final, they should be accepted. 

Hopefully all will go smoothly,

Bixyl Shuftan

The BBB Thanks The Newser

 

The Bellissarian Bureau of Bureaucracy, of which Gemma Cleanslate recently reported on it's second anniversary, has it's own paper, the "BBB Gazette." As it turns out, they were so pleased with Gemma's coverage, writer Boo Rojyo complemented her work in their publication.

Gemma Cleanslate over at the SL Newser has been reporting comprehensively on BBB2B. You can read her enthusiastic thoughts on our birthday party here and here. Thanks, Gemma. I was only teasing when I said you were making me, as editor of the Gazette, redundant but you certainly made this article a lot shorter than it would otherwise have been!

Always happy to hear when the hard work of our journalists is acknowledged.
 

Wanted: Opinions of Sansar

Marusame Ari, known in Second Life as a member of the Sunweaver community, where the Newser office is located, in real life is very different from the black wah (red panda) girl avatar dressed in pink (s)he is known for. Recently Marusame did this forty-one minute walkthrough of Sansar, on August 8 (some profanity). The video shows Marusame going through a few places, and giving the next generation virtual world a negative review, "It's not even a beta. It feels like an asset flip made from a bunch of unity store assets thrown into a game and slapped with unnecessary VR functions. Honestly, IMVU probably has more to it. If you had to jump ship from Second Life, go to Opensim or something. Skip this."

So what are the opinions of you the readers of Sansar. Also, how often do you want to see reviews and news of developments of the place, such as it's first furry avatar? Or would you prefer that the Newser keep it's coverage of Sansar to a minimum? Please comment below.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Focus of the Newser

The Second Life Birthday and the Relay Weekend and now behind us. These two mega-events represent the best of Second Life, people coming together and making some great builds, and in the case of the Relay for a great cause. They deserve lots of coverage. And from us, they get it.

But as good as these events are, covering (and documenting) these great events and their places takes some time from other people, places, and events on the Grid, and a few related Internet and computer issues outside it. Quite a bit can go on in Second Life. For instance on the Relay's "Teardown Day," there was the opening of a small real-life book publisher's office inworld, a Moon Landing anniversary party, and a benefit concert for live musician Maxx Sabretooth whom needed medical help. We've had to make a few choices in what to cover, and what to put on the back burner. And now that the big two summer events are done, we can focus a little more on other subjects.

What do you the readers want us to look at? There's plenty going on, such as the LEA art exhibits, Madpea and other games, various shops in Second Life that we could put a greater focus on, personal stories, and of course Linden Lab's next generation virtual world Sansar.

Should anything get a little more (or less) mention? Reader feedback, especially written comments, can make a difference in what we the Newser team focus on.

Bixyl Shuftan
Editor, SL Newser