SL15B Exhibitor Parcel Claim Deadline Today

For the first round of exhibitors of the Second Life Birthday approved by email, and were able to claim parcels on the SL15B sims starting last Friday, time is running out. The deadline to make your claim is today at Noon SL time. So if you haven't, get there.

No word yet about the deadline for the second round of exhibitors.

http://www.slcommunitycelebration.info/

Image Credit: Vivena

Net Neutrality Scheduled to End June 11

By Bixyl Shuftan

On December 14 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to end it's protection of Net Neutrality. The decision came despite numerous advocacy groups, over 200 businesses and trade groups, as well as skepticism of the public at large. Among the corporations calling for it's continuation is Linden Lab, whose founder Philip Rosedale predicted "especially negative" consequences as Internet providers could easily introduce bandwith caps and by-the-megabyte billing.

The new rules did not go in effect right away  They had to be posted to the Federal register first. For some reason, this had not been done for over four months, provoking guesses as to why. But on Thursday May 10, the FCC stated in a notice that thirty days after the following day, or June 11, the new rules doing away with the Net Neutrality protections would begin. "These unnecessary and harmful internet regulations will be repealed," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai stated.

So what happens next? There is a bill in Congress being pushed that if passed would require the FCC to keep the current protections. But while it needs only one more Senator to support it, it faces an uphill battle in the House. In the courts, more than twenty states have also filed suit to stop the FCC from repealing the present-day rules. Several states, including California and New York, are considering legislation enforcing Net Neutrality within their boundaries. But a spokesman for the FCC states such legislation would be illegal and would be challenged in court.

Gigi Sohn, an advisor to a former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, commented that net neutrality's future will probably "stay murky" through the rest of the year.

Because of the importance of the issue of Net Neutrality, the Second Life Newser declared FCC Chairman Ajit Pai as it's "Man of the Year" for 2017 as we felt the potential harm of the disposal of these new regulations to Second Life outweighed the accomplishments of any one group of residents or any one accomplishment of Linden Lab.

Sources: CNN, Motherboard

Image Credit: Lanai Jarrico

Bixyl Shuftan

SL14B Update: Exhibitor Applications To Close May 10, Performers And Volunteers May 17

Last month on April 14, it was announced that the applications for exhibitors, performers, and volunteers for the Second Life Fourteenth Birthday Celebration were being accepted. Earlier today,
Doctor Gascoigne announced that there would be only two more days for anyone interested to fill out one and file it.

Applications will be available till Wed May 10
This give you time if you pu it off till today
So don't rush but HURRY.
ALL APPLICATIONS will be open till Wed May 10
please pass the word and if you want to apply do it SOONISH

It would be noted that applications are not just placeholders. Exhibitors will have to have thought of at least the basics of their build as they have to explain how it will fit the theme of "Carnivalesque."

Performers and volunteers have a little more time. The Timeline states they have an additional week to file their applications. Exhibitors will be notified between May 24 and May 26 if they've been accepted and where their plot will be. May 26 at Noon SL time is when the sims are open to exhibitors. June 10 is when emails are sent to accepted performers. The sims over to everyone at Noon SL time on June 18.

Among those applying is the Second Life Newser. Last year, we had a riverboat exhibit, designed by the talented Silvia Ametza, for their "Shared Adventure" theme. Just as we show you what's going on, a riverboat took many a cowboy to their adventures in the Wild West. What will we have this year? Well, you'll see.

 Since coming online in February, the SLB sims have continued to take shape. By the looks of the map, much has been built over the past couple months. But with forty-one days left until "The Birthday," there is still much left to be done.

Stay tuned for more updates

Bixyl Shuftan

Angels Calendar Auction Ends Today

If you want a chance to be in a picture with a calendar girl, you better hurry up. Tonight Nydia Tungsten's Calendar Auction comes to a close and  the last bids made final.

The time is counting down for your chance to be in this years Angels calendar, final bids starting so check back often for your chance to pose with your favorite model.

Every year, the Calendar events take place to help raise money for the Angel Estates sims to keep rents down. This year's calendar auction has 18 models of which the 13 with the highest bids will appear in the calendar with the bidders in the calendar. Also up for bid is a spot in a video of Nydia's with the 13 girls. So far, most of the models have bids of at least 1000 Lindens, with two at over 5,000.

The auction bids are made at the Happy Vixen club and hangout.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Purrfection%20Estates/239/219/25

One Week Left For Avi Choice Awards Voting

Hey folks. Just a reminder about the Second Life Newser being nominated for two awards of the Avi Choice Awards, "Best Media News Source" and "Favorite Magazine, Newspaper, or Periodical."

The deadline for voting is next Monday, February 23. The winners will be announced at a special event on Saturday February 28.

To vote, go to this page: http://avichoiceawards.com/vote-here-the-arts/ , and vote for the Second Life Newser under "Best Media News Source" and "Favorite Magazine, Newspaper, or Periodical."

Busy at the SL10B

Taking a breather after having just moved my desk to the SL10B SL Newser exhibit. The team has been hard at work getting everything in place and are determined to finish by the deadline. Today is the final day of building, and tomorrow the sim will be closed to the exhibitors as the plots are inspected.

One of the staff, Catboy Qunhua,  put her words in this little poem.

Get to work you builders you
Or you’ll be sorry, then you’ll be through
As deadline looms, and anxiety brews
The builders rely on their kung fu
To lay down prims for their debut
Of SL10, to great review

Of mighty mesh and tortured sculpties
And twisted prims stretched to sky, Seize
Of our hearts and imaginations
To utopian worlds of compilation
Layed out in plots and neat locations
Which we laid claim by reservation

But first we must steel our propagation
No laggy scripts of provocation
Textures below 512 square are divine
And keep our prims below 269
No vendors please or you will accrue
The brilliant wrath of Pygar Bu

No scanning scripts to look about
And lucky chairs are just right out
No megaprims of great inflation
No tipjars please to solicit donations

To script, to build, to celebrate
Not overload our own baud rate
So to your plots you must lay down
Your best creations of great renown
Before the clock strikes midnight here
And you’ll get the boot right in your rear

So go make haste of your fleeting time
 And don’t spend it on the standard whine
“Which midnight do you mean, good sir?”
Which one do you think you %$^&’ing cur? 

The SL10B opens this Sunday, June 16th

Bixyl Shuftan