Interview With Steven Strikker, Zodiack Grid Musician

 

Recently, Netera Landar interviewed Steven Strikker. Although a resident in Second Life, who attends a number of music events here, he does his own performances in the Opensim Zodiack Grid. In real life, he's a musician who's spent years on the piano and guitar, leading to taking part in a band playing music for audiences. So what did he have to say to Netera?

 

Read Netera's article in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.  

Interview With Veo Voom

 

In Netera Landar's latest article, she interviews the musician Veo Voom. When first seen, he was an unusual sight, covered in tattoos, wearing a raccoon t-shirt, and playing a guitar resembling a pizza. “I think I’ve always been unapologetically myself," he would say.  A longtime musician in real life, once he found out about Second Life, "I dove down the beautiful rabbit hole of live music." He would talk about this, and more. 

 

 Read Netera's interview in People.

 

A Few More Articles About Rita Mariner

 

 

Rita Mariner and The Sawyer Squad (2017) - read in People. 

 

Rita Mariner, Head of The Sunweavers (2013) by Grease Coakes - read in People. 

 

Interview With Sunweaver Leader Rita Mariner (2021) by Penny Shuftan - read in People. 

 

Rita Mariner and the History of the Sunweavers (2014)

 

With Rita Mariner's passing, the Newser has written about her about every day since. Some readers might be asking "So who is she and how did the Sunweaver community start?" I would interview her in 2014, asking her those questions. 

 

Since then, a number of things have changed. A few sims were added. A road network, then a railway, were laid out. Nydia Tungsten and Cynthia Farshore ended up swapping sims. And sadly, some people would pass away or their real lives took over and they were seen less and less until gone. 

 

Read the 2014 interview in People.  

 

The Ever-Turning Experience Of Joel Eilde

 

Netera Landar recently interviewed singer/songwriter Joel Eilde, who has been performing in Second Life for years. He enjoys focusing on numerous genres. He spoke with Netera about his love of creating music.

 

Read Netera's interview in People. 

 

Reader Submitted: Interview With SL Wrestler Alpin Criss

 

Charlotte Williams recently sent the Newser her interview with Second Life wrestler Alpin Criss. Introduced as "a man many consider the Godfather of SL wrestling," Alpin had more than a few things to say while being recorded about a recent encounter with an antagonist, But after the camera was turned off, the conversation continued, the wrestler not done speaking yet. So what did he have to say?

 

Read Charlotte's interview in People. 

 

Corey In The House, SL Avatar Statue Builder

 

Have you ever wanted to get a statue of your avatar or that of a friend, for amusement, or some other reason? I was pointed to Corey In The House, who for some Lindens will do just that. So how does it work and what else is he noted for?

 

Read the story in People.  

Interview With Twin Ghost

 

Netera Landar recently interviewed the musician Twin Ghost. Unlike many musicians here in Second Life, Twin got his start in real life, as one of the members of a band in his older teens and even signing up with a major company and touring the country. These days, he can be found playing at venues inworld. Netera would have a number of questions for him, such as what brought him back here after an absence. 

 

Read Netera's interview in People.

 

Interview With Maestro (Mythrilweaver Atlas)

 

Recently at an event, Netera Landar ran into a talented resident named Maestro / Mithrilweaver Atlas. Also known as Konstantin the Mithrilweaver, he's an accomplished singer and songwriter, as well as a writer of poetry. Netera would interview him about these and more. 

 

Read Netera's interview in People.

 

Interview For A Study

 

A few days ago, it was yours truly who ended up interviewed.  It was by Evonova, a graduate student of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Inspired by the "1000 Avatar Project" by Gracie Kendel in 2011 and 2012, she was doing "research on how people’s avatars have evolved over time and what that means for identity and self-expression." She contacted me, and I agreed to answer her questions, us meeting at the Newser office in HV Community, 

 

We ended up talking for a while not just about avatars, but about Second Life and how it's changed over the years, and what brings people here and what makes them stay. 

 

Evonova didn't say how many in total are being interviewed, but I'm sure she'll get quite a study.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

Singer Austin Moores Returns To The Stage

 

Musician Austin Moores has played in Second Life for quite some time. Recently, he had to take a three month break. But a few days ago, he's back, and back to performing on stage with his Austin's Angels. Netera Landar had a chance to interview him. And he had much to say. 

 

Read Netera's interview in People. 

 

Second Life's Monthy Active Users Up From 600,000 to 620,000

 

In a recent article in New World Notes, Hamlet AU reported that Brad Oberwager, the head of Linden Lab, stated that the number of monthly active users had gone up from about 600,000 in October to 620,000. 

 

In an October interview Oberwager admitted that Second Life's monthly active users had dropped to 500,000 in 2024. 

 

Oberwager would go on to say they planned on doing things that would encourage more people to use the virtual world more often, such as hiring a Vice President of Engineering. 

 

Source: New World Notes

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

"What Thanksgiving Means To Me"

 

Penny Shuftan took a break from her medical hiatus to send an article to the Newser. Last month, she thought about Thanksgiving, and what it means to people. So besides looking up information on the holiday, she would interview three people she came across. So what did they have to say?

 

Read Penny's article in People (yes it's late, but better late then never). 

 

KathyZog Destiny Offers Popular Music To Church Services

 

Second Life is more than just pixels, but also the people behind the thousands of avatars that make up our virtual world.  Today, we look at KathyZog Destiny. She is a longtime resident and an accomplished DJ, as well as a virtual church pastor who overcame a real-life disability. Netera Landar would interview her about how she came to Second Life, and what she does here. 

 

Read Netera's article in People.  

A Few Words With Beq Janus

 

Last Saturday, Team Firestorm celebrated it's fifteenth anniversary party. Among those there was the team's Project Manager Beq Janus.So what did she have to say to the Newser?

 

Read more in People. 

 

Interview With Oberwager Reveals Reasons For Recent Layoffs At Lab

 

 Last month, Alexa Linden was laid off from Linden Lab, and there were stories going around that she wasn't the only one. In a recent interview Wagner Au conducted with Brad Oberwager, the head of Second Life, it was confirmed. 

 

At one point, Wagner asked Oberwager the reasons for the layoffs. Oberwager answered that this was in response to his conclusion that the Lab's support for it's content creators and residents was "antiquated" and lacking, "what happened was, we made changes across the whole organization, and some people got promoted, some people got moved into different parts of the organization, and some people,  we had to say goodbye to some people. And that's always unfortunate, especially when it’s folks that have been around for a long time. That's really tough"

 

Besides an emphasis on Engineering, Oberwager stated they were putting new energy in customer support, "We basically blew up all the formal titles and structure in how we provide support, and we formed two new teams...Resident success and Trust & Safety. And we're going to pour all of our energy into those two groups in terms of supporting [them]. So what's happened over time is Trust & Safety continues to become more important, not less… And so we’ve created this brand new Trust & Safety team that has tremendous autonomy and a very high bar of success."

For the rest of the interview, Click Here. 

 

Source: New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "The Drax Files Made in SL - Episode 1: Caledonia Skytower"

 

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

From Draxtor Despres on Aug 24, his first episode of the new Drax Files, interviews Caledonia Skytower, known for her work at the Seanchai Library, but also other places, "There you go folks, I admit it: I have been snoring under a mesh rock for a long time, so it took me some 17+ years to tackle the creative energy emanating from one Caledonia Skytower and wrap it all up in this first episode of the new documentary series. Of course I only scratched the surface of her prolific SL adventures, and so I give you her story through my lens, in 12 minutes, based on many hours of conversations and research. ... Oh and on a personal note: thrilled to be back in the documentary saddle, albeit at a slower pace. Feels good!"

 

Interview With Xavier Thiebaud

 

The Newser recently had a chance to interview Xavier Thiebaud. Xavier has been many things. In another account, he was one of Second Life's first residents in the Beta Grid. He's also been a co-founder of the popular A-List group and been involved in arts and entertainment. But he recently announced he would soon be departing this virtual world. I would meet up with him not long after, and we would talk for a while.

 

Read the interview in People.  

Interview With Gwen Winchester, Co-Owner of Club Scorn

 

Bixyl Shuftan recently interviewed Gwen Winchester, the co-owner of Club Scorn. While Second Life has hundreds of clubs, Scorn is different, having multiple venues, a different one chosen for it's main event on Saturday. So how did Gwen get her start and how did Scorn come to be?

Read the interview in People.

SLB Linden "Community Roundtable" Today

 

Today, Monday July 1, Linden Lab hosts the last of it's scheduled Meet the Lindens events at the Second Life Birthday, the "Community Roundtable." Patch Linden and Executive Chairman Oberwolf Linden will be on stage.

 

Attend our second Community Roundtable at the SL21B Aquatorium with Executive Chairman Oberwolf Linden and Senior VP of Product Operations & Marketing Patch Linden. Our Community Roundtables give you the opportunity to connect directly with our top executives, share your input, and discuss ideas on enhancing Second Life. This initiative represents another step in our efforts to improve our community interactions, ensuring that your voice is more directly heard and valued.  

The event will take place at 11:30 AM SL time at the Aquatorium building. Note - this is earlier than the other Meet the Lindens events. Vic Morington and Pantera Polnocy will likely be broadcasting live.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Mesmerize/88/164/24