Drivers of SL

 

Sometimes when driving, you just want to get where you're going. And sometimes it's the journey itself that's more important, listening to the radio, and taking in the scenery. And on occasion, there's no particular destination, except maybe back home, eventually, the journey made just to see new things and new places. If this is something you like doing, there's a group for you, the "Drivers of SL." The Newser interviewed a few people behind this large group of people here in Second Life.

Read the story in People.

 

Abnor Mole's Trolley Ride

Some of the more interesting events aren't planned, but happen spontaneously. One last week started off with a simple question in Bellisseria group chat by Abnor Mole. The end result was over twenty people going on a trip across part of the Linden Home continent. The Newser was there to tell the story.

 

Read the story in Events. 

 

Reader Submitted: My Cancer Journey ( Still Outgoing )

 

Recently Alysabelle Resident sent in a reader submitted story about a very personal story. It was about a year and a half ago in which doctors gave her some bad news. She had come down with cancer. It was a difficult journey, one she wasn't sure she could go through. But she had some people she could turn to. Among them are some here in Second Life.

Read Alysabelle's reader submission in People.
 

SL Video: "Arrivals and Departures"

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From Caledonia Skytower on July 22, "A Tale of Two Journeys.

"ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES is a machinima (a film created in a virtual environment) from CEH Productions – Judith Cullen of the Seanchai Library, Richard Elen of Radio Riel and Designing Worlds, and Honey Heart of Elite Equestrian. The 15-minute film, shot in the virtual world of Second Life®, is based on a short story written by Cullen and originally recorded for Fantasy Faire Radio as part of the 10th Fantasy Faire, the annual SL-based fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society.

"The story was inspired by, and performed in, a superbly-imagined Steampunk-inspired spaceport created by leading virtual world creators The Looking Glass – Sharni Azalee and Marcus Inkpen – for Fantasy Faire 2018, and loaned for the shoot.

"ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES presents a glimpse into two individual journeys that are brought together and shared for the last time. It is about the one who leaves, the one left behind, and the essential role of each. Though the word is never uttered in the film, it essentially addresses aspects of our attitudes towards death.

“'He has accepted the journey on which he must now embark,' says author and storyteller Cullen. 'His last act is to pass along that which has been most important in his life to someone who is remaining behind – requesting their commitment to carry on the work.'

“She is dropped into loss, grief, and accepting his legacy with no warning or time to become accustomed to its inevitability,' Cullen goes on. 'She must choose to be present for him in this moment, accept the commitment with which he tasks her, and be prepared to continue on – while at the same time dealing with the shock and weight of it.'

"ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES also highlights the vital importance of storytelling, harking back to an earlier time when tales were woven into a verbal tradition that was handed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next.

" Technical Director Heart re-erected the spaceport as a film set, and used a range of in-world animations and path-scripting techniques to realize the action, which was shot by Cullen and Elen, who also performed the two lead roles in their avatar forms (Caledonia Skytower and Elrik Merlin). The footage was then edited conventionally.

"The project was a transatlantic collaboration, with Cullen in Washington State, Heart in Michigan and Elen in Scotland. The soundtrack recording and production co-ordination was carried out in Skype, sharing screens while shooting, and ‘dailies’ were viewed via the cloud. The film was released on 22 July 2018."

One can find an article about the video written by Inara Pey here.

SL Video: "A Journey from The Past: Singapore"

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From Diana Rose on Dec 29, "featuring the art of  Rebeca Bashly, Nish Mip, Djehuti-Anpu (aka Thoth Jansen), Elle Thorkveld, Rosie Dimanovic, Ama Avro, Igor Ballyhoo, Krystali Rabeni, Eliza Wierwight and Pumpkin Tripsa"

One of the entries in the SLArtist@UWA Challenge, which closed to new submissions on Dec 31. There is 350,000 Linden dollars available in prizes.

Mary and Joseph Near the End of their Journey

Christmas traditions usually have Old World origins. But there is one that started in Mexico and has been spreading elsewhere: Posada. Figures representing Mary and Joseph are hosted in a different home in a town every night, and their journey to another home is marked with a parade and ceremony. This tradition has recently come to Second Life. Klaus Bereznyak recently talked to
Hunny Spiritweaver, the woman whom volunteered to coordinate the handovers of the two figures from place to place.

Read Klaus's story in Events.

Tantari Kim's "Journey of Sound"

Grease Coakes is back, and his article for today deals with someone who's became a familiar face around the Sunweaver/Angel Estates: Tantari Kim. Once known mainly for being an interesting character with longterm experience of the grid going back to it's Beta days, Tantari's been learning a new talent: DJing. Grease Coakes recently interviewed her about her style of the art, which she describes as her "Journey of Sound."

Read Grease's interview in People.

SL Video: "Sentimental Journey"

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By Nydia Tungsten in June 2014

"Journey On A Pixelated Road"

About four months ago I came across a website for Minecraft called Far Lands or Bust, where a man named Kurt began to walk across the length of one Minecraft world. For the record, that's roughly 32 *billion* meters (where one block is a meter). Technically, that would only take about 820 straight hours of nonstop walking, but I learned that Kurt has been doing this since 2011 and has only gone about 700,000 meters from spawn. Because the "Far Lands" (a place where the graphics get screwed up due to variables being overwritten) were removed a few versions ago, he's continuing to use an "outdated" version of Minecraft (Beta 1.7.3 where the current version is Minecraft "official version" 1.7.4 --- quite far apart in developments)

He is doing it for the charity Child's Play as he explains on his website (farlandsorbust.com) and in his youtubing of the episodes (currently at 327 episodes and counting). He's raised over $170,000 for it. I thought to myself "Y'know, that looks really fun. But they're episodes, they're taped, edited, and a far out of date version of Minecraft. No pyramids, no jungle temples, no trading with villagers, no nothing." So I thought I'd try and do the same, only I'd do my episodes live.

Thus was born "Journey On A Pixelated Road."

Come join me (Xymbers Slade) and give me something to talk about whether it is SL related or not as I attempt to waltz across the length of one (up to date) Minecraft world, updating snapshots and release versions as they happen. I'll be livestreaming from 9 PM to midnight my time (6 PM to 9 PM SLT) and continue to do so every monday, wednesday and friday if the idea takes off. I tried to do something similiar a weekend or two ago and got no visitors (when you advertise to 4chan and not even THEY show up to troll, something's not right)

www.twitch.tv/vladvenom --- there's a 20 second delay in the streaming, but I'll pay attention to the chat as best I can.

Xymbers Slade

A Dragon's Tale: Making a Cross-Continental Journey

Some months ago, Becky Shamen offered the readers a challenge. From the southern tip of the Satoir continent to the eastern edge of Gatea was the longest path one could make over landmasses. Becky challenged the residents to make the trip. Months later, her alt Joshua was ready to make the journey, as their dragon character Katzu Kwattle. So how did the big Wyrm do?

Read Joshua's article in Extra.

Stations of the Cross at Via Dolorosa

 Recently, I heard of a Christian sim named Via Dolorosa. Here, residents are invited to virtually relive Christ's carrying of the cross in his journey to Calvary.


We are all asked by Jesus to carry our cross; this sim is the Via Dolorosa where you re-enact the final steps of our Lord to His crucifixion and the Empty Tomb.  At Station 2 you are given a cross to wear and it follows a track for you through the 14 stations of the cross.  Again, this is a must see.... must experience... and reminder of our own cross that we bear.  Peace & blessings - Pet Karu


Via Dolorosa gets its name from the street in ancient Jerusalem believed to be the path Jesus walked carrying the cross, also called the "Way of Grief." Like the real life Via Dolorosa, there are fourteen Stations of the Cross. In real life, the Stations are shrines to "help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death." The crosses are picked up at the second Station, with a smaller one available for child avatars.


The journey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete the 14 Stations. Your avatar will be fully animated via a scripted tour as you travel to each Station. Each of the 14 Stations are marked by a gold disk on the ground, a plaque and an artistic representation on the wall. Upon arriving at each Station, simple touch the plaque on the wall to receive the Station description. A local chat message will whisper that you have arrived at each Station.


Via Dolorosa is run by the Sacred Fish Group.

"We hope you are touched by this experience."

Via Dolorosa (90, 182, 23)

Bixyl Shuftan

Dahlia's Second Life Adventures

Netera Landar recently did one of her more adventuresome interviews. Dahlia Jayaram, whom once made news by sailing across the waters of Second Life, is back. This time, the traveler is making a hot air balloon journey across the continents of the Grid. To talk with her, Netera flew with her, braving storm clouds, air traffic, potential pirate gunfire, and ever-trecherous sim crossings


Read the story in People.

Ludo Merit and the Prism Walk

Netera Landar recently talked to a Ludo Merit, one whom had created a unique exhibit: the Prism Hero Walk. "Because we are all heroes," Ludo told, "and each of these steps is a step in the life of a hero."

Read more in People.

Reader Submitted: My Journey in Second Life by Skylark Lefavre

For each resident in Second Life, there is a story behind every one. One whom had seen her share of experiences wished to share hers, and put them down for all to read. So we present Skylark Lefavre's "Journey in Second Life."

Read the story in Extra.