SciFi Con 2025 Starts Today

 

Tomorrow, Friday May 23, is the start of the Sci-Fi Con in Second Life, a RFL fundraiser event. It's taking place in nine sims, with the main landing at Circuit Trap. The opening ceremony is at 12 Noon SL time. There are various smaller events, such as wrestling and DJ parties, radio dramas, movie showings, and more.

The event goes on until Thursday May 29.

 

For more information: https://vonwolfalphas.wixsite.com/sci-fi-con-and-commu/eventlist 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Circuit%20Trap/117/128/70

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

Saturday November 16

    ~*~

 

    At 10 AM PST   

    Renewed Hope Ahead For 2025

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/renewed-hope-ahead-for-2025/

    Moderator: Stephen R. Van Hook

    Auditorium

      

    ~*~

 

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

 Saturday November 9

    ~*~

 

    At 10 AM PST   

    Visions of the Future From Science Fiction, Panel and Discussion

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/scifi-visions-of-the-future/

    Moderator and opening panelist: Stephen Gasior/Xootfly

    Panelists: Karthik Prathaban, Natalie Foster, Mike Shaw

    Auditorium

      

    ~*~

 

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

 

Filmed in SL Movie "Waarheid" Priemers At Film Threat

 

 Last week on Thursday December 15, the made in Second Life movie (or machinima) "Waarheid" premiered at the "Film Threat" theater. Scheduled to start at 10AM SL time, the 100 second countdown started at 10:30. There were over a hundred people in the sim. 

The movie is a dystopian sci-fi tale of which the script was written by Huckleberry Hax, who has also done over a dozen novels and numerous short stories in Second Life, the most noted being "AFK", and also plays the part of the antagonist, Belletristik. Caitlin Tobias is the actress behind the protagonist Erika Janssen/Waarheid. Other roles played include AvaJean Westland, Ylva (Soulfullife ), Boudicca Amat, Lydia Lindemann (Lydiadecremorne), Mich Michabo, and Strawberry Singh (Strawberry Linden). The movie is a sequel to Stomol, Huckleberry's first major SL film, which debuted in July 2020. 

The movie starts with Waarheid / Erika trying to track down the location of the man who nearly killed her, recalling what happened to her, losing her arm, and her recovery. But things do not quite go as she planned. She eventually wakes up in what apparently is a very sophisticated virtual reality simulation, placed there by someone who says she wants to help her accomplish her tracking down her attempted killer, but wants her to trust him, which she's reluctant to do. 

 

The movie ended with applause, and afterwards much of the cast and audience went to a club to celebrate at an afterparty, Huckleberry saying at one point, "We have this amazing venue tonight due to the generosity of Amelie (amilee34) and Ylva - please show your appreciation to the venue and DJ."

 

Yours truly doesn't want to give too much away about the movie, though with her in an ultra-realistic virtual reality simulator comes the question how does she truly know she's out of it (Total Recall anyone?) I was pleased with the ending. A lot of work was done on the movie and it was well-done.

A few days before on December 9, Strawberry would interview Huckleberry, Caitlin, and AvaJean in a Lab Gab episode. Huckleberry would say he didn't plan on doing a sequel to Stomol at first, but hearing what people thought eventually came up with the idea for Waarheid. It was filmed in a number of locations, some of which are no longer around. Huckleberry spoke that he has no plans for a sequel to this, though he won't say "never" either.

Caitlin would also write about the movie in her blog: https://caitlintobias.com/ .

To see the movie, head to Film Threat  (48/126/23). It should be there for a few more weeks. Exactly when the theater's next movie is scheduled to be up is unknown. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Sci-Fi Con Starts Today

The Sci-Fi con is going on. This Relay for Life spinoff event started today, May 13, and will go on until Monday May 24. There are nine sims with various exhibits: Lost Colony, Alien Star System, A Quiet Town, Floating First Contact, The Mainframe, Mjolnir, Alien Invasion, and Broken Promise. 

There will be a number of events over the next eleven days from music parties to discussions on various topics of science-fiction, to roleplay classes, and more. There are also shops, in which the proceeds will be going to the American Cancer Society.
 
For more information, check out the Sci-fi c
on blog: https://scificonventionsl.wordpress.com/ 
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

SL Video: "The Second Life Book Club with Draxtor - A Conversation With Larry Niven"

Some science-fiction fans among Second Life residents may recall when noted author Larry Niven was inworld in 2008. Twelve years later, he was in the virtual world again, appearing at Draxtor Despres' Book Club. The man behind novels such as "Ringworld" and "The Man-Kzin Wars" was in a new account and a new avatar, this one was of a "Motie" from "The Mote in God's Eye." Niven would talk some about his writing. And at one point Philip Rosedale, who was in the audience, was invited on stage.

Yours truly planned to write about this in detail, but was delayed. So for now, here is the video.

Wildstar MMO Game Shuts Down

Wednesday November 28 was the last day the Wildstar Massive Multiplayer Online game was up and running. In September, NCSoft made the decision to shut it down. The game had gotten attention for ir's cartoony look and being one of the small number of sci-fi MMOs taking place in space and an alien planet with most being on fantasy worlds. But it wasn't enough.

Why did Wildstar fail? Some people I talk to put the blame on NCSoft, which a few years ago had shut down the superhero MMO "City of Heroes" despite please from its fans, some vowing never to play another game from them. An article by MMOS World blamed mismanagement by it's developers Carbine Studios, lack of substantial content compared to other MMOs, lack of promotion and marketing, and more. In any event, the news was sad news for the games casual and core fans, hundreds of whom stuck around on the game for it's last few hours until the lights went out.



Longrem Smalls, one of my virtual neighbors on an extended hiatus from Second Life, had been a fan of the game, playing it for some time. He filmed his last few hours for a youtube.

I am deeply saddened to upload this video, a recording of the last hurrah of Wildstar from my point of view. This was a very emotional time for me, because Wildstar has given me some very fond memories. This was the first MMO since Star Wars Galaxies where I was so enthralled that I dove in deeply and actually tried to join the community. I made a lot of new friends that I will take with me even though the game itself is gone. We roleplayed together, we quested, we dungeoned, we raided, we worked on housing and explored... Everything about this game will be missed deeply, by myself and many others. I can only hope that a similar game with deep lore, exciting combat, and amazing housing will come out again. 

 Some technical details: The Sunset party was held at Wigwalli Village in Whitevale so both the Exiles and Dominion could be in one place. Attendance was over 450 players, nearing 500 at some points, and I know there were plenty who wanted to attend but could not. The devs were having some zany fun, turning us into rowsdowers, cupcakes, various NPCs from the game, and even changing our sizes from ginormous to miniscule. This event also pushed my computer pretty hard, dropping my FPS to single digits at times, but it held up. Toward the end there are a few major lag spikes on the server side, so the video will appear to glitch out and freeze for up to half a minute, but it does come back, so please be patient. And yes, there were also weird changes in the music being played, or sound cutting out, just because there was so much going on. 

This was recorded so that those who could not make it could at least get a sense of closure and watch it when they get a chance, and has not been edited in any way.

And so, the final sunset has fell on Wildstar, a unique MMO that no doubt will be missed.

Sources: MMOS World

Bixyl Shuftan

H.G. Wells' Exhibit at Netera's Coffee Lounge

Besides running her "Netera's Coffee Lounge" in Second Life, Netera Landar is also a writer of fantasy and science fiction stories published in real life. It's notable the latest exhibit at the Lounge is of a famous science-fiction writer who continues to inspire more than a century after his most famous works were done: H.G. Wells. While the exhibit is somewhat small, it is a tribute fans of the writer will find worth visiting.

Read the story in Places.

Gaming Goings-On: Rust, Star Trek Online, And Tree of Life

While the gaming world is currently abuzz with "Pokemon Go," those with little interest in the genre are no doubt wondering what else is available. There is of course Second Life, of which one of it's major events, the Relay Weekend, is in a couple days. But when not on Second Life, what else is there. For my gaming friends, they've found a couple the Newser has written about in the past, "Star Trek Online" and "Rust," have had recent updates. Star Trek Online now allows one to play the part of a Federation ship captain at the time of the Original Series. Rust now has the "Experience Point" system that's been talked about for months. There's also a new game out that's a little less edgy than some other popular survival MMOs: Tree of Life.

Read the review in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Avatar in Second Life (Jan 2010)

In this reprinted article from the Second Life Newspaper archives, the roleplay areas based on the Dec 2009 movie "Avatar" are looked at. With the name "avatar," it was certain to get talk among the Grid's residents. But captivated by the special effects and story, some were inspired to create the scenery in Second Life, as well as play the part of the film's aliens.

Read the Jan 2009 story in Places.

SL Video: "The Drax Files World Makers - Episode 29: Insilico "

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From Draxtor Despress, " 'I was raised in the Native American tradition to never lose my awe of the world' says designer and storyteller Stark Osterham who runs the sprawling cyberpunk city Insilico together with a handful of other managers. Stark honors this tradition by expanding on a world within a world: the universe of Second Life has hosted Insilico on 4 sims since German artist Skills Hak originally created it in 2008.

"Role-players from all over the globe continue to expand the already complex backstory of Insilico with its colorful races, cyborgs and a political system dominated by corporate corruption every day by contributing to the archives. If you work in Insilico as a security guard, battle the cruel D'naa on Mars or dwell as a homeless half-human somewhere on the lower tier of town, the intensity of the immersion is powerful.

"As general manager and city reporter StarRavenSAT puts it: 'Everyone has a different interpretation of the future. This one is real because it is ours!' And everyone is invited to participate: SL photographer Harlow Heslop for instance is a frequent visitor to the city and Stark's own teenage daughter is inspired to continue the family tradition of actively shaping reality rather than passively accepting it.

"Question: What is better than reading a book or watching TV? Answer: writing your own story, creating your very own world!"

For more information about Insilico check out http://insilico.gemini-cybernetics.net

"Big thanks to Marianne McCann and all the great extra actors who participated in making this episode."

Honoring Leonard Nimoy

On Friday February 27 came some sad news for science fiction fans. Leonard Nimoy, known for his role as "Spock" in Star Trek died of lung disease at the age of 83. It was both the loss of a great actor, and a reminder of how long ago the groundbreaking sci-fi show was, which first aired from 1966 to 1969. Although he took on a number of other acting roles, as well as taking a hand at directing, he was best known for his iconic unemotional and stoic character.

He was honored in large ways and small. There were many comments on Facebook about him. At a One Billion Rising event on Saturday, Stranger Nightfire made an appearance in a Spock avatar. The Furry Fashion club had scheduled a space-themed event that night. Over chat, people talked about Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek. No doubt this was the case over a few other Second Life clubx.

The Second Life Science Fiction Convention was going on when Nimoy passed on. Many exhibits had an "In Memorandum: Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015" sign. For Trek-themed exhibits, they often did more, putting up a larger picture, or more of them for the Original Series character.

Then there was the Star Trek Museum at New Eridani (133, 77, 35). There was one of the In Memorandum signs at the entrance, and another in the T'Karath Sanctuary cavern. Chatting with the curator Wabisabi Matahari, one of the group, Rev. Denes House, had written an eulogy for him.

 When Mr. Nimoy first appeared in 1966 as Lt. Cmdr. Spock, the character was brusque, logical, and clearly alien. With his sharply-upswept eyebrows, pointed ears, and slightly green complexion, studio executives were terrified that Bible Belt viewers would react negatively to his vaguely Satanic appearance. So it was a deep shock to find that, as Star Trek became a success, Mr. Nimoy received more than his share of fan mail, often from female fans smitten with his hot-blooded, cool-headed demeanor.

What was it that so drew Star Trek fans to Spock? Perhaps his insistence on logic and reason appealed to an era so riven by emotions. Perhaps through the character's tightly-controlled exterior, fans recognized a heart capable of genuine friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice. Perhaps they just enjoyed his verbal sparring with the irascible Dr. McCoy, played by DeForest Kelley. Whatever the case, by the time the show went off the air in 1969, Mr. Spock had become one of the most popular and most recognized characters in the history of television.

The eulogy in full can be read on https://www.facebook.com/STARTREKMUSEUM/posts/10153099779608485 .

Outside Second Life, Facebook had a great number of people expressing their sadness of Nimoy's passing. Then there was the Multiplayer Online Game Star Trek Online. Cryptic Studios, the owners of the game, made an official statement on the game's website. On the buliten board, there was a long list of posts on the thread about Nimoy.

Deciding to check out the planet Vulcan in the game, when I got there, getting to the town's fountain was a surprise, a few people dancing around, one stripped down to his underwear, with someone having brought out some rainbow light thingy. In the words of one guy, "Did I drop in on a gay club?" One lady Vulcan suggested heading over to the temple area, and several of us did. Once there, we stood there for some moments, reflecting on the man.

The company has reportedly announced plans to set up a permanent in-game memorial to Nimoy on March 5, 2015.

And so, people in Second Life and elsewhere found ways to honor the passing of a great sci-fi actor whom gave fans a character that will be remembered for decades, if not longer.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Lost in Space and Time"

Lost in Space and Time from Vilvi on Vimeo.

(Click here if the video doesn't play)

From Vilvi, "Scifi themed little video about... well, see yourself what you can make of it. (There really is a story there, kinda.) Music: VNV Nation - Space & Time (Quick egotrip before diving into more ambitious projects.)"

SL Video: "Project SciFi 2013 RE:VIVE by Vilvi"

(Click here if the video doesn't play)

From "turrivideot", "RE:VIVE - A machinima short film filmed in Second Life by Vilvi." A team braves the hazards of a wasteland and it's robot guardians on a quest. What is it and will they succeed?

Firefly RP Sim Closes

There was some sad news for sci-fi fans in Second Life last weekend. It was announced that the "Firefly" roleplay community Washtown at Burnet would be closing down. The place had been running for over five years.

Sim owners Anastascia Christiansen and Jadi Goodliffe announced the decision on March 22, saying the reasons for the closing were financial, they could no longer afford to keep it running.

Sunday was the last day the sim was certain to still be around. I dropped by, and ran into a few people, among then Anastascia, " ...it does deserve to be remembered and it will always be remembered in my heart."

"This sim was started by me and Jadi, and a friend named Deiter. We use to play on a firefly mush together and then it closed. I found SL and dragged them in. At that time there was nothing for Firefly in one area, just a bunch of scattered fans. So we bought a little piece of ground and built a little club and called it the Hoban. Soon people started coming. We bought the big Firefly and more people came to see it."

"It grew from there to be a full sim. We got more people coming here and well we tried to add and add to bring the firefly community together. The RP evolved from that. But it was just a way to connect fans of the show in whatever way they wanted to enjoy the place."

Cobb Compton had this to say of the area, speaking somewhat 'in-character,' "I've only rented here several times Bixyl. I can tell ye, I scanned the map as a noob for days, lookin' for 'home' and that big Firefly down yonder at the spaceport - named the 'Raven' got me out of bein a help area hobo to a straighter line focus."

"I know what you're going through," Makiya Nightfire told one girl, "I haven't been here all that long, but I have had to leave behind a fond gaming area with many players I cared about. At least there's still other areas to play and life can go on if you wish."

Asking about eventful moments, some residents mention a spontaneous striptease show, and a hanging tree made into a gallows. Anastasia added, "We also had the producer of Eureka (a cable TV show) visit us once here in Washtown." Washtown was named after the pilot "Wash" whom died near the end of the movie based on the show, Serenity.

In the RP, residents had just a few days to wrap up plotlines. The final event was the nuclear reactor blowing, and the town having to evacuate. One of the residents passed me a screenshot of the radiation leak and the ship "Raven" taking off with the last evacuees.

Anastasia was sad to see the place go, but happy for the time put in, "Lots of memories and lots of friendships that I am sure we all will hold onto for a very long time."

Sources: New World Notes, The Verse Voice

Bixyl Shuftan

Classic SLN: Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2008)

With Gemma Cleanslate having written recently on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Theater in Second Life, there have been a few people asking about the article of when it was first seen. Originally written for Second Life Newspaper, the archives it was in was blocked from view. So it's been printed in the Newser four years later.

Read more in Extra.