Mieville's Frendsgiving

 

 Last week on Wednesday November 15, the Mieville community had a Thanksgiving-themed event: Frendsgiving. "We will have plenty of food, good conversation, board games, and even a few picnic blankets in case anyone needs to lie down and take a nap. AND you may certainly drop by both sessions, or even stay all day long! All are welcome - hope to see you there!"

 

Friendsgiving evening dinner is under way.   Come on over for social hour and Thanksgiving dinner, hosted by Farzaneh.   Mieville Twain (103,193,752)

 

The event took place twice that day, at Noon for European residents, and at 9PM for American ones. According to the community blog, it started in 2018 with the blessing of founder Perryn Peterson. In the short time I was there, there was no shortage of conversation and (virtual) food. And yes that included the turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Bixyl Shuftan

 

 

Linden Lab's Social Casino (And Controversy About)

 

 For those looking for a little casino action, Linden Lab now has a "Social Casino" where one can play slots and blackjack. However, the move is not going well with some residents.

The news was announced in both the "Shop and Hop" group by Strawberry Linden, and on the Second Life Twitter by the Lab.

We opened up a new Social Casino in Second Life where you can get free chips to play if you login daily. Check it out, it's called Helios Casino & Lounge, landmark is attached:  https://secondlife.com/destination/helios-casino-lounge

Please feel free to share any feedback with me directly and let me know how you like it!

 

Heading to Helios Casino (78/121/23), I was greeted with a HUD coming up, giving some basic directions, and announcing I was being given 500 free chips, plus would be given an additional 120 chips for every day I came back. Examining the place, it was made by various moles, with a "Social Casino Linden" listed as the owner.

Taking a look around, there were just two types of games. There are the slot machines, which pretty much rely on "dumb luck." And then there are the blackjack tables, in which a skilled player can win more often. There are variations in the slot games. And the blackjack tables are a bit different, with some offering different stakes and faster/slower paced games, than others. 

 

If you tun out of tokens and don't want to wait until the next day to get more, you can buy some from an "ATM" by the Lab. These tokens cannot be exchanged back into Linden dollars, and cannot be given/traded to other players.

 

While worth visiting, the place lacked the variety of games of (legal) casinos I've see in the past, such as 777 Studios. But it did seem cleaner and lacking the seedy air of a few such places. 

This might have been the end of the story, but as some might imagine, especially considering the history of gambling in Second Life, the news of a Linden Lab casino has not gone well with everyone. One person started a thread on the forums, asking why the Lab had banned gachas a few years ago if they were too close to gambling and was now opening an actual gambling casino, "Are you drunk, LL?". There would also be a second forum thread "Is Gambling Back?" The Twitter post was full of comments, and a picture from Sheree Honeyflower of a few people holding signs with a gambling problem helpline phone number, "If you're going to provide gambling, you may as well permit gacha." 

 

The comments have been mostly negative, filled with charges of hypocrisy, and calls for the Lab to install some safety measures, or do away with the casino entirely. One commented, "... the decision to actively promote this one is rather, Unclever.  And highly unethical... it's only to prey on the ones having problems with addiction because no sane person drops 5k plus on something that is set to lose anyways."

 

What lies ahead can only be speculated on. Linden Lab may put a cap on the number of tokens that can be bought, do away with the option of buying them, or perhaps do nothing and hope that the issue is forgotten. What is clear is that if they expected little to no criticism, they were mistaken. For now, the Social Casino remains at the Helios Casino sim.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cooper's Coffeehouse

 

For those looking for a place to relax in Second Life, among the locations one can go to is Cooper's Coffeehouse. Located in Lionheart Nala, it's recently gotten a major overhaul. There, one can play games, read books, listen to an occasional live event, and of course meet others. The Newser recently met up with the owner, Cooper Udimom, and he talked some about the place.

Read more in Places.

CDS Announcement: The Neufreistadt Kirche Available For Meetings

- Remembering those impacted by COVID-19, CDS honors worldwide health care providers
- available for celebrations of life, silent contemplation, group religious, spiritual, or non-religious gatherings
- no fees or obligations

We all know heartbreaking stories of people who have lost beloved family members and friends to this horrid, highly contagious COVID-19 global pandemic. As devastating as it is to lose a loved one, that pain is further deepened because next of kin are forbidden customary ways of grieving and mourning, forbidden to gather with supportive family and friends to celebrate a life and soothe the transitions. While those prohibitions apply to our solid lives, they don't to our Second Lives. Here we can hug and console each other. And while we can't prevent these tragedies from happening, we can provide people with a welcoming gathering space.

The people of the Second Life community of the Confederation of Democratic Simulators, known as the CDS, have a beautiful kirche on the Platz in Neufriestadt. We offer this kirche as a place where people can hold their mourning and celebration gatherings. The architecture of Neufreistadt is inspired by the physical world town of Rothenburg, Bavaria and that includes the beautiful Romanesque kirche. 

Here's a little bit about this kirche. From the beginning our kirche has been a nonsectarian public space. Consistent with the town architecture, we normally have a triptych that is a replica of the 16th C one by Tilman Riemenschneider in St. James's Church, Rothenburg ob der Tauber set up in front but that is easy to remove and replace with other religious or non religious pieces to accommodate the preferences of any gathering. We hope this offer will give some piece and relief to people in need.

With our most sincere gratitude, the CDS community has placed blue lights around the kirche bell tower dome to honor the healthcare providers around the world during this COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

Anyone who wants to use the kirche should contact our Chancellor, Emilia Dagostino (emilia.avindar) inworld or via email emilia.avindar@yahoo.com for assistance.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Neufreistadt/134/175/173

Delia Lake

FMI about the CDS: https://cdsdemocracy.org/

Reader Submission: Proyecto Latino, New and Innovative.

Just opened three months ago and is already a point of reference for many Spanish speakers, Project Latino is innovative and willing for all those who come to enjoy the facilities and the variety of services that this place offers. It's a commercial area with a diversity of stores focused on kemono fashion, an area of ​​free items such as can not be missing today in most social areas.

Among other things this site has locker rooms, a site aimed at dictating classes, and a cinema where movies are designed daily in a very good quality and in a very familiar environment with the only requirement to be users of the Firestorm Viewer. A very pleasant experience.

And what makes this site different from other sites and Spanish-speaking places to socialize? Shiroe NignTяoad (f1729) stated, "Personally I like to create spaces that give the same experience as real life." That's what makes this place different, says one of the administrators of this great place.

An article of Seven (flchp)

Yosemite Brunch

Gemma Cleanslate recently went back to a favorite area of hers, Yosemite. Designed and managed by Jadyn Firehawk, the sim has recently been having a weekly event, a "brunch" every Sunday at 10AM which are, "low-key social gatherings with casual conversation and friendly people to meet." But Yosemite is still known for it's spectacular sights, and activities, of which besides the weekly brunch now includes fishing.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

"Twisted Christmas" Party At The Happy Vixen

Sunday 12PM SL time was the "Twisted Christmas" at the Happy Vixen. As the crowd danced away, Nydia Tungsten took up her mantle of "DJ Naughty Nydia" to spin a series of Christmas comedy and parody tunes from mild to wild to "what the heck?"

Are you tired of all the sickeningly sappy Christmas commercials that started in OCTOBER!?!?! and the Christmas specials on TV with 10 min of show and 15 min of over run TV ads? so much in fact you just want to SCREAM!! Well rather than risking a stay in the local looney bin come join us today at "The Happy Vixen" at noon.

Some were familiar ones such as "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," and "The Twelve Pains of Christmas." Others were more than a little cheeky, such as "I Want a Boob Job For Christmas."And some we can't say the titles here. Some of what the crowd wore was laid back, such as a couple ladies wearing classy gowns. Other chose to get a little wild, such as one deergirl who put mistletoe on her antlers.

The party lasted for three hours, and the 2000L contest was jointly won by Jasmine Dawn and Skylark Lefavre.

Bixyl Shuftan

"Twisted Christmas" Party Tomorrow At The Happy Vixen

Christmas is a great time of year, but sometimes it can wear a little thin. The crowded stores, the over-commercialization, the same darn sappy song on the radio over and over again, and more. It's enough to make one more than a little jaded. Heck, it's enough to drive some of us to punch out the next mall Santa we see.

Well it's time to push back with what's become an annual tradition at the Sunweaver/Angel community: Nydia Tungsten's "Twisted Christmas" Party. She has a collection of funny songs and parodies that are sure to leave you in stitches. They range from the mild such as "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," and "Christmas at Ground Zero," to edgier fare from Andrew Dice Clay and others of which we can't mention the titles.

The event takes place at Sunday December 18 at12 Noon at the Purrfection Estates (236, 219, 24)  

Games in Second Life: Linden Realms and 7Seas

Recently Linden Lab opened a "Gaming Island" to demonstrate how "skill games" are played. Gemma Cleanslate does some gaming in Second Life, but she had little interest in the kind the new Linden area highlights. Her two favorites are Linden Realms and a longtime fishing game in Second Life: 7Seas. She decided to write about them to describe what their attraction is.

Read Gemma's article in Design.

Spontaneous Gatherings

You've just heard about a new and great place in the destination guide, and log in with every intention of giving it a visit. But logging in at your place, you notice a small gathering at your neighbors place, and you recognize most if not all of the names. So you put off your trip and see what your neighbors are up to. Later on, you see someone on your contact list you haven't seen in weeks or months, invite them over to chat. The person comes over with a friend, and before long a couple neighbors contact you and ask about dropping by. So with such a big virtual world do people like go gather in groups to party at a club instead of listening to a stream at home, or just getting together to "shoot the breeze" with friends? Becky "Sha" Shamen had a few thoughts on the matter.

Read Becky's story in People.

Club Zero Gravity's "Twisted Christmas" Party

Last night at the Club Zero Gravity space club, the venue had it's Christmas party. But this was one with a special twist, or rather a bit twisted. It was the "Twisted Christmas" party, one in which those fed up with certain elements of the holiday could blow off a little steam.

Has the overexposure of the season made you a little jaded? Have you heard so many classic carols, you could just say "Bah Humbug!" Has the overcomericalization made you feel like decking the next mall santa? Well then, come on over to our "Twisted Christmas" Night where DJ "Naughty Nydia" will give you holiday hilarity like you've never before heard with her range of parodies from mild to wild, with some tunes rated XXXmas. So forget "naughty or nice." Tonight is for those naughty *and* nice.

DJ "Naughty" Nydia Tungsten entertained the crowd with a range of music parodies sung by Bob Rivers, Weird Al, our very own Shockwave Yarreach, and others. Residents danced to songs such as "I Came Upon a Roadkilled Deer" (It Came Upon A Midnight Clear), "Christmas at Ground Zero," and "Grandma Got Knocked Up By a Reindeer" (Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer), and many more.

 

There were a variety of avatars present, furry, human, and neko, and in quite a range of outfits. Some were a bit underdressed for the camera, but not everyone. The space station's sprinkler system was rigged so a little snow could come down, which probably gave those a bit underexposed a slight chill.

There was also a 5000 Linden prize for the event.

Club Zero Gravity's events are normally Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 PM SL time. It's at Purrfection Estates  (232, 35, 3340).

Luskwood Goes Egyptian

I'd heard something about Luskwood changing it's look a couple weeks ago. But it was only earlier this week that I got a good look at the place since the change. For the majority of it's history, Luskwood's social area was more or less a simple wood base with some railing and a few basic decorations. It has changed some over the years with the addition of more seats, a chess game, etc. But months ago came a bigger change when grass was laid down, and some Japanese style structures were set up. Well, it seems the Luskies decided on a new look.

 Dropping by the place, it had taken on an Ancient Egyptian look, with the store area set up to look like the ruins of a structure, with hieroglyphs and carvings, jackal statues, scaffolding, pillars and obelisks, palms trees in spots to resemble oasis, and lots and lots of sand.

The shop is still running as before. A friend came by to request an update to her avatar, and she got it.

And the social platform is still as active as ever. This place in Luskwood remains one of the few spots on the grid you can always find someone, even at odd hours.

Luskwood is one of the oldest social areas in Second Life still active, due to celebrate it's tenth anniversary on September 10. It's also the oldest, and still one of the major, furred avatar companies.  Unlike some mainly furred places, Lusk has always maintained and enforced a PG atmosphere.

For Lusk's entry on the Second Life Wiki: Click Here. 

Bixyl Shuftan

Dropping By Luskwood

I took a little time this week to stop by my first hangout of Luskwood. With all this greenery, it's quite a change from earlier days. While there, I ran into a few old friends such as Treminari Huet, Ardy Lay. Founder Michi Lumin was also there. If the skunkgirl with a reputation for being a workaholic wasn't busy enough, it turns out she owns one of the pony sims: Trotsdale.

Hopefully the busy girl doesn't end up with too much.

Bixyl Shuftan

QuickTips: "Meeting and Making Friends"

The next in the series of "QuickTips" videos from Linden Lab about Second Life, "Meeting and Making Friends."

Second Life is a fun and social space, so meeting and making friends is easier when you understand the basic controls and options for chat. Learn about the text and voice chat features that can help you meet and make friends in Second Life in our latest QuickTips video tutorial.

Linden Lab Launches Dio, "Creative and Social Experience"

Just a few days after announcing it's purchase of Blocksworld, Linden Labs unveiled it's latest product: "dio."

In the video Linden released in time for dio, it was branded as a "creative and social experience that allows anyone to make and explore places based on anything." The press release stated users could "create places by adding text, photos, videos, and interactive objects into interconnected 'rooms' that give spatial context to the content you share. You can keep your places private, share them with friends and family, or allow everyone to explore and enjoy them." It also states there was an online chat feature with other users, and in the future one would be able to make money off the places they created.



Rod Humble was quoted as saying, "dio is a new shared creative space on the web. Based around the concept of linked spaces, dio makes it easy and fun to create  or visit experiences of all kinds." He described dio as still being in development, in beta, "but so far our testers have created a vast range of spaces." He also brought up the future ability to make money by mentioning what Second Life's content creators have done, "One of the things that's made Second Life successful is that users were able to monetize their own creativity by selling their creations. Second Life's economy was extremely robots with over $500 million worth of user to user transactions last year." He hoped that by sharing ad revenue with dio space crators and allowing them to sell their spaces, "this will encourage the kid of incredible dedication and creativity we've seen in Second Life."

Forbes writer Carol Pinchefsky wrote about someone from the Linden Lab staff showing some of what dio had to offer, saying it could be used for personal pages, games , and more. He suggested the same features that could be used for a game could be used to make an advertisement for a hotel's page. Of the plans to allow dio users to make money, Pinchefsky called it a welcome contrast to the Instagram service changing it's fine print to sell the pictures uploaded by it's users without permission or giving them a dime, "Linden Lab will be giving rather than taking. It's a great concept, one that I can't wait to see implemented."

Hamlet Au expressed similar optimism about dio. He also noted that in the terms of agreement, transactions would be done in Linden dollars, and mentioned the LindeX exchange. He felt this was a sign there would be some future interaction between Second Life and dio "at least through commerce." Hamlet reported on a dio space created by SL blogger Inara Pey, "it seems to be the most detailed and interactive by far, though there seems to be no sign of it now.

Not everyone has been impressed with dio. Iris Ophelia commented that the hype made it look like "possibly the latest and greatest thing." But sitting down to take a look at it, her impression changed. She described the video as misinforming, feeling it suggested moving a character around. She, and a number of other readers, felt "dio is more like a MUCK/MUD/MUSH with pictures than anything else." The idea of using dio to make a store for Second Life merchants she thought "would be one of the least effective uses of the platform," contrasting the "dynamic social experience" of the Bare Rose store to the "comparatively static spaces of dio." She felt dio was easy to use and had much potential, "but it's not the only option, nor is it the best tool for the job."

If you want to check out dio for  yourself (and yes, it really is spelled with a lower case 'd'), go to https://www.dio.com. One of the spaces there is a new rendidtion of a classic computer game from the late 70s, "Adventure the Colossal Cave." There's also a list of tutorial videos Here.

Sources: Linden Lab, Forbes, New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release "One Billion Rising"

COME AND DANCE: ONE BILLION RISING IN SECOND LIFE

SECOND LIFE® RESIDENTS JOIN GLOBAL CAMPAIGN “ONE BILLION RISING”

TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

February 14, 2013 to be V-Day’s Largest Day of Action Ever

On February 14, 2013, for 24 hours starting at midnight Pacific Standard Time, Second Life residents will join with activists around the world in a spectacular 24-hour dance event for ONE BILLION RISING, the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.
 

ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Walk, Dance, and Rise as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event's Flickr group.

The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing to donate.

One Billion Rising in Second Life is sponsored by: Alchemy Immortalis; Bits and Bobs Animations; Cheeky Pea; The Domineaux Effect; Dutchie; Galland Homes; Garden of Dreams; Gos Boutique; Gwen Carillon Designs/Serenite; Heart Garden Centre; Kaerri; Maven Homes; Meshworx; Prime; and Spargel and Shine. In-kind sponsors are: CaLLie CLine; Fruit Islands; Home and Garden Market; KittyCatS!; and Prim Perfect Publications.


For more information:
Our blog: http://onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com/
Our webpage at One Billion Rising: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/startarising/wd8
Our Second Life Group: One Billion Rising
Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Billion-Rising/493344827375934?ref=hl
Our Twitter Stream: https://twitter.com/OBRinSL
Our Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2169739@N23/

Saffia Widdershins

SL Video: "Frootcake Tutorial"

Remember DrFran's article on the Frootcake Diner? If you want to learn more about the game, here's a video from Rifkin Habsburg, "At the Frootcake Diner, we serve nothing but fruitcake, all day, every day! Learn to play Frootcake, the game, and you can extort and spite with everyone else."

Roadside Attractions: The Frootcake Diner/The Diners of Second Life, Part 3

Today we have the last of Dr Fran Babcock's "Diners of Second Life" articles. DrFran looks at "The Frootcake Diner." Besides the 50's feel of the place, it offers a game unique to the place: "Frootcake." Simple to play, its described as taking a few minutes to learn, but many days to master.

Read about the diner in Places.

Roadside Attractions: The Diners of Second Life, Part 2

Late last month, DrFran Babcock took a look at a few of Second Life's diners. Today, she's back with the second part of the record of her travels to see these tributes to these eateries of the 50s. Some are fairly new, others go back to the early days of the Grid. Some are just one of the attractions of their sim, others are the main attraction. But each has something to offer the sim-hopping traveller.

Read DrFran's story in Places.

Roadside Attractions: The Diners of Second Life, Part One

In her final article of the year, DrFran Babcock takes a look at some of Second Life diners. One might ask since avatars don't (usually) need to eat, what good is a diner? Well, people gather at them, and where there are diner's there's a jukebox, and music. So it's a good place to have a party, especially one with a classic rock n roll theme. DrFran looks at three diners, each with it's own special touches.

Read DrFran's review in Places.