Cartoon of the Day: "Third Life"

From Spring 2007. Somehow I found this computer and desk, with a familiar-looking picture on the screen.

By Bisyl Shuftan

Announcement: The Candlelight Procession

7PM Saturday, December 9th and Sunday, December 10th
at Magicland Park, Main Street

Magicland pays tribute to the classic celebration that began in Disneyland over 55 years ago: a combination of carols, music, and the story of the Christian Nativity. Caledonia Skytower narrates along with performers from the Magicland Cast. 

Narration In Voice, Music in Stream

Magicland Park
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bracket/254125/27

SL Video: "Light Show"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From W.L.F. on Oct 7

Montecito Bay

BekNos (Becky Nosferatu) and Moff (MoffettMephit Resident) invited me to a new sim they and others have been working on: Montecito Bay. Built to resemble a coastal resort city of the American South in the mid-20th Century, there was quite a bit there, from store areas, to rentals, to venues, room for special events, and much scenery, a couple with small stories as to how they got started.

Read the story in Places.

EA's Star Wars Battlefront II's "Lootboxes" Stir Controversy, Calls For Government Regulation

It used to be if we paid money to play a game, whether all at once for a console game or monthly for an MMO, that was it. If a game was free to play, that the makers would offer a few items to make gameplay easier for a few bucks was accepted. So what happens when a game noted for it's multiplayer mode with player versus player combat, which you have to pay sixty to eighty dollars to play to begin with, starts offering people the chance to buy the loot boxes needed to advance? A lot of controversy, comparisons to online gambling, and talk of the government getting involved.

Read more in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Sunweaver Eclipse Freezes Over

Winter has come to the Sunweaver Estates. Shockwave Yareach, a noted builder with accomplishments such as various Relay Weekend campsites, who owns Sunweaver Eclipse informed the Newser the place had recently taken on a look of ice and snow, suggesting it was not exactly deliberate, "My freeze ray has rendered my hot tropical island a winter wonderland. Had a we bit o trouble with the liquid nitrogen. Sadly the ray was supposed to defrost hot dogs.  But oh well."

Dropping by, the sea around the island was indeed iced over.  One could walk around the place without falling through to the sea floor. Perfect for skating, if one had some skates. The ice extended to the SunWater Three sim, so one could walk or skate between the two islands, or north of the larger one. The middle of the Eclipse island also had some snow, and some winterized and Christmas trees, as well as some decorations.

But this wasn't all. Later Shockwave messaged me of a new development out of a "Calvin and Hobbes" comic plot, "Oh no!!  Roving snowgoons have invaded my sim!!" It turned out he wanted to see what would happen if he put a little code in some snowmen. But the results, not unlike with Calvin, didn't exactly go to plan as he now had a mess of scary snowmen crawling around, "Now they roam my sim."

So to get a look at the Sunweaver Estate's wintry corner, snowgoons and all, head to the Sunweaver Eclipse sim.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Our Digital Selves Official Teaser #2" [Drax Files Special coming 2018]

(Click here to see the video)

From Draxtor Despress on Dec 01 (the first video is here).

Oahu Sim, Home of USS Arizona Memorial, "Under Construction"

Going to the USS Arizona Memorial at the Oahu sim turned out to be a no-go yesterday as the sim was closed to the public. The reason, it was "Under Construction." Having an alt join the group, the place should be reopened on December 9 to a "Grand Opening" party.

As it turns out, Oahu has a couple neighbors now, and the memorial can be seen from the
Pacific West sim by turning the draw distance way up, panning around, and waiting for the image to clear up. But stepping onto the Oahu sim will result in a warning to get off or be teleported away.

Beginning on December 9 presumably, the memorial can be found at Oahu (176/22/23). The reproduction of the real-life memorial to those who lost their lives on the USS Arizona on the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Empire. About half of the over 2300 killed in the attack perished on the ship. The memorial was online for several years, including for a Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary memorial event in 2011. The sim would be down for several months last year until it was reopened in January this year.

Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: HFOT Donations November 2017

Supporters of our efforts in Second Life for Homes For Our Troops really got in the spirit of giving for November 2017.  We were able to collect a little over $1350 for Homes For Our Troops in Second Life during the month of November.  This act of kindness was only possible because of some special people in Second Life.

Thank you DonGuapo, JadeCorazon and Victoreeria (Club Vet), Curvslater (Shadow Shore) , Russell65 (The Generation), Cayleen Linette (Cay's at Woodland Lake) and BellaRose Restless (Marble Hills and StormWind).

Also thank you to Pamela Alectoris of Pamela Live for dedicating a complete show to help our wounded veterans.

Other regular contributors also made extra efforts in the month of November.  Thank you:

Sunnyskies McMahon (Bama Country)
possum1 Elan (Pismo Beach)
Earl Topaz (Young)
COOLSIX (Luquillo Beach)
dirkdanger11
tbranno (Sweetest Thing)
XxCH3LLZxX (Shadow Shore)
Littlebit31okla(Saddles Canyon Country)


Our monthly benefit at Veteran's Isle could not have gone on without the help of Gjackie Winkler and Waya Snowpaw.  And of course Dahlea Milena!!

Then  the performers and their management who donated their valuable time deserve a big round of applause.  Thank you:

Waya Snowpaw
Savannah Rain
Shannon Oherlihy
Savannah Coronet
Chillee Hernandoz
All the folks at Whispering Sands Promotions

Keep it up Second Life, our wounded veterans deserve it! 


Frets Nirvana

Cartoon of the Day

Picture taken by Geerkil Ziskey. 

Caption by Bixyl Shuftan

The Peace On Earth Hunt

Shaza Denver is back with a shopping hunt that is taking place for the tenth year in a row: the POE or Peace on Earth hunt. With almost three hundred items to find, you're sure to find plenty of things you'll like. Here, Shaza describes the event and shows a few examples of what you can find.

Read the story in Fashion.

A Look at The Christmas Expo

Gemma Cleanslate has been at the Relay for Life's Christmas spinnoff event: The Christmas Expo. Taking place until Sunday December 10, this event covers four sims of shopping, including breedable pets, contests, live performances, and more. Gemma describes here what awaits those dropping by to see what's going on in this charity event in which all the money raised goes to the American Cancer Society.

Read Gemma's article in Events.

Trans Siberian Orchestra Tribute at Christmas Expo

 On Saturday December 2, There was a Trans-Siberian Orchestra tribute band performance at the Relay for Life's Christmas Expo. The real life band is known for two things: their modern twist to some classic Christmas songs, and the light show performed at their concerts. And it was the same thing with the tribute band on the Grid.

Get Here Early for The Amazing TransSiberian Orchestra @ SL Christmas Expo!  **  You've heard their music on the radio in RL... You may of seen them live... The band comprised of heavy metal giants from groups such as Megadeath, Savatage, Journey.. have put together a Christmas show that is second to none, and Mavendorf Entertainment is performing the famous Ghosts of Christmas Eve Show to Benefit the Relay For Life of Second Life!

There were a number of performers, including child avatars for the choir music. Many tens of thousands of Lindens were raised, some people at times offering to match the amount donated in the next two to five minutes.

"The most magical thing about this night, we will now reiterate, is no matter where you are in life, it never is.. too late."

We thank you so much for being a part of such an amazing group!! Relay for Life and the Christmas Expo are beyond!!! YOU make tha difference by being here.. shopping (shop folks shop!!) building a snowman, buying a raffle and donating to a kiosk.. all our musicians donate their time !!

Don't forget to stop by the 2017 Christmas Expo this week.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "VCE3i Introductory and Educational Video"

(Click here if the video fails to play)

From November 28. Pooky Amsterdam's Pookymedia helped make this video for the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Virtual Campus, "Virtual and immersive environments work exceedingly well and very affordably for those learning foreign languages. We recently had the opportunity to work on this advertisement with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Virtual Campus to showcase how their exciting platform within Second Life is teaching students around the globe."

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Furry Fashion Clubs

It's a week for of exciting events at the Sunweaver and Angel clubs and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: Best in 'F," TBA, TBA

The Happy Vixen: Silly Hats, Navy, Canines and Canids, Stranger Things, Silks, Swing, Topless, CAYA

Club Zero Gravity: Holiday Sweaters, Military

Furry Fashion Lounge: Sci-fi, Musicals, Colors, Country, Rave, Swing, Hybrids Cartoons

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.

Winter at Devon Dream

Safra Nitely, a friend of the SL Newser, recently invited me to drop by her sim of Devon Dream. She had been giving the ground area a Winter wonderland look for her friends and anyone else who wanted to come and see. Besides looking pretty, the place has interactive rides, a dance area for parties, and a few merchant stalls Safra is offering for free to anyone interested.

Read the story in Places.

Christmas Locations: Part Two

Gemma Cleanslate has been continuing her explorations of Christmas-themed areas in Second Life. Here she writes about several more locations: the Place Plaza Winter Bazaar, Christmas Lane, and Winter Holiday Village. In these locations, you can shop, skate, visit Santa, take a giant owl for a ride, and more.

Read Gemma's article in Places.

DJ Geerkil And The "Dragon Crew"

There are plenty of DJs in Second Life. But how many are in teams, which include a dragon, or have some comedic banter between tunes? At the Happy Vixen and Club Zero Gravity in the Sunweaver community, you'll find DJ Geerkil and the "Dragon Crew. Geerkil Zisky and JB Raccoon spin out great music and a funny banter between songs, with their friend LS Raccoon acting as host (their Tuesday set's host is Kitacella), they perform events at these two clubs. With their schedule changing recently, the Newser recently had a few words with this unique DJ team.

Read the story in People.

Live Musician Maxx Sabertooth at Christmas Expo

 The Christmas Expo began in full swing on Friday December 1. Among the live performances was that of Maxx Sabertooth, a live singer who does Rythym and Blues and other songs. He performed from 5-6PM.

Maxx has been singing for Second Life for several years.

The Christmas Expo is a Relay for Life spinnoff event, raising money for the American Cancer Society.

Bixyl Shuftan

2017 SL Christmas Expo Entertainment Schedule

The Christmas Expo got started last Friday Dec. 1, and it continues all this week with plenty of exhibits, shops, and events ever day. Today for instance one can catch Luke Flywaker 3-5PM, Tazzle Turque 5-7 PM, and MrsSpooky Maroon 7-9 PM. Be sure to be around for the final event, the Holidays of Hope Ball 4-7PM on Sunday December 10.