Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "Webb Telescope," "Organic Chem Basics"

The James Webb Space Telescope: A Summary

Saturday January 22,

9:30 AM to 10 AM SL time

I briefly review the science mission of the JWST and discuss its potential discoveries. I do this in the context of the discoveries of Webb’s predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.

– Dr. William. F. Wall / Syzygy Asymptote

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/72/129/30

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Beragon’s Bistro: Webb Telescope

Saturday January 22,

10 AM to 11 AM SL time,

A discussion hosted by Matt Burr at the Light house Cafe

The Light House Café

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/225/230/28

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Organic Chem Basics: Diels-Alder and Similar Reactions

Saturday January 22,

9 PM to 10 PM

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Dr. Benjamin List (Max PLack Institute)  and Dr. David MacMillam (Princeton University) for “the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.” One of the first reactions that they found could be catalyzed by purely organic compounds was the Diels-Alder reaction. The Diels-Alder reaction is a well-known example of a fundamental class of reactions in organic chemistry, and it can proceed unaided, be catalyzed by metal-containing compounds, or most recently catalyzed by purely organic species. We’ll talk about what makes the Diels-Alder reaction special, and how it has been catalyzed in the past, and why the recent Nobel prize is seen as a jump forward.

A presentation by Dr Michael J. Shaw

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/125/132/22

Announcement: Deep Blue Sea Gridwide Hunt

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Get ready to dive into the deep blue sea!  Take a trip into the oceans blue and find deviously magical mermaids, frightening krakens, and mysterious creatures.  Sail the high seas and discover some pirate treasure adventures with us on our free gridewide hunt and chill out with open:air's live event experiences. Adventure calls and Chronicles will open January 15th at noon SLT and end February 5th

To start the hunt use the SURL at the bottom of this announcement. Simply click the hunt prim example by the Deep Blue Sea HUNT sign to receive your landmark to your first destination. You’ll be looking for a Treasure Chest in each of the stores you visit! The landmark to the next location will be located in the folder along with your prize. Alternatively you can use the page on the website for hints. https://chroniclesandlegends.com/the-deep-blue-sea-hunt-guide/

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nymphai/107/75/3378
 

Announcement: "Celebrate Ascendant Base's Grand Opening" in Star Wars Sim

 

You are cordially invited to come party among the stars at the grand opening of the Ascendant Base (a science fiction sim in the Star Wars Roleplay universe). We will have music with DJs and live music from Spiral Sands, Gypsy Witch, Kyizl and more from 6 PM to 9 PM SLT on Saturday January 22nd, 2022.

Ascendant Base is a science fiction sim in the Star Wars Roleplay universe that is open to all players and science fiction fans. It is a full and maxed-out sci-fi sim made by fans large enough to have room for multiple role-play events to co-occur.

There will be tours of a 6 level 300-meter-tall space station and the planet it orbits.

Whether you are a Star Wars Role-Player on Second Life or just a fan, come out and join us for this grand opening and bring your sci-fan friends.


The landmark will be live 24 hours before the event: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ascendent%20Base/118/128/4004

Hat tip: Brandi Streusel
 

Cartoon of the Day: Big Blue

 

Taken at the Happy Vixen, Skylark "Snowbuns" Lefavre demonstrates a huge blue fox avatar. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Microsoft Announces It's Buying Activision/Blizzard

 

In what would be the biggest computer gaming business acquisition in business history, yesterday on Tuesday January 18 Microsoft announced it was buying Activision/Blizzard. The deal would be at 68.7 billion US dollars, or about $95 a share.

“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella would state, “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”

Activision/Blizzard is best known for the well-known MMORPG World of Warcraft. But has also been successful in games such as Overwatch, Hearthstone, Diablo, Starcraft, and Call of Duty.

Microsoft had already been a company heavily invested in gaming such as with it's X-Box and having acquired the popular Minecraft some years ago. The deal would make it the third largest gaming company. It is notable that while Minecraft's maker Majong was acquired while both the game and company were doing well, in recent months Activision/Blizzard has suffered a series of blows, most notably a rash of sexual harassment allegations. It's stocks have sunk more than 37% since it's high last year. Activision/Blizzard's CEO Robert Kotick would continue for now, though is expected to step down once the deal closes, which may take as long as a year and a half to complete.

Sources: Microsoft, Reuters, The Verge

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy's Second Anniversary Celebration

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The Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy, or BBB, the people who made the popular passport stamp collection system, are about to celebrate their Second anniversary. It will be an eight day celebration, starting on Sunday January 23.

The party will run from January 23rd to February 1st and will open on the 23rd with a boat rally and DJ dance event, followed by a grand Opening Ball and fireworks. The full schedule of events will be published in the next edition of the Gazette and will include (among many other things) an art exhibition on the theme of travel.

There will be events every day of the celebration, such as DJ parties, boat rallies, and Meet and Greet events with the Bellisserian ambassadors. There's also an art exhibition.
 
The event will be held here : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bellisseria%20Fairgrounds/163/240/24
 

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and Furry Fashion Lounge

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay clubs, The Fallout Shelter, and the Furry Fashion Lounge.

Club Cutlass: MTV Flashback, Blue and Purple, Off to Africa

Happy Vixen: Rumble in the Jungle, Undies, Fantasy, Best in Red, Madkatt Mashup, TBA, Boots and Bikinis, Rave

Club Zero Gravity: TBA

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: Scalies

Xanadu: DJ Christine, DJ Jesse

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Furry Fashion Lounge:  Barely There, Bunnies VS Cats, Felines, Nocturnals VS Diurnials, Late Night, Scales vs Fur

Deathlands Fallout Shelter:  DJ Wolfy, DJ Nafrini

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'.
 

Reader Submitted: "Elf Equality" Protest

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"Having toured and scoured the Fantasy Community Center I have detected a glaring lack of a statue to our beloved Rillifane, Leaf Lord and primary Deity to Wood Elves, and many Fae, faeries, humans and lovers of the wildes.  This blatant slap in the face can nae stand unanswered. Tis bad enough we must endure taunting from Sun Elves about our natural ways,  They call us simpletons and ignorant.  And they say we are nae fit to sleep with pigs but I assure ye we are.   I stand at an appropriate location to correct this injustice, and urge an exploratory board be formed, a committee convened, a clutch clatched to resolve this injustice forthwith, fifthwith even.  I submit this with a resounding,  Hmmmph!" 

Tealcie Annibles 

Editors Note: The "protest" was in the name of fun.
 

The New Vietnam Veterans Memorial

 

In 2007, a team created a replica of the Vietnam Veterans memorial in Second Life, highly detailed with all 58,000 names. Four years later, it was gone. Recently, over ten years later, the Newser came across a new Vietnam Wall. Getting in touch with the group behind it, Legacy Vets, they explained much about how it came to be, and of course the meaning behind it.
 
Read more in Places.
 

"Pandemic" Game Pulled From Steam By Developers

 

"Pandemic," an online game by Asmodee Digital, has just been taken down from Steam at the request of the developer. There was no official announcement, though one player posted on Reddit that contacting the company he was told "we are taking the Pandemic app off the stores. We have worked hard over 4 years on Pandemic and withdrawing it from the stores has not been an easy choice. This decision was made with a heavy heart for a multitude of reasons that we cannot disclose."

Jody Macgregor would write, "When a planned Pandemic giveaway on the Epic Games Store was canceled in 2020, it was assumed to be a matter of sensitivity given the Covid-19 pandemic was in its early stages. It seems a bit late to follow up for the same reason, so presumably there's something else behind this delisting."

The game has been taken down from the developer's website, so the page is accessible only through the Wayback Machine.

Source: PC Gamer
 

Announcement: This Week at the Seanchai Libraries

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THIS WEEK: A fun new series, more Indy, and a surprise Wednesday! Join us for fun, adventure, and fellowship this week.

Check out the stories and the storytellers! 

All events at Nowhereville (203/43/26) , unless otherwise noted.

Stories told in open voice unless otherwise noted. All times SL/PT

--------->> COMING THIS WEEK

**MONDAY, January 17th, at 7pm: Larry Niven's A WORLDS OUT OF TIME with Gyro Muggins.
    
**TUESDAY, January 18th:

   ~  at Noon: RUSSELL EPONYM, Live in The Glen  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nowhereville/194/131/21
   
   ~  at 7pm: Emily Chenoweth and Johnny Marciano's KLAWDE: EVIL ALIEN WARLORD CAT begins with Caledonia Skytower.
 
**WEDNESDAY, January 19th at 7pm : POE SPECIAL - Beyond Porch and Portal with Shandon Loring
 
**THURSDAY, January 20th, at 7pm: YOUNG INDIANA JONES Adventures continue, presented by Shandon Loring.

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Cartoon of The Day: "Mane Attraction"

 

Taken at Club L!vew!re. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

SL Video: "The Drivers of SL Grid Drive - Hauling Missions"

 

(Click here if the video does not play)

From Zada Bury on January 10, a series of photographs, with narration, about a "Get The Freight Out" run in Second Life.
 

Press Release: Signups Open For Burn2 Winter Burn

 

Burn2 Burning Man Regional Winter Burn 2022

We kick off the new year with a new outlook with a lot of frosty fun for you.

Winter Burn will take place January 28th through 30th, and we have a delightful theme for this one: Gingerbread Houses (with Jack Frost Effigy).

Twas the winter of 2022…
Gingerbread Man was heading home for the winter after the holidays. Oh, how much he missed his village home, with gingerbread houses and treats scattered every which way! He said to himself, “I will run just as fast as I can” then sang, “You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!”

At last he arrived - what could it be? There was much more than he expected to see!

Jack Frost had nipped! Home was in drifts! Blankets of snow soft as whipped cream! Oh, what a dream! Icy sculptures and frosted art on the ground, gifts from creators the whole world around. Candy lined paths ensured that no one got lost. And in the midst of it all…
the beloved Jack Frost!

And so this is how Burn2 brings you a Winter Burn
[00:24] Mrs. Mia Wallace (Mia Quinote):  theme with “Gingerbread Houses” and a Jack Frost Effigy. Let’s dare to dream, after a couple of trying years. It’s now a time for hope - dry each other’s tears. Hope for a better 2022 and build a fresh start all shiny and new. Come join us, and welcome this new year, new snow, new chance for new things to happen, and celebrate together - us and you!
________________________

BUILDERS!! PERFORMERS AND VOLUNTEERs INFORMATION>>>>
The playa has now been opened for building! You can sign up for your (free) plot but they are limited so sign up now if you want one!

Performers are invited to come to play on one of our two stages - booking is also open now!

If you've considered helping out with stage crew at events, here's your chance. You can sign up for stage crew now, too!

SIGN UPS ARE HERE>>>
https://www.burn2.org/winter-burn-2022/

HOW TO COME TO Burn2:
https://www.burn2.org/who-is-burn2/come-to-burn2/

Burn2 Volunteer sign up!!
https://www.burn2.org/who-is-burn2/we-are-volunteers/vdb-signup/

BURNER BUS: Burning Man- Deep Hole (166,33,24)
 

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "2020s Vision" And "Events Or Discoveries That Inspire"

 

"2020s Vision: The Future Is Nearly Now"

Saturday January 15,

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM SL time

In a daily fog of uncertainty, we may lose track of transformational changes just over the horizon. So where are we headed? Some of the world’s smartest people in government, social research, academia, business, economics, science, and other fields have looked 20 years into the future and seen a time of abundance and shared opportunities. Let’s update on evolving technologies and trends from an optimistic perspective beyond the turmoil of today.

Presentation by Dr. Steven Van Hook

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/125/132/22

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"Events or Discoveries That Inspire Your Love for Science"

Saturday January 15,

9:00 PM SL time

“Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation.” -NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin as he followed Armstrong onto the moon’s surface

“Every brilliant experiment, like every great work of art, starts with an act of imagination.” -Jonah Lehrer

Fireside

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/161/99/25
 

Breaking News: Philip Rosedale Returns to Linden Lab

Good news to fans of Philip Rosedale, the founder of Linden Lab and Second Life. He's back at the Lab. There was an announcement today that High Fidelity, the company Rosedale would found after leaving Linden Lab, had "acquired an interest" in Linden Lab. Some people from High Fidelity will be joining the Lab, including Rosedale, whom is back as a "strategic advisor."

The transaction will help Second Life further scale its operations and strengthen its commitment to growing an innovative, inclusive, and diverse metaverse where its inhabitants’ ingenuity drives real-world value for themselves and others.

"No one has come close to building a virtual world like Second Life," says Second Life founder and High Fidelity co-founder, Philip Rosedale. “Big Tech giving away VR headsets and building a metaverse on their ad-driven, behavior-modification platforms isn’t going to create a magical, single digital utopia for everyone. Second Life has managed to create both a positive, enriching experience for its residents — with room for millions more to join — and built a thriving subscription-based business at the same time. Virtual worlds don’t need to be dystopias.”

“Since Philip started Second Life in 1999, its visionary approach has not only stood the test of time, but positioned it for the future,” says Brad Oberwager, chairman of Linden Lab. “He and the High Fidelity team have unmatched experience and I can’t wait to capitalize on the vast opportunity in front of us.”

The Lab would state both Philip and Overwolf Linden would appear on a special edition of "Lab Gab" in a couple weeks. Residents are invited to submit questions using (this Google doc), but have until Midnight Sunday January 16 to do so.

Click Here to go to the Press Release.

Click Here to go to the announcement in the Linden blog.
 

"Grand Opening: Chaotic Community Club"

 

Hello my friends, family members and dearest ones! The Lions Hell was our baby but we had our paws closed for a few months, but I am happy to announce that we are reopening our club. I would like to send you an invitation to our Chaotic Community Club. Where our builder Sjö and her Manits share a business together! With their blood and sweat and many tears of laughter, they built a new home for us, so that we could have a place, where we can welcome you every day. Starting from January 15th, 2022. We would all be delighted if you came and celebrated with us on this day and many more to come! Presents are NOT required, your presence among us will already be plenty. Starting at 11 a.m. SLT! DJ Sjoefn DeLoos, DJ Sonnenplume, Dj Bora´as and Dj NoFear Deir will be playing amazing music for you during the evening

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vabel%20Set/96/95/3501

Announcement: Draxtor Despres Looking For Second Life Couples For "Love Made in SL"

 

Want to be featured in a special Love Made in Second Life episode for Valentine’s Day 2022? Let us know if you met your significant other in Second Life, are not (virtual) camera-shy, and are ready for your close-up! Contact Draxtor Despres at madeinsl@draxtor.com

Watch previous Love Made in SL episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist...
 

 

Cartoon of the Day

 

Taken at the Happy Vixen. One might think a high tech device might get us started faster than a cup of coffee. But there's nothing quite like a glass of caffeine.

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Post-Christmas Winter Attractions: Winterland And Rebel Yell

 

Christmas may be over. But that doesn't mean the end of winter fun. So Gemma Cleanslate has been continuing her search for winter-themed places. One was Winterland at Adagio Gardens. The other is Christmasville at Rebel Yell. So what did Gemma think of them?
 
Read Gemma's article in Places.