Cartoon of the Day

Gemma Cleanslate and I at the Burning of the Man at Burn2. People could toss in wood to keep the fire going, but apparently it was possible to get knocked over while dragging a piece over.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Stoker Serpentine Releases SexGen Bed as Freebie

Stroker Serpentine, has reportedly released his noted SexGen bed to be freely available to Second Life residents. According to the Herald, Second LIfe’s self-professed tabloid, On Wednesday Sept 28th, “he made the flagship of his SexGen business available with copy/transfer/modify permissions. The bed that turned a former real life plumber into a millionaire is now available to anyone - and free.”

Stroker Serpentine, known as Kevin Alderman in real life, created his bed under the brand “Strokers Toyz,” eventually founding the company Eros LLC. He also bought a sim which he named Amsterdam, and later sold it on eBay for $50,000. He ended up making real-life news when in July 4rth 2007, his company filed suit against Volkov Catteneo (Robert Leatherwood) for selling beds that he charged were copies of his own. Voltov never responded, and Stroker won by default. Later that year, he led a six-person lawsuit against Raze Keno (Thomas Simon). The case went to court, and the judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.

Sources: Alphaville Herald, Gigaom, Wired, secondlife.wikia,

Netera's New Coffee Lounge

Recently Netera Landar had her coffee lounge expanded. Last week on October 1st, I dropped in to see the new place.


Welcome to Netera's Coffee Lounge. Hope you enjoy our informative chat in our new jazzy set. In this venue you'll participate in interviews with real life writers, singers and artists. Below is our current guest schedule. If you are one of the above and would like to be booked, IM Netera Landar in-world.


Her guest that day at 10 AM was Wulfslaird Widdershins, whom was a retired dive team specialist in real life. He had a number of interesting stories about his experiences in the Navy. Among those in the audience was Geo Meek, whom was probably recording.

At 11 AM, musician Ande Foggarty had his turn to be interviewed. Halfway into the hour, the lounge's new dance floor got it's test run, with Ande providing the music.

Besides for more interviews with artists, Netera has something new coming up.

Currently seeking guests chefs and bakers for my new segment, "What's Cooking." IM Netera Landar if you can present a few recipes in an interesting way.

The Coffee Lounge is still in Terric, but the entrance, once at (43, 137, 28) has been adjusted a little.

Bixyl Shuftan

~2011 SL National Day of the Republic Of China Flag Raising Ceremony~

Place: WW2 TRIBUTE Kunming Air Base
Landmark: WW2 Tribute (110, 22, 25)
Time: 10/10/2011 3:30 AM SLT

Introduction:
Republic Of China National Day is commemorate Wuchang Uprising which happened on 10th of October, 1919. Wuchang Uprising was the beginning of the 1911 Revolution, and after two months, China's revolution had a great success to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and established Asia’s first republic, Republic Of China. This year is the 100th National Day. There will be a Flag Raising Ceremony in the WW2 TRIBUTE Kunming Air Base.

Things to remember and fellow:
1.Fellow the Sims Rule.
2.Wear formal clothes. Such as suits for men. Army Uniform is also allowed.
3.Please respect the ceremony. Keep quiet during the Flag Raising. And please look at the flag.
4.Admins have the right to kick or ban people who show their unrespectful to the ceremony or breaking the sims rule.

Process of the ceremony:
3:00 AM: Ready for the ceremony
3:30 AM: Ceremony Start
3:31 AM: Introdution
3:33 AM: Flag Raising
3:34 AM: Saulte
3:35 AM: Speeches
3:40 AM: Golden Tigers Air Show
4:15 AM: Fireworks
4:20 AM: End of the ceremony


Any further questions about the ceremony feel to ask
Marcus Warbunsee

Burn2 - The Temple

Gemma Cleanslate has been very busy behind the scenes at the Burn2 festival. But she finally found time to write something. Today, she reports on the Burn2 temple. Built by SL artist & jeweler Damanious Theta, the temple itself is a work of art, symbolizing the themes of the burn. But as a structure, it is temporary. All are invited to see it before Sunday when the temple burn takes place.

Read more in Design.

Steve Jobs Passing Reflected Online and in Second Life

It was Wednesday night when I heard the news Steve Jobs had passed away. Ironically enough, at the time I was using one of his creations to get on Second Life: an iMac. It didn't take too long for word to get around in various SL groups. Among them, the Relay for Life group. Although Jobs' cause of death wasn't listed, it was known he suffered from pancreatic cancer. The group expressed their condolences, and called it another reminder to look for a cure.

By the next day, there were some tributes posted on Facebook. More than once, I saw a modified version of the Apple logo, but with the "bite" now a shilouette of Steve Job's profile. There were others as well. I saw one picture in the news of an iPhone in a Japanese temple showing an image of a flickering lit candle.

So what tribute was there in Second Life? I heard about a place called the "Church of Mac" on the grid. Porting over, it looked much like the other buildings in the suburban block from a distance. But up close, one could see the burning torches, the stained glass, the "Church of the Mac" plaques, and most notably a recent picture of Steve Jobs next to a statement, "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the trouble-makers ... glorify them or vilify them, the only thing you can't do is ignore them, because they change things. ... We see genius, because the people crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do."

Going inside, there was a symbol that looked like an apple with barbed wire wraped around it. There was also a shrine with an old style Macintosh computer on it. There were also a number of images, such of a younger Steve Jobs holding an apple, and a number of noted artworks redone with a Mac computer worked into the scene.

The place was owned by a Molly Montale. IMing her, she told me she had been contacted earlier by Hamlet Au, "Our real-life neighborhood is near a large stone quarry. In the mid-twentieth century our neighborhood was full of Italian stone cutters. Many families had religious shrines in their yards. About 20 years ago I saw that someone had replaced the statue of Mary in a shrine in their yard with a Mac Classic. I always regretted not get a photo of it. Second Life allowed me to recreate it."

Molly told me the Church of Mac had been around for over five years, created to poke fun at the devotion Apple computer fans sometimes express for their brand," I made the church as a light-hearted play on how Mac users, me include, love the Apple products." Following the announcement of Jobs' death, "I was crying like a baby last night reading some of the blogs, so very sad. He was ill for so long. The church has been there for over 5 years. I figured I should put a sign out." So up went the picture of Steve Jobs and the salute in words, "I never anticipated people coming."

While we talked, she announced, "Wow! Someone just sent me this: 'On the v2 viewer front page is the destination guide, and a few featured locations. The #1 featured location is Church of Mac.' Wow, I am speechless. I wish I had put better stuff out. I had no idea people would actually go there."

Molly plans to do a few changes in the inside. Although the place is now a shrine, it will continue to be called "The Church of Mac."

The Church of Mac is on the Blumfield sim at (154, 146, 26).

One can see a few more tributes to Steve Jobs, in the article: Here.

As a Mac owner and a user of Apple computers since the old Apple2, I too am saddened by the passing of Steve Jobs. Although he didn't invent the exact things he sold, much like Henry Ford decades ago he marketed them in a way that opened them to a mass marketplace. Although he clearly will be missed, there are reports he had his input in various projects that will be released in the next several years.

Rest in peace, Steve Jobs.

"Think Different"

Bixyl Shuftan

Burn2: DJ Healer and Oberon Onmura

The Burn2 festival goes on, the music and art continuing to fascinate the rest of us. Today, we take a look at one of the DJs, Healer Ladybird, as well as one of the Burn2 builds and artist.

Read more in People.

Inworldz: Art Festival next Month

The founder of Alexanderia's Kingdom, Jeri Rajha, is pleased to announce the organization of an arts festival in the virtual world of InWorldz. The "Inworldz Dreamz & Visionz" festival will be a juried event with prizes to be awarded to the selected first and second place winners on each of the four SIM's. Applications are being received now for up to 64 plots for either individuals or for teams of up to four artists. The festival will commence on November 1st with the plot assignments and plots open for build. Then on the 12th of November an opening event will be held and the artists works will be open to view and the judges will begin their selections.

Information for the Artists:

- If you haven't already done so, you will need to create an account and log into InWorldz. Applications are available through festival organizers and in key locations through out the grid. Additionally festival information can be obtained through the Inworldz event forum.
- 64 plots available - each 32 x32 m ground foot print, with 900 prims each plot
- Low lag scripts (scripting guidelines will be supplied)
- Individual or teams of up to 4 creators
- Builds must not be commercial - no selling or advertising other than a NC or LM to gallery or store of the creator/s
- Gifts are ok - please use the giver script supplied
- Plots will be allocated by lot (i.e. randomly)
- Creators will be supplied with a foot print prim with path and orientation indicators to begin building offsite if required
- Sky platforms over the plot are allowed but must be above 500m, not be larger than the ground footprint and have a TP to the platform on the ground

Prizes:

- 1st and 2nd prizes will be given for each SIM (4 first & 4 second)
- Prize money will be raised via tip jars on the SIM's
- All contributing creators will get a small participatory monetary gift

Application Process:

IW resident can send their completed Application Notecard to Jeri Rahja. Also IM her so she can chase any NC that get lost. Once all plots are filled the plots on the SIM's will be allocated by random ballot. The lucky 64 individuals/teams will be notified via NC and IM and supplied with a creator's package which will include further info on how to proceed.

Key Dates:

October 1st - 25th applications for plots open
October 27th - Plot allocations go out
November 1st - SIM's open to creators
November 12th - building completed - events start - judging starts
November 21st and 22nd - Judging concludes
November 22nd - prizes announced and presented

Festival Organizers:

Jeri Rahja
quadrapop Tree

Festival Sponsors
IW Founders represented by Elenia Llewellyn

Festival Team:

Building - Alizarin Goldflake
Graphics - Miso Susanowa
PR/Media - Nazz Lane / Briawinde Magic
Scripting - Zauber Paracelsus
Events/stage manager - TBD

Festival Judges:

- McCabe Maxsted
- TBD
- TBD

Cartoon of the Day

This picture was from Gemma's "Wearable Art" article. It was funny enough to use in a cartoon. ;-)

By Bixyl Shuftan

Rendezvous – The World of Mermaids

Netera Landar recently took a trip "under the sea" at the sim of Rendezvous. There, she found a romance themed area made for mermaids and mermen. Starting at a Roman tavern, and going to the underwater ruins of a Roman city, the place had numerous spots for couples to have a romantic stroll.

Read more in Places.

Eye on the Blog: “CEO Rodvik Humble Shares What's New in Second Life”

On Monday, Linden Lab’s CEO Rod Humble/Rodvik Linden personally posted on the official blog, “It’s been a little while since I last updated folks on Second Life. Earlier this year, I noted several areas we would be focusing on. Let me update you on each area and share with you our plans for the remainder of the year. But first, we’d like to give a warm welcome to our newbies! August was the biggest growth month for Second Life in nearly four years! I hope you all take the time to try out the many different activities in Second Life — there’s everything from clubbing to boating. You might even to want to try your hand at making something new. As a side note, one of the easiest ways to find new things is to check out the Destination Guide in the log-in screen of the viewer.”

Rod then brought up Viewer 2’s Basic mode, which he called really helpful in “getting newbies up and running.“ But recognizing its limits, such as being unable to buy & sell and build, stated the Lab would soon “merge the Basic and Advanced modes.” He also stated there would be “continued investment and focus” in response times to problems including more support staffing.

Rod also mentioned “over the next few months,” there would be new advanced features that would allow for easier and better “creation of artificial life and artificial people.” Among other things, the creatures and beings would be able to navigate about more intelligently, “Imagine being able to create advanced pets, creatures or even a living town where non-player characters are walking about. Combined with the experience tools I mentioned above, it should soon be possible to create more advanced MMORPG’s or interactive experiences which use AI right within Second Life.”

Hamlet Au wrote some about the last set of improvements. He felt they would soon lead to “upheavals” in the virtual pet industry as old scripting systems are taken offline and the companies rush to keep their creatures and other goods updated. He also predicted Second Life’s gaming areas, or “mini MMOs” ae he called them, would both become more advanced and more popular. Finally, he called these upcoming developments a solution to the Grid’s “crowded empty” problem, lots of residents inworld, but most sims empty or nearly so, “Adding NPC features will be an easy way to fix that problem, giving land owners easy tools to make their place seem less empty.”

Checking the thread on the forums, many people posting were looking forward to these developments. This included Jo Yardley of “The 1920’s Berlin Project,” who felt the use of these “robots” would make a lot of difference in making her sim more lifelike, “Yes I'd rather have 100 real avatars running around my city 24 hours a day, but it won't happen and if it did the server would blow up with lag overdose.” There were however some dissenting opinions, “So one CEO gets rid of the bots, numbers plummet, lag doesn't get any better, and the next CEO decides to bring the things back.”

Sources: Linden Blog, New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan

Events this Week in Second Life from Oct. 4rth to Oct. 11th

This week offers a variety of events on the grid. One can find a variety of live music and DJ shows at clubs, as well as talk shows. Plus this week, the annual Burn2 festival.

Read more in Events

Gemma Cleanslate Appears on 1st Question

Yesterday, Second Life Newser's Gemma Cleanslate was on the in-grid game show "The 1st Question." Competing against two other contestants, Gemma matched wits with them in the show described as "like having lunch with Albert Einstein."

More on the show in Extra.

Burn2 Fashion Shows

The Burn2 event has a lot of amazing artists and a fully packed schedule of live music and DJs. There are strange wonderful builds to tour. Parties break out spontaneously.

And through all the music and particles and glowy prims and careening playa bikes, burners put together outfits that show off their personalities.

There are two fashion shows scheduled for the burn this year. These aren't your typical SL fashion show.

* No designer names.
* No runways and strobe lights.

Just a stage in Center camp & an assortment of burner fashions. Burn volunteers and campers are the models. Probably going to be some fire involved. And tie dyed tights. And lots of playa dust.

Come see what the well dressed burner is wearing this year.

October 5 - 2pm SLT
October 6 - 4:30pm SLT

Burning Man- Deep Hole (54, 232, 24)

Cartoon of the Day

Not sure who makes this Felicia avatar, but everyone at Club Zero Gravity agreed, it was really cute.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Bid4aCure Date Auction Nets 276K for Diabetes Research

Last Sunday, the Bid4aCure date auction took place, with numerous residents putting themselves up for bids. Among them were former Second Life Newspaper reporter Nazz Lane. A total of 276,000 Lindens were raised that day, and the people had fun doing it.

To read more, go to the People section.

Burn2 Opens 12 Noon

Today is the long awaited day for fans of the "Burning Man" festival. The annual "Burn2" event in Second Life opens. The sims open to the public at 12 Noon.




Burning Man Deep Hole (224, 92, 25)

Reader Submitted: A Few Notes on Mesh - Redone

10 Gooson heard about her article on Mesh published yesterday, but because of the delays some information was out of date. So she offered an updated version, which is now up in it's place.

Read the updated story in Design.

Burn2 Press Day

Yesterday, bloggers and reporters were invited for a preview of the Burn2 exhibits. Among those going was a certain Fox editor, getting a look for the first time of this major annual event this year.

Read more in Events.

Reader Submitted: A Few Notes on Mesh

10 Gooson, a longtime friend of Second Life Newspaper and SL Newser, sent us some notes on her (and her partner's) experiences with Mesh, "I've tried to explain what meshes are, what is still unknown, the in's and out's for 'almost-noobs' to explain some more about meshes."

Read more in Design.