Courtesy of SL Pride

I’m a little late in getting to this – so my apologies to the organisers.

SL Pride, the event celebrating diversity and focusing on Second Life’s LGBTQ community is currently in progress in-world. Featuring shopping, art, music and dancing, the event will remain open through until 23:00 SLT on Sunday, June 24th, 2018.

The theme for this year’s event is This Is Me, This is Us, a celebration of community, and also of solidarity – at least one of the billboards in the region includes a display commemorating those from the LGBTQ community who lost their lives in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.

SL Pride 2018 shopping, art and entertainment area

A full schedule of entertainment is available on the event website, as a full list of sponsors and participating merchants.   Note that while the entertainment schedule opens in List view, for…

Private region set-up fees and monthly tier rates will be reduced from July 2nd, 2018 – see below (region pictured: Isle of May – blog post

Updated to include a quote from Ebbe Altberg

On Wednesday, June 20th, while speaking at the Meet the Lindens event, Linden Lab, and a a part of the SL15B celebrations, CEO Ebbe Altberg made a major announcement concerning private region maintenance fees (aka tier).

I’ve been saying for quite a while now that I think the balance between what it cost to have land versus what it costs to transact or buy and sell in the economy is a little off-kilter. Land is quite expensive but selling things in the world is quite cheap, comparatively speaking. So I a basically fell we have fairly high real estate taes but very low consumption tax. so we’re trying to adjust this so that it’s better. That…

The SL15B Shopping Event feature 80 Second Life creators and merchants (SLurls below)

Following the opening of the SL15B Community Celebration on Sunday, June 17th See my preview for notes and SLurls), Linden Lab has announced further festivities and events as part of the overall celebrations. Some of these can be found on the SL15B regions, others are located elsewhere across the grid.

The SL15B Music Fest

• When: Friday, June 22nd through Sunday June 24th
• Where: The Serpent Stage (Stage Left) at SL15B
• Schedule of Performers – all times are SLT and the schedule may be subject to last-minute changes.

At the time of writing, the performers line-up was as follows. All times are SLT, and not this schedule is subject to last-minute changes.

The SL15B Shopping Event

Occupying a total of four regions, the SL15B brings back the familiar shopping mall of recently Linden shopping events, now decorated with…

San Monique – click any image for full size

“I’m not really a big Bond fan, just that film and the locations in it,” Zakk Lusch informed me ahead of the official opening of San Monique, his latest region design, developed with They Wray DoneAway (They Ellisson). The region takes as its inspiration the first Roger Moore film in the Bond franchise, Live And Let Die (1973), to which Zakk alludes in his comment. He continues, “I just thought I would be fun to try a create something like this, as Bayou type region can be a challenge to find stuff to use. There are loads of little fun things as you look around.”

These little things include Zakk and They themselves who, for the opening, had adopted looks taken from the film – think Baron Samedi and you’ll get the picture – but there are more to be…

Courtesy of Linden Lab

On Tuesday, June 19th, the Lab continued their blog posts about SL15B with the publication of a short video interview / message from Linden Lab CEO, Ebbe Altberg, talking about Second Life, its longevity and more (embedded below).

Ebbe has been discussing Second Life  – and Sansar – a lot over the last few weeks with various media sources, and the blog post on the video also includes a link to a chat he recently had with Games Wisdom (June 15th).

In May, Ebbe sat down with Saffia Widdershins of Designing Worlds for a lengthy chat on all things Second Life and Sansar, and he’ll be doing so again on Wednesday, June 20th, as a part of the Meet The Lindens Series of events. You can catch him at the SL15B auditorium at 14:00 SLT.

In the meantime, if you want to catch-up with Ebbe’s Designing…

Oboeru – click any image for full size

A fog horn plaintively calls in the early morning light, the Sun slowly burning through the dawn haze as it rises over the eastern horizon. Cicada song mixes with that of birds greeting the dawn and the stridulation of crickets, while in the background the dull rumble of waves breaking on a shoreline resonates through the air.

These are the sounds that greet visitors to Oboeru (“Remember” or “learn” in Japanese), a Homestead region designed by  Manis Lane and Axiom (Axiomatic Clarity). This is a place that is hauntingly romantic in its near-desolated nature; a low-slung archipelago, the main island of which has been clawed by long fingers of water, its outliers of varying sizes separated from it by channels which can be surprisingly deep.

Oboeru

This is a place which seems to brood under the early morning half-light; the deep mewling…

Heights of Haven Gallery

Heights of Haven is a newly opened boutique gallery operated by Maggie Blessing (Margaret Moleno) and Seiko Blessing (softandred) and (currently), featuring a small display of art by  Seiko and family member Micki Blessing (michellecallum) – although this might be “for the most part”, as some images are unsigned, so I’m not entirely sure on their provenance.

The images are a mix of landscapes and avatar studies on a variety of subjects, but with a degree of similarity between them; a similarity which extends to the stories they tell. This is not a criticism; taken together, the images have a familial feel to them that reflects the environment in which they are displayed.

Heights of Haven Gallery

As an exhibition space of personal art, none of the pieces on display are directly offered for sale. In an interesting touch, visitors are asked to vote on their…

Welcome to the weekend! It was another Friday night in The Empire Room at Copperhead Road. Paul and Jilley greeted guests whilst I wrangled details for the upcoming road show at the RFL’s Home and Garden Expo on Monday at 6pm SLT. Huge thanks to DJ Corri for filling in for DJ Gunner. Here is what the show looked like! And have a read from those who chose to participate with the choreographer’s perspective of their dances.

==========================================
Nara
“I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables
A beautiful ballet to a legendary song.
1. Why did you choose this song to create a dance to? What was your inspiration?
Les Miserables has always been one operatic that has moved me. I cried most of the way through it being fortunate enough to see a live production. The emotions it conveyed was totally heart wrenching. This particular song was one that…

An attempt to delve into the significance of death in a person’s virtual realism brought me to the Second Afterlife Cemetery. Opened to the public on 8th March, 2008, the cemetery isn’t just limited to role play.

“My father was cremated and I move around a lot, it gives me a place to go ‘visit’,” replied an individual when asked about why they decided to remember their real father by renting a memorial space in a virtual cemetery.

“It’s a way to honour their presence that I feel every moment in my life and it gives me great strength to sit in front of their virtual grave,” explained another renter.

To such people, a little parcel of land in the cemetery either encapsulates the lacuna created by the demise of a loved one or reinforces that soul’s importance even in their permanent absence or both.

A part of Second Afterlife…

Did you know you can create an array of images?! I just learned this. And the really exciting part is that you can rig up Processing to look through your Sketch folder to get the names of images to load into that array.

Saturday, May 12th, I went simploring again. I picked “2ᴇʟᴡƎ“, a homestead designed by Miuccia Klaar and Squonk Levenque, from scoop.it SL Destinations. I also read two blog posts about “2ᴇʟᴡƎ“, one from Kate Bergdorf titeled “2ᴇʟᴡƎ” (read here) and one from Maddy Gynoid “Simtipp: 2ᴇʟᴡƎ” written in German (read here).

The landing is on a skyplatform with a chequerboard pattern, You’re welcome by a little robot “SiM DRONE S.5 whispers: Welcome Diomita, thanks for bringing some colors in 2ELWE! Make a phone call for a notecard.“

Landing Point and first impressions of “2ᴇʟᴡƎ”

In fact there is a sofa, a few trees and a phone and the phone gives you the above mentioned notecard. The notecard contains no information about “2ᴇʟᴡƎ” itself, it recommends to keep the sim’s windlight settings and proposes a few alternatives.
From the…

DiXmiX Gallery – Giovanna Cerise

Clinamen (clīnāre, to incline), is the name Roman poet and philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus gave to the unpredictable swerve of atoms, as a means of defending the Epicurian view of atomism. It is also the title Giovanna Cerise has chosen for her latest installation, now open at DiXmiX Gallery (you’ll find it in the The Atom club / event space within the gallery building).

Clinamen is the second recent exhibition by Giovanna which offers a philosophical lean (no pun intended), following as it does From the Worlds to the World (see here for more). It’s a piece that has broad philosophical foundations. There is Lucretius, as noted above, and the ancient philosophical science of atomism – the belief that nature consists pure of atoms and their surrounding void, and that everything that exists or occurs is the result of the atoms colliding…

Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home at Holly Kai Park, unless otherwise indicated.

Sunday, May 20th

13:30: Tea-Time with Tolkien

Join Corwyn, Kayden, and Caledonia in Ceiliúradh Glenon Holly Kai for more from Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy. This week: The Mirror of Galadriel and the Passing of the Grey Company.

With water from the stream Galadriel filled the basin to the brim, and breathed on it, and when the water was still again she spoke. “Here is the Mirror of Galadriel,” she said. “I have brought you here so that you may look in it, if you will.”

The air was very still, and the dell was dark, and the Elf-lady beside him was tall and…

Bay City Fairgrounds set for the 10th Anniversary celebrations

Bay City celebrates its tenth anniversary on Sunday May 20th, and the Bay City community is marking the day with a another special time of festivities and fun to which everyone is invited!

Activities will kick-off at noon SLT with a parade line-up at the band shell in Bay City – Harwich. At 12:30 SLT, the parade will make its way down Route 66, and proceed to the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel region. DJ GoSpeed Rasere (GoSpeed Racer) will be providing the music throughout the parade, which will be followed by at live concert from 13:30 SLT onwards at the fairgrounds.

The line-up for the concert this year comprises (all times SLT):

• 13:30 – 14:30:  Parker Static-Riley (Parker Static) – Parker started singing at a very early age; being in a musical family her passion for singing…

ONI Zen – click any image for full size

ONI Zen is a new adult / BDSM-oriented region within Second Life aimed at offering those with an interest / genuine curiosity about the BDSM lifestyle. It’s a subject that may not be to everyone’s interest or liking, so if this is the case, you might want to skip this article; but keep in mind specific adult activities are confined to specific areas of the region – such as the dungeon area and skyboxes – rather than being on public display.

However, before we get into the region itself, a few words on a couple of things.

There is a tendency in Second life – and the world as a whole – for the uninitiated to view BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism) and D/s (Dominance and submission) as being one in the same – and that both are closely linked…

Village of Ahiru – click any image for full size

Village of Ahiru is a full region themed along Japanese  / Edo period lines (although the time frame for the region isn’t specifically the Edo period, as evidenced by things like the bicycles to be found scattered along the extensive paths and walks within the region).

The main landing point, located in the sky above the region offers an introduction to the setting, noting it is a mixed public / private location with a number of rental properties to be found within it. However, providing the privacy of those renting is respected, visitors and photography are both welcome, and for those wanting to get a little more in character, two vendors at the landing point offer free female and male kimonos.

Village of Ahiru

Ground level is reached via a map teleport board. This lists all of the public areas…

We all have blood. We all feel. We all matter. We are all different.

– Shyla the Super Gecko (KriJon)

Our Digital Selves: My Avatar is Me  is a new video documentary by Draxtor Despres, which officially unveiled on Thursday, May 17th, to coincide with Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

It’s a powerful 74-minute piece which, as Draxtor himself notes, “Was supposed to be a slightly extended episode of The Drax Files World Makers,” but which, “ballooned into a dense investigation into the power of living vicariously through an avatar in Second Life and next generation virtual worlds like High Fidelity and Sansar.”

The documentary grew out of a desire to follow the work of Tom Boellstorff and Donna Z Davis (respectively Tom Bukowski  and Tredi Felisimo in Second Life). For the last three years, Tom and Donna have been engaged in a National Science Foundation funded study formally entitled Virtual…

A Little Bit of Soul – click any image for full size

Occupying one half of a Full region, A Little Bit of Soul is group design offering a huge amount to see and explore.  Running from west to east across the region, it presents what might be seen as a build in three parts, all of which flow together to offer a unifies setting.

At the western end is a built-up area which encloses the landing point. Split into two parts, it encloses the landing point within a plaza-like square surrounded by boutique-style businesses, some of which have town style houses built above them. Footpaths run around the shops on two sides, one of which forms a small road lined with more shop fronts with living spaces over them, while the other offers a way to a waterfront area.

A Little Bit of Soul

This small precinct offers a…

Soul2Soul Med – click any image for full size

In February 2018, I wrote about a visit we made to two Homestead regions designed by Minnie Blanco (Minnie Atlass): Soul2Soul River and Soul2Soul Bay (see here for more). While I’m somewhat hesitant about blogging regions that are intended for rental purposes, but both Soul2Soul River and Soul2Soul Bay were so beautifully designed and offered sufficient public spaces, I felt comfortable in writing about them.

Since then, Minnie has added a third region to her group, Soul2Soul Med. As the name implies, this homestead region has something of a Mediterranean theme to it. Once again, the region in part offers properties for rent to those looking for a home; although at the time of our visit there were only three such properties on the region, leaving the greater part of it open to public exploration.

Soul2Soul Med – click…

Using a projector and “reflective” surface in SL to creator a mirror in our living room at home. Note how the “reflection” changes as the viewing perspective moves

Second Life lighting projectors are an extremely useful capability that can be put to a wide variety of uses. I first covered their basics far back in 2011. Since then they’ve been notably easier to use (and that original article was subsequently updated to reflect this).

In 2016, for his art display, Mirrored Garden, at Holly Kai Garden (see here for details), Silas Merlin demonstrated a means to create mirror-like effects in Second Life, with a number of “mirrors” mounted around his sculptures “reflecting” them and the garden in which they were being displayed. I’ve since seen a number of SL artists use a similar approach to add depth to their work, and in April 2018, Adeon Writer offered…