Press Day At The SL15B

By Gemma Cleanslate

The usual gem stone for the 15th anniversary of some things in real life is Ruby. A single gem for this anniversary was not enough so the SL15 birthday has chosen Crystal for the theme of this birthday celebration. A wise choice. As I roamed the  sims I was so struck with the beauty of the builds, many incorporating so many types of beautiful crystals.

My first thought was “WOW” ! This was not only for the builds themselves. It was for the knowledge that the sl Moles (Linden Department of Public Works) had been here . The roadways.... the canals... were built by the beloved Linden Moles who  do a lot of infrastructure and put things at the bottom of the oceans and do so much in Second Life.

What else.. the Center stage!! the   Crystal Stage is the creation of the Moles!!.I loved it! I recall my first visits to the early birthday celebration, the ones that the Linden Lab ran.I remember standing next to Philip Linden at one of the first ones, maybe the SL3B ,in awe. not only that He was there but that I was there next to him! I was young in Second Life
 then and impressionable.

When the birthdays were handed over to the residents it was a risk. The leaders took it and ran with it and it worked and has worked every year since. I was an EA for five years and loved it but retired. Now, I miss the work and the fun getting the parcels ready, but just enjoy the entire week as a visitor.  I spend a lot of time visiting the builds. The parties are great so I do attend some of the live performers and DJ parties. The auditorium presentations are wonderful and that  building  this year by Anthony is terrific .  I will try to be at the Linden’s talk every day if possible at 1pm SL time and some of the other presentations . You should book mark the schedule to check for those auditorium events you want to attend . http://www.slcommunitycelebration.info/auditorium-talks-announced/

The parties at the stages are well attended all week long, almost 24/7 from around all the time zones. Here you will find live performers, djs, who spend some hours entertaining you on the gorgeous stages. And, the hosts who spend hours meeting you at your arrival. Give them all some thanks.  Check out the SL15B website to see who made these wonderful places you are standing on. Appreciate the work that went into this one week !

I will be writing about some of the builds that I really enjoyed visiting. Take  pod ride around . There are several routes to cover all the regions and you can hop off any time you want.I checked out the pod stops, and they are all running.

My visit for the SL Newser on Press Day took me first to the Welcome Area where I found lots of friendly greeters waiting to welcome me. I picked up the press packet  and went off to see the main entertainment stages, the Auditorium, the Tapestry of Time that looks like the Portal Parks with each year of Second Life marked. This was put there by Ancient Mole.

 Make sure to take a ride during the week. since the installations will be there until July 4th you have plenty of time to return as often as you like and try the rides.Added to the regions you will see two familiar places , Bear Island and The Cornfield. In the beginning of Second Life, if you were naughty at the event you were tossed out to the Cornfield. It is for visiting this year! There is lots to see and enjoy all week!

This is one of the Welcome areas where you can start on your travels.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL15B%20Fascinate/171/125/25

Gemma Cleanslate

Press Day at Burn2 "Carnival of Mirrors"

By Gemma Cleanslate

The Burn2 Carnival of Mirrors opened its doors to the press Friday and I was glad to get a preview of it. Burn2 is always a busy Second Life event and very crowded at times. So it is a treat be able to dash around to see all the marvelous builds that creators have been working on for weeks. There will be parties all day at the stages too starting from the opening October 17. 

Since I used to be a ranger I know all the work that goes into the preparation . The sims must be set up with the roads and plots. The Man has to be created to be seen from all sides so the burning will be visible from a distance in case the nearby sims are full as they usually are. The Temple also takes precedence over other plots and burns the day after the Man. 

To really understand this event, it is good to check out the website that will tell you the history of the real Burning Man every year in Nevada USA. http://burningman.org/  It is a huge event drawing visitors from all over the country and the world. Burn2 has a history in Second Life too for the past years involving many Lindens http://burn2.org/burn2-history . “This year’s theme is about mirrors and masks, mazes and merger. It will be a kind of magic show that takes the form of an old-­fashioned carnival. This Carnival of Mirrors asks three essential questions: within our media­-saturated world, where products and people, consumption and communion morph into an endlessly diverting spectacle, who is the trickster, who is being tricked, and how might we discover who we really are? “ Those words were for the creators and their designs. 

 On arrival I was greeted at the entrance and offered my press kit of information. I picked up some nice freebies just outside the tent. Don’t miss them. I took off to view the Man and there he was tall and straight waiting to burn. My next visit was to the Temple which is absolutely gorgeous. It was built by Toady Nakamura and so fits the theme. I checked out the Center Camp where many events and parties take place and it looks very comfortable as usual. There is another stage also where parties will take place .

I ran into Yman Juran riding through. Her CHANGHIGH SISTERS FIRESHOW of Light, Life and Love will be performing Saturday the 17th at 1:00pm slt and again at the same time on saturday the 24th. The show fits the theme so well,Carnival of Mirrors .Try to see it. There are invited and juried artists who have lovely plots and I will write about them during the week.here is the list Juried and Invited Artists: Johannes1977 Resident, Ilianexsi Sojourner, Marianne McCann, Daark Gothly, Kerrryth Tarantal, Caro Fayray, Galatea Gothly, Secret  Rage, emilia Avindar, Attica Bekkers ,Veleda Lorakeet, Alesha Hax, Jce Emoto, Leondra Larsson, iSkye Silverweb, Quinny Placebo...Some familiar names and some new. 

The Playa looks wonderful from all directions. The street signs are topped by jaunty top hats or masks . The Lamplighters will pass along the roads daily to light the lamps and  Skye Silverweb told me “ and something special this year with Lamplighters:  I should mention...on the 25th which is Temple Burn day, the Lamplighters will have a special procession 3 times that day, 1 hour before each burn, and we will feature a Fire Dance in Center Camp for about 10 minutes as part of our processions.  Processions at 5am, 11am and 5pm.” I am glad to hear that . I could never seem to make the lamplighters procession  last year because of the time it was held and it is a favorite of mine. 

A wonderful way to get an overview of the Playa, all six sims, is to hop on the balloon tour that starts not too far from the entrance and is visible . I stopped and looked at the cute circus tent of Coяᴘᴛєᴅᴅʏ Aяᴀωɴ (corpteddy) who is in the burn2 for the first time. Make sure you look around for gifts as you pass through the builds. Many of the artists leave items for you . I picked up a windturbine at corpteddy’s site . The greeters at the gate have a whole back pack of goodies . The BURN2 Carnival of Mirrors opens to the public at 12:00pm SLT  October 17 and will be kicked off by a Lamplighters procession. You have a whole a whole week to visit and enjoy before the Man burns and the next day the temple. The schedule will be found on the website above . Here is the gate.  More to come.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/153/245

 
Gemma Cleanslate

Burn2 Press Day

Thursday September 29th was Press Day for the Burn 2 sims. Although they were closed to the general public, those in the press group could drop by. And so yours truly dropped in for a short look around.


Dropping in via the LM for Burning Man Deep Hole (224, 92, 25), there was some information nearby on the various groups involved.

And walking away from there, it wasn't long before I was in the thick of the Burn.

Cthulu in the desert? Unlikely.

I soon ran into someone, who told me there were dispensers for rezzing vehicles for anyone to ride. But the one she pointed out to me were chess pieces. The rook I got was difficult to steer, but I managed to find Ranger and fellow newser Gemma Cleanslate, and a few other Burners, "Welcome home."
A burner shows off another vehicle: a backwards tube of toothpaste that leaves a trail as it goes.

A tour group had been planned, but apparently the guide had been held up by real-life matters. Gemma suggested I take the tour balloon out for a spin.


The balloons hold up to four, and one can hop to them from the ground. They slowly move about a path through the sim.

Yours truly crashed, and returning to the Grid, found this unusual exhibit. Apparently if you touch it, you can load a picture, your profile pic encouraged, and the display swirls it around, giving it a "kaleidoscope" effect.

I soon found another balloon drifting overhead, got onto it, and was on my way again.

At 5 SL time, the Burn2 Art Department hosted a party at the Party Center Camp, with numerous artists and others involved in the Burn. Gemma was among those there.

One of the Burners becomes aflame with a freebie animation she says she got as a newbie.

And it wasn't long before larger flames went around.

Musician Tukso Okey provided some music for the party until about 6 SL time. At 6:30 was the final event of the day, the Lamplighters Procession, where people were invited to "Come drum with the Lamplighters."

After that, the sims were closed to the press, at least temporarily. On Saturday October 1st at Noon, the Burn2 festival opens to all.

Bixyl Shuftan

Prieview Scenes of the RFL Walk

The Relay for Life Walk isn't officially open yet. But Second Life Newser got a chance to look at a few places on and off the track.

Pictures by Bixyl Shuftan