Traveling Circus in Tombstone

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

 

Saturday at 1:00 SL time, I was invited to a traveling circus in Tombstone sim. You recall Deesue Parx story of Tombstone, an 1890‘s role play sim of the old west in Arizona: http://slnewserplaces.blogspot.com/2013/01/reader-submitted-tombstone-roleplay-in.html 

 

 

The big top was filled with jugglers, high wire performers, lion tamers, dancing bears and more. 

 

 

The town kids were there having great fun and eating popcorn. I grabbed some too. 

 

 

The mayor, Adrian Wise, did the announcing. There was Deesue hanging by her teeth! Pet Karu was the lion tamer. 

 

 

The Sheriff of Benson sat on one side and I saw an outlaw in the other corner. Many Native Americans attended also.  

 

 

 

 

The performers had to put up with a lot of lag but did well!  

 

 

I took some pictures of the circus acts for you to see!  It was great fun! 

 

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Mardi Gras Parade at New Toulouse

By Bixyl Shuftan

On Saturday February 9th, "Fat Tuesday" came to Second Life a little early. At the New Toulouse sim, there was a Mardi Gras parade with a number of floats going down it's streets.  The parade started at Noon SL time, and the sim was crowded with over forty avatars present. There was also at least one balloon.

New Toulouse describes itself as "a private estate community based on the American City of New Orleans" from the years 1900 to 1925. The sim has a number of shops and clubs, in addition to a few vampire and magic role-players.

The floats this reporter witnessed were from one of the clubs, or referred to zombies or vampires. SL personality Holocluck Henley was among those in the parade. People around were dressed for the occasion in period clothes, as well as wearing festive masks.

With so many avatars present, there was quite a bit of lag. And so the progress of the parade was slow at times. And this reporter crashed a few times while there. But the people were in high spirits, celebrating Carnival as only Second Life can.

Mardi Gras is celebrated mainly in Catholic countries. Originally called "Carnival," it is the last day before the season of Lent begins. So "Fat Tuesday," as it came to be called in French speaking areas, was the last chance for people to eat fatty foods before having to give them up when the Lenten season started on Ash Wednesday. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras

Bixyl Shuftan

The Super Bowl in Second Life

By Grease Coakes

Every year people throw parties order pizza like mad cheer and shout for an American event every year. No one can deny its place in American culture or in other countries it might be a big party too. But in the digital realm of Second life it was still a major event even on the small screen of your computer monitor. 

 

This year the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers duked it out for the Vince Lombardi trophy. Watching on the small screen was difficult however. Usually my Exodus viewer plays nice when I watch a movie in Second life (Like Shock’s movie night I reported on earlier). But watching a live event on TV at the Aero Pines Park along with a lot of avatars like myself the TV signal was garbled. A few people complained to Cindy Bolero the owner of the Aero Pines Park which she did not appreciate. Eventually the signal did stabilize and I was able to watch the game and commercials pretty well. However I admit I was part of the problem as my wings and tail was scripted which add to the lag. When Dalton Prock imed me he asked me to remove my lion tail and wings I did and that did help improve the TV signal on my computer.

 

Cindy Bolero: "Not my fault, and I should not be treated that way after spending over 200 dollars and 20 hours on that party." Cindy also added the reason the webcast wasn't stable was because the whole internet was bogged down by the annual event of pushing the envelope of social networking. Next year Cindy will prep more to withstand the high volume of avatars on her Aero pines sim. But the compliments outnumbered the complaints. People were amazed overall.

 

I myself had a fun time watching the commercials like I made fun of the "Fast and Furious 6" commercial saying "Fast and Furious 7" will star Cloud avenging the death of Aerith as Fast and Furious and Final Fantasy are the same acronym. I remember the Taco Bell commercial was funny with the elderly pranksters. The go-daddy.com commercial with the model and the go-daddy tech kissing each other provoked awkward feedback.

 

The game itself was exciting to watch with Ravens scoring touchdowns left and right early in the game while the 49ers having a tough time getting any rhythm or mojo to move the ball for the first half of the game. The halftime show featured Beyoncé with Destiny’s Child and it was fun to watch. The second half of the game was very exciting to watch.

 

Early in the third quarter half the lights shut down in the Superdome due to a power outage which lasted a ½ hour.  John Harbaugh was enraged by the power outage as he felt as his Ravens were robbed of their drive and game rhythm. He was right as the 49ers’ starting getting their drive into the game and the 49ers answered back with several touchdowns and were within striking range of beating the Ravens score wise.

 

In the very end the Ravens were backed up against their own goal line and ate up the clock with running plays. They had a slick play of a fake punt with the punter eating up even more time off the clock by scrambling and let himself be pushed out of bounds for a safety. The 49ers had all of 4 seconds left to score 3 points or more to tie or win the game.

 

In the last 4 seconds 49ers could not convert and the Ravens won 34 to 31.

 

All in all it was fun watching the Super Bowl on Second Life hearing commentary and cheers for both teams and meeting new people. Second Life is expanding every day meshing with real life events with live singers movies from real life and more. Cindy expanded to the Super Bowl which is big in the US and across the world. Who knows what will come from real life into second life next?

 

Grease Coakes

Bay City Mole Day 2013

By DrFran Babcock (who does not write for those who have a short attention span)

Long-winded Introduction

I was listening to the Metareality Podcast (http://metarealitypodcast.com) the other day, and I was struck by something Qarl Fizz said, while speaking about Linden Lab’s advertising efforts. He was talking about the funny, new video about the LL acquisition, called Blockworld: “They made fun of themselves. That is something that is completely lacking in Second Life’s advertising—it is utterly humorless.”

The Moles of Second Life could be a door to the future of Second Life if only Linden Lab would grab hold of their stubby little tails and make their work more apparent. The Moles are responsible for the infrastructure of the Mainland, and their hard work is evident everywhere. That said, it’s well known that hard workers like to play hard as well. The Moles could attract folks to Second Life, if only the Lab would promote them and their fun ways.

Mole Day on Bay City

Thus, the annual event of Mole Day took place on Saturday, February 2^nd (Groundhog Day, of course) in the Mole-created neighborhood of Bay City. The event was held to honor the remarkable work of the Second Life Moles in creating a world that is a wonder to behold.

The event was organized by Marianne McCann and Ever Dreamscape, and was held on the Fairgrounds of Bay City. The turnout for the event was impressive—at one point I counted about 37 residents on the sim. The guest list was impressive, and many Moles did show up, including their boss, Michael Linden.

 GoSpeed Racer spun tunes, and the whole group just danced, chatted, and exhibited the best of what Second Life can be: A place where folks from all around the world can gather and interact, a place where people can create their dreams, and a place where thanking folks for the good they do is just common practice.

The only sad note on the proceedings was the memory of the recent passing of Hyper Mole, noted by our esteemed Editor: Bixyl Shuftan: (http://slnewser.blogspot.com/2012/11/hyper-mole-noted-bay-city-resident-dies.html).

While I could write about this forever, it probably is best that you check out the many pictures that I took at the event. Truly, this was one of the best events I have been to in a long time.  You can still come to the Bay City Fairgrounds (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/North%20Channel/130/134/28) and grab landmarks to the Mole builds on the Mainland, look at some pictures of their builds, and pay homage to Hyper Mole at her memorial.

About The Moles
There is a lot of information out on the Internet about the history of the Moles. They were formed from some resident super-builders, and from a group of individuals hired for their building, scripting, texturing, or other skills. Under the supervision of Michael Linden, the Moles have been responsible for the creation of roads, bridges, canals, and other forms of the underpinnings of this beautiful world. The Linden Department of Public Works (LPDW) is deservedly proud of the textures and builds they have added to the grid. If you would like some great, Mole-made freebies, hope a SLurl to the Mole Mart (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Leafminer/199/142/35).

Next time you see a Mole—and they don’t always hide out underground—say hello, and thank them for their contributions to Second Life.

Resources for Mole Information:

Linden Department of Public Works: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Department_of_Public_Works

Uccello Poultry gets humor: http://poultryreport.blogspot.com/2013/01/ldpw-alien-tech-examined.html

DrFran Babcock

(Dis)Ability in Second Life Research

by DrFran Babcock

This week I had the pleasure of attending a presentation at Virtual Ability, and you can see it as well. Details will be given at the end of this article. 

Most Second Life residents either know or have heard of Gentle Heron (pictured left), who runs Virtual Ability, a group of sims, an organization, and a philosophy (http://www.virtualability.org  ). As Gentle says: Virtual Ability is committed to accessibility. I will have more to say about Gentle at a future date, but I would like to tell you about the aforementioned presentation:

Ambrosia108 Azalee (pictured below) is an Masters student in Educational Technology at Concordia University, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In voice and text, she told the assembled audience in her interest in the meaning of Second Life for individuals who have physicial disabilities. She is conducting a qualitative research study, as her Master’s Thesis, in the lived experience of Second Life.

For those of you who are wondering what I am talking about a brief discussion of qualitative research might be necessary. Most of us are used to research that generates statistics, like: The percentage of women in Second Life who are actually men, or, What countries are most active in Second Life? Questions such as these are best answered by mathematics. However, to answer the question of what it’s like to be a person with a disability in a virtual world, math just won’t do. Ambrosia108 understands that, and that is why she wants to interview people about their experiences as an individual with a disability in Second Life. As Ambrosia108 says: “I think it's important to ask big questions and dig deeper to find out the benefits and limitations of a technology, and the impact it might have on social justice, inclusion, ability, education, and so much more. Yes, I've always been a bit of a rebel. ;-).” She understands clearly the benefits of essence over numbers when one is studying human beings.

Ambrosia108 explained how she started becoming interested in disability in Second Life. When she joined in 2009, one of the first people she met was someone who had been in SL for many years. They later revealed that they were a quadriplegic, a fact Ambrosia108 would never have known if she had not been told. “As I tried to imagine this person behind the computer screen, I began to wonder how people with real physical disabilities experience having a virtually able body, no sign of disability, and a whole virtual world to explore?”

There are two research questions that Ambrosia108 wants to explore:

1.     How do people with physical disabilities experience learning about themselves and others through interacting in virtual worlds

2.     What do people with physical disabilities learn about themselves and others through interacting in virtual worlds? 

Ambrosia108 is asking participants to be interviews three times over the course of one to two weeks. The interviews will focus on broad topics of history and background and move to questions about the meaning of Second Life for the interviewé.  The interviews can be in text or voice, according to the needs of the participants. If you are interested:

You are invited to participate and take this opportunity to share and voice your personal experiences within Second Life.  If you are interested in participating, please read through the consent form and provide the researcher with your Second Life information in the following link:    Consent form and information:  http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/slresearch/participant-recruitment/ If you have any questions or would like to contact the researcher, please contact Ambrosia108 Azalee in-world, or by email at: sl.pheno.research@gmail.com

Finally, the point of this whole endeavor, beyond earning a Master’s degree for Ambrosia108, would be to support her real agenda, which is to demonstrate the usefulness of and necessity for virtual worlds for individuals with disabilities. “Second Life is not a game!” she declared. I could not agree more.

The event will be repeated this Saturday, February 2^nd, at 8:00 am, SLT at the Sojourner Auditorium: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/53/172/23  Don’t miss it, especially if you are interested in participating.

DrFran Babcock

"Relay Rap" Begins for 2013

By Bixyl Shuftan

On January 27 at 3:30 PM, the "Relay Rap" weekly radio talk show aimed at promoting and discussing developments of the Relay For Life in Second Life began its new season. Trader Whiplash, whom was broadcasting on his T1 Radio program, hosted the show from the Arinultra Cay sim, interacting with an audience of about thirty present.

 On stage with Trader were the Relay's Planning Committee, Event Co-Chairs Dwen Dooley and Serina Juran, Event Chair Nikki Mathieson, and Director Stingray Raymaker. Over two dozen sat in the audience. Among the people there were Holocluck Henely and Fuzzball Ortega.

A number of topics were brought up. There had been some technical developments over time, such as people able to donate on the Grid through their real-life credit cards, "If you have money, we will find a way for you to give it to us." They talked about high points of the previous season such as "Bronzing," or donating money to a smaller and less successful team until it reached Bronze rank. Someone brought up a moment at 3AM (6AM EST) when he saw a "Winnie the Pooh" avatar walking down the track, then turning around, seeing a monster, then running at full speed down the track.

It was noted that the lag issue seemed worse in the 2012 Relay walk than it had been for a few years. This was despite the efforts people had made to reduce lag, "I lost count of how many bald avatars I'd seen." But they remained undaunted, "We have the Relay spirit!"

The total amount of money raised for the Relay For Life had passed a million and a half. About $396,000 US dollars remained until two million was reached, or about one hundred million Lindens. Trader offered to go bald once that mark was reached, a statement many of the audience was sure to hold him to. It was noted that the 100 year anniversary of the founding of the American Cancer Society was in May.  Most likely, there would be some kind of special event to commemorate the occasion.

One in the audience identified herself as with the Tombstone RP area. She announced they would be forming a new team. She requested if a special wooden kiosk could be made for her Wild West sim, "Something a little less modern that we can put out?" Fuzzball told her New Babbage usually put something over their kiosks to make them blend in, "Unfortunately for those of us in themed sims, specially made vendors aren't an option, so we have to do a little finagling."

One amusing new detail for this season was brought up: "Stinky the Skunk." For a donation of 3600 Lindens, or more, you could "skunk" another team for five days or so. Someone half-seriously asked if the news would be announced by someone in a furry skunk avatar dropping in the target's next event, "You have been skunked!" With attachments that could emit a green cloud a couple dozen feet across mentioned, some amusing possibilities were hinted at.

There were also a few jokes and wisecracks, "We're defiantly calling the TV channel 'DwenTV.' " And there were jokes about "MEEEESSSSHHHH…" items, a reference to how it was sometimes pronounced on PookyMedia's "Flufee" videos.

Eventually, the broadcast came to a close, "And that's a 'rap!' Great show Everyone!" And there were cheers and handclaps from the crowd, "GO RELAY!!!" "GOOOOOOO RELAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "Yay Nikki, Sting, Dwen and Serina.. Thank you! And, thank you, Trader." "Good night all and Thanks Committee. Have a great week!" "Great way to kick off Relay Rap's 2013 season."

While the Kickoff for the Relay for Life season isn't until March, already the people behind Second Life's biggest fundraiser are busy planning ahead.


"Relay Rap" will broadcast every Sunday at 3:30PM at T1Radio http://t1radio.serverroom.us:8242 .

*Note* Due to the lag that day, there was a lot of grey around for the photographer.

Bixyl Shuftan

Happy Australia Day at "The Pocket"

By Bixyl Shuftan

"Happy S'Traya Day!" That was the greeting people dropping by "The Pocket" got when they dropped by Friday night on January 25th. January 26 is "Australia Day," and with the time difference, the club's Aussie staff, singers, and regulars were already celebrating in real life and ready to take the fun to Second Life.

When I first got there, there were a few dozen people around, and the place was grey with lag to me. I took a club-wide picture later in the night after some people had left, presumably to real life holiday events.

 Several live singers performed for the night of the national holiday. Among them were OhMy Kidd, who performed on stage with "percussionist" Saraine Sands. Also on stage was Lexi Luan, whom sung while strumming her guitar strings.

As the day went on, so did the greetings of "Happy Australia Day," "Happy S'Traya Day," "Ozzie Day," "Oz Day," and more. There was a little joking around, one pretending to be confused, "So STraya day is Australia Day, right?" Someone also joked, "When *** has finished having my child she'll be right back, honest." Another quipped in response, "Hope it's a SL pregnancy, I can't keep this up for 8 more months! 8 weeks maybe (grin)."

 For a couple people coming by the Pocket, it happened to be the anniversarries of when they came to the Grid, one saying, "Today is my Rez Day. OK, so it's not. It's A-DAY." "That means it's your UnRezz day" hostess Cellandra Zon joked in response.

A few unusual avatars showed up, including a tiny hedgehog, a steampunk "spider" avatar, and a kangaroo that hopped around for a bit before stopping to dance. It was a fun night for all.

"The Pocket" is at the eastern edge of the Fendahl sim, with a small part extending onto the Cassandra sim for busier nights. The sims are on the southern tip of the triangular-shaped mainland continent of Satori (also known as Malebaia or the Japanese continent). There are several live musicians, usually some or all of them Australian, performing every night at 8PM.

Fendahl, (242, 82, 31)

Bixyl Shuftan