Catch-22: the paradoxical situation a person cannot escape due to contradictory rules or limitations. It lies at the heart of Joseph Heller’s satirical novel of the same name (and which in fact spawned the term) – and currently, also at the heart of C a t c h, an installation by Eta (etamae) which opened in Second Life in late August 2026 at her space within Souland Gallery, operated by Julana Allen (Julana Teichmann).
For Eta, her paradox came in the form of the recent heatwave experienced by the UK (and much of Europe) and her need to be creative. The former was such that its heat and humidity resulted in lethargy and a sense that any expenditure of creative effort would be overpowering to achieve anything, whilst the need to create could only be accomplished by the expenditure of effort, mental and physical within the sapping lethargy of the heatwave, potentially resulting in nothing being achieved.
Souland Gallery, August 2026 – Eta – C a t c h
Within my skybox at Souland Gallery I have tried to convey my no win situation of the intense heat and humidity I felt at a moment in time. Those feelings of being unable to move, being stuck fast even if I was in a place I dearly wanted to be and had paid silly monies to get there.
– Eta
The result is an installation in which monochrome is used to great effect with white suggestive of heat and lethargy, and darker elements to hint at the need for coolness and respite from the heat.
Souland Gallery, August 2026 – Eta – C a t c h
Tall figures and groups of figures are rendered in white. gathered together in poses suggestive of melting or wilting, much as we feel in extreme instances of heat. Meanwhile, dark swirls suggest the vortices of cool air and grey forms on the walls suggest the longed-for cooling influence of fans and / or a longing clouds to come between us and the Sun and offer some respite to allow us to do more than just wilt.
A poem – c a t c h – accompanies the installation, summing up the feeling of being trapped by the heat, of seeing everything we want to do become lost and unimportant in the need to escape to simply be.
Souland Gallery, August 2026 – Eta – C a t c h
Visually engaging and making subtle use of PBR (the installation is best seen in a PBR capable viewer & using the local shared environment.
The CCUG meeting is for discussion of work related to content creation in Second Life, including current and upcoming LL projects, and encompasses requests or comments from the community, together with related viewer development work.
This meeting is generally held on alternate Thursdays at Hippotropolis and is held in a mix of Voice and text chat.
26.3, as the default viewer has a “pretty good” low crash rate.
It is hoped that the 26.4 Lua Editor viewer with Linux support will be moving to beta/RC status “pretty soon” – a beta/RC version is currently with QA for testing.
The idea being to have this available as server-side Lua support is made available on the Main (Agni) grid.
LL is actively building Linux versions of all viewer (alpha/project and beta/RC) moving forward.
There is still some back-end work to complete for Linux support (e.g. updating the viewer download pages (main and Alternative, etc.), to reflect the availability of Linux and to have the relevant URLs, etc.).
Work has resumed on the Graphics Care Package (GCP) viewer, with the focus on bug fixes and cleaning-up regressions. This latter work includes clean-up issues around mirrors, with some long-standing mirror-related bugs also to be worked on.
There is further clean-up work to be done in general before a alpha/Project version of the GCP viewer appears with an official version number.
An alpha version of GCP will not mean it is feature complete; further updates, etc., will be made whilst it is soaking as a alpha/Project viewer, the release being to allow those who wish to to try the viewer and provide feedback.
One element under review with regards to inclusions in GCP (and Second Life as a whole) is materials Transmission.
One potential use for this would be to give any in-world surface the cosmetic appearance of water which could be “seen” as such through the appropriate scripting support – e.g. volume detect, or this Feature Request to get the face details of an in-world object.
Note this is not about giving surfaces / prims the same properties as Linden Water – that is a far more complex ask.
Transmission had been promised in the past, but there are concerns over impact performance, so its inclusion in SL is still under internal review and testing. If the impact is too greater for many systems, it is unlikely to be implemented; if its impact can be moderated through the use of a toggle in the viewer, then it might be considered.
General Discussions
With regards to Linden Water:
We currently have water exclusions surfaces (objects which can “hide” areas of Linden Water when looking on it from above. This is useful for things like keeping Linden Water out of the hulls of boats, etc., when viewed from above, but if the camera moves below the surface, the visual effects of Linden Water (hazing, etc.) will still be apparent.
Given this, there has been a long-standing request for water exclusion volumes which would completely hide Linden Water howsoever the volume is viewed from within (above, below, etc.).
Whilst LL is aware of this, the development of water exclusion volumes is not currently being targeted.
The PBR “terrain painting” project Cosmic Linden was once working on, circa 2023/24 remains “on the shelf” for now.
This led to a general discussion as to what form this project would take if it were to be re-started (e.g. supporting permissions, limits to use (e.g. supported at parcel level, or limited to region level), etc.
However, as these discussion were mostly theoretical at this point, and it is unclear if current priorities, etc., would allow for the project to be dusted-off and restarted. As such, all such discussions were largely academic at this point.
There was a question on improving sound quality in SL (e.g. higher bitrate sampling, etc.). Currently, there is not work in the pipeline for this due to other priorities.
This led to a general discussion on sounds and Voice in SL – matters of attenuation, roll-off (or lack thereof), as well as general sound quality, all of which was user-led with little linden input / feedback.
Maxwell Graf demonstrated a viewer-side project he has been working on for functional water caustics using EEP lighting / settings together with a projector with a frame-based animation with a negative cut-out to shine the light through it (+ objects to create volume).
He noted that scaling the idea beyond anything like fish tank or pond could be problematic, although the process does not require any scripted update mechanism, it is purely based on the animation playback and interaction with the appropriate EEP lighting.
Hiraeth Beach, August 2026 – click any image for full size
Hiraeth Beach occupies around a half of a Full region held by Philippe Bruraf – VOID (bruraf), the other half being taken up with his club THE BLOCK, of which more anon.
I came across it via the Destination Guide earlier in August, and decided to hop over and have a look. What I found was a natural expanse of coastline carrying with it memories of places I’ve visited in the physical world whilst itself remaining a place firmly rooted in the imagination.
Hiraeth Beach, August 2026
Hiraeth Beach is a secluded coastal escape where sea, wind, nature and forgotten history meet. Wander along wild shores, explore ancient ruins and a mysterious temple, discover hidden places beneath the sea, or simply find a quiet spot overlooking the horizon. Hiraeth is a Welsh word for a longing for a place that feels like home, even if you have never known it. More than a beach, Hiraeth is a place to explore, photograph, or simply slow down and breathe. Some places are visited. Others are remembered.
– Hiraeth Beach Destination Guide Description
Hiraeth Beach, August 2026
I’ve spent many a happy hour over the decades walking the sands of places like Bamburgh on the coast if Northumberland, on spring, summer, autumn and even blue-skied winter days when the tide had retreated to expose broad, wets sands, the wind is fresh and clean and the worries of the world are a lifetime away.
Whilst a castle is noticeably absent from Hiraeth Beach (unlike Bamburgh!), there was something about it which immediately put me in mind of those walks, particularly when taken in the early morning. At the same time the setting is suggestive of more far-off places; a feeling most likely heightened by the Kuromatsu pines growing along the back of the beach and out along its headlands and the presence of a stone Buddha’s head.
Hiraeth Beach, August 2026
This is a place with a sense of both age and patience: ruins mark part of the coastline, casting a more Mediterranean feel to it (and hint at the temple remnants lying beneath the ebb and flow of the sea), whilst fishing nets are strung as if awaiting unwary fish carried inwards by an incoming tide.
There are numerous places to sit found scattered along the length of the beach whilst the temple ruins under the waves can be reached via a teleport board.
Hiraeth Beach, August 2026
There are some small niggles with the setting; elements in the form of the privacy surround around the nightclub setting intrude into the western skyline. Whilst not a major inconvenience, once noticed, they do tend to distract when in view; given that he nightclub venue is wreathed in a darkness that largely hides them from within it, it’s hard not to question the necessity of their presence.
The other is that the above aside, Hiraeth Beach is ideal for photography, but the lack of rezzing rights (even with local Group membership and / or Auto Return enabled) might be a limiting factor some seeking to capture themselves using the setting as a backdrop.
THE BLOCK, August 2026
Meanwhile, the nightclub – THE BLOCK, as noted above – is connected to Hiraeth Beach via a road tunnel at the northern end of the region. Passing through this tunnel in either direction will transition visitors through the two local Share Environments – and both of the locations really should be seen using their respective environment settings.
THE BLOCK is a world away from the tranquillity of the beach, being something of a post-apocalyptic setting, complete with a fallen Statue of Liberty. It is located in what amounts to a concrete compound guarding a fortress-like warehouse, the ruins of streets on two sides. Inside, the club is an almost psychedelic tour de force of lighting (hence the reason for viewing it under its Shared Environment) and industrial design, all of it highly effective. Events are held both within the club and in the courtyard of the compound Thursday through Saturdays – details via the local Group; and I gather some events are additionally held out on the beach as well.
THE BLOCK, August 2026
I’m not a great person for clubs in SL, but I did find the lighting and design of THE BLOCK appealing. Camming around also suggested that some expansion to the club spaces is underway, if currently off-limits to public access. As such a return to see what else develops here might be in order.
Hiraeth Beach and THE BLOCK are two very different locations joined by a single designer / builder. Very different in looks and appeal, they equally work together as locations to visit and experience.
The Whisper of Phoenix Gallery, August 2026 – Carelyna: Double Sided
Currently open at The Whisper of Phoenix Gallery, operated by Princess Venusia (Venusia McMahon) is an exhibition of art by Carelyna, which she had called Double Sided. It carries with it a simple yet nuanced idea: why have an image on one side of a canvas and leave the reverse blank when you can have two images, ostensibly of the same scene but each somewhat different on nature, one to either side of the canvas?
The result is a series of paired images with each picture in a pair having its own story to tell.
The Whisper of Phoenix Gallery, August 2026 – Carelyna: Double Sided
Take She Sails Against the Wind as an example; in one version, the sky is brighter, the mainsail more fully set, the waters calmer, all of which give a sense of excitement: a sailboat cutting through the water, its pilot likely at ease as she sail towards ports. In the other, the mainsail is taller, thinner, the clouds darker and more roiled, the water heavier, all of which carry a hint of a gathering storm. Thus in one we have a story of carefree times on the open waters, in the other a more uncertain sense of foreboding for the boat and its mistress.
But there is also perhaps something of a nuanced exploration of choice to be found within this collection. Each pair of images gently asks us to compare / contrast their two sides and deliver a verdict as to which we prefer. In doing so, they gently nudge us to consider why we are drawn to one over the other, and the emotional processes at work within us which drive us to that choice.
The Whisper of Phoenix Gallery, August 2026 – Carelyna: Double Sided
And even if if such Deep Thought is not something we want to plumb when visiting Double Sided, there is a third element in this approach: should we be moved to purchase a piece, we in fact have two images we can hang at home and change according to our mood or the changing of the environment in which we live in-world.
The Simulator User Group meeting place at Longfellow
The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, August 15, 2026 Simulator User Group (SUG) off-week meeting (the “Leviathan Office Hour”). These notes form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript. They were taken from my chat log of the meeting. No video this week, as Pantera is on vacation.
Meeting Overview
The Simulator User Group (also referred to by its older name of Server User Group) exists to provide an opportunity for discussion about simulator technology, bugs, and feature ideas is held every other Tuesday at 12:00 noon, SLT (holidays, etc., allowing), per the Second Life Public Calendar.
The “Leviathan Office Hour” meetings are held on the Tuesdays which do not have a formal SUG meeting, and are chaired by Leviathan Linden. They are more brainstorming / general discussion sessions.
Meetings are held in text in-world, at this location.
Simulator News
On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the SLS Main channel was restarted without update.
On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the RC channels will likely be restarted without any deployment.
Game_Control
Leviathan Linden is “almost done” with a revamp of game-control.
A pull request has been cut to the server updates, and the hope is that this will be added to the upcoming Nectarine server update. This will likely include a new UDP message for game_control so that all simulators will be aware of it before the viewer-side code is released.
The viewer updates should similarly be going into the viewer Develop repository in the near future.
Leviathan is changing how game_control event is accessed for scripts: scripts now need to llRequestPermissions(PERMISSION_GAME_CONTROL) to get game_control events, similar to how control events work.
He also noted that with this change, attachments and seats permission requests will be auto-accepted (the scripts will need to ask for the permissions, but no pop-up will show on the viewer for those objects).
The main benefit of this latter change is it will be possible to remote-control objects with game-control input (but disconnected objects will cause the pop-up, and it will have to be accepted manually).
It was noted that this change might have to be included in the llRequestExperiencePermissions() protocol.
These changes are not currently live on any simulator.
Region Crossings
Pepper Linden’s work on improving region crossings should be seeing a limited deployment to the Main grid via the Snack RC channel, most likely alongside the upcoming deployment of the Nectarine simulator update is deployed to the other RC channels.
This test deployment is the result of concerns that the updates might result in a need for a roll-back should they might impact other region crossing changes which have been made.
If Pepper’s updates work on Snack without any roll-back, then a broader deployment to RC channels can be considered.
More information on this will be provided at the next Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
Avatar Movement
Leviathan has been working on Avatar movement, one outcome of which has been the “breakage” of the ability to “crouch-slide” (crouching and then tapping the forward/rotate keys to cause an avatar to couch and slide along the ground).
He notes he is sympathetic to the complaints this has caused (presumably primarily from within the combat community), and indicated he is going to revisit the changes.
Alongside of this has been reports that avatars are sliding a lot more when on a moving surface than used to be the case. This might also be related to Leviathan’s updates, so he will be looking at this issue as well.
A general discussion on holding down the spacebar being used to slow an avatar being bump-pushed caused Leviathan to mention he would like to find a mans to enable an avatar “slow walk”
The use of spacebar to slow an avatar being bump-pushed only works if the keyboard is not prioritised for text input rather than also being used for movement (e.g. using the WASD keys for movement); it also sees the avatar appearing to “walk” at a normal pace whilst being pushed.
It was noted at if a “slow walk” option was introduced, it would be useful to a) have a means of varying an avatar’s walking speed based on factors (e.g. avatar height), and b) have walking speed accessible to scripted control.
Leviathan acknowledged both of these point but if he is able to work on the idea, the initial focus would be on developing an option for a slow walking pace, noting that this would be useful for game_control, given this currently uses the existing locomotion graph.
General Discussion
No updates on issues such as the mesh face count mismatch, new LSL commands, network improvements, etc.
The multiple issues experienced on Sunday, August 23, 2026 appear to have been related to a significant database outage.
Linden Memorial Park, August 2026: Shrine of Remembrance
Linden Lab recently indicated that they would be carrying out various small-scale projects to improve part of Second Life Mainland following the decision not to close the Gaeta 1 continent. Various aspects of this work are now in progress, as numerous Second life users have noted through the forums and elsewhere.
One location in particular where improvement has long been requested has been the 12-region estate of the Linden Memorial Park, located off the north coast of Corsica.
Linden Memorial Park, August 2026: dedication
For those not familiar with the Memorial Park regions, they were established in 2009 as a place where Second Life residents who have passed away in the physical world could be remembered by their SL families and friends. While its active life was relatively short – the Lab ceased accepting requests for new memorials to be added to the Park in July 2011 – it has remained a part of Second Life, whilst looking increasingly aged.
While there have been various attempts to revitalise the regions (I think I’m correct in saying the last being in 2020, although my memory is hazy on this), it now appears it is subject to improvement, with the first phase of the work now complete, as recently noted by Oatmeal Linden in a comment added to a request made via the Feedback Portal, and which Miro Collas pointed me towards.
Linden Memorial Park, August 2026: Memorial Gardens
Hello everyone! We have made some cosmetic updates to the regions in Linden Memorial Park. This is the first part of the revitalization efforts for this project.
We are still reviewing updates for the Day of Remembrance Garden. The original build in remains in its current location for now, with scripts disabled to prevent damage to or loss of the existing content. We hope to be able to provide a means to continue to leave messages and record the account names for those we’ve lost before the end of this year.
We are also exploring enabling the addition of new stand-alone memorials.
This work appears to be focused on general landscaping, with elements designed and used in some of the Bellisseria themes being given new purpose in updating the general look of the park.
For example: rock forms used within the Stilt, Houseboat and Newbrooke Linden Homes themes been used to redress key areas of the Park, such as the waterfalls surrounding the Greco-Roman style circular Shrine of Remembrance. Meanwhile, trees and shrubs from the Sakura, Newbrooke and Chalet themes have been used to refresh the woodlands and many of the plants throughout the parklands.
Linden Memorial Park, August 2026
For those who have not previously visited the Park, the Shrine, sitting upon its artificial island, forms the Landing Point for the Park, with three sides of the lake fed by pairs of waterfalls, and the 4th (at the time of writing at least) be a single fall.
A bridge crosses the waters on the north side of the Shrine’s island to offer a way up to the Memorial Gardens, a set of five tended plots arranged in the form of a cross with the names of those being remembered rising from the flowers therein.
Linden Memorial Park, August 2026
Exploration of the Park can be carried out by following the paved paths running around and through most of its regions, or simply by wandering freely. The former pass many of the larger memorials placed within the Park between 2009 and 2011 as well as some of the more general contemplative areas – such as the Hyper Mole memorial garden. Wandering freely, meanwhile, particularly through the woodlands might bring visitors to various ruins and memorials such as the LDPW Mausoleum.
With the Highgate Monument, Winterspire and Derran Moor regions in the south-east of the Park largely devoid of landscaping outside of the coastline (as is San Michele to the north-west), it appears the Memorial Park has room to expand. If so, what form the expansion might take could be a further point of interest for future visits.
Linden Memorial Park, August 2026
At Oatmeal notes in their update, scripts within the Park regions remain inactive for the time being. Nevertheless, the facelift carried out so far greatly increases the beauty of the regions without either overwhelming them or replacing the original builds of the Shrines, monuments, etc. The fact the work has been carried out (albeit seemingly paused as of the writing of this piece) makes the Memorial Park well worth (re)visiting. My thanks again to Miro for the poke about the update!
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 