Month: December 2014

Bay City tree lighting nets L$277,371 for Child’s Play

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Bay City Christmas Tree at the Bay City Fairgrounds
The Bay City Christmas Tree at the Bay City Fairgrounds – click for full size

Saturday December 6th, 2014, marked the fifth annual Tree Lighting event held by the Bay City Alliance. Featuring live entertainment, music and dancing, a skating party, silent auction,  refreshments and fun, the event was aimed at raising money for Child’s Play Charity, a 501c3 non-profit organisation offering on-line communities such as the Bay City Alliance an opportunity to help seriously ill children around the globe during their hospital stays with the purchase of games and gaming equipment.

In all, the event saw an amazing L$277,371 raised for Child’s Play, L$159,721 through the silent auction – the winning bids of which are still on display for the the time being at the Bay City Fairgrounds – and the remainder coming from donation from those attending / supporting the event, including a post-event donation.

The donation bins will remain out and available in the Fairgrounds through until the start of January 2015, to allow those who were unable to attend the Tree Lighting to contribute to fundraising efforts, if they so wish, and so they can be a part of the Bay City holiday and New Year celebrations, which will include a lighted boat parade and skate party, as well as the New Year’s Eve Prim Drop.

GoSpeed Racer, Christov Kohnke and Beth Odets provided the music and live entertainment at the Tree Lighting
GoSpeed Racer, Christov Kohnke and Beth Odets provided the music and live entertainment at the Tree Lighting

The Bay City Alliance wishes to thank all of those who donated goods and services to the auction: Vick Forcella, Robin Sojourner, Flowey, Pygar Bu, Whiskey Monday, Uccello Poultry, Benjamin Wahl, Zen Creations, %Percent, Lightning Video, Echelon Sands, ADudeNamed Anthony, and Black Tulip, as well as Apple Fall for their generous Linden donation.

Thanks have also been extended to the event’s performers, Beth Odets, Christov Kohnke, and GoSpeed Racer of KONA Stream, Marianne McCann for organising the event, Kinnaird and Rachel Seelowe for helping arrange for donation items, to Kriss Lehmann of Botanical for providing the tree and lights, residents of Bay City for their tree ornaments, and to all who donated, participated in the silent auction and joined in the fun f the event!

About Bay City and the Bay City Alliance

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab® and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest group for Residents of Bay City.

Viewer release summaries: week 49

Posted on by Inara Pey

Updates for the week ending: Sunday December 7th, 2014

This summary is published every Monday, and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.

Official LL Viewers

  • Current Release version updated to version 3.7.22.297128 December 5th (formerly the Benchmark RC update.) –  release notes
  • Release channel cohorts (See my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • Maintenance viewer RC updated to version 3.7.22.297131 on December 3rd – includes a broad ranges of fixes, including merges from the Attachments RC (3.7.21.296904) (download and release notes)
    • Attachments viewer RC version 3.7.21.296904 withdrawn December 3rd – merged with the Maintenance RC, above
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V3-style

  • Black Dragon updated to version 2.4.1.3 on Tuesday, December 2nd and then to version 2.4.1.4 on Wednesday, December 3rd – core updates: bug fixes (change log).
  • Kokua updated to version 3.7.22.35091 on Friday, December 5th – core updates: bug fixes (release notes).

V1-style

  • No updates.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Battling balloons: Loki’s digital mastery at work

Posted on by Inara Pey
Take to the air with Loki Eliot's new Balloon Battles
Take to the air with Loki Eliot’s new Battle Balloons

As I wrote back in July 2013, Loki Eliot is many things. Games developer, content creator, blog / philosopher to name but three, and his Escapades Island in Second Life is legendary.

At the time I made those comments, I was writing about his free, Star Trek inspired starship battle game that allowed players to face off against one another flying either a Federation Starship or a Klingon Bird of Prey.

Since then, Loki has been refining things, generating a wholly original game, Battle Balloons, in the process. He’s just announced the launch of the game on SL Marketplace, and it again demonstrates that while SL may not be a game, it is possible to develop some fun game-focused experiences which can be shared among friends.

Commenting on the launch of the game, Loki says:

I think for a lot of people the experience that is Second Life revolves around visiting places, looking at pretty objects and chatting to people. There are the odd rides, combat systems and role playing groups but its always a bit rare to find simple instantly fun epic gaming experience.

And he’s right. What’s more, Battle Balloons fills the void perfectly. The essence of the game is to fly an armed, powered balloon and try to shoot down those flown by your opponents. Each balloon has a crew of two, a pilot and a gunner, who much work together, as Loki explains:

It is the pilot’s job to keep the airship in the sky, avoiding other cannon fire while collecting repair crates. It is the Gunners job to shoot down the other teams battling for air supremacy. Gunners must be careful not to shoot repair crates, unless of course you are trying to prevent the other teams from getting them … The game, while a shooting game, is also one of corroboration. While the Gunner is on the offensive, the pilot is on the defensive and success often relies on a balance between the two as you compete against others.

Fly through the repair crates to recover from damage your balloon has sustained
Fly through the repair crates to recover from damage your balloon has sustained

Battle Balloons comes complete with a balloon rezzing platform  and vendor, a spectator platform, and hovering repair crate dispensers (shown in the image above), all supplied Copy, No Mod / Transfer.  Loki tells me he is considering releasing a standalone balloon with texture kit, for those people who want to run team-based competitions.

While not specifically designed for the Oculus Rift, Loki notes the game works “pretty well” with the headset – and his request that the Lab include a means of firing guns while wearing an Oculus came directly from the development of Balloon Battles.

The game, seen in show #20 of The Drax Files: World Makers, can be purchased via the SL Marketplace, and for those wanting to try it out for themselves and get a feel for it, a version is available to play above Escapades Island.

So, if you’re looking for a new attraction for your region, or you simply like the idea of a little lighter-than-air combat with friends, when not take a look at Battle Balloons?

Images and video courtesy of Loki Eliot.

Of Kris Kringle, snowbound towns and a Dickens of a tale

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in voice, brought to Second Life and Kitely by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library.

As always, all times SLT / PDT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island, or at their Kitely Homeworld.

Monday December 8th, 19:00: Witches, Magic and Other Strange Things

Gyro Muggins returns to conclude One Foot in the Grave. “Something’s wrong with his foot.  Something’s wrong with her foot.  There might be something wrong with the doctor and there is definitely something wrong with The Camel’s grave.”

Tuesday December 9th,19:00: A Christmas Story

With Kayden Oconnell

Wednesday December 10th, 19:00: Miracle on 34th Street

Caledonia Skytower commences an adaptation of the George Seaton / Valentine Davies Christmas classic film of the same name, which first appeared in 1947 starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn, and which has been subject to a number of remakes and updates, including the 1994 version starring Sir Richard Attenborough.

A novella based on the film, also penned by Davies, was published simultaneously with the film’s release, and was itself turned into a stage play in about 2006 by Will Severin, Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder and John Vreeke.

Join Caledonia as she retells the story of how Kris Kringle is hired by Macy’s to become their “Santa Claus” in what is regarded as a classic tale for Christmas.

Thursday December 11th

19:00 Christmasville

christmasvilleThe first volume in Michael Dutton’s trilogy of the same name, Christmasville, published in 2012, introduces us the to Mary Jane Higgins and a cast of characters in the little town of Christmasville.

It’s a strange place, is Christmasville. Trains may come and go, but no-one gets on or off them – no-one actually knows where they go or from whence they came. What lies beyond the forest and the hills surrounding the town is utterly unknown to the inhabitants. The town itself is a place where grass has never been seen, and seasons are unknown; where elephants, giraffes and camels and more are all creatures of myth – and where everyone accepts things just as they are.

Except Mary Jane Higgins. To her, something in not quite right; she has an odd feeling, one that causes her to take the forbidden route across the train tracks. Leaving Christmasville, forever snow-covered and white, with its year of only two months – December and January – behind, Mary Jane sets out to find the truth. Along the way she encounters  shepherd boy with his lamb, and three men riding camels! And ultimately, she discovers the truth about Christmasville and its strange ways and appearance…

Join Shandon Loring as he opens the pages of this delightful story for young adults.

21:00 Seanchai Late Night

With Finn Zeddmore.

Saturday December 13th, Seanchai Kitely

09:00: A Christmas Carol

Caledonia Skytower and Shandon Loring commence a reading of Charles Dickens’ seasonal classic. Dare you say “bah, humbug!” or will you go in, so that Shandon may know you better?! Will you let Cale reveal to you all things present, shaped by the past, or will you try to avoid her showing you those things yet to come? Step into the Seanchai Library and settle into one of the traditions of Christmas!

—–

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for November – December is Heifer International, which is working with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.

Related Links

Perceptions of depth and narratives in art

Posted on by Inara Pey
Depth Perception
Depth Perception – The Rose Art Gallery

This article was updated on Sunday, December 8th to reflect the fact the Château d’Ember display has been taken down, having been a special opening event.

Depth Perception is a new exhibition of the work of artist Molly Bloom, which was initially previewed at the Château d’Ember, on the Adult-rated, Gorean-themed region of Asperiche Island on Saturday, December 6th, 2014, with the main exhibition opening at midday SLT on Sunday, December 7th at the Rose Art Gallery, Angel Manor.

As the title suggests, Depth Perception offers the observer with a series of images which play with our perception of depth, and does so in a most eye-catching manner.

Depth Perception
Depth Perception  -“Throwing in the Cards” and “The Electrical Bouquet”, as displayed at Chateau d’Ember

All of the pieces on display, be they individual images, pairs of images or triptych pieces, have elements of the work extending beyond the picture frame, either as a part of the picture itself (such as the shadow of a boot which itself appears to be resting on the frame containing it), or as a 3D element in its own right (such as an extended hand holding a copy of the Bible). Some even include 3D elements that sit entirely outside of the picture itself, but which are nevertheless part of it. These can be as obvious as a television set placed before a picture, and which is clearly the subject of attention of those within the picture, or as subtle as a bird sitting on a picture frame.

Depth Perception - The rose Art Gallery
Depth Perception – The Rose Art Gallery

However it is presented, each image is beautifully composed, and many, particularly those in pairs or in a triptych, have a narrative to them; sometimes obvious, sometimes a little more subtle (and there are stories to be found in the individual pieces as well).

The installation at the Rose offers forms the main exhibition, and presents the works on display highly effectively; the installation is really eye-catching, the grey / black of the gallery space helping to draw the eye deeply into each picture in turn.

Depth Perception - Chateau d'Ember
Depth Perception – “The Queen is NOT Amused”, as displayed at Chateau d’Ember

Related Links

 

 

 

Of literature and performing art

Posted on by Inara Pey
Wil
Wilanow Palace and Gardens,Oceanea

As might be apparent from some of the coverage of events and activities in this this blog, I enjoy literature and the arts. Reading in particular is a passion of mine, and I have a voracious appetite for both non-fiction and fiction across a broad range of subjects and genres. So it’s a little surprising that it has taken me a while to find my way to writing about Luminaux and Oceanea.

Luminaux is home to the Illumination Library, founded by Librarian & Bookmaker, Farzaneh Eel. Here, set within a garden designed by Xinoxi Han, can be found an intriguing collection of in-world interactive books designed and created by Farzaneh, available in a range of languages and covering a wide range of topics – fiction, non-fiction, biographical studies, religious works, and so on.

The
The Illumination Library, Luminaux

The library is housed in two buildings, both by Xinoxi Han, and both in a somewhat 18th or 19th style. The primary (and, I would guess, older) of the two buildings offers three floors to explore, each of which offers numerous interactive books (and audio books) which can be enjoyed from the comfort of armchairs and sofas. works on offer here focus on the 19th Century, although are by no means exclusive to that time.

The annex building, facing the main library from across the region, has the feel of a more recent style about it.. Featuring three large halls, complete with gallery spaces, it is focused on religious tests, the works of William Blake and those of William Shakespeare, all beautifully bound and presented.

As well as the main library building, the gardens contain the library’s Biblio Shop, where interactive books can be purchased, and the garden gallery, a room offering visitors the chance to enjoy a game of chess or the chance to simply sit and chat.

The Illumination Library, Luminaux
The Illumination Library, Luminaux

Connected to Luminaux via a pair of stone bridges, Oceanea is the home to the Wilanow Palace and Gardens, the Royal Opera House and Ritz Ballroom.

Covering one half the the region, the palace may not be as expansive as somewhere like Angel Manor, but it nevertheless offers period rooms and a former garden for visitors to explore, and welcomes those who wish to do so – complete with opportunities to dance using the Intan systems scattered around the property.

Facing the palace across a further bridge spanning a deep cut in the land, sit the Royal Opera House and the Ritz Ballroom. Both bear the distinctive hallmarks of Kaya Angel (of Angel Manor fame), and have been positioned by Xinoxi Han, who designed the overall setting in which they are located, and who was also one of several contributors to the design of the palace and it gardens, along with Andy Loon, Xen Oller and 1Selene2012.

The Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House, Oceanea

The Opera House is intended to “encourage, educate and support the best in classical arts (Music, Dance, Art, Opera, Theatre) throughout Second Life and beyond. To be informed of all the best classical events join Second Life”, and it is certainly a sumptuous building inside, with an imposing exterior which suits its surrounding perfectly. Productions are routinely held here, and those interested in keeping abreast of productions and performances can join the Second Life Opera Society group. The Ballroom, facing the Opera House across a fountained courtyard, presents a venue for live performances and dances.

Both Luminaux and Oceanea offering an interesting change for those who enjoy exploring Second Life, particularly if one has an interest in either literature (Farzaneh Eel’s books really are a delight – I could spend hours looking through her Shakespeare collection) or the performing arts. With the Wilanow Palace and Gardens just across the stream from the Royal Opera House, a visit to see a performance at the later can be enhanced by a wander around the former, particularly if accompanied by a friend.

Related Links