Now open at The Living Room, the music and arts venue operated by Owl Dragonash and Daallee, is an special exhibition of the art and artistry of Toysoldier Thor, which features items of both his 2D and 3D art.
I profiled Toy’s work back in February 2015, and for those who haven’t as yet visited his gallery space in Second Life, the exhibition at The Living Room serves as an excellent introduction to his art, featuring as it does several of his 3D sculptures, some of which are displayed alongside his own 2D interpretations of the pieces, as well as a number of his paintings.
Included in the latter is one of my personal favourites, Assassin’s Prayer (shown above), beautifully displayed behind a glass partition. This is quite honestly an utterly captivating piece, which beautifully blends elements taken from both Second Life to produce a finished picture which carries a powerful symbolism and story.
Also on display here is Shattered, another emotive piece (not shown here) which has taken Toy on a remarkable journey, as it has evolved from a painting in the physical world through to a mesh model within Second Life to becoming a 3D printed model, and which is now a beautiful piece of physical art cast in bronze, and which can now be pre-ordered as a part of a second casting run. You can read more about this piece on the upper mezzanine of the exhibition.
For the exhibition, the gallery space at The Living Room has again had a make-over to keep the look and feel of the space in keeping with the artwork on display, and the finished result is highly effective. The exhibition of Toy’s work will continue at The Living Room through until the end of the month.
As usual, there will also be special live events at The Living Room in June, comprising:
Thursday, June 16th – live music with:
17:00 – Billy Thunders
18:00 – Anidi Huet
Tuesday, June 23rd 19:00 SLT – Toysoldier Thor closing party with BartAlan Barbasz.
Updates for the week ending: Sunday, June 7th, 2015
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: 3.7.29.301305 – no change
Attachment fixes RC viewer (Project Big Bird) updated to version 3.7.30.302190 on June 3rd – core updates: a number of fixes for various attachment issues (download and release notes)
Black Dragon updated to version 2.4.3 on June 2nd – core updates: inclusion of the Lab’s new avatar layer limits code, Windows 10 support, conversion to the new viewer build tool chain (release notes).
V1-style
Cool VL Viewer Stable branch updated to version 1.26.12.45, and the Experimental branch to version 1.26.13.14, both on June 6th (release notes).
Solar conjunction: when Earth (r) is on the opposite side of the Sun or another solar system body – in this case, Mars (l)
Solar Conjunction
June sees Mars an Earth move into a period of solar conjunction, when they are one opposite sides of the Sun relative to one another. These periods of conjunction occur roughly every 26 months (the last having been April 2013), can see communications between Earth and vehicles operating on and around Mars severely disrupted due to interference from the Sun.
To prevent spacecraft at Mars from receiving garbled commands that could be misinterpreted or even harmful, the operators of Mars orbiters and rovers temporarily stop sending any commands. At the same time, communications from the craft to Earth are also stepped down, and science operations scaled back. Nasa started to do this on Sunday, June 7th, and both ESA and the Indian Space Research Organisation will be doing the same. For the two Mars rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity, it means parking up and no driving until after full communications are restored. General science observation will, however, continue.
One slight difference in all this will be with NASA’s newest orbiter at Mars: MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution). This arrived over Mars in September 2014, with the primary mission of determining the history of the loss of atmospheric gases to space and gain insight into Martian climate evolution. As such, MAVEN will continue monitoring the solar wind reaching Mars and making other measurements. The reading will be stored within the orbiter’s memory system and transmitted back to Earth once normal communications have been restored.
MOM Studies Mars’ Volcanoes
Mars: The north polar ice cap, the three massive craters of the Tharsis volcanoes forming a near-vertical line in the centre, the mighty “boil” of Olympus Mons to their left and the 5,000 km long Vallis Marineris to their right (image courtesy of ISRO)
Another mission that hasn’t gained much attention since also arriving in orbit around Mars is India’s Mangalyaan (“Mars-craft”) vehicle, which reached Mars on September 24th, 2014. Referred to simply as the Mars Oribiter Mission (MOM) by most, the vehicle reached Mars just 2 days after NASA’s MAVEN orbiter, and like that craft, a part of its mission is focused on studying the Martian atmosphere.
MOM also carries a high-resolution surface imaging camera, and this has been busy returning some magnificent picture of Mars, including the brilliant picture of the planet reproduced above, which shows the north polar ice cap, the almost vertical line of the three massive Tharsis Bulge volcanoes of Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons in the centre, the massive rise of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system to their left, and the 5,000 kilometre scar of the massive Vallis Marineris to their right.
MOM’s camera is also capable of producing 3D images, and an example of this capability was released by ISRO on June 5th in the form of a dazzling image of Arsia Mons, the southernmost of the equator spanning Tharsis volcanoes. The image was actually captured on April 1st, 2015, and has a spatial resolution of 556 metres, and the camera some 10,707 kilometres from the surface of Mars when the picture was taken.
The mighty Arsia Mons on Mars, largest of the three Tharsis Bulge volcanoes. The image shows a deliberate vertical exaggeration to the volcano’s slope (image courtesy of ISRO)
To give some idea of the scale of this massive shield volcano, it is 435 kilometres (270 mi) in diameter at its base, rises some 20 kilometres (12 miles) in height compared to the mean surface elevation of the planet, and is some 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) higher than the plains on which it sits. The caldera crater at its summit is 110 km (72 miles) across.
The following notes are primarily taken from the TPV Developer (TPVD) meeting held on Friday, June 5th. A video of the TPVD meeting is included below, with any time stamps in the following text referring to it. My thanks as always to North for the recording and providing it for embedding.
Server Deployments Week 23 – Recap
There was no deployment to the Main (SLS) channel on Tuesday, June 2nd, due to the week #22 RC deployment being rolled-back.
On Wednesday, June 3rd, all thee RCs received the same server maintenance package, which was the same update which had been attempted in week #22, but with additional back-end fixes to prevent a repeat of the earlier problems. The update comprises:
A change logic on accessing group member lists for large groups
Internal server logging changes.
SL Viewer
On Thursday, May 3rd, the attachment fixes RC viewer (Project Big Bird) updated to version 3.7.30.302190. Presumably, this update is to bring the viewer up to parity with the current release viewer (formerly the avatar layers update), and so will hopefully clear the way for it to be promoted to the de facto release viewer in the near future.
[02:40] A new maintenance fixes RC viewer should be appearing in the release channel soon, the should also be an update to the Mesh Importer project viewer (currently version 3.7.28.300878) appearing soon; and work is progressing on updating the Oculus Rift project viewer.
Experience Keys (/ Tools)
[03:35] Work is continuing on the back-end of the Experience Keys systems prior to the capabilities being formally released across the grid as a whole.
“We are making progress on the back-end issues that have been delaying that,” Oz Linden informed the TPV Developer meeting. “But as far as I’m aware, we have not yet … uncovered a viewer-related problem with that. so far these are all back-end related issues.” He went on:
To be a little bit more transparent, it’s really scaling issues. Experience actually work just fine at the scale we’re using them right now … but what we’re concerned about is what will happen when we turn them loose on a much, much larger population and there are lots more experiences running and there are a lot more simulators with experiences running on them.
So what we’ve doing … is fairly intensive scaling and performance testing and we’re solving the problems that the testing uncovers. So, we’re making progress on it, and we’re fairly confident the problems are solvable, but we have run into a whole host of assorted issues with that.
In the meantime, it is expected that the current RC release of the Experiences viewer (currently version 3.8.0.300963) will be brought up to parity with the release viewer during week #24.
Viewer-Managed Marketplace
[05:53] For ease of reference, please refer to my update on VMM, available here.
Land Bans
[17:58] Oz Linden has issues an invitation to open-source contributors to assist the Lab in trying to improve the management of land ban lists. Again, for ease of reference, please refer to my separate report on this, available here.
Group Membership Changes
[22:15] The update to the server RC channels referred to as “a change logic on accessing group member lists for large groups”, as noted in the server deployments recap at the top of this article, refers to a new way in which the members lists for larger groups (5,000 members and over) are handled.
In brief, the members lists for such groups will no longer load in the group floater in the viewer, unlessthe person attempting to see the list is in a role which requires they need to be able to do so. While this change is discussed within the meeting, I have been specifically asked not to blog on the change until it is deployed to the Main (SLS) simulator channel on Tuesday, June 9th, when I’ll have the details in full.
Unified Snapshot Floater
[33:12] As I’ve recently reviewed, NiranV Dean has updated the unified snapshot floater in his Black Dragon viewer. As he originally contributed the code for this floater to the Lab, he has also raised a JIRA (see BUG-9325) listing improvements and fixes and has contributed his updated code. This has been under review at the Lab, and commenting at the TPV Developer meeting, Oz indicated that the Lab are “fine” with the majority of Niran’s suggestions, although there are a couple that appear to be subject to further consideration, which might take a little while to sort through.
NiranV Dean’s unified snapshot floater improvements, including the separate, resizeable preview panel, are now with the Lab, although it is not yet entirely clear which of the updates will be adopted, or when they will appear in the official viewer.
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, we’re approaching that time of year when the days are expected to be warm and bright, the skies blue and the fields and grass green. A time of year when thoughts turn naturally to holidays and vacations, of spending time away from the demands of everyday life, strolling hand-in-hand along a beach or perhaps under the shade of tall trees or along a little street in another corner of the world, be it near or far. Perhaps, on days like these, we recall memories of past holidays in places we have enjoyed; recapturing the joy they brought, even while planning our next vacation excursion.
It is from such memories that the theme for Flux Sur Mer first arose. A full region collaborative design led by Mya Richards and Nic Bour, which includes the talents of Posh Jones and Imoken Neox, Flux Sur Mer seeks to recapture the rich beauty of the south of France and encapsulate it within the arms of a rural river estuary setting, which the lazy flow of rivers converge to meet the ebb and flow of a warm sea’s tide.
From the moment you arrive in the region – which is newly-opened, and may not remain accessible to the public, depending upon whatever use to which it is eventually put. But while it is, anyone interested in sight-seeing in Second Life should make a point of visiting. And be sure you allow plenty of time to do so – because just like a vacation in the physical world, there really is an incredible amount to see here; far more than may at first be apparent.
There is a distinct east / west feel to the overall design of the region in keeping with the theme of it being a coastal area. The east side of the island definitely has an “inland” feel to it, and wandering that side of the island, it is easy to imagine that the eastward sea is in fact rolling green countryside through which the rivers cutting through the region wind off into the haze.
The west side of the region, however, which includes the landing point, has a distinctly coastal look and feel. It is here that the river, frequently crossed by bridges both wooden and stone, converge and meet the waiting sea. Here, as well, can be found a beach of golden sand, with motor cruisers and sailboats sitting at anchor just off the central tongue of land that sits between the rivers, which are themselves flanked by flat-topped plateaux to the north and south.
The feel of rural southern France is brought to life in so many ways here that anyone who has spent time in that part of the world is liable to find their memories being stirred and smiles crossing their faces, whether it is while seeing the houses and cottages, or spending time at one of the many little roadside, sea front or hilltop cafes, or browsing through the little vide grenier in the tiny village centre, watched over by the silent sails of an old stone windmill.
To describe everything that can be found here would really be a waste; Flux Sur Mer is a place that really has to be seen – no, more than that, it has to be experienced. Whether your interest is in coastal meandering, streetside wandering or hilltop strolling makes no difference, there is something here to suit every traveller’s taste in walks and explorations. This is a place where the little market places, the winding roads and even the down-and-heel opera house (which looks like it might also offer a little helping of night life), have so much to offer the eye and the camera; there are surprises that await you at almost every turn. In this respect, don’t forget to collect a list of landmarks from the little black signboards found across the region, should you need a guiding hand.
So on those days when the mind strays to thoughts of vacations and times away, only to be shadowed by the knowledge it may well be a while before we can do so within the physical world, it’s good to know there are places to which we can escape in Second Life. Places which allow us to both to recall times past and to share in the memories of others. Flux Sur Mer is just such a place. Be sure to book your stay.
It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and all events in Second Life are held at the Seanchai Library’s home at Bradley University. Locations for events in InWorldz and Kitely are given within the write-ups for those events.
Sunday, June 7th, 13:00 Tea-time at Baker Street
Caledonia Skytower, Kaydon Oconnell and Corwyn Allen continue reading The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, originally published in 1894, and which brings together twelve (or eleven in US editions of the volume) adventures featuring Holmes and Watson, as originally published in The Strand Magazine. This week: The Adventure of the Yellow Face, first published in 1893.
Holmes and Watson discuss The Adventure of the Yellow Face (Sidney Paget, 1893)
“Anything else?” I asked, for Holmes was turning the pipe about in his hand and staring at it in his peculiar pensive way.
He held it up and tapped on it with his long, thin forefinger, as a professor might who was lecturing on a bone.
“Pipes are occasionally of extraordinary interest,” said he. “Nothing has more individuality, save perhaps watches and bootlaces. The indications here, however, are neither very marked nor very important. The owner is obviously a muscular man, left-handed, with an excellent set of teeth, careless in his habits, and with no need to practise economy.”
Thus in part, Sherlock Holmes describes one Grant Munro, who lately visited 221B Baker Street while Holmes and Watson were absent. Having already deduced the pipe to be of great personal, if not monetary, value to Mr. Munro, Holmes is confident that the gentle will return, having obviously been so distracted in his mindset as to have left the pipe behind.
Munro duly returns, and brings with him a tale of apparent infidelity on the part of his wife, which Holmes deduces to more likely be a case of blackmail. However, the truth eventually reveals itself to be stranger than either he or Munro could imagine….
Monday June 8th, 19:00: The Talking Rock
Gyro Muggins reads Isaac Asimov’s 1955 science-fiction mystery about a repair technician and sole occupant of a space station, a race of silicon-based lifeforms living in the asteroid belt, and a space freighter which may not be all it seems.
Tuesday June 9th, The Great Gatsby, Part 3
Caledonia Skytower, Corwyn Allen and Kaydan Oconnell continue reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s magnificent 1925 novel.
In 1922, Nick Carraway arrives in New York to learn about the bond business. He rents a small cottage in West Egg, home of the newly-rich, only to discover the owner of the huge Gothic mansion next door, the deeply mysterious Jay Gatsby, is prone to throwing lavish parties every weekend, to which in seems everyone comes. Everyone it seems, except Nick’s cousin Daisy, who is married to Tom Buchanan. Together they live across the bay in the more fashion East Egg, where the “old money” resides.
Following a visit with them, Nick is slowly drawn into their world, both discovering Tom Buchanan has a mistress who lives in the Valley of Ashes, an industrial area lying between the Eggs and New York city, and finding himself increasingly attracted to the Buchanan’s friend, the beautiful, if cynically minded, Jordan Baker.
Then, one Saturday, Nick finds himself invited to one of Jay Gatsby’s great parties, and is thus drawn into an increasingly deep well of infatuation, lust, and tragedy, witnessing first hand a darker side of the so-called American Dream.
Wednesday June 10th
06:00: Forever Erma
Erma Bombeck achieved great popularity for her newspaper column that described suburban home life from the mid-1960s until the late 1990s. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers. From 1965 to 1996, Erma Bombeck wrote over 4,000 newspaper columns, using broad and sometimes eloquent humour, chronicling the ordinary life of a mid-western suburban housewife. By the 1970s, her columns were read twice-weekly by 30 million readers of the 900 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada
Join Freda Frostbite and Trolly Trollop as the delve into Erma’s wit and wisdom of everyday life, joined by Caledonia Skytower.
19:00: The Tail of Emily Windsnap
Faerie Maven-Pralou reads from the first volume in Liz Kesseler’s series about a young girl who, having always lived on a boat but having been kept away from the water by her mother, finally gets to have swimming lessons. With them comes a remarkable discovery that leads her into another world…
Thursday June 11th
19:00: Are You My Mummy?
With Shandon Loring.
21:00: Seanchai late Night
With Fin Zeddmore
Saturday June 13th 12:00 noon Seanchai Kitely: Sea Legends
With Sandon Loring – grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai .
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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 June / July is the The Xerces Society, at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programmes.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 