Year: 2015

A Steelhead farewell in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Steelhead City Hall - Steelhead City
Steelhead City Hall – Steelhead City

Update, September 27th: Nevermoor, one os the five Steehead City regions, has a new lease of life. Willow Leafstorm (zoelass) has taken over ownership of the region, which has been renamed and relocated to Ravenwood Forest. There have been some very minor changes made, but the aim is for the region to “live on in the spirit of Steehead”.

Steelhead City, the “American Victorian Steampunk Community in the Second Life Nestled in the Coastal Pacific Northwest” and set around the 1850s,  is to close at the end of September.

The news initially came via an announcement to the Steelhead community from founder TotalLunar Eclipse at the start of the month, followed by further information given in a town hall meeting held a few days later. There are multiple factors involved in the decision, the majority of which are personal in nature, relating to health, career and family situations.

Steelhead Nevermoor, Steelhead City
Steelhead Nevermoor, Steelhead City

I first wrote about Steelhead far back in 2012, and while I’ve had a number of visits since (although admittedly not since around mid-2014), I’ve never managed to get an updated blog post written. Unsurprisingly, a lot has changed since then, although much of the estate remains as I’ve always remembered and enjoyed it.

For example, over the years, the city and port have undergone a series of changes, although the more rural areas of Steelhead Boomtoown and St Helens have remained their natural look and feel with few obvious changes. Similarly, Steelhead Nevermoor has always retained its eclectic mix of rental properties, dark and mysterious churches and hints of fantasy I found instantly attractive during my first visit in early 2012; however, I admit I miss Steelhead Sanghai, the “sino-Steampunk” region, which went off-line a while back, one of two regions that decreased the estate’s size over the years from 7 at the time of my very first visit to the current five.

Steelhead City
Steelhead City

While the estate itself is due to go off-line, Steelhead as a community is determined to continue. The Steelhead group will not be closed, and it is hoped that the school and classes will continue. The Steelhead Salmons RFL team, founded by Fuzzball Ortega, have already indicated they’ll be continuing and have secured land on the d’Aillez Estates to which they are relocating.

In the meantime, the five regions of Steelhead City remain open to visitors (although the welcome centre is a tad denuded of information – don’t let that put you off), and I gather that when the time comes, things may be going out with a bang.

Steedhead Nevermoor, Steelhead City
Steedhead Nevermoor, Steelhead City

SLurl Details

 

Windlight fellowships: September

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Windlight Gallery Fellowship awardees for September are now on display
The Windlight Gallery Fellowship awardees for September are now on display

The September Windlight Gallery Fellowship awardee exhibits are now open at the gallery for viewing ahead of the formal opening and reception, which will take place on Saturday, September 12th, at 12:00 noon.

The awardees for this month are:  Bamboo Barnes, Canary Beck, Serenitee Bliss, Sparkie Cyberstar, Kayly Iali, Lala Lightfoot, Eeraftr Resident, Saoiriseheart Resident, Theadreem Resident,  Wintergeist Resident, Trav Solar, and Theda Tammas. Between them, the offer a wide range of styles and images, although there is a strong leaning towards avatar-focused images.

Kayly Iali, Windlight Gallery
Kayly Iali, Windlight Gallery

Perhaps the one notable difference in the group is Kayly Iali, who offers a series of her physical world paintings and sketches. These combine abstract with portraiture and oils to present a display which is both eye-catching and breath-taking – as can be seen from the image above.

By Contrast, Trav Solar (below), the only male awardee this month (come on guys, let’s see you applying!), presents a series of avatar studies within a set of slide show displays allowing a broad and very striking range of images to be displayed and shared between them.

Trav Solar, Windlight Gallery
Trav Solar, Windlight Gallery

Crossing the divide between avatar studies and landscape images captured around Second Life is Serenitee Bliss, who presents one of the fullest displays of art I’ve yet seen at Windlight, making full use of the wall space to present a simply stunning collage of images one is instantly drawn to and drawn into as it entices the eyes to linger and capture every detail in turn.

It may seem a little unfair focusing on just three of the awardees for the month, and in truth, everyone selected has offered  display that is both attractive and well worth viewing; I just confess to finding myself drawn to these three artists’ work in particular (although I confess to being very familiar with Kayly’s work).

Serenitee Bliss, Windlight Gallery
Serenitee Bliss, Windlight Gallery

The September Fellowship exhibition will be open through until the end of the month and the opening reception on the 12th has an open door invitation to all wishing to attend. It will feature the voice and music of Caasi Ansar and formal wear is requested. Hopefully, I’ll see you there!

About the Windlight Gallery Fellowship Programme

The goal of the Windlight Gallery Fellowship Programme is to provide promotional and artistic resources to artists in Second Life, and is open to both new and established artists. Space with the Windlight Gallery is provided free of charge for a period of 30 days. Applications for space can be made on-line, via the Fellowship application form, which includes all applicable terms for the use of space in the gallery.

Additional Information

Coastal storms in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Sommergewitter; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrSommergewitter September 2015 (Flickr)

For those who – like me – enjoy thunderstorms and seeing the sky lit by forks and shafts of lightning arcing down from the sky, Sommergewitter (“summer thunder”) designed by Nida (Nidatine) and Seraph Nirvana, is a must see.

On arrival, you’ll find yourself in what feels like a low-lying coastal region of gently undulating sand and grass capped rolling dunes. Scattered across the three islands into which the region has been split are a number of buildings – a large house and lighthouse close by the landing point on the largest island, and a houseboat and a large, modern pier-style house sitting on or alongside the other islands, which can be reached by wading, rowing boat or a solar-powered catamaran (handy if you are travelling in a group).

Sommergewitter; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrSommergewitter September 2015 (Flickr)

All of this sits under a yellow/grey sky (which I’ve taken the liberty of darkening in some of these shots),  from which rain falls over much – but not all – of the land, and from which lightning periodically forks to strike the ground or, when seen from a distance, forms a flickering sheet of light through the mist of rain.

The result is a captivating scene, rich in atmosphere and look – a photographer’s delight.  Nor does it end there, wander the island, and you’ll come across strange curios and scenes, including pianos standing out on the dunes, a drum kit near the water’s edge, a lone table set for afternoon tea, and an easel and painting kit, apparently hastily abandoned when a downpour started directly overhead.

Sommergewitter; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrSommergewitter September 2015 (Flickr)

Not all of the region is caught under a blanket of rain; travel west and north and you’ll find the beach pleasantly free of vertically arranged water, offering plenty of spots to sit and enjoy the sun while looking out over water of the more horizontal variety. Or if you prefer, you can head indoors and find sitting and snuggling spots where you can feel cosy.

For my part, I simply wandered through the rain, enjoying the storm while avoiding the lightning strikes (which oddly didn’t appear to bother the local sheep too much, despite a series of strikes occurring quite close to them!). This is a lovely setting, quite beautiful in its looks and deceptively simple in its approach; a place that allows something of nature’s own beauty to speak for itself through a coastal summer storm.

Sommergewitter; Inara Pey, September 2015, on FlickrSommergewitter September 2015 (Flickr)

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Four talents at the Living Room in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nico Time - The Living Room
Nico Time – The Living Room

Tuesday, September 8th, 2015 marks the opening of this month’s art exhibition at The Living Room, and for September, Owl and Daallee are presenting the work of not one, but four talents from Second Life, with the gallery space also undergoing a remodelling as well.

On offer through until the end of the month are selected works by CK Ballyhoo, Jamisson Burnstein, DanelleDee, and someone whose artistry I’ve long admired and enjoyed: Nico Time. All offer an intriguing mix of styles and content, both from Second Life and the physical world, making this month’s exhibition a multi-faceted event.

CK Ballyhoo - The Living Room
CK Ballyhoo – The Living Room

On the gallery’s upper level, CK presents a series of images entitled SL Skies. As the name suggests, this presents a series of skyscapes captured by the artist, who notes of them, “no filters have been used except for the black and whites, to put an emphasis on the clouds.” The result is a set of pictures, some individual, some paired, all displayed in their own little settings, each of which has been created to match the scene captured within the image itself.

Jamisson Burnstein - The Living Room
Jamisson Burnstein – The Living Room

Occupying the same level as CK, Jamisson offers images he’s captured during his explorations of Second Life. These are centred on three large format slide show screens, each of which slowly runs through a set of images loaded within it, depicting not only places but people as well. The pace of progress is such that each image can be fully and properly appreciated before the next fades into view.

Jamisson notes that he rarely exhibits his work in-world, “But The Living Room is a special place – so I am honoured to show some of my pictures here.” He’s absolutely right on his observation about The living Room, and on the strength of the pieces he is displaying I’d certainly like to see his work gracing more galleries.

DanelleDee - The Living Room
DanelleDee – The Living Room

On the lower level gallery area, Danelle presents a selection of her art from physical world. These are a mix of black-and-white and colour drawings and pictures, some with a distinctly geometric feel to them, some more abstract and others encompassing subjects such as fruit, sailing boats and butterflies. Having only joined Second Life in 2014, Danelle notes that she has found that her involvement in-world has both helped in her personal growth and encouraged her to express herself more fully; I empathise.

Alongside of Danelle’s display is Nico’s. I’ll be the first to admit this review is perhaps a tad biased towards him given I’ve included two images of his display. However, I simply cannot help it; I’ve long admired his work  through Flickr, the SL feeds, Avatar Social Network, etc. He has, to me, a marvellous eye for composition, colour and presentation, and I’m delighted to see his work appear at The Living Room.

Nico Time - The Living Room
Nico Time – The Living Room

The exhibition will officially open at 12:00 noon SLT on Tuesday, September 8th, with a party featuring music by Joe Paravane. There will also be a closing party at 23:00 SLT on September 29th, featuring Matthew Perrault.

And don’t forget The Living Room’s monthly live music party, which for September is set for the 17th, and features Bat Masters at 17:00 SLT, followed by Lyndon Heart at 18:00.

SLurl Details

2015 viewer release summaries: week 36

Posted on by Inara Pey

Updates for the week ending: Sunday, September 6th

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: 3.8.3.304115 August 18th – no change – download page, release notes
  • Release channel cohorts (See my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • Importer RC viewer updated to version 3.8.4.304605 on September 1st – improved mesh uploader and additional debugging output (download and release notes)
  • Project viewers:
    • Quick Graphics project viewer updated to version 3.8.4.304761, on September 3 – provides the new Avatar Complexity options and new graphics preset capabilities for setting, saving and restoring graphic settings for use in difference environments / circumstances (download and release notes)

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V3-style

V1-style

  • No updates.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Space Sunday: Pluto calls, Mars mystifies, Starliner prepares

Posted on by Inara Pey

new-horizonIt’s been a little quiet on the new images front where the New Horizons mission is concerned. The spacecraft, which performed the first ever flyby of Pluto and Charon in July, gathered a wealth of data, around 95% of which has remained aboard the spacecraft awaiting transmission back to Earth.

There have been a number of reasons this has been the case. First off, for the period following the close encounter, New Horizons continued to gather data and images of the Pluto-Charon system. Such is the design of the vehicle that while doing this, it couldn’t actually transmit information back to Earth. Also, once the data had been gathered it required sorting and prioritising ready for transmission back to Earth, and this again took time to do.

However, on Saturday, September 5th, New Horizons oriented itself to make contact with the Deep Space Network (DSN) operated by NASA for what was the start of a year-long “intensive” download of the 10 gigabits of data gathered by the craft, starting with information the science team regard as the highest priority data sets.

The reason the transfer will take so long is not only because the enormous distance between New Horizons and Earth, which takes radio signals moving at the speed of light over 4.5 hours to cross (a time which is slowly increasing), but also because the rate at which the data can be transmitted is limited.

Currently, the nuclear “battery” powering New Horizons can only produce around 2-10 watts of electrical power, which has to keep all of the various electrical systems warm and running. So to conserve power, the vehicle only transmits data at between 2-4 kbps. To put that in perspective, it would take you about 2 hours to download a single photo from your cellphone to your computer at those speeds.

NASA Deep Space Network facility near Canberra, Australia
NASA Deep Space Network (DSN)  is a set of three communications facilities operated by NASA in Spain, Australia (shown above) and California. They are tasked with maintaining communications with NASA’s deep space and planetary missions. Located roughly 120-degrees apart around the Earth, the three facilities can between them maintain a constant radio observation on any spacecraft under their command as the Earth rotates.

Discussing the start of the extended data download from New Horizons, Alan Stern, the mission’s Principal Investigator, said, “this is what we came for – these images, spectra and other data types that are going to help us understand the origin and the evolution of the Pluto system for the first time.”

He continued, “and what’s coming is not just the remaining 95 percent of the data that’s still aboard the spacecraft – it’s the best datasets, the highest-resolution images and spectra, the most important atmospheric datasets, and more. It’s a treasure trove.”

To mark the receipt of data and images, NASA / JPL and John Hopkins’ APL have designated Friday as Pluto Friday, when they’ll be publishing that latest images, unprocessed, received from the spacecraft the previous week. The images will be available on the LORRI image catalogue, operated by JHU / APL, starting on Friday, September 11th, 2015.

In the meantime, here’s an animated video from NASA, showing the Pluto flyby, just to whet appetites.

Mars’ Atmosphere: Where did It Go?

One of the many mysteries of Mars is what happened to its atmosphere. All of the evidence gathered over the years about the Red Planet is that it once had an atmosphere dense enough to support free-flowing liquid water, and that potentially as much of 20% of the planet’s surface may have been submerged.

So what happened? There are a number of theories. One of these is that over time, the action of the solar wind, combined with Mars’ relatively weak gravity, effectively “scooped” much of the atmosphere away into space.   Measurements of heavy and light carbon ratios in the present day atmosphere lend considerable weight to this theory.

An artist's impression of what a wet Mars may have looked like, based on the ratio of deuterium contained within the Martian polar caps
An artist’s impression of what a wet Mars may have looked like, based on the ratio of deuterium contained within the Martian polar caps

Another idea is that carbon dioxide, the major constituent of Mars’ atmosphere may have been “sequestered” – that is, “pulled” out of the atmosphere to be stored in rocks and subsurface deposits by various chemical reactions, forming carbonate minerals in the process.

This theory was given its own boost when a region of Mars called Nili Fossae, approximately as big as the US state of Arizona, was found to have huge deposits of carbonates (more recently this region has been of interest to scientists due to the discovery of impact glass, helping to mark the region as a candidate target for the Mars 2020 rover mission).

Continue reading “Space Sunday: Pluto calls, Mars mystifies, Starliner prepares” →