Month: December 2016

2016: a look back at Second Life and more – part 1

Posted on by Inara Pey
A look back through this blog's 2016 coverage
A look back through this blog’s 2016 coverage

The end of the year is once more approaching, which is often a time of reflection as we look back over the old before pausing to await the arrival of the new. It’s become something of a tradition in these pages for me to look back over the the articles and coverage of the year’s events I’ve managed to write-up, and offer a chance to revisit the ups and downs and the good and the bad the last twelve months have brought us.

To keep things digestible, I’ve broken this year’s review into two parts. This one covers January through June, and July to December can be found here.

January

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams; Inara Pey, January 2016, on Flickr Telrunya – Forest of Dreams – one of my first region visits for the 2016 Exploring Second Life series

The year started with a photo contest from Kultivate Magazine and a celebration of the 100th episode of the Drax Files Radio Hour (if you include the re-runs!), which included a chat with Oz and Troy Linden about the (then) still in development Project Bento. When Things Went Wrong with the grid rather badly over a weekend, April Linden gave an excellent a blog post explaining what had happened and why, which as I noted, marked a welcome continuance of communications on matters like this from the Lab.

Second Life’s first press appearance for the year came via an article on published UCI News, the on-line newsletter of the University of California, Irvine, which explored the work of Tom Boellstorff, a professor of anthropology at the university. The article particular examined Tom’s work in SL around Parkinson’s Disease.

In mid-January, VWBPE 2016 put out a call for papers, while I recalled a Starry Night in Second Life. Then, in the latter half of the month, Lab Chat returned with Ebbe Altberg taking questions on the Lab, Second Life and Sansar, and I provided the transcript and audio.

January also saw Caledonia Skytower joined me as a Guest Writer, with the first of her hugely popular series, If you just build it, they might not come, on promoting events in Second Life. The first month of the year also saw the Linden Department of Public Works Moles honoured in Bay City.

Sansar

I offered some thoughts on Wearable’s coverage of Sansar, and the platform also formed a focus of the 2nd Lab Chat event (see the link above).

Other Worlds and AR/VR/MR

Stephen Wolfram became the latest high-profile person to join High Fidelity’s advisory board, while the Oculus Rift VR headset became available for pre-order, with a price which shocked a lot of people, prompting me to ask, At what price VR? Then HTC announced upcoming Vive pre-ordering whilst responding to talk of a split within the company.

Personal

I was delighted to be invited to exhibit at the Art on Roofs Gallery, Second Life (see Through a Blogger’s Eyes in the January Art Reviews, below. I also made the acquaintance of artist Silas Merlin, courtesy of Kayly Iali (see The pastel world of Silas Merlin in Second Life, below), which I’m happy to say grew into a friendship. Timekiller was the fist major event of 2016 I managed to get along to, and emboldened by recent exhibitions I opened a small studio gallery.

January Travels January Art Reviews
A journey through Nightfall Images and sculptures at The Living Room
Let it Snow! Through a Blogger’s Eyes in Second Life
Discovering The Keys in Second Life Windlight Fellows January-February 2016
A dreamer’s forest in Second Life The pastel world of Silas Merlin in Second Life
A medieval meander in Second Life Bananas, trumpets, trailblazers and cacti
Stepping through the Gates of Memories in Second Life Cica’s Beginners in Second Life
Return to an enchanted Cauldron in Second Life Dutch Masters at Holly Kai Garden
High Water in Second Life Seanchai Library’s Crazy Eights in Second Life

February

The cost of experience ownership in Sansar still has yet to be determined, and will be influenced by other factors - and may be pitched on an "experimental" based when initially announced
New images of Sansar made their debut in February 2016

The 2016 events season started to ramp up in February. The 2016 RFL of SL team registrations opened, and the Home and Garden Expo took place later in the month, followed by Paint it Purple at the end of February. One Billion Rising put out a call for volunteers ahead of the February 14th event; BURN2 Burnal Equinox was announced; the Lab, with Isle of Love supported Team Fox and Parkinson’s research with their Valentines event; the ALS Awareness week took place; the VWBPE 2016 schedule was published.

Elsewhere in Second Life, Calas Galadhon re-opened (see the link below), and both Catznip and Achemy viewers updated, the former after a long break. the platform suffered more operational woes, with April Linden once again providing an explanation.  Draxtor Despres gave insight into Project Bento via a World Makers special, and I was able to provide some additional material. Thing got a little tense mid-month with a sudden slew of bannings, many of which were subsequently reversed, although one creator made an urgent plea and the whole situation left me wondering if someone had been a little too eager with the ban hammer.

Cale continued her series on events promotion in Second Life, with parts two and three, and an address by the Dalai Lama to the Mayo Clinic was relayed into Second Life.

Sansar

Further images of Sansar were released, prompting further debate, while comments at the January Lab chat left me pondering on maps and metaphors, to the consternation of some!

Other Worlds

High Fidelity played with 200 avatars in a single location, looked at a commerce project and got into scanning faces. Amazon launched Lumberyard for games developers.

Personal

Caitlyn and I opened Caitinara Bar at Holly Kai Park to help encourage traffic and visitors to the park’s facilities. Anthony Westburn became our headline DJ on Wednesdays, followed by Joy Canadeo on Fridays and (through until late summer) Kess Crystal on Sundays. I also launched into the first phase of 2016’s “lets rebuild the island…again.”

February Travels February Art Reviews
Calas Galadhon re-opens Thea and CioTToLiNa at The Living Room
Experience the Adirondacks in Second Life Terrygold’s Visions in Second Life
Visiting The Village in Second Life Exploring the City in Second Life
Sorrow’s Snow in Second Life Getting some Funky Junk  in Second Life
The Yorkshire Moors in Second Life Within the Shadows of a Dream  in Second Life
Casablanca: a classic movie in Second Life Holly Kai Art at the Park February / March
Free-form role-play in Second Life Wounded Angels in Second Life
 Spellbound by Imesha in Second Life TerpsiCorps ARTWerks; Performance Art in Second Life

Continue reading “2016: a look back at Second Life and more – part 1” →

Hell’s Crossing and the Walking Dead in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Hell's Crossing: Terminus - sanctuary, or ...?
Terminus at Hell’s Crossing: sanctuary, or …?

Back in June, friends Lυcy (LucyDiam0nd) and Max Butoh, famed for running [The Chamber]  and the always outstanding  Dathúil Gallery, both in the region of Floris, opened a new ventures; Hell’s Crossing, a free-form role-play environment (which you can read about here). At the time of the opening, it was a medieval role-play location; however, Lucy dropped me an IM to let me know things had been changed, and inviting Caitlyn and I to take a look.

As a role-play environment, Hell’s Crossing is intended to be updated from time-to-time, but in doing so, the core theme of crossing danger will always be present. And for this iteration, Max and Lucy has turned to what has become a modern classic: the comic book series turned hit TV show The Walking Dead, with “Terminus” added to the region’s name, reflecting a major location from the series.

Hell's Crossing: Terminus
Terminus at Hell’s Crossing

I have to confess, I’ve neither read the comic books nor watched the TV series, so beyond apocalypse, zombies and survival, I’m in complete ignorance of things. However, a deep understanding of either the show or the comics isn’t required; which Hell’s Crossing includes various locations from the series – the titular Terminus, the railroad tack with sign promising sanctuary at Terminus, an old church, a barn, etc., the emphasis here is fun, not getting buried in the minutiae of the series.

Visitors arrive at one end of the region, where they’ll receive a note card with some background information. Where you go from there is up to you. There’s the railroad to follow, winding dirt track and also twisting trails through the dense woodland. The various locations scattered across the region may (or may not!) offer safety from the zombies, but if you’re in the open, you’re fair game for eating: and if you “die”, you’ll be teleported home.

Hell's Crossing: Terminus - zombies!
Terminus at Hell’s Crossing: zombies!

If you intend to engage the zombies, you’ll need to be armed with a gun capable of causing damage*. If you want to simply explore, set CTRL-R, keep a sharp eye out for movement among the trees and be ready to scoot away. I’m actually not a big fan of shoot-’em-ups, but I admit, there is something addictive about Terminus at Hell’s Crossing. I found myself completely lost in running around and blasting zombies (which explode rather spectacularly, if bloodily, that I genuinely lost track of time.

Quite how much role-play will evolve is hard to judge. Certainly, the safe areas, Terminus in particular, offer scope for groups of people to come together in character or friends  / fans of the show to hop over in “informal” character and mix a little role-play with shooting the walkers.  However, I have the feeling the focus for most is going to be on splashing zombies.  With a points board on the wall just off to one side of the main warehouse in Terminus, there is a subtle encouragement to keep blasting away and engage in a little friendly competition.

Hell's Crossing: Terminus - zombies splashed!
Terminus at Hell’s Crossing: zombies splashed!

For those who do fancy a little RP amidst the shooting, there are a couple of points to keep in mind: Hell’s Crossing: Terminus isn’t intended to be a metered combat environment, and use of weapons against other avatars is frowned upon: the emphasis is on walker shooting. The region is open to rezzing, so weapons should work without a group tag, and props can be rezzed for photo shoots, with auto-return set to 20-minutes. Just make sure you have a means to stop any attempts at zombie photobombing!

All told, Terminus at Hell’s Crossing is a lot of fun. I can say that honestly, as I’ve so far spent around 3 hours there in the last 24, blasting away at things. What was I saying about not liking shoot-’em-ups?!

Hell's Crossing: Terminus - all along the watchtower...
Terminus at Hell’s Crossing: all along the watchtower…

* In editing, I removed a comment noting that the region uses the default damage indicator, rather than any metered damage system specific to the walkers, which means you can be “killed” while still apparently 100% healthy. Weapons-wise, the system isn’t geared to any specific make of weapon. I tried five different systems, and all worked fine. YMMV.

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An Abstract Line in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery
Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery

I first encountered the art of Morlita Quan in June 2016, when I visited her exhibition Organic Geometry (read here). I was at once fascinated and captivated by her work, so it was with delight that I recently had the opportunity to visit her gallery space in-world, Abstract Line Art Gallery, located over the region of Dax.

A physical world artist hailing from Spain and working under the name MorlitaM, Morlita’s artistic expression covers 2D and 3D art and music, and all three are very much reflected in her Second Life presence, where she exhibits her 2D work, creates 3D art and also plays music, often at the opening events for other artists and galleries she knows.

Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery
Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery

“The pictures exhibited at Abstract Line, are some of my physical world pieces,” Morlita  says of her gallery space. “They mix classical painting with post graphic design work, focused on light and geometry. Everything is inspired by nature, and I try to show the beauty of nature’s shapes through a strong touch of geometry and always guided by feelings and an abstract touch.”

The result of this are images which form beautiful, geometric abstractions of line and shade, clearly driven by geometry and symmetry whilst all the time retaining an organic sweep and flow. Produced in black and white, or sometimes using soft colours, the pieces are at once alive and at times urgent in form, while also being calming and almost mesmerizing as we become caught in the patterns forming before us.

Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery
Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery

It is the organic aspect of the pieces which perhaps captivate the most. Looking at certain pieces, as abstracted as they are, it is difficult not to see ripples on water or the curl and twists of pattern we might observe on a butterfly’s wing – or even the head of a fly or bee; whilst elsewhere can be seen a beautiful nod to that move organic of geometric forms: the Mandelbrot.

Also within the octagonal gallery space are several of Morlita’s 3D pieces, with the centre space dominated by a glorious 3D abstraction entitled The Garden. Translucent like smoked glass it forms three flower heads with petals that at once have hard, geometric edges but which are also completely organic in look, and through which white light flows sinuously.

Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery
Morlita Quan; Abstract Line Art Gallery

Abstract Line Art Gallery makes for an engaging visit, particularly if you are interested in abstract and / or geometric art, and particularly for exploring more of Morlita’s artistry. When visiting, please also consider a donation towards the gallery’s upkeep.

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A winter’s Magical Mystery in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Magical Mystery, Folk Town; Inara Pey, December 2016, on Flickr Magical Mystery, Folk Town – click any image for full size

“Magic and Mystery await around every corner,” Joonie Jatho says of her Homestead region, itself called Magical Mystery. “Come explore and see if you can find all the enchanted, secret places!”

It’s an enticing invitation, and one well worth taking the time to accept. Designed on Joonie’s behalf by the combined talents of Kaelyn Alecto (responsible for  It All Starts With a Smile (which I last visited here), LuaneMeo (who designed Luane’s World – see here – with Kaelyn, and most recently opened Luane’s Magic World – see here), and Gorba McMahon, Magical Mystery presents visitors with a lot to see and discover.

Magical Mystery, Folk Town; Inara Pey, December 2016, on Flickr Magical Mystery, Folk Town

This is a rugged landscape, icy and cold – but it has a warm heart waiting to be found by those who seek its secrets. Tall shoulders of rock and flat-topped plateaus surround the centre of the region, cut through by a deep gorge itself spanned by rocky arches. Snow caps the tops of these high, seemingly impassable cliffs, whilst encircling their feet is a low-lying realm of ice and snow.

Visitors arrive on the south side of the region, where a path of snow-covered slabs forms a “T” junction. To the left and right, it points the way across the ice, while northward, it directs one’s feet into the deep cleft of the gorge towards a set of stone steps over which hang three great Fae bubbles, the hint of buildings lying beyond.

Magical Mystery, Folk Town; Inara Pey, December 2016, on Flickr Magical Mystery, Folk Town

Which route you take in exploring is up to you; go east and you can enjoy the frolics of penguins waddling over ice and belly sliding down snowy slopes. Go west and a bridge suspended between coloured balloons leads to a small island. Boats bob on the water close by, offering cuddle spots, and a frozen pond sits in the middle of the island, watched over by snowy egrets and pink unicorns. A sign warns of the danger of thin ice – but find the right point and you can plunge through the ice and into another world.

The northward route, through the gorge, leads you under the gnarled form of an ancient tree, bent with age, lie a tired sentinel at the gate of the deep cleft. Across a stretch of glittering ice, the stone steps lead the way to a little village hidden and safe within the enfolding might of the rocky walls surrounding it.

Magical Mystery, Folk Town; Inara Pey, December 2016, on Flickr Magical Mystery, Folk Town

Here the aged, bent trees clinging limpet-like to the near vertical walls of the gorge give way to firs trees, the largest of which is festooned with lights, the houses colourful and bright beneath it. A pond offers an opportunity for skating. Beyond the houses, more steps visible through a stone arch invite the visitor onwards and upwards, passing through a frosted wood to where a church sits on a finger of flat rock, reached via a sturdy wooden bridge.

But this is not all – far from it. Before the church the path again branches left and right through the trees, presenting visitors with more chances to explore – and those who take them will find more to explore, and that diving through broken ice isn’t the only way of finding the hidden magic of this region;  more to be found underground and up on the rocky peaks. Throughout it all, the local wildlife also awaits discovery, and there are places to sit and places to cuddle, opportunities to slip inside and warm up after the cold. For those who feel a little more active, skating and sledding is also to be found.

Magical Mystery, Folk Town; Inara Pey, December 2016, on Flickr Magical Mystery, Folk Town

Magical Mystery makes for a rewarding visit. Should you enjoy your time there, do please consider making a donation towards the region’s continued enjoyment by others.

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Flying the CLS Ryan Navion (via Firestorm) in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion
The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion

Firestorm recently held their Christmas Party, and as a part of it, they’ offered Firestorm users holiday goodies in the form of a pet leopard and a CLS Aviation Ryan Navion aeroplane in the Firestorm colours.

I’m a bit of a flying fan in Second life (albeit not necessarily looking for full realism, just the fun of getting into the air and pootling around), and as I’d never actually come across CLS Aviation before, I cheekily saw the opportunity snag the gift and see what the plane was all about.

The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion
The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion

The retail variant of the plane is prices at  L$1,099 at the time of writing, and is supplied Copy / Mod – the accompanying photos showing it can be re-painted (although I have no idea if templates are supplied – so check before buying). The Firestorm version, for obvious reasons, is supplied No Mod, locking-in the Firestorm paintwork, but otherwise it is the same aircraft model.

The Navion is a post-war single-engined light aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage and seating four, many of which are still in use today. Wikipedia informs me that CLSA model is based on one of the later variants of aircraft, which had wing-tip fuel tanks.  The model weighs-in with a Land Impact of 77, a physics weight of 2.2, and a render weight of 49072.

CLSA Navion instruments: legible and reflect aircraft's operation
CLSA Navion instruments: legible and reflect aircraft’s operation

The Firestorm finish is pretty good, with the exterior of the ‘plane looking quite eye-catching. Elements of the finish continue inside the sliding canopy cockpit, where the trim on the seats and instrument panel includes colour nods to Firestorm. The instrument panel is fully readable and the instruments  respond to flight movements, making it perfectly possible to fly and navigate in Mouselook and using keyboard / chat commands.  For those who like HUD-based flying, one is also supplied, offering access to essential controls and instruments and gives access to the plane’s menu, which can also be used when flying.

Usage-wise, touch the canopy to open it and hop in (it opens automatically on shutting down the engine). A headset is supplied for those who like that kind of touch, and the “usual” control options apply (“s” / “start” / “stop” for the engine, WASD / arrow keys for turn / climb / dive; PAGE keys for throttle, etc). Multiple camera pre-sets are offered as well, accessible via chat (“c0” through “c9”, which can also be selected by menu (accessed through the HUD) or cycled through via the HUD.

The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion
The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion

I found the plane handled reasonably well in the air, although turns felt a little “flat” and lacking roll at times while acrobatics such as looping felt a little on the “tight” side (albeit with nice camera motion). Allowing for the current state of region crossings, the Navion handled things reasonably well, although recovery did at times seem a little sluggish. Camera scripting in particular seemed to try to handle slewing issues on crossings by giving a forward view of the plane then gently panning around to the over-the-tail default. This mostly avoided instances of finding the camera pointing into the side of the plane after a rough crossing, but when these did occur, cycling through the camera pre-sets generally cleared it.

Flying in Mouselook  / via instruments was more than acceptable, although I need to practice my landings in this mode! And on the subject of landings, a novel aspect of this plane is that while it senses Linden Water as water (listen for the splash), it will nevertheless quite happily land on it even though devoid of floats – and will also take off from Linden water as if it were a runway, feeling very much like the Terra Stingray in the process.

The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion
The Firestorm CLSA Ryan Navion: works on water! 😉

Overall, not a bad ‘plane, particularly if you’re looking for something to start out with. One small word of warning – should you go ahead and buy this plane (any plane?) from CLSA, or get the Firestorm variant (whilst available), make sure you rez the package in an open space. I rezzed mine in the living room and almost squished myself between it and the wall!

And, also, as this one is in Firestorm colours, are we going to see a Firestorm aerobatics team form? 😀 .

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At The Bridge with Terrygold in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Bridge
The Bridge

Running from 13:00 SLT on Wednesday, December 21st through until January 6th at Art on Roofs, is The Bridge by Terrygold, an exhibition of over 40 of her images and studies in what I think is the largest display of her work to date.

Anyone familiar with Terrygold’s work, cannot help but be struck by her expressive use of monochrome, her minimal and striking use of colour and the manner in which props form an integral part of her images and the narratives they project. Seeing so many pieces on display here, complete with thematic groupings, really brings the extraordinary power and beauty of her work home.

The Bridge
The Bridge

As with her previous exhibits, The Bridge is reached via teleport from the main Art on Roofs landing point. On arrival, some viewer set-up may be required prior to entering the exhibition areas. Specifically, the time of day should be set to ambient dark / midnight, and the graphics Advanced Lighting Model (ALM) should be turned on to appreciate the projected lights (there is no need to enabled shadows Sun/Moon + Projected Lights if this hits your performance too hard – the light projectors will still work, you’ll just use the use of shadows to further enhance the pieces).

Once your viewer is set, step out in the white area and onto the bridge. This leads the way between six tall alcoves in which are displayed the first of Terrygold’s pieces – including one of the props used in a study. This bridge is the first indication that as with previous exhibitions, the setting in which Terrygold displays her work is not just a backdrop to her work, it is very much part of the exhibition itself – as there the props she’s used, which is why they can be found within The Bridge.

The Bridge
The Bridge

On reaching the far end of the bridge, visitors are invited to pass between blood-red curtains (red being one of the colours Terrygold frequently uses to present strong contrasts in her work) to the second element of the exhibition. Here amidst echoes of her earlier installation, Windows (which you can read about here), are four pieces with a distinctly musical theme. Beyond this, reached by following a jigsaw on the floor, lay the main two exhibit areas.

The first of these offers another three-dimensional experience to visitors – a theme continued from the settings for earlier displays – with the art extending below “floor” level. A white path winds through this chamber, passing an ivory piano while offering a vantage point for camming around the art and the hall, before leading the visitor through a gap in the walls to the final, midnight black chamber. Here are themed sets of beautiful monochrome nude studies. With titles such as Gabbia, (“Cage”), Prigioniera (“Prisoner”),  Freni (“Brakes”), and Muri Stella (“Wall Star”), they are stunningly evocative and powerful pieces which hold sway over one’s attention.

The Bridge
The Bridge

Terrygold modestly claims she is not an artist, just a photographer. I have, and continue to, disagree with her on this. Not only do her images demonstrate a clear eye for framing, composition and narrative, the environments in which she presents them more than demonstrate her considerable skill as an artist and designer.

The Bridge, as noted, will remain open through until January 6th, 2017. Should you visit, please do consider a donation towards Terrygold’s work and the upkeep of the Art on Roofs gallery spaces, of which she is also the curator.

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