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: 5.0.1.323027, dated January 25th, promoted February 3rd – formerly a Maintenance RC viewer download page, release notes – no change
I received two invitations almost simultaneously recently. The first came from Krys Vita and the second from my region finder extraordinaire, Shakespeare (SkinnyNilla), and both were pointing to Arol Lightfoot’s recently opened Shot of Tequila.
Those who have been around Second Life for a while may remember Arol’s Just Another Tequila Sunrise (which you can read about here). Shot of Tequila occupies the same region, Isle of Love, although Arol now shares the region, with Shot of Tequila occupying the northern half.
Shot of Tequila sits under an overcast sky (set by default by Firestorm, or use Annan Adored Dusty to get the effect Arol intends with the windlight), and presents a scene which carries some of the essence of Just Another Tequila Sunrise, although the environment is clearly very different.
Visitors arrive on a lush, largely open and flat space, where the grass grows long and trees scattered around the periphery. A large house sits to the north, backing on to a steep fall down to the water. To the west, the grass descends more gently down to a beach, overlooked by a stone terrace and wooden deck build to one side of the house.
Facing the front of the house and close to the shade of tall trees, sits a converted greenhouse, with an old caravan and pick-up truck close by. Eastwards, the land also dips slightly, this time to a small body of fresh water, before rising to more rugged scenery, topped by a flat plateau, home to a little summer-house.
It’s a simple, elegant setting marked by the presence of wildlife: bears wander the edge or the watering hole, possibly vying for fish with the cormorants that are cautiously watching them. Goats and deer graze on the uplands, observed by an eagle perched in a tree and looking quite regal. Closer to the house, stoats and raccoons play, while birds wheel overhead or sit on branches, their song filling the air.
Throughout all of the landscape are little touches which may take time to spot, and visitors have plenty of opportunities to sit and relax or cuddle, be it in the summer houses, in the back of the pick-up truck or at many of the hang chairs and beds or benches scattered across the land.
Sitting on the southern side of the curtain of cliffs which split the region east-to-west, is Love Story, designed by Lauren (Daisy Kwon) and lit by the springtime skies of the region’s default windlight setting. Also open to the public, it again presents a decidedly rural environment, but this one with a touch of the Mediterranean.
To the west, and overlooking another beach (which is not connected to the one at Shot of Tequila), sits a Tuscan villa, which also overlooks tidy ranks of vines as they descend a gentle slope towards the stream which cuts diagonally through the landscape. This is feed at one end by a fall tumbling from more cliffs, while at the other it joins a long ribbon of water nestled under the dividing cliffs, also fed by a waterfall.
Bright with colour from plants and trees in full bloom, this is another place where animals both domesticated and wild, abound. Horses, sheep and pigs graze in a paddock, watched over by cats and an enthusiastic puppy – as well as a nearby young fox. Ducks waddle along one of the two tracks and swim on the water. And this is just the start.
Follow one of the tracks up into the copse of fir trees, and more wildlife awaits, including several endearing bear cubs, one of whom seems to be playing peek-a-boo while another goes all Baloo Bear as he enjoys a back scratch. Hares, foxes and raccoons can also be found here, as can be one of the romantic cuddle spots. Climb the hill to the west of the copse and another such spot can be found, watched over by a red squirrel, while a blanket is spread nearby on the banks of another pool of water.
Both Shot of Tequila and Love Story make for an engaging join visit, although you will need to teleport between them, as there is no obvious path connecting them. Both require a keen eye to spot everything that’s going on, indoors and out (keep an eye out for the raccoon playing hide-and-seek), and together they make for an enjoyable visit.
Hi, I’m Molly. I’d like to invite you to my very first gallery exhibition. I am new to the world of SL photography and through a strange and unexpected series of events, I find myself with a warehouse gallery space for a month, and the need to fill it with (hopefully) beautiful things. I hope you can come for a visit!
So reads the invitation I received from Molly Mirassou concerning her first exhibition in Second Life. As I’m always keen to see work by artists who may not have (yet) had the exposure others have gained through their time in SL, I was only too happy to hop across and take a look.
As the invitation notes, Molly’s exhibition, simply entitled Studio M, can be found inside a large warehouse building rather than the more usual gallery space. Seven large format pieces are displayed against the walls, with the floorspace and a raised wooden area occupied by easel-mounted pieces.
The pieces on display is a broad mix, from avatar studies (self portraits, I believe), through architectural and art studies (notably Mistero Hifeng’s sculptures, which Molly has photographed to great effect) to landscapes. Most of the pieces appear to have minimal or no post-processing and simply utilise windlight settings. As such, they are refreshingly clean in style, crisply capturing their subjects.
She may be new to SL photography, but Molly clearly has an eye for subject and angle – something which can clearly be seen in the likes of Burning Cathedral (which I believe is a capture of the cathedral at Chouchou), the untitled Studio m alongside it, and, facing them, the powerfully evocative Enough, which can be seen at the top of this article.
Exhibiting your SL photography can be a daunting proposition – we all harbour doubts and uncertainties about our abilities. Molly, however, shows a definite ability to capture mood and emotion. As such, I’m certain that while this may be her first exhibition, it will not be her last; I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more of her work, and witnessing how her technique develops and the directions in which it might take her. The current exhibition will remain open through until Thursday, March 16th.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 