Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation
Updates from the week through to Sunday, April 30th, 2023
This summary is generally 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.
Note that for purposes of length, TPV test viewers, preview / beta viewers / nightly builds are generally not recorded in these summaries.
Official LL Viewers
Release viewer: Performance Floater / Auto FPS RC viewer, version 6.6.11.579629, promoted April 25 – NEW.
Natthimmel – Göbekli Tepe. May 2023; click any image for full size
Potbelly Hill – otherwise known as Göbekli Tepe in Turkish or Girê Mirazan or Xirabreşkê in Kurdish – is home to the world’s oldest known megaliths, dating back to approximately 9500 and 8000 BCE and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic era of the Fertile Crescent. This was the period, commencing at the end of the last Ice Age, which marked the switch from the more nomadic forms of life in within the region towards the establishment of village life, producing some of the earliest evidence for permanent human settlements in the world.
Occupying some 8 hectares of land, Göbekli Tepe is one of the earliest examples of this move to settlement living, occupying as it does a tell, an artificial hill created from the accumulation of the debris from successive generations of people living in the same location, their detritus mixed with natural sedimentation.
Natthimmel – Göbekli Tepe. May 2023
Sitting in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, many of the megaliths at Göbekli Tepe are richly decorated with figurative anthropomorphic details, clothing, and reliefs of wild animals, providing archaeologists rare insights into prehistoric religion and the particular iconography of the period. The tell also includes many smaller buildings, quarries, and stone-cut cisterns from the Neolithic, as well as some traces of activity from later periods.
First noted as site of historical significance in the 1960s, the tell has been subject to continued study since then, and in 2018 it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status in recognition of its universal value as “one of the first manifestations of human-made monumental architecture”. Yet despite almost 60 years of continuous study and excavation, it is estimated that only around some 5% of the site as been exposed for investigation.
Natthimmel – Göbekli Tepe. May 2023
However, you don’t have to travel to the Anatolia region of Turkey in order to witness Göbekli Tepe; it has been brought – at least in spirit and part – to Second Life by Konrad (Kaiju Kohime). It is located within the Homestead region of Natthimmel, held by Konrad’s SL partner, Saskia Rieko, a region with its own little story: Natthimmel being Swedish for Night Sky (Saskia herself being Nordic) as a creative open space and photogenic spot for people to enjoy.
In bringing Göbekli Tepe to Second Life, Konrad has shown extraordinary dedication, having built many of the elements used within the setting himself, whilst he and Saskia have shown further creativity in using the natural presence of Linden Water in-world within their interpretation rather than trying to hide or ignore it, given the inland nature of the physical Göbekli Tepe. This gives the setting a unique appearance, the stones of the ancient monument mixing equally with natural rock formations as both dip their toes into the waters meandering across the setting.
Natthimmel – Göbekli Tepe. May 2023
As with the original, the landscape here is crossed by boardwalks which prevent unwary feet from damaging the exposed stonework and former structures as they have been exposed through excavation, whilst a further element of individuality is offered by in the way the megaliths have been made to look like they have naturally extruded from the ground and grown naturally, rather than being the result of the hands of ancient humans.
A further echo of the original comes in the form of the carved reliefs of animals on the ground, which are in turn nicely balanced by the presence of foxes wandering through the site, whilst cormorants and heron again help link the landscape the surrounding waters, again linking the two together into a single whole.
Natthimmel – Göbekli Tepe. May 2023
Carrying with it a slight sense of the alien in its broader appearance – something itself not unbecoming of an interpretation of a site of antiquity, for would not our own world appear alien were it to be seen through the eyes of those who once lived at Göbekli Tepe? – the build offered by Konrad and Saskia is both highly picturesque and engaging. It awakens the curiosity about its physical world namesake – a curiosity which might be fed / further prodded by the inclusion of some historical notes at the landing point (which make a recommended read).
I’ve no idea if this is to be the first of a series of region designs at Natthhimmel, or whether it is intended to remain as-is; what I will say is if – like me – you are interested in seeing locations from the physical world in a manner that is more immersive than relying on images and film, I strongly recommend a visit to the region to se Göbekli Tepe, just in case it is to be replaced by another idea springing from the imaginations of Saskia and Konrad.
An artist’s rendering of the ispace HAKUTO-R M1 lunar lander. Credit: ispace
Japan’s first attempt at a lunar landing appears to have ended with the loss of the vehicle – once again proving that, for all its successes, spaceflight is nowhere close to being a certainty.
Launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 in December 11th, 2023 on a low-energy ballistic trajectory that carried it 1.4 million km from Earth before starting on its return, with the Moon getting in the way to allow the vehicle enter an extended elliptical orbit on March 20th, 2023. Over the course of the next several weeks that orbit was circularised, allowing the vehicle to attempt a landing on April 25th.
Essentially a private mission – the lander was built by Tokyo-based ispace – the craft was carrying a set of private and government-sponsored payloads. Among them was Rashid, a small lunar rover developed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in the United Arab Emirates, and a “transformable lunar robot” the size of a baseball from Japan’s space agency JAXA. Other payloads include cameras and technology demonstrations.
ispace originally started as a partner of Netherlands-based White Label Space, founded in 2008 to compete in the Google Lunar X Prize. The team then became White Label Space, Japan LLC. They then become Hakuto in order to compete directly in in the Lunar V Prize, developing the Sorato rover before finally transitioning into its present form. Credit: Syced
The landing was streamed live and appeared to initially go well, the HAKUTO-R M1 vehicle having survived its extended trip to the Moon with only minor issues, all of which ispace were able to rectify. However, during the final part of the lander’s decent – whilst it was still some 80 metres above the lunar surface, close to Atlas Crater and descending at a rate of 48 km/h, the telemetry readings for the lander appeared to switch from live data to a simulation, with no subsequent confirmation of a safe landing or any further receipt of telemetry.
ispace initially acknowledged the potential vehicle loss 25 minutes after the planned landing. It came after repeated attempts at communication had failed; six hours after that, the company issued a statement confirming they believed the vehicle had been lost.
During the lander’s final approach to the surface [the] estimated remaining propellant reached at the lower threshold and shortly afterward the descent speed rapidly increased. Based on this, it has been determined that there is a high probability that the lander eventually made a hard landing on the Moon’s surface … it has been determined that Success 9 of the Mission 1 Milestones, successfully landing on the Moon and establishing communications, is no longer achievable.
– ispace announcement on the loss of the HAKUTO-R M1 lander
Despite the loss, Takeshi Hakamada, founder and chief executive of ispace, believes the mission yielded valuable data from both the development and flight of the M1 lander. This, he said would be fed into the company’s next lander mission – M2 – which is targeting a late 2024 launch. It will carry a set of customer payloads as well as a “micro rover” that ispace developed. That rover will collect a regolith sample that will be transferred to NASA under a 2020 contract awarded to ispace’s European subsidiary.
Ingenuity Snaps Perseverance
A panoramic view of Belva Crater captured by NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter during its 51st flight on April 22nd, 2023, the 772nd Martian day, or sol of the Mars 2020 mission. Within it can be seen – upper left and upper right edges – two of the helicopter’s landing feet, and just below and to the right of the image centre is the helicopter’s own shadow. Taken at an altitude of 12 metres, the picture also shows – top left (and just above and inboard of Ingenuity’s landing foot), at the foot of a create wall slope – the Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA/JPL.
Voyager 2 Gets Extended Mission Life
NASA engineers have developed a means to extend the science lifespan of their venerable Voyager 2 space probe beyond its already impressive 45 years – and could do the same for the Voyager 1 craft.
The twin Voyager programme vehicles, launched in August and September 1977 respectively, are the only human-made spacecraft to reach interstellar space. Together, they are helping scientists understand the heliosphere, the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields generated by the Sun, informing them as to its shape and its role in protecting Earth from the energetic particles and other radiation found in the interstellar environment. At the same time, the vehicles are helping those scientists also understand the nature of the environment beyond our solar system.
An artist’s rendering of Voyager 2 in deep space. Credit: NASA/JPL
However, whilst powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which convert heat from decaying plutonium into electricity, the two vehicles have a limited source of power, the RTGs generating less and less electricity as the plutonium degrades.
Thus far, the flow of electricity to the science instruments has been maintained by means of turning off other systems as they’ve ceased being required – such as the high-power camera systems – and those which do not contribute to the science mission or communications. Nevertheless it has been estimated by late 2023, Voyager 2 would be unable to generate sufficient power to manage its instruments, and NASA would have to start turning them off one by one.
To avoid this, engineers carried out a review of the craft’s systems, and realised that the voltage regulation system, designed to protect the science instruments against unexpected surges in the flow of electricity to them, has a small percent of power from the vehicle RTG specifically dedicated to it; a reserve that isn’t actually required, as it also works off the primary supply. The decision has therefore been taken to release this reserve and allow the instructions access it.
This does mean that if there is a serious voltage issue on the vehicle, the regulator might not be able to deal with it – but as engineers note, after 45 years of continuous operations, the regulators on both of the Voyager craft have been perfectly stable and have never needed to draw on the reserve. While the amount of power freed-up by the move is small, it nevertheless means NASA can forestall any need to start turning off instruments until 2026.
The same approach can also be taken with Voyager 1, although the situation there is less critical at that craft lost one of its science instruments relatively early in the mission, leaving it with sufficient power to keep the remaining instruments through until the end of 2024 before decisions on releasing the power reserve needs to be taken.
The Raglan Shire Artwalk is one of the staples of the SL art calendar, and for 2023 the 18th Artwalk will take place between Sunday, May 14th and Sunday, June 18th, inclusive.
Running across four weeks, the Artwalk is popular event among artists and residents, often attracting over 150 artists, who display their 2D and 3D art across the regions of Raglan Shire. All the displays are open-air, with 2D art is displayed on hedgerows in and around the regions, while sculptures and 3D art is displayed in a number of designated areas, all of which allows visitors to both appreciate the art and explore the Shire regions.
Qualifying Art
For the purposes of the event, qualifying art is defined as representations of RL photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and digital fine art that can be displayed on a prim; and SL photography, manipulated SL photography and SL sculpture. Pictures of physical world crafts, such as beadwork, leatherwork, etc., are not part of this show definition.
Call to Artists
A Call For Artists for the 2023 event has been issued for those wishing to participate, and key points about the exhibition in addition to the above, are as follows:
It is a non-juried show.
Artists can display more than one piece if they wish.
2D artists (“flat” art – photos, paintings, etc.) will be awarded a maximum of 15 LI. Individual pictures should be 1 prim, including the frame, and pieces should not exceed the height of the hedgerows against which they are displayed. No hovertext allowed.
3D artists (sculptures, etc.), will be awarded a maximum of 500 LI for up to three pieces of work. Artists are requested to state the LI per piece in their application, together with its overall dimensions (length, width & height). Note that any piece exceed 10m in any of these will require special permission from the organisers.
Sales of art are allowed.
All the above art forms are welcome, but should be rated PG / G – so no nudity, please!
Group membership will be required in order to display work.
Tip jars and floating text are not allowed.
Touch-based landmark / biography givers may be included, but will count against an artist’s total LI allowance.
Questions and enquiries should be forwarded via note card to Artwalk Director Karmagirl Avro, or Artwalk Assistants Kayak Kuu, Linn Darkwatch, or RaglanShireArtwalk Resident. Aid can also be obtained by asking questions through the Friends of Raglan Shire in-world Group.
Tuesday, May 9th: notification of exhibit space location issued to artists – note that hedgerow space for 2D artists is on a “first come, first serve” basis.
Friday, May 12th (after 09:00 SLT) and Saturday May 13th: Artist set-up days.
Sunday, May 14th: Artwalk Opens.
Sunday, June 18th: Artwalk closes.
Sunday, June 18th (after 21:00 SLT) through Tuesday, June 20th: takedown of works.
The Last Aokigahara Souls, April 2023 – click any image for full size
Occupying one quarter of a Full region leveraging the private region Land Capacity bonus, lies The Last Aokigahara Souls. A highly photogenic setting cast beneath a night sky, this is a place designed primarily designed by Eddie Takeda and Clair Wolf Takeda (Kajda1610) which is open to the public, and is described as a piece of Japanese nature where visitors can relax and enjoy a good cup of tea.
The name appears to have been taken from Aokigahara, the Blue Tree Meadow (also known as the Sea of Trees); a rich forest which has grown on some 30 square kilometres of lava laid down by the last major eruption of Mount Fuji in 864 CE. Located on the volcano’s north-west flank, the forest is a popular tourist destination, and has a historical reputation as a home to yūrei, the ghosts of the dead – something which might again be perhaps reflected in the parcel’s name.
The Last Aokigahara Souls, April 2023
Like its namesake, The Last Aokigahara Souls is a place where volcanic rock can be found – notably in the curtain cliffs which bound this sky-based location, and in the multiple basalt columns and outcrops found throughout. Also like its namesake, this is a richly wooded setting, home to both streams and pools of water, where exploration is encouraged along paths and trails.
The landing point sits within the outer courtyard of a large traditional-styles Japanese house, a smaller guest house facing it from across the gravel floor of the courtyard. Information boards to one side avail themselves to visitors, as does the seating located within the courtyard. Access to the house is via a set of inner courtyards, and once inside, visitors can make their way through the inner courtyards to where coffee awaits thirsty folk at the back of the house, or those wishing to unwind a little more can partake of sake in one of the two side rooms of the lower floor.
The Last Aokigahara Souls, April 2023
There are two exits from the landing point. The first is a gravel footpath marked by a red Torii gate to one side of the main courtyard or by crossing a simply log bridge which spans the stream paralleling the courtyard beyond the screen of bamboo running alongside the guest house. This to another Torii gate on the far side of the stream and a short gravel path alive with local wildlife, which provides access to a romantic little gazebo where couple might enjoy a dance or two.
The main path, meanwhile point the way to a little outdoor eatery, complete with its own little lantern-strung courtyard eating area. Here the path splits the two arms each bordering a side of a large pond fed by low waterfalls. Pointing away from the eatery, the first arm of the path directs explorers between the pond and more bamboo to where a further Torii gate guards stone steps as they start a curving climb up a hill whose flanks are hidden under the drooping cover of the trees. The second arm of the path runs onward past the eatery to joint to be cross by another path running down from the hills via a further – and straight – stair, which is again marked at its base by the presence of a Torii gate.
The Last Aokigahara Souls, April 2023
Both of the paths up the hill lead to the same destination: a temple and shrine. Illuminated by lanterns and sitting within a small garden space, the temple presents visitors with the options of spending time in quiet contemplation or sitting before Buddha whilst awaiting enlightenment as the heavens turn overhead. That the two paths both lead up to and down from the temple means they offer a tidy loop around this part of the setting without the need to retrace steps.
The path at the foot of the straight stairway not only crosses the one leading outward from the landing point, it continues on to where a small red bridge arches over the stream as it is beautifully lit by floating lanterns sitting on rafts clearly anchored against the swift flow of its current. Across the bridge, the path enters a Zen garden offering multiple points of interest to explore and in which to spend time.
The Last Aokigahara Souls, April 2023
Within this corner of the setting can be found a further shrine, a small watermill sharing its space with a family of pandas (a typical inclusion within many Japanese-themed settings, despite the fact the panda is not native to that land – although it is beloved of Japanese people); a garden marked by the presence of a huge tree in Sakura-like bloom where a couple might enjoy cuddles under a smaller tree, watched over by both Buddha and Japanese cranes; and a gravel-floored space beyond the latter garden, which can also reached by a separate path running from the Zen garden, providing the home for a small teahouse where a rather talent kitty is available to entertain visitors.
In addition, for those passing by the watermill, a further pair of bridges cross over the water channel cut to turn the mill’s wheel and (again) over the stream. These connect with a further path running under the lee of one of the boundary cliffs, climbing a set of steps as it does so to reach a little hideaway overlooking a rounded pond. Fed on one side by falls dropping from the cliffs and with its own falls tumbling to feed both mill and stream below, the pond is home to dancing crane, koi that calmly swim under the surface and lanterns which float above, lilies and basalt outcrops completing this near-idyllic spot where tea might again be enjoyed.
The Last Aokigahara Souls, April 2023
Set as it is within a sky platform, The Last Aokigahara Souls is beautifully presented; the space has been wisely used to give a sense of a location larger than its actual size, allowing for plenty of exploration without immediately feeling one is simply retracing steps. There are also multiple opportunities throughout for photography, whilst the setting gives people a chance to get away from others and enjoy a little time alone and in peace.
As noted, The Last Aokigahara Souls does sit under a (quite glorious) night sky by default, but it also lends itself to other EEP settings for photography, as I hope a couple of the images here demonstrate.
The Last Aokigahara Souls, April 2023
Definitely a place to be visited, and my thanks to Shawn Shakespeare for pointing me to it.
La Maison d’Aneli, the gallery complex operated and curated by Aneli Abeyante, and so long the host centre for a range of art exhibitions in Second Life (many of which have been featured in these pages), may have closed at the end of 2022, but the name lives on, now as a home for Aneli’s own art.
Her most recent exhibition, Scrap Heap, opened on April 19th, 2023, and it gave me good reason to visit the new La Maison d’Aneli, located within its own airborne space at vroum Short’s VeGeTaL PLaNeT. The core of this exhibition can be found on the upper level of the gallery, and features a collection of eight photographs taken by Aneli in the physical world which offer us the opportunity to view metal structures and objects through her eye and lens.
Aneli Abeyante: Scrap Heap
From the gears of aged industrial machines to the skeletal remains of metal frames, passing by way of the metal core of building long fallen into disuse, this is a selection of images captivating in their subject and the approach Aneli has taken to recording them. Her use of angle, focus and object presenting us with a series of images which – contrary to their static nature – have a richness of life and history to them.
Scrap Heap sits above an more expansive display area, complete with indoor event space, in which Aneli displays a selection of her digital art. Focused on the use of geometry withing pieces which are both static and animated, these are pieces which are engaging in form and in motion; visually pleasing digital abstractions with a further expression of life and motion which can be quite hypnotising – just cam in onto Lueur1 and / or Composition 2 for just a minute or two and see what I mean.
Aneli Abeyante: Scrap Heap
In addition, the gallery space has been dressed by Aneli in keeping with the Scrap Heap theme. the walls in places finished as aged, rusting metal, industrial grating used as flooring and walkways, and rusting flotsam in the waters either side of the landing point. This dressing and décor helps add a level of immersiveness to the gallery and the exhibition whilst also providing a visual counterpoint to the organised regularity of the digital pieces.
Although and engaging pair of exhibitions presented by an engaging Second Life artist, and on a personal note I’ll add that it is pleasing to see someone whole had devoted so much of her time promoting the art of others in Second Life now taking time to stage and display exhibitions of her own work.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 