Category: Events

Fantasy Faire 2023: reminders for merchants/sponsors + bloggers

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Fantasy Faire

Fantasy Faire, the largest fantasy-related event to take place in Second Life, will take place in 2023 from Thursday, April 20th to Sunday May 7th 2023 inclusive. As usual, there will be the expected rich mix of events, activities, stores and regions to explore, and this post is just a quick reminder to people that Merchant & Sponsor applications, together with Blogger applications are currently open – but may not be for much longer, so if you intend to apply for any of these opportunities, now is the time!

The Shopping Regions Teaser

The following are short descriptions to the Fantasy Faire 2023 shopping regions. More complete descriptions can be found in the Store Applications form, linked to below, together with details of those regions still with available store slots.

  • Dingir by Stabitha (What88 Zond): in another existence, just outside our own, is the forgotten city of Dingir, a place of art deco architecture once filled with bright colours and rich materials to symbolise the beginning of a new age of consciousness, but now long neglected.
  • Flambois by Beq Janus and Elizabeth Jarvinen: home to the Faire Lands Academy of Magic, a hidden gem in the heart of the mystical Flambois forest.
  • Frostweald by Searlait Nitschke: in the depths of Winter, the world of Frostweald waits to welcome the Spirits of loved ones as they travel from their world to the next.
  • Fungalmire by DaveOSaurus: a forest steeped in legend and myth, where ancient trees and giant mushrooms tell tales of times past. Winding paths lead to hidden nooks where visitors might stumble upon forgotten artefacts or catch a glimpse of a mystical creature or two.
  • Giggenwhirl by Allie Munro, Krystali Rabeni, Peter Locke and Lunar Tripsa: a bedridden boy dreams of a beautiful world where he can fly high above the ground into the blue beyond on a myriad of strange and magical creatures with hinged wings and propeller appendages.
  • Glimmering Meadows by Julala Demina and Lil Cinnamon: a meandering river makes a path through flower-filled meadows, glimmering light reflecting onto the nomadic tents rising up high into the colourful sky.
  • Isles of Aquarius by Echo (Jessicarubyrabbit) and Liz Corryong: dripping with the life-giving waters of the sea, the stone and glass forged by the commanding currents of the merfolk are illuminated by the hypnotic lights of their Prana, or life-force.
  • Khumbala by Ketsui Naidoo, Robyn (Robynredhead) and Ghost (synthodox): since the dawn of time, this Afrocentric Dreamworld of Memories, has grown and prospered under the rule of five benevolent Gods. Through them, the world was brought the waters, the winds, the very ground we stand, crops that sprout therein and the light that shines above.
  • Nysaris by Kadaj Yoshikawa and Janire Coba: a peaceful polytheist civilisation, the town full of lush vegetation which surrounds the Agora; the Temple dedicated to the Goddess of Hope.
  • Opera by Alia Baroque: baroque decadence, whispering curtains, bucolic debauchery.
  • Safe Haven – The Oasis Of Mana’Olana by Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont: a desert landscape with typical buildings, that is obvious at first glance – but a closer look reveals lively greenery in the interior and very unusual flora and fauna in the centre of the land. A realm for inclusivity, equality, and all the good values in life.
  • The Shimmering Fen by Elicio Ember: the air shimmers with magic and the land is lush, a living swamp of towering mushrooms. Meet the graceful elves who call this place home, living in organic structures that flow with the rhythm of nature. Welcome to The Shimmering Fen.
  • Sialdor by Dacien and Marcel Blackwood: a gothic Victorian styled city along the coast. With cobblestone streets and iron street lamps illuminating the foggy roads with glowing magical orbs.
  • Spirits’ Crossing by Marcus Inkpen: twin cities from a forgotten time connected by an ancient bridge where long ago a battle between powerful mages and elder gods tore reality asunder. Now the ruins, twisted trees and ever lingering magic form a misty labyrinth home for the few brave enough to live there.
  • Syzstrum Synod by Walton Wainwright: nestled among the stars, a world where machines left by long-forgotten creators have pried the secrets of the cosmos from the grasp of mystery.
  • The Winding Valley by Eldowyn Inshan: through fog, wild ivy and winding paths, a hidden entrance leads into a valley. Surrounded by high mountains you can see a village in the distance. Lamps shine brightly and chanting can be heard faintly on the wind.
  • WooHoo! Bay by Riven (Lrriven): a tropical paradise done in pastel and a whimsical land where one may complete a quest of self discovery to save the local fire lizards from their volcano god.
Fantasy Faire 2022: Sunken Honey (Lilia Artis and Haveit Neox)

Sponsorship and Store Applications

  • Event Region or Event Sponsorship – L$65,000 (includes a Theme store)
    • Name in Region Title and on Region landmarks.
    • Border Crossing recognition. OR logo placement on corresponding event poster.
    • Sponsor spot on Fantasy Faire Radio to play during the entire month of April.
    • The opportunity for a sponsor’s brand profile on the Fantasy Faire website. Prominent logo placement on the Fantasy Faire website.
  • Shopping Region Sponsorship – ONLY available to Merchants – L$65,000 (includes a Region Sponsor Store with 1600 LI)
    • Can share a store between 2+ merchants.
    • Placement in front of Central Arrival Point.
    • Can have a sky platform for rezzing builds as needed.
    • Name in Region Title and on Region landmarks.
    • Border Crossing recognition.
    • Sponsor spot on Fantasy Faire Radio to play during the entire month of April.
    • The opportunity for a sponsor’s brand profile on the Fantasy Faire website. Prominent logo placement on the Fantasy Faire website.
  • Featured Creator Store + Quest Sponsor – L$35,000 (includes Featured Creator Store with 1000 LI)
    • Can share a store between 2+ merchants.
    • Prominent placement next to Region Sponsor Store.
    • Can have a sky platform for rezzing builds as needed.
    • Advertising on the Quest HUD and on the FF blog.
    • Limited to up to 2 per region (but the organisers will get you onto the region of your choice if the two spots are not yet filled).
  • Featured Creator Store – L$ 8000 (700 LI)
    • Can share a store between 2+ merchants.
    • Prominent placement within a shopping region.
  • Theme Store – L$ 2500 (300 LI)
    • This store type is intended for individual merchants.
    • A second merchant can be added for a surcharge.
  • Quest Sponsor – L$30,000:
    • Does NOT include a store.
    • Logo placement on the Quest HUD and on the Fantasy Faire website.
  • Fantasy Faire Radio Sponsor – L$30,000:
    • Does NOT include a store.
    • Recognition on Fantasy Faire Radio and on the Fantasy Faire website.

Full details on requirements and guidelines for performers can be found on the Fantasy Faire 2023 Store Application form.

Fantasy Faire 2021: Peaville goes Nuts (Sweetgwendoline Bailey and Mondi Beaumont)

Blogger Applications

Applications for those wishing to blog / vlog about Fantasy Faire opened on March 20th. Those wishing to apply can do so via the Fantasy Faire Blogger Application form. However, if you have not blogged / vlogged about Fantasy Faire before, it’s important you not a few things.

Faire blogging should stem from the same sources as the Faire itself – inspiration and imagination; whilst there are no obligatory assignments for blogging, the Faire cannot be written about simply by donning an outfit and writing a few words about it, or by a quick hop to a region and a rapid write. As the Fantasy Faire organisers have previously noted:

We are looking for bloggers that genuinely love the Faire and cherish the fleeting time the Fairelands visit our realm. Since the application is mostly about getting into the early access, we are focusing on bloggers who take pictures in the regions, or of the regions We are also searching for bloggers with strong ties to RFL, who are passionate about the Relay and willing to write about it.

In short, writing about the Faire should come from being immersed within it, participating, having fun and letting your imagination soar on the wings of the Faire! So again, if you are interested, make sure you check-out all the information for bloggers and that you complete the application form.

Fantasy Faire 2020: Lunafae (Sharni Azalee)

Additional Links

Seanchai Library: stories in voice and a new schedule in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library – and this week previews the launch of a very special event.

As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.

Monday, March 27th, 19:00: The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights)

Originally published in 1995 as Northern Lights, The Golden Compass forms the first volume in Philip Pullman’s multiverse-spanning trilogy His Dark Materials.

In a world resembling Edwardian England, where magic is commonplace, young Lyra Belqcqua slip into the Retiring Room at the collage where he uncle is about to give a lecture – only to witness the Master of the college add poison to the wine intended for her uncle, Lord Asriel, prior to his arrival in the room. Warning him, she is rewarded by being allowed to remain and witness her uncle’s presentation, in which he discusses something called “Dust”, shows images of the northern lights in which there appears to be a city, and something else called the “panserbjørne”.

At the same time, children within Oxford are vanishing, kidnapped by a sect called the Gobblers, for a nefarious purpose – and Lyra is determined to find out why. In doing so, she is brought back into contact with the Master – who surprisingly gives her an alethiometer, a truth-telling device – and is offered the opportunity to live with the glamorous Mrs. Coulter, which comes as a thrill.

But as the mystery of the missing children deepens and Lyra determines to follow their trail north, so she discovers that Mrs. Coulter is not all she appears to be – and nor is her Dust-obsessed uncle, Lord Asriel.

With Gyro Muggins.

Tuesday, March 28th

12:00 Noon: Russell Eptnym

Live in the Glen.

19:00: More from the Crystal Cave

Born into a time shortly after the Romans have departed Britain, now once again divided into a series of kingdoms, Myrddin Emrys, also known as Merlin, is the illegitimate son of a Welsh princess, who refuses to name his father. Small for his age and often abused or neglected, Merlin occasionally has clairvoyant visions which, together with his unknown parentage cause him to be referred to as “the son of a devil” and “bastard child”.

After being taught to harness his abilities by the hermit, Galapas, Merlin eventually find his way to Brittany, who teaches him to use his psychic powers as well as his earthly gifts, Merlin eventually finds his way to Brittany and the court of Ambrosius Aurelianus, where he joins the war leader’s plans to invade Britain and defeat Vortigern and his Saxon allies, and unify the nation as its High King.

Discovering he is Ambrosius’s son, Merlin returns to Britain and is captured by Vortigern, who believes the only way his new fortress can remain standing is through the sacrifice of the “child with no father” – Merlin. The latter, however, discerns the real reason the walls of Vortigern’s fortress keep collapsing and plays into the king’s superstitious nature, and commences his life as a king’s advisor, even whilst seeking to support Ambrosius in his goal. Thus begins the adventures of a young boy who will eventually become the advisor to Britain’s Once And Future King.

Wednesday, March 29th, 19:00: Seanchai Flicks

Films, popcorn and fun at the Seanchai cinema space.

Thursday, March 30th, 19:00: Poetry this Year

In the Glen with Caledonia Skytower.

New Schedule

Beginning in April, Seanchai Library will be transitioning its programming model from the multiple weekly sessions that have been presented for the past 15 years, to a model that includes quarterly stories/series & special projects such as The Dickens Project and the recent Evil Under The Sun. These will be mixed with some of the current weekly events, including Russell Eponym live at the Glen, Seanchai Flicks, and supporting Tales with Friends with space for their weekly gatherings; all current series will continue until they conclude.

Bay City: Food Truck Festival 2023 in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Bay City Food Truck Festival, 2023

Sunday, March 26th, 2023 will mark the inaugural Bay City Food Truck Festival, focusing on the growing global food truck culture. The event is taking place at the Bay City Fairgrounds.

Food trucks have a long, long history around the world. In the United Kingdom, the term started entering common use among costermongers operating in 18th Century London. In the 19th century United States, the term was popularised in reference to the carts immigrants used to sell their traditional foods around the streets of cities such as New York, and which became the forebears of the modern hotdog / pretzel, etc., street vendors seen today.

In Asia meanwhile, the “food truck” culture spans centuries of mobile food provisioning. In Japan, references to what might be regarded as “food trucks” – carts used by people from the provinces to prepare and sell their local foods and delicacies in town and cities goes back as far as the late 16th / early 17th century.

Bay City Food Truck Festival, 2023

The more modern food truck has its roots in the internal combustion engine powered vans can trucks which in turn grew from the carts and stalls of street vendor. The US saw something of an explosion of food truck in the 1960s, and other countries all have their own various flavours of them – kebab wagons, crepe trucks, the mobile hot dog, fish’n’chips, doughnut, hot snack wagons, and so on. In the US in particular, they can be a common sight, pitching up outside businesses to sell meals and snacks directly to the employees there.

By the 2000s, the food truck culture was evolving again, in some ways going back to its roots and an others, upselling itself, the focus shifting towards ethnics / cultural foods, many with an emphasis on gourmet / quality standards of presentation and taste – think Roy Choi in Los Angeles and Richard Johnson in the UK.

This modern culture of food truck is the focus of the Bay City festival, featuring a display of trucks from across Second Life, decorated and presented by the people who operate / decorate them in-world. Some two dozen food trucks are presented, offering foods ranging from the simple – sausages, burgers, etc., through to the full street-side dining experience seated at tables, and are displayed around the Fairgrounds green. All Second Life residents are invited to hop along and tour the trucks, join in with the fun and activities – all you need to do in bring along an empty stomach and enjoy!

Music for the event will be provided by DJ GoSpeed of KONA Stream, starting at 12:00 noon SLT and running until 14:00 SLT. Visitors will also be able to join in with fun activities such as horse shoe tossing, testing their strength, faces-in-hole photographs, and more.

Bay City Food Truck Festival, 2023

About Bay City

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life™ and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest Bay city group, and home to most Residents of Bay City.

VWBPE 2023: Grumpity & Patch Linden – What’s Up at the Lab? – a summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
via VWBPE

On Thursday, March 23rd, 2023 Grumpity Linden, the Lab’s Vice President of Operations and Patch Linden, the Lab’s Vice President of Product Operations, both of them members of the company’s management team, attended the 2023 Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education (VWBPE) conference to discuss Second Life.

The following is a summary of the session covering the core topics raised. The notes provided have been taken directly from the official video of the session, which is embedded at the end of this article. Time stamps to the video are also provided to the relevant points in the video for those who wish to listen to specific comments.

Notes:

  • This is a summary, not a full transcript, and items have been grouped by topic, so may not be presented chronologically when compared to the video.
  • Timestamps are included to allow a direct jump to a subject / comment.

A Little Background

Grumpity Linden: heads up Second Life Product team, where she has overseen a shift to growth, a stronger, more balanced economy, movement towards better community cohesion, and an overall forward-looking approach. She originally started at LL whilst working for The Product Engine, and was involved in the development of Viewer 2 (as designed by 80/20 Studio), prior to joining LL full-time in 2014. As the Vice President of Product, she is responsible for coordinating the various teams involved in bringing features and updates to Second Life, liaising with legal, financial and compliance to ensure features and capabilities meet any specific requirements in those areas, and so on; work which can involve looking at specifics within various elements of the overall SL product, such as UI design and layout, etc.

Patch Linden: originally a Second Life resident and business owner who joined the platform in 2004, and became a Linden in September 2007. He worked across a number of teams within the company – notably within the support and product spheres, and is responsible for developing the Land Operations team, and more recently setting-up the company’s support office in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2019, he has been Vice President, Product Operations.

The Environment at the Lab and Use of SL

A general discussion on working at L:inden Lab – the environment / atmosphere -, on how often Lindens log into SL (and how some specifically do so using alts as well as their Linden accounts), etc. Please refer to the first 15  minutes of the video for details.

Product Development Path

SL Mobile

[Video: 15:42-23:40]

See also: Lab Gab summary: Grumpity, Mojo & Patch – SL Mobile, land, bots & more, March 2023.

  • A re-iteration that LL are working on a fully immersive Mobile solution for both Android and iOS.
  • Limited feature set beta in development, aimed primarily at existing users rather than trying to support the New User Experience (NUX).
  • The first release will be “broad but shallow” – rendering the world, teleporting, using chat, with the focus on getting as high a quality of rendering as possible.
    • Dealing with user-generated content (in-world and worn on avatars) which is largely unoptimised for a run-time environment like Second Life has been a challenge on the rendering side.
  • Capabilities such as complex interactions with in-world objects, the inclusion of Voice and similar will be added over time as the app is iteration on and enhanced. However, streaming audio (music) is liable to be implemented ahead of any Voice support.
  • However, while the capabilities will be iterated on over time, Mobile is not intended to offer full parity in terms of functionally as the full viewer.
  • [Video: 47:38-48:36] The initial BETA release of the Mobile app will likely not be before the last quarter of 2023.

NUX and New Starter Avatars

[Video: 23:48-28:40]

See also: Lab Gab summary: Grumpity, Mojo & Patch – SL Mobile, land, bots & more, March 2023.

  • LL is working on improving the whole user on-boarding and new user experience (NUX) path for those coming into SL for the first time.
  • This work includes new “full mesh”, one piece (head, body, hands, feet) avatars (previewed at SL19B), which will be supported by a full complement of clothing and accessory options
A preview version of the new, single mesh (head-to-toe) avatar, which will use by mesh clothing and Bakes on Mesh, and be open for creators to design clothing and accessories
  • The NUX process will involve smoother on-boarding from the web (sign-up, etc.) and include viewer-side changes to make getting started with SL easier and more intuitive, and making it easier for those coming into SL to get a good start.
  • The first part of this work to surface is likely to be the updated sign-up workflow and on-boarding from the web (including selecting one of the new avatars and carrying out some customisation at that point – thus avoiding the need to get into the complexities of using Inventory, etc., within the viewer).
  • The second part of the work “later on” will simplify the avatar customisation process within the viewer, and it is hoped the third-party viewer community will build on this work as well.
  • The new avatars, coupled with the new on-boarding path, are seen as a mean for communities leverage / user SL to develop their own on-boarding paths using the RegAPI to bring their particular audiences / users into the platform.
    • This could potentially extend down to the level of communities providing specific outfits / clothing for the users they are bringing into SL (e.g. a selection of uniforms or similar for a military role-play group; t-shirts and hoodies with a school or college logo on them for an educational group, etc.).
  • This will be leveraged by Mobile so that users coming into SL via the Mobile option will be able to customise their avatars through the on-boarding process.

PBR Materials and Puppetry

[Video: 31:41-35:40]

See also: Lab Gab summary: Grumpity, Mojo & Patch – SL Mobile, land, bots & more, March 2023, my Content Creation User Group meeting summaries and my Puppetry Project user group meeting summaries.

  • The next set of capabilities to be deployed will be the Physically Based Rendering materials capabilities and reflection probes.
    • The core of this work is to support a new approach to material maps / surfaces either directly on products developed for SL by content creators or which can be used modify personal items and creations. They are designed to give objects a sense of physical world lighting and reflection, drawing on the Khronos glTF 2.0 specification.
    • This work represents a significant technical step forward in graphical rendering for SL (in the order of 10 years), and will take a step towards facilitating things like dynamic planar mirrors which can reflect avatars in-world (with some constraints around the capability).
    • Documentation and materials in support of the PBR Materials and reflection probes is in the process of being developed.
  • Animation imports is a project that is in the pipeline, but is currently more an offshoot of the Puppetry Project.
  • The Puppetry Project is in progress, but has expanded beyond the original outline, and can be regarded as “coming soon™”. This work includes motion capture from devices as basic as a web camera, as well as potentially supporting more capable hardware, and broadcasting / streaming the results in-world in real time (so you can wave you avatar’s hand, beckon someone – even potentially reach out and pick up an object, etc.).
  • More information on the PBR work and what follows it, and the Puppetry Project will be made available as this work continues.

SL20B – The 20th Anniversary

[Video: 29:15-31:40]

See also: SL20B: theme, music festival & performer applications, March 2023.

via Linden Lab
  • SL20B is anticipated as being a “very large event”, given it is the 20th anniversary, with the event regions almost doubling in number.
  • When the exhibitor applications are opened, communities and groups from across SL are encouraged to apply and take part in the event.
  • As well as performances and entertainment, SL20B will open up for panels, talks and discussions, applications for which will also be opening soon.

Upcoming / Future Work

[Video: 36:08-42:32]

Translation tools

LL note that the current translation tools within the viewer are getting long in the tooth, so there will be a project to make sure they are properly supported. After that, it is hoped a project can be put together to move translation server-side. The specification for this work is still being developed internally at the Lab, and more details may be available for public consumption in the future.

Family Names

  • Linden Lab has long run a Custom Name Programme, allowing qualified users to pay for personalised avatar names.
  • This is being expanded to allow the introduction of a new subset of custom last names: Family Names.
  • Family Names will allow a user to purchase into a last name, and then elect / allow a certain number of accounts to use that last name.
  • This capability is something that has been requested by users, and is seen as having a number of use-cases.
  • Further information on Family Names will be made available as and when the capability is ready to be released.

Streaming Solution Option

  • Aside from the Mobile app, LL is looking at a streaming capability for Second Life (that is, running a viewer instance on a cloud server and streaming the results to a browser).
  • If developed, it would “come in at a more reasonable price-point” than past efforts (SL Go and Bright Canopy).
  • Even so, it would not be intended to be a means for day-to-day access to Second Life, but more something that could benefit specific communities / events / activities.
  • LL may well take further steps to solicit wider feedback on this idea.

General Q&A

[Video: 42:40-46:36]

  • Will there be a payable “lifetime account” option? “Maybe. Time will tell”.
  • Is the Education Discount still available – Yes.
  • Will the new features being developed prevent users on older hardware from using SL? Not necessarily – although very , very old hardware may not be able to run some of the newer features, so may have to rely on “legacy” modes (where available).

The VWBPE 2023 conference in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
via VWBPE

The 2023 Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education (VWBPE) conference takes place between Thursday, March 23rd and Saturday March 25th, 2023 inclusive. A grass-roots community event focusing on education in immersive virtual environments, VWBPE attracts 2200-3500 educational professionals from around the world each year. Its primary goals are to foster discussion on, and learning about educational opportunities presented through the use of such virtual spaces, a defining core values and best practices in doing so, including:

  • Helping to build community through extension of learning best practices to practical application of those ideas and techniques;
  • Providing networking opportunities for educators and the communities that help support education; and
  • Offering access to current innovations, trends, ideas, case studies, and other best practices for educators and the communities that help support education.

In the context of the conference, a “virtual environment” is an on-line community through which users can interact with one another and use and create ideas irrespective of time and space. As such, typical examples include Second Life, OpenSimulator, Unity, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, and so on, as well as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest or any virtual environments characterised by an open social presence and in which the direction of the platform’s evolution is manifest in the community.

Each year, the event has a central theme, which for 2023 the organisers describe thus:

Our theme for the VWBPE 2023 conference explores the concepts behind our Uncommon Realities. Learning from each other’s perspectives in how we visualize challenges, the skills we bring to bear in working through alternatives, prototyping solutions, and the personal meaning we find in interpreting the results of our efforts.
We face unparalleled challenges in the world today. Embracing our uncommon realities can be a source of inspiration to bring people together. To tell our own stories. To show people our strengths. And to inspire others to not be afraid of being different. More importantly, it allows us to explore a profusion of ideas we may never have thought of if not for our willingness to share and be seen.

– From the introduction to VWBPE 2023

VWBPE 2023 – The Main Auditorium

Programme

As with previous VWBPE conferences, this year’s event includes speakers, workshops, presentations, social activities and more.

The best way to find out what is going on over the three days of the conference is through the VWBPE programme page,  However, here are some of the highlights of major events (note: all times SLT and held at the main auditorium unless otherwise stated):

  • Thursday March 23rd:
    • 08:00-08:50: Kick-off event at the VWBPE Gateway.
    • 09:00-09:50 SLT: Keynote address – Dr. Tom Boellstorff  (Tom Bukowski in SL): Making the Metaverse a Common Reality.
    • 12:00 Noon-12:50: What’s Up at the Lab? With Grumpity and Patch Linden.
    • 13:30-14:00: The VWBPE Parade, commencing at the VWBPE Gateway.
  • Friday March 24th:
    • 08:00-08:50 SLT: Keynote address – Dr. Stylianos Mystakidis (Stylianos Ling in SL), Hellenic Open University, Greece: Metaverse: Pandora’s Pithos or Panacea for Education? 7+1 Uncommon Truths about the Edu-Metaverse.
    • 12:00 Noon-12:50: Keynote address = Alexandra Humphreys (heddwen1 in SL): Playing with Reality: Gamifying Education in the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • Saturday March 25th:
    • 18:00-19050 SLT: Closing ceremony.

If you cannot get in-world to attend any of these or the other major talks and presentations at the conference, note that you can watch them via You Tube – check the VWBPE website for the full schedule of live streams.

WWBPE Wetlands Visitor Centre

Region Themes and Facilities

For 2023, the conference returns from space, where it has been for the past couple of years, to a more Earthly setting, presenting a series of biomes in which events will be held and people can explore and play. These comprise:

  • Canopy Biome (Canopy Point): a canopy biome is a forestry ecosystem characterised by a dense layer of vegetation at the top (the canopy), under which can be found a diverse forest ecosystem.
  • Rainbow Basin: an ecosystem found within a basin or depression within the Earth’s surface, often characterised by wetlands, rivers, lakes, with the environment ranging from dry through to very wet.
  • Jungle Habitat: a tropical forest environment generally characterised by high levels of rainfall and warm, humid temperatures. These are often among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.
  • Meadow Biome (Floating Meadows): a meadow biome is characterised by a mix of forest and meadow habitats, generally in temperate zones with moderate temperatures and rainfall.

The four regions form a square and feature the main auditorium straddling there adjoining corners. They are supported by:

  • Grasslands Biome – home to the VWBPE Gateway.
  • Badlands Biome (Badlands Wild): badlands are characterised by their rugged, eroded landscape, featuring ravines, canyons and buttes. They tend to be semi-arid in nature. Here they are also home to the Rock Theatre Workshop.
  • Wetlands Marsh: an ecosystem characterised by a combination of shallow water, emergent vegetation and saturated soils. Here they are also home to several of the VWBPE social venues.
  • Desert Hinterlands: a region receiving very little rainfall, resulting in a dry, arid environment, often with high daytime temperatures and very low night temperatures. Home to the Oasis Lecture Theatre and The Ruins Workshop.
  • Tundra Expanse: a cold, treeless biome form in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, characterised by low temperatures, strong winds and little precipitation and vegetation limited to shrubs, mosses, lichens and the like, the ground being generally frozen. Home to the Quadrivium and the Hearth Lecture Theatre.

The VWBPE Gateway

At the VWBPE Gateway you can find information on the conference – including the schedule for the day, a Swag Bag which includes the conference teleport HUD for easy access to all locations and venues, information on the biomes comprising the conference regions, and more. And, of course, VWBPE volunteers are on hand to answer your questions!

Core Facilities and Locations

Within these regions the following core facilities for the conference can be found – but please refer to your conference Swag Bag (and teleport HUD!) for full  information on all locations and facilities at this year’s conference.

The Teleport HUD

As noted above, the VWBPE teleport HUD is the best way of getting around the facilities. It can be obtained via the Swag Bag giver at the VWBPE Gateway and is delivered to inventory in a folder. Open the folder and right-click → ADD the HUD. Note that you will need to grant teleport permissions for it to work.

VWBPE 2023 – Teleport HUD

By default, the teleport HUD attaches to the bottom left of the viewer window, with a single button – SHOW – available. Clicking this will expand the HUD to show:

  • Buttons for teleport to venues and locations within the conference regions. Click on these will either teleport you directly to the destination (Gateway and Lest We Forget), or open a sub-menu of destination options (e.g. Auditorium access points, talks and presentations venues, etc.).
    • Note that after being teleported to a location, the HUD will automatically minimise itself.
  • Four buttons to the right: visit the VWBPE website (VWBPE logo button); MAIN – return to the main set of teleport option buttons; HELP – receive a note card on how to use the HUD; HIDE – minimise the HUD.
VWBPE 2023: The Hearth

To keep up-to-date with the conference, be sure to check the VWBPE website daily.

Additional Links

Seanchai Library: 15 years of stories in voice in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library – and this week previews the launch of a very special event.

As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.

Sunday, March 19th, VOLUME XV: Seanchai Library Celebrates 15 Years!

Celebrate Seanchai Library’s 15th anniversary at Ceiliuradh Glen.

  • 13:30: Corwyn Allen, Live!
  • 14:00-16:00: Stories and Poetry.
Seanchai Library at 15

Monday, March 20th, 19:00: The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights)

Originally published in 1995 as Northern Lights, The Golden Compass forms the first volume in Philip Pullman’s multiverse-spanning trilogy His Dark Materials.

In a world resembling Edwardian England, where magic is commonplace, young Lyra Belqcqua slip into the Retiring Room at the collage where he uncle is about to give a lecture – only to witness the Master of the college add poison to the wine intended for her uncle, Lord Asriel, prior to his arrival in the room. Warning him, she is rewarded by being allowed to remain and witness her uncle’s presentation, in which he discusses something called “Dust”, shows images of the northern lights in which there appears to be a city, and something else called the “panserbjørne”.

At the same time, children within Oxford are vanishing, kidnapped by a sect called the Gobblers, for a nefarious purpose – and Lyra is determined to find out why. In doing so, she is brought back into contact with the Master – who surprisingly gives her an alethiometer, a truth-telling device – and is offered the opportunity to live with the glamorous Mrs. Coulter, which comes as a thrill.

But as the mystery of the missing children deepens and Lyra determines to follow their trail north, so she discovers that Mrs. Coulter is not all she appears to be – and nor is her Dust-obsessed uncle, Lord Asriel.

With Gyro Muggins.

Tuesday, March 21st

12:00 Noon: Russell Eponym

Live in the Glen.

19:00: More from the Crystal Cave

Born into a time shortly after the Romans have departed Britain, now once again divided into a series of kingdoms, Myrddin Emrys, also known as Merlin, is the illegitimate son of a Welsh princess, who refuses to name his father. Small for his age and often abused or neglected, Merlin occasionally has clairvoyant visions which, together with his unknown parentage cause him to be referred to as “the son of a devil” and “bastard child”.

After being taught to harness his abilities by the hermit, Galapas, Merlin eventually find his way to Brittany, who teaches him to use his psychic powers as well as his earthly gifts, Merlin eventually finds his way to Brittany and the court of Ambrosius Aurelianus, where he joins the war leader’s plans to invade Britain and defeat Vortigern and his Saxon allies, and unify the nation as its High King.

Discovering he is Ambrosius’s son, Merlin returns to Britain and is captured by Vortigern, who believes the only way his new fortress can remain standing is through the sacrifice of the “child with no father” – Merlin. The latter, however, discerns the real reason the walls of Vortigern’s fortress keep collapsing and plays into the king’s superstitious nature, and commences his life as a king’s advisor, even whilst seeking to support Ambrosius in his goal. Thus begins the adventures of a young boy who will eventually become the advisor to Britain’s Once And Future King.

Wednesday, March 22nd, 19:00: Seanchai Flicks

Films, popcorn and fun at the Seanchai cinema space.

Thursday, March 23rd, 21:00 Seanchai Late Night

Sci-Fi and fantasy with Finn Zeddmore.