Category: Events

“Be a Warrior” this weekend

Posted on by Inara Pey

I received word about an event being held this weekend in light of the tragic suicide of teenager Jamey Rodemeyer last month.

Be A Warrior for Jamey is a joint event being organised by Second Pride and other LGBT organisations that is in support of October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and aims to “Celebrate Jamey’s life and the lives of other teens, many of whose deaths are not being recorded as suicides due to the associated stigma. It will also let troubled teens in Second Life know that they have somewhere to turn if they have are confronted by bullying”.

The information on the event is being circulated by DJ Palianta, and reads in part:

“Dear Fellow Second Life Resident:

“I am writing to you about something that has been of great concern for me — the epidemic of teen suicides due to bullying, most notably including their peers in schools. Gay teens are a particularly vulnerable target. And they need your help.  And I am sorry to tell you that yesterday, news of another gay teen suicide in Ottawa Canada, Jamie Hubley, was announced.

“Troubled gay teens like Jamie Hubley and Jamey Rodemeyer, above, who ended his life on September 17 after making an “It Gets Better” video“, are increasingly taking their own lives in response to having nowhere to turn. This is an epidemic that is getting out of control and must be confronted and stopped.

“We look at these beautiful boys and girls and see a life waiting to be lived. Many of us cannot imagine the horror and despair that must be going on through their minds. What is happening?  For one thing, social media, most notably Facebook, is opening another venue of bullying and exposing all sorts of personal information to the outside world. For another, gay teenagers are “coming out” now at far younger ages than they did in prior generations, at a time when they are most vulnerable. And for every teenager who commits suicide, a much larger number are contemplating the same.

“This weekend, the residents of Second Life will have their chance to do something about this. Tadd’s Cabaret, together with Second Pride and other clubs and organizations,  will be hosting ‘Be a Warrior for Jamey Weekend’ on Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23.”

The event will be held at Tadd’s Cabaret and Dance Club, and the schedule comprises (all times SLT):

Saturday, October 22

  • 19:00-21:00:DJ Jared Presents Be a Warrior! with Jamey’s Warriors

Sunday, October 23

  • 15:00-16:00: InysX Piranha
  • 16:00-17:00: Loki Kahanamoku
  • 17:00-18:00: Queen Edman
  • 18:00-19:00:Johny Alderton
  • 19:00-20:00: TinaMaire Beck
  • 20:00-21:00: Jared Palianta

Seanchai Library brings War of the Worlds to SL

Posted on by Inara Pey
“We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s, and yet as mortal as his own. We know now that as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.
“With infinite complacency people went to and fro over the earth about their little affairs, serene in the assurance of their dominion over this small, spinning fragment of solar driftwood which, by chance or design, man has inherited out of the dark mystery of Time and Space.
“Yet across an immense ethereal gulf, minds that are to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle, intellects vast, cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us.
“In the thirty-ninth year of the twentieth century came the great disillusionment. It was near the end of October. Business was better. The war scare was over. More men were back at work. Sales were picking up. On this particular evening, October 30th, the Crosley service estimated that thirty-two million people were listening in on radios.”

So opens one of the most famous radio broadcasts of the last century, Orson Welles’ famous interpretation of H.G. Wells’ allegorical classic War of the Worlds.

Welles during his October 30th 1938 broadcast

Set in 1939, but actually broadcast on October 30th 1938, the adaptation was part of Welles’ own weekly (and largely dramatic) Mercury Theatre on Air presentations for CBS Radio.

So real did the show seem, that many who tuned-in after it had commenced broadcasting – so missing the opening announcements – took it for genuine reports of an unimaginable invasion, rather than the usual fictional offering from Welles.

It has been claimed that Welles structured his adaptation specifically so that the first “news broadcast” from Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, would occur some 12 minutes into the broadcast, knowing full well that it was around that time that those listening to NBC Radio’s The Chase and Sandborn Hour would frequently re-tune their radios to listen to The Mercury Theatre on CBS, and this added to the confusion the show created among listeners.

While history suggests that the show may not have caused quite the panic that newspapers at the time suggested (at least during the actual broadcast), that it did have an impact both while on-air and in the days that followed cannot be denied. Certainly, it became something that was – a notable event in history, one that is still known to many the world over even now, some 73 years after the original broadcast.

The New York Times reporting on Welles’ broadcast the following day

And it is this history that is about to come to life in Second Life this month.

To mark Halloween this year, the Seanchai Library will give three performances of War of the Worlds in Second Life. What is more, thanks to the gracious permission of the family of playwright Howard Koch, the performances will be and adaptation of the 1938 screenplay Koch and writing partner Anne Froelich produced for Welles’ broadcast.

The production is being directed by Seanchai’s own Caledonia Skytower, and will feature the voice talents of Shandon Loring, Bear Silvershade and Kayden O’Connell, Crap Mariner, Elder Priestman, BigRed Coyote and Caledonia Skytower herself among the cast.

Commenting on the production, Caledonia said, “I remember hearing the L.A. Theatreworks production of this script in the 1990s and imagining what it must have been like to have been listening that October evening in 1938. Orson Welles and company presented it in keeping with the spirit of the Halloween season.”

“War of the Worlds scared the pants off people back in the ’30s, using the power of voice to persuade folks this was real,” Derry McMahon, Seanchai’s chief librarian, added enthusiastically, “We plan to generate that same feeling with our production.”

This is definitely not something to be missed. War of the Worlds – be it the novel, the radio broadcasts (and its many later adaptations) or Jeff Wayne’s glorious musical version (also recently revived on stage) – is a fabulous tale with an allegorical heart that may still hold as true today as it did in Wells’ own time. The Seanchai production promises to continue the tradition set by its predecessors and, in the process, help to raise money for charity. Given this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is fitting that the nominated charity is the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Seanchai Library presents War of the Worlds

National eXtension Virtual Conference simulcast in SL

Posted on by Inara Pey

October 17-19 will see the US-based National eXtension Initiative host a Virtual Conference on-line and in Second Life.

The conference is billed as being for, “Anyone working to reach and interact with the public will be interested in this active and reactive virtual conference designed to build your knowledge skill set about the changing world of information today and for the future”.

It will be streamed live over the web (note that this website will remain static until the conference commences), and will also be broadcast in-world in Second Life at the NeVC’s open-air auditorium (SLurl).

The conference offers a relaxed pace to suit the working environment – those wishing to participate don’t have to spend the entire day glued to a live stream or in-world – and offers the opportunity for those best-suited to the time zone (East Coast USA) to share the eent with work colleagues.

Schedule of Speakers

All times SLT.

Monday 17th October

Tuesday 18th October

  • 08:00 – Robin Good: online entrepreneur and publisher of www.MasterNewMedia.org, an online magazine covering the effective use of new media technologies for business and communication, Robin has seen his work mentioned in over 100 books and his writing followed by nearly 10 million people worldwide in 2010. He introduced the concept of “news radars” in 2004, and has since expanded on the concept. On top of all this, he current curates multiple new topics at: http://scoop.it/u/RobinGood
  • 11:00 – Paulette Robinson is the Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning for the Information Resources Management College at the National Defense University and leads the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds, which is used by government, industry, and academia interested in virtual world use for confronting and solving common issues.

Wednesday 19th October

Each session will last 45 minutes, and will be followed by a short break, after which there will be some 90 minutes available for interactive Q&A via chat and Twitter. As well as being streamed live, each presentation will be recorded for later re-broadcasting.

Further information can be found on the conference web page (note that all times on the website are EDT, not SLT!), and by following #nevc2011 on Twitter.

With thanks to Rik at NPC, and Terry Meisenbach at The National eXtension Initiative.

BoobieThon 2011

Posted on by Inara Pey

With being away for a few days over the month-end, I didn’t catch notification of this year’s BoobieThon, so apologies to the organisers for this late post.

BoobieThon is an annual, week-long event designed to raise awareness of, and funds to help in the fight against, breast cancer. It is an off-shoot of a real world event and forms a part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Activities throughout the week are deliberately planned to be interesting, fun, and at times irreverent, with the serious aim of raising funds for the Susan  G. Komen Foundation.

Here’s a schedule of the remaining events for the week – all times SLT

October 5, 2011
  • 19:00: Victorian’s Secret at the Blue Mermaid, Caledon On Sea
  • Art Auction and Designer Vendors continue
October 6, 2011
  • 17:00: Poetry Slam for Boobies at der Hut das Jaeger, Winterfell Absinthe
  • Art Auction and Designer Vendors continue
  • 20:00: LAST BID for the art auction
October 7, 2011
  • 12:00 BoobieBall (I) at BoobieBall Garden, Winterfell
  • 19:00 BoobieBall (II) at Boobie Ball Garden, Winterfell
  • Designer Vendors continue
  • 20:50: Final Donation

BURN2 Preview

Posted on by Inara Pey

This weekend marks the start of BURN2, the Second Life sister celebration to Burning Man.

This year, BURN2 is spread over a total of four sims, in a suitable desert theme, surrounded by sandy hills that add to the atmosphere of the event. I’ve already outlines the first couple of days of events that are going on at BURN2 (subject to final calendar adjustments), and this week I had the opportunity to tour the sims and see what they have in sort by way of builds.

Desert scene: BURN2

Featured Artists

BURN2 features displays by a number of invited artists, and I decided to start my wanderings by seeking out their work. The first wasn’t hard to find, given I’ve had the advantage of seeing it in preparation while interviewing her.

Claudia222 Jewell
Claudia222 Jewell’s “The Sacrifice”

Claudia222 Jewell’s completed The Sacrifice. It is a truly stunning piece of work, that plays fully on the visual senses in a very dramatic manner.

“The Sacrifice” from the other side

Find Claudia on the map.

 Rebeca Bashly

Rebeca has time on her mind and the passing of life with her piece, I Said I Will!

Rebeca Bashly’s “I Said I Will”

Find Rebeca on the map.

Oberon Onmura

Oberon Onmura presents Inculcation. This is hard to describe, but is fascinating to watch.

Inculcation – step inside and all will be revealed!

Find Oberon on the map.

RAG Randt

Still a work-in-progress when I sneaked a peek, RAG Randt’s piece looks a lot of fun.

RAG Randt

Find RAG on the map.

Starlash Sweetwater

Starlash presents, Identity, a wonderfully enticing piece. Enjoy and experience!

Identity

Find Starlash on the map.

Trill Zapatero

Trill Zapatero’s Grail Quest is a magnificent piece by day, and beautifully illuminated by night. The piece represents, “The Fool’s journey to the end of the universe and back., through all the pitfalls and trials of identity and desire, to death and beyond, through the  gauntlet of useless rusty grails offered up by religion and ideology, through a modernist purgatory, and into the heart and soul of the crumbling grail castle reclaimed by nature and love. all steps along the way leading to the ultimate discovery of the true grail.”

Grail Quest

Find Trill on the map.

The Temple

The BURN2 temple is an exquisite design by Damanios Thetan that blends arches, curves and spires together beautifully. As someone who has a deep affinity for Sri Lanka, I couldn’t help but see something of the Stupors of places like Anaradhapura.

BURN2 Temple

Visit the temple at BURN2.

Impressions

Would you like to fly…?

BURN2 isn’t as big as SL8B, obviously, but that doesn’t mean it lacks for content. There are some amazing and thought-provoking pieces throughout, and one can wander at will along the wheel-rutted tracks around the sims, or choose a more convenient mode of transport – such as a tour balloon that will waft you around under the power of a propeller rather than leaving it simply to the wind…

The desert theme and campfire feel has been nicely captured – although I can’t help but feel the windlight and sky could do with a Touch of Torley to add to the ambience.

Signs on exhibits were still going on when I took my wander (personal commitments mean I’m missing the official press / blogger preview), so it was hard to understand what some were about in relation to the event’s theme of Rites of Passage. Perhaps some simply don’t have a deeper meaning. Some were certainly fun walking through / over / in!

If there is one complaint to be levelled at all on the sims it is going to be the inevitable lag. Even with *just” the exhibitors and helpers and staff on the sims, it was pretty horrendous. Sculpties abound through many of the exhibits and undoubtably contribute to issues, as does the potentially high script count in some pieces. As those familiar with this blog will know, I’m a confirmed Firestorm user, and I’ve encountered very few crash issues in the months I’ve been using it (few as in less than half-a-dozen); yet during two visits to BURN2 totalling around 90 minutes, I experienced no fewer than nine Viewer crashes. Viewer 3 also crashed on me twice, and even Phoenix had issues.

Nevertheless, and while I’ll miss most of the opening weekend, I’ll be back at BURN2 next week seeing what is going on where and when!

Burning the Man and the Temple

These two events, central to BURN2 have been scheduled to suit major timezones as follows:

  • Burning of the Man – Europe, Saturday October 8th
    • Gather: 11:00 SLT
    • Burn: 11:30 SLT
  • Burning of the Man – USA, Saturday October 8th
    • Gather: 19:00 SLT
    •  Burn: 19:30 SLT
  • Burning the Man – Australia / Asia, Sunday October 9th
    • Gather: 03:00 SLT
    • Burn: 03:30 SLT
  • Burning of the Temple – Europe, Sunday October 9th
    • Gather: 11:00 SLT
    • Burn: 11:30 SLT
  • Burning of the Temple – USA, Sunday October 9th
    • Gather: 19:00 SLT
    • Burn: 19:30 SLT
  • Burning of the Temple – Australia / Asia, Monday October 10th
      • Gather: 03:00 SLT
      • Burn: 03:30 SLT

BURN2: Final countdown

Posted on by Inara Pey

This week, BURN2 enters the final countdown phase. Events commence on Saturday October 1st at 12:00 SLT (following the opening speeches at 11:00), and BURN2 runs until the 9th October, with sims closing to public access at 23:00 SLT.

Around the main event are a few special events that might be of interest:

  • Thursday 29th September: Builder’s / Playa preview from 08:00 SLT. Press and bloggers preview from 08:30 SLT. Press passes can be applied for here
  • Friday September 30th: special Burning Man, Regionals, and Rangers day open to Regional leadership, BURNING MAN staff, and Rangers, presenting them with the chance to see the virtual playa before it opens. Full details here
  • Saturday 15th October: Skin Burn: a final party. Details of access TBA.

The organisers have announced that mesh builds are not allowed at BURN2, although mesh clothing and avatars are allowed. The stated reason for the “no mesh” build policy is insufficient mesh rendering support among Viewers.

As well as the builds and invited artists, the week will feature a wide range of entertainment and other events. Some centre stage highlights for the weekend*:

Saturday 1st October (times SLT)

  • 11:00: opening addresses
  • 12:00: Mankind Tracer – music and dance
  • 13:00: Firedancer Yman Juran
  • 15:00-22:00: live music from Farrokh Vavoom, Mommaluv Skytower, Eio Tuqiri, FedordJones Popstar, Lillie Woodells, Doofus Luckless and Larree Quixote

Sunday 2nd October (times SLT)

  • 10:00: live music from Eio Tuqiri
  • 11:00: Ladyslipper Constantine & DRUM
  • 12:00-14:00 – live music from Rainbowrocks69 Resident, DedheadDMT Infinity and Bubba C John and the Bubbettes
  • 15:00: poet Karima Hoisan
  • 16:00: recording “The 1st Question” with hosts Pooky Amsterdam and Hydra Shaftoe
  • 17:00-22:00: live music with Truelie Telling, Strum Diesel, Vaughn Michalak, Grif Bamaisin, Chip Takacs and Mike Nelson.

*Times may vary as then final showcase is put together – be sure to check the main events calendar at the BURN2 website.