Artful stories, teleporting, and supernatural secret agents

Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home at Holly Kai Park, unless otherwise indicated.

Sunday, October 14th 15:00 Stories at the Park

Winter’s Colours: The Art of Lu

Join us at Holly Kai Gallery as Caledonia Skytower reads stories inspired by pictures on display in the Art of Lu, an exhibition of the remarkable art of LuAnne Anatine in Second Life.

A professional illustrator and digital artist in the physical world, Lu Anne produces some of the most stunning art to be seen in Second Life, producing her art through a fascinating mix of traditional and digital mix of mediums. For example, she produces a base drawing or painting in graphite or water-colour, then scan the images into her computer where she paints them digitally using a Wacom Cintiq tablet and a number of programs.

Stories at the Park allows writers from across Second Life to visit the exhibitions at Holly Kai Gallery and then write 100-word stories (“drabbles”) or poems on one or more of the pictures that inspire them, and which are then presented at the event, either read by the writer or one of the Seanchai Library team. All stories are then published on the Holly Kai Park blog.

So, why not join us at Holly Kai Gallery for the latest Stories at the Park? Come early and see Lu Anne’s painting ahead of the event, or stay later and explore them after!

Monday, October 15th 19:00: The Infinitive of Go

Gyro Muggins reads John Brunner’s 1980 novel about matter teleportation and dimensional shifts.

Dr Justin Williams and his collaborator, Cinnamon Wright, develop a form of instantaneous teleportation in which the departure and arrival points appear “congruent” with one another, allowing objects to be instantly moved from one to the other in a transfer process termed “posting”.

The system works flawlessly with inanimate objects, and when a situation arises requiring an urgent diplomatic solution arises, Williams is called upon to transfer a courier from the USA to an embassy in a foreign location. But something goes wrong: on his arrival, the courier is armed – yet he carried no weapon on his departure – and further demands he be given a countersign by those at the embassy – when no such arrangement had been made. Believing the mission to be compromised, the courier shoot himself, and the package he is carrying self-destructs.

In order to prove he did not sabotage the system, Williams has himself posted – only to find that while he feels unchanged, the world around him has changed in the most subtle of ways. As time goes on, Williams – with the help of a doubly altered Wright – realises that the teleportation device is moving its subjects between parallel universes. It is also apparent that some of those arriving in the dimension in which he now exists have far more knowledge about what is going on.

The question is, is it the system that is causing people to move between universes, or ir it something more subtle?

Tuesday, October 16th 19:00: Ghost Stories from Home

With Caledonia Skytower.

Wednesday, October 17th, 19:00: The Jennifer Morgue

Corwyn Allen reads the second volume in the Laundry Files by Charles Stross.

Bob Howard is an IT expert and occasional field agent for the Laundry, the branch of Her Majesty’s Secret Service that deals with occult threats. In this second outing, Bob Howard finds himself dragged into the machinations and conspiracies of megalomaniac multi-billionaire Ellis Billington, The Black Chamber and The Laundry…

Dressed in a tuxedo (what else for a globe-trotting British Secret Agent?) and sent to the Caribbean, Bob must infiltrate Billington’s inner circle via his luxurious yacht. His mission? Prevent the Billington from violating a treaty that will bring down the wrath of an ancient underwater race upon humanity’s head.

Offering a wonderful pastiche on both the world of James Bond and a wonderful mimicking of Ian Fleming’s style of writing, Stross produces a novel that also evokes Lovecraftian overtones that is delightfully entertaining to read. In true Bond style, Bob is (reluctantly) partnered with an American agent – in this case a stunningly beautiful woman who also just happens to be a soul-sucking succubus from another dimension. Which, being the case, marks Bob’s mission somewhat differently to those of Bond: not only must he stop the bad guys and come through this at best shaken, he must totally avoid being stirred towards getting the girl…

Thursday, October 18th

19:00: Doorbells at Dusk

With Shandon Loring. Also presented in Kitelyhop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/144/129/29.

21:00 Seanchai Late Night

Contemporary Sci-Fi with Finn Zeddmore.

 


Please check with the Seanchai Library’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.

The current charity is Feed a Smile.

Detectives, nannies, clocks and ghosts in Second Life

Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home at Holly Kai Park, unless otherwise indicated.

Sunday, October 7th

13:30: Tea-time at Baker Street

The third full-length novel written about Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles is likely to be the one Holmesian story which – at least in outline – known to most, whether or not they have actually read any of Holmes’ adventures.

But how many of us know the story as it was originally written? Over the decades it has been adapted for film and television more than 20 times, starting as early as 1914/15 with the 4-part series, Der Hund von Baskerville, and continuing on through to Paul McGuigan’s The Hounds of Baskerville, featured in the BBC’s brilliant Sherlock series.

All of these adaptations have offered their own take on the tale. Some – such as McGuigan’s, have simply taken the title of the story and used it to weave a unique tale of their own; others have stayed true to the basics of the story whilst also adding their own twists and turns quite outside of Conan Doyle’s plot in order to keep their offering fresh and exciting to an audience.

So why not join Cale, David, Corwyn and Kayden as they read from the 1902 original, and discover just how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle unfolded this apparently supernatural tale of giant hounds and murder, and the pivotal role played by John Watson himself?

18:00: Magicland Storytime: Mary Poppins Comes Back

Pulled down from the clouds at the end of a kite string, Mary Poppins is back. In Mary’s care, the Banks children meet the King of the Castle and the Dirty Rascal, visit the upside-down world of Mr. Turvy and his bride, Miss Topsy, and spend a breathless afternoon above the park, dangling from a clutch of balloons.

Find out more with Caledonia Skytower at the The Golden Horseshoe.

Monday, October 8th 19:00: Murder is Bliss

Gyro Muggins reads the first volume in the Jasper Stone series by Ellen Anthony.

In the year 2179, police lieutenant Jasper Stone finds himself called upon to solve the high-profile murder of Elizabeth West. The case appears to revolve around a valuable house – and the leading suspect is West’s disabled son.

But then the son is murdered – and the evidence points towards West’s grand-daughter, Jewell. Only she appears to have a rock-solid alibi for West’s murder. So is there more than one crime, or will Jewell be the next victim?

The more he investigates, the more Stone finds himself entangled in a complicated web of motives and a situation involving not just murder, but drug smuggling and blackmail. And the more he investigates, the more he might just be protecting the woman behind it all.

Tuesday, October 9th 19:00: The House with a Clock in it’s Walls

Faerie Maven-Pralou reads the first in John Bellairs’ Lewis Barnavelt series, originally published in the 1970s.

In the mid-west United States in the 1950s, 11-year-old, orphaned Lewis Barnavelt arrives at the home of his Uncle Jonathan, who has been appointed his guardian. Overweight, shunned by other children, he finds himself in his uncle’s the ramshackle mansion where the ominous ticking of a clock can be heard coming from within the walls.

Lewis soon discovers his uncle is a witch, as is his eccentric neighbour, Mrs. Zimmerman – who is obsessed with the colour purple and anything with “Z” on it – are witches. Fortunately, they are witches of the “good” kind, and they are engaged in a literal race against time.

The ticking coming from within the mansion’s walls belongs to a doomsday clock, and if Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman – and now Lewis – must work out where the bewitched clock has been hidden by the warlocks who once owned the house.

Wednesday, October 10th, 19:00: A Haunting We Will Go

Caledonia Skytower reads selections from E.F. Benson’s ghost stories.

Thursday, October 11th 19:00: The Strange Stairs at the Aldebourne Estate

With Shandon Loring. Also presented in Kitelyhop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/144/129/29.

 


Please check with the Seanchai Library’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.

The current charity is Feed a Smile.

Virtual Ability: IDRAC 2018 in Second Life

via Virtual Ability

Currently underway in Second Life through October 5th and 6th, 2018 is the International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (IDRAC), organised and hoted by Virtual Ability Inc. The theme for its years conference is Taking Care of Us, which the organisers note is very open to interpretation, offering the guest speakers opportunity to talk on a range of subjects related to disability rights and care.

The conference is taking place at the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island, and will feature presentations from Hong Kong, the UK, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Mauritius, Canada, and the United States. Presentation will be of around 90 minutes duration, including time for discussion and breaks between.

Schedule of Sessions

The conference schedule, as it stood at the time of writing, was as follows. Please visit the conference page on the virtual Ability website for any updates and to read the biographies of the individual presenters. All times are SLT.

Friday, October 5th, 2018

07:00 Lusha Huang (Hong Kong): Enhancing Visually Impaired People’s Travelling Experience through Mobile Applications
08:30 Coomara Pyaneandee (Mauritius): The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
10:00 Debbie Engelen-Eigles (USA): Learning from Korean Women with Disabilities: Lessons from the Field
11:30 Jason DaSilva (USA): Documenting Disability & Looking Towards the Future
13:00 Lauren Bruno and Cassandra Willis (USA): A Survey of Alternative and Traditional Special Education Teachers’ Perception of Preparedness
14:30 Panel discussion of care giving issues with caregivers and care recipients
The Sojourner Auditorium
The Sojourner Auditorium, virtual Ability Island

Saturday, October 6th, 2018

08:00 Patrick McKearney (UK): Care and Visibility: Modes of Agency in L’Arche
09:30
Reginald Nii Odoi (Ghana): We Are The World: Making It a Better Place
11:00
Peter Catapano,  Editor of the Opinion Section of the New York Times (USA): Interview
12:30 Rev. Olutayo Shodipo (Nigeria):
14:00 Amra Mohammed (Saudi Arabia): Creating Policies to Support Twice-Exceptional Students in Saudi Arabia
15:30 Panel discussion of care giving issues with caregivers and care recipients

Related Links

Rock Your Rack 2018 in Second Life

Rock Your Rack is the annual fund-raiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) opened its doors September 29th, 2018, and remains in full swing through until Sunday, October 13th, 2018, offering shopping, music, fashion shows, entertainment and art.

Some 1.7 million women – and men – were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, the year in which Rock Your Rack was founded by Jamee Sandalwood and the team at Models Giving Back. Today, the figure still stands at around 1.6 million world-wide. NBCF’s mission is to help women in the United States by providing help and inspiring hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education and support services. NBCF is also joining hands with organisations around the globe to provide breast cancer education. Rock Your Rack aims to raise funds to support all of these activities.

Rock Your Rack 2018

Located on a single region, the event is sponsored by {ACD} Anam Cara Designs, Digital Farm System (DFS), Evolve, Heartsdale Jewellery, and MOZ Designs, with a further 60+ designers taking part – see the full list on the Rock Your Rack website.

As with previous years, supporting designers have been asked to provide a limited edition item, of which 100% of all proceeds of sales go towards Rock Your Rack. In addition, and to encourage visits to the event, designers have been asked to offer an exclusive item their customers can only purchase via Rock Your Rack.  You can find out more about the limited edition and exclusive offers at the event here.

Rock Your Rack 2018 Art Show

The theme for the event is Music Through The Decades, and reflection of this, the Rock Your Rack Art show has taken on a distinctly 50’s Rock’n’Roll diner look.

Sponsored by Kultivate magazine, the Art show presents work by CybeleMoon (Hana Hoobinoo), Sheba Blitz, Eleseren Brianna, John Brianna (johannes1977), Eucalyptus Carroll, Ilyra Chardin,  StorieS Helendale (GlitterPrincess Destiny), Vee Tammas Shocker (Veruca Tammas), JolieElle Parfort, Pipit Peacedream (retroye), jamee Sandalwood, Vee Tammas Shocker (Veruca Tammas), FreeDom Voix and Myra Wildmist.

Full details on the entertainment – music, fashions shows and more –  at the event can be found on the Rock Your Rack calendar, which I’ve taken the liberty of embedding below for ease of reference here – you can also see it on the Rock Your Rack website, together with a list of performers and performances. All times at SLT.

For those who like a challenge, there is also the Rock Your Rack hunt.

A part of the NBCF’s work is that of breast cancer education. This is something I strongly support having learned through my own experience just how important it is to be aware of the risks cancer presents, and the need for early identification and treatment. Caught early enough, it can be dealt with, as my own experience shows. As such, I encourage everyone to visit and support Rock Your Rack over the next two weeks and contribute to the NBCF’s work.

Rock Your Rack 2018

SLurl and URL Details

Nightmare hounds, murder and doomsday clocks

Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home at Holly Kai Park, unless otherwise indicated.

Sunday, September 30th 13:30: Tea-time at Baker Street

The third full-length novel written about Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles is likely to be the one Holmesian story which – at least in outline – known to most, whether or not they have actually read any of Holmes’ adventures.

But how many of us know the story as it was originally written? Over the decades it has been adapted for film and television more than 20 times, starting as early as 1914/15 with the 4-part series, Der Hund von Baskerville, and continuing on through to Paul McGuigan’s The Hounds of Baskerville, featured in the BBC’s brilliant Sherlock series.

All of these adaptations have offered their own take on the tale. Some – such as McGuigan’s, have simply taken the title of the story and used it to weave a unique tale of their own; others have stayed true to the basics of the story whilst also adding their own twists and turns quite outside of Conan Doyle’s plot in order to keep their offering fresh and exciting to an audience.

So why not join Cale, David, Corwyn and Kayden as they read from the 1902 original, and discover just how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle unfolded this apparently supernatural tale of giant hounds and murder, and the pivotal role played by John Watson himself?

Monday, October 1st 19:00: Murder is Bliss

Gyro Muggins reads the first volume in the Jasper Stone series by Ellen Anthony.

In the year 2179, police lieutenant Jasper Stone finds himself called upon to solve the high-profile murder of Elizabeth West. The case appears to revolve around a valuable house – and the leading suspect is West’s disabled son.

But then the son is murdered – and the evidence points towards West’s grand-daughter, Jewell. Only she appears to have a rock-solid alibi for West’s murder. So is there more than one crime, or will Jewell be the next victim?

The more he investigates, the more Stone finds himself entangled in a complicated web of motives and a situation involving not just murder, but drug smuggling and blackmail. And the more he investigates, the more he might just be protecting the woman behind it all.

Tuesday, October 2nd 19:00: The House with a Clock in it’s Walls

Faerie Maven-Pralou reads the first in John Bellairs’ Lewis Barnavelt series, originally published in the 1970s.

In the mid-west United States in the 1950s, 11-year-old, orphaned Lewis Barnavelt arrives at the home of his Uncle Jonathan, who has been appointed his guardian. Overweight, shunned by other children, he finds himself in his uncle’s the ramshackle mansion where the ominous ticking of a clock can be heard coming from within the walls.

Lewis soon discovers his uncle is a witch, as is his eccentric neighbour, Mrs. Zimmerman – who is obsessed with the colour purple and anything with “Z” on it – are witches. Fortunately, they are witches of the “good” kind, and they are engaged in a literal race against time.

The ticking coming from within the mansion’s walls belongs to a doomsday clock, and if Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman – and now Lewis – must work out where the bewitched clock has been hidden by the warlocks who once owned the house.

Wednesday, October 3rd, 19:00: Tiny and the Monster

Ktadhn Vesuvino reads Theodore Sturgeon’s 1947 short story.

Thursday, October 4th

19:00: Wake Not the Dead

With Shandon Loring. Also presented in Kitelyhop://grid.kitely.com:8002/Seanchai/144/129/29.

21:00 Seanchai Late Night

Contemporary Sci-Fi with Finn Zeddmore.

 


Please check with the Seanchai Library’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule.

The current charity is Feed a Smile.

Second Life Hair Fair 2018

The 2018 Second Life Hair Fair is currently open, and runs through until Sunday, October 7th, 2018. The event features around 70 hair designers, and as with previous years, is being run to raise money for Wigs for Kids.

Spread across six regions, four of which – Brunette, Noirette, Redhead and Blonde – contain the stores of participating vendors, while the remaining two, Foils and Streaks, are designed for those who prefer to shop by camming rather than walking (and are thus referred to as the Cam Sims).

The four shopping regions are wisely lightly decorated in order to minimise viewer-side lag that might otherwise be created by having a significant amount of extra object and texture rendering.  Stores are easily identified by the large signs located on the brick paths leading around the regions. These are laid out in such as way that wherever you teleport into a Hair Fair region, by following the red brick path in one direction and keeping to that direction, you’ll eventually visit  every store before returning to the point at which you arrived.

The full list of participating merchants can be found on the Hair Fair website together with SLurls. However, do note that direct teleporting is limited to the landing points in each region; to use the store SLurls, copy them into local chat once at the event, then right-click on the display link to display an in-world beacon and arrow you can use to navigate to your desired store.

Hair Fair 2018 Map, on FlickrHair Fair Map, via Sasy Scarborough

All items purchased at this event will have a minimum of 15% of their price donated to Wigs for Kids, and for the men, stores selling male / unisex hair are denoted by a large symbol floating over their roofs. When purchasing, always check to ensure items are received; should you encounter problems, left-click the vendor / pack from which you made a purchase, this will trigger an automatic redelivery. However, do note that the list of purchasers held by each vendor / pack is only so long, so it is essential you check as soon as possible after purchase in order to avoid the vendor / pack dropping your name.

Those wishing to avoid spending too much time in the event regions can join the Hair Fair Demo group (no charge for joining). Notices with demos posted by participating merchants within the group allow styles to be tried prior to visiting, so that desired hair can be identified and the SLurls used to make visits to the required stores. Note that this is the only in-world group associated with the Hair Fair.

If by chance you don’t find hair to suit your needs, there are numerous donation kiosks located along the paths of the regions, so you can always make a L$ donation directly.  There are also Bandana Booths to be found, which also give 100% of donations to the cause, and from which you can obtain Hair Fair Hares.

The Hair Fair shopping regions offer open spaces with minimal additional objects / textures to help reduce viewer-side loads and lag.

About Wigs for Kids

For more than thirty years Wigs for Kids has been providing hair replacement systems and support for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, burns and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families. The effects of hair loss go deeper than just a change in a child’s outward appearance. Hair loss can erode a child’s self-confidence and limit them from experiencing life the way children should. With an injured self-image, a child’s attitude toward treatment and their physical response to it can be negatively affected also.

Wigs for Kids helps children suffering with hair loss look themselves and live their lives. Families are never charged for the hair replacements provided for their children; Wigs for Kids rely completely on both the donation of hair and / or money to help meet their goals.

Read more about Wigs for Kids mission, and discover how hair can be donated.

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