Today has not been a great day in House Pey where real life is concerned From a morning filled with opportunities and plans to an evening with not a little frustration and general “Grrrrr-iness”.
I shan’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say the oven completely dying yesterday (after being decidedly wobbly for the last few days) didn’t help, and I’m not even going to mention the toilet seat in the en suite bathroom. No, really. I’m not.
Instead, I’ll bore you with some minor SL trivia, given it is June and the 10th anniversary celebrations are looming closer.
We all know that the very first beta resident on record was Stellar Sunshine. Her name is recorded, along with all those of the beta participants at the Beta Participants wall in Plum. Her account is still active, and she still logs-in from time-to-time.
But do you know the very first “officially recorded” SL account?
The belonged to Phoenix Linden who, Andrew Linden told me (and by “me”, I mean “everyone attending the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday June 4th” :)), was implementing the databases at the time, and so his was the first account to be recorded. Prior to the work Phoenix carried out, SL didn’t have persistent authentication or records.
So there you go! 🙂
Anyone else have snippets of trivia they’d like to share which may be rare or new to others? Feel free to post a comment.
Building work continues apace on the SL10B Community Celebration (SL10BCC) regions. To mark progress, we’ve kicked-off the SL10BCC Pictures of the Day. Each day, selected pictures will be posted on the website of the celebration regions and exhibits and people.
All you need to do is join the SL Community Celebration Flickr Group and post your pictures there. Note that by doing so, you give consent for the organisers of the event to use them in publicity and for pictures of the day.
Those who have access to the regions can start posting now – but worry not if you don’t – the group will remain open through the celebrations for everyone to share their pictures!
Photo Contest
There are now just two days remaining in the first of our official SL10BCC Photo Contests. So if you haven’t entered, now’s the time! Honour and glory are the prizes, in addition to having your photo posted on the Community Celebration official blog, and social media (e.g. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter).
We want you to submit a photo which encapsulates all or part of this year’s celebratory theme: Looking Forward, Looking Back. The subject matter is entirely your choice – as long as it’s not of any part of the celebration regions themselves; we hope to have a further competition for that later! Instead, we want you to explore the grid (or your inventories!) and find the perfect picture which fits our theme.
Orientation Station circa 2003: a pat of SL’s history. Perhaps a part of out Photo Contest?
Up to two entries can be submitted per avatar name, and there are two categories for entries:
Category A is for photos taken using only the tools available within the viewer (the snapshot floater, windlight settings, the debug and preferences options for images, etc.)
Category B is for photos which have been processed outside of the viewer using tools such as PhotoShop, GIMP, PaintShop Pro and so on.
Entries must not show the SL10B Community Celebration regions
Photos must be PG – make it family friendly keep it clean and FUN or risk disqualification!
Competitors must indicate whether the photograph is Category A (using only the tools available within the viewer) or Category B (using tools outside the viewer, such as photo editing software)
Descriptive text may accompany entries
The Community Celebration Team reserve the right to use photograph submissions for event advertising
All entires must be uploaded by midnight SLT on Thursday, June 6th, 2013.
A distinguished panel will select the top twenty photos, which will be displayed at the entry point at the celebrations, where visitors will get the opportunity to vote for the one they like best.
Can You Help?
Two Second Life residents, Dizzy Banjo and Arciamay Resident are looking for people to help with their SL10BCC exhibits.
Dizzy Banjo’s Message in a Bottle Take 2
“5 Years ago, along with Lillie Yifu,” Dizzy Banjo says, “I made the Message in a Bottle exhibit at Second Life’s 5th Birthday event. It featured voice contributions from hundreds of Second Life users. Check out this video of it:”
“It was a treasured project – featured on the Linden Lab home page for some time after the event. Some residents and Lindens even told me it made them cry!”
Now Dizzy is looking for volunteers willing to record up to 10 seconds of them answering the question “What does Second Life mean to you in 2013?” The recordings won’t be going into a bottle this year, however. Instead, Dizzy says, “it’s going to use an exciting new trick which I’m sure you will like!”
If you’re willing to do so, send your recording via e-mail to dizzysbottle@gmail.com, together with your avatar name or send Dizzy a link to a downloadable version of the file if you’ve uploaded it to Soundcloud or similar. See Dizzy’s blog for more information and suggestions on suitable recording software.
Be A Part of Gallery Celebrating Second Life’s History
Arciamay Resident says of her exhibit: “I am looking for old photos or art work depicting the history of Second Life. I’ve also have read some of the poetry that people have written describing their feelings and inturrpretations of SL.
“I’m creating a gallery so people can share their art, poetry and photos. There will also be an area where people can relax and hopefully share their experiences in Second Life.”
To find out more and participate, please contact Arciamay in-world.
It’s no secret that Second Life marks ten years of being open to the world on June 23rd, and to celebrate, the global community of Second Life users is coming together in a week-long celebration across the twenty-two regions of the Second Life 10th Birthday Community Celebration.
The SL10BCC Auditorim
The sims have already been laid out, and across all of them, people are busily putting together their exhibits, while across the rest of Second Life, entertainers are readying themselves to participate in a 24/7 round of entertainment which will run across the regions of the celebration for the entire week of festivities.
The gates to the celebration will open to the public on June 16th, when the celebrations will commence which will culminate on June 23rd in a spectacular fashion.
What mysteries await the intrepid reporters who sign-up….?
However, if you are a member of the virtual worlds’ press or are a virtual worlds blogger, then we’re extending an invitation for you to come see the regions, photograph the builds and enjoy preview access to the celebrations on our special Press Day ahead of the regions opening to all.
To apply to be an official SL10B Community Celebration press contact or blogger, simply fill-out and submit our Press Pass application form.
Sunday May 26th saw the SL10BCC regions open to exhibitors and their helpers to start building / dropping in their exhibits. Since that time, the lonely patchworks of grass and water, neatly cut by sidewalks and piers I described in my last update have begun to vanish.
Like flowers bursting into bloom at the first touch of spring sunshine, so new builds have burst forth across the SL10BCC regions. Awesome builds, multi-hued builds, towering builds, quaint builds, charming builds, scary builds.
SL10BCC – building underway
Everywhere is a hive of activity, as everyone works towards the deadline of June 13th, when the regions will all be closed ready for final testing and to allow the press and blogging community to preview all of the builds and the festivities to mark SL’s 10 birthday.
Well, almost everywhere.
Sitting between the builds are unattended parcels. Sad, forlorn parcels without even a prim to proclaim that they are loved and wanted. Even after a week of frantic building, they remain unclaimed.
Given the volume of applications received for exhibitor space, this cannot be allowed to continue. So the warning is going out far and wide:
If you have received an offer of a plot at SL10BCC and have not yet claimed it, you now have less than 24 hours in which to do so! Plots which remain unclaimed after Sunday June 2nd will be re-allocated!
Unclaimed and unloved. If you have received an offer of a plot at SL10BCC and have not claimed it, you now have less than 24 hours to do so – or risk losing it!
If you have NOT claimed your parcel, then make sure you do so ASAP, by following these steps (as detailed in the Event Policies):
Asking for an EA (Exhibitor Assistant) in the Second Life Birthday Community group chat (there may be a delay in getting a reply, as the EAs are working as quickly as possible but are busy, so please be patient).
When an EA is available, they will tell you in the group chat to check your IMs.
The EA will IM you. Let them know that you’re ready to proceed.
Accept the group invite to Second Life Birthday Exhibitors group.
Accept the teleport offer.
The EA will give you a slice of birthday cake that contains helpful notecards and other goodies.
The EA will ask for the following: Parcel Name, Parcel Description, Parcel Texture (full-permissions texture), Build Assistants (Maximum of 4), Music Stream URL, Media Stream URL, Deed any objects (A land radio or media player), and Landing Point
NOTE: You can request these at a later time.
The EA will tell you who your Sim Coordinator is.
Set your group tag to Second Life Birthday Exhibitors group.
Rez a prim on your parcel to claim it.
Have fun.
Please, please, please note (10.). If you have gone through the above steps, but have not placed a prim on your parcel, then make sure you do at the earliest opportunity!
Again, parcels which remain unclaimed on Sunday June 2nd may well be allocated to others!
The Freedom Continent is making plans for a very Adult celebration to mark SL’s 10th anniversary, and have issued an invitation to clubs, venues, stores and groups within SL’s Adult community to join with them in marking the event.
Plans are still being developed, but already 49 parcels, each of 1024 sq metres, have been made available in the Passion Bay region to the west of the Adult Hub regions, which has been kindly provided for the event by Angelic Estates.
The parcels are open to anyone involved in Adult-rated activities in Second Life – content creators, clubs, groups, and so on. To claim a parcel, interested parties need to find one to their liking on Passion Bay and then contact either Serjourn Daxter or Lexi Lock, who will set the parcel for sale for you at L$0. Once purchased, you can start work building your pavilion.
The rules for building are simple:
You can set the parcel to your own preferred group
Limited terraforming (+4 to -2 metres) is permitted
Prim counts limited to parcel allowance – no extra prims
Don’t obstruct passage between islands
Don’t produce builds which overhang other islands and no ban lines, or sounds penetrating neighbouring parcels, no glary, glowy items
Skyboxes are permitted at 1,000m or above if additional space is required
Be good to your neighbours.
Parcels are on a first come, first served basis.
The “SLB10A” parcels – less than a few hours after being made available and filling-up
Should demand prove popular enough, attempts will be made to secure a second region for parcels.
We refer to our event as ‘Second Life Birthday 10 ADULT’ – SLB10A for short – to avoid any confusion with the other event,” lead organiser Serjourn Daxter informed me when I caught up with her as parcels were being allocated, “After all we would not want the visitors of SL10B to accidentally land in an adult sim, would we!”
“It is all very improvised,” she went on, “and as we have no need for censorship of exhibits – we are doing things simply.” Even so, for an “improvised” event, obtaining a dedicated region on which to stage celebrations is a clear sign of good organisation – and the speed with which parcels are filling-out would suggest it is going to be a lively event!
The current plan is to gradually open the event up on a rolling basis, with the main events kicking-off on the 21st June and running through until the 29th.
Those claiming parcels can use them for events of their own – providing the above rules are followed, and in addition there is a central admin / stage area which will be available for events, and other entertainments will be held in a number of venues within the Gateway Hub regions, such as Mustang Sally’s and Billie’s Jazz Club in Blacksilk and the 2Hot2Handle club in the Adult Hub Sex region.
At the moment, the event is still in the development stage, as noted, but the parcels were filling-out fast. I’ll hopefully be able to bring further updates as plans mature and details become available. Just do bear in mind that this is an Adult-oriented celebration!
Those wishing further information on the event should contact Serjourn Daxter or Lexi Lock in-world.
The sun dips slowly towards the sea, spreading shadows across a patchwork landscape of interacting footpaths which mark out a seemingly endless parade of green squares. Neat. Regimented. Empty.
On the water, the wooden piers also mark a series of tidy squares over the water, the tide occasionally slapping against their sides. For now, their lamps remain unlit and the track running beside them quiet.
Almost everywhere is still beneath the high, scudding clouds. Nowhere is a soul to be seen.
It is a time of quiet expectation. A calm before a coming storm of activity which will see the squares of green and blue transformed into the most amazing and awesome builds, all raised with a single purpose: to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Second Life.
This is a last chance to see the regions in their almost untouched state. For on Sunday 26th May they will be open to the exhibitors who have waited so patiently to be a part of the celebrations, and so will begin the first of several weeks of building and arranging which will itself herald the coming celebrations.
Soon gardens, buildings, stages and other wonders will spring from the ground, and over – and under – the water wonderful builds will start to appear, and these regions, so quiet and calm when seen on the map today, will be a riot of green dots as builders, assistants, helpers and SL10BCC staff work to ensure everything is ready for the Grand Opening on June 16th.
And if truth be told, some of the work has already started … Over here I can see the land has been altered, sculpted into hills and other forms, where it is rumoured strange beasts may well roam; over there lay woods and trees in bloom; and over there. Oh my, over there stands … Well, you’ll just have to wait and see, for I’ve promised to say no more…
But the wait will be worth it, of that you can be sure.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 