Category: Exploring Second Life

Caladan (Flickr) – set to close on September 30th

I learned via Loverdag that Antinéa Torok has announced the forthcoming closure of her beautiful gardens at Caladan, which is set to occur on Wednesday, September 30th.

The Indian themed gardens, which offer visitors a place of peace and relaxation, have been designed by Antinéa to demonstrate her skills in region and parcel design under her AT D&CO brand – and they really are a beautiful place to visit, as I noted in March 2015.

If you have not previously visited the gardens, I strongly urge you to do some before September 30th, and savour the sights and sounds there. Antinéa has created something very special which has been enjoyed by so many, that the gardens will doubtless be missed once gone.

Caladan (Flickr)

However, the closure of Caladan does not signify the end of Antinéa’s designs in Second Life. As she notes in the closure announcement, her region of Vita Nova will remain in Second Life, and open to visitors.

In contrast to Caladan, Vita Nova has a decidedly Mediterranean look and feel; presenting a place that might sit right at home nestled somewhere along the coast of Tuscany. A hazy sky casts a soft light over a (mostly) low-lying, rural landscape which slopes down to a quiet beach and water front on the east side of the island, where sits the landing point atop a wood deck.

Vita Nova (Flickr)

This leads the visitor to a small marketplace courtyard, where visitors can peruse the little stalls or sit and enjoy a drink at one of several tables scattered across the courtyard, and served from the little red café. A wooden dance stage sits to one side of the walled market, overlooking an open field.

Two dirt tracks also lead away from the courtyard, one to the beach which borders it to the south. The second track offers a path up past vines rich with grapes ripening in the sun, and up to the local villa. Here visitors can again relax, or wander across the cliff tops to an old ruin, or take the wooden steps down to  another beach on the west side of the island.

Vita Nova (Flickr)

This is another considered design; not too heavy on landscaping, but offering an environment one can enjoy alone, or in the company of others. The approach to the coastal landscaping is such that it is possible to feel one is walking along a coastal region, rather than simply around an island, adding to the feeling of being somewhere on the Italian coast. The music stream provides a pleasing jazz backing (if somewhat interrupted by ads), and the sound scape Antinéa has created suits the environment perfectly. So, even if you do forego the audio stream, do make sure you have local sounds on.

For those wishing to take photos, there are many opportunities, and if you join the AT D&CO group, you can rez props – but do please remember to clear-up when done!

Vita Nova (Flickr)

Once again, if you’ve not visited Caladan before, do make sure to make time before September 30th, and don’t forget Vita Nova will also be ready to welcome you.

SLurl Details

• Caladan (Rated: Moderate) – until Sept 30th
• Vita Nova (Rated: Moderate)

January 8th, 2016: Update: as per the comment below from Yan, SLurls for the observatory’s facilities have changed, and the article hand images have been updated to reflect this.

In May 2015, I wrote about the The Abyss Observatory, a collaborative project formulated by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and involving the support of a number of organisations including the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Open University in the UK.

At the time I wrote that piece, it appeared that a good part of the Observatory’s operations in Second Life would be going off-line in June. fortunately, rather than this being the case, the team behind the Observatory have been busy relocating the exhibits and also taking the opportunity to renew many of them, and they’re now once more moving forward in their work of fostering a greater understanding of the world around us.

“Since the closing of Second Earth 3 in June 2015, we have been working on five new areas,” Abyss co-founder Yan Lauria informed me during a recent visit to the Observatory’s new hub at Farwell. “We now have installations at Farwell, Jabara Land Atlantis, STEM Island and Lily, although some parts are still under construction.”

The re-working of the Abyss facilities has also led to increased collaboration with other science and eduction groups and organisations in Second Life, and also to expand a presence in OpenSim as well.Supporting the venture from the physical world are the National Institute of Education, Singapore and The Science Circle.

Yan, who is also a lecturer at The Science Circle in Second Life, as well as working at JAMSTEC, went on,”We continue to develop Earth, Ocean and Life science exhibits and cross-disciplinary collaboration in SL and JOGrid with TUIS, JAMSTEC, NIE, UIW, The Science Circle and other organisations,”

Most of the exhibits from the earlier iterations of the Abyss Observatory have now been placed in new locations across the five regions, and a new cross-navigation teleport system has been implemented to ease movement between the different locations and exhibits. These are largely centred on the  Observatory’s land at Farwell, which is perhaps the best place to start any planned tour or visit.

It is at Farwell that those new to The Abyss Observatory can gain a general introduction to it and the purposes behind it, visit several of the main exhibition locations, including the Sunken City Excavation by Kichimaru Haystack, the Cetological Museum by Dugong Janu, Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso and the NOAA Okeanos Explorer (and you can read about the latter’s studies in the physical world as well). And that’s just the start of things.

The travel system on Farwell’s shore will take you down to one of two further undersea exhibit areas, the Dophin Promenade, where you can see the unique Tektite Habitat, which in 1969 / 70 was the centre of research into reef ecosystems and human physiology studies related to both saturation diving and possible long-duration space missions. Simply wait for the travel sphere to arrive when you stand at the entrance to the system, then step inside and let it carry you down to the promenade, where you can walk through the glass tunnel to the travel system at the far end.

Just offshore from the island on the east side of Farwell is a further underwater exhibit, reached via elevator. Here you can wander glass observation tunnels on two levels, the lower of which take you into the world of deep diving exploration, and the likes of craft such as the bathyscaphe Triseste, which in 1960, descended the Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench, to reach a record maximum depth of some 10,911 metres (35,797 ft).

For those who prefer, the navigation system – which comprises a series of clickable image boards which supply SLurls to their destinations in chat  – will take you up into the sky to the aforementioned Cetological Museum, the Underwater World and Submarine Design Project, and the visually stunning and informative Only One Earth interactive exhibit – which in itself is worth a visit, quite apart from the rest of the Observatory’s offerings.  The navigation boards also provide access to the Abyss exhibits at Shamash, Jabara Land Atlantis, STEM Island and Lily, all of which are worth the time to visit and explore.

Continue reading “Return to the Abyss: science in Second Life” →

Junk September 2015 (Flickr)

I’ve written a few times about some of the advantages shopping in-world can have, quite aside from the benefits of easy browsing, sharing time with friends, etc., simply because many content creators with land of their own put as much care and effort into providing a place people will want to visit as much for itself as for the shopping experience.

Tab Tatham is one such creator. Her region, called simply Junk, the name of her store, is wonderfully atmospheric in design and execution. So much so that not only does it provide an eye-catching place to visit as well as to spend time shopping, for me it is also mindful of another region design I always enjoyed and admired: Jordan Giant’s The Colder Water, which makes it doubly attractive.

Junk September 2015 (Flickr)

Like The Colder Water, Junk offers a crescent island with a landing area atop a broad, rocky plateau at one end, which sweeps down and around to rocky “tail”. It is also cast within a twilight world which suits it admirably, watched over by the slender finger of a tall lighthouse sitting just off the coast of the main island, something which again carries an echo of The Colder Water, although this lighthouse is very much still functional.

Which is not to say the one is in any way modelled on the other, there is also much which stands the two designs apart and make them entirely unique and individually attractive. My comparison is purely a means of showing how my memories of one had me feeling a comforting warmth of familiarity on my arrival at the other.

Junk September 2015 (Flickr)

From the arrival area, which also forms the store’s information area, the visitor can wander the length of the island, Tab’s store being laid out as a series of sheds (Tab’s own designs) and awning-draped flat-bed trucks either side of the island’s sandy ribbon. Between these winds a board walk of loose-laid planks, enticing the visitor onwards in exploration.

At the far end of the island’s curve sits a live events area, built out over the water, with seating areas both on and near it, and the stage provisioned by another awning-hung truck. Braziers made from old oil drums, glowing with the heat of the fires burning inside them offer warmth should the sea breeze turn cold,  while the seating – whether made by Tab or by others – is wonderfully home-spun in styling, adding enormously to the overall ambience of the place.

Junk September 2015 (Flickr)

Just off the main island, and sitting within its curve, are two little islands. On the first, barely more than a rocky outcrop, sits what appears to be the last remnants of an old factory. Further out, and reached via a set of stone flagstones which allow visitors to keep their feet dry, is a little warehouse area which offers cosy places to sit as well.

For those who like spending time meandering around market stalls or poking through little stores of bric-a-brac and suchlike, then a wander through Junk is liable to delight; it evokes such feelings perfectly, quite aside from any real or imagined sense of familiarity the region design may evoke. There is also a whimsical quirkiness present as well, which adds to a visit enormously, be it through spotting Nessie sitting in the water or smiling at the lantern carrying crane lighting the board walk, or any one of a dozen or more little touches which bring a smile to the lips.

Junk September 2015 (Flickr)

Whether you are shopping for something that’s a little unusual and pleasing to the eye design-wise, or just out to see what you can find when it comes to furnishings and decor, be sure to take a look at Junk – you’re liable to find it is anything but.

SLurl and Other Details

• Junk (Rated: Moderate)
• Tab Tatham’s blog

Cape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

I was led to Danii Lyric’s Cape Juniper after seeing a series of images by Goizane Latzo on the ever excellent Bitacora Viajera blog, and was immediately attracted by all I saw.

The region – Hollandaise – is home to Danii’s businesses as a photographer and interior & landscape designer, and Cape Juniper offers a tour de force of her skills in both. Within it sit a series of environments beautifully crafted to attract the eye and camera, and which offer plenty of ideas for home design and landscaping.

Cape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

The Cape Juniper LM / SLurl deposits visitors at one end of the largest of five islands making up the region. A road runs the length of the island, bordered on one side by a range of little shops, places to eat, playgrounds, and so on, leading the way from the motel next to the landing point to Danii’s offices on the little town square at the far end of the island, sitting nestled between a small pub and a 50’s style diner..

The other side of the road looks out over the rest of the region, visible beyond the ruins of an old castle, and offers cosy little seating areas at the roadside nearer to the main square, together with a broad set of steps leading down to a grassy headland on which sits a charming outdoor wedding area. A large barn to one said offers plenty of space for receptions, while the boat slips are set ready for the arrival of a bride by water. Those wishing to explore the old castle can find their way to it at the foot of the steps leading to the wedding area and mooring slips.

The four smaller islands all offer ideas for home designs, both exterior and interior, which are again beautifully presented. I confess to being unclear as to how they can be reached, save by flying; I didn’t notice and boat rezzers during my explorations. Three out of the four appear to be open to visitors, and include donation points. The fourth, located in the north-east corner of the region, appears to be a private residence.

Cape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

Each island offers a unique design whilst keeping in tune with the overall slightly autumnal theme to the region. Given the size of the islands, superb use is made of the available space, and those with a copy of the Fanatik Rocky Island sitting in their inventory may well find their own creative thoughts on how to put it to good use flow as a result of a visit.

I must also confess to being drawn to one of the islands using this piece of landscaping myself, partly due to the fact I’ve used it in my own home island design, but also because the island in question stands apart from the others in having a decidedly Japanese look and feel to it. This makes it unique within the region without it appearing at odds with the surrounding designs.

Cape Juniper September 2015 (Flickr)

All told, this is another quite lovely region, beautifully presented to visitors and offering a wide range of photo opportunities, places to sit and relax, and plenty to see and enjoy. In other words: a delight to visit. Should you find it as charming as I, please do consider making a donation towards the continuance of the region.

SLurl Details

• Cape Juniper (Rated: Moderate)

Pandora Box of Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

Note: this vision of Pandora Box of Dreams has closed.

Lokhe Angel Verlack (Jackson Verlack) has opened the latest in his Dreams series at Pandora Box of Dreams. I’ve been following the progression of his builds since I came across the second iteration back in April 2015 (although I admit missing the opportunity to blog the iteration immediately prior to this one after my visit).

For this, the fifth Dreams iteration, Lokhe has opted to again reflect the season, and is given us a distinctly autumnal environment in which to wander, sit, contemplate, and dream. And it is an absolute delight.

Pandora Box of Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

Subtitled Dreams of Secrets, it offers visitors the familiar starting point, up in a skybox which gives a small flavour of what is to come as you sand in a small walled garden, the leaves of the birch tress a rich gold, and a footpath leading to a door in the wall. Touch this, and you’ll be transported the to ground.

Now the first thing to note here is do please have local sounds enabled; the sound scape is as rich as the landscape, and offers additional depth when exploring. Also, have a play with the windlights;  I used [NB] – Misty Day – 5pm for the images here, but the region really does lend itself to a wide range of options  and times of day.

Pandora Box of Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

The grassy path continues from the door, and following it, you’ll wind through more laced with the colours of autumn, and come to a flight of stone steps leading downwards to a dirt track which you can follow – or you can branch off, climb more steps and just wander under the trees and through the long grass.

Whichever route you take, you’ll find much to please the eye: leafy groves, coastal views, the odd building or two, quiet streams and brooks crossed by little wooden bridges, and plenty of places to simply sit and ponder or spend time with a companion.

Pandora Box of Dreams September 2015 (Flickr)

This is another fabulous build in a series that has proven to be eye-catching and immersive with each iteration, and quite possibly the one I’ve enjoyed the most so far. Highly recommended.