Unconditional in Second Life

Unconditional, October 2019 – click any image for full size

Unconditional, designed by Tomisnotaboy and Moonsoul, is a Homestead region that has been garnering attention since it opened to the public in the past week – and rightly so. It is a visually stunning region, one that appears to have been brought together in a remarkably short period of time: the About Land floater suggests it arrived on the Grid on Tuesday, October 1st, 2019, yet it was open to all before the weekend had started!

The above should not be taken to mean the region has been in any way rushed – far from it; what is presented (although in part still a work in progress during our visits) is well put together, and offers a visually engaging setting that is rich in charm and flows naturally throughout.

Unconditional, October 2019

Unconditional love — in its most simplest form — means appreciating someone else for who they truly are. It means loving them when they are unlovable, and in spite of their imperfections and mistakes.

– from the region’s About Land description

Split into a number of islands, most of them low-lying, Unconditional presents the kind of place I think many of us would like to escape to and set up home, were we able to do so. Two houses are to be found on the region, both towards its eastern extreme, and to the south and north respectively. These have been placed by Chavonne McAuley, whom I believe is the region holder. Unfurnished at the time of out visits, both houses appeared to be open to the public, although the one to the north-east, and sitting on the highest point within the region, is placed within its own parcel and so may eventually be intended for private use.

Unconditional, October 2019

The island this house sits upon is the largest is the group, sitting above the rest as a pair of table-like hills that are home to both the house and a windmill that sits as if guarding the steps leading up to the house. The pairing of house and and windmill suggest this may once of been a working environment – perhaps a small farm (there are still geese and goats to be found here), but which has now been re-purposed.

Paths of various sorts run across the land here, perhaps the most fetching of them being an avenue of bent trees, reached from the house and windmill by a trail of cut log sections, that points the way to the western end of the island, a rocky bluff on which sits a little table of rock complete with brazier and seating – just one of many places to rest scattered throughout the region. A wooden board walk that also starts close to the windmill to present an alternative route west, stepping out and around the island’s northern cliffs, where waters tumble in a series of falls from a humped hill (which is also cut into by the sealed mouth of an old tunnel or shaft).

Unconditional, October 2019

To the west, the land falls away sharply, a little stone bridge connecting it to a sandy isle. Such is the narrow channel between isle and island, the two might have one time been a single mass, the gap between them created by a partnership of time and tide. Now this western lowland encircles a pond of  – presumably – fresh water, whilst itself is bounded by wetlands. The latter extend to the south and east in a haze of sun-bleached reeds and grasses through which winds a further board walk, this one offering the way to a stilted cabin standing above the reeds and water, a cosy deck – and at its end, a little sandy bar that almost forms the region’s centre.

The second house on the region looks, from a distance, to be a rather grand affair. It sits on its own island that has sea wall to one side and rocky shoulders on the other, allowing most of the island to offer a flat expanse of grass, rock and sand that forms a garden / yard space where, given the chairs and tables set out and the presence of a coffee / hot chocolate bar, visitors are more than welcome. Reached via a bridge connecting it to the larger island and its house, this is a place experiencing its own little pocket of weather: while the region as a whole sits in sunshine, here the rain falls lightly but persistently.

Unconditional, October 2019

The landing point for Unconditional sits on the long finger of a sand bar to the west of the region. Currently experiencing a low tide, the edge of this island has clearly been shaped by the action of tides rising and departing, as they have cut a low, but clear lip around much of the land in their back-and-forth passage. Linked to the rest of the region by yet another board walk (and rather novel tree trunk “tunnel”), this sand bar offers something of a different look and feel to the rest of the landscape, one that offers its own enticements and photographic appeal.

Rich in detail without ever feeling overcrowded, Unconditional really is a striking location for exploring, photographing and simply enjoying. Rezzing is open, but if you need props, etc., please remember to clean them up behind you.

Unconditional, October 2019

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With thanks for all the pointers: Shawn, Morgana, Wurfi, Miro!

2019 viewer release summaries week #40

Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates for the week ending Sunday, October 6th

This summary is generally published every Monday, and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy. This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.
  • Note that for purposes of length, TPV test viewers, preview / beta viewers / nightly builds are generally not recorded in these summaries.

Official LL Viewers

  • Current Release version 6.3.1.530559, formerly the Umeshu Maintenance RC viewer, dated, September 5th – No change.
  • Release channel cohorts:
    • Love Me Render viewer, version 6.3.2.531296, released on September 30th.
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V6-style

V1-style

  • No updates.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Ghostly and mysterious stores for October with Seanchai Library

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 6th 13:30: Tea Time Haunts

Da5id Abbot and Caledonia Skytower share some classics from the western shores of the Atlantic, with selections from American masters of horror, the macabre and ghostly tales, Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving.

On the summit of one of the heights of the Odenwald, a wild and romantic tract of Upper Germany, that lies not far from the confluence of the Main and the Rhine, there stood, many, many years since, the castle of the Baron Von Landshort. It is now quite fallen to decay, and almost buried among beech trees and dark firs ; above which, however, its old watch-tower may still be seen, struggling, like the former possessor I have mentioned, to carry a high head, and look down upon the neighbouring country…

– from The Spectre Bridegroom, by Washington Irving

Monday, October 7th 19:00: Moonheart

Gyro Muggins reads Charles de Lint’s 1994 novel.

When Sara and Jamie discovered the seemingly ordinary artefacts, they sensed the pull of a dim and distant place. A world of mists and forests, of ancient magic, mythical beings, ageless bards – and restless evil.

Now, with their friends and enemies alike–Blue, the biker; Keiran, the folk musician; the Inspector from the RCMP; and the mysterious Tom Hengyr; Sara and Jamie are drawn into this enchanted land through the portals of Tamson House, that sprawling downtown edifice that straddles two worlds.

Sweeping from ancient Wales to the streets of Ottawa today, Moonheart will entrance you with its tale of this world and the other one at the very edge of sight and the unforgettable people caught up in the affairs of both. A tale of music, and motorcycles, and fey folk beyond the shadows of the moon. A tale of true magic; the tale of Moonheart.

Tuesday, October 8th 19:00: The Spooky Classics

Halloween is approaching and for the next few weeks, Caledonia Skytower will be reading ghostly stories from some of the classics of the genre. Each week features a different author associated with tales of the macabre, Gothic, or just plain spooky. This week: M.R. James, with Caledonia Skytower.

Wednesday, October 9th 19:00 The Mysterious Woods of Whistle Root

11-year-old Carly Bean Bitters suffers a peculiar malady: she can only sleep by the light of day, and is awake through the night, spending her time up in the attic of her aunt’s house, awaiting the arrival of the dawn.

One night, she notes a strange squash that appears on her roof. Investigating, she comes across Lewis, a fiddle-playing rat. Lewis tells Carly the squash is a replacement for one of the rats in the group who has been abducted by owls.

He goes on to explain that until recently, the owls join with the rats dancing in the moonlight within the Whistle Root woods to the music played by Lewis and has band. But then something changed, and instead of dancing with the rats, the owls took to abducting them.

Grabbed by an owl herself, Carly find herself dropped into the woods where she meets the once happy community of rats, now gravely threatened by the hostile owls. At school, and struggling to stay awake, she also finds a strange note warning that the “Moon Child” is in danger.

Enlisting the help of another strange child, Green, who spend his time hiding under the library, Carly sets out to solve the riddle of the “Moon Child” and the reason for the owls’ change in behaviour – and along the way, discovers something unexpected about herself.

Join Faerie Maven-Pralou as she reads Christopher Pennell’s 2010 novel.

Thursday, October 10th 19:00 The Clay-shuttered Doors

Shandon Loring reads Helen R. Hull’s short story. Love may be eternal, but Lovers are mortal – aren’t they? Also in Kitely – teleport from the main Seanchai World grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI.

2019 TPVD meeting week #40

Clifton Forge, August 2019 – blog post

The following notes are taken from the TPV Developer meeting held on October 4th, 2019. A video of the meeting is embedded below, my thanks as always to Pantera for recording and providing it. This was a relatively short meeting, with the majority of the meeting conducted in text and revolving around Bakes on Mesh. This being the case, points are summarised below without the usual time stamps.

SL Viewer News

There have been no further updates to the official SL pipelines since the updates at the start of the week, leaving them as follows:

  • Current Release version 6.3.1.530559, formerly the Umeshu Maintenance RC viewer, dated, September 5th – No Change.
  • Release channel cohorts:
  • Project viewers:
    • Legacy Profiles viewer, version 6.3.2.530836, September 17th. Covers the re-integration of Viewer Profiles.
    • Project Muscadine (Animesh follow-on) project viewer, version 6.4.0.530473, September 11th.
    • 360 Snapshot project viewer, version 6.2.4.529111, July 16th.
  • Linux Spur viewer, version 5.0.9.329906, dated November 17th, 2017 and promoted to release status 29th November 2017 – offered pending a Linux version of the Alex Ivy viewer code.
  • Obsolete platform viewer, version 3.7.28.300847, May 8th, 2015 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7.

Brief Notes

  • As noted in my recent CCUG summaries, the Lab have recruited two more graphics experts (Euclid Linden and one other), who will be working on EEP and rendering projects once they are up to speed.
  • The new Voice update viewer should be going to QA in week #41 (commencing Monday, October 7th). This was delayed as a result of a last minute issue preventing it going to QA and then being issued this week.

Bakes on Mesh (BoM)

There is reportedly some confusion about Bakes on Mesh, with some users believing it means that “have” to switch back to using system wearables. This is not the case; those who wish to continue to use applier-based wearables can do so. Similarly, those who prefer to use mesh clothing can continue to do so. Bakes on Mesh is simply a means to allow system wearables to be used on mesh bodies and heads.

It is also hoped by the Lab that BoM will allow mesh head and body makers simplify their products by removing the need for some of the “onion” layers. This should reduce the rendering complexity of bodies and heads, making them less resource intensive to render.

For more detailed information on Bakes on Mesh, please refer to the following links:

Linden Lab:

Creator-related BoM documentation:

Informative Bakes on Mesh blog post:

In addition, Firestorm has created their own Bakes on Mesh wiki.

TPV Notes

  • Catznip has a BoM beta (and has done for a while), but release is pending some more work being completed.
  • Radegast is close to having a BoM release available.

The colour of love and implied horizons in Second Life

The Lovers Art Gallery: Etamae

Currently open at The Lovers Art Gallery are two exhibitions that recently caught my attention: The Colour of Love and Implied Horizons, by artists Carelyna and Etamae respectively. The two exhibitions are split between the ground and upper floors of the gallery, with Implied Horizons occupying the lower of the two.

Active within Second Life photography and art since 2018, Etamae has established a reputation for presenting transformational images: captures from around Second Life that she has then edited and post-processed to create something quite different and striking to the eye. She has also, in some of her exhibitions, has presented pieces that have been of an organic, abstracted nature (see A late summer exhibition at the Rose Gallery, August 2018) that are as equally as captivating.

The Lovers Art Gallery: Etamae

With Implied Horizons, the focus is very much on the former of Etamae’s approaches: images from around Second Life that have undergone post-processing to give us something very different to the location or item that gave rise to them. The result is a baker’s dozen of images that are bold in tone, colour and presentation, some of which include perhaps a lean towards abstract in their finish (take Ferris, located on one of the easel at the front of the gallery space, for example), while one Ikea, has an almost surrealist aspect within it. All are richly engaging, demonstrating a marvellous eye for colour that gives several of the pieces – Two Stags and Town Limits, for example – a captivating sense of vitality.

On the upper floor, The Colour of Love presents 15 of Carelyna’s pieces. These offer something of a complimentary connection to the ground floor exhibition in that the majority of the pieces offered have also been post-processed, this time to give them the look and feel of paintings.

The Lovers Art Gallery: Carelyna

Given the title of the exhibition, it’s no surprise that several of the pieces in this selection are presented in warm reds, yellows, oranges, greens and soft browns, offering a feeling of warmth one might associate with love. However, even where colder colours – blue, white, grey and harder greens – are used, there is a sense of memory that suggests a recollection of intimate times.

Some of the places within these pictures may be easily familiar (perhaps most notably in the case of Calas Galadhon’s Santorini and also with Mandingo Quan’s Hazardous); other may tug at the seasoned SL’s traveller’s memory, although a right-click and examine might be required to bring the place properly to mind. However, wherever they were taken is really secondary to the emotional essence each contains. Meanwhile, there are two pieces that sit perhaps a little apart from the rest: Waiting for My Real Life to Begin and Autumn Wings. In comparison to the other images presented, Waiting… has undergone far less post-processing and retains the look and feel of a photograph while Autumn Wings has a soft, abstracted look to it. Different to the others they may seem to be, but again, there is no escaping their emotional power.

The Lovers Art Gallery: Carelyna

These are two engaging exhibitions, well presented, and with pieces that are fascinating to see and appreciate.

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Fleur: a region with a Dutch flavour in Second Life

Fleur Nederland [Dutch], October 2019 – click any image for full size

Magisch en kleurrijk dat is herfst op Fleur welkom op Fleur. Onze muziek is altijd goed.

“Magical and colourful, autumn is welcome at Fleur. Our music is always good” – so reads the About Land greeting for Fleur Nederland (allowing for my translation!). A Homestead region designed by Sammy Recreant and that has – as the welcome and name indicate – a Dutch flavour to it, we were led to visit on the suggestion of Shawn and Max

While the Dutch have a traditional Halloween-style celebration, Saint Martin’s Day on November 11th; although like many parts of the world they have perhaps absorbed more of what is regarded as the “American” approach to All Hallows Eve – pumpkin jack-o’-lanterns, trick-or-treating (rather than singing songs), and so on; and this is reflected within Fleur’s décor at the time of our visit. Thus, for the next few weeks visitors are liable to find a haunted house, witches, scuttling pumpkins (yes, scuttling), giant spider webs and more.

Fleur Nederland [Dutch], October 2019

Fleur’s landscape is now in the most beautiful colours that autumn brings. Come and have a look, enjoy the peace and colour. Welcome to colourful Fleur!

– Sammy Recreant, describing Fleur

Cast under a dusk heavy sky, Fleur offers a largely rural setting, heavily wooded and with scatted houses and other structures to attract visitors. There was no enforced landing point as the time of our visit, although one can be found in About Land, and I’ve used it as a starting point for this look around the region.

Fleur Nederland, October 2019

It’s actually good place to start, as it sits close to three of the public structures on the region – a cosy little garden hideaway watched over by sheep; a waterside barn converted for fine dining, reach via two stone arched paths; and – a little further away – a delightfully furnished stone-built cottage protected by a wall and grass embankments. Alongside and between these locations are dance systems offering visitors a chance for romance and gentle dancing.

Beyond these lie several more points of interest, all edged with hints of Halloween. There’s the little coastal chapel for example, a lone shelter sitting out on a headland and, to the south-west, a little dockside setting with wharves boats and little commercial properties set around a courtyard, all decorated for the holiday season and with the Dutch flag flying overhead. This area also have a bit of a North American feel, with adverts for New England lobster together with someone of a New England feel to the buildings.

Fleur Nederland [Dutch], October 2019 – “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning or in rain? (Macbeth Act I, Scene I)
In the square there are further opportunities for couples and visitors to enjoy dancing – with the local radio station sitting on one of the wharves helping to make the area have a further celebratory feel. Take a walk out to the little ferry terminal and you’ll find a teleport disk. Right-click on it and select Teleport, and you’ll be lifted into the sky to the beach of Fleur, a wide expanse of largely flat sands and coastline modelled after the Dutch coastline along the Wadden Sea.

Currently with an incidental hint of Shakespeare with its Halloween dressing, rich with places for visitors and couples to enjoy, and with nice touches in the wildlife, Fleur makes for a pleasing visit, and those who enjoy Halloween hoping are also likely to enjoy dropping in.

Fleur Nederland [Dutch], October 2019

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