Category: Second Life

Detectives, griffins, bards and animal adventures

Posted on by Inara Pey
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, March 10th

13:30: Tea Time with Sherlock Holmes’ Great Hits

As voted for by Seanchai fans, followers and listeners. This week: The Adventure of the Dying Detective, from His Last Bow.

A 1917 anthology of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, His Last Bow originally comprised seven stories published byThe Strand Magazine between 1908 and 1917, but an eighth was added to later editions. The Adventure of the Dying Detective is the fifth story in the collection.

Sherlock Holmes is dying. That is the shocking discovery Doctor John Watson makes on being called to 221B Baker Street. The Great Detective has apparently contracted a contagious and rare Asian disease while on a case in Rotherhithe. Mrs. Watson confirms Holmes has not eaten or taken a drink in three days.

Wanting to assist his friend, Watson finds himself forced to wait – the contagious nature of Homes’ illness preventing him from carrying out an examination – until six o’clock that evening, when Holmes reveals the name of the one man who can save him, one Culverton Smith. Unfortunately, Smith may not be predisposed to lending assistance, as he is not a doctor, but a man Holmes once implicated in a murder.

Before Watson departs to bring the man to Baker Street, Holmes makes a mysterious request: once he has secured Smith’s agreement to come to Holmes, Watson ensures he returns to Baker Street quite independently of Smith. Confused, but determined to help his dying friend, Watson sets out on his mission …

Find out more by joining Da5id Abbot, Corwyn Allen, Savanah Blindside, and Kayden Oconnell!

18:00 Magicland Storytime: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Have you heard? Willie Wonka is releasing five golden tickets in candy bars! Charlie Bucket may have a chance to find one as Caledonia Skytower presents Roald Dahl’s classic, live on stream!

Monday, March 11th 19:00: Fear of Falling

Published in February 2018, Once Upon A Quest is an anthology of 15 fairytales with a twist, their inspiration ranging from The Ugly Duckling to Snow White, and everything in between (including trips to Camelot and Oz). Here, Shandon Loring reads Fear of Falling by Shawntelle Madison.

The sunset-tinged earth was coming at me, and there was nothing I could do, but I refused to die head-first. I twisted my torso in time. First, my right leg hit a narrow cliff. Crunch. Pain seized my right limb and snatched my breath. Clouded my vision in red. Rocks, snow, and branches plummeted past me. I was falling faster and faster.

Fly, Ireti, fly.

I reached out with my claws—only finding the open air—even my smaller, gold-tipped wings, which should have captured the air and lifted me toward the eternal heavens, did nothing. Up here, the air was frigid and thin—only a griffin with strong wings could take flight.

The end was coming before I’d experienced a beginning.

Cast from her griffin’s nest, Ireti is forced into the cruel world of the ground-walkers below. Before she can fly, Ireti must find the strength to walk, and the key to acceptance lies in an undiscovered place—between two worlds.

Also in Kitely grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI.

Tuesday, March 12th 19:00: Poets and Bards, the legacy of Storytelling

Short stories presented by Caledonia Skytower.

Wednesday, March 13th 19:00: Selections from Wind on the Willows

With Faerie Maven-Pralou.

Thursday, March 14th 19:00: The Lady of Finnegan’s Hearth 1

With Shandon Loring. (Also in Kitely grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI).

Exploring Puddlechurch in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Puddlechurch; Inara Pey, March 2019, on FlickrPuddlechurch – click any image for full size

Marty Triellis e-mailed me in late February with an invitation for us to visit Puddlechurch, the latest region design he and Cherish Demonge have developed. The invitation came almost exactly a year after we had visited one of their previous designs (see A NonStop visit in Second Life) and Shug Maitland also pinged me about the region via IM, we set off to have a look.

Described as a residential / photography region, Puddlechurch is beautifully conceived and executed. Some 14 rental properties of varying sizes are scattered through the landscape, but you’d hardly know this from a casual visit; such is the design and spread of the rentals – up on hill, down in dale, on the coast, over the water – that without a count at the rental office, you’re be pushed to tell the number was this high.

Puddlechurch; Inara Pey, March 2019, on FlickrPuddlechurch

The landing point sits close to the rental office, in a little village-like setting towards the north-east of the region. Largely deserted, the village is little more than bricked and boarded-up buildings, tumbled walls and a slightly forlorn little square, the rental office seemingly the last place of business still operating.

Three routes lead away from the square: east to a waterfront area (which I understand from Marty is still under construction). A similar path points west to the coast on that side of the region, while up a set of steps, a worn track points the way south, a tree-lined lane that passes the local chapel and graveyard.

Puddlechurch; Inara Pey, March 2019, on FlickrPuddlechurch

Which of these you take is up to you, but I confess, I found the westward path and the way it opens out to present the bay and buildings that reside there to be utterly captivating and beautifully natural. It is here that several of the rental properties are to be found, sitting close to the shingle beach or raised up on platforms build over the water and facing the mainland from the low-lying shingle bar that lies across most of the entrance to the bay, giving the impression this might once have been low-lying land that the sea has opted to lay claim to over time.

The houses out on the shingle bar are reached via wooden board walks. With a view out over the westward sea and the high peaks d the surrounding islands on one side, coupled with the view back inland on the other, these make for desirable properties for those looking for a home, their careworn looks adding a further layer of shabby chic to their attractiveness. Each sits within its own parcel, allowing parcel privacy to be used (each parcel additionally includes a security system) – a smart move given the close proximity of the public path running along the shingles betwixt houses and water.

Puddlechurch; Inara Pey, March 2019, on FlickrPuddlechurch

This approach has also been taken with the offshore units sitting on their wooden decks. Reached via their own board walks, these might be small, single room structures, but they also offer a little space for mooring boats (LI allowing!).

It is the breadth of housing style, as well as the landscaping that also makes Puddlechurch so appealing. If the small wooden cabins and houses on the west coast don’t appeal, follow the paths inland from beach or landing point (they all interconnect perfectly), and you’ll find a good mix of housing styles: a converted warehouse here, a town house there, a stone cottage in a corner; for those looking for an expansive property, there is even something of a manor house, and several of the properties have decks and / or planted gardens.

Puddlechurch; Inara Pey, March 2019, on FlickrPuddlechurch

Of course, what might be available for rent is liable to vary over time, so be sure to check the boards at the rental office, which will also furnish you with the rent and LI allowance for each property. These will also provide the estate’s rental guidelines, and I strongly recommend these are given a careful read through prior to renting.  When exploring, available properties are signified by a real estate (or if you are in America, a realtor) board outside, while memories of prices can be refreshed with the visit to the estate’s web page.

Cherish and Marty describe the setting as inspired by “British” countryside. By this I assume they mean a variety of influences from across the British Isles have informed the finished design. Certainly, there is no singular point of influence that appears to have gone into the design; rather, what is presented is singular and unique, carrying with it odd (and pleasing) little aspects of familiarity to anyone who has visited some of the more remote spots around the Irish and Scottish coastlines, or has visited some of England’s woodlands.

Puddlechurch; Inara Pey, March 2019, on FlickrPuddlechurch

Whether or not you are looking for a place to live, Puddlechurch offers a pleasing visit and includes multiple opportunities for photography. Our thanks to Marty for the invitation and to Shug for the tip.

SLurl Details

Farewell, Fran

Posted on by Inara Pey
Fran Swenson with her avatar (in the blue gown) Fran Seranade, and her daughter’s avatar, Barbi Alchemi (image courtesy of image courtesy of San Diego Union-Tribune / Bill Wechter

In 2013, I was able to write about the extraordinary Fran Swenson – Fran Seranade in Second Life – a Parkinson’s Disease sufferer who at the time had seen – and continued to see – something of an overall improvement in her condition, which she attributed to Second Life.

Fran’s story, which was reported in the likes of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Wired and came to be the focus of and one of the earliest editions of The Drax Files World Makers, was the trigger-point for her daughter, Barbara, establishing Creations for Parkinson’s in Second Life, designed to raise money for research into the disease and for a possible cure by supported the work of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and providing a meeting place for those stricken by the illness and those seeking a sense of community and support. Fran’s response to her condition and Second Life was also the subject of study by Donna Z. Davis (Tredi Felisimo in SL) and Tom Boellstorff  (Tom Bukowski in SL).

The avatar represents who I really feel inside. When I look at my avatar, I feel like I’m looking at myself … I’m dancing now and I can run, hop, jump and have fun. I’m not just in my apartment, I have the whole world now. It’s thrilling!

– Fran Swenson (Fran Seranade in SL) on the joy and
freedom Second Life gave her

I met Fran, and her daughter Barbara, on a number of occasions in Second Life in 2013 and 2014, although sadly, I allowed contact with them both to drift over the years since. Throughout those meetings, I was always stunned by Fran’s energy; she always exuded happiness and a sense of fun that was infectious. It is therefore with enormous regret – and following word sent by Draxtor Despres – that Fran sadly passed away at the age of 92 on March 3rd. With her passing, a genuine, warm and caring light has gone from Second Life and we have lost a true pioneer.

Fran was an earth angel whose extraordinary love touched all who met her. From her earliest days, it was her lifelong mission to help people wherever she saw a need. Mom always said, “Love is unlimited. The more you give, the more love there is to give.”

– Fran’s daughter, Barbara Richards (Barbi Alchemi in SL),
remembering her mother

An in-world  memorial for Fran is being planned, but will understandably take time to arrange – I hope to help spread the word for all who may wish to attend once the date and time have been confirmed. If you would like to make a physical world donation in Fran’s names to help further the work of The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, please use the link below, where you will also find a memorial to her.

To Barbara (Barbi Alchemi in Second Life) her brother (AlmostThere in SL) and their family, to all who knew Fran as a friend and an active members of the Creation’s community, I extended my condolences at this time – as I’m sure all who knew Fran and her story do as well.

Mathilde and Kayak at Raglan Shire

Posted on by Inara Pey
Raglan Tree Gallery: Mathilde Vhargon

Currently open through until the end of March 2019 at the Raglan Tree Gallery are two exhibitions by two physical world artists who have a very different focus for their art to one another.

Mathilde Vhargon entered the world of the arts as a classical musician, but for the last 10 years she has seen digital art as her creative medium, having originally  presented 3D sculptures in Second Life before moving to 2D creativity using Gimp and ArtRage.

Raglan Tree Gallery: Mathilde Vhargon

My paintings suggest themselves to me a little at a time without conscious planning. I often use small sections of them as materials to develop into new paintings. I also like to create kaleidoscope and mandala versions of some of my original paintings.

I love strong colours and flowing abstract forms. You will often find ambiguous suggestions that lead the viewer to imagine various possibilities and interpretations. I am most happy when my art creates a chain of associations and questions about life and humanity.

– Mathilde Vhargon, discussing her art

Raglan Tree Gallery: Mathilde Vhargon

The richness of abstraction in Mathilde’s work is immediately evident on seeing the piece presented at Raglan Tree. These are bold pieces, rich a colour and depth, some encompassing natural shapes and elements – flower petals, leaves or the suggestion of a squirrel. Also on display are monochrome pieces, together with simple paintings that perfectly convey their sentiment, all rounded out by a collage-like piece Toward the Light and even one with a fractal-like suggestion to it, Memories of Grandma, that make this an eye-catching and rewarding selection to visit.

Sharing the gallery space with Mathilde is Kayak Kuu. Apparently taking his name from the fact he used to teach whitewater kayaking, his interests span the theatre and computers – he makes note of both his love of all things Macintosh / Apple and that a good deal of his time is spent immersed in community theatre activities. He is also an avid photographer, as his exhibition at Raglan Tree more than demonstrates.

Raglan Tree Gallery: Kayak Kuu

Photography has been a hobby of his most of his life since the black and white and early Polaroid instant film days … [he] travels extensively and that is where many of his photographs displayed here come from.

– from the notes accompanying Kayak’s exhibit at Raglan Tree

Just how extensive Kayak has been fortunate enough to travel is certainly laid witness to in this exhibition. Pictures from across the United States sit shoulder-to-shoulder with those from Canada, Europe, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Roatan…

Raglan Tree Gallery: Kayak Kuu

Such is the diversity of locations on offer, I suspect that anyone who has travelled in the United States or France or the UK in particular are liable to recognise some of the locations Kayak has uniquely captured. I admit to smiling through each of his pictures of York, Belfast and Edinburgh, all of which have particularly happy memories for me, as did his image of the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C).

Presented in the round in on one of Raglan Shire’s great tree platforms, these are selections of art that demonstrate (again) that physical world art can have a place in our pixel lives and – with Kayak’s work – allows us to witness small scenes from places in this world we might otherwise not get to see.

Raglan Tree Gallery: Kayak Kuu

SLurl Details

Lab launches Second Life video travelogue

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Pen – subject of Linden Lab’s new video travelogue series

On Wednesday, March 6th, 2019, Linden Lab launched another new video series: Second Life Destinations, highlighting locations across the grid that residents might like to visit. The series is intended to be issued on a weekly basis and the Lab notes:

In this series, we’ll highlight different places focusing in on the beauty and imaginative possibilities in no more than 60-90 seconds so that you can get a quick peek at the creations and communities inside each virtual space. At times we may even speak to creators of theses spaces so they can shed some light on what inspired them. Look for each new episode on our blog and social media channels, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

For the first in the series, the Lab visit The Pen, Bay City’s beatnik hang-out operated by Marianne McCann, home to a range of activities include Marianne’s regular “Expresso Yourself” events, where the microphone is opened to visitors to express themselves in words (prose or poetry) or song on the first Tuesday of the month between 18:00 and 20:00 SLT.

The Pen was recently the venue for Marianne’s 13th rezday celebrations, and these are the focus of the video, which includes the voice of singer Grace MacDonnogh, a long-time friend who has a wonderfully mellow way with music and lyrics.

As a seasoned SL travel writer (and videographer when my PC decides to behave itself), I admit to finding myself caught between two conflicting feelings regarding this new series. On the one hand, there are a lot of people like me in the blogging community: we may not all focus on blogging destinations (although equally, some do), but  considerable effort goes into writing-up places and taking photos  / producing videos. Give all that, a series like this might be felt as coming a little close to treading on toes. On the other hand, the series is intended to be limited to 60-90 seconds, and as such it shouldn’t really impact on the work done by videographers and bloggers.

Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see how the series develops. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the first, which demonstrates the potential innocuousness of the series.

2019 SL User Groups 10/1: Simulator User Group

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Four Villages; Inara Pey, February 2019, on FlickrThe Four Villages – blog post

Please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest news.

  • There are no planned deployments to the SLS (Main) channel or the three major RC channels, these sees all four remain as follows:
    • The SLS Main channel remains on server maintenance package 19#19.01.25.523656.
    • The BlueSteel and LeTigre RCs remain on EPP server maintenance package 19#19.02.27.524820.
    • The Magnum RC channel remains on server maintenance package 19#19.01.25.523656, comprising internal fixes.
  • The current small Cake RC on Agni that is being used to iron out some transient network issues with the newest server operating system update, should receive an updated on Wednesday, March 6th, 2019.
    • There are reports that teleporting out of regions on Cake can result in a viewer disconnect.

SL Viewer

The EAM RC viewer updated to version 6.2.0.524909 on Tuesday, March 5th, 2019.

The rest of the SL viewer pipeline remains as follows:

  • Current Release version 6.1.0.524670, formerly the BugSplat RC viewer February 13, promoted February 28 New.
  • Release channel cohorts (please see my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • EEP RC viewer version 6.0.2.524683 released on February 27.
    • Love Me Render RC viewer, version 6.0.2.523177, January 16.
  • Project viewers:
  • Linux Spur viewer, version 5.0.9.329906, dated November 17, 2017 and promoted to release status 29 November – offered pending a Linux version of the Alex Ivy viewer code.
  • Obsolete platform viewer, version 3.7.28.300847, May 8, 2015 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7.

The Question of Script Load II

The subject of script and script run time returned. As notes in my previous SUG meeting summary, there are some reports that the percentage scripts run seems to be falling across Mainland, without a noticeable increase in script count, which if true, would indicate something is going wrong. Speaking at this week’s meeting, Oz Linden indicated that the Lab hasn’t done anything to their knowledge that should impact script performance. One theory is that child agents could be causing issues (see BUG-225729, BUG-226298).

As also noted in the previous meeting notes, there have been requests to make Top Scripts in a region visible to parcel holders, as well as estate owners / managers. It has been pointed out that this could result in privacy / drama issues and add to simulator processing loads. A compromise idea suggested this meeting would be for parcel owners  to see script time for in-world scripts be aggregated by parcel; this would allow people to have (hopefully friendly) words with neighbours if they see issues. A request has been made for this idea to be submitted as a feature request.

Oz Linden also indicated that allowing users see their own script usage through the viewer UI is on the roadmap.