Category: Second Life

This Weekend in Second Life Dance

Posted on by R.

Debauche - April 8 2018

Hi there. R. Crap Mariner, your friendly neighbourhood dance correspondent.

I’ll be posting dance performance schedules, similar to Inara’s posts about Seanchai Library readings. We’ll start with the weekend events for now.

Lighting The Way launches this week, with a huge number of great dance performances. There will be even more of them next week, but how about we get through this weekend first, okay?

Let’s get started, here’s the events that I had on the calendar as of press time.

(All times SLT)

Friday, April 13 2018

6:00 PM – Elysium Cabaret

If it’s Friday, it’s Elysium Cabaret! Fancy some imagination? In The Empire Room at Copperhead Road, every Friday at 6pm SLT the dynamic performers of Elysium Cabaret take the stage to bring you a solid hour of entertainment!

Featuring elaborate sets and choreography sequenced to an eclectic genre of music, Elysium Cabaret offers something for everyone. Grab your friends and get there early because the sim fills. Come celebrate Friday! Welcome to the weekend!

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Copperhead%20Road/74/64/2754

10:00 PM – Guerilla Burlesque

It may be Friday the 13th but it’s still Friday and a reason to dance!

We are so excited to be back on the Pit stage Friday night performing at 10 pm! We hope you will be there to welcome us! We have a couple of things tucked into our corsets to keep you amused and entertained because we missed you! Special shout out to Chrissy Rhiano who will be directing this week!

An amazing line up of fun, creative, and original acts all performed by your favourite Guerilla dancers! Mark the date, make your plans and meet us at the theatre doors for the 10 pm Guerilla Burlesque dancing in the PITS!

Doors open at 9 pm for those who like to arrive early and interact with their favourite dancers!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Idle%20Rogue/104/182/34

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I have recently joined Guerilla Burlesque, and my début performance is in this show. No monkeys were harmed during the production of this act.)

Saturday, April 14 2018

9:00 AM – Nouveau Ensemble Dance Troupe

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

11:00 AM – Virtuoso

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

12:00 PM – Oasis Dancers

Oasis Dancers.

Concert Hall, Standing Ovation.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Standing%20Ovation/92/119/2001

1:00 PM – Breezes Dancers

Breezes Dancers will be performing their show We Can Dance at Breezes Theatre on Saturday 14 April at 1pm SLT.

This is a show of 6 Acts and lasts about 1 hour. There will be a party for approximately 1 hour after the show for everyone to enjoy some dancing fun.

Title: Breezes Dancers show We Can Dance at the Breezes Theatre on Riviera Island. Dress code: Formal/semi formal.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Riviera%20Island/120/132/1166/

1:00 PM – Misfit Follies

Lighting the Way for Autsim Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SkyBeam%20Hideaway/30/102/3001

1:00 PM – Dance Variety Show @ LTW

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

1:00PM – Debauche

Debauche return once again to the beautiful Tryst Ballroom. Such a grand, wonderful theatre in which to dance. We sincerely hope you join us and enjoy both the show and the surroundings. Truly breathtaking – both.

Debauche – A little naughty, a lot sexy and always classy!

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Forbidden%20Fruit/20/76/3032

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a guest performer with Debauche. This will be my first performance with them.)

3:00 PM – Atlantis Grand Theatre

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

5:00 PM – Young Dreamers Dance Troupe

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

7:00 PM – Paramount Grand Theatre

1990’s Music Evolution. Paramount Grand Theatre’s brand new show for April. Come join us for an evening of classy but sassy entertainment as we the Paramount Players bring you back to the 90’s! 1990’s that is. Decade of music changes, revolutions and madness!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hell%20Lust/77/83/22

7:00 PM – Dance Xcetera

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

8:00 PM – A&M MOCAP Maniacs

Our monthly Home Show, showcasing what you can do with A&M MOCAP Animation Workshop dance animations! Join us for the performances, stay for the totally FUN after party where our DJ will dance you on stage!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mocap%20Dancer/51/219/504

Sunday April 15 2018

7:00 AM – Club IMAGE

It’s Sunday at Club Image, and it’s going to be special! We’re very excited to have you here at our theatre! Hope to see you all!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Laem%20Singh/193/28/2021

9:00 AM – Dazzlers

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

11:00 AM – Virtuoso

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

1:00PM – Debauche

Debauche travel to a brand new venue this weekend. It’s always so exciting to step into the unknown but the people there are so lovely. The theatre is beautiful, the setting lovely. Cannot wait to be there. Won’t you join us? Debauche at Shadow Lands.

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shadow%20Lands/71/223/3501

1:00 PM – Moonstone Theatre

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

3:00 PM – Men in Motion

8th Annual Lighting The Way Autism Awareness Event.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/This%20Sim/94/161/2503

5:00 PM – Winds of the Sahara

Each Sunday we have a shiny, new show at Winds of the Sahara Theatre. Our dances range from burlesque to performance art and you are sure to be amazed at all of the wonder that sets, costumes and music can create. We’ll put sparkles in your eyes and leave sequins on your shirt collars.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aladona/124/193/2001

5:00 PM – Ballet Pixelle

Ballet Pixelle – “Avatara”.

Opening Sunday April 15th at 5 pm SLT and every Wednesday and Sunday at 5 through June 13.

Ballet Pixelle® will open its production of “Avatara” on Sunday, April 15 at 5:00 pm SLT, Join us for this original composition of virtual dance! What if a real world dancer could dance in a virtual world? What movements would be the same or different? What kinds of different beings could she be? What would be the same? And how would that dancer be changed after her experience? Performances are Wednesdays at 5:00 pm and Sundays at 5:00 pm SLT throughout April in the Ballet Pixelle Theatre. Audience dancing at the after-show party every performance! Join us for an evening of delights. Chat with the performers and crew after the performance for autographs, photos, and a question & answer session.

Formal dress expected.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Quat/32/22/107

5:30 PM – Kiki’s Burlesque

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LORII%20CAPRONI%20ISLAND/106/174/24

7:00 PM – Art Factory – The Greatest Showman

The Art Factory presents: The Greatest Showman! A show about Phineas T Barnum’s start with the circus we know today! This show will leave you inspired to be yourself! We promise to leave you stunned with razzle dazzle and songs that will make you dance in your seat! The show starts at 7pm SLT but you may want to come a little early for a seat.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Josina/188/161/22

I assume there will be a few more shows this week… folks are just taking their time getting the notices in, finishing up their routines… that sort of thing. I’d prefer to error on the side of caution and just post the ones confirmed at press time.

Check with the Dance Queens event calendar for updates and additions to the weekend’s schedule, as well as the many events that happen during the week. And then, next weekend; something extra-special is happening: The Festival of Saint Put Up Or Shut Up!

So, folks, is this useful? Let me know. Drop me an IM when you get to a show and that you enjoyed it.

Club Image - April 8 2018

SL15B Community Celebration applications open

Posted on by Inara Pey
Via the SL15BCC website

2018 marks the fifteenth anniversary of Second Life opening its doors to full public access. It’s a milestone year for the platform. This means this year’s celebrations are going to be special. Already the regions have been delivered to the grid, and work is in hand to build them out.

The Dates

This year, SL15B will run from Sunday, June 17th through Sunday, June 24th, inclusive.

The Theme

From the SL15BCC website:

As Second Life begins to celebrate its 15th birthday, our “crystal” theme aims to inspire residents to reflect both on the past and see into the future. The community is encouraged to use the crystal aesthetic and concept to creatively express their favourite SL features of the past while also looking forward into the future. The “crystal” theme allows for exploration of the tapestry of time that weaves together the past, present and future of Second Life.

Applications

On Friday, April 13th,  the organisers opened the doors to applications from exhibitors, performers and presenters. Those wishing to apply for any of these positions are asked to read the General Event Policies for SL15B, and then proceed as follows:

SL14B Stage Left; Inara Pey, June 2017, on Flickr From SL14BCC – the Stage Left build

In addition, bloggers and press wishing to get full access to SL15BCC to cover the event should complete the Press Access form.

Volunteers to help run the event are also being sought. If you are interested in helping with things as a greeter, stage manager, exhibitor assistant, etc., then please read the Volunteer Code of Conduct, and then complete the Volunteer Application form.

Additional Links

Second Life: Town Hall series announced

Posted on by Inara Pey

To mark Second Life’s fifteenth anniversary, Linden Lab has announced a series of Town Hall meetings at which Second Life users can hear members of Linden Lab and well-known groups within SL talk about the platform, their work, and answer questions offered by users.

The announced sessions will comprise:

  • Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg.
  • Members of the Firestom team.
  • Residents of Bay City.
  • The Designing Worlds team.

The first of these town hall meetings will feature Ebbe Altberg in a double session on Friday, April 20th, at the following times:

  • 09:30 SLT.
  • 13:00 SLT.

User are invited to offer questions for Ebbe via the forum thread A Conversation with Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg. Questions will be selected from those submitted, and as many as possible will be answered within the time frame set for the meetings.

Users can attend the meetings by teleporting to one of the three following landing points at Town Hall Island:

Not: none of the above SLurl may be open to the public prior to the day of the event. 

Other Town Hall meetings, to be “held in the coming months”, will be announced in due course.

Spring and romance at Luane’s World in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s World – click any image for full size

It’s been two years since I first visited Luane Meo’s Luane’s World and some fifteen months since a last visit to the neighbouring Luane’s Magical World – so a re-visit to both was long overdue.

Luane’s World, home to Luane’s store of the same name, tends to change with the seasons, offering visitors something new to see as each year progresses. At the time of our April visit, the region was sporting a springtime look, rich in greens on boughs and underfoot, with just a hint of summer blossoms to be seen and flowers blooming in the grass. A visit begins (as always) at the store, located in the north-east corner of the region.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s World – click any image for full size

From here, three paths mark possible routes of exploration. Two, marked by stepping-stones, lead the way south and east and south and west, respectively offering routes to  Luane’s Magical World or out into Luane’s World itself. A third dirt-topped paths bends north-east, leading to Luane’s World – Live the Dream, a third Homestead operated and designed by Luane. However, as this is largely private rental properties (enquiries to Luane), we opted to respect people’s privacy and keep out, despite the public paths leading partway around the region.

The path point south-west into Luane’s World leads you along the banks of the waterway which cuts between the region and Luane’s Magical World from the south, feeding into a large hearted-shaped pool of water sitting at the centre of the region.  The path circles this pond, carrying itself over the little channel feeding it to offer the way to an old windmill on one side, and the way past a cosy little café to where it branches, leading the way past a tree house to a beach that curves around the north and west of the region.  Above the beach to the west, the land rises a little, providing space for an old fort, watched over by a lighthouse sitting just off the coast.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s World – click any image for full size

Throughout the region are plenty of places to sit, cuddle and relax – such as the little cottage on the little southern island or scattered across the beach.

Across the water to the east, reached by either stepping-stones or a wooden bridge, is Luane’s Magical World. Hidden by a veil of mist, this is definitely a place for lovers and romance. Frosted tree a spread across waters frozen in time. In this, it remains similar to the first time we visited in December 2016. However, beneath the boughs, the environment has changed – most obviously in the frozen water replacing the snows.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s Magical World

There is no set path through this region, it’s a place to wander and let go of time – although fallen leaves suggest footpaths to follow. Lights glow from the frozen trunks and branches, whilst waiting to be found throughout the region are places to sit and cuddle. These range from an old greenhouse to beds under nets to a hanging chair suspended from a leaf and watched over by unicorns, to a tent guarded by albino elephants.

Elsewhere, under a table of rock at the northern end of the region there are tunnels and caverns awaiting exploration, while those seeking a celebratory meal will find it in an old gazebo, or if a romantic dance is preferred, the impressive ruins of a Gothic chapel offers a stone flagged floor and dance machine.

Luane's World; Inara Pey, April 2018, on FlickrLuane’s Magical World

Luane’s World and Luane’s Magical World can be visited individually or together, depending on your mood. Both offer plenty of opportunities to share time together, and both are beautifully designed (as always) by Luane, and make for memorable visits. Should you take photos during your visit, consider adding them to the Luane’s World Flickr group.

SLurl Details

2018 SL UG updates #15/1: Simulator User Group

Posted on by Inara Pey

Spirit of Sun; Inara Pey, March 2018, on FlickrSpirit of Sun – blog post

Server Deployments

As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

  • The Main (SLS) channel was not updated on Tuesday, April 9th, nor was there a restart.
  • On Wednesday, April 11th:
    • The BlueSteel and LeTigre will not be updated, and remain on server maintenance package 18#18.03.29.513939, containing internal fixes.
    • The Magnum channel will apparently receive a further revision to 18#18.03.29.513939.

SL Viewer

  • The Love Me Render RC viewer updated to version 5.1.3.514115, dated April 5th.
  • The Ouzo Maintenance RC viewer updated to version 5.1.3.514128, dated April 5th.

The remainder of the SL viewer pipeline remains unchanged from the end of week #14:

  • Current Release version 5.1.2.512803, dated February 23, promoted March 1 – formerly the Nalewka Maintenance RC – No change
  • Release channel cohorts:
  • 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.

Bakes on Mesh

This is the project to extend the current avatar baking service to allow wearable textures (skins, tattoos, clothing) to be applied directly to mesh bodies as well as system avatars. This involves server-side changes, including updating the baking service to support 1024×1024 textures, and may in time lead to a reduction in the complexity of mesh avatar bodies and heads.

This work does not include normal or specular map support, as these are not part of the existing baking service.

As noted in my last CCUG update, the project viewer, version5.1.3.513936, arrived on March 30th, 2018 (see the Bakes on Mesh JIRA filter for reported issues). There is a forum thread on the project, which carries a degree of misinformation on the project. Siddean Munro has sought to clarify things in a blog post, and Cathy Foil has produced an introductory video as well.

Environmental Enhancement Project

This is the project to create a set of environmental enhancements including the ability to define the environment (sky, sun, moon, clouds, water settings) at the parcel level; new environment asset types (Sky, Water, Days – the latter comprising multiple Sky and Water) that can be stored in inventory and traded through the Marketplace / exchanged with others; Experience-based environment functions and an extended day cycle (e.g a 24/7 cycle) and extended environmental parameters. The work involves simulator and viewer changes, and includes some infrastructure updates.

Rider Linden is working on EEP, and he reported, “I’ve been dealing with a little bit of a tangent having to do with internal inventory. Turned out to be a bit more complex than I anticipated when I said: “Sure, I’ll just knock that off as part of EEP”. It is almost resolved and then I can get back to direct EEP development.”

He also revealed more on how EEP will be “layered”: “EEP will have four different altitude layers. (Right now I’m operating with ground, 1km, 2km and 3km.) … The use case I see for the layers isn’t so much skyboxes, more for landing areas for RP sims that may want their own atmosphere; orbiting space stations , etc. (and the layers need to be set by the parcel owner.)”

Aditi Inventory Sync

Usually, sync on inventory from Agni, the Main grid, to Aditi, the Beta grid is designed to take place during a routine syncing operation run at around 2:00am PST daily, triggered by an Aidit log-in (see here for more).

However, as most of those who routinely log-in to Aditi will know that the system isn’t working correctly, and often, a ticket is required to get your Aditi inventory correctly synchronised with your Agni inventory. Commenting on the situation at the Simulator User Group, Mazidox Linden said, “We’ve got a dev working on the inventory sync to Aditi. We’re making some interesting progress, hopefully more news soon.” Oz Linden further indicated that a fix is in the pipeline.

 

Of Martin Luther King and Hindu temples in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Martin Luther King

April 4th, 2018, marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. To commemorate this, and more particularly his work advancing civil rights through non-violence and civil disobedience, Adams Dubrovna has put together an exhibit entitled Martin Luther King, which is now on display at the Museum of Sacred and Narrative Art.

Across 32 display panels, Adams traces key points in Dr. King’s life, starting with an examination of his education, and concluding with his final public appearance  on April 3rd, 1968 at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters), at which he gave his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” address.

Martin Luther King

In 1954 Dr. King became pastor of the Dexter Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. In March 1955, Claudette Colvin – a fifteen-year-old black schoolgirl in Montgomery – refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in violation of Jim Crow laws, local laws in the Southern United States that enforced racial segregation. King was on the committee for the Birmingham African-American community that looked into the case – but a decision was made not to pursue it, as it involved a minor.

Then, in December that year, Rosa Parks also refused to give up her seat, and was arrested for “civil disobedience”. The NAACP, working through their local chapter president Edgar Nixon, saw Parks as the best candidate for seeing through a court challenge on the matter of segregation, and she so and Dr. King become central figures in the American civil rights movement, starting with the Montgomery bus boycott.

Martin Luther King

This – together with the bombing of King’s home on January 27th, 1956 (he was preaching at the time) and his own arrest (the first of many) – mark the starting point for the exhibition tracing his civil rights activism.  The panels the trace the key moments in his life and the civil rights movement in chronological order, many of them using Dr. King’s own words. These include the Albany Movement, the Birmingham campaign, the 1963 march on Washington DC,  and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.

Also marked is the King’s place on the international stage (through a look at their visit to India in 1959 and his opposition to the Việt Nam war). Many of the panels include Dr. King’s own words, making them particularly poignant, particularly the excerpt of his April 3rd, 1968 address at the Mason Temple. This reads as prophetic in light of the events that followed on April 4th, 1968. Wisely, the exhibition doesn’t unduly dwell on Dr. King’s death at the hand of James Earl Ray, but rather passes on to some of the monuments erected in his memory in the United States.

Ellora Caves Exhibit

On the floor above Martin Luther King is an exhibition of images and plans of the Ellora caves, one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It features Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600-1000 CE period.

The exhibition focuses on the latter two: Hindu and Jain temples and art, referred to as caves 13–29 and caves 30–34, respectively. It’s something of a mixed media exhibit, featuring photographs, slide shows and information boards / givers. The Hindu caves form the first part of the exhibit located at the top of the steps from the Martin Luther Exhibition. It is centre on a pair of large format photographs of the Kailasa Temple.

Ellora Caves Exhibit

There is a route around this display – commencing with the early Hindu period, then the Kailasa Temple images, complete with floor plans, and on through the Jian caves and art. The information note cards provide a fair amount of information, although the information buttons on the slide shows might be a little confusing – they provide a landmark to the in-world store for the slide show panels rather than information on the images they display.

For those looking for an exhibition or two with a historical lean, Martin Luther King and the Ellora Caves display could be well worth a visit. The former nicely compacts Dr. King’s life into an easily digestible presentation and avoids reading as preaching. The Ellora Caves display offers some excellent images of the caves, art and temple ruins, although it would be nice to have some form of credit offered for them – even if they are from the exhibitor’s own collection – would add a little more depth for those wishing to do further reading.

SLurl Details