Tag: Exploring Second Life 2012

A Hazardous journey brings its own reward

Posted on by Inara Pey

In January I visited Wendy Xeno’s Humanoid, which I found to be an evocative and photogenic experience. So when I heard she’s been commissioned by Dirk Talamasca to produce another piece, I knew I’d have to pay it a visit.

Hazardous, the result of the commission, is located on Misali, a Homestead sim owned by Mandingo Quan, who was also involved in the design process. The byline for the installation is Dream infinitely….. remain fearless…..seek Hazardous adventures, and for those familiar with Wendy’s work, it carries many of her trademark touches.

Your arrival receives a musical greeting, this time from a piano which features covers of Linkin Park’s “Numb” and “Beth” by Kiss, a rather eclectic mix of instrument and music that works very well within the theme and tone of the installation.

The eclectic piano

Around you lies a muted landscape with dark, dusk-laden skies (assuming you accept the local Windlight settings – and I recommend you do!). For those visiting with a partner / loved one and who have a romantic inclination, a bottle floating in the water alongside the guest book pedestal offers dances. For the adventurous, the silhouettes of a nearby landmass beckon – but be careful you don’t mess the balloons tethered closer to hand, which offer a fun way to see the sim…

The balloons allow you to ride around the installation, guiding yourself via the arrow keys and PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN, and make reaching various part of the piece a lot more fun than simply flying. If you decided to stop off anywhere, then your balloon doesn’t instantly vanish, giving you the option of grabbing hold and floating onwards if your visit to a particular spot isn’t too long.

Towards the centre of the sim lay a number of tor-like outcrops, the larger two of which are linked by a rope walk and offer visitors places to simply sit and observe or enjoy one another’s company.

To the north-east of the region sits a tangle of trees, denuded of leaves, and from which a stone path rises, angling gently upwards and inviting you to walk it, following the trail of lanterns to the top. As you climb, so the wind blows, carrying the sound of surf, as waves sweep against the tall tor you are approaching. At the top sits another symbol familiar to Wendy’s work: a birdcage, this one containing a music box. Dances are available nearby, but I’ll leave you to find the giver :).

Make sure you drop down to the graveyard below…the tombstones are a delightful read…

Like Humanoid, Hazardous extends its reach into the sky via three teleports located near the arrival point. These lead to various scenes contained within spheres high overhead, of which my favourite is the “ghost ship”.

Overall, Hazardous has much in common with Humanoid, but is also very different; together they complement one another and form pieces that work both individually and together. Both are evocative, but in very different ways. While Humanoid caused me to the think very much of Eliot’s The Four Quartets, Hazardous resonated with me in terms of fantasy, the colours and forms lending themselves naturally to images of strange and distant worlds, or perhaps other versions of this world where the fantastic is possible.

Like Humanoid, Hazardous offers SL photographers a great environment in which to work – both the Windlight settings and colour tones work very well whether or not you have deferred rendering active, making it possible to play around a lot with images and effects when using a Viewer such as Exodus or Niran’s.

Well worth a visit.

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ISM: Alpha and Bravo back after snag

Posted on by Inara Pey

I reported recently on the status of the International Spaceflight Museum and the issues it has suffered of late – some of which are internal, others not so. However, tier due was raised, and the ISM team were planning on making a return with Spaceport Alpha and Spaceport Bravo.

At the weekend, Kat Lemieux received a message from Linden Lab stating that the account had been delinquent for so long, the ISM group would have to purchase new sims from Linden Lab.

The sims themselves went off-line in mid-January, with unpaid tier amounted to around $1180 (two sims at $295 for two months, presumably December and January). Since then, the ISM team have been working to get payments made following donations – and have experienced around two weeks in delays due to issues related to Paypal / LL.

The initial reaction to the news when made public was one of stunned disbelief, and for Kat and the team, a concern that the regions may have in fact been deleted with a loss of content.

While the tier had been in arrears for two months – the sims themselves had only been offline for a little over a month, so had the content been lost, this would have been a cruel blow.

BUT: during an e-mail exchange with Kat, I received this message:

The islands are back, with content!!!

Now we have to find out what are the conditions — is this a temporary restoration just to let us get the content, or are they back in the same terms as before? We’ll find out, and I’ll let you know when we do.

So – well done, Linden Lab!

As Kat’s e-mail states, there is still work to be done, but following a rapid-fire visit to Spaceport Alpha, things do appear to be back and in good condition.

Spaceport Alpha (centre front) and Spaceport Bravo (centre rear) back: 21st Feb, 19:00 SLT

Doubtless more to come as the situation becomes clearer.

ISM: looking to the future

Posted on by Inara Pey

There has been some speculation circling as to the state-of-play with the International Spaceflight Museum in Second Life. The ever-vigilant Daniel Voyager first reported the sims had vanished from the SL map, alongside that of NASA’s CoLab sim (ISM is not in any way linked to, or affiliated with, NASA). since then, questions have popped up elsewhere regarding the status of the project.

ISM: Down – but far from out

As the ISM has been such a landmark feature of Second Life, I decided to contact Kat Lemieux, a prime mover behind the project, to find out what is happening and what the future might hold.

The first order of business was to establish why the ISM regions – Spaceport Alpha and Spaceport Bravo – had vanished from the grid. Rather than being “gone forever” from SL, their absence has been the result of a number of circumstances combining at the wrong time to leave bills unpaid. However, matters are in hand to get things up and running again, as Kat confirmed to me, “Right now I’m trying to straighten out an issue between PayPal and LL billing, but that should be resolved in a day or so, and the sims will be back soon afterwards.”

And when they are back – expect a grand re-opening party to be announced!

Nor does the good news end there.

While much is still in flux, and the longer-term future of the ISM needs to be carefully considered, Kat remains confident that it will continue to be a presence in SL and may even look towards opening “branch museums” on other suitable grids at some point – but the focus will remain on Second Life.  “I don’t foresee ISM leaving SL completely as long as we can afford to stay,” she told me. “Several island owners have offered to host us on their land if we decide to sell the sims, but whatever we decide, SL is still where the people are, so we need to have a presence there.”

ISM has been cataloguing humanity’s achievements in space within Second Life since 2005

Other changes may be less obvious, but are important to the future running of the museum. The ISM Corporation, for example, has been wound down, and will be replaced by a more focused team working on the project.  “Since we created it for the purpose of obtaining tax-exempt status, and that didn’t happen, there was no reason for it to continue, and it was just sucking up resources,” Kat explained in reference to the decision to wind-down the corporation – an understandable move in the circumstances. The ISM website, however, will be continuing, and updates are due to be put out in the near future – although again, initial focus will remain on getting the ISM regions back up and running smoothly in the short-term. In addition to the website, there are plans in hand to launch a public Facebook page for the ISM to help further raise the profile of the project.

As with all large-scale operations,  ISM has had a few internal issues to deal with along the way that have tended to slow things down a little – fund-raising and business management being two of them, as Kat candidly explained to me. “Trying to pay for maintenance and running a business as opposed to playing with prims and textures just aren’t as much fun for the kinds of people who were initially attracted to starting the museum. Even running events, which we did quite a bit, wasn’t the same. That’s fair, as there is no law saying the same people have to enjoy every aspect of such an enterprise; but we didn’t seem to have enough of those willing to do the business side.” These aren’t issues that will easily go away, and one senses that if there is someone out there with the passion and drive to lend their weight to the project in these areas, their help and support would be most welcome.

But for now, things are looking decidedly bright for the ISM – and the current down-time will hopefully shortly become little more than an unscheduled interruption to what has been one of SL’s finest and most informative destinations since 2005.

If you would like to help support the ISM and volunteer your time and abilities, contact Kat Lemieux in-world. If you would like to show your support for the project via a donation, you can do so via PayPal to ismuseum-at-gmail.com (remember to replace the “-at-” with “@”!) or in Linden Dollars paid to AyeEss Emms in-world. 

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The towering architecture of Kölner Dom

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update August 4th: the region containing the cathedral is no longer available.

Working on Fallingwater put me in mind of some of the truly great builds in Second Life. One of the most famous is perhaps that of Cologne Cathedral / Kölner Dom. Taking up the majority of Koelner Dom (with the arrivals point on neighbouring Virtuelles Kolen), the cathedral is a powerful tour-de-force of what can be achieved in SL with patience, prims and high-quality texturing.

The build is the work of Seminal 3D, and has long been regarded as an example of what can be achieved architecturally within SL. The initial version of the cathedral opened in Second Life in 2007, and had the full support of the Cologne Cathedral Administration team from real life, and drew on the expertise of the Cathedral’s architect, Barbara Schock-Werner.

“Version 2.0” of the build has been underway since approximately late 2007, and I’m actually uncertain as to the overall status of things: there are still “under construction” signs to be found inside the build itself, together with notices outside relating to the renovations, but I’ve been unable to find any more recent news on the project than items dated mid-2011.

Nevertheless, the Cathedral is well worth a visit, particularly if you’re into photography in SL and / or are using a Viewer such as Niran’s or Exodus, which really bring the beauty of the build to the fore when using their enhanced graphics capabilities.

The magnificence of 13,000 well-ordered prims
A beautiful use of textures captures many features of  the original
…which continues inside the build…
…and up to the ornate flying buttresses, seen here from one of the towers

There is sadly little in the way of internal details in the cathedral at present: the nave and transept columns are all present, as are most of the magnificent stained-glass windows, but of alter, seating, etc, there is nothing. It would be nice to see the inclusion of something like the Nave Organ, a 1998 addition to the original, perched high over the nave itself – but with the build apparently pushing the parcel limits, one can understand why such are not currently to be found.

The nave, looking east

Even so, for those that appreciate building and architecture in SL, as well as those who enjoy capturing the sights of SL in photos, Kölner Dom is worth your time for a visit.

From the air

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A unicorn’s enchantment

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update:Enchanted Unicorn and Enchanted Swansong have been separated and extensively redeveloped and no longer appear as described here.

Enchanted Swansong and Enchanted Unicorn are described as “a magical atmosphere in SL where the forests are filled with fairy tale creatures and romance is always in the air” and where you can, “Live your dreams here in the land of the faeres.” They are operated by the Enchanted Unicorn group, with the larger, full sim of Enchanted Unicorn rated Adult, and the Homestead sim of Enchanted Swansong, created by Andrek Lowell, rated Moderate. Both are enchanting places to visit, especially for those into photography and / or romance.

Enchanted Swansong (foreground left) with Enchanted Unicorn beyond

Both regions use Windlight presets set to sunset, and I’d recommend that you keep these settings when visiting.

Enchanted Swansong is a tall, verdant forest within which wind water ways that run between tall trees and past candle-lit gazebos, the air filled with the rich sounds of nature. There are also green pools of water masquerading as lush grass – so be careful as to where you tread!

Walking through the trees, one does expect to come across a Mallorn tree or to hear soft, sweet elven voices singing in the distance – Enchanted Swansong has that kind of Tolkien-esque feel about it in places, even with some of the more ominous sounds audible from deeper in the woods.

Glades, gazebos and harps

If you are able to explore with shadows enabled – and particularly with a Viewer like Niran’s or Exodus with the “extras” active, exploring Enchanted Swansong gains an added depth as sunlight filters through the trees, and you path is dappled  by shadows.

As you explore, you may come across a teleporter pad. Then leads the way up to the sky forest and the Roman baths, hidden overhead. For those romantically inclined, both offer quiet retreats in which to spend time. I particularly like the Roman baths, tucked inside a skybox; they remind me of a swimming pool at a country house hotel I like to frequent in summer here in the UK…

The Roman baths

Across the water to the west of Enchanted Swansong is Enchanted Unicorn, which also has a dedicated start-point. While still wooded, this is a very different enchanted land to that of Swansong. The music of the pan pipe hovers in the air together with birds’ songs and the sounds, perhaps, of spring; the trees are more varied and a greater feeling of faerie pervades the air. This is an adult region, and those of a sensitive nature should remember that fae nudity is accepted here. There are also gazebos, pavilions and tree houses where couples and friends can enjoy romantic trysts or meet for friendly conversation.

Like Enchanted Swansong, there is a teleporter to carry you skywards (or if you use the start-point, both around the sky and to the ground), which you can use to reach a ballroom, a club, hanging gardens and other delights.

The hanging gardens and Unicorn start-point floating beyond

Not everywhere may be reachable via teleport, however, so it’s worthwhile keeping your eyes open as you explore – there is a lot to find within Enchanted Unicorn both in the air and on the ground. One way to see more is to find the old white balloon and take to the skies, steering your way around the region while sitting in the basket admiring the view. Just be careful when sending the balloon home when you’re done as it requests – or you might end up standing on thin air!

Would you like to fly/In my lil’ white balloon…

The Enchanted sims make for a wonderful visit, regardless as to whether you’re into the fae scene or not – both are beautifully developed, and AliceDeejay Aya and Andrek Lowell have done a fabulous job in putting them together. Both are very photogenic and offer some wonderful opportunities for those key on SL photography. For those who enjoy  faerie or are looking for romantic spots witin SL, or who simply enjoy exploring the sights of Second Life, Enchanted Unicorn and Enchanted Swansong  together make a very worthwhile destination.

ballroom (l) and club, hovering over Enchanted Unicorn
Enchanted Unicorn as seen from Enchanted Swansong
The far pavilions – and nearby swing!

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All images captured using Exodus 12.01.03(b), no post-processing applied. All images using deferred rendering, gamma correction, active depth of field. Tone mapping active in all but images (1) and (3). 

The Human(oid) side of art

Posted on by Inara Pey

Chestnut Rau is someone I respect very much and who knows her stuff when it comes to art in SL. So, when she makes a suggestion that I visit a sim in-world (as she did last year – shame on me for taking a while to get around to it), then I’ll sit up and take note.

Humanoid is one such place. The work of Wendy Xeno, it offers much to see and experience. Teleporting to the given landmark, you are asked if you’ll allow the region to control your Windlight settings – to get the maximum impact from the installation, you should. Also make sure sound is enabled.

Beneath you is a transcription that helps set the tone for your visit:

We never touch
people so lightly
that we do not
leave a trace

Bach-ing at the doors

If you’re lucky on arrival, a cello plays JS Bach’s Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1: Prelude – and if you wish, you can try your hand playing it while considering where to go next (click the cello to start the music). Hearing this music did make me smile; I love the cello (though sadly cannot play it), and Bach’s Prelude is a favourite piece (and I’ve recently fallen in love with Steven Sharp Nelson’s upbeat version, wherein he plays eight cellos).

Around you stand nine doors, each of which leads the way to further explorations – although there are things to see around you on the ground before (or after) you do.

I opted to wander at ground level first, visiting the various islands, each with it own sense of solitude and peace, different ranges of thought and emotion stimulated by each one. For example, at one, I could think of nothing other than SL friends I like spending time with simply “being” and talking; at another, I found myself thinking of those in SL I have known and who have, sadly, departed from the virtual…

“Time present and time past”

The doors lead to more wonders to enjoy and experience – be they dancing together in some great hall, sharing a rowing boat on a moonlit night amidst glowing lilies, witnessing a circus or sitting in quite contemplation of a verse:

Only passions,
great passions,
can elevate the soul
to great things

“Are both perhaps present in time future”

I’m not sure why Burnt Norton sprang to mind while exploring the ground level areas (athough The Four Quartets is a favourite of mine); perhaps it was my overall frame of mind – or perhaps it was evoked by the scenes themselves. Either way, the lines did pop into my head, and they did – and do – seem appropriate.

“Other echoes Inhabit the garden. Shall we follow?”

Summer sun, autumn skies, the snows of winter – all sit behind the various doors – indeed, to say too much would be to spoil your explorations.

“My love, on a midnight sea eternal…”

So why not pay a visit for yourself?

All snapshots in the article captured using Firestorm with default graphics settings & region windlight settings, with the exception of “Bach-ing at the doors”, wherein shadows were turned on.

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