Misc Events – Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld

Second Life Hair Fair 2025

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Inara Pey

The 2025 Second Life Hair Fair is opened on Saturday, May 31st and runs through until Sunday, June 15th, 2025. As with previous years, it is being run to raise money for Wigs for Kids, with every purchase seeing a percentage donated to the cause while the Bandana booths and Donation kiosks donating 100% of all proceeds received.

As with recent years, the event takes place across six regions, appropriately called Blonde, Brunette, Foils, Noirette, Redhead and Streaks, all laid out in a loop around a central boulevard. So, no matter where you arrive or whether you head left or right, you can easily pass through all of the regions and pass all of the stores. The landing zones for the regions are located at either end of the the loop (Blonde & Streaks; Foils & Niorette), and towards the middle of the boulevard for Brunette and Redhead, where the Hair Fair Bandana Booths can be found.

If walking isn’t your thing, signs along the boulevard allow you to rez and ride a “prim bus”: just click to rez, sit to ride and hop off when you see something of interest.

As is usual for Hair Fair, the shopping regions are lightly decorated in order to minimise viewer-side lag that might otherwise be created by having a significant amount of extra object and texture rendering. The list of participating merchants can be found on the Hair Fair website, while for those who may not find something they wish to purchase, donation kiosks are available to help support Wigs for Kids, or there are the Bandana Booths mentioned above.

Important Note to Those on Non-PBR Viewers

All of the stores within Hair Fair utilise PBR reflection probes. If you are using a non-PBR viewer, you will be unable to click through the reflection probe to touch a vendor board from outside of a store (e.g. when cam-shopping from the landing points). To make a purchase, please make sure your enter the store first.

About Wigs for Kids

For more than forty years Wigs for Kids has been providing hair replacement systems and support for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, burns and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families. The effects of hair loss go deeper than just a change in a child’s outward appearance. Hair loss can erode a child’s self-confidence and limit them from experiencing life the way children should. With an injured self-image, a child’s attitude toward treatment and their physical response to it can be negatively affected also.

Wigs for Kids helps children suffering with hair loss look themselves and live their lives. Families are never charged for the hair replacements provided for their children; Wigs for Kids rely completely on both the donation of hair and / or money to help meet their goals.

Read more about Wigs for Kids mission, and discover how hair can be donated.

URLs and SURLs

Hair Fair website
Shopping regions – all rated General:
- Blonde – Brunette – Foils – Noirette – Redhead – Streaks
Wigs for Kids

Dropping in to MadPea Unlimited courtesy of LL’s gift

Posted on January 3, 2025January 4, 2025 by Inara Pey

*The MadPea Unlimited Hub, January 2025*

On Monday, December 23rd, 2024, Linden Lab announced a special holiday gift for all Second Life users: six months access to the upcoming 2025 seasons 1 and 2 of MadPea Unlimited, which commences on January 1st, 2025. After allowing for the initial rush, I hopped over early on January 2nd, 2025 to take a peep at what is on offer.

To recap on the offer: Linden Lab is covering the cost of 6 months access to the MadPea Unlimited premium group, which gives subscribers early access to MadPea’s new games and experiences product releases, gifts, and hunts, as well as access to MadPea’s library of available in-world games and experiences. Subscriptions usually cost L$6,000 for three months – so the total value of this gift to users is $12,000 per person, and the offer runs through until the end of June 2025. An important note with the gift is that is does not require any sign-up or commitment to any on-going subscription; to participate, all residents need to do is hop along to the MadPea Unlimited region from January 1st, 2025 and join the fun.

*Become Benoit Blanc (only hopefully without Daniel Craig’s accent!) and find out whodunnit in Merry Mayhem at Frostwood Manor – just make sure you don’t die in the process!*

All activities and games are accessed via the Discovery hub. This provides access to all of the current in-world games and adventures, with the Weekly Drops and Monthly Collectables pick-up point lying beyond it (with the first drops of 2025 due on January 8th, 2025). One thing to note is that MadPea utilise SL Experiences, so you’ll have to accept the Experience in order for the games and adventures to work.

Each game / adventure is accessed via a dedicated portal. alongside of each portal is a kiosk offering details of the game / adventure, which includes a general rating for the activity – E for everyone (roughly equivalent to SL’s G rating), M for Mature (roughly equivalent to SL’s M rating) and M +17, indicating it contains themes such as death, murder, etc.). The kiosks also supply the dedicated HUD for a given activity, and provide information on things like the number of achievements / rewards which can be obtained. A HUD might be presented as a direct-wear / add item, or as a package giver that includes the HUD and other items. Note that while a SL Experience is utilised, this does not extend to HUD attachment – you should add them done manually.

*MadPea Unlimited activity portals and information kiosks*

For January 2025, the activities comprise:

Four Escape Room style challenges of varying levels of difficulty and length, comprising Ghostly Goal and Wizard’s Tower and Forsaken Funhouse (all rated E), and Deadly Dungeon (Rated M 17+).
Three adventure- style games comprising a horror story called Insidious Island (rated M) and The Kidnapping (rated E), and Jewel of the Nile (rated E)
Ascension, a puzzle challenge
Two murder mysteries – Merry Mayhem at Frostwood Manor (rated E) and The Naughty List Murders (rated M 17+), the latter forming the latest MadPea addition.

*Try your hand at solving puzzles as your ascend the tower*

Games are variable in length, the average being between 2 and 3 hours, with Forsaken Funhouse lasting up to around 8 hours. However, this time does not necessarily have to be done all at once, it is possible to leave, detach the HUD and leave, then wear it and return (with The Naughty Murders List, for example, you can add the HUD, open the Mad City map and click on the last location you visited and then resume).

I took a quick run-through of the two murder mysteries, and found the basics to be broadly similar: interacting with static characters who interact with you in both voice and text, as you move through a series of locations seeking clues, your progress and other information recorded on your game HUD. In this I found both a little formulaic – but that’s my fault for running through both mysteries back-to-back, rather than mixing two different game types.

That said, once involved, I did – as used to be the case when I was a regular at MadPea – become engrossed in working out who had done what (although in the case of The Naughty List Murders, I believed I’d figured the likely culprit roughly half-way through the game, based on a comment passed by one of the characters, and ended-up continuing to see if I was right – which again is half the fun with whodunits (and it turned out I was right, in part)).

A nice touch is the the majority of the games are geared towards group play, so people can work together on them. Check the information kiosks to conform whether group play is intended – just work in IM with friends. One thing I would say is that given these are still the early days of the gift being available (at least at the time of writing). As such, the games can get busy.

*“One thing’s sure. Sebastian Blackwood is dead — murdered — and somebody’s responsible!” (with apologies to MadPea and Plan 9 From Outer Space* 😀 )

When announced, the offer of MadPea Unlimited access gather some negative responses through various mediums. Personally, I don’t see the harm; MadPea have always provided engaging entertainment, and an arrangement like this is a nice way for LL to both encourage users to have a little fun and making many who many not be aware of MadPea or have never tried their Unlimited subscription to give them a try; and if that encourages some to support MadPea by taking out a subscription for membership after the gift period ends – that can’t be bad, can it?

Related Information

MadPea Unlimited (rated Moderate)
MadPea Unlimited Season 1 2025 (January-March) preview – MadPea Games
A holiday gift from the Lab: 6 months access to MadPea Unlimited in Second Life – this blog

A holiday gift from the Lab: 6 months access to MadPea Unlimited in Second Life

Posted on December 24, 2024January 1, 2025 by Inara Pey

*MadPea Unlimited – free access to all SL residents for 6 months*

Update: January 1st, 2025, MadPea Unlimited is now open.

MadPea is well-known name within Second Life, producing a wide range of interactive games, adventures and experiences in Second Life, some of which I’ve covered in these pages. Unlimited is MadPea’s subscription premium group, providing members with early access to games and experiences, product releases, gifts, and hunts. Membership costs L$6,000 for three months.

With the gift from Linden Lab, residents get 6 months access to MadPea Unlimited – that’s two Seasons of Unlimited activities normally valued at L$12,000 – from Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 through until the end of June 2025. As such, the package includes all of the membership benefits through the first two seasons of MadPea Unlimited 2025.

Why We’re Doing This

Second Life is all about celebrating creativity, community, and connection. By teaming up with MadPea Productions, we’re giving our residents the opportunity to experience some of the most innovative and engaging content available in our virtual world. Since 2008, MadPea and its talented crew of designers, writers, developers and artists from all around the world have been creating immersive and thrilling fun across over 100 gaming experiences with a large and active ‘Pea’ Community of well over 26,000 players. Whether you’re a seasoned explorer or new to Second Life, this gift is our way of saying thank you for being part of our vibrant community.

– From the Linden Lab blog post about the MadPea gift

An important note with the gift is that is does not require any sign-up or commitment to any on-going subscription; to participate, all residents need to do is hop along to the MadPea Unlimited region from January 1st, 2025 (the region and its SLurl will be be public on the 1st) and join the fun.

This is NOT one of those things where we give it to you, you sign-up, and then six months later, you’re automatically going to get dinged every month or something like that. This is a pure gift. They’re [MadPea] taking down the paywall for all of our residents for six months. At the end of the six months, we may continue it; at the end of the six months we may stop it – but there’s no obligation; it’s purely a gift, and hopefully people will enjoy it.

– Linden Lab Executive Chair, Brad Oberwager, discussing the MadPea Unlimited gift with me

*From the MadPea Unlimited Season 1 2025 page*

Obviously, even should the offer not be extended, anyone who has joined in the fun and enjoyed themselves through the six month gift period can always opt to take out an Unlimited subscription directly with MadPea at the end of that time if they want; but the key thing here is that for the duration of the gift period, no sign-up is required.

As a former MadPea player, I’ll be looking forward to the opportunity to renew my involvement in MadPea’s adventures – so maybe I’ll see you there!

Related Information

MadPea Unlimited (rated Moderate)
Our Holiday Gift to You: Six Months Free Access to MadPea Unlimited for All Second Life Residents! – Linden Lab
MadPea Unlimited Season 1 2025 (January-March) preview – MadPea Games

A Spoonful of Sugar 2024 in Second Life

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Inara Pey

Now open through until Sunday, September 22nd, 2024 (inclusive) in Second Life is the 2024 edition of the Spoonful of Sugar festival in support of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the globe-spanning non-profit organisation delivering emergency and humanitarian aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and similar.

Also known as Doctors Without Borders, MSF was originally founded in Paris, France in 1971 and is entirely self-governing; the support and treatment it provides is given on the basis of need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. It is often one of the first organisations to have feet on the ground wherever and whenever humanitarian aid and medical support is desperately needed, and since its founding, MSF has grown to a movement of 24 associations, bound together as MSF International, now based in Switzerland. Thousands of health professionals, logistical and administrative staff – most of whom are hired locally in respect of the care they give around the world – work on programmes in some 70 countries worldwide to provide medical and social care & support for a staggering 10+ million people annually.

Since its own establishment, the SOS event has raised more than US $100,000 for MSF’s global work, in keeping with its mission statement.

We believe the simplest form of compassion is to simply care for the life of another. And we believe medical care to be the most fundamentally basic means by which to do that.

– The Spoonful Of Sugar Festival Mission Statement

*Spoonful of Sugar 2024 (September 7th-22nd)*

This year, SOS is taking place across a total of six regions with the theme of En France!, with five of the six regions very much focused on MSF’s founding city of Paris. Four of these regions present the core shopping elements to the event, each one presented as scene featuring the kind of French townhouses and business façades found along places like the Champs-Élysées, surrounding a central area representative of I. M. Pei’s glass-and-metal Louvre Pyramid, located in the Palace’s Cour Napoléon.

With pairs of these regions sitting to either side, the two central regions are more open in their design. The first forms the main landing point and activities venue for SOS, and is dominated by the Eiffel Tower and the park below it, into which has also been placed a giant Ferris wheel, which I take as representing the 60-metre wheel at the Tuileries Gardens. This region – SOS Uber Global – is connected to two of the shopping regions by bridges, with a further bridge connecting it to the other central region in the group.

The latter is mindful of rural France, and is home to various spaces given over to breedables, landscaping and gardening – and most notably, a special 10th anniversary art display presented by Harmonic Sanctuary, founded and operated by Harlow Jones Blues (harlowjones) and Jess Blues (JessBlues).

*Une Célébration Du Pays Basque, spoonful of Sugar 2024 (September 7th-22nd)*

Une Célébration Du Pays Basque “takes you on a journey through the stunning landscapes and rich culture of the Basque region of France”. Centred on a watermill similar to those which might found in the region, and here offered and in homage to Jess’ father, who was born in such a building. The exhibition offers a rich and engaging collection of images in celebration of the French Basque region – the landscape, the people and the lifestyle, with an additional display of art located in the cave to one side of the gallery building.

Beyond this, the setting continues as a place to explore and spend time within, and I recommended taking time to pick up a note card from the information board at the gallery’s landing point. It contains a wealth of information that’s worth the time taken to read it – and remember that much of the art (produced by Jess and Harlow) is offered for sale exclusively at SOS, with a goodly portion of the cost going directly to the event.

The best way to find out about all that’s going on at SOS 2024 and which stores are where within the region is via the official website, where you can find the schedule of entertainment, and the region list page with SLurls directly to all stores and points of interest. The base of the Eiffel Tower is the location for the event’s raffle, and also a place where Animesh mime artists can be found performing (this is Paris, after all!), with a select of low-cost items with 100% of all proceeds going to the event right next to them. I didn’t notice any hunt this year – but might have missed it in my travels.

As always, Spoonful of Sugar is an event well worth visiting. Even if you don’t find anything to buy in the shopping regions, the donation kiosks will welcome your Linden dollars, and you can be absolutely sure that your money is going to a very worthy cause.

SLurl and Links

Spoonful of Sugar Main Landing Point (SOS Uber Global, rated: Moderate)
Une Célébration Du Pays Basque
Spoonful of Sugar website
Spoonful of Sugar articles in this blog

Second Life Hair Fair 2024

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Inara Pey

The 2024 Second Life Hair Fair is opens on Saturday, June 1st and runs through until Sunday, June 16th, 2024. As with previous years, is being run to raise money for Wigs for Kids, with every purchase seeing a percentage donated to the cause, with the Bandana booths and Donation kiosks donating 100% of all proceeds received.

As with recent years, the event takes place across six regions, appropriately called Foils, Brunette, Streaks, Noirette, Redhead and Blonde, laid out in a block of six, with Foils, Brunette and Streaks to the north and Noirette, Redhead and Blonde to the south, separated by an intervening stream. The landing zones for the regions form decks spaced along both banks of the stream, both helping to lighten the load of arriving avatars and providing vantage points from which those (such as myself) who prefer to do so, can cam-shop without necessarily having to wander the stores.

As is usual for Hair Fair, the shopping regions are wisely lightly decorated in order to minimise viewer-side lag that might otherwise be created by having a significant amount of extra object and texture rendering. For those who enjoy perusing stores directly, the broad boardwalks ensure there is little chance of bumping into others, whilst those who might tire of walking can use one of the rezzers located along both boardwalks to rez a sittable “bus” and ride the length of the walkways.

The list of participating merchants can be found on the Hair Fair website, while for those who may not find something they wish to purchase, donation kiosks are available to help support Wigs for Kids, or there are the Bandana Booths, one located in Foils and the other in Blonde. within them, visitors can purchase a bandana or a Hair Fair Hare companion (all proceeds on both to Hair Fair), and learn about the history of the Hair Fair Bandana Day & booths.