I’m taking on a new role in Second Life, and I have to admit to being both excited and a little terrified at the prospect. I’m taking over curating art displays at Holly Kai Park in Second Life.
This is a pretty big step for me, moving from art reviewer to outright curator, and I’m also stepping into some pretty big shoes: the arts displays at Holly Kai have been the work of Autumn (AutumnxRain), who worked closely with Nber Medici, the owner of the Holly Kai Estate where the park is located, to bring the art exhibits to the Park, but who has been forced to step aside from Second Life to focus on matters in the physical world. I’m also very flattered that Nber places her trust in me to carry Autumn’s work forward, and to help grow the Park as an arts venue.
Things won’t be happening all at once, however. With Nber’s permission, I hope to make one or two small changes to the Park with the aim of bringing forth the art on display, and am currently in the process of contacting artists who might be interested in exhibiting at the Park – and there will be more details on this coming soon.
That said, one of the things I hope to achieve is to get Holly Kai Park more widely recognised as an arts venue / destination, so don’t be surprised if I do tend to make mention of it in this blog from time to time 🙂 .
In the meantime, Holly Kai Park is still open to visitors, and any changes made hopefully won’t disrupt things should people opt to drop-in and have a look around. As well as the art currently on display, the park has woodland walks, a sandy cove area, seating area for visitors, moorings for boats (60 minutes for auto-return), and an events area which may also see further use as exhibitions in the Park resume under my stewardship.
If all goes according to plan, I’ll have more news in mid-November; but if I seem at all nervous or distracted in the meantime, now you know why! 🙂 .
The DSA G58 Baron sans floats – my latest light aircraft
So, I’m a bit of an SL aviator, as I’ve blogged in the past. Over the course of the last 12+ months in particular, I’ve become quite partial to DSA aircraft, having both the C90 King Air GTx and the C33 Debonair. I particularly like this make due to the ability to swap between wheel and floats for the landing gear without having to swap the plane in and out of inventory.
As a result of various things, I found myself at the weekend debating whether to add another DSA ‘plane to my collection – and if so, which one. I was caught between the Model 17 Staggerwing biplane, the Spitfire and the G58 Baron. In the end, on Sunday, the latter won out – although the Staggerwing could well be a future acquisition!
No. 1 on the runway at Juneau, about to start rolling …
The G58 is another twin-engined plane, sitting between the Debonair and King Air in size, offering seating for up to 5 avatars + the pilot. It’s a smart-looking, clear design which hasn’t really aged over the decades, and comes supplied in DSA’s usual offering of the default black / red / white Beechcraft colours. Having converted to using VetronUK’s paint and scripting options my ‘planes, I also grabbed a paint pack and Vetron’s float rocking and enhanced lighting scripts for the Baron.
Vetron paint kits are simple to use; drop a script into the plane, wear the HUD, click a button to add the paint scheme, then use the Advanced option to add materials to various surfaces, and add any other options supplied with the kit (the Debonair paint kits, for example, allow you to re-texture the cockpit dash with a new set of controls, while the King Air’s kit allows you to switch between the C90 and C90 GTx variants). A full set of maps are supplied full perm with each kit, making customising them easy.
The cabin obviously isn’t as expansive or plush as the King Air, but seats up to four in the back
For the Baron’s paint scheme, I didn’t stray too far from that supplied by the kit: just some small tweaks, the addition of my own registration and familiar monogram, plus a little work on the floats so that they better matched the rest of the ‘plane.
The enhanced lights and rocking scripts (L$25 each) simply drop into the ‘plane (make sure you purchase the scripts designed for your aircraft). The lighting script greatly enhances the aircraft’s nav, strobe and landing lights, while the rocking script is Linden Water sensing, and when on water with the floats deployed, adds a rocking motion to the aircraft as well as the sound of water lapping against the floats, etc. When on land, the rocking ceases (although I’ve found the sound continues to loop).
If you’ve flown any DSA ‘plane, you’ll know how the Baron handles: very well. The HUD is the usual DSA offering and works exactly as expected. In addition, the Baron share’s the Debonair / Bonanza engine sounds (and, indeed, paint templates). Once in the air and trimmed, with the yoke set to wide, the Baron is again great fun and graceful. It handles region crossings with the usual DSA aplomb and accepts aerobatics well, if you’re so inclined, and perhaps with a little more grace than the King Air.
The Baron (front) and the King Air in their “matching outfits” utilising VetronUK paint kits
In buying the Baron, I had it in mind to maybe swap it with the King Air as my main twin-engined ‘plane, and then perhaps swapping the Deb for the Staggerwing. However, with only 7 LI difference between the Deb (39) and the Baron (46), I ended up retiring the Deb to inventory instead. Plus, I simply adore the King Air, so I also gave it a new Vetron paint finish, again with my own small touches, so it and the Baron share similar designs. Sort of her-and-her outfits, you might say 🙂 .
A short notice announcement of a get-together aboard the SS Galaxy marks her official return to Second Life
The invitation was somewhat low-key, and the date subsequently changed from the scheduled September 1st, for Reasons Unknown (well, at least to me!), but the message did get through:
Join us in-world at the newly re-opened SS Galaxy and explore the decks of this historic Second Life cruise ship! We’re meeting up near the pool, and will be taking pics and enjoying a little casual relaxation time! See you there!
I would actually have been none the wiser of the event, had it not been for Vick Forcella whispering in my ear via IM – he is ever the gentleman! But, as the message was received, and despite the need to be in several places at once (Happy anniversary, Firestorm! Sorry I missed it!), I hopped over the Galaxy to sea what was going on (see what I did there?).
I’d been fortunate enough to cover the return of the SS Galaxy to Second Life waters ahead of any official opening after Frost Mole kindly pinged me about the ongoing work aboard the ship and invited me for a look around as she sits at her new location, just off the Honah Lee estate south of Blake Sea. However, I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to mark her “official” return to our waters.
Given this was the first time a crowd had been aboard the Galaxy since the commencement of her refit, Vick and I took it upon ourselves, and purely in the interests of our fellow passengers’ safety – to test the poolside bar as Frost and Xiola arrived
On arrival, I found Vick to already be there and – where else? – at the poolside bar. Climbing the steps, I demanded that as he was the barman, he pour me a drink – only to discover I was actually standing behind the bar and so should rightfully be serving *coughs*. Following an embarrassed silence broken only by my attempted soft shoe shuffle (you try being quiet when in heels on a wooden deck) to a bar stools, Vick graciously handed me a drink without commenting on my faux pas. (see, I said he was a gentleman).
Abnor Mole takes in the sun while Frost Mole enjoys people enjoying the fruits of her labour
Fortunately, folk quickly began to arrive, including several Lindens – Patch, Keira, Dee, Guy, Xiola, Shaman, together with moles, and a celebratory mood quickly ensued – helped, no doubt by the hourly firework display going off as well. In short order, people were enjoying the pool (some fully clothed!), wandering the decks, admiring the view or … propping up the bar.
The conversation was soon full and flowing, Shaman took over bar duties, Keira found a sun lounger and Abnor Mole followed suit, Patch dodged cameras and Xiola and I talked chocolate. Then the buffalo arrived.
“What on earth are buffalo doing on board a cruise ship?” you might well ask. I know I did. Problem was, I was too distracted by the sudden onset of a fish shower and then being struck in the small of the back by a large, speeding train…
No, we weren’t hit by a griefing attack; merely a mole (in the form of Michael Linden) with a wand (and a fit of the giggles). Not just any wand, mark you, but a Starax wand. What’s more, it transpired that Shaman had been slipping him cocktails – a mix of (and I quote) “scotch, scotch, scotch… and, oh, scotch!”
Thus the pandemonium rolled on, amidst further gleeful (and high-pitched) giggles of a furry variety. At least until the word “water!” was uttered by said wand wielder …
“Water!” a certain wand-wielder proclaimed. Then rather wished he hadn’t, having forgotten to scamper out-of-the-way as the giant faucet, in full flow, materialised over him…
After that, things quieted down (well, a little!) as Michael was handed a towel, and the conversation resumed a little more placidly (no, I’m not going to mention the shark. Or the dolphin, OK?).
Joking aside, this was a very pleasant get-together, smaller in size than previous events of this nature, and that may well have contributed to the amount of fun being had. I’ve no idea if this low-key approach will be used at times for future get-togethers, but I do hope that this one is merely the first of many and varied events we’ll see staged at the SS Galaxy in the future.
My one suggestion would be – to echo a comment left on my last piece on the ship – that some of the helipads are returned to their former use (and made short-term rezzing areas?) as it would be fun to be able to fly to the ship for an event and then return home the same way afterwards 🙂 .
The new island layout. Like the previous island layout, but different 🙂
Back in May I wrote about the (then) latest changes on my little island home. At the time, I indicated that I was satisfied with the overall results, but couldn’t entirely rule out changing things again.
Well, guess what?
As a result of a recent project, I’ve ended up with an Inventory containing quite a few things I never expected to own, and which – truth be told – are unlikely to see much use in the future. However, it seemed a shame that all of them should end up boxed away once more, consigned to the darkness of an inventory folder; and one in particular, the Fanatik Rocky Island, has been nagging me.
The house sits rather nicely atop the Fanatik Rocky Island, and the footpath and other flat areas on the plateau mean I have room for garden spaces and a nice walk either down to the moorings or to the ruins
At 64×61 (ish) metres and 39.5 metes in overall height, this is a piece widely used around Second Life, both for shoreline scenes and inshore, which can blend easily with a landscape to present a dramatic plateau or rocky outcrop, complete with a path winding up one side. If I’m honest, the textures do suffer from being a tad blurry / stretched, but not enough to prevent its use. Fortuitously for me, width and length wise, it fitted into the north end of my parcel with only a little bit of resizing (although I admittedly also reduced the height so as not to completely terrify the neighbours into thinking I was building some Sekrit Island Lair 🙂 ).
The ruins are still there, complete with my pavilion and piano, all now on a slightly lower plateau. The ruins retain Kriss Lehmann’s Forest Tower, still one of my all-time favourite pieces of atmospheric architecture, as the main feature, the archway providing access down to the main quay, as before. I’ve also used Alex Bader’s excellent waterfall kit, to add,well, a waterfall, as hopefully a nice finish.
Couldn’t resist adding a waterfall
I’ve fiddled a bit with the moorings as well, making them smaller, and reducing the number of things moored / parked there, so hopefully the neighbours now feel less like they’re living next door to some kind of air taxi service. There’s a second dock at the foot of the house plateau, but already that spot is nagging me to turn it into a beach; time will tell on that.
But sand and waves aside, am I happy now? Yup. Absolutely. That’s it. Done. Finished. time to relax and enjoy.
When Secret Rage approached me in mid-July and asked me to consider producing a full region installation in which to display my images from around Second Life, my first reaction was to refuse. Not out of stuffiness or false modesty, but because I genuinely don’t regard myself as an SL photographer, and am far from convinced the images I produce for blogging purposes are of interest as an exhibit.
However, Secret is a very persistent (and persuasive!) person; so I’m now pleased – and more than a little nervous – to say that my first ever art-focused installation in Second Life is now open, and I’m calling it Impressions. It can be found at LEA 6.
So what is this all about? Well, three things, all summed up in the word “Impressions”.
The first is a display of my more recent images and videos of places I’ve visited around Second Life – the impressions they’ve given me, if you will.
The second is the 2D and (particularly) 3D work of a talented Italian student, CioTToLiNa Xue – work that made quiet an impression on me when I happened across it.
The third is the setting itself, an interpretation of and iconic American house of the 20th century, which has long made an impression upon me.
I’m particularly pleased about the second of these bullet points. CioTToLiNa is an extremely modest woman who only started teaching herself 2D and 3D design six months ago, and I think what she is already producing speaks volumes about her developing talent. I came across her sculptures by chance whilst visiting Art on Roofs in July, and was really delighted when she agreed to display her work as a part of Impressions: they add a further depth to the house, the original of which features a range of sculptures and art pieces scattered around the buildings.
The house is a personal interpretation of a place I have yet to visit in the physical world, but have grown to love. I have attempted to be reasonably accurate in my interpretation ot the house and river over which it sits, but the rest of the region is purely made from my imagination, and offers places to sit in the sun or under moon, listing to the music, have a picnic, laze in a hammock, and so on.
Information givers at the landing point and in the great room of the house provide information on the art and images on display. So, I hope you’ll visit and enjoy! Impressions will be open through until the end of September – you’ll probably find me pottering around tweaking things here and there!
There is no preferred windlight for the region – the sounds and lighting are designed to change with the SL day. However, if you wish to use a windlight yourself, I recommend the following for daytime lighting:
[NB]-MistyDay-5pm – set the Sun to around 11:00am-3:00 pm.
[TOR] MIDDAY – Baskaholic.
In closing, I would like to extend sincere and warm thanks to the following people, without their support, this installation would never have seen the light of day: Secret Rage, CioTToLiNa Xue, Jodi Serenity, Whirly Fizzle, Frankx LeFarve, and John.
With a very special and deep thank you to Cube Republic, whose generosity and support has been truly inspiring.
Regulars to this blog will know I’ve been closely following the development of Ape Piaggio’s latest project – the AD25H “Little Bee” – (see here and here). Well, I’m happy to say that the Little Bee is now ready for launch – and what a honey it is! This is a package overfull of surprises, and something every motorboat lover in SL is going to want.
The AD25H is a boat which has from the start been a winner in my eyes. Built on the lines of a classic tender speedboat, it evokes an immediate feeling of summertime on the Italian Riviera, cruising along a sun-drenched coast or speeding by golden beaches, the music of Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Morgana King or The Chairman himself – take your pick – playing on the boat’s radio.
My Little Bee moored against my Foilborne Kv23H to compare relative sizes
Marketed under Ape’s FoilBorne Industries brand, the Little Bee builds on the stunning work put into her Kv23H FoilStream (which I reviewed in January 2015), and while a lot smaller, the Little Bee actually packs a lot more into it. With passengers aboard, it can be a gentle, caring ride with Ape’s Anti-Crash Security System (ACSS) doing much to assist with region crossings. But should you feel a need for speed when out on your own ,this boat can deliver – up to and including converting to a hydrofoil for that extra kick of driving fun.
One of the many things about Ape’s designs I love is the sheer attention to detail. With the Little Bee, this starts with the packaging, which is delightful in its presentation, and a promise of goodies to come.
Like a kid at Christmas: kneeling behind my newly arrived AD25H, admiring the packaging
On unpacking, the box delivers a number of items to inventory: the boat, a HUD for the boat, a trailer and “TugBee” – a little VW Beetle specifically designed for towing the Little Bee on its trailer. A paint system brings up the rear, while the boat itself hides a stand it is automatically mounted upon if rezzed away from Linden water.
This is a friendly boat. Get in as the driver, and it will welcome you aboard in both text and via an audio message (unless turned off).
The controls are the usual, UP / DOWN or W & S for the throttle, LEFT / RIGHT or A & D for turning, with PAGE DOWN and PAGE UP operating the hydrofoils (only at low speeds / when stopped). Touching the boat as owner accesses the full menu, passengers the seating menu. I’m not going to run through all the options – suffice it so say, everything you need is there to operate the boat, and owners of the Kv23H will see the Little Bee has matches it in options – and offers more besides. The expected options such as multiple camera options, auto-mooring, engine / race options, and so on, are all here together with the AD25H’s wakeboard and parasail deployment options and a few surprises.
The boat includes a HUD for those who prefer not to see hover text floating over their vehicles, with essential controls for deploying / retarding the foils, rezzing the wakeboard / parasail, etc.
Talking of the parasail and wakboard, both of the latter can be rezzed from the boat’s Accessories menu. Note that you will have to be on water that allows object entry, and should leave a degree of space behind the boat (don’t rez them when moored with a pier right behind you, for example). Once rezzed, riders simply sit on the wakeboard / parasail (and will receive a wearable handle for the former), and away you go. You can even rez multiple wakeboards and also have the parasail rezzed and used with the wakeboard(s).
Those riding either the wakeboard or the parasail have a degree of control on their motions. The former can be turned left or right via the usual A/S / arrow key options, with stunts accessed via the PAGE DOWN and the UP / DOWN keys. The parasail’s rider can adjust their height with the UP / DOWN keys. When driving the boat with the wakeboard / parasail in use, I’d recommend keeping your speed down to no more than about 50% of throttle to avoid region crossing complications.
When deploying the foils and / or using the wakeboard / parasail, you’ll get to see two additional features on the Little Bee: the Event Cam and the CineCApe system. These allow for some dramatic shots of the boat in action, with CineCApe notably allowing the wakeboard and parasail riders to adjust their camera position using PAGE UP to gain some impressive views of their ride. I’ve used clips from both in the accompanying video.
Wakeboarding on the AD25H “Little Bee” – you can rez multiple boards for friends – and even take someone parasailing at the same time!
The car and trailer offer a sophisticated system for taking the Little Bee overland. The “TugBee” VW Beetle is nicely designed and comes with a range of features: opening doors, working lights and brake lights. The usual WASD / arrow keys are used for driving, and the Page keys for stepping up / down through the gears.
Hitching the trailer to the car is a matter of rezzing both, preferably in the same orientation and close to one another, then clicking the car for its menu and selecting Attach. To get the boat on the trailer, carefully reverse the car down a suitable slip or gentle bank so the trailer is about up to its axle in the water. Drive the boat up close to the trailer, click on it and select Trailer from the menu. The trailer’s hand brake should unwind and the boat haul itself out of the water and safely onto the trailer. Raise the hand brake by touching the trailer and you’re ready to drive away.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 