It began as a dream among a few people, a place where people could live not just as virtual neighbors, but a community. Since then, Chilbo has grown not just in area and numbers, but has attracted and continued to attract a number of artists and musicians, while continuing to help newcomers to Second Life. Today, Second Life takes a look at the Chilbo region and community.
It's been a rough time for clubs in the Sunweaver region in Second Life. Within less than a week of one another, two of the smaller clubs closed their doors, Angels Beach and Perri's Xanadu.
Recently, Foxyfurman Kunami had some trouble with lag on his sim, lag that turned out to be from a sim that was basically a Shoutcast server farm. Although Linden Lab eventually took care of the problem, it was after a friend of his found it and alerted them. In the meantime, it appears some in LL kept pointing the finger back at Foxyfurman, as this note sent by him suggests.
Recently, the lag at my home sim at Foxworth became particuarly bad, just after January 20. Sim owner Foxyfurman Kumani was among the first to notice, saying he found he was barely moving, and the only others in the sim at the time were five in the Mayan Casino, “It was not long after a Linden Lab restart of the sim.”
The musical portion began at 6 am . The lineup for the day included Russell Eponym, Avatar Quinzet, nadidi Aeon, Jon Bazar, Bones Writer, Skye Galaxy, Clairede Dirval, FaecelessAPe Mefusla, davecorbett Darwin, The Sue McCullough Bagpipe Band, EvaMoon Ember, Wren Hartunian, Arimo Teixerira, srv4u Conacher, Edward Kyomoon, Noma Falta, EricSteffenson Mistwalker, Cellandra and her light show, with readings occuring simultaneously beginning at noon, and ending with a candlelight vigil at midnight.
Veterans Day/Remembrance Day may have come to a close, but the money one group of volunteers raised will be helping soldiers for some time to come. They also built a sim full of detailed memorials in tribute for the week-long event in honor of US Veterans, and those from other countries.
Among the events on Saturday at Skybeam's Third Aniversary bash, the residents took part in a fox hunt. Free horsies provided for all. But the chased could be a little "cagey" at times.
With Halloween approaching, there has been another vampire bat sighting. This time in the Outerland Archipelago, a large collection of sims in the southeast portion of the metaverse, near the Mexico sims.
While looking the sim over, I ran into a lady: LaraCroft Akula, “I live very close to this square in real life, and almost every day pass through it. The fun part is that sometimes I feel like I am in Second Life while being there in real life.” She owned and built the sim, running it with the help of a team of volunteers, “This project had started as my personal idea, and with a very precise goal.” She had built the sim to both inform others about the city, “it can be considered a non-conventional country branding project,” and to serve as a meeting place for Second Life’s Romanian residents.
To the north was the Athene Palace hotel, “Now a Hilton hotel. This hotel was a very important place during the World Wars. ... here was the general place for journalists. They were gathering here and sending news about the war, in the so called ‘English bar.’ ... Now it is renovated - it's a Hilton Hotel and still has a very eclectic style. Inside there is still the English Bar. ... What we did in Second Life was to preserve the exterior and the look and feel of the buildings, but to use the internal spaces in such a way they would be relevant for the SL user. Therefore, the hotel in real life has restaurants and bars, we turned it into a shopping gallery in Second Life. ... restaurants and bars are not so much fun for the SL user.”
To the west is the National Museum of Art, “It was formerly The Royal Palace and turned into a museum some time after the Second World War.” Lara explained that the Museum’s virtual counterpart showed some of the more noteworthy paintings of Romanian artists, “and we are planning to feature also some Romanian artists that do various things in Second Life.” She went on to say they contacted the real museum and suggested some joint projects, “they refused, saying something like, ‘ we are not interested in such kind of promotion.’ They didn’t understand Second Life. ... they simply can't understand what we are doing here. I showed them pics and simulations.” Lara told me that the person she was talking to was hired for “Internet stuff,” which might not have been a good sign. The museum did have a variety of paintings from artists such as Ioan Andreescu and Stefan Luchian.
By Nazz Lane An instant message awaited my arrival in-world and when I replied with a brief “hey” she sent a TP request rather than a text acknowledgement. I accepted the request, and arrived at Ravenhart SIM where the Fierce Tibetan Gods were performing. A large crowd was on hand and the band sounded great. I sent her an instant message thanking her for the ride over and asked what time had it started to which she replied that it was nearly over.
“It’s a benefit fundraiser; it would be a good story for you to cover Nazz.” She said and then added, “Money is flowing in … just had one for 10K and one for 15K. The money is going to Artists 4 Mercy.”
I was about to ask her who I could speak to about the event when I spotted Anu Papp, who wore a group name tag “Artists4Mercy”. So I thanked Robin for the lead and clicked on Ms Papp’s name, opened an IM window and introduced myself. We had a brief exchange; she was rather busy at the moment wrapping up the event activities and thanking the band and crowd for their generosity. She suggested that I come back the following day and she would be happy to talk about the Artists 4 Mercy and give me a tour of Ravenhart.
She’d also sent me a link to the organizations web site where I discovered that Artists 4 Mercy is a subsidiary of the Gaia's Lap Foundation Inc., a non-profit charitable organization founded by Anu (aka Lori Anu Lesch) where she serves as executive director. The foundation’s primary purpose “is to provide assistance to orphanages globally based upon a thorough assessment of their immediate needs for wellness”. The subsidiary is an all volunteer program that provides artistic and non artistic members an opportunity “to connect to each other through arts”, increasing awareness and providing assistance to the “needs of children in orphanages”.
I arrived at Ravenhart where Anu and I exchanged greetings. We stood just outside of the foundation’s headquarters, while I waited for the site to come into view. We then walked up the few steps through a wide opening and onto a black and white checkered floor in the foyer. On the right was an open area with desk and chair along with information on the foundation and several of Ms Papp’s other activities. I turned my view slightly to the left, noted a staircase leading up and a video room adjacent to the stairway.
“When we met yesterday, I knew your name sounded familiar and I think I’ve seen you perform.” I commented.
“I’m a musician in real life and have released three albums … the last one in 2002. I perform live, me and my piano … just not as often. We also have a radio station, its commercial free for Indie artist’s … at its height we had over 35000 listeners in 100 countries ... it’s not a public station now. It can be heard at the Lost Garden of Apollo. We make it available to SIM owners for $50 USD per month.” She said.
“This is a nice build Anu. By the way how did yesterday’s fundraiser go?” I asked.
“The concert bought in $200 USD and we have another concert set for next Sunday. Come upstairs, there are some things I’d like to show you.” She replied.
On the way towards the stairway I commented about the placard on the wall with the Gaia’s Lap Foundations mission and vision. I asked her. “When did the foundation start?”
“The foundation started in 2003, its non religious and a nonprofit. It is about helping the kids out and keeping the arts alive … it’s not about money.” She replied then added, “I’ve owned Ravenhart for a year now. I’m passionate about what I do and pay for the SIM out of my own pocket. The SIM consists of artists who donate their time and their work. There are a lot of people who have their hands in it. They've all contributed to making it what it is. Here’s a list of those who are involved.”
She passed me a note card with the following information on who is involved and what they do:
Barton Dowd, Video and Sound Engineer
Ulysses Cabaret, Artist and Creator
bark Aabye, Photographer
Trasgo Beaumont, Clothing Designer
Jenne Dibou, Builder of the Taj Mahal
Eleynora Wisent, Furniture Creator
Gaius Luminos, Fierce Tibetan Gods
Raielien Ackland, Clothing Designer and Builder
We then toured the second floor, which contained both a small gallery and a room where she makes cards, using the affirmations that she’d written. Having gone back down to the first floor and on the way to our next stop, I asked her how Artists 4 Mercy had started.
“Well it’s an artist’s network and it developed out on the internet. The arts can inspire and heal … we want it to be an important part of children’s lives … enhance their minds and spirit. It’s all volunteers and we’ve connected to each other … to make music and arts a more significant part of their lives.” She replied.
Having made our way across a stone walkway that sat alongside a canal the Indian Palace came into full view and it was an impressive structure. The pale colored stone texture took on a pinkish hue when I set the environment to sunset. We entered the building and made our way to the top floor where one could view the surrounding structures that included a coffeehouse and the events area where Sunday’s performance had been held.
“I understand from an article you’d given me that you’re planning a trip to Uganda. Is that one of the foundations projects? ” I asked.
“Yes, the Mercy Home of Children Orphanage in Kampala, Uganda. Our process begins with a needs assessment ... to look at and make sure that the basic needs are taken care of before doing anything else. We may end up procuring a school bus so they can travel safely. The arts will be a component of the trip as well.” She replied and then added, “We’ve worked here locally as well … a community center in a traditional Navajo dwelling … using it for art and then there’s the recording of songs performed by the students. The foundation provided finance for the project and equipment along with providing expertise.” She replied.
Our last stop on the tour was up and into the Linden sky, to visit the location of the Royal Family of the Court de Boheme. It is an elaborate complex of buildings that included; a grand ballroom which was reminiscent of one I had visited in Vienna, a palace with bedrooms for the royal family members and replete with a throne room for formal receptions, a small but highly detailed church and a courtyard where the changing of the guard ceremony is performed. She explained to me that in the role play she is Anna Jagellonica, Reine de Bohème and Hungary, and that her role is based on a real life persona, who had been born in 1503. It is the longest running role play court in second life.
One was thrilled since this was her third try during the past week and she made it.. There are already some impressive builds in some of the sims.
Every now and then I find something new I wish more people knew about and utilised.
Fox Reports began as a monitoring system for SkyBeam Sandbox. It was used to be able to file notes and reports about various people who caused mischief or broke the rules with repeated infractions leading to land or estate banning as appropriate, with the ability for all of the sandbox 'guardians' to have access to each others' reports. The system has a number of features geared towards making this information easily accessible by all admins without having the installation or trust network issues incurred with something like banlink.
Poppy Zabelin reports from the real life Second Life Community Convention in San FranciscoWhat is real and what is virtual? I’m in San Francisco for the Second Life Com rlmunity Convention and sometimes it’s hard to believe I flew halfway round the world. It took me nearly two days to get here from the UK as the flight I was due to take on Monday was cancelled. Why didn’t I just tp here?
Wednesday, August 12 A good friend shows me some of the sights of San Francisco. We buy picnic foods at the Ferry Building and take the ferry out to Sausalito, passing Alcatraz island on the way and getting a fairly clear view of the Golden Gate Bridge, which has always been completely shrouded in fog on previous visits. A magical day, with time to relax and to get used to the time difference.
Thursday, August 13, 9 am. Time to set off for the Westin St Francis Hotel where the convention is being held. When I arrive I follow the noise up to the mezzanine floor. There’s a gathering crowd around what looks like a registration desk, but no badges or programs to be seen. Gradually the story unfolds. The registration materials have failed to rez. Otherwise it’s business as usual, and the sessions are due to start at noon. Aside from the slight inconvenience of not knowing who’s talking at any particular time, no-one seems particularly bothered by the lack of badges and programs. In fact, it acts as an ice-breaker and gets us talking to each other. I meet Frans Charming and Rhiannon Chatnoir who are familiar faces from last year. Somehow I manage to meet up with Bri and Pookie Gufler – one of the volunteers, Glennan Glenerg who like me is from the UK, takes a picture of me on his cell phone to show Bri if he sees him. Now why didn’t I think of that. Bri is the Health Track leader and we have had several meetings in world during the process of putting the track together. Bri introduces me to Pathfinder Linden who will be on a panel on Saturday with Treasure Ballinger, Ricken Flow, and myself. And then, I meet Gentle Heron ...
I recognize Gentle by her voice and fall under her spell. Gentle is someone I have long admired and meeting her in person is a great thrill. She has multiple sclerosis and is unable to stand unaided, and if she has to go very far she uses a wheelchair, but she has turned her disability into a gift and has used her second life to make a difference not only for herself but also for many others. Gentle came into Second Life with several others looking for a community to support people with disabilities and when they didn’t find it they decided to create it. What started as the Heron Sanctuary has evolved into Virtual Ability, Inc., which now helps people with a wide range of disabilities to enter and thrive in Second Life. Earlier this year, Virtual Ability was one of two projects to win the first ever Linden Prize. It’s not hard to understand why. VA is fundamentally changing the way people play and learn in Second Life, and it is bound not to stop there as Gentle is still full of ideas for the future.
Somehow I navigate Gentle’s wheelchair (which was damaged on her flight to San Francisco) and we find a place to sit, and find ourselves talking with Dusan Writer, another person I’ve admired from a distance and who I learn later is Doug Thomson in real life, the CEO of Remedy Communications, and Shirlee Mills, who makes and sells pianos in Second Life. Later, Gentle introduces me to Harper Beresford and we three go off for lunch together, Harper takes over the driving and does a better job of it than me. The conversation sparks so many ideas. Later I look up Harper’s blog, called ‘Harper’s Bizarre’. It’s witty and insightful, just like its writer. There is food for thought in her blog piece about ‘charities in SL’.
In the evening we go to the Linden Lab Luau in the Yerba Buena Garden opposite the Moseum of Modern Art. At the door there are, of course, freebies ... It seems slightly surreal to be surrounded by so many Second Life residents and Lindens wearing brightly colored leis and eating real food. After the party Flash Alcott shows me the memorial to Martin Luther King which is behind a magnificent 50-foot waterfall. We listen to the water falling and read the inscription ‘No, No, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”’
And then on to the ‘Blarney Stone on Tour’ where the Blarney Stone Bar in Second Life has taken over the real life Sellers Market on Market Street for the evening. We listen to Second Life musicians in real life and drink beer. It’s the sign of a good party when the beer starts flowing and this one is no exception ... one glass of beer takes flight and lands on me! So, back to the hotel to wash and brush up...............
On August 11, Pink Linden posted some “Updates to XStreet SL Listing Guidelines.” Among them were some “Branding Guidelines” which dealt with Real Life brands reproduced within Second Life.
Our Content Management Roadmap
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I'll let you know up front that it is lengthy, because we feel that you deserve the opportunity to hear in depth what we are thinking, and doing, regarding content management in Second Life. Resident-created content is the heart and soul of Second Life, and we want to help you continue to benefit from the amazing creativity you have displayed inworld. When you are successful, Second Life is a better world for all of us – more inspiring, more spontaneous, and more fun!
We are committed to empowering content creators to better manage and control their content. Taking a holistic approach to content management, we are hard at work on new and improved content tools, programs, and policies. Because we know that content management is of paramount importance to our community, we're going to lay out our current plans, and then invite you to help us shape them to best meet the community's needs.
Right now, we are pursuing a multi-pronged approach:
For more detailed information, please continue reading below, and then join the discussions in the forums. Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for your feedback.
Continued HERE
For years there has been an ongoing conflict between two mainland commercial forces: the landbot runner and the ad farmer. The land bot runner makes his money by hedging low land prices and selling to market prices, profiting a few percent or more on large volume of millions of square meters of churn per month. The landbotter will grab up parcels as cheaply as possible, frequently stealing land mistakenly priced low by mistake or which was intended to be a friendly transaction between friends (for many SL users, the user name lookup dialog freezes their SL client for up to a minute due to LL laziness/asset server scalability issues, so they sell their parcel to "anybody" thinking that nobody else in the sim means no bots will steal the land).