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Metaverse Messenger A real newspaper for a virtual world
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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Openspace Changes catch residents by surprise By MARIANNE MCCANN Staff writer
PROTESTS ABOUT OPENSPACE POLICY sprung up in the wake of the surprise blog announcement. Opensapce sims to increase in cost as well as face additional changes. - Photo by MARIANNE MCCANN.
In a move that caught most by surprise, Jack Linden announced changes to the Openspace program, with both price increases and new policies to halt what he calls abuses of the system. Starting immediately, Openspace regions will not be transferable in the fashion they once were, nor will educational and non-profit discounts be offered. On Jan. 1, 2009, the cost of an openspace region will increase from US$250 to US$375, with monthly fees going from US$75 to US$125 monthly. Linden Lab will not be grandfathering any of these regions at their old rates. Additional changes may include “proactively” discussing issues of overloaded Openspace regions with their owners as well as changes to the Second Life viewer to flag Openspace regions. The move to change the Openspace program came as a shock, given the popularity in the program since it was last changed in March of this year. At that time, the prim limit on openspace regions was doubled, a limitation requiring the
purchase of four at a time was dropped, and the initial investment was lowered. Openspace regions, also commonly known as “void sims,” were initially designed as largely empty regions. Intended for additional scenery and open land versus being used as commercial or residential property, the use of these for low cost rentals and stores has been very popular. Residents were clearly angered by this move, both citing the message and the way it was presented as fueling their frustration with Linden Lab. There had been little indication that such a move was forthcoming, and little room was made for discussion of the new policy. Many have offered additional suggestions, including further throttling of Openspace resources, but with little additional commentary from Jack Linden or any other members of Linden Lab staff. A discussion thread set up for the topic has already stretched to more than 70 pages, with a single response from Jack Linden buried halfway through. In-world protests have also sprung up wherever a Linden could be found.
See CHANGES, Page 22
SL haunted by Halloween houses
that nature, and you do not have a weak stomach, teleport here at anytime between now and HalWhile there are numerous Halloween!” loween displays in Second Life, Next is the Halloween Horror five places in particular stand out. Village, a horror and Sci-fi roleThose five are Alice’s House of play sim at Antiqua Paradise Madness at Alice’s Looking Glass; (138,87,27) where visitors could the Horror Village at Antiqua Pareasily spend a day or night touring adise; Selexia’s Haunted Parcel, from chill to chill. Bradley University, and FrannyDJ Dean, the owner of Rachelville and Mythica on Imagthe sim, says the scariest part of ination Island. the horror village is “Recreation of First up is Bradley University many horror movie sets including (65, 80,24), where beautiful fall Psycho. [The] sim is extremely inleaves grace the campus. Two Halteractive, great for role-play.” loween exhibits, the skull oracle Other movies featured are Inand a Halloween spider cavern, vasion of the Body Snatchers, Polwill get visitors in the spooky tergeist, the Shining, and a spoof mood. The skull oracle can answer of the movie, the Fly. Besides any question typed into chat. Resviewing and participating in the idents will be amused and slightly role-play movies, visitors can also surprised by the answers. The spiengage in various forms of torture, der cavern is a bit icky, except for including impalement, burning at those with a thing for arachnids. the stake, hanging and digging Puglet Dancer said, “Our island their own graves. There is also a is totally decorated for Halloween, blog to visit and much more. and it depends on what you like. THE CURSED PYRAMID at Rachelville is just one if the many Halloween attractions through- Sharp eyed residents will see the The scariest is probably the grave- out the Second Life grid. – Photo by VERDE OTAARED headless horseman riding by, as yard with ghosts and scary sounds. I like the skeleton or- cise by putting on the digging a grave animation, walking well as Freddie Kruger. Dean also mentioned that there acle as well. We will be changing our campus to match through flames, or impaling themselves. will be a closing party on Oct. 31. Selexia Aero, who created this exhibit on her Star the seasons in real life and will continue to decorate for The next stop is to Alice’s House of Madness on the Dream sim (208, 36, 22), said, “The scariest thing about Alice’s Looking Glass sim (Goguryeo 235, 117 ,55 ). Bethe holidays as well.” Next is Selexia’s Haunted Parcel, where visitors will the Halloween exhibit is that some of it is graphic horror. sides the scary sights, there is a full line of shops on the have problems avoiding the black cats that cross their The most interesting is people’s reactions to this haunted upper level of the House of Madness selling everything paths. Those who visit can also eat some treats and take parcel.” She added, “If people want to come get a Hal- from costumes to all types of decorations. A red mailbox them home, as well as participate in a hunt for pumpkins, loween fix, a good scare, if Halloween is your thing and See HAUNT, Page 12 some with L$ inside. Residents can also get some exer- you like horrifying ghosts and mummies and things of By DULCIE MILLS Staff writer
Inside
Sim of the Week - Page 10
Latest
INDEX
Coming in December: The Metaverse Messenger will publish a special holiday issue. In it, we hope to cover the myriad of celebrations in SL, across all cultures and religions. If you plan to build something special or host a holiday event, we need to hear from you!
SL News . . . . . . . . . .Page 3 Perspectives . . . . . . .Page 5 The Line . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 ROTW . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 8 Comics .. . . . . . . . . . .Page 8 Entertainment. . . . . . Page 8 Photo Contest . . . . . .Page 9 Community . . . . . . Page 16 Sports . . . . . . . . . . .Page 18
Inside
Resi of the Week - Page 8
About Us Volume 4 No.11 Second Life The Metaverse Messenger
Page 2 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
SL News October 28, 2008
The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195)
THE COURTYARD in the Gossip Girl sim is a popular place for residents who love the show to sit, visit and gossip. - Photo by DEANO EBERHARDT.
Enter the SL world of Gossip Girl By DEANO EBERHARDT Staff writer
Many places in Second Life attempt to capture the flavor, the geography, the sensibility of RL places. But in Gossip Girl (43, 40, 128)the challenge is to not just recreate the essence of Manhattan’s Tony Upper East Side, but to let avatars interact in the settings for The CW’s popular drama series. Warner Brothers created the sim, and it serves as an entranceway for many new users to enter the SL experience, who come to it via the link at the network’s website. There are helpful hints about how SL works for users to examine, as well as advice about how to negotiate various common elements in our Second Life existence, such as how to find fashionable clothing on the cheap and the proper protocol for interacting with other avatars. The sim’s main attraction is the ability to wander around, into, and throughout the world of the program. Maintained and moderated by the people of metaversemodsquad.com, it’s easy for any new person (either to the series or to SL) to figure out what’s going on, simply by approaching one of several mods in their “mod” black trenchcoats and white boots and asking some questions.
One of the busiest of these mods is Event Coordinator Harp Thursday. She is constantly giving fans of the program something new and fun to do, including contests for prizes and lindens and programming tie-ins. “I plan events weekly and set them up daily,” Thursday explained. “We try to have a party to fit the theme of that week’s show, and if there’s no party going on in that episode, we will do something like a masquerade ball or garden party. And we have a ‘best dressed’ contest nightly.” The sim features a huge chunk of New York’s Central Park and several of the settings from the series, including schools, apartments and shops as seen on TV. Mondays are always a busy time as that is the evening new episodes air in the United States, and dozens of GG fans (many of whom use “GossipGirl” as a surname) descend on the sim to prepare for an episode or talk about what they just viewed. But there is someone in the sim at all times of the day; because of the global success of the series, there are fans everywhere, ready to make friends all over the world. Typically people gather in the courtyard or “CY” as regulars to the sim nicknamed it, to meet
friends, get a notecard with that week’s events or strut their stuff in haute couture finery. There is a morning discussion group where avatars can talk about whatever is on their mind to kick off the day, and contests for a chance to win Lindens. Every shop features a freebie, so just on that basis, it’s worth at least a walk around. And the sim itself is one of the closer parallels to RL locations and would be worth investigating for anyone with knowledge about New York City. There are a couple of surprises, like being able to ride in the taxis that careen through the streets of the sim or wandering around Serena’s place at the Waldorf. And with the constant addition of new and extra things to do, there is always something happening, just like on the show. “We have events where the character avs show up and interact with people,” Thursday mentioned. So the chance to virtually rub elbows with Dan, Jenny, Blair or others is always a possibility. “This isn’t like all the other Sims in SL. We are not just coordinates, but a community! And we are willing to let anyone in!” Thursday said. And with literally thousands of users sporting the GossipGirl name, there’s always a chance to find a new friend or at least a fellow fan.
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Page 4 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
LANGUAGE RADIO Island has language and culture learning materials amid a scenic landscape. - Photo by KATT KONGO
Island sim provides language and culture education By KATT KONGO Staff writer The United States used to be known as “The Melting Pot of the World.” Surely, with residents from all over the world, Second Life now has that distinction. So it’s no wonder that one might hear a variety of languages as he travels throughout the grid. The abundance of multiple languages in SL provides a natural classroom in which residents can learn other languages. So it’s no surprise that Language Radio (LARA) has taken advantage of this melting pot to assist residents in learning not just languages, but whole cultures as well. Jim Shuker (Jimbo Hefferman in SL) of Knowing Hand, Ltd., a virtual worlds and educational consultant company, was subcontracted to the project, responsible for building the SL components and promoting the project. He explained that LARA is a project sponsored by the European Union, part of a much larger €50bn funding pot which focuses on adult education and research in the EU countries over the next five years. In SL, the project takes the form of a beautiful sim where visitors can step into booths to hear a language tape, take a monorail tour of the sim or pick up a language translator HUD. On wearing the HUD, residents can type in one language,
and have it translated into another language. “The HUD takes the text send it too Yahoo translation and pulls the results back into SL,” said Shuker. Asked how accurate the translations were, he replied, “I tried it with several language tutors and all were very impressed.” He added, “It does get things wrong, but [when] used with voice as well, it’s a really good addition to a formal language course.” Also located on the island are materials that will help visitors learn about other countries’ cultures and languages, a langauge quiz, samples of other languages’ alphabets, dialogues in each language, audio clips and more, all set in a natural landscaping with lush grass and beautiful water features. The project was started in February, with a discussion on the initial island design. From there, it progressed as partners from Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Belgium met to work on what they wanted to see included in the project. “They have produced the language materials available in here and for the web site www.radiolara.com,” said Shuker. He added, “We are working with three large Radio stations who are promoting language learning in their own countries.” Lewis Nerd is also inSee LARA, Page 5
Be virtually visible!
Perspectives October 28, 2008
The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195)
Page 5
SLice of Second Life By Dagmar Kojishi SLice of stew? My colleague, Norinn Richard, regularly studies “the line between our two lives,” and I would not dare cross into his territory, since he covers it so much better than I could anyway. But this week, I’ve been thinking about how the line gets blurred, and I wanted this week to think a little bit about how the line can just flat out go away. I know a lot of people who work hard at keeping the line between real life and Second Life firmly in place, but a lot of people don’t sweat it much, and some positively erase that line. Educators, for instance, tend to identify themselves in the “First Life” tab of their profiles, a move that is relatively rare. All of this, of course, assumes there is just one boundary. There’s not. In real life, I teach college speech courses, and we use SL in a low-key way to help those courses along. This semester’s students have mostly registered avatars, but not many have taken advantage of my SL office hours. Life has gotten so busy for all of us, I find myself taking extraordinary steps to be reachable—or rather, what would have been extraordinary has become ordinary. I have a widget in my course management software that lists my contact info for SL, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, MySpace,
and old-fashioned email. Another widget shows the last five posts from a special Twitter account I made just to be able to answer “What are you doing now?” in regards to my online teaching activities. The Facebook account utilizes a couple of “apps” that connect my real life identity (at least as far as it exists on Facebook) to my SL identity, and one of them shows my inworld status, i.e., whether I’m inworld or not. Facebook, of course, also shows whether you are logged in there or not. Each of these has a means of being online or inworld without necessarily letting anyone else know. Ironically (at least, to me), the only major connection I have that will not let you “hide” is World of Warcraft. Despite those capabilities, more often than not I simply let my presence show. I used to routinely log into Yahoo Messenger as invisible. I don’t bother anymore. I’m an introvert, and value my solitude, and yet I find myself having to be more and more connected, more and more accessible, all the time. I don’t feel exposed by that; I just feel tired. Other than that, I’m not sure what to think of it. For instance, just today I passed a colleague in the college cafeteria, and I said, “Happy See SLICE, Page 15
The Metaverse Messenger E-mail: mm@metaversemessenger.com Website: www.metaversemessenger.com
Publisher: Kristan Hall (Katt Kongo in SL) Associate Publisher: Phoenix Psaltery Composition: Katt Kongo Account Executive: Phoenix Psaltery Office Manager: George
Backbite Distribution: Join the M2 fan group Associate Editor: Dagmar Kojishi News Editor: Katier Reitveld For a complete list of staff writers, visit the M2 website.
The Metaverse Messenger is published once each week on Tuesday for $L0 per year in Second Life. Subscribers should an instant message to distribution. Any erroneous reflection upon the character, standing or reputation of any person, firm or corporation, which may occur in the columns of The Metaverse Messenger, will be gladly corrected upon being brought to the attention of the publisher(s). The publisher is not responsible for copy ommissions or typographical errors which may occur other than to correct them in the nearest issue after it is brought to the publisher’s attention and in no case does the publisher hold him/herself liable for damages further than the amount received by him for actual space covering the error. Copyright © 2008.The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by The Metaverse Messenger and the Rose from Ash Publishing Company. No material may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the publisher.
VISITORS TO LARA can take a tour of the island via the monorail (top) or listen to audio clips in a variety of languages (bottom). - Photos by KATT KONGO.
LARA volved in the project, as a part of the Knowing Hand company (where he been employed for one year now as Lead Digital Architect). Though he has his own SL design company, this is the third Knowing Hand project he has worked on. Nerd, who did all of the inworld building and landscaping, was involved in the SL LARA project from the beginning of the design stage. “Once Jim had spoken to the various European partners in the LARA project and had a long list of things that they would like included on the island, we sat down and figured out what was practical, what was not, and how best to utilize the benefits of Second Life to best get across the project aims within the constraints of Second Life. “There was a lot of material submitted, so I often had to implement enhanced QIPP methodologies to fit it all in one island. Out of all the parts of the island, my particular favorite was the interactive European map.” So far, there has been one event held at LARA, a virtual European day of languages to celebrate the meatspace holiday of Day of Languages on Sept. 26. More events are planned, said Shuker, who explained, “We will keep building up the materials
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now and hold another event in a few weeks time.” While SL is just one component of the LARA project, Shuker is keen to see as many people as possible visiting the island, and relating they think of language learning generally and language learning in SL specifically. “Overall the project goals are to raise awareness of the importance of language learning across Europe and outside,” he said. Why is learning other languages important? “It’s very easy to be arrogant or become complacent as an English speaker,” he explained, adding, “A lot of people feel that as English is the standard business language they don’t need to learn another language. “But that’s missing a lot of the point of languages - they are gateways to a whole world of culture that just knowing English you will miss out on,” he said. He also feels that knowing multiple languages in helpful in the business world. “Those companies who employ people with multiple language skills win more and higher quality contracts in a global market than those who do not!” Nerd added to that, saying, “The benefits of learning another language in real life are clear,
however very few of us bother beyond a few basic words like “beer” and “taxi” for the one country we might be going to for a week’s holiday. He mentioned the common problem of meeting someone in SL who does not speak the same language as you might, and that can make communication an issue. “Being able to communicate, especially using voice chat, with someone half way around the world, is a wonderful feeling.” Nerd is staunchly supportive of the LARA project. “Education is not high on most people’s list of favorite things; and part of the design brief of the LARA project was to find new and innovative ways of encouraging people to experience and perhaps begin to speak just a few words.” He has even found a benefit in the language education for himself. “Although I do not have any trips to Slovenia planned in the near future, I can at least know that I won’t go hungry, as I can now ask for a nice crunchy jabolko with confidence!” To visit LARA, simply search for LARA Language Radio on the SL map. To learn more about the overall LARA project, visit http://www.radiolara.com/.
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norinnrichard.blogspot.com Emotions Once again, Violetta Heart has offered to stand in for me as I deal with First Life issues. With my thanks for this, I present to you her thoughts on expressing ourselves in Second Life. We need more pose balls, or maybe a new animation overrider. Perhaps a new script or two would do the trick. What we really need are more emotions in Second Life. Emotions and Second Life – it’s funny to think of such a thing. Have you noticed that there are no poses or scripts that simulate crying? Depression? Terror? Gentle smiles? Soft laughter? Oh sure, there are rolling belly laughs, huge particle-showerhead-thrown-back-bodyconvulsing weeping, and talking-tummy-baby-hungry pregnancy scripts. But nothing for the subtler emotions, nothing for those of us who do not want to spread drama but do not feel happy or even content and might want to convey that emotion to others. Use emotes, you say? Type in “/me wipes away a small, sad tear,” and we will get the point. But what about those of us who do not want to be that overt? Think about this for a minute. What is your initial reaction to
someone on the street who is wiping away a tear or two? Instant sympathy? You want to help or comfort? Or are you embarrassed and edgy, wanting to get away as quickly as possible? What of the person who is crying? Are they feeling bad enough to weep or maybe just bad enough to “leak” a bit. They may want comfort and help, or they may just need to let out a little emotion. We have poses and scripts for everything, from Salsa dancing to mosh pits, sex balls in every imaginable combination, weddings and vampire kisses. Why not one for a quick hand wipe across a cheek, a soft shake of the shoulders, a turn away to hide the pain. Loud emotions cross the line every day. We can tell when someone is angry, silly, laughing so hard they can’t even type. It is the soft, quiet emotions that are left out of our Second Life. I was told recently that I do not reach out for help when I need it most. I suppose that is true. Couple the NorwegianViking-strong-suffering-insilence mentality with the Sagittarian belief of I-am-thecenter-of-the-universe and that leads me to secretly believe that if I matter then people will notice See LINE, Page 15
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NAME: Jeanine Congrejo OCCUPATION IN SL: My first job in SL was as an assistant at a German ad agency. I couldn’t speak German lol, but I think I got the job because the boss liked me, and we got to be real good friends after a few months. As many girls here in SL, I probably spent a small fortune on skins, trying to find the perfect one for me, only to be disappointed that there were always small details that still bothered me (like breasts that look like implants!). So one day, I decided that, being a RL graphic designer, I should try and make my own skin for myself. I quickly learned that it’s very hard to get it right, and I spent weeks in Photoshop and a fortune on uploading texture after texture, before I found myself satisfied with the result. Later, I started designing clothes for myself and sharing them with friends, who then often told me that I should open up a shop in SL. But that was never my intention. I just wanted to make things for myself. However, after all the encouragement, I decided to give it a try and rented two small shops at Malia Mall and at Venustus and sell some of my clothes and
See ROTW, Page 20
There is no denying the appeal of Second Life for music lovers of all races, ages and nationalities. Music, in Second Life, is often the glue that holds the community together. Many times, I have wished that I were able to perform in some capacity to take advantage of the ready made audience that SL is. I’ve thought to use SL to learn more about music, to learn about measures, medleys and movements. I was disappointed to find no institution of higher music education. I wondered if I could take a few voice classes in my First
Life. I think I have a good voice, but then… so did William Hung. Taking lessons in playing piano is certainly an option, but I doubt SL residents would be entertained by a faltering rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” I did play in the percussion section in the middle school band. Would people come out to listen and dance to the crash of cymbals or riff of a snare drum? Probably not! So what is a person to do when she loves music, but has no voice with which to sing? I suppose the obvious answer is to DJ, which is a wonderful way in which to share the tunes you love with the people you love. However, DJs are plentiful,
GOGOMODO TRIVIA SCORES For the week of Oct. 20
and many are much more talented than I am (Madame Maracas is one such person!). So while I DJ, I have still been searching for a musical niche for me. I briefly thought about writing about the SL music scene, but that could prove to be rather time consuming, and perhaps I lack the knowledge to write about music effectively enough. I was mulling over the question of what I could do to dabble in music, to express my creatively. I thought about how I love making music machinima, and then I thought, “How great would it be to have an MTV
See BITES, Page 19
Serena311 Criss
963
TEAMS INDIVIDUALS freya Morgath Chaddington Boomhauer Fiona DuCasse Alisa Fitzpatrick Bitsy Blinker Sybil Contepomi Beach Beebe CAsCamper Little Sofianna Georgia Ruby Creber Shale Nightfire Francine Susanti Elise Philipp CJ Ginsberg
Cafe Trivia 7380 Fantasy Isles 3105 Zoo Bar 2854 Club AMS 2070 ((( GOLDBAR.TV ))) =TRIVIA VIP= 1900 The Cats Lair 1813 Destiny Dreams 1671 Castaway Bay 1549 incendia 1138 Sunflower Trivia 1122 Sharon's @ Doldari 113,115,67 1119 NOT TOO HOT Cafe 1005 Saturated Flowers 991 The Stringer 978 Axe's Place
October 28, 2008
Upcoming events
R e s i d e n t o f t h e We e k : Jeanine Congrejo
By KATT KONGO Staff writer
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2008 BLACK BUSINESS EXPOSITION! Nov. 1 begins a month long expo featuring 27 of the top African American owned businesses in Second Life, including; Avaru Galleries, Oasis Entertainment Group, WKSK, The University of Atlantislove, Angela Evans Designs and many more! Lots of free stuff! Live entertainment begins at 5pm SLT! Where? Third floor of THE MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Sugarhill Retreat (65, 99, 49),. Contact Curator, Winn Wellman or Midnight Gregory for more details. HAUNTED PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL - Closing down dance party on Oct. 31, from 7 to 10 PM SLT at Caernars Demise (99, 228, 271). The old hospital is closing down and to send it off a party will be held outside its doors. This will be a classic costume party so come as your favorite, which, ghost, goblin, etc. There will be prizes for the best costume. While people dance outside the hunt continues inside. 6 skulls are waiting to be found by anyone game enough to enter the hospital and claim their prizes.
Tell the metaverse about your event! Send details to katt.kongo@metaversemessenger.com
October 28, 2008 The Metaverse Messenger Page 9
ORC rounds continue Mango Birdbrain - 416 Points Sonic Costello - 406 Points Subwoofer Fuhr - 394 Points The ORC Championships re- Katier Reitveld - 372 Points main wide open after a hectic night of racing. Had that race run to disThe Buggy races were first tance, Costello would surely up, and the six car field soon hit have reduced the gap to the problems. leader, such was his command of Only Sonic Costello got a the race. good first lap, with the rest of the After such a problematic field fighting hard for position. race, the truck drivers were exKatier Reitveld was the loser out pressing concern over whether of the initial laps, as she dropped they would manage to complete to last by lap two. their race. On lap seven, she suffered They lined up for their 50 a huge lag spike that pitched her lap race and got away to a good into the stands. start. Costello carried on in the Costello continued to lead, lead, with Subwoofer Fuhr takwith Mercarian Barbosa and ing an early second place. Subwoofer rounding out the Costello soon proved he was podium places as the field ap- the class driver of the night as he proached lap 10. built up a solid lead. Fuhr was ORC’s first red flag flew unable to keep with the leader only two laps later. Organiser and found himself under presToby Rainbow was forced to call sure. a stop when the entire field That pressure told on lap crashed due to a huge lag spike. nine when he crashed, and the The field restarted with 38 three drivers behind him all went laps to run, but six laps later, the through. red flew again with a repeat of Dale Gears took over second the problem. place, but the driver on the move Thirty laps remained, and was Suku Ming. Rainbow gave the race one more After a very poor race the chance. Unfortunately, lag hit previous week, Ming was lookagain a few laps into the restart, ing to be the most likely to chaland Rainbow aborted the race lenge the leader. She closed with half the laps still to run. within just a couple of seconds of That left the championship the leader, but then the gap setunchanged with Barbosa out tled as Costello responded. front with an eight point lead. Behind Ming, Dale Gears and By SHARON KEATS Staff writer
Mercarian Barbosa - 424 Points
See ORC, Page 14
WIN L$1,000 in the M2’S Eagle Eye Photo ID Contest! If you think you know where this picture was taken, e-mail your answer to eagleeye@metaversemessenger.com along with your avatar’s name. The deadline for this week’s contest is Nov. 3. No one correctly identified last week’s photo as Dark Waters in Decorum NW. For a complete list of rules for the contest, visit the M2 website at www.metaversemessenger.com.
Page 10 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
SEEN HERE IS THE INTERIOR of the El Haiga Classic Car Museum, the centerpiece of Classic Car Museum island. Tinymachines Race Track(right) is a fun and challenging road racing venue for Tiny residents - Photos by SIOBHAN DARKSTONE.
Sim of the Week: classic car museum By SIOBHAN DARKSTONE Staff writer
Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines! This week, we visit a motorhead’s paradise, the sim of Classic Car Museum. Set in a patchwork cluster of private sims far to the west of the Northern Continent, Heterocera Atoll, lies the creation Spanish motor car enthusiast, lobisones Congrejo. The island of Classic Car Museum is exactly what its name implies, a haven for those who love the look and style of motor vehicles from a bygone era. Founded by Congrejo , the group called El Haiga is for, as its group charter states, “Nos gustan los coches antiguos,” or “Vintage car lovers.” This island itself is a full sim square with two lane roads around the perimeter, with a four lane stretch to the south. Two full length roads cut the island from east to west and north to south and several half length roads further divide the northwest of the island. The main feature of the island, El Haiga Classic Car Museum, occupies the northeastern third of the sim. The building is a large two story brick and glass structure with plenty of open floor space for displays. The entrance is on the west side
of the building. The spacious entry lobby is open with a few scale models, desk, donation jar and a wall of poster for cars and other attractions. The interior walls of the museum are glass and their placement creates a spiral passage through the exhibits. The entrance is to the back right of the lobby, and the exhibits start with vehicles from the 1900. These include a 1903 Model A Ford roadster, 1908 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, and some lesser known vehicles such as a 1919 Puch XII Alpenwagen v2.2. The dividing wall is covered with automobile advertising posters from the era. Continuing to the left, visitors will note the cars of the 1920s and 1930s, with such exotic European nameplates as Hispano-Suiza, Bugatti, and Alfa Romeo. Further on and around the corner to the right are the cars of the 1940s and 1950s. Needless to say, there are few representative vehicles from the ‘40s when most of the world was busy building tanks and bombers. The 1950s are dominated by American big steel, including a 1952 Oldsmobile, 1957 Plymouth Delray convertible and the rare 1954 Plymouth Thunderbolt. The upper floor, which can be reached only by flying, has a fine collection of
See SOTW, Page 11
October 28, 2008 The Metaverse Messenger Page 11
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SOTW
modern and vintage racing sport cars and open wheel racecars, as well as an extensive collection of motorcycles, campers and famous movie and television cars such as the Batmobile. The museum is not the only feature of the island; there is also a growing automobile mall in the southwest part of the island. Also, to the north, is a great poster shop with many reproductions of vintage car, gasoline and auto parts advertising for sale. Just south of the poster shop is teleporter sign for the Tinymachines Race Track. Located over 500 meters above the island, this track is a gem of SL miniaturization. The course is a challenging one, with tiny vehicles on which tiny residents can try racing everything from a hot open wheel racecar to an army tank. When SOTW asked Congrejo what his motivation was for creating this island, he responded, “I love classics cars and motorcycles, but in SL no was a place to see the betters models. That’s why I decided to build a museum. Before creating Classic Car Museum, I had other smaller car museums, but they were soon
From Page 10 small. So I decided have a full sim. In Classic, I can expose a lot of cars and motorcycles without space problems.” Congrejo is also open to ideas and to hearing from in-world creators of vintage cars for either contributions to the museum or about opening shop in one of the auto mall spaces. Norinn and Rusotu are still on break for a few more weeks, so I will be filling in with my usual hand-picked Sims until the Nov. 11 issue, when Norinn and Rusotu will be back with the sim selected by the Cup of Sims 4.0. Also, I have heard a rumor that Mija Ayakashi may return from her sabbatical to write one of theses days. If you have suggestion, please send an e-mail to SOTW@metaversemessenger.com and tell us about it. We’re looking for sims that are well established and “static.” It may be more than a month before any sim suggested is run, so we don’t want it totally rebuilt in that time! Don’t forget that residents in the Sim of the Week get a 10 percent discount on ads ordered during their sim’s week.
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Page 12 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
Dear’s Darling Designs In the Port Olni Market
THE MAD HATTER’S SKULL at Alice’s House of Madness (top) and Selexia’s Haunted Parcel at Star Dream are just a few of the spooky places that residents can visit to get in the “spirit” of the fall season. – Photos by DULCIE MILLS
HAUNT
outside contains a notecard with rules and information about a costume contest. When asked what the scariest attraction at the House of Madness is, Nickee Ninetails, coowner with Droid Dryssen of the Alice‘s Looking Glass sim, said, “Hmmm, if I give away the scariest part, it will ruin it. Just be sure to walk up the stairs to the second floor. “My favorite thing is the bouncer/flying machine on the lower level. One of the most interesting features is our walk through Mad Hatter Skull. He’s a happy little guy created by the amazing Talin Sands, creator of the Statue of Liberty in NYC, and someone I’m proud to call my friend.”
From Page 1 Last, but not least, is a visit taignede has done on the to Imagination Island where res- Rachelville Plaza. Ka set up the idents should first stop at Egyptian Pyramid display with Rachelville (Imagination Island art, history and a bit of whimsy, a 111, 178, 25) to see a cursed perfect combination for the Halpyramid, haunted graveyard and loween spirit.” exhibits representing the holiHe added, “I’ve been told that days at the end of October and the haunted house on the Mythbeginning of November, includ- ica Plaza resembles an Addams ing Halloween, Samhain, All Family garage sale. All that’s Souls, All Saints and Dia de los needed is a hearse on cinder Muertos. blocks in the front yard!” On Next, it is a teleport over to Oct. 31, there will also be a Trick Mythica Plaza (Imagination Is- or Treat party at Rachelville at land 188, 153, 22) to walk 4:30 PM SLT. through the Haunted House on While the tour of Halloween the pond that features informa- haunts is over, the fun continues. tional resources on horror films By searching for “Halloween” in inside its spooky walls. the SL search, residents will turn Rocky Vallejo said of the dis- up lots of other frightful but fun plays, “I’m especially pleased places to visit for the spooky with the work that Ka Cas- Halloween season.
Pot of Crabs Sloppy Joe Dear Beer Shapes A Deluxe Outhouse A Basic Skybox And more
The Metaverse Messenger
Fashion
October 28, 2008
The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195)
ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL Metro Models struts the stage in the sexy Gidget X dress by CKS Designs. - Photo by CARLEY NOONAN
Fashion Files: Fashion at the Cove By CARLEY NOONAN Staff writer The sky was an autumn jewel tone, the sea a stunning deep blue, and the oranges, reds, yellows and brown of fall were, quite literally, in the air as the autumn leaves settled on the orange pumpkins and, here and there, a jack-o-lantern. I had just arrived in the Earpoint sim in Endeavor Cove to check out Metro Virtual Fashion’s latest show: Fashion at the Cove. Billed as an eclectic blend of fall fashion, fetish wear, skating costumes, jewelry, tattoos and diving gear, the show did not disappoint. The stage was a stunning outfit, complete with impressive scaffolding and a cute tent, decorated by pumpkin lights, which served as the changing room for the models. Extending from the tent was a burgundy carpeted runway with a center section of ice. Ice? Yes, ice. Plunked down in a beachside sim on a pier, no less, the ice seemed out of place
a bit, but was definitely intriguing. Surrounding the stage were comfortable seats of orange fabric and hay; appropriate for an evening of fall fashion. Surrounding the stage were stalls for each of the designers involved, bearing the fashions that were to be shown. I was able to wander these stalls before the show to see the high quality and broad subjects of the various designers involved. At noon sharp, the sky began to darken, and the voice of MC Qualsha Nordberg commenced her introductions. I have to say that Qualsha, or Q, possesses one of the most melodious voices of all the MC’s in world. It’s always a pleasure to have her running the stage. Metro founder Alaska Metropolitan provided the typed version of the announcements. Both were absolute professionals and made the audience quite relaxed – even when the prize ball went crazy. Oh yes, there were prizes. In addition to the free white and black wings in the free
gift boxes, numerous other prizes were awarded at random during the course of the show. On to the fashion. This show was a mélange of various themes, but was presented quite coherently, with great introductions and impressive transitions. The evening started with a selection of fetish wear from designers such as CKS Designs by Kit Maitland, Cute K by Karin Barthelmeu, Maison de Zandra by Zandra Fraisse, and Babele Fashion by Pinco Janus. One of the more intriguing of these outfits was the sexy dress Nordberg donned, a bare sided number by Cute K named Lua. The outfit was topped off by opium wings, and she was grounded in her Aizea heels by Ishtar Inhen, who provided all the footwear for the show. One of the first surprises of the day was when a model skated down the center stripe of ice wearing Cute K’s Green Orchard with “Bolero” skates by See COVE, Page 21
Page 13
Page 14 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
ART WEEKEND AT SAN DIEGO City featured events to raise funds for the son of recently deceased Champion Valiant. Shown here is live musican Montian Gilruth performing for an enthusiastic crowd in front of the US Grant Hotel, home of a new art gallery. A total of 825 USD was raised this and last month. - PHOTO BY RIKO KAMICHI
Barbosa were engrossed in a fierce battle for the last podium spot. Behind them, three drivers were having terrible races. For a while, it looked like the last three places would be a tight battle, but Reitveld was struggling. Reitveld said, “I was a little off the pace, but the biggest problem is the way drivers lap others. “You don’t have mirrors in these cars so it’s often hard to know a car is close. If the car that’s lapping tried to barge through then inevitably one, and often both, of you will lose time.” This was especially true of the tight chicane at the end of the lap. Reitveld was struggling and often got lapped in that corner. The chicane was a one line cor-
ORC
From Page 9 ner and very tight, making it pretty much impossible to cleanly let people through. Reitveld felt that drivers have to be a little patient when lapping. She said, “If drivers would have waited till the exit of the chicane they would have lapped me cleanly and lost less time than smashing their way through as often happened.”
2nd. Suku Ming, -14.598 3rd. Mercarian Barbosa, -2 laps. 4th. Dale Gears, -2 laps. 5th. Subwoofer Fuhr, -3 laps. 6th. Caz Freschi, -4 laps. 7th. Katier Reitveld, -7 laps.
Costello’s win consolidated his lead in the championship. Ming’s second place closed her in on the top three. However, she needs to start winning to close in By now the entire field was on the leader. spread out. Despite a late race hiccup, Costello’s commanding Sonic Costello - 410 Points performance gave him a de- Mercarian Barbosa - 402 Points served win. Subwoofer Fuhr - 392 Points Ming took a vital second as Suku Ming - 384 Points she tried to claw her way back Dale Gears - 362 Points into contention, with Barbosa Katier Reitveld - 342 Points taking a solid third. Mango Birdbrain - 326 Points With Birdbrain missing Re1st. Sonic Costello, 50 laps. Total itveld and Gears both gained a Time : 1355.549 place.
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October 28, 2008 The Metaverse Messenger Page 15
MASH RHODE PERFORMS live at Fibber Magees in Dublin in SL. Fibber Magees features live music several times a week. - Photo by RIKO KAMACHI
LINE
when I am down and in need of a little comforting. But when the subtle emotions do not cross the line, I am required to actually tell someone when I am feeling blue or when I need a shoulder to lean on. When I just need someone to coax me into sharing and venting. Maybe it is not a symptom of our Second Life that the subtler emotions are over looked. Maybe it is a symptom of our Real Life. How often do we stop in Firstl Life when we see that person crying on the street? How often do we look away in embar-
From Page 6 rassment at seeing emotions displayed in such a raw manner? Maybe it is merely a matter of technology not keeping up with needs. Can Poser even deal with slight movements, subtle body positions needed to portray wiping away a tear. Any pose scripters out there need a challenge? I would be a willing tester for your inventions. How do you let your emotions cross the Line? Are you shouterfrom-the-rooftops, or a quietchurch-mouse-squeaking-in-thecorner?
SLICE
Birthday!” She just looked stunned. “How did you know it is my birthday?” she asked. “Actually, I know it’s not until tomorrow. I just figured I wouldn’t see you tomorrow.” “Sure, right, but how….?” “Oh! Easy. Unless you change your privacy settings, Facebook shows all the information you enter about yourself to anyone who wants to look at it.” She’s from my generation, so let’s cut to the chase and say that this bothered her. You can see what your profile on Facebook looks like to someone else, but you have to work at it a bit, so she had never realized that information about her showed. Scary, because as Sarah Palin and her Yahoo email experience (apparently and allegedly, someone from my city was the responsible party for hacking her email, although that is still working its way ponderously through the legal system), if you just
From Page 5 know a couple of basic things about someone, such as birthday and mother’s maiden name, or birthplace, or SS#, you can find out all kinds of other things. Birthdays and home addresses and things like that used to just be out there in public, but no one worried much about it, because “in public” didn’t imply any ease in finding out the information. It took travel, or expensive long distance phone calls, or hours digging through public records in musty libraries or damp courthouse basements. With information so easy to come by now, people are finding their lives not only an open book, but a well-thumbed one, and some of us react by trying to pull the information back, although usually too late. Others just give up. I’m not quite sure what all this means, but it certainly means something. If anyone can help me figure out what, let me know.
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Community Page 16
Support for Healing Weekly Meetings:
Sunday 08:00 AM SLT Tong Ren Energy Sharing Hosted by TongRen Writer at Catherine House Peer-to-peer distant healing modality for physical and psychological issues.
Monday 04:00 PM SLT
The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195)
Depression Support Group Hosted by Industria Dowler at the Meeting Circle
Tuesday 06:00 PM SLT Tong Ren Energy Sharing Hosted by TongRen Writer at the Meeting Circle 07:00 PM SLT Loss for Life Hosted by Jenna Tapioca and Lavendermist McTeague at Catherine House This is a weight loss support group.
Thursday 08:00 PM SLT Anxiety Support Circle
October 28, 2008
Hosted by Glenn Oud and Reverie TimTam at Catherine House
Friday 07:00 PM SLT Loss for Life Hosted by Jenna Tapioca and Lavendermist McTeague at the Meeting Circle Monthly Meetings:
Saturday, Jan. 5 11:00 AM SLT GLBT Group Hosted by Industria Dowler at the Meeting Circle Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender issues. PFLAG and heterosexuals welcome!
Saturday, Jan. 19 11:00 AM SLT Fundraising Meeting Hosted by Industria Dowler at Catherine House Come help SFH's fundraising projects come to fruition! Impromptu Meetings:
*Random days 2:00 PM SLT
Buddhist Listening and Discussion Group Hosted by Jonno Zond at Catherine House Check events or contact Jonno for more info.
October 28, 2008 The Metaverse Messenger Page 17
Weekly events scheduled at SL Library Something Wicked Halloween Pandemonium November 1 at 4-6 pm SLT Bradburyville will hold a “Something Wicked Halloween Pandemonium” on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 4-6pm slt. DJ Lyndzee McMillan will spin appropriately ghoulish tunes. Halloween costumes are the dress code for the event. Contact Daisyblue Hefferman for more information. TX950 – Bloodthirsty Halloween October 31st at 6 PM SLT
The haunted house on Mythica is on the pond next to the Plaza there. Besides the scary and absurd you’ll find resources on horror films. SLURL to Rachelville Plaza http://slurl.com/secondlife/Imagination%20Island/111/178/25/ SLURL to Mythica Plaza http://slurl.com/secondlife/Imagination%20Island/188/153/22/
Welcome to the dark side for this month’s TX950 party on Info Island, a motley crew of evil doers will be gathering on Info Island to celebrate Halloween, please join us to Be there are be turned into a pumpkin at midnight! dance and discover what surprises the mausoleum holds! Contest for the best male and the best female in costume. Muhahahahahahahaha. Contact Abbey Zenith for Oh yeah.and don’t forget the trick or treat party at Rachelville on more information. October 31st at 4:30pm SL time. For more information, contact Rocky Vallejo. Show Me the Money
College Fair Coming to Info Island
November 1st at 6 PM SLT
College Fair coming to InfoIsland! Call for Participating Institutions!
Join us on Investing Info Island to dance away the economy blues with some rocking Info Island is hosting a Virtual College Fair! Come take advantage of this opportunity tunes! Radio Riel will lead the gang in this money themed party. We may even have to promote your college or university to visitors from around the world - and no one a few lindens to throw your way! Please contact Hypatia Dejavu or Abbey Zenith for needs to leave home! additional information. See http://infoisland.org/2008/10/18/college-fair-coming-to-infoisland/ for more inCypress Grove book discussion formation and sign-up form. The fair will be held on November 16, so please sign up October 29 at 6 PM SLT soon! Alexandrian Free Library: Caledon, Winterfell, Steelhead, New Babbage & New Mystery Manor finishes the first season of the Waiting for the Other Gumshoe to Drop Toulouse Library events October 28 - Nov 4 discussion series on Wednesday, October 29 with James Sallis’ thoughtful mystery, Cypress Grove. Please join discussion leader Maxito Ricardo at 6:00pm SL in the Thu, October 30, 7pm – 8pm Gazebo at Mystery Manor. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/181/161/33 Radio Theatre - War of the Worlds, on Radio Riel Radio Riel HQ, Caledon Penzance After the discussion we will have time to talk about season two which will start in Jan- http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Penzance/224/100/24 uary 2009. Our tentative theme is International Mystery and we would like to know Or tune in at http://music.radioriel.org what you think. For more information contact Max Batra. Join Caledon Library collaborator Radio Riel for an historic Halloween event as host Edward Pearse presents “War of the Worlds”. Directed and narrated by Orson Welles Enjoy Halloween on Imagination Island this adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel “The War of the Worlds” was first aired October 30, 1938 over the WABC Radio network, as an episode of the American radio drama Join us on Imagination Island as we celebrate the special days at the anthology series “Mercury Theatre on the Air.” During the original broadcast, its forend of October and beginning of November. Visit the cursed Pyramid, mat as a series of news bulletins caused considerable panic as listeners decided that haunted graveyard, Halloween, Samhain, All Souls, All Saints and Dia Martians really were landing in West Windsor, New Jersey. For much more information de los Muertos displays at Rachelville. Then teleport over to Mythica see http://www.war-ofthe-worlds.co.uk/ Come join the party at Radio Riel HeadquarPlaza and walk through the Haunted House on the pond. TPs provided ters in Caledon Penzance. Greenies welcome. between both places. Steelhead Scary Story Festival The pyramid and graveyard were set up by library student volunteer, Ka Oct. 25, 26 & 30 2008 See LIBRARY, Page 21 Castaignede.
Page 18 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
SLASCAR report By SHARON KEATS Staff writer
Two championships were up for grabs in this week’s DWRL (formerly SLASCAR) event. Trucks had three drivers competing, all with a chance of winning, while Innes Meriman was favored for the Beaters. The Beaters were a double header event, with Meriman comfortably ahead. Only a miracle would see Ryde Thor, Becka Destiny or Katier Reitveld taking the championship. In the first Beater Figure Eight event, Caz Freschi took an early lead from Meriman. Reitveld was in an early podium spot, just ahead of Meek Muircastle. It was soon clear that these four drivers were the class of the field. By lap 10, Meriman was in a comfortably lead just ahead of Freschi. Reitveld was now fourth behind Muircastle, but their battling had put the pair of them a few seconds off the lead. Becka Destiny was the last driver on the lead lap in fifth, but in danger of going a lap down. On Lap 18, Meriman hit trouble when he tangled with Reitveld on the crossover. He would recover in third, while Muircastle worked his way past Freschi for the lead. 1st. Meek Muircastle, 25 laps. 2nd. Innes Meriman, -0.542 3rd. Caz Freschi, -1.739 4th. Katier Reitveld, -5.421 5th. KH Lundquist, -1 laps. 6th. Becka Destiny, -1 laps. 7th. Ryde Thor, -2 laps. 8th. Aherm Mauer, -20 laps. Fastest lap, Destiny, 14.980 Meriman’s second place basically guaranteed him the championship, as the field headed into the second of the double headers. Freschi took an early lead in the second race, ahead of Muircastle and Lundquist. The field was tightly packed behind the lead three, with Reitveld in fourth ahead of Meriman. Up front, Muircastle and Freschi had a huge battle over
the first 15 laps. The lead would change a number of times, and the pair often crossed the line less than 0.2 seconds apart. Incredibly, it was .17 seconds for four laps at one point. Behind them, Reitveld was pushing hard to chase Lundquist down. On lap 13, she made it through and instantly put in a series of scintillating laps, cutting the gap to the leader from over eight to just 4.4 seconds. Freschi crashed on lap 15, handing Reitveld second. Three laps later, they collided. This collision gave Freschi the chance to retake second, as a second minor crossover collision shortly after caused Reitveld to drop to third place. 1st. Meek Muircastle, 25 laps. 2nd. Caz Freschi, -12.971 3rd. Katier Reitveld, -14.784 4th. KH Lundquist, -16.780 5th. Innes Meriman, -1 laps. 6th. Becka Destiny, -1 laps. 7th. Ryde Thor, -2 laps. 8th. Aherm Mauer, -20 laps. With Freschi participating as a guest driver, the podium places were shuffled slightly. That left the championship as follows with Meriman a clear champion. Reitveld rued missing one Beater round when they toured, costing her a definite second place and possibly the championship. Innes Meriman - 282 Points Ryde Thor - 242 Points Becka Destiny - 242 Points Katier Reitveld - 228 Points Next, the trucks took to the track for the last time for them, with a field of six including all the championship contenders. Freschi took the early lead from Subwoofer Fuhr and Mercarian Barbosa. For the first few laps, Freschi and Fuhr battled for position, until lap six when Fuhr had a poor lap. Freschi continued out in front, leading by a little over a second, with Sonic Costello and
See RESULTS, Page 19
Neo-Realms Fishing Camp 2008-10-21 - Open Rod Tourney First Place: Marilynnn Munster Second Place: heather Zebberman Third Place: Carol1313 Greenwood Best Catch: Marilynnn Munster 2008-10-21 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Allissa Demar Second Place: Orpheus Carter Third Place: heather Zebberman Best Catch: Lacey Kavanagh 2008-10-21 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Avner Raymaker Second Place: Suma Sleeper Third Place: Corina Canning Best Catch: Avner Raymaker 2008-10-21 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: SexyBoy Oh Second Place: Nikee London Third Place: Delilah Nostram Best Catch: Data Zamani 2008-10-21 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Marikha Hutton Second Place: francois Uba Third Place: Lizziebabee Wildcat Best Catch: Delilah Nostram 2008-10-22 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Kade Teardrop Second Place: Marikha Hutton Third Place: Suma Sleeper Best Catch: Mica Mertel 2008-10-22 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Ebuz Tuck Second Place: lotusCharltina Yao Third Place: KaliCat Kennedy Best Catch: Marikha Hutton 2008-10-22 - Open Rod Tourney First Place: Carol1313 Greenwood Second Place: Zaza Cortes TOP 5 2007 TOUR Name KaliCat Kennedy Nikee London Allissa Demar Avner Raymaker Suma Sleeper
Third Place: Marilynnn Munster Best Catch: Lacey Latrell 2008-10-22 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Allissa Demar Second Place: Tashi Jewell Third Place: Data Zamani Best Catch: francois Uba 2008-10-22 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Marilynnn Munster Second Place: francois Uba Third Place: Jaki Sismondi Best Catch: francois Uba 2008-10-22 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: GJackie Winkler Second Place: Sal Salubrius Third Place: Coug Sleeper Best Catch: Myke Philbin 2008-10-23 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Allissa Demar Second Place: Sal Salubrius Third Place: Anastasia Mathilde Best Catch: Windseeker Castaignede 2008-10-23 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Donna Dagostino Second Place: Jaki Sismondi Third Place: Marikha Hutton Best Catch: Lacey Latrell 2008-10-23 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Lacey Latrell Second Place: Carol1313 Greenwood Third Place: Suma Sleeper Best Catch: Lacey Latrell 2008-10-23 - Event Rod Tourney First Place: Suma Sleeper Second Place: francois Uba Third Place: Allissa Demar Best Catch: Allissa Demar
Points First Second Third Best Catch 928 105 79 65 50 836 94 69 73 33 822 86 79 69 41 604 65 55 42 30 579 56 51 55 49
Hearts Enchanted (203, 192, 24) Samarai Tokyo (161, 96, 24) Alston (41, 87, 22) For a complete tournament schedule, visit fish.neorealms.com
October 28, 2008 The Metaverse Messenger Page 19
BITES
VIRTUAL WORLDS ICEBREAKER entertains real world conference attendees and in-world residents at a multicast held between Second Life and London. Shown are Thom Martinsyde and Rowanna Sideways of PILLOWFISH, performing en avatar and live via video stream. The event was hosted courtesy of Tony Moore, theBedford.com, and Ham Rambler, DublinSL.com. Attendees and artists in London saw Second Life on big screen throughout the event. Attendance exceeded 160 across both venues. - PHOTO BY RIKO KAMACHI
channel just for SL, where videos for original SL songs aired?” My mind whirred with the possibilities. Imagine hanging out with friends in SL, seated around a large flat screen TV, while a video for Frogg Marlowe’s “Ain’t No Women (in SL)” plays. After the initial brainstorm of how I could do that, how that would work, I realized that such a venture would be time taxing to the extreme. But, what I could do is create the videos that might air on such a channel. Pursuing that thought, I decided that such music videos could be posted to sites like
From Page 8 youtube.com and vimeo.com, and that they could be extremely beneficial to musicians in SL who wish to expand their fan base. Additionally, music would need to be original compositions, as I would not be interested in making videos of cover songs. So, I have found a niche. Now I just need videos to make. If you are interested, send me an e-mail at katt.kongo@metaversemessenger.com. And on another note, I am looking for someone who loves music and writes well, to pen a weekly column about the music scene in SL. If interested in applying, send a writing sample to the above E-mail address.
RESULTS
Jafo Tendaze now occupying the podium positions. Freschi continued to be untroubled by Costello, who consolidated his position in second. Behind them, Barbosa, Fuhr and Tendaze battled hard for the final podium position, with Drayman last and a lap down. On Lap 25, Costello’s chase finally came to fruition as he past Freschi for the lead after a poor lap from the leader. By now, Barbosa was comfortable in third, ahead of a tight battle for fourth between Tendaze and Fuhr.
From Page 18 A poor lap 32 for Barbosa Fastest lap, Caz Freschi, 7.678 caused him to fall back into the clutches of Tendaze. He soon That left the top five in the took the place from the Flying final championship as follows: Fur driver and would hold third to the end. Sonic Costello - 280 Points Costello just held out for the Greg Drayman - 272 Points win by a fraction of a second Mercarian Barbosa - 272 Points from the impressive Freschi. Jafo Tendaze - 262 Points Subwoofer Fuhr - 222 Points 1st. Sonic Costello, 40 laps. Total Costello steals the champiTime : 398.015 onship with a great drive from 2nd. Caz Freschi, -0.041 Drayman. Barbosa finished 3rd. Jafo Tendaze, -4.424 equal second with Tendaze, 4th. Mercarian Barbosa, -5.890 being the only other drivers with 5th. Subwoofer Fuhr, -7.625 six races. Fuhr ran five races and 6th. Greg Drayman, -1 laps. finished in fifth.
Be virtually visible!
Page 20 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
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ROTW
From Page 8 I would really love to get rid of lag! I think it’s the traffic jams of the virtual world, and it’s just as annoying as well.
skins that I have made so far. Note: Since this interview, Congrejo has opened a main store at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Neue %20Ufer/13/105/22. Those interested can also read her blog at DO YOU HAVE AN SL PARThttp://g9-design.blogspot.com/. NER? IF SO, TELL US A LITDATE JOINED SL: April 9, TLE ABOUT HIM/HER. 2007 My SL partner is also my RL partner, so I’m not going to WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE tell too much about her, other THING ABOUT BEING A than that I love her very much RESIDENT OF SL? and that, even though she was That would definitely the very skeptical of SL at first, I possibility to meet people from now have her support in doing all over the world, making new what I do here in SL friends that I would never have had without SL, because we WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO probably would never have met SEE IN FUTURE SL UPin RL. GRADES? I would love to see an upONE THING IN YOUR IN- date to the 3D model of the SL VENTORY THAT YOU avatar, with higher polygon WOULD BE THE MOST count and higher resolution texDEVASTATED TO LOSE? tures to make the avatars look My landmarks [because] more realistic. I’m terrible with names, so I would never find back to all WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE those places. Apart from that, all PERSON (NON-PARTNER) the textures that I have uploaded IN SL, AND WHY? for my own skins and clothes! It’s difficult to name one person without hurting all the WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE others because I have met so LOCATION IN SL? many nice people here in SL, but SL has so many awesome there are three people in SL who locations to offer that it’s impos- really mean a lot to me. One is sible for me to pick a favorite. If from Germany, one is from SweI really have to choose one loca- den and one is from the Nethertion, it would probably be Phat lands. Without naming them, I Cats, because it’s one of the few think all three of them know that places that has been around ever they are meant. since I came into SL, and it’s a great place to meet new people! DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE LINDEN? IF SO, WHO AND WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE WHY? THE OUTSIDE WORLD TO Oh yes, definitely Torley! KNOW ABOUT SL? His tutorials are so full of enthuI would like the outside siasm, humor and information, world to know that SL is just as that anybody who hasn’t seen good and just as bad as RL, be- them should check them out! cause just as in RL, it’s the resi- You can tell that he really loves dents who create this world. And what he does at Linden! I’m getting really tired of all the bad press that SL has gotten from PIE OR CHEESE, AND WHY? Cheese! Cheese and red various media who concentrate only on the sex and crime. It’s wine, cheese and grapes, cheese like visiting a city’s red light dis- and baguette, cheese and bread, trict and assumes that the rest cheese and onion, cheese and must be like this as well, it’s hyp- ham, cheese all the way. ocritical to say the least! Want to be RotW, or know someWHAT ONE THING ABOUT one who deserves recognition? SL WOULD YOU CHANGE Send a nomination to katt.kongo @metaversemessenger.com. IF YOU COULD?
Have news you’d like published in The Metaverse Messenger? Send press releases to pressrelease@metaversemessenger.com
October 28, 2008 The Metaverse Messenger Page 21
M LINDEN AND JANE LINDEN hoist a pint and had a friendly chat at the Blarney Stone in Dublin in SL, surrounded by good music and happy regulars. M is in real life Mark Kingdon, CEO of Linden Lab. On hand to greet the Lindens were Blarney Stone Manager, Emmie Fairymeadow (on left) and Ham Rambler (not shown). - PHOTO BY RIKO KAMACHI
LIBRARY
From Page 17
Sponsored by the Steelhead Library; please contact Irving Riven Homehood for details At the Haunted Steelhead Hotel Ballroom Sunday Oct. 26 6pm Professor Rudolfo Woodget will tell two stohttp://slurl.com/secondlife/Steelhead/75/156/26 ries Schedule - All times are SLT 7pm Lludmila Mirrikh Saturday Oct. 25 11:30am - Shalmendo Gleneux reading “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe 12 noon - Iason Hassanov telling ghost stories 1pm - Elder Priestman & Derry McMahon reading “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington
THE IMPRESSIVE STAGE (top) erected by Metro Virtual Fashion for the Fashion at the Cove show at Endeavor Cove in the Earpoint sim. While exhibiting stunning skating skills, a Metro Model (bottom) shows off the Green Orchard outfit by Cute K. - Photo by CARLEY NOONAN.
COVE
Cutting Edge. After turning a perfect layback spin, the model retreated to delighted applause. Soon thereafter, the talented models of Metro presented the Gidget X dress by CKS Designs; a very sexy and skimpy number that certainly placed the ice in danger of melting. Good thing the compressors were on full blast. Other notable fashions presented during the evening included the fetish-inspired Chainmail dress by Maison de Zandra, Azafran, a very sexy red and orange cocktail dress by Matahari Style, and the Fire and Ice skating dress by Matahari Skate. Tanya Matahari herself was ablaze in a beautiful orange dress out in the audience. In ad-
From Page 13 dition to the dresses and shoes, some of the models were adorned by exquisite jewelry by Lana Nichols and intricate tattoos by Indigo Ink. The likely highlight of the evening was an appearance by LouRavi Karas in his diving helmet, while other models wore his carefully constructed scuba gear. This was certainly one practical outfit that all the girls are dying to wear! As has become expected, Alaska Metropolitan (who was decked out in a sexy white dress by CKS Designs named Caroline and Ishtar Ihnen shoes) put on a terrific show, and her models were consummate cat walkers. If you weren’t at this event, you missed something special.
WANTED: Fashion writers! Email kattkongo@metaversemessenger.com
for details
Thursday Oct 30 7pm Hotspur O’Toole 8pm Elegia Underwood Friday Oct. 31 7pm Haunted Hotel Costume Ball
Page 22 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
Authors to teach at in-world event Authors of Wiley’s Scripting Your World: The Official Guide to Second Life Scripting will give a scripting demonstration at Abracadabra in Second Life on Nov. 1 at 4 PM SLT. That day also marks the opening of Wiley’s new build at their location in Furu. Plus, author Dr. Karen Haigh (Karzita Zabaleta) will be signing books in meatspace on Nov. 13 in Plymouth, MN. Along with their co-author Haigh, Dana Moore (ElectricSheep Expedition) and Michael Thorne (Vex Streeter) will answer audience questions at the Nov. 1 event and demonstrate how to create a scripted picture frame. Following the event, there will be a fireworks display by Marianne McCann. A prize giveaway will include real-life copies of Scripting Your World and inworld prizes. Other freebies will be available to all attendees. Along with primary event seating at The Magicians Colonnade at Abracadabra <http://slurl.com/secondlife/Abr acadabra/201/90/31>, there’s balcony seating in the neighboring sim, Seifert Surface’s xyz. The event will be conducted in text chat. Those who wish for a teleport should send a message to Chimera Malaprop or Sereine Bard. Prominent Second Life de-
velopment company The Magicians brings a characteristic sense of fun and wonder to Wiley’s new Natural Forms, Unnatural Materials build at <http://slurl.com/secondlife/Furu /12/159/46> which will open in conjunction with the event. Created by Kim Anubis, Seifert Surface, Art Laxness, CrystalShard Foo, Csven Concord, Robin Sojourner, and Marianne McCann, the build features a Rhombicosidodecahedron Dual dome, an old-growth Heshroom forest, Negationix Nikolaidis’ Steambees, freebies and hidden interactive surprises. At the new build, visitors will access information about Wiley’s titles, including sample chapters from books about Second Life, Photoshop and 3D modeling. Free content creation assets, such as textures, will be available to avatars who join the Wiley Publishing group. An employment opportunities kiosk will provide information about real-life jobs with Wiley, and another display informs visitors about the Wiley Design Challenge cover art competition. Scripting Your World co-author Haigh will sign copies of her book in real-life at Borders in Plymouth, MN (near Ridgedale Mall) on Nov. 13 from 6 PM to 8 PM.
SL RESIDENTS EXPRESS their anger and frustration over the recently announced policy changes to Openspace sims with a series of protests. - Photos by MARIANNE MCCANN.
CHANGES
Blue and Pathfinder Linden were set upon in the marketplace of the new Nautilus City regions, while crowds gathered at Linden Estate Services and in Linden Village during Zero Linden’s scheduled office hour.
From Page 1 It is uncertain if any additional possible changes might come to this policy as a result of protest, but Linden Lab has shown themselves to be reluctant to acquiesce to user demands in the past.
Advertising works!
Business October 28, 2008
The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195)
Page 23
So you want to do business in SL? By ADAM ZADEH Staff writer
I’ve got a secret Brands are constantly being scolded for their pitiful attempts to break into Second Life. They build a few buildings, offer a few pointless freebies, and then sit back waiting for avatars to come flying in. It doesn’t work, it hasn’t worked, and it’s not likely to work. Consultants, such as Millions of Us, try to convince them that they must offer something to the community, and in some cases the suits have even listened — with varying results. The release of the newest Harry Potter movie was promoted with viral giveaways, and Evian offered samples of their water which were accompanied by free skins that were perceptibly better than the default skins we all get as newbies. But no matter what they do, it never seems to be enough. The stink of failure covers them like a car that’s run over a skunk. You could even feel sorry for them if they weren’t so oddly blind to the ultimate problem. Let’s back up a few years. There once was a time in which not a single company had an presence on the Web. There were many reasons for this, but the main one, it has to be admitted, was that there was no such thing as the Web. Once it was invented (by Al Gore, according to rumor), a few of the more forward-looking companies tried their hand at creating virtual stores where customers could get information about their products and even make purchases. Some were more successful than others, but those who made a go of it had several characteristics in common, such as creating sites with value-added services, a running tally of in-store stock, and even
methods of contacting real live people for help. But even the best-laid sites would have withered away if the companies behind them hadn’t done one very important thing — they told people about them! I can still remember the first time I saw an ad on TV for something (can’t remember what it was) which included the URL for their Web site. “Will anyone actually take the time to visit?” I wondered. Well, people did. Today, of course, it’s rare to find an ad that doesn’t include information on finding their online presence. “Call, visit or click” is a phrase that I find occurring with amazing frequency in ads from TV commercials to the printed page. You see, here’s the thing: if you’re going to do something cutting edge and avant-garde, if you’re going to set up a new approach to doing business, you have to tell people! This isn’t a secret power-principle of business — or at least it shouldn’t be. If you want people to visit the smart, efficient, clever, dynamic, or what-haveyou website, you have to let them know it’s there. So let’s pop back to the present and take a look at the companies that came into Second Life. Coke has always been considered one of the successes, mostly because they didn’t end up with a complete, abject failure. But the bar for success in virtual world marketing, it has to be admitted, has been set pretty damned low. Still, let’s credit them with their little triumph. How did they spread the word about their sim? Well, by word of avatar-mouth, for one. Then there was…uh. Well there was word of avatarmouth — damn, I already mentioned that one.
The fact is, aside from the short spurt of publicity they gathered when they first came in world, the bright boys and girls behind the bold new marketing concept never told anybody about it. Nobody. Or maybe I missed something. Perhaps you can recall some TV commercials from the time which ended with an invitation to visit their new virtual land in Second Life? A tag at the end of magazine ad with the SLURL of their corporate island with an offer of a free virtual Coke? Anything like that? Anyone? No. I didn’t think so. The fact is, to the best of my knowledge, not a single corporation which has attempted in world marketing has bothered to clue in their customers. None. Does this strike anyone else as being, oh…I don’t know. Brainless? A tad dim-witted? A few swings short of a playground? So here’s a bit of advice for anyone contemplating yet another marketing blitz in the untapped world of Second Life: when you do it — tell people about it! Put the information in your real world publicity. Generate interest. That is, after all, part of the reason you want to come into Second Life in the first place, isn’t it? To generate or renew interest in your brand? Well, everything else aside, a good start is by letting the general public in on the secret. And of course, as more companies include references to Second Life in their advertising, the more people will be drawn to our humble little world which, in turn, will also mean a larger audience for in-world promotions. See how that works? Tell people, ya nitwits!
In my real mundane everyday world, I work in sales and marketing. It’s my job to get you to feel that you can not live without that one particular jar of peanut butter or the newest package of X is better breath or make you rich. Lately it’s been my job to “pitch” Second Life to potential companies. I have been part of the SL community for over two years now, and have been part of and seen many changes, not all for the good. But I’ve always seen the potential that SL has, not only for education but for business as well. For those of us in business, however, Second Life provides a powerful opportunity, as well as powerful obstacles. A potential world wide audience for what we offer is the main attraction to most businesses. At the time I’m writing this, the population of SL is 42,295 people online. If a company reaches out and sells to just one percent of that population, that is 423 sales. Those are respectable numbers in any business, so the attraction is obvious. Also, the average consumer using Second Life is able to afford a better computer, has higher disposable income, is younger, well educated and tech savvy, which are all very good demographics for a business. The challenges, however, are how to get those numbers into the store and buy real world merchandise. The world of Second Life is infinite. Generally speaking the consumer (you) is always surrounded by advertising and businesses trying to sell you something. That’s the joy of Second Life, you can escape the noise and sights and constant buzz of “Buy this!“ in the real world and be what you want, for a short time anyway. Second Life is a place where; if you don’t like what you see and hear, something more interesting is only a teleport away. We in business don’t have the luxury of putting up a billboard
and forcing you to pass under it day in and day out. Businesses are adapting, changing and struggling to find a way that actually works in this new world. As my friend and colleague here at M2, Marianne McCann, said, “The biggest failing (of real world business in SL), in my opinion, is not understanding the culture and medium. It’s the same thing that caused companies to have troubles adjusting to the Web back in 1997 or so. You have to understand the medium.” Businesses will have to adapt to the way SL does business. It’s already started. Cisco Systems and IBM are two well known companies that have a SL presence. EMC recently held a career fair in Second Life where they hired two employees. Various companies are using SL to train their employees, and there is no reason to think this trend will not continue. Design firms use the 3D modeling software, home builders can design the building and have virtual walk through, a real estate company could model homes in SL for sale. Selling to the avatar - and the person behind the keyboard remains elusive however. Circuit City recently redesigned their SIM in a hope to build traffic and even gave away prizes such as a Apple 4GB iPod Nano ARV in early March of this year. The land was well designed and interactive, including the ability to summons a staff member when needed. Although Circuit City still appears in search, one can not teleport into the SIM any more, for some unknown reason. So now I find myself working for a winery that is looking to increase their production ten fold in the next year and create a presence in SL. I’m looking at what works and what doesn’t work, visiting the various real life businesses that come to SL for a variety of reasons. Our plans will be discussed in next weeks edition of the Metaverse Messenger and as always, feedback in encouraged.
Writers to cover the business metaverse, especially events in the realm of Second Life For more information, e-mail katt.kongo@metaversemessenger.com
Page 24 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
Second Penguins:
False Positives
By DRAKE BACON M2 columnist I haven’t covered this topic, and I fully know it will be discussed for ages. I’m talking about censorship online. Let me get more specific than that. I don’t mean on the forums, where some moderator doesn’t like what you’re saying. I don’t mean removing advertisement when the person posting said ad didn’t have permission to. I don’t mean the immediate stuff that would outrage anybody and cause instant drama. No, I’m going to look at Australia, with some hints back at the USA here. To those who don’t reside in the land down under, here’s the story: Australia’s toying with filtering all web access at the ISP level. They want to block anything illegal (according to Aussie law), as well as pornographic material unsuitable for children. There’s a twist, though. If you’re in Australia, you can’t opt out completely. You can opt-out of the porn filters but you can’t opt out of the illegal sites list. That’s if you trust the Aussie government to properly vet the list. Unfortunately, you can’t trust them. Australia’s Communications and Media Authority pushed out a report in June of tests on the filtering setup. Out of six filter setups, over half left some blocked sites through (about 5% of the test list), and measurably blocked sites known to be clean. From the report, I can only assume no custom site block list was put in. The report also shows that there were significant degradation of bandwidth for web services when the filters were active. Three dragged traffic to about 75% capacity while two dragged it down to 15%. If you were on DSL down under, welcome back to dial-up. The only good news is that it didn’t touch non-web ways of communications, such as FTP, IRC, instant messaging, Second Life, what-not. The products did have a capability to be expanded, however. When the news hit, there was considerable outrage to the government. Officals tried to spin it as voluntary, but instead newspapers have found that Australia’s government was pressuring
ISP’s to silence the detractors of the filtering scheme. It won’t work. Sites in the USA know about it now. And it brings back memories. This recalls a few stories in the USA where Congress passed multiple laws to shut down sites exhibiting pornographic material of any kind. While passed into law, they were struck down because not only of how they were written, but that it infringed on rights guaranteed under the US Constitution and it’s Amendments. The use of “indecent” and “community standards” made every bill vague and unenforceable. It also would of forced many clean sites that used medical images, such as anatomy sites and charities for breast cancer cures, to shut down. The outrage was so bad that it flowed to many filter software companies. Many use a “list of known bad sites” and a few try to sort through the content itself. However, the latter tends to ID sites incorrectly (that breast cancer example, for instance), what is called a “false positive.” Everyone employing the former tries to keep their lists secret, and never share them with anyone else. The distrust affected the companies as well. Additionally, one of the laws said it would cut funding for public libraries if they did not filter their access. The libraries got involved, and sued with the EFF and ACLU to strike down the law. However, it gets to the reason why I’m covering this topic. A fellow web comic artist finds another kid looking at porn at his library. Looks like to be a repeat offender, and said artist informs the staff – which had filtered the kid’s access already but used his sister’s card this time around. That, my friends, is a failure of policy. Libraries should filter their access on all accounts, regardless of age. For the web side, the staff needs to be the only people who can maintain the list of blocked sites, and the software should never try to guess if the site should be blocked or not. It should be a very conservative filter for a library to employ, and one that the library should exclusively control. Besides, the kid can go look at porn at home, and stop infecting the library PC’s with spyware.
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Lifestyles October 28, 2008
The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195)
Page 25
Dark Waters swim with roleplay opportunities By KATIER REITVELD Staff writer Post-apocalyptic worlds are quite popular in SL. The DCS2 combat system is also one of the most popular systems. So sims containing both are common; It’s rare, however, to see one with a good background storyline, DCS2 and a capture roleplay theme all rolled into one. The four Dark Waters sims that opened over the weekend do just that, with an interesting blend of combat and capture roleplay. One of the three owners, Baroness Eisenhart, said, “This sim is a postapocalyptic kidnap sim. We had a successful vampire sim before, but we talked about our dreams and found out that we all w a n t e d something like this. “[It’s] a mixture of Water World, Mad Mad and some futuristic elements like the 5th element, so we closed this vampire sim to realize our dreams. We have four sims here. This gives us the opportunity to build high quality roleplay structures and not any mall with a few buildings.” She added that the main concern was to provide a detailed and interesting roleplay environment. The history of the sim is well thought out and culminates with the following paragraph, taken from the sims’ notecard: 2420-now Resource wars erupt. The clinging areas of the world form their own small governments on the small plots of land that arise. Companies form to control all resources, to include people as a resource. A law of capitalism overrules any former government agendas. The International Waters Act of 2337 announces that the waters are not, nor shall never be, owned, ruled, or governed by a gov-
ernment or corporation beyond the state borders (10M from land). This was an attempt to allow a choice of freedom for individuals from any of these state nations, but in turn encouraged rampant piracy. The waters were now the place of war games, constantly engaged over the resources the great ocean provided. Four companies fight between themselves to gain control of the resources, employing any espionage, kidnap or combat based roleplay to get an advantage. These companies have bases full of interesting details and scripting. Some of the scripting is imaginative and adds to the roleplay in a well thought out way. Examples include a chair in the strip/escort club that will drug unsuspecting people and thus allows the club to force people to work for them. Another one is a door that is electrified and knocks the person out, allowing his to be kidnapped. Some of the sim also use the Real Restraints system, adding to the whole kidnap system. On top of that, the sim uses combat to control the resources. These resources are gained on platforms out in the sea, placed around a third of the sim. The platforms include an oil rig, desalination plant and nuclear power station. Eisenhart said, “Each faction has its own building with dungeon, calls, etc. The city is ruled by an Emperor, an imaginary character [NPC]. This gives us the opportunity to influence roleplay and make it interesting for everyone, with quests, for example, to deal with resources available on the open waters. So he tolerates them, but doesn´t love them.” Overall Dark Waters seems to be a DARK WATERS, AS ITS NAME implies, has a good deal of water and it's well well thought out sim with a lot of details utilised with a dock and roleplay buildings out in the water. Motorboats can be rezzed to make use of the water. - Photos by KATIER REITVELD. and a RP genre that is quite popular.
Page 26 The Metaverse Messenger October 28, 2008
Eledwhen Wonders BY DRFRAN BABCOCK and VANILLA JESSOP Elven scribes
Admit it. You love freebies. Everybody thrills at the thought of getting something for nothing, and when that something is an object that you really want and use or wear, it’s even better. Elves are no different than anyone else, and we adore finding items for zero Lindens. Without a lot of effort a person can outfit their house and their avatar, and not pay a cent. The mission of the column this week is to present some of the free items that are available in the shopping areas in Elf Circle. In future issues we will tackle the huge, but worthwhile task of identifying some places for freebies that may not be on the continent. That’s enough talk; let’s go get some free stuff. ElvenGlen We would be in trouble if we didn’t start on the Glen, the first home and central hub of the Elf Continent. For those of you who may be new to Elf Circle, ElvenGlen is the place to go for meeting folks at the Drum Circle. The circle is rimmed with stores that are brimming with fantasy merchandise. It was a surprise to find that there were not a lot of shops that offered free items. A new resident relies upon freebies, and new residents flock to the Elf Circle, so store operators there would be wise to offer more goodies. This is not to say that there were no objects to bring into our bloated inventories. In fact, as soon as you teleport into ElvenGlen there is a freebie spinning globe that depicts the islands that make up Elf Circle. The globe makes a nice addition to most tree houses or cottages. The enchanting Rose Mackie is the creator of the globe, which means it is approved of by Elves. The marketplace surrounds the aforementioned Drum Circle where there is roundthe-clock dancing at most times. If you can pull yourself away, the vendor’s stalls that ring the Circle will delight you. Unfortunately freebies are not to be found. It’s interesting that most of these vendors have numerous stalls and a main shop elsewhere on the grid which offer free items, but the stores in the Glen do not. Despite our love for this location, the search for free things impels us to leave. Farhaven Farhaven is the island owned by the sadly ailing Farley Crabgrass and his compatriot Shay Sunnyside. The island is famous for its Friday night theme dances, and support for talented Elves. The marketplace is liberally sprinkled with freebies. Clary Craft, the stall owned by the lovely Erielle Clary, has a number of freebies, all designed to turn you into a bona fide Elf, or add to your already attained Elven allure. A woman’s or man’s cloak and detailed Druid Staff are available at the click of a box. The staff has a stunning particle aurora and hold animations, making it comparable to staves that sell for hundreds of Lindens, but this one is free. Earthsong Creations is the labor of love of Thely Anansi, who is a Second Life Mentor as well as a champion for the rainforest. Her freebie offering is a meditation cushion, which would be nothing more than another squashed torus, except that it has a sophisticated meditation animation in it. We guarantee that you will feel your level of serenity rise as you settle into this pillow covered with Celtic designs, and rest in peace with the knowledge that you paid nothing for this item. Our final stop on this tour of Farhaven is at House on Fire, or HOF. Grab the box of freebies and take them home or to a welcoming sandbox. Sphire Ziemia makes fanciful items that are tiny and delicate. The tiny face cream jar, small vial, and vial of oil are perfect for the top of a dresser, or a little girl’s room. The use of slight transparency on the objects creates the illusion that they are filled with creams and oils. These freebies do just exactly what they are supposed to do, and that is to encourage one to want to explore the shops of the creator. It may be time to buy a wheelbarrow for all of this stuff, but we have other stops to make. We teleport from Farhaven, with our arms full to our next destination. Ceilidh The marketplace of Ceildh is limned with semi-circular, buff-colored hollowed spheres which look a lot like the miniatures of the Hollywood Bowl in California. Nebby Newman is the proprietor of Nebby’s Naturals, and her offering is a pair of tiny wings. These are adorable if you have a tiny avatar, or they are wonderful on a pixie or full sized fantasy denizen. Our last stop in Ceilidh is at the shop of Lillee Rochefort, who has been mentioned here previously for her meticulously built Elf ear extensions. Here she offers a black spike star belt, that is not especially Elfy, but is a 49 prim exercise in detail work. Erielle has an eye for tiny prims, and this belt is a wonderful way to embellish any outfit. Mystica No trip to the Elf Continent is complete without a trip to the Island of Mystica, which is one of the oldest elf-themed islands in Second Life. Vanilla and RodneyLee Jessop are generous to excess in a world where excess never seems to be a problem. A small sampling of the freebies available at Mystica will serve to whet your appetite. Newbies and seasoned residents alike will delight in RodneyLee’s flying lotus, which is available in the prim entitled: Mystica Giftbox Free. Just take a seat, and this giant fuchsia bloom will whisk you off, and let you relax and tour the lands. In the same box a moonlight bench of gold and black made by Moonlight Mensing can be found. It, too, has an expensive look to it, and would not look out of place in an Elven home. We did not take the freebie named A Zillion Textures in deference to our stuffed inventories, but if you are in need of textures, why not get a zillion? I am sure that there are some precious designs in this box, as RodneyLee and Vanilla are experienced texturers, and have created dozens of fantastic and realistic designs. Dear readers, we must stop collecting and start sorting, but if you know of any great Elf Freebies, do not hesitate to contact either of us. Meanwhile, if you are looking for us, we are watching Torley Linden’s tutorial on inventory management. Locations for freebies mentioned in the article: Farhaven Cultural Centre and Marketplace: Farhaven (147, 122, 23) Ceilidh Market: Ceilidh (28, 141, 25) Mystica Market: Mystica (141, 100, 54)
THOSE OF THE ELVEN communities have many freebies to select from, inclduing those seen here. - Photo by DRFRAN BABCOCK.