ROLE Magazine March 2009 by Rohal Schnyder

MARCH 2009

COVER STORY ARE YOU HOT OR BOT ART FEATHERS BOA MAX CASE & HIS BABBLER FASHION SPREAD A WORLD WITHOUT COLOR

ROLE

STAFF Publisher Rohal Schnyder Executive Publisher Leeza Catteneo Editor in Chief Ofelia Laval Advertising & Promotions Coordinator Felicity Blumenthal Art Director Leeza Catteneo Fashion Coordinator Felicity Blumenthal Stylists Felicity Blumenthal Keeley Huet Contributors Aldwyn Zanzibar Cayce Newell Damon Dollinger Express Zenovka Felicity Blumenthal Jura Shepherd Kee Llewellyn Keeley Huet Looker Lumet Paypabak Writer Sienna Fredriksson Stacie Pryor Verde Otaared Cover Model Keeley Huet & The Bots

ROLE MAGA Z I N E

Editorial Office Concetta (194/172/22) Contacts editorial@role-magazine.com advertising@role-magazine.com www.role-magazine.com All the published material has been provided by the mentioned brands. Therefore, ROLE Magazine cannot be responsible for copyright issues and assumes no responsibility for inaccurate content or changes in the products or prices displayed. Copyright by ROLE Magazine. Reproduction or use of the content in whole or in part without the written permission of the editor is strictly prohibited.

Editor’s Letter

I just celebrated my second Rez Day. Over the last two years I have watched the value of land free-fall, in-world banks and stock exchanges fail, the founder of Linden Lab step down, the playing out of epic battles over content theft and real world corporations pack up their sims and admit defeat in their attempt at conquering the metaverse. Inexplicably, on any given Saturday night, the number of on-line residents has more than doubled from approximately 35,000 to 80,000. In this issue of ROLE Magazine our cover story addresses the very real problems created by bots on the grid. Publisher and contributor Rohal Schnyder outlines the many ways in which bots are literally crowding us off the very grid we all helped create and explains the additional challenges we all will face if Linden Lab continues to ignore the situation. Looker Lumet reflects on the soul-baring reactive art of Feathers Boa is featured in our Arts section. Kee Llewellyn takes us on a stroll through the in-world representation of Normandy’s Mont Saint-Michel and closer look at the REC sim’s murder mystery build. Jura Shepherd sends music-lovers to the Freestar Bay Isle to catch the latest offerings of the best and brightest in-world musicians showcased each week. Verde Otaared visits with the creator of the Virtual Worlds Story Project. Damon Dollinger explores the hot club Rubik and new contributor Paypabak Writer rides the waves and braves the slopes at The Weather Channel sim. Our March fashion spread plays upon this oft-rainy season with Keeley Huet artfully styling a black and white series photographed by Shelby Ziskey. Cayce Newell showcases current “hot finds” and Sienna Fredricksson suggests items for the fashionistas in her “What to Buy” column. Guest bloggers Domch Raymaker, Catero Revolution, Dafne Watanabe and Luella Demonia team up with Sienna and Express Zenovka to model the hottest, current trends. Felicity Blumenthal walks us through the thorny issues of what to wear to all of the upcoming wedding and points to consider when telling your significant other that they might want to consider a make-over in her “Dear Felicity” column. For those among us feeling a bit challenged and frustrated at editing prim attachments, Aldwyn Zanzibar lends some helpful tips and for those wanting to do a bit of spring cleaning, or redecorate their home, Keeley Huet returns with many suggestions on where to find As always, the team at ROLE Magazine hopes you will enjoy this issue and we welcome you to forward your comments and suggestions to us at editorial@role-magazine.com.

Kind regards,

ROLE MAGAZINE ART BRYN OH & FEATHERS BOA ROLE Magazine is proud to announce our second art installment featuring works from the gifted Bryn Oh, Feathers Boa and talented musician BlindBoy Gumbo, March 14th at 12pm SLT at ROLE Magazine HQ on Concetta. Bryn Oh, a Toronto artist and painter, is known in SL for her steampunk features and doesn’t need much of an introduction. Her works are described as artifacts from an alternative future. “When I paint in real life I use large canvases to block out the peripheral vision and allow the viewer to come into the painting and become more immersed, but Second Life is absolutely immersive. It is being inside a painting” Feathers Boa, a young, talented artist, has established an impressive body of work that includes fully-immersive pieces, interactive digital “paintings,” giant robots, aesthetically innovative avatars and full architectural builds. Feathers built the art school on New Caerleon which she co-directs with Bryn Oh. BlindBoy Gumbo, known real life as Lee Gibson, cannot deny his affection and loyalty to the musical hedgehogs which raised him. This talented musician will perform live at the exhibition with his acoustic slide guitar.

WHAT TO BUY PRETTY IN PINK

COVER STORY ARE YOU HOT OR BOT

DEAR FELICITY

HOUSE & LIVING A LITTLE BIT OF RETRO AND SHABBY CHIC

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COVER STORY WHAT TO BUY HOT FINDS FASHION SPREAD STYLE SECRETS FOR MEN

51 HOT SPOTS RUBIK’S CUBE

66 ROLE MODEL MAX CASE & HIS BABBLER

LITERARY STORIES OF OUR SECOND LIVES, STORIES OF OURSELVES

11 18 22 30 38 40

HOT FINDS HOUSE OF LONDON

46 48 51 54 60 64

HOUSE & LIVING HOT SPOTS MUSIC ART : REACTIVE ART ART : WALKING WITHIN ART LITERARY

STYLE SECRETS DAFNE WATANABE & LUELLA DEMONIA

FASHION SPREAD A WORLD WITHOUT COLOR

40 FOR MEN DOMCH RAYMAKER & CATERO REVOLUTION

60 MUSIC FSB SHOWCASE

ART FEATHERS BOA REACTIVE ART IN SECOND LIFE

ART WALKING WITHIN ART

GADGETS & “KNOW HOW” TRAVEL GUIDE THE FORECAST IS FOR FUN!

66 71 74

ROLE MODEL TRAVEL GUIDE GADGETS & “KNOW HOW” FINAL CREDITS

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PRIM, BABY!

COVER STORY ARE YOU HOT OR BOT

I teleport to a well-known fashion sim and am immediately greeted by an avatar. The avatar is very friendly, dressed in fine taste, and asks me if it’s ok if she passes me a welcome present. I agree and she asks if she could lead me to a specific location or to the currentlyin-progress fashion show. I decide to attend at the fashion show and she leads the way. Beautiful models in perfect shapes are presenting the newest designs of a well-known fashion brand. They move smoothly and elegantly and I recognize that the walks and poses seem to be newly created and use very detailed animations. The audience is excited by what they see and the outfits and amazing choreography are praised with shouts of “Awesome!” applause and many other compliments. Later, everyone is dancing at the after show party, showing off the newest dance moves to the beats of good music. While everyone is celebrating the show and making small-talk I enjoy watching the crowd of beautiful ladies and gents. I reflect on the show and realize the models all walked perfectly -- no crashes and very smooth stepping motions. Are these the experienced models I have often heard of or did they have extra help from a sophisticated script? The comments about the outfits and models where enthusiastic and everyone was having a good time. Out of the blue I received an IM: “Hey, you are hot! Or are you just another bot?” By Rohal Schnyder

Although we still may have a ways to go before such where high in the Second Life® sky or deep under the a scenario would occur the capabilities of web robots surface, generating high (but artificial) traffic. Accord(“bots”) have gone through an extraordinary developing to a comment issued by Linden Lab, 10% to 15% ment. Fabulous experiments with speech algorithms of SL users are bots; however, there are controversial are being conducted and advancements have been discussions about this subject. Private initiatives have made on interactions with objects. Bots begun to start locating and counting the have no difficulties sitting on a camping bots in-world with current results showAccording to a chair, clicking a voting box or even clicking bots making up 50% of the population. comment issued ing a contest sign in order to generate a The real number is likely somewhere in the by Linden Lab, seemingly fairly-selected winner. Bots send middle. But the number of bots will con10% to 15% of SL notecards, commercial IM’s and group tinue to steadily increase as their capabilities users are bots invites and they are able to respond to continue to evolve. Failure to fully undersimple questions when asked. Bots can stand this problem and change the structure handle many question-and-answer tests, work around of SL to prevent bots will have a great impact on us all so-called captchas (a challenge-response test to deas real avatars slowly become the minority. termine if a response is from a human or a bot), walk and navigate independently. Bots can recognize their Basically bots are normal alt accounts which usually environment, find sims on their own, search for land are controlled by a modified client. The modified cliand are often used for content theft. A bot never coment is a very light version of the Second Life viewer plains and never gets tired of clicking the same things and it allows the user to run multiple clients at the over and over again. Most bots reside in groups somesame time making it possible to have many bots run 11

on the same computer and controlled with a number of commands. There are various bot clients with different capabilities. Many of these clients have built-in functions which can turn the bot into a harmful copy bot capable of copying other avatars’ clothes, skins, shapes, etc. Only a few clients do not allow this copying functionality. For these reasons it’s very possible to render considerable and permanent damage to the economic and social structure of Second Life.

seeking to rent a storefront in a mall with high traffic thinking the traffic will translate to higher sales. In most cases these business owners or designers are less experienced Second Life residents who trust the Traffic System figures and do not realize the traffic numbers are artificially generated. These inexperienced players are the ones bringing big money to the mall owners using traffic bots. As long as newbie commercial tenants are fooled by inflated traffic numbers, and pay for 1 or 2 weeks rent, this business model of artificially inflating a mall’s traffic will conBot as land thief tinue to work. The owners of these malls argue that their competition would eventually do the same and The introduction of land bots cleared away blame the traffic system itself which allows any doubt of the devastating effect bots The obvious eco- such practices. Recently Linden Labs did could have on the SL economy. Land bots nomic down-side modify the Search structure in an attempt specialize in searching, finding and buying is a bot never to limit the ability to artificially inflate traffic land and they scan the land search databut this attempt did not work as intended. buys anything. base every 5 seconds. As soon as a land bot Interested residents can join an in-world finds land for sale at a price lower than the group collaborating with Linden Lab emprice limit set by the bot owner, the land ployees during office hours to discuss the bot teleports to the land and buys it. This guarantees current traffic system called “LL Traffic Future” the land bots are always first in line to buy cheap land placed on the market. There are many instances in Bot as camper which land owners accidentally listed their land for sale, or made a mistake when setting the list price, Another big wave of bots emerged and focused on only to lose their land in seconds to a land bot. As an camping. Camping was a popular way for newbies to unfortunate result, it’s almost impossible to run a land earn their first lindens which they would use to return business on a large scale without making use of land to stores to buy items and pump the money back into bots. the Second Life economy. Newbies would meet other residents, join groups and finance their first days in Bot as traffic SL. Designers and shop owners often use camping mechanisms to advertise their brand name among The issue of using bots to boost traffic ratings has beresidents. Nowadays, things seemed to have changed. come a hot discussion and source of contention about Traveling through SL with 10 or more bots and hartheir affect on Traffic Systems. The value of land hostvesting the camping chairs has become a lucrative ing stores, malls and clubs is highly valued when the business for bot owners. owner can show the land is visited by many potential A bot can find an empty chair much faster than a resicustomers. Outsmarting the traffic ranking system in dent on the standard SL client. By the time a resident’s Search was the reason behind the massive dispersion client has fully rezzed the environment a bot will have of modified clients. identified the available camping chair and be on its Suddenly it was possible to have multiple clients runway to earning its first linden. The obvious economic ning on a single computer. Controlling the bots on the down-side is a bot never buys anything. All camping multiple clients wasn’t really an issue. Boosting the income earned by a bot will be collected by the bot traffic ranking simply required having many bots on owner for profit. Recently I met a new resident who the land 24/7 to increase traffic numbers to an astrostated that without using bots one doesn’t have any nomical height. chance of earning a linden in SL. I’m not sure how Depending on the business model of the sim, the widespread this opinion is amongst newbies but does artificially-generated traffic attracts business owners make me wonder when newbies are the ones making 12

me aware of this issue! What would happen to the SL economy if the free lindens up for grabs in camping chairs were to disappear because of misuse by bots? What happens to the economy when the money newbies used to earn from camping chairs (and then subsequently spend at stores in-world) is instead snatched up by bots? What impression does a newbie have of SL when being confronted with these issues during their first hours after signing up?

in a store, a bot fulfilling the role of customer service or performing as the perfect model on the catwalk, a bot as a dancer who flirts with visitors or perhaps even an all-bot escort service? To explore what SL would be like with so many examples of artificial intelligence on the grid the MASA Group maintains a sim called Fairyverse -- a complete village which of bot residents which can interact and communicate with human avatars as well Each bot blocks as amongst themselves. an online place Bot as artificial intelligence All in all things are still at a primitive develfor a human ava- opment stage but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear what will soon tar. The development of bots with artificial be possible and provides a glimpse of what intelligence challenges the economy but is yet to come. Another discovered usage presents an even bigger challenge to the society of is to populate Role Playing sims as Non-Player CharSecond Life. Such experiments are mentioned priacters such as citizens, animals or mythical beings vately, and observed with a blend of admiration and enabled to give directions and advice. skepticism, yet one can easily imagine how close we The development of artificial intelligence in virtual enare to actualizing the following scenarios: a bot as vironments started long before Second Life. There is host of a fashion show, a bot working as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;live modelâ&#x20AC;? an increase in the number of significant development

projects for which Second Life is the ideal research artificial intelligence and its environment. Second Life ground. Whereas in the past, artificial intelligence in can be the right place for such experiments but only virtual worlds was limited to virtual chats between a when dealt with carefully. human and a chat bot, today artificial intelligence interacts with its environment, has specific experiences Of all applied bots, the ones used for artificial inteland even learns from these experiences. For human ligence experiments represent only a small handful. avatars it will become increasingly more difSome bot owners have joined their bots The claim that ficult to distinguish between artificial intelto the group “Bots of Second Life” to which bots add value to ligence and a human-controlled avatar. The one of the most developed artificial intelthe in-world exwell-known Turing Test proves the difficulty ligence bots (named Halo Rossini of Daden perience strongly to distinguish human versus bot is becomLimited) belongs. The “intelligent” bots are distorts the realing a serious consideration. capable of having a significant as well as ity. a negative effect on Second Life’s society The Turing Test is a test method using free depending on their owners’ intent. speech which measures the extent a computer proAs mentioned before, the majority of bots are being gram can convince a human to speak to a bot disused to generate traffic and for harvesting camping guised as a human. Participants in the test are asked spots. This behavior not only changes the rules of the to see if they can distinguish if they are talking to a game it damages our environment by absorbing L$ bot or a human -- the participants are tricked by bots out of the SL economy and uses up Linden Lab server only 30% of the time. There are algorithms in Second resources. Life for chat bots. In an environment such as SL where humans do not anticipate or expect to run onto a chat Each online avatar occupies a slot on the grid which bot the chat bot will be quite successful and can trick means that each bot blocks an online place for a huhumans by responding properly to general questions man avatar. This becomes significant when logins are nearly 70% of the time. When human users unknowdisabled due to exceeding server load. This is happeningly interact with artificial intelligence the possibiliing with more and more frequency as the online user ties for extensive deception remains open. For this thresholds are now exceeding 80,000 logins. Even in reason alone artificial intelligence bots should be the absence of accurate data showing the actual numconsidered with skepticism. ber of bots on the grid at any one time, the estimated number of bots representing between 10% and 50% Bots have become a business model themselves. The of the online population, does call the actual number free bot clients are being customized with additional of online users into question. automatic functions, commercialized and then sold. The range spreads from a simple download per client To a New World Notes’ question of what Second to a complete avatar which runs on a server conLife’s “real current peak concurrency by Linden’s best trolled remotely by its owner. Therefore, the fact that guess, discounting the bots” would be, Robin Linden an avatar with an older rez day is more expensive than responded: “This question assumes that ‘real’ peak newer avatar account shouldn’t surprise anyone. concurrency wouldn’t include bots, which wouldn’t necessarily be more appropriate. Like Residents, bots A bot provides other advantages. They’re not affected can contribute to the in-world experience and utiby lag, they don’t bear any cost and they’re always lize server resources, and so with bots included this ready to be deployed. Bots move through SL with cernumber still gives a sense of the volume of activity intainty and accuracy and its owner can fully rely on it. world. Peak concurrency is currently at 76,318, includIt appears that there are a number of useful applicaing any bots.” tions through which bots could enrich the society in Second Life; however, the question remains where This raises several questions. Why would Linden Lab to draw the line between a useful bot and a harmful tolerate the abuse of server resources by bots which one? Plus how should SL deal with bots in general? creates “disabled logins” while, according to Linden Obviously it takes a scientific approach to develop Lab, the excessive use of resources was enough 15

reason to raise the prices of Open Sims in spite of a massive resistance. Moreover, the claim that bots add value to the in-world experience strongly distorts the reality.

need to be applied by all who want to be successful with their business.

The main reason that bots will not disappear anytime soon is the unavoidable truth that running bots is As mentioned before there are a handvery lucrative for the bot owners and, of ful of bots capable of having “intelligent” course, Linden Lab. dialogues with human avatars. The reality Linden Lab eagerly declares Second Life “It’s not a high of the value-add from bots which, as Robin has a growing economy and points to priority for us just Linden says, is that they “contribute to the increasing user figures as proof. But, as now.” - Zee Linden in-world experience” is the hard truth that long as these figures include an untold instead bots generate artificial traffic and large percentage of bots, the numbers are thin out the SL economy of L$. as useless as in-world traffic numbers to Bots are widely-spread across the grid and they don’t new residents. The user numbers have been rendered add any value to the society and community of Secmeaningless. Conversely, the high traffic numbers inond Life. Bots don’t offer creative input, they don’t game lead to avoidance of such sims. There is no difbuild - they don’t achieve anything and, with few ference between artificially inflating the traffic numexceptions, their useful functions could be replaced bers on a sim filled with 80 avatars, 10 to 30 which are by in-world scripts that wouldn’t attempt to mimic actually bots floating in the air, and claiming to have human behavior and trick residents. Another question 80,000 residents online when at least 10,000 to 30,000 that must be asked is what Linden Lab will do when, slots are taken by bots? slowly, another 1,000 business owners deploy 20 bots Should this situation not change in the near future per store. What will be the affect of another 20,000 then the damage to the SL economy and community online users on the Second Life metaverse? will increase as the numbers of bots continues to grow. Residents who pay Linden Lab each month for a All of these questions (and many more) have been dispremium account are not likely to be amused to find cussed controversially and intensely by the residents logins disabled more and more frequently as the grid of Second Life while Linden Lab has remained relastrains under the demands. tively quiet on the subject. In the end, it’s up to Linden Lab to identify the bots and address the many adverse A nearly hopeless cynicism is witnessed in Zee Lineffects the bots are inflicting on our social and ecoden’s words: “If I could figure out a way to sell more to nomical framework. Unfortunately there is a lack of bots I would!” recognition of this issue by Linden Lab and it seems as if they are dismissing the issue entirely. As Zee Linden I would like to respond to Zee’s sentiment with a stated in November 2008: “I’m not saying there’s not a quote: “Cars don’t buy cars.” -- Henry Ford. good way to do this - just that it’s a little more complex and not a high priority for us just now.” In my opinion, one minimum requirement should be that bots are always recognizable as bots and that there are clear rules for their areas of deployment. SL has developed as successful community. Nothing should prevent the introduction of new tools and mechanisms to the grid which can enrich our experience but is it really enhancement to impersonate a human user with a script in a community which is, to a large extent, anonymous? As history has taught us, sooner or later each tool which gives a significant advantage to the competition, as a consequence, will 16

WHAT TO BUY

A whole new season is beginning and this gives us all an opportunity to try new things and make bold fashion statements. The color of the moment is unquestionably blue; you see it everywhere, from haute couture catwalks to shopping windows downtown. The proposed innovation is to wear it together with a bright shade, preferably red. If you insist on adding a third color to your outfit, keep it neutral and go for white. A word of caution: don’t wear patterns with stars and stripes with the aforementioned colors, unless of course you happen to be a very patriotic American or are preparing to sail off on a yacht. You have been warned! By Sienna Fredriksson

Female: Make the most out of spring by choosing flowery patterns. Don’t be afraid to try on dresses with lighter fabrics. To shield yourself from the unforgiving cold, put on a long sleeved shirt underneath. If your dress is strapless, pick a v-neck undershirt to show off your neckline and the cut of the dress. Heavy knit tights offer more layering, stay with one color and experiment by adding interesting textures. Colored high heeled shoes with little matching details are the latest craze; always remember to wear a pair that contrasts with your socks or tights for an extra fashionable effect. The bags of the season are relatively small and basic. When wearing clothes with big patterns, avoid carrying a lot of jewelry – keep it simple and matching. Nothing appears more feminine than hair ornaments and headbands. Find a shade fitting for your hair color that nicely compliments your outfit. Artilleri - Auntie Elsie Dress in Blue, L$ 200 Nauty Designs – Wrap red top, L$40 Kookie Pump – Autumn in Electric Blue, L$ 350 Icon - DS Bag in Red, L$ 200 Chicoco - Ribbon necklace Apple, L$ 65 Japancakes - Button Headband tinted Blue, Freebie

Male: Marinesta - K&S Shirt Blue, L$ 200

A timeless, white shirt with a classic collar never goes out of fashion. Roll up the sleeves for a whimsical touch. V-neck sweaters in basic colors are a musthave; wear them with a shirt or even alone when the weather allows it. If you want to add a bit of personality to a seemingly plain top, accessorize with a bright, colorful tie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even with a stamp - worn loose. The preppy look can be toned down with the right jeans. Lend a pair of torn or ripped jeans from the punk movement, turn the cuffs up and make sure the shade matches the rest of your outfit. Finish off with casual sneakers in a bold color. Are you fearful of wearing sneakers with straps instead of laces? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be! They are back in fashion now more than ever.

The Good Life - Afternoon Flexi Tie in Red Skull, L$ 90 a.C - Jeans Forever Clr Modern Torn, L$ 230 SOREAL - Superstars, L$ 399

HOT FINDS HOUSE OF LONDON

Sometimes Second Life® is an unbelievably great place for keeping secrets, as in the case of the House of London. The first time I stumbled upon an item created by London Dailey, I was surfing through the OnRez.com catalogue and an incredibly pretty, short dress caught my eye. A few weeks later, I was admiring a pair of cute ballet shoes by a brand named {Cherry}. After a little investigation, I realized the same hand was behind these two creations and many others! When I landed on the Dailey sim, I found many brands, each of them specializing in one field: Pink Outfitters for wearables, Cherry for shoes, bags and accessories, Sugar & Spice for underwear and lingerie and Fresh Fx for skins. Everything a girl shops for, in one place, by the same talented hand, London Dailey. The “first brick of this wall” as London told me, was set on February 2007, when London opened her first store, named after herself and soon renamed “Posh”. Since then, it has evolved into “House of London,” with sub brands, Pink Outfitters being the first one. London’s goal is to create a total of nine brands, so we can expect a lot of new goods coming soon! The inspiration will come from her fashion idols, Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs and LeAnne Marshall of LeAnimal, along with trendy stores like Urban Outfitters and American Eagle Outfitters. But she also has a special admiration for a great SL designer, Nylon Pinkney of Nylon Outfitters: a master of texturing. By Cayce Newell House of London Dailey (123/72/34)

Hair: Morgan in chocolate by Truth Skin: Jennifer by Redgrave Shirt: Brit Krust button shirt in white by Pink Outfitters Vest: Esme sweater vest in hazelnut by Pink Outfitters Skirt: The Lolo skirt in fudge by Pink Outfitters Scarf: knitted scarf in wheat n’ colours by Tres Blah Socks: tulle socks calzini bianchi by BiancaF. Shoes: The Alice Cullen ballet flat shoes in aged bronze by {Cherry} 22

Hair: Breeze in ink by !lamb Skin: Ashley by Redgrave Shirt: Bella camicetta in paradise green by Pink Outfitters Suit: The builder jumpsuit in hunter green by Pink Outfitters Belt: Open Heart Belt in coffee grounds/silver by {Cherry} Shoes: slinky stiletto in patent black by Maitreya 25

Hair: Jade in jet by Maitreya Skin: Jennifer by Redgrave Scarf: crinkle scarf in red by Muism Shirt:Total Betty graphic T in deep red by Pink Outfitters Suit: The builder jumpsuit in falu red by Pink Outfitters Arm warmers: Arm warmers in red by Maitreya Legwarmers: Button warmers in dark red by So Many Styles Shoes: Superstars in White/red-suede by Soreal

Hair: Sakura Curly Bob -brunette- by Redgrave Skin: Sakura by Redgrave Necklace: my huuuge necklace in white by Milk Motion Bangle: wide bangle in silver by +plus Dress: The Ashton Marie Party Dress in silver by Pink Outfitters Leggings: Scarlet stalkings by LeLutka Shoes: Belle ankle boots in snowball by {Cherry}

FASHION SPREAD A WORLD WITHOUT COLOR

Fashion always comes full circle. Fun, funky, timeless, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s retro! Bring retro fashion from the past to the present in your virtual world! By Keeley Huet

Keeley Huet Skin: (MMS): pale tone London 9b Outfit: (Thimbles)- Born again dance party Hair -(Pudge)-piggy moffitt Tights- (Shop seu) :blue Lashes: (Detour). tammy Necklace: (Twosome) Lollypopnecklace-purple Shoes: (Aoharu): buble pearl heels-blue Bangle: (Twosome): Shelbs bangle: blue

Guest Photographer - Shelby Ziskey flickr.com/photos/shelbyz 30

Nikola Syaka Glasses : (heartattack & vine) brown Tie: (Young urban): bombs away tie Skin: (The abyss): Scorpio orgin 1 Cig: (FNKY) Shirt: (Saya): Striped shirt part of the Velours jacket style outfit Cardigan: (Armidi): merino knit cardi sky Trousers: (Grandma): G-check pants Hair: (Gritty kitty) hat hair black Shoes: (Pornstar ): hitops multi color: black Undershirt: (*Arai*) :swet_ indigo 32

Felicity Blumenthal Skin - CLEO (Lime Peacock w/mole) - the oBscene Dress - Stampatto (Psychedelic) - *Reale* Shoes - Buckle Ballet Flats (Pewter) - ETD Hair - Short Crop (Ruby) - AVEDA (ETD) Jewelry - Cyrcle Dream Necklace, Ring & Bracelet (Gold) - Redgrave 33

Beatrix Hienriches hair: (Mirai style)- ONIO- dyed pink Lashes: (ZsaZsaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ) -spike Make up: (Den-dou )OD4 rich skin/02 Body glitter: (L Combo Kini )Tanlines+Bodyglitter Outfit: shirt and top: (Marlys)..Equinox in MOON Boots: (Tesla) Kensington boots in white. Helmet: (Marlys): part of the Eqinox outfit in MOON

Aya Liotta Lashes: [the oBscene] Artemis Lashes- Tintable Skin: Glance-Alessandra Dress: (Spoon full of sugar ): Glory of fudge dress.. Hair: (Maitreya) Sun- pitch Bangle : (Twosome) Shelbs bracelet aqua Hat: (Alina) Elegance: blue Socks: (Kurotsubaki:) color socks blue Necklace: ( Spoon full of sugar) part of the glory of fudge outfit (edited) Shoes:( Spoon full of sugar) Part of the Glory of fudge outfit Eyes: HD - Gabriel Bicolor Blue 36

Niki Axel Skin: (Redgrave)Dress- (Lost dreams): Priscilla- black and white stripe Hat: (GBL)-harlem hat Hair..(Aden)Nicole-blonde withouth bangs Gloves: (Axe)l: part of the jila dress: black Shoes: (Surf couture): pumps ..black

STYLE SECRETS DAFNE WATANABE & LUELLA DEMONIA

For the month of March, Dafne Watanabe and Luella Demonia of the OMFG Clothes blog are presenting their choice of spring outfits exclusively for ROLE Magazine! OMFG Clothes is a relatively new fashion blog, with its first post published in October, 2008. Its readership has grown rapidly in the past few months, making it a recognizable name among Second Life’s fashion crowd. Variety is the word that best describes the blog, as it features writers with unique styles and items from many different designers. By Sienna Fredriksson

Dafne and Luella are very good friends with a similar fashion sense that translates to outgoing, optimistic and fun. Dafne says her featured outfit represents her perfectly -- playful and a little crazy -- exactly how she wants her SL to be! She has had this dress for in her inventory for some time and just loves the vintage mood and the “feel-good” vibe it brings out. It’s girly, but not too serious, just like her. Dafne goes on to admit that she would wear boots all the time if she could. Luella, on the other hand, confesses that the reason she picked her featured skirt is Dafne; she showed her the dress she was going to wear and the colors matched. Luella felt the combination of the skirt and blouse looks sweet together. She then added with a wink that she is sweet too - most of

the time! She chose to wear socks and shoes to give the outfit a different twist and create a special look. What’s important to Luella is that she always recognizes a part of herself in everything she wears.

On Luella (left):

On Dafne:

Skin: Atomic Kitty StarDust 2C_Light Hair: JUNWAVE SpringBreeze lightbrown Skirt: [sister strawberry]ballon skirt green (incl. belt) Blouse: Gisaci Evelyn Square Cut Blouse Shoes: Shiny Things Speedy Pumps black Socks: Amerie Naughty Sickly Pastel Socks pink

Skin: PXL - Grace Nat - Dark eyes natural lips Hair: Curio - Gertrude - Blonde pack (White Blonde) Dress: ::elDee:: Fleur - Earth Boots: J’s 3way Engineer Boots (DB) Socks: Shiny Things - knit knee socks - medium colors - celery Necklace: Sinistyle Jade Pi ::Infinity:: necklace

The two ladies were more than happy to pose for us in fresh, cute poses during the photo shoot. The end-result is here for you to enjoy! Check out the girls’ latest works in the links below:

omfgclothes.wordpress.com www.flickr.com/photos/dafnew www.flickr.com/photos/lu_demonia

FOR MEN DOMCH RAYMAKER & CATERO REVOLUTION

Domch calls this his “Viami Mice” outfit, a tribute to the big hair and wild clothing that was popular while he was growing up. He’s a big fan of colors, especially when they clash at first glance then come together with a deeper, uncommon harmony. He blames his love for colors on a restless need for novelty. Domch also uses music as an inspiration when he dresses. He’s recently been listening to a new band from the UK called La Roux, and had their new single “Quicksand” playing as he pieced together this outfit. Catero was trying to capture the change of seasons as he put together this outfit. His shorts represent his hope for warmer weather while his scarf is reminder that winter is still hanging around. Though he went for a casual look with a bit of urban flair, Catero can usually be found in plain old relaxed casuals. Catero generally likes his look to be both balanced and adaptable. He aims for an ordinary, common attractiveness that compliments his vast collection of skins and hair without much tweaking. By Express Zenovka

Domch Raymaker (left)

Catero Revolution

Hair: [a.C Studios] STD.GloXhair KlaaR [Deep Sea] Skin: Millage Valenti SKA-010 (2nd Version) Beach Tan - Bald Eyebrow Piercing: Primitive Design_insurrection - eyebrow piercing (left) Eyes: Glanz Eyes: mid: ClearGray Jacket: Aoharu_BT_Stripejacket_Olive Shirt: Shiki - Long sleeve shirt Passion Ring: Kosh Icy Ring Pants: Shiki - casual suit pants - SORA w/white belt Shoes: JCS Shanghai Gray/Silver

Hair: CHASE - Seabreeze, Coal Black Skin: Lelutka - Congo, Face 2 Eyes: Philotic Energy - Eyes, Obsidian Scarf: Aitui - Muffler, Plain, Snow Jacket: Aitui - Plain Legacy Jacket, Long, Charcoal Shirt: Armidi - aloc acoc Tee, Green Shorts: GearShift - subZERO Cargos, Faded, Black Shoes: SOREAL - Superstars, White/Black Catero’s blog ymesl.wordpress.com

Welcome to another round of Dear Felicity! This month I thought we should work in the season changes and talk about updating your look and wedding etiquette. Soon enough the wedding rush will be upon us. It seems that everyone has a partner or everyone is getting married (sigh). Of course when the seasons change, you want to look for ways to express a new, fresh “you,” especially around spring time! By Felicity Blumenthal

Dear Felicity, I am going to a friend’s wedding this month and I have found this to-die-for dress. The only problem is that it’s white. All of my friends are saying that it is unacceptable for me to wear white to a wedding because only the bride should wear white. HELP! I love this dress but at the same time don’t want to make the bride (my friend!) upset.

still feel strongly about your dress choice? Maybe there is something in particular you love about the dress? You might be able to wear one part of the outfit with another dress, mixing it up so to speak, to minimize the white color or you could accessorize with colorful accessories. Otherwise, I would have to say you are out of luck and you need to find something to wear in another color!

Sincerely, Not the Bride Dear Not the Bride, Well, there are a few options for you to consider and see which works best for you. Let me say first, that in general, wearing white to any wedding is a faux pas. Out of respect to the bride, since it’s her special day, she is entitled to stand out. However, if you really feel this dress is something special you might try asking her how she feels about it? She might not be having a traditional wedding, or following traditional rules, and she might see nothing wrong with you wearing white.

Dear Felicity, So I have this wonderful partner who is awesome and lovely but there is one problem. He hasn’t updated his avatar’s appearance in a year. I mean, I know it’s not all about the avatars but he seriously needs a make over. How do I tell him? I don’t want to hurt his feelings but I also think he needs an update. Sincerely, Make Him Over

What if you are uncomfortable asking her and 44

Dear Make Him Over, It is really tough to tell someone you care for deeply that you don’t love the way they look. Even if you do say it you’ll never really know how they will react. Will it be a touchy subject? Do they think they look great? Not to mention, in general, guys don’t care all that much about how their avatars look. I suggest that you try and be honest about it. Try to express that SL is a world where we can try different things. Suggest that it might be really fun to make some changes; buy a new skin, some new hair or a great new jacket! If he is the ultra sensitive type look into a few possible updated items on your own (skins, hair, etc.) then return to those shops with him. Point out the good-looking skins and say, “hey, wow! That’s a great skin! You should try it on so we can see how it looks!” Then, if you love it, “OMG, that is a great look for you! You look like an updated version of the same guy I love!” Whatever you do, don’t knock his previous look. I believe if he sees how encouraging you are when he is willing to try out a new look he might be willing to go for it.

That wraps up this round of questions! Keep them coming, y’all! You can either drop questions to me via notecard in-world or send me an e-mail at felicity@role-magazine.com.

HOUSE & LIVING A LITTLE BIT OF RETRO AND SHABBY CHIC

With Second Life’s® abundant choices it’s sometimes hard to figure out what kind of style you want to adapt for your room or home. Two of my favorite styles which I seem to revisit again and again are the retro and shabby chic style. Each are completely different: retro being more streamlined shapes and glossy finishes and shabby chic being more focused on wooden textures with floral prints. Something about these two styles makes me jump for joy. In fact, I often mash these looks together so I thought I would share a few of my favorite finds and offer examples of both of these popular decorating styles. By Keeley Huet A brilliant, retro-tastic shop is a little (but wonderful) place called Blonde. It offers a cute range of retroinspired furniture ranging from a kitchen to hair salon chairs. I adore the Stockholm 1961 living room set which gives you a lot for your lindens. The set consists of a couch, a side table, a chair, two lamps, a rug and a copy of a vintage Playboy magazine. The textures are bold and bright and there are numerous colors to choose from. Blonde’s boat-shaped cocktail bar also caught my eye. Nothing says “retro” more than a nautical theme, and I am telling you, this boatshaped cocktail bar delivers! Rez this in your home and you’ll feel instantly transported back in time to some awesome 1960s cocktail party. Not only is the cocktail bar fun to look at, it’s practical for any type of party need. With one click you are offered drink choices such as a “sandy bum” or a “sunset strip.” I love the smooth lines of the designs at Blonde and how most of the furniture has a shadow prim attached for added extra dimension. I think the reason everything I love Blonde’s designs is that while everything is well made, and very realistic, it hasn’t lost its cartoonish look. It’s kitsch and fabulous! If the popular shabby chic look is what you have in mind then you should visit U&R dogs. U&R dogs doesn’t carry a huge range of items, mostly chairs, lighting and jewelry, but what they do have for sale is worth a look. I adore U&R dogs’ Heart Rocking Chair. It’s so pretty and feminine. It not only has built in couple’s poses, it includes color and texture

change too so this chair literally can go in any room. The poses are fabulous -- they range from a kiss to hugging or just sitting side by side. The chair includes a built in rocking function that allows you to control the speed or turn it off altogether. Also on offer at U&R dogs is a really cute heart swing. It doesn’t have multiple poses but the one included pose is perfect for swinging around the house. The swing could easily fit into a bedroom or out in the garden. U&R dogs is definitely a shop to visit. So, by now I am sure you have noticed I have a thing for furniture mismatched patterns. The ichacora bed (simple version) by couverture is no exception. Someone gave me this bed as a gift and OMG I am in SLove. I love everything from the headboard to the duvet to the pillows. It’s chunky and looks so snuggly -- everything a bed should be! The bed includes 6 single poses which consists of 3 male and 3 female ones. It gets even better! This bed includes couple’s poses for those “getting close” moments. One thing that struck me about this bed is that it’s not overly girly. It could easily be used inside a man’s bedroom. In addition to this bed, couverture sells bright and colorful rugs, lights and couches. If you want something a little bit different then head on over to couverture and start spending! The utterly cool shop DAHaus offers some of the best furniture I have come across on the grid. It’s funky, 46

it’s practical and most of all it’s lovely to look at. A lot of the items at DAHaus look like something straight out of an art gallery. The pendant light is a perfect example! It’s so incredibly beautiful with a soft glow and a chunky, wooden shape. I adore this light and I wish I could rez the pendant light into my real world. It screams retro awesome! There are so many items in this store that are worth a mention. But if you are looking for that perfect retro item to accessorize your home don’t forget to visit DAHaus!

Blonde Retrology (22/93/40) U&R dog Sepia (63/36/601) Couverture Tipaskan (235/12/774)

So if you like retro styles or if shabby chic is more your speed you’ll find that these stores will appeal to most everyone’s taste. The quality and craftsmanship are amazing. Happy shopping, everyone!

DAHaus Play Sexy (135/71/22) 47

HOT SPOTS RUBIK’S CUBE

Lennyy Beck and Vond Popper seem to have accidentally opened a club. In the month since its inception, Vond has rebuilt Rubik’s Cube at least three times, but she seems to be settled with the current sleek design. It’s a warm, welcoming space and the music mix ranges from indie to dance to electroclash and beyond. When I arrived, via an invitation from Meta Constantine, Niko Lyle was playing a gorgeous mix of Bmore Club and mashups (including a killer mix of The Cure and The Commodores) while ColeMarie Soleil passed out some particles to the assembled. We agreed to set our in-world environment to midnight and with the lights, the beats and the good feeling, it reminded me of the early raves off the grid where people were genuinely into having a good time. By Damon Dollinger

Some of the best DJs have stumbled into Rubik’s and, encouraged by Vond, fired up the decks and thrown impromptu parties with a moment’s notice. Precious few gestures, no hosts to tip, clever conversation and DJs that know (and talk about) their music with genuine enthusiasm is a good enough reason to clear a profile group space, or just grab the landmark and drop in when you’re looking for a party with no pressure. It’s easy on the eyes, manna for the ears and soothing to the soul of even the most beleaguered club goer. Rubik’s Cube Quaint Essentials (36/86/25)

Readers of our February, 2009 issue may remember our coverage of Poetik, on the Sintetika sim. Poetikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founders, Nur Moo and Juju Dollinger, have since acquired two sims of their own and will be opening soon. The first sim, Poetik Velvets, will function in much the same way that Sintetika did, hosting the legendary Poetik parties which debut the immersive work of an artist and throw a party in its midst with video and music installations put together by DJs and VJs. The build has been undertaken by cyberpunk visionary and owner of AVZ, Hern Worsely. The second sim, [formes nocturnes] is an entire sim dedicated to be an artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; playground. Invited artists are allowed to run free and create their unique visions which will be open for all to see and enjoy. Both regions will remain commercial free zones. Though the sims are not open at press time, full information will be available on their website, Poetik Velvets www.poetikvelvets.com 49

MUSIC FSB SHOWCASE

Each Saturday evening at 7pm SLT, an unassuming cube 500 meters above Freestar Bay Isle becomes what is arguably the heart of the live performance music scene in Second Life®. Created by musician Freestar Tammas in September of 2007, the FSB Showcase has evolved to provide SL musicians a chance to be heard by fans and music professionals in a fast paced variety show format. By Jura Shepherd

The weekly event generally features 10 musicians, each with 30-minute sets, and has become so popular that it is booked 6 to 8 weeks in advance and is often near its full capacity of guests throughout the 5 hour show. Fans, musicians and SL music-insiders all converge to enjoy the performances in the relaxed, social atmosphere, but the FSB Showcase has achieved what many other venues often struggle with: People come to the FSB for the event as much as they do for the individual musician’s performances.

our virtual environment. Relatively uncluttered, low prim and low lag, FSB Showcase achieves a unique and rich aesthetic by making use of immersive, 3 dimensional scenery. Scenes are a high-resolution variety of real life photos that each musician chooses from and the effect gives the feel of an open-air event. The technology for it comes from Virtual Reality Room and as an early adopter, Tammas has a collection of scenes that are no longer available. It’s a signature element for the venue and Freestar is actively seeking a photographer that can provide her with some new scenes that will work with the format. Other atmospheric amenities include sitting areas, a lovely and ever-changing food and drink buffet, and dances that Freestar insists on keeping current. There is no shortage of venues that are far more elaborate but, as many of them sit empty, the unpretentious FSB Showcase has been pleasing audiences and developing a reputation as the “go-to” place for live music in SL.

In the beginning, Freestar’s vision for the FSB Showcase was to fill a void left by a popular Saturday night open-mic event at the once famed Acoustic Lounge. A friend who had been booking the Acoustic Lounge approached Tammas about doing a similar event with her and once it was clear that Acoustic Lounge would not return, they decided to go forward. Freestar ended up running the first few shows at what was then called “Freestar Bay Musician’s Showcase” and as she says, “I was hooked. It was instantly popular, much to my amazement.” Over the first year in its original location, the showcase’s popularity would prove to be a problem as it was crashing the sim with regularity. The sim owner asked Freestar to take her venue elsewhere so she took the opportunity to purchase Freestar Bay Isle and to build FSB Showcase into what is now its current form.

Freestar Tammas is quick to point out that the essence of FSB Showcase is of course the music. “I’ve never been one to pretend to like something I don’t, and so of course FSB Showcase represents my tastes in music, which is pretty eclectic. All the musicians that I ask to play here are, in my opinion, very good.” As a popular musician in SL herself, Tammas has special appreciation for SL musicians which could be why even musicians who command fees elsewhere are happy to perform the showcase for a payment of what she calls “sweat and promotion.” To make things run smoothly, performers have one person, the “Showcase

While many music venues in SL are built to mimic venues in the real world, Freestar’s approach to the FSB Showcase build was to make a space suited for 51

Manager,” that is assigned specifically to assist them. Freestar says, “the musician only has to worry about their end and that creates good vibes right from the start. A happy musician gives a good and enthusiastic performance.” The vibe works well enough to make FSB not only a place musicians enjoy playing, but a favorite place for musicians to see each other play.

raising events would follow with the help of SLCN’s Delinda Dyrssen, such as Toys for Tots and a benefit for AngelHeros, when in the final hour Max Kleene helped to “max it to a million” and raised 1 million lindens. One fundraising event for Wilson Voight, creator of the Spanish immersion sim, inspired a song that Freestar now performs regularly called “Crossing Borders” -- a tribute to those that put their hearts and souls into helping others by organizing fundraising events and awareness exhibitions in SL.

Patrons of the FSB Showcase are attended to by long-time host Yasmin Kips. Although Freestar’s general philosophy is to leave guests alone and let them enjoy the show, Yasmin provides warm greetings from a familiar face to showcase regulars, and a guiding hand for first-time visitors. Freestar takes the time to IM greetings and group invites to new visitors, and respectfully offers the option of notecard updates for those who are at their group limit. KwaiSpock Tammas provides information about the musicians via open chat and keeps the audience informed with regional messages. Photos are taken of performers and guest by FSB builder and photographer Pepe Heart and then displayed on the venue’s large slideshow screens the following week. Guests and musicians also enjoy the Showcase’s “themed” events. Each month FSB Showcase holds two additional types of showcases: a themed Showcase, which features a special build and everyone gets to dress up for that theme (musicians included), and the last Saturday of the month is a Songwriter’s Pajama Party, which has it’s own special build including sleeping bags and pillows. The Pajama Party is an opportunity for guests to not only hear all-original works from musicians, but also to learn the stories behind them and connect on a more intimate level.

The success of the FSB Showcase may very well be partly attributed to magical circumstance and pieces falling together with good results but the massive effort that goes into it cannot be overlooked. FSB is highly organized and Freestar Tammas estimates the amount time spent on each weekly show at 20 to 80 hours depending on the event. In 18 months, the FSB Showcase has produced 72 shows, and has featured nearly 175 musicians. That in itself is an achievement but what is most impressive is the FSB Showcase’s connection with people and its subtle reputation as a place to see and to be seen. Like most communities in SL, the music community is always working towards increasing awareness of itself in-world. The FSB Showcase’s simple formula of providing a regularly scheduled show that can be relied on for fun, socializing and quality entertainment is huge step in the right direction.

Beyond being a not-for-profit venue, the FSB Showcase is a hub for philanthropy in the SL community. Freestar Tammas’ philanthropic tendency is a huge influence on the FSB operation and, to that point she adds, “ultimately, I want venue tips to all go to RL programs that fight racism and poverty globally, possibly through funding micro-loans. I hope against hope that is in the future for FSB.” The first fundraiser for the Showcase was a simple attempt to raise money for a sick friend. It quickly snowballed from simple to elaborate, incorporating 35 hours of music and an entire sim, and drawing coverage from SLCN. In the end it raised £900 for a UK based research lab for thrombosis. More ambitious fund-

FSB Showcase Freestar Bay Isle (71/126/501) FSB Showcase Info www.myspace.com/freestarbay FSB Showcase audio stream for remote listeners http://TheStreamteam2.serverroom.us:8844 52

MUSIC

BOURQUE RAU BRINGS LIVE SL MUSIC OUT OF ITS NICHE AND TO THE MASSES FEBRUARY 22, 2009 SECOND LIFE® Bourque Rau has organized the “SL Music Live Tour”, a grid-wide tour that will take SL’s top live music performers to locations not normally known for music. The tour will feature popular performers with shows at around-the-grid locations like motorsports tracks, campuses, and television themed sims. Recognizing that a large portion of residents are not even aware that SL has a thriving live music scene, Bourque intends for the “SL Music Live Tour” to raise awareness in a fun way while getting great communities together. Concert locations on the current roster include: the D.W.R.L Stockcar Racing Association’s Otway Raceway Park, the Babylon 5 Experience role-play sim based on the popular TV series, 777 League Racing’s facility at 2RAW, The Village from TV’s classic “The Prisoner”, Rezzable’s Hobo Block Party, and MOOZ, home of the SL Motorcycle Racing Association. Rau is working out details with 10 more locations to add to her ever-expanding list. Musicians are excited with the opportunity to connect with new fans and are offering shows for the tour. Scheduled so far are performers: Mason Thorne, Evamoon Ember, Winston Ackland, Norris Shepherd, Krell Karu, Born Again Pagans, Djai Skjellerup, and Harper Messmer. The list of musicians and locations has expanded to the point that the March schedule is nearly full and Bourque is looking ahead to May for another tour. The schedule of confirmed concert events so far is:

Sunday 3/1 12 PM SLT Winston Ackland at SL Motorcycle Racing Association Saturday 3/7 and Saturday 3/21 1 PM SLT Mason Thorne at 777 League Racing Friday 2/27 6 PM SLT Evamoon Ember at SecondLife Hobos block party Sunday 3/8 5 PM SLT Krell Karu at D.WS.R.L. Stockcar Racing Association Saturday 3/14 2 PM SLT Born Again Pagans at Babylon 5 Experience Thursday 3/12 3 PM SLT Harper Messmer at The Village Saturday 3/21 1 PM SLT Djai Skjellerup at The Village

ART REACTIVE ART IN SECOND LIFE

A boa may be made of fur, but it is usually made from various types of feathers. Feather boas have been documented for use as adornment since 1820 although they may have been worn as early as the 17th century. Feather boas have fallen in and out of fashion many times over the years, carrying the reputation of being elegant as well as being considered campy or vulgar apparel. By Looker Lumet But no, I am not going to write about these boas! This article features the works of a young avatar so talented that you cannot ignore her, once you have seen her work.

to produce new things and make art that is unique to SL -- art that uses SL as part of the medium. A perfect example of this concept is a piece telling a whole story of a relationship in one canvas: “Warm heart Cold Heart”. Simple and emotional, Feathers captures the beginning and the end of a relationship by showing a real letter written to her at the beginning of a love affair. She was subsequently dumped by the same person via email. The center of this piece shows a heart, the classic symbol of love, warmed by the love letter yet icy cold against the break-up note. Viewing the piece at a distance one only sees the first love letter and red heart. Upon approaching the piece, the image changes to the iced heart and the note marking the end of the affair. This is the power of “reactive” art. The whole love affair is captured on one canvas.

Feathers Boa does not make ordinary digital works. She creates a world of her own, a 3D art work based on several items, which she finds in junk shops or back alleys. Old sepia photos, newspapers, postcards, letters, even broken watches are what she works with in Photoshop to form the central image of her pieces. To create digital 3D objects, Feathers uses Cinema 4Dr10 and says she never leaves home without her camera. A real world art school student, Feathers is very nearly 22 years old and creates her paintings using a combination of oils, mixed media montages and drawings. Some time ago, I was asked to submit one of my own works for a build in SL, at the LMU Psychology sim. Although I was honored to be chosen, after seeing which works were selected and exhibited next to mine I was surprised to see a work of Feathers. I was immediately sold and I wondered how it could be that I hadn’t yet heard of this talented artist. Since the exhibition at the LMU, Feathers has become one of my friends and I am closely watching her progress. It is amazing to see the depths of her imagination and how she translates that to create her works. To Feathers, SL is all about the freedom of expression. In SL she can do anything she wants. When people like her art work, they can buy it, and she can produce more. There are no limits on her imagination in-world. Every piece of art work Feathers creates is totally different from the previous piece as she is always trying

In some cases Feathers’ works tell big stories. “Flesh and Blood” tells the story of a lovely person in Feathers’ life. A sweet, kind, generous, strong, loving, beautiful friend who contracted a serious illness, caused her to be tired all of the time, drained, pale and waste away. Feathers’ grief was overwhelming and she was inspired to create a portrait of her friend, with x-rays and medical imagery but her beauty still shining through. Feathers wanted to capture the emotional moment of a friend who was diminishing and almost gone. Thankfully, in the end, her friend did recover from her illness. Feathers career has not been without controversy. Although she makes terrific art work, there are 54

“Flesh and Blood”, By Feathers Boa

“Requiem 1”, By Feathers Boa

“Requiem 2”, By Feathers Boa

“Witch Hunt 1”, By Feathers Boa

some pieces that will never be shown again because the pieces were “hated” or disturbed people. When I was shown these controversial pieces I was astonished to see that these were in fact great art works when viewed with an open mind.

sequent horror of drugs. The controversy began when viewers of the piece misinterpreted the intent and thought the art work was pro-drugs.

Feathers moved away from home to attend college in Boston, Massachusetts. While she was gone, one of her friends (a brilliant painter) fell in with the wrong crowd. She wasn’t around when Feathers returned from college and visited her hometown. Later Feathers discovered that her friend had overdosed on heroin.

Another piece, which I think is one of her best works, is also controversial and proved to be one that most people couldn’t handle. Feathers explained that when she was a little girl she was called names and suffered some abuse. She was placed into a state foster care system at the age of 12 and fortunately was assigned to a wonderful older couple, who changed her life completely. Feathers is still processing her past and working through things. With this in mind, she made a hate-filled self portrait about self pity and how some people can get caught up in feeling sorry for themselves. The inspired piece is called “Witch Hunt” and features background images drawn from the Salem Witch Trials.

This tragic experience was the inspiration behind the art work called “Requiem” as in “Requiem for a dream.” The piece was intended to convey the misguided allure, ugliness, craziness and the sub-

In the art work, the nude image of Feathers shows her eyes closed at the stake. As the viewer walks up to the image, the flames at her feet ignite, her eyes open and she looks down on you, accusingly.

To honor her art work, and give these pieces another shot at the light of day, I am including them here in this article and will let Feathers explain her intent and why these works were created.

“Witch Hunt 2”, By Feathers Boa

It is the antithesis of “Flesh and Blood” Some people have called this piece pornographic, others accused Feathers of child pornography. But let’s be clear of one thing, this is no underage woman highlighted in this piece. It is a shame that Feathers decided to withdraw this piece of art from the SL creative scene.

University, and suggested she bring her art into SL. About Feathers’ work, Dr. Zabel stated on his blog that,”For all her expertise her technical virtuosity is never an end in itself, but the vehicle for communicating a depth of feeling that ranges from the most playful lightheartedness to the darkest spiritual states. In her most profound works, she expresses the extremes of this affective range in elaborating a single theme. Like all genuine art, her creations resist easy paraphrase. But we are fortunate to have in SL an artist who challenges our perceptive abilities with material so richly significant. She promises nothing less than to illuminate a human condition in which vulnerability and transcendence are inseparably intertwined.”

In 2010, Feathers will participate in a real life show at the Harbor Gallery in Boston with other Caerleon Artists, an assembled group created by Georg Janick, professor at Boston University, of very talented artists and writers who have settled in a colony on Caerleon Isle. Artists on the colony work and live there collaboratively, as well as individually, and many give lectures and workshops on their art. The island itself has been transformed into a fascinating and sometimes chaotic collective work of art featuring the works of Bryn Oh, Nonnatus, Glyph Graves and many more, all curated by Gary Zabel.

“Art is not about the artist, but the VIEWER of art.” - Feathers Boa

It was Gary Zabel, Ph.D, professor at the University of Massachusetts who by coincidence found Feathers Boa in-world, saw that she was a student at the

www.feathersboa.com 59

ART WALKING WITHIN ART

I’ve spent my first columns calling attention to some of the places in Second Life® that present and promote the visual and plastic arts in traditional ways: museums that display paintings and sculpture. But one of the extraordinary aspects of Second Life is the ability of designers and builders to create beauty out of the very stuff of SL itself: the lowly prim. Artists here can create entire environments that both mimic the real world and which are impossible to imagine in the real world. And the best of these leave us feeling as though we have visited a real place and experienced something ineffably like real life. By Kee Llewellyn

Mont Saint-Michel

I encourage you to walk the streets (at least at first), don’t fly. Explore. Take random turns: the streets don’t all lead inexorably to the top, some lead you to dead ends, and others dèbouche onto lovely little plazas and courtyards. Finding your way to the abbey church at the top of the Mont will not be easy, but it will be an enjoyable wander, much as it is in real life (with none of the concomitant foot and calf pain you develop on the real Mont Saint-Michel!). As you go, don’t hesitate to poke around and be nosey; open doors and peer through windows. One of the homes inexplicably houses a giraffe. I don’t know why. But he seems happy to share his two-storey home with a ladder leading up to a small, empty garret (and I defy you to crawl up the ladder without resorting to cheating). In another place you’ll find a charming little courtyard with a functioning door that leads nowhere. At the top of one narrow stair is another door which opens and leads to a precipitous drop into the un-constructed bowls of the sim: Be careful! There’s also an exquisite little wooded path that runs along the north side of the chapel. I wish I could tell you how I got there, but I have no idea. It’s worth the time to find it (don’t cheat and fly!). At the top of the Mont you find the 13th century

1,300 year-old Mont Saint-Michel, with its Norman Benedictine abbey and cloister, is a spiritual and sightseer’s icon on the Normandy coast. Its narrow streets, innumerable winding stairways, vest-pocket courtyards and maze-like layout harkens back to a time before automobiles and urban planning. Designer and builder Moeka Kohime has recreated Mont Saint-Michel here in Second Life and it is an amazing achievement. The build has much of the ambience and flavor of the original: no bowing to “Second Life scale” here. The streets remain just as narrow, the door lintels just as low as on the real life insular. Though enormous in scale, the build feels intimate, like its creator has spent a lot of time on the real Mont. She seems to have internalized the winding ways of it and brings them to vibrant life. It doesn’t feel as if she did the build based on a book or map. Even the textures used seem to come from the actual real world fortress-abbey. The level of detail is astounding, from the shop signs and wall textures, to the water tanks, TV antennas and radio dishes snuggled into leafy copses. 60

Gothic abbey with its austere sanctuary which, none the less, maintains the rigid social orthodoxy of the day: the nave is divided into a higher and lower section, the latter for the non-ordained brothers and novices, the former, higher and closer to the altar, for the monks and priests. To one side is tucked a lovely golden reliquary containing the sculpty skull of Aubert of Avranches, founder of the original Mont Saint-Michel abbey (legendarily at the vocal urging of the archangel himself. Apparently, “If you build it, they will come,” is not a modern invocation after all). The cloister garden contains a charming double row of Romanesque columns and arches as well as a lawn, areas for contemplation and a tiny, barren monk’s cell.

take the camera, you’ll need it at the end), then points you to a TP gate that drops you into the main build. You appear in an apartment building hallway to the sound of distant police sirens. From there, the object is to “record” what you find at the crime scene (thus the REC name, for Record. You can’t actually record anything, but they want you to wear the camera anyway, which gives you video bars, the occasional flash of static, and a REC light in the top corner of your screen). On your way you are encouraged to click on various parts of the build which twinkle with lights. When you do, you become part of the scene: a corpse, a person smashing down a door with a sledge hammer, and so on. The animations are low priority so I found I had to keep turning off my AO to play them.

A visit to Mont Saint-Michel would not be complete without visiting, Edelweiss; it’s designer’s shop, especially if you have a thing for Victorian chamber maid and Japanese schoolgirl clothing. I bought the chamber maid outfit that comes with the accessory hand grenades (yeah, there’s a serious manga/anime bent to the clothing). At the gift shop, you can even get transfer versions of the clothes to give to your sweetie. The other shops on the Mont remain empty but for two which appear to be belong to friends of the main designer. One shop belongs to Voomer Voom who made the extraordinarily detailed sculpty statue of Saint Michael which caps the spire of the church (worth flying up to look at, though you can also see it realized in marble in the crypt below the cloister chapel).

As you wander through the build you will find an array of rooms and props, each lovingly crafted, some of which are animated (often for no apparent reason): an office where it appears something big has broken out of a re-enforced cage, an abandoned apartment with various bloody props lying around and blood stains on the floor, and the centerpiece of the build, a tall stairwell with lots of turns and darkened corners. At the top, you find the point of REC, but you have to be wearing the video camera to see it. Wear the camera and click on the broken video camera on the floor. SPOILER ALERT: don’t read past this point if you want to experience it first-hand for yourself. REC, it turns out, is a promo for a Spanish-language horror film in the P.O.V. genre of early 2000’s horror movies. Shot with a shaky, hand-held camera it appears to be about some people trapped in an apartment building menaced by something, maybe zombies, it’s hard to tell. The promo is in Spanish with Japanese subtitles and voice over so I have no idea what it’s actually saying (for a real fun time, go to http://www.rec-movie.com to see the trailer without the Japanese voice over... but with the subtitles and a synopsis in Swedish. I still have no idea what the film is about). The video feed also has a tendency to cut out since the video file is, apparently, quite large and does not load well. I had to detach the camera, re-wear it and start again from the beginning. It took about five tries to see the video all the way through. REC is a beautiful build. It’s about two years old at this point but still feels fresh. The scale is “Second Life”

Oh yeah, and visit the penguin chapel (and no I’m not going to tell you where that is!).

REC Second Life, though often billed as a game is very un-game-like. There’s nothing in particular to accomplish, no plot, no villains, no monsters (just griefers) and no climax... well, no end to it. REC is one designer’s attempt to remedy that lapse, in the service of something that is typically Second Life after all... Built by dai Legos, the REC sim contains a murder mystery (of a sort). It begins in a small room that explains the intent of the game in Japanese and English, gives you a video camera to wear (be sure to 62

scale, which means the stair steps appear to be about 18” high and things are not necessarily in scale to each other. But the build is well crafted and entertaining, such as it is. Since it’s entirely a promo for a film, it has no climax and you really don’t learn anything about the monsters or bad guys in the course of the exploration. So it leaves you a little flat. It is nonetheless a fine example of the SL builder’s art and well worth a visit. While my primary goal in this series is to present the best traditional art to be found in Second Life, it is, I think, appropriate to explore the new plastic art of Second Life building to watch it as it grows and evolves. Next month we’ll be back inside SL’s museums and galleries. See you there!

Mont Saint-Michel Mont Saint Michel (24/67/23) REC REC (128/128/27) 63

LITERARY STORIES OF OUR SECOND LIVES, STORIES OF OURSELVES

“It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story.” - Native American Proverb I have been involved in Second Life® for two and a half years, and involved in writing about events and people in SL for nearly one year. Through this time I have discovered that behind each avatar is a person, and each person has a story to tell. Sometimes that story resides mostly in their physical life, but more and more people are making new stories in our rapidly changing, and often misunderstood, virtual world. And these stories are as real as the people who tell them. By Verde Otaared

Throughout history people have gathered stories and preserved them, in verse, in song, and in written form. Jenaia Morane has begun to take on this daunting and important task for our virtual world via The Virtual Worlds Story Project. Jenaia, a writer, educator, and storyteller in RL, says, “stories are important wherever and however they occur. This is because stories help us make sense of our lives, forge common ties by sharing our experiences, and passing along traditions. Without stories and storytellers we would be hard-pressed to digest and come to terms with our experiences.” However, Jenaia believes that stories are even more important for making sense of our virtual life because they can guide us to our own personal answers to some very important questions:

What effect does the lack of societal guidelines and rules have on our behavior in virtual reality and how does that freedom affect our first lives? What aspects of ourselves does virtual reality allow us to explore that are not easily explored in our first lives? How does that exploration affect our first lives? Are relationships between avatars as real and as valid as those meeting in physical reality? The Virtual Worlds Story Project or TVWSP is both a place and an idea. TVWSP lives in SL on Storybook, “a small island formed in the caldera of an extinct volcano” as Jenaia describes it. One can experience TVWSP by walking on the Story Trail, pausing in peaceful vistas to complete writing exercises to build story writing muscles. Storybook also has a library and an educational center, and offers free writing classes. The Virtual Worlds Story Project has an online presence at http://tvwsp.com. One goal of TVWSP is to publish a series of anthologies, each with a specific theme. Those interested in telling their SL stories can submit stories on Storybook, at one of the submission boxes, or send them to submission@tvwsp.com. For avatars that prefer other ways of expressing them-

How do the experiences we have in virtual realities affect how we see ourselves and behave in our first lives? Is it possible to separate our first lives from our virtual ones? Do we want to, and what are the results if we try? How does having an avatar, whose entire appearance can be changed, affect how we see ourselves? 64

selves, TVWSP will also accept photos, videos, songs, and even builds/sculptures. These can be described in a notecard or email and TVWSP staff will contact the contributor to discuss the story submission.

we tell will either encourage others to follow us or to shy away in fear. Ultimately, the stories of our virtual experiences are the stories of our selves. “No matter where we go, we bring our essence with us, our human spirit, our dreams, our experiences, our past, our future, says Draco Caerndow, “There’s a human being on the other side of the screen behind each and every avatar at the end of the day.”

Jenaia also does live storytelling events, hosts storytelling classes on Karuna (the HIV/AIDS support and education sim), and co-hosts a radio show called “I Avatar: Stories from the virtual edge” airing on Radio Riel (http://radioriel.org). Participants in TVWSP events agree that stories help us understand our virtual world. “The Virtual Worlds Story Project basically is like a miniature writer’s workshop. It’s one of the more constructive movements around in Second Life, rather than building things using blocks of plywood. It’s interesting to see people’s minds at play and their hearts out on a silver platter,” says Draco Caerndow. Elegia Underwood attended the Health and Healing in SL storytelling event and was “reminded of how many people need to talk about things that have happened to them here in SL... in order to heal... and how many healing experiences are available here.” The significance of our SL stories is obvious to workshop attendee Avignon Beaumont who says: “As with any society, the lore of a society in large measure defines and elaborates upon its core values, its zeitgeist, and some would say its ‘soul.’ The compendium of such stories will mark the milestone of early virtual world adoption by the masses. I suspect that historical record will be an informative, valuable, and perhaps quaint and amusing, reference to those that build later on these early successes of virtual worlds, especially as they contemplate the lessons learned.”

For more information on The Virtual Worlds Story Project and Jenaia Morane: The Virtual Worlds Story Project www.tvwsp.com I, Avatar Radio Show www.tvwsp.com/iavatar.html

TVWSP has struck a chord with many and will certainly continue to expand, filling an important need in SL. Plans are in place for additional classes in a wide range of storytelling genres, recording both audio and music CDs by SL storytellers, arranging exhibitions of stories told as builds and photos throughout SL, hosting storytelling events, and developing an educational program that uses SL to teach storytelling classes. The center of all this, of course, is the growing archive of stories about our personal experiences in and about SL.

Radio Riel www.radioriel.org The Nature of Writing website www.thenatureofwriting.com Storybook Island KatChers Village IV (73/220/21) The Story Hut on Karuna Karuna (61/107/26)

We are the pioneers in a new land and the stories 65

ROLE MODEL MAX CASE AND HIS BABBLER Many consider it the first HUD-based translator of its kind. The Babbler, a must-have for any Second Life® resident wishing to communicate with residents speaking other languages, is an indispensable gadget, to say the least. And, thanks to its developer Max Case, you can have it for free! By Stacie Pryor

While no word-based translation service is perfect, many that can be found on the internet are more than enough to do the job. The Babbler is a mash-up between SL and Yahoo! Pipes™, a “powerful composition tool to aggregate, manipulate, and mash-up content from around the Web” in order to bring you the most accurate translations via the internet. Thus, it is an automatic translator. The translations aren’t perfect by any means, but it more than does the trick when you need help deciphering foreign conversations.

Once I purchased the Babbler for zero Lindens, I headed back home to unpack it. I dropped Babbler on the ground, and was asked immediately asked me if I wanted to attach it. Well, that was easy! So, when the menu prompted me, I chose to wear Babbler on my top left HUD attachment point. I selected English as my preferred language and began my exploration of the Babbler language interpreter. Now that the HUD was attached it was time to decipher the user interface. Unfortunately, this version of the Babbler did not come with any instructions and the button panel is somewhat cryptic. Unsure of what to do, I clicked around, changing settings when prompted, until I got the basic idea.

To research this article I realized I should pick up the most recent version Babbler. I checked Max Case’s website to find a distribution location for the gadget. The website pointed me to Phreak Isle but, when trying to teleport, I encountered problems and never actually made it; however, while perusing Max’s profile, I found another distribution point in Green, so I headed there to pick it up.

So, here is a summary of the HUD buttons: babbler on This button turns the translation service ON or OFF. By clicking it to the ON position, you will 66

be asked for your language. You should select the language you speak. Pick a person This button is used to translate others. Click this button to pick the person you want the Babbler to translate. You will then be asked to select the language this person is speaking. Using this button, you can select up to 30 avatar names to be stored in the gadget. Clicking this button again allows you to remove avatar names.

Once all menu prompts have been answered, and all languages have been set, you are free to chat away. The conversation will then be echoed back in the second language you have chosen. So, despite the cryptic user interface, the HUD is extremely intuitive and easy to utilize. Even better yet, like I mentioned before, the Babbler has a gifting option. So, upon encountering someone who needs Babbler, you have the convenient option of being able to give them a copy for their own personal use.

de babbler on This button turns De-Babbler ON or OFF. De-Babbler allows you to understand what other avatars speaking near you are saying. By turning it OFF, you disable this feature.

Now the concepts of the Babbler and De-Babbler are a little confusing, but here is a summary of their basic functions. It is important not to get them confused because they both play different roles. But, the main point is that they work together to help you communicate easily and effectively. The Babbler translates what you say so that others can understand you. The De-Babbler “de-babbles”, or translates, what the people you are talking to are saying to you. So, they

Gift Button This button enables a “gift” feature. By clicking this button, you can send a copy of the Babbler/De-Babbler to avatars of your choice. This is one of my favorite features of the gadget. 67

are both translators serving different functions, collaborating to make communication easy for all parties involved.

with the three of them. I quickly found out that two of the avatars are currently in a relationship with each other, a relationship they attribute to Babbler. You see, it was the Babbler that united them in the first place. The Babbler allowed them to communicate easily with one another by removing their language barrier. It allowed them to meet and greet people with whom conversations would ordinarily be too difficult to manage. And it allowed them to get to know each other better, and eventually fall in love. So, the miracles of Babbler are both great and small.

I desperately wanted to test it out. So, I racked my brain to come up with a great place where I might be able to find people conversing in other languages. And since I am a serial shopper, I couldn’t think of a better place than Armidi, the unofficial SL capital of all spoken languages.

Simply put, the Babbler is one of the best tools given away for free in SL to help promote socializing and sense of community. It truly brings the international community together like no other gadget I have seen in-world. Quite frequently, it is classified as the “best freebie ever.” Now, that doesn’t mean it is free of flaws. Just like any HUD or gadget in SL, Babbler is not immune from glitches, down time, or incorrect translations. I know a lot of Spanish, so I can tell that the translations are not always correct. But, they are as good as you would expect an automatic translator to be. Especially for free! For this reason alone, I think most would agree that this more than qualifies Max Case and his infamous Babbler for ROLE Model status.

So, I headed over in anticipation of a cultural explosion and I wasn’t disappointed. I immediately encountered a group of three individuals speaking both French and German. Since Babbler currently supports translations in French, German, Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, and Dutch, I knew it would be able to help me communicate with these avatars. So, I immediately clicked away at the buttons until Babbler was configured to help me communicate effectively. But, I didn’t want to be rude. Trying to keep in mind that just because I was looking to communicate with these people didn’t mean that they would be eager to speak to me, so I sat back for a few minutes, watching as Babbler translated their conversation. That’s when it happened! I quickly found my opportunity to jump into the conversation. It just so happened that they were having trouble locating a certain item in the Armidi sim. And, since I know Armidi like the back of my hand, I knew I could help them find exactly what they needed. So, I interjected myself into their conversation, offered help to them, and quickly found them to be extremely polite individuals who actually already had Babbler. This was going to be easier than I thought!

Babbler and De-Babbler Green (196/165/23)

After I took them to the item they were seeking, I was immediately engaged in a wonderful conversation

Max Case’s website www.maxcase.info

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TRAVEL GUIDE THE FORECAST IS FOR FUN!

I confess: I tune into the Weather Channel (TWC) during hurricane season! I can take or leave some of their “edutainment” programs but there’s nothing like an angry Mother Nature to grab one’s attention as was the case when watching coverage of Hurricane Ike last September. By Paypabak Writer

n00bs on a regular basis, I would definitely consider making TWC a required stop since it engages avatars to explore all their SL capabilities. In addition to the n00b-friendly orientation, everywhere you go you’ll find audio streams featuring TWC personalities explain what to expect as you explore and engage in activities such as downhill skiing, dirt biking, surfing, or flying through a hurricane.

When I heard that TWC had an island in Second Life®, I was on the next flight to their sim and I was not disappointed! This five-sim build is very well done, a great mix of educational media streams and activities, with very little lag. The headquarters building near the controlled landing zone (you cannot TP anywhere else) boasts a number of great EPIC Conditions videos from TWC programming, with a big screen area that looms over a swimming pool or smaller video screens in a lounge area where friends can sit around and chat as they watch.

Each of these activities requires a visit to a rental shop to pick up a free surfboard, skis, or bike, plus some accessories: various TWC t-shirts, backpacks, and such. The surf shop also had beautiful boards you could buy ($L525). So, starting with the surf shop, you get your board, take it out to the water, sit on it and then you paddle towards the big wave and, as it lifts you up, you stand and surf! The graphics have some odd texture flaws, but it’s a fun ride! You never fall off but you can lose the crest of the wave. I think the big challenge is to ride inside the tunnel of the wave to

At TWC Island you can watch various videos about all aspects of the weather, and you can visit four main activity centers, each taking up an island sim, that blend fun and learning. An Orientation area on the welcome island encourages new avatars to try out various skills such as using cams or chatting with a parrot. How often does one see that in a commercial sim? If I were in a position were I interacted with 71

but the fun is really amped up when you go with friends. Surfing and biking become competitive and inspire trash talk. Skiing through the avalanche and flying through the hurricane can bring out lots of humor from even the most jaded SL explorer. And speaking of jaded SL explorers, I didn’t really expect a big commercial project to be so well done. In terms of educational sims, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s island is nicely done, particularly (I hate to say this) in their handling of hurricanes but the project is much more sterile than the approach TWC has taken. TWC is definitely worth a visit!

its end. When you’re done surfing, there’s a bar area where you can order drinks and watch other surfers. The ski lodge looks just like you would expect it: big, lots of wood and antlers, and views of the huge mountain. I bought a spiffy Luminosity sweater to go with my free EPIC Conditions skis, boots, and poles. I wandered over to the ski lift, put my gear on, and then rode to the top of the mountain. Selecting your perspective to mouselook is spectacular, particularly if you play with your environmental settings. You can get a good view of the rest of the sims making up TWC Island. At the top are several audio listening options to learn how mountains affect weather and, in turn, skiing. I’m pretty sure it was Jim Cantore’s voice announcing the avalanche that caught me about halfway down the mountain – a very cool experience! You have choices in the types of slopes to ski and, unlike other ski resorts I’ve been to, you have control of your path rather than a fixed, guided run. Of course, this makes skiing tougher and you can end up falling off the mountain and into the ocean where skiing then becomes a lot easier! The Moab Bike area is all desert mesas and sand. I rode during sunset for picture-perfect effect. Free bike rental includes a great mountain bike and helmet. As with the skis, you wear the bike and need to master the “tap-tap-W” commands to ride effectively. The trails are wonderful and wind their way up and down a sim-sized area. A stone’s throw from the rental shop, you can visit a geology station to learn more about your desert surroundings and the special weather conditions found there. Last but not least is the Hurricane Gulf sim. All along the boardwalk are information stations about hurricanes and tropical weather. At the end of the walk, you board a glider which takes you into a swirling mass of clouds while listening to an audio description of what hurricane fliers do. I have to say the hurricane was a little tame: in mouselook you don’t really get a feeling of the turbulence. If you adjust your cam to follow the flight of your glider, you can see this large, donut-shaped cloud roiling above the ski mountain which does tend to further diminishing the experience.

The Weather Channel Weather (121/12/26)

Overall, TWC Island provides a fine solo experience 72

GADGETS & “KNOW HOW” IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PRIM, BABY!

There are so many things about Second Life® that are amazing. We have art, music, fashion, games, tools and a plethora of other things we use and work with every time we are inworld. Have you ever thought about where all these things come from or wondered where it all begins? By Aldwyn Zanzibar I am here to remind you of the lowly prim. Yes, the prim. You think, “What is the big deal about a prim?” Well, let me tell you!

only to find they need to tweak it just a bit to make it perfect for their needs. Usually they just want to resize something a bit so it will fit better on their avatar. Sorry, I’ve got the song “Baby Got Back” running through my head!

I would argue that just about everything in SL is related to a prim – the building blocks from which all structures in-world emerge. The clothes we wear usually have prim attachments and even the best of textures are not much good without a prim to put them on. Even scripts need a prim to live in. All the things we love to have and do in SL, are based around prims.

So, for those of you unsure of where to start I will share a few tips on dealing with prims. The basic tools available in SL for building are also very useful for editing and altering an existing set of prims. Almost everything we buy is made up of several prims linked together. Dealing with linked prims is not as hard as it seems if you understand a few basic principles.

If you are a designer, a builder, an artist, or a landlord, you have most likely learned how to work with prims. If you are like me, and really have no talent to speak of, there are still many things that are useful to know about our little friend the prim.

When you edit an object by “right clicking” your mouse and selecting “edit” from the pie menu, you will see a properties box appear on your HUD. One of the first things you need to check is located halfway down the menu -- “permissions”. Permissions are the first thing to check before you attempt to edit an object because something listed as “no modify” in your inventory may allow modification of prims. No-modify scripts inside a prim will cause the whole item to appear “no modify.” Confirm that your item has copy permissions to prepare for the next step.

There are many things we buy in SL that, once we get home and rez the item, we realize some adjustments are needed. I have bought many a shirt with prim collar and cuffs that I have had to adjust to fit my avatar. During my time in SL I have adjusted hair, pant legs, belts, footwear, furniture, houses, and various other items. I have had many friends express their frustration after they bought a house or hair 74

Before editing your item it is very important you first make a copy of it. “Right click” the item in inventory and select “copy.” Then “right click” the item again and “paste.” A new copy of that item will now appear in your inventory. I would rename the copy “Item Name – Modified” or something that makes sense to you.

pointer up or down into the actual ruler, you will notice that the prim starts to snap to the different measuring points along the ruler. This is very handy if you are trying to move the prim to a specific position, or want to keep track of how far you move a particular prim. You can also resize the individual prims in this object by using the same method. All you have to do is select “stretch” in the objects properties, instead of “position”. When you do select “stretch”, you will get a box around the prim, with a box on each side, and on each corner. Dragging on a side of an individual prim, will stretch it in that direction. If you drag a corner of the box, you will scale the prim up or down.

Now, for those “no copy” items, you are not completely without options. SL has an “undo” feature, located in the Edit menu of the viewer. It works the same way as the “undo” feature of your word processing program. I have not figured out all of the limitations of “undo” so I caution you to use it carefully. If you are going to try and modify a “no copy” object I advise you to do it very slowly, one step at a time. Relax, take your time and experiment!

Speaking of scaling, if you release your single prim, or when you select your linked set in the first place, and you pick “stretch”, you will most likely only get the bounding box with boxes on each corner. Grabbing any of these corners will allow you to scale the linked set bigger or smaller, depending on the direction you scale. Scaling becomes very handy for clothing or hair to allow a more personal fit on your avatar. And again, you will see the ruler appear when you are scaling, and you can use the snapto ruler by moving the pointer into the ruler grid.

After talking with many people about the most common edits they need to perform on their items, I have narrowed down 2 important skills that will give you the most flexibility: Moving a prim within a linked set of prims and resizing an object. When you edit a linked set of prims, you will notice that all the prims have a blue glow around them, except for one which will have a yellow glow, the “root prim”. The root prim is used for many things which are really not important for this particular discussion. While in edit mode, notice in the properties box that there is an “edit linked parts” option. Check this box then select one of the prims you want to move or reposition.

As you become more and more comfortable with these basic editing skills, you will find there are advanced editing options to further customize items to better fit your needs and wants. Hopefully you will no longer suffer from the “I wish this thing would fit better!” syndrome. And, as time goes by, you might even find yourself thinking, “Hmmm, maybe I could build my dream house!”

Keeping in mind the “undo” feature, you now can move this one prim around to position it just the way you want it. When moving a prim, you will see a ruler appear above and below the arrow you are using to position the prim. If you keep your mouse between the two rulers, you can move the prim freely along the axis you select (north, west, east, south). If you move your mouse

Trust me. If I can learn to do this so can you!

FINAL CREDITS PEOPLE & LOCATIONS

ALL BLOGS, WEBPAGES AND SLURLS ARE CLICKABLE IN THIS DOCUMENT. THE IN-WORLD MAGAZINE CONTAINS A NOTECARD WITH LANDMARKS. PEOPLE AND PLACES ARE LISTED IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE. HOUSE OF LONDON Dailey (123/72/34)

FSB SHOWCASE Freestar Bay Isle (71/126/501)

SHELBY ZISKEY flickr.com/photos/shelbyz

FEATHERS BOA www.feathersboa.com

OMFG CLOTHES

MONT SAINT-MICHEL Mont Saint Michel (24/67/23)

omfgclothes.wordpress.com

DAFNE WATANABE www.flickr.com/photos/dafnew

LUELLA DEMONIA

REC REC (128/128/27)

www.flickr.com/photos/lu_demonia

THE VIRTUAL WORLDS STORY PROJECT www.tvwsp.com

CATERO REVOLUTION ymesl.wordpress.com

I, AVATAR RADIO SHOW www.tvwsp.com/iavatar.html

BLONDE Retrology (22/93/40)

RADIO RIEL www.radioriel.org

U&R DOG Sepia (63/36/601)

THE NATURE OF WRITING WEBSITE www.thenatureofwriting.com

COUVERTURE Tipaskan (235/12/774)

STORYBOOK ISLAND KatChers Village IV (73/220/21)

DAHAUS Play Sexy (135/71/22)

THE STORY HUT ON KARUNA Karuna (61/107/26)

RUBIK’S CUBE Quaint Essentials (36/86/25)

BABBLER AND DE-BABBLER Green (196/165/23)

POETIK VELVETS www.poetikvelvets.com

MAX CASE’S WEBSITE www.maxcase.info

FSB SHOWCASE INFO www.myspace.com/freestarbay

THE WEATHER CHANNEL Weather (121/12/26)

ADVERTISERS EVIE’S CLOSET Oubliette (179/181/37) SEMOTION SEmotion (51/56/33) MICHIAMI Nacon (60/68/27) INSPIRATION COVE Inspiration Cove (128/128/21) LONDOOM Goldbach (88/166/28) CASA DEL SHAI casa del shai (150/100/691) SKIN FLICKS Skin Flicks (148/72/30) ROLE OPTIC Concetta (123/92/301) CLOTHING FAIR 2009 SPECIAL FEATURE AVANISTA www.avanista.com

HAPPY BEGINNING OF SPRING, EVERYONE!

ROLE MAGA Z I N E