Contents Page 3 Page 4-7 Page 8 Page 9-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-25 Page 26-28 Page 29-30 Page 31-32
Welcome All They Want For Christmas Is...? Think Outside The Box Plunder: Shop the Funky Skies..... To Verify Or To Not Verify Phemie Alcott: SL Songstress Step Back In Time? The Foundation For Rich Content DE Designs - 3rd Birthday Where’d Everybody Go?
Welcome to REZ Magazine Hello there, and thank you for navigating to our little corner of the world wide web. My name is Voodoo Buwan, and with my literary cohort, Trinity Dechou, we would like to welcome you to our new online publication. This site is dedicated to reporting on the most interesting sights, sounds, issues and happenings in the online game / virtual community that is Second Life (and if you don’t know what that is, head on over to http://www.secondlife.com and sign yourself up). We’ll be telling you of some of the best and worst things you can find ingame, speak to some of the more interesting people wandering the virtual streets, and try to have our fingers on the electronic pulse of this brave new digital world, while of course having a laugh and an occasional joke along the way. Trin and myself have an established history of SL journalism, having written about the subject for another website for some time, but have finally decided to go independent. By independent I not only mean that we are doing this for ourselves, but also that we will be self funding this project, meaning that you can rest assured that we are reporting to you our own opinions, and you will never read anything on this site written because someone paid us to say it. You may also be able to find some input from other talented writers who we deem fit to entertain you, but only if you’re very very good. We hope that you enjoy the forthcoming articles, and that REZ Magazine becomes the bible for the intelligent SL resident that it will surely deserve to be. Remember to check back regularly. We’ll be doing our best to make sure it’s worth your while.
Welcome to our 1st in-world Publication As you should know by now Rez Magazine offers a forum for independent articles relating to our delightful world of Second Life. We have brought together our personal favourites from the past few months in this inaugural Winter Edition of Rez! Whatever in our virtual world grabs you, you should find something within these pages to keep you entertained. From reviews of our favorite shopping destinations, interviews with SL’s colourful residents even to a little controversy Rez Magazine hopes to cover it all! We hope you enjoy the read and welcome to our collective writings from in-world. Regards Trin & Voo
All They Want For Christmas Is... ? Christmas is coming, the goose is getting… well, decidedly worried. It’s at this time of year that you need to ask yourself that important question: What are you going to get all your loved ones to show them how much you care at this special time of year. Well, we here at Rez, as part of our commitment to you, have put together a list of helpful suggestions. All of the below are available to purchase at the listed locations, and because they are transferable, will be able to be passed on to your friend, when you’re curled up by the tree. For that Special Swashbuckler: They may think that they’re Captain Jack Sparrow, but unfortunately, but just like Jack at the beginning of the Pirate’s Trilogy, they lack a ship. Make their life complete, with one of the most gorgeous, painstakingly built and complete Pirate Ships I’ve seen in SL. Plenty of room for counting your booty, but make sure they have plenty of land, as something this big and constructed in this detail isn’t exactly low on prims. Murdock’s Maritimes Pirate Ship (6000$L) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Inari/151/225/28 For the Shoe Addict: Constructed using flawless textures, and the very latest in carefully constructed sculpty prims, these shoes are guaranteed to raise the heart rate of any footwear aficionado. Photorealistic shoes by Tesla (from 359$L a pair) http://slurl.com/ secondlife/Dreamworld%20 South/228/224/22
For the Inked Up Punk: If your friend is well into their tattoos, it’s no doubt that they will already have every celtic band and tribal pattern known to man. So, widen their collection with these fine tats, ranging from some cclassics, like their sailor style work, tto pop culture inspired designs, like their perfect Elvis and Sex Pistols themed inkpacks. 13 Needles Tattoos (from 50$L) http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Earp/196/235/501 For the Bedroom Rockstar: H Help make every word they type hit out like the like a slamming lyric, with this Elvis Microphone typing overider! Every time they type on their keyboard, everyone will gasp a as your friend dramtically grabs the mic, strikes a pose like the King, and has the crowd that gathers waiting to see what thought they are gonna rock them with! Elvis Mic Typing Overider by Remnant (250$L) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Varado/111/181/31 If Your Partner is being All Work and No Play: Is your partner spending too much time working on putting together their SL Empire, and not enough on conquering you? Are they chasing the almighty Linden Dollar, when they should be chasing your tail? W Well, here’s your answer. Simply give them this professional office desk, a and whenever you want them to put a aside the spreadsheets and interface
with you, click the desk, hop on a poseball, and indulge in dipping the pen in the company ink. Computer Sex Desk by Pluxor Hax (499$L) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Edgecumbe/236/53/42 To that Special Someone: What better gift to give, than a simple heart key on a chain, that let’s your lover know that they have access to you in a way that no-one else does, and your heart is their home forever. Key to My Heart Necklace by Xessories (250$L) http://slurl.com/secondlife/ Urbane/185/102/22
For the Person Who Has Everything: The eternal difficult question: What to get someone who seems to have everything they need? Try something extravagant and luxurious, but something that they would not think of getting for themselves and is hard to get,. Personally, I think this beautifully built Christmas Carousel seems to tick all those boxes, and will not only look fabulous in the garden of even the most expensive mansion, but will be the talking point and amusement for all those Christmas parties they have. It doesn’t come cheap, but then if it did, your friend would probably have it already. Limited Edition Christmas Carousel by Jinxing Creations (6000$L) http://slurl.com/secondlife/WindHaven%20Isle/130/37/22
For a Grinch: Fo So your friend hates Christmas, huh? Spend the C whole time talking about w how commercial it’s gotten, h muttering “Humbug”, and m chucking cold water over ch carol singers? Well, that ca doesn’t mean you still can’t d get them a present. This ge little bundle includes a chalk li outline of Father Christmas, o sp sprayed with blood, a d discarded Santa hat, and a burning sleigh, for them to b place outside their home as a message to any other jolly obese flying OAP’s, to show what’s in store for them if they try to impose their festive jollity on the Mistletoe Challenged! Santa’s Slain (Chalk outline, hat and crashed sligh) by Numinous (61$L all together) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kress/181/83/149 REMEMBER, IF YOU ARE OUT LOOKING FOR PRESENTS, ALWAYS CHECK THE ITEM IS TRANSFERABLE, OR YOU WILL END UP WITH AN INVENTORY FULL OF ITEMS PERFECT FOR YOUR FRIENDS, BUT IMPOSSIBLE TO BE PASSED ON, WHICH CAN BE REALLY, REALLY ANNOYING. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU!
Think outside the box..... Occasionally we all go to places that make us go ‘wow’. Second Life is a place of immense beauty at times but what does it take to make something gorgeous and then to make it wow? Of course this depends on personal preferences. For me it’s something that’s constructed well and with the grid thought of. There is so much more to a good build than well aligned, well textures prims; it’s forethought and awareness of the software limitations. Today I got a tp to place described as “somewhere you will love” and oh my did I. The Abyss is essentially a shopping area. Having said this, it’s not a big shopping area. There are little pockets of skins, hair and clothing scattered about but not immediately in your face. I spent my time wondering about and occasionally passing comments of ‘wow’ and ‘its pretty’ to my teleporter. At 230 metres in the air, the build here uses the set SL fog level to it’s very best advantage. My main admiration for this piece of beauty was the use of light. I am using windlight, a new first looker viewer and frankly its awe inspiring. The images are not post processed they are shots from the area. I do have a major dislike of many shopping complexes, they do serve a purpose I accept that, however most are usually ill thought-out and put there to make money with no attention to any detail. Abyss on the other hand may have gone a little too far the other way. It is frankly stunning but if you are anything like me you might forget to shop! You must go and look, take your friends, take a stranger - I don’t care just go and experience it! Bask in the brainchild of someone with an amazing amount of lateral thinking.
Plunder: Shop the Funky Skies.... In this capitalistic metaverse, we all love to shop. Because of this demand for places to fritter away our hard earned Linden Dollars, shopping malls are a dime a dozen. Anyone with any land, seems to throw together big blocky square buildings, divided into regimented cubicles, rent out the spaces to sl entrepreneurs eager to get their wares seen in as many places as possible, and sit back to let the money roll in. Many have clubs attached, in order to attract people to these rectangular towers of uncreative materialism, and maintain some form of flow of curious residents who might purchase the products held within, but as with the construction of the building in the first place, the bare minimum is done. Fortunately, there are still places in SL that show things don’t have to be this way.
I first discovered Plunder because it has an outpost of one of my favourite stores there, and having seen before that they are quite good at placing their stores near one’s of a similar style, I decided to pop by, and see what other wondrous things were on offer. When I arrived, I was completely distracted from my quest for grubby clothes and battle worn attachments. Plunder is located high, high in the air, unusual for a mall, since it means it doesn’t get much browsing traffic, when people are wandering by, happen to notice it, and have to go in for a better look. Which is almost a shame, since if you were lowflying over the grid, and spotted this, that is EXACTLY what you’d do. However, there’s a reason Plunder is in the air. The place themed as an floating airship hub, a place for flying craft to gather to trade and meet. Unlike many skystructures, this isn’t just, there, high in the air, with no apparent means of support. Each structure, every ship, house, platform or shed is held aloft by balloons, thrusters, propellers, or in some cases, flying robots or giant insects that have been lashed to the build. Here, there is thought, variety and imagination in abundance. This is not a simple money making enterprise, but a labour of love, which makes the customer go “ooOOoo... look at that” as much as “must buy that, gotta have that”.
I then noticed one thing, that, to be honest, made my heart sink a little. “Click here to teleport to Plunder Lounge”. Even this place, it seemed, is not safe from the club/mall partnership. When I teleported up to the “lounge”, I looked around, and was completely amazed. There was no dancefloor. No DJ booth. No podium with half naked dancing girls. No Sploder, no swirling textures, and no comp boards. As described in it’s name, it’s a comfortable, relaxing lounge, located in the passenger area of a giant zeppelin, where you can chill out and chat with interesting people, while occasionally gazing out at the gorgeous build below you. Which is exactly what I did, with the owner of Plunder, Posy Trudeau:
Voodoo: So, what was the inspiration behind the build here? Posy Trudeau: Well, my boyfriend Donovan Brennen introduced me to anime... and we watched Laputa Castle in the Sky. It’s a wonderful movie with lots of airships... Steamboy was also an inspiration. I just thought it would be a unique idea in SL and I wanted to do it for a really long time so I finally bought the land and did it. It’s truly my pet project. Vendors are here by invite only... rent free... and most are close
friends. I’m very fortunate to have very talented designers who are friends ^^ Voodoo: Now each of the vendors areas are very unique, but all keep with the theme.... Did the vendors themselves make those, or did you make the spaces ready to be used? Posy Trudeau: Well, I know how difficult and time-consuming it is to set up a store, much less building the store itself...so I gave everyone a choice...they could build their own airship, or I would build one for them. Voodoo: How many of them took the plunge, and made their own? Posy Trudeau: Several built their own, like Disembodied Hand, Vas Legend and Tyreak Takashi... all incredible builders. I surprised some who were close friends, like Zabitan Assia... he’s a HUGE fan of Japanese toys, so I made his store held aloft by a giant Japanese toy robot; and Keishii Roo...who’s a Neko...I gave his a gothic cat theme. It was really fun for me ^^. I also purchased a couple of the airships. The one we’re in now was a present for me from Donovan :-) Voodoo: There’s a really personal feel throughout the whole project.... do you feel that helps give a warmth to the place, or is there a danger of making it too cliquey and alienating potential customers? Posy Trudeau: Hmmm... well if the positive comments from customers are any indication, that’s not the case. I’ve gotten wonderful feedback :D and to be honest...my whole purpose in SL is to have fun and do things that I like...and hopefully others will like it too. Voodoo: So, make something you want first and foremost, and hope that other people will enjoy it too. Not a bad philosophy. Posy Trudeau: Exactly...otherwise it wouldn’t be fun for me, and would seem too much like work, and I already have a RL job for that, where I have to answer to a boss and please other people. This place is my true creative outlet, where I do things for me. I know that it may sound selfish, but that’s how I view Second Life and why I spend hours of my free time here. Voodoo: Have you had any problems running Plunder, either from customers or from your vendors? Posy Trudeau: No problems at all...the vendors are all good friends of mine... definitely one of the benefits Voodoo: Superb.... we should all be so lucky :) Posy Trudeau: :-) Voodoo: Finally, what is next for you? Do you have any future plans, either with Plunder or with other projects? Posy Trudeau: Well... I’m absolutely dying to own my own island...with Plunder in the sky, and my other store Miau Haus on the ground. It would be nice to have Plunder without the neighbouring structures floating around and I have a few friends I’d like to add as vendors. I think it’ll be a few more months before I’m ready for that move Voodoo: Well, best of luck with that, and congratulations on such a great place.
To verify Or To Not Verify..... With companies and even governments being susceptible to massive security breaches with our personal information, should we trust more people with this information? The new release candidate viewer has now started the beta testing process of age verification. Now is the time to watch the flood gates open and masses of people come flooding forth with angry fists and others waiting to sign on the dotted line. Age Verification is a massive question on the internet. It opens a whole assortment of problems and many worried parents across the globe are concerned about their ability to protect their children. If I walked into a shop to purchase a bottle of spirits or a packet of cigarettes I may well be asked to verify my age. This, in theory, protects minors from such substances. In worlds where adults and minors mix, the ability to verify someone’s age is greatly compromised. In a world where credit card details can be bought and sold on the black market, does this open a completely new world of ‘verified identity’ sales? We want to protect our children from the sexual predators on the internet of course we do, but will the new measures in age verification actually help? Research states that credit card verification is a more economical and effective check for age. Kids can get access to their parents card information to side step this process, but surely passports and social security numbers are as easily attainable? Asking people to verify their age does not cut out the sexual predator in our world it simply gives them clearance; it does not stop them doing what they want to do. Surely, age verification gives a potential false security. Reading research from the University of New Hampshire, in 95% of cases where an adult on the internet assaulted children, the child knew they were meeting an adult.
• Do we need age verification? Yes we do, we need to protect minors from such content. • Is there a foolproof way to do this? No. • Should something be done? Well that very much depends on whether doing something will actually fix problems and not create new ones. At the moment age verification is voluntary and only on beta testing. For landowners you can voluntarily flag your land as containing ‘adult material’. As customers, if you want to access flagged land you must enter passport, driving licence, or similar information to the Second Life website. During this whole process Linden Lab say they will not store any information. In fact they cross check your entered information and simply get a verified or non-verified answer from their sources. We know security at Linden Labs often leaves an awful lot to be desired. Entering personal information, despite what they say, takes a lot of trust, something many people do not have for LL. I guess like many of us, I am going to sit back and watch this space, I am not going to verify at the moment. Age verification in principal I agree with but with global communities verifying age is a massive can of worms with a great deal of pit falls. Many people are crying out for an official explanation of what actually merits the label of ‘adult material’ something LL has never given. People need answers and people need a valid reason to do something. Unfortunately, these reasons and answers are not coming from Linden. In typical Linden style they listen to the masses then do the opposite without true and proper printed logic Sources: Linden Blog http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/12/05/age-verification-enters-grid-widebeta/#more-1444 Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070515-why-age-verification-wont-curewhat-ails-social-networking-sites.html
Phemie Alcott: SL Songstress Tonight I was lucky enough to head on down to the AWE, and catch on of the live music performances happening throughout the exhibition. Phemie Alcott is a real life singer/songwriter who has been entertaining audiences in SL for some time now, and armed only with her guitar was keeping the audience enthralled with her soulful music and lyrics. Phemie is very influenced by other female artists like PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, and Joni Michell, and very much wears her influences on her sleeve, including performing a cover of Amos’ song “Winter” in her set. Also, since the event was at the Writer’s Exhibition, she also performed a song where she had taken a poem by an sl poet, and then put it to music, much to the delight of the crowd. Once she had finished entertaining the throng in attendance, I managed to grab her to have a quick chat about what it’s like to be a performer in SL:
Voodoo Buwan: So, what inspired you to start performing your music in SL? Phemie Alcott: Well, when I first signed up I had noooo idea what this place was about and then someone told me to check out a show so I did and was fascinated by it. I watched shows for like 4 or 5 months alone just watching and listening and then realized that I could do this myself cuz I have been singing since high school.. Voodoo Buwan: Have there been many challenges getting yourself set up and established inworld? Phemie Alcott: Hahaha…yes…I got a six-channel mixer and figured everything out myself and read Jaycatt’s article on streaming which was very useful. I’ll never forget the first time I tried to stream…laughing…but once I got it going it was fine…except getting a good balance sonically.
Voodoo Buwan: And have the gigs been easy to come by, once you got the technical stuff out the way? Phemie Alcott: at first I just blanket IM’d venue owners...some were really nice and gave me a chance right away and others were not so responsive but mainly I’ve achieved my gigs through word of mouth and just being persistent. Voodoo Buwan: You mentioned that you have been singing since high school. Do you perform in rl? Phemie Alcott: I sang for four years in a very serious rock band in the nineties and did pretty well and then quit for a myriad or reasons and then stopped writing & singing for about 7 years and SL has inspired me to start again. I do not have a RL band now.. just my career in SL. Voodoo Buwan: So, apart from the fact there there are computers between you and your rl audience, what kind of differences are there between performing rl and in sl? Phemie Alcott: that’s a great question. You kind of have to rely on chat a bit to feel if there’s energy in a crowd as opposed to being in a live room. You have to close your eyes and just believe that people are interested in listening...but the really cool thing is that there are some very intimate moments I’ve experienced performing in SL that I don’t believe you could have in a live room. People really tell you what they think while you’re singing which is a unique experience and very cool. You can feel if a crowd is into you or not… Voodoo Buwan: So, what advice would you give to any other budding musicians thinking about making the leap into performing in SL? Phemie Alcott: You have to practice and work at it just as much as in RL. I don’t like it when I go to a show and the artist is unprepared, unpractised and just sloppy. I would like SL to have a reputation for good quality performers and there really are a ton of them to be had. I think learning a wide range of songs is good too. Stick to your style and don’t try to be anyone else. And DON’T get a big head...I hate it when people get cocky just cuz they are getting attention or feel like they are some SL star...grrr...respect the music...that’s what it’s about.
Step back in time? (The following article and published comments are taken directly from our blog. The whole ethos behind Rez was the ability to use our freedom of speech. All articles appearing on Rez Magazine are from the writers own opinions. The Step Back In Time article caused a lot of controversy at the time and all posted comments have also been included to give a sense of the feeling at the time of publishing.)
Everyone remembers with a very keen fondness the first place they became a regular at in Second Life. The 2nd person I ever met in this game was a little alien called Lord Leafblower. We shared similar interests and thoughts on many things, turned out he had a club. Being a newbie, he helped me a great deal figuring how this pixel world worked. The Lava Pit was on the mainland in an area called Bradmoor. It was a proper club, the first time I had seen something like it in sl. Wonderful atmosphere, wonderful people and a jolly good time. You could go shooting or take a dip in the Lava Pit hot springs. At Bradmoor I first met Lord Leafblowers partner Aava Jeego, Eximus Hin & antenna stricken Voodoo Buwan here. From this mainland the Lava Pit progressed to its very own island, called Kiva.
Lord asked if I wanted to work at the pit, and since I had seen it grow on the mainland and then move of course I wanted too. It was a truly wonderful place that I spent 95% of my time at (there was no reason to leave) so work there? Genius idea! THE Lava Pit really was the place to be at the time, I met so many brilliantly colorful people here. Ranging from Big Brother winner Madlen Flint, JamesT Juno & Dana Vanmoer CEOs of sl-newspaper.com, Allasandra Santos, Jenni Briggs, Santanna Suyra, Mama Norfolk, Hajduk Pieck, Eximus Hin, Soulie Steeplechase and of course my initial meeting of a certain Ms Trescothick. At the time The Lava Pit did like no others did, it was a wonderful place to be that also had dancers available, Yes there was sex, the biggest seller in SL, but unlike all places before & after it didn’t ram it down your throat (pardon the pun). It was a popular place to be and even made it into the unofficial SL published guide.
The Pit was about the here and now, it filled a huge gap and was a genuinely fun place to be, the owners were there with a friendly greeting but were subtle with it. The staff all friendly and helpful, it was an extremely unique place to work and chillout however like most good things though, it came to an end on April the 1st 2007.
Really for a great deal of people it was the end of an era, the culmination of months of work. There was no place like it and there will not be again. The mix at the pit was just perfect and perfection is a hard thing to grasp. The Lava Pit went out with one hell of a bang at the final event. Like most other events regularly pulling in 70-90 people at any one time. While The Pit was on a high it closed its doors, in my opinion the only way to do things. Many of us original pitters have wandered since then, it is an irreplaceable club and experience.
Then, along comes Durell Celt, who makes enquiries into having the pit rebuilt. Upon speaking to Lord Leafblower who explains his SL commitments extend too far to rebuild, however he suggests Aimee Trescothick who takes up the task. The challenge of recreating something that you were so close too obviously would be a hard one, Aimee however did a wonderful job. The recreated shell of the new lava pit was like stepping back in time. You could wander onto the dance floor and imagine yourself once again surrounded by your friends at a pit event. It was a beautifully spooky rendition. The build itself was faultless and transferred once finished to Durell’s hands. From here on in its his work. I have been in a few times and witnessed with distress the descent of the pit into its own fiery depths. I will not allow my memories of this wonderful place become tainted by this place. The shell might be the same, but the atmosphere, the people and the times are not even close to it. Obviously you can tell from my article the love that was felt for THE pit, its like that for the regulars not only me. Trying to follow that would be virtually impossible and I am afraid to say the new pit falls very short of the mark. The location of the new lava pit is on a tropical island surrounded by palm trees and pretty sand. Left standing open, raw and looking like a wallflower without its natural volcano. The inside has changed somewhat too, with less camping stools. The dancer areas have changed and is no longer subtle about the sexual offerings here. When somewhere is empty the greetings are also empty. I NEVER walked into the original pit to find no-one there. It simply never happened. It does here. The open access teleporter to the upstairs dancing room is a little ‘tacky’ in my opinion and the rooms themselves leave a lot to be desired. Pictures of rl models with mouths ajar are by no stretch of the imagination subtle. Obviously parts of the original pit are there in prims but never in heart and soul. I am afraid to say you should never go back. It all makes me feel extremely sorry for the poor lava pit fish.
19 comments: Dana said... To an extent i agree and my first couple of visits did not leave me with a good impression, on my third however the hostess was mama norfolk from the ‘old days’ the atmosphere changed almost immediately and I wish her all the luck in the world especially with some of the staff there now. good luck! 05 November 2007 13:14 Voodoo Buwan said... While it’s important to recognise that that DJ Mama is doing her best, and a good job at that, she can only do what she can. I think the important thing here is that it’s another display of why trying to recreate the atmosphere of a particular time and place is always impossible, and that as a wise man once said “You can’t go home again”. When the reason behind recreating such a thing, as I’m under the impression was the reasoning with the pit’s new owner, is to cash in on existing popularity, rather than a love for the source, you will always get a pale imitation. 05 November 2007 13:32 Zora Jefferson said... Hey! Lava Pit is the greatest Club in SL! They have very good Musik and they are very nice! So i like the Club and you should come here and visit it! All the Contests are very good and we have many visitors! The text about the Lava Pit is already a lie! Belive me! 06 November 2007 04:44
Mama Norfolk said... Well I find this article so untrue it shouldnt of been published, we are doing great things at lava , and yes its true we are not all about the sex. We are about the music and people having a good time , not camping to fill empty spaces Like the old pit . We have live music with wonderful performers daily and great djs that play awesome music , daily events , We are proud of this club and sorry some of the old ppl that cant move on cant seem to get over it . But Lava is a great place filled with great staff and happy members come check it out sometime during one of our concerts or events . 06 November 2007 05:01 Cryptid said... Hmm not really sure what to say. IMO the article is well wrote. I do believe that the pit should have stayed buried. It was fun while it lasted but it is the endof that era and has been. Most have gotten on with life in sl. Sad to see some are not so willing to let go. The pit will never be what it once was. Trinity is right it is a shell, barren around it naked without the volcano. Why rebuild something less than what it originally was. Can’t take the pit from its glory as was remembered, strip it into a shell and expect people to flock. I for one am saddened by what it has become. The place wasn’t just a club it was a community. Something that will never be again. Everyone moves on and continues on. Stop clinging to it. There is much better things to do in sl than try and live in a memory. 06 November 2007 06:45 kralingsebosch said... Unfortunately you feel this way. I have one remark for you. Instead of breaking Durell down you better come with some suggestions to make the lava pit the way it was. My opinion about the lava pit now is that the club is a nice place to be. The DJ’s and the hosts do their best to entertain you. 06 November 2007 07:20 Kevin M. said... All I can say is that when I am there whether there is live music or a DJ, the place is rockin. Just like venues in RL, they are not 24/7 and depending on when you visit you might have mixed responses however when I am there I am treated like a king! 06 November 2007 07:33
geno said... Reading the review only reminds me the reason the lave pit fell the first time i was there and some of best moments were the community but most of all was the music and mama taking dj responbilty if anyone can make lava better then the first time is new owners and new members and new direction is going might not be the same lava pit its much better with live music such as kevin and cole marie luvs there music and live events and there concerts.. 06 November 2007 07:50 Koru said... what could i say .the new owner do his best too make a nice place of it so give the man a fair change, and thats the same for mama aswel, i know she is doing her damn best . of cource it is not the old lava and it will never be the same , but what durrell and mama have create was a damn good job 06 November 2007 08:36 Sasha McMillan said... In my opinion Trinity refuses the reopened Lava Pit Point-blank as a matter of principle ‘cause there are some differences. Great people come to the reopened Pit day by day and you can really see that they have much fun with dancing, chatting and the music (by DJs and live concerts). Everyone who enters the club is welcome and Lavas’ partypeople and staff always show that. The Pit has always great events and contests and the staff invests time, much work and money to have fun by seeing that the guests have fun!!! 06 November 2007 08:57 Protekta Gynoid said... When i arrived in SL the Lava Pit was the first club i enter, then it was closed soon, to soon. Now i´am proud to be a dancer in the new Lava Pit. Yes in the NEW Lava Pit. The world and SL is changing. Somthing is in the club better, somthing must changed to fasten to the old club. The old Lava Pit wasn´t perfect from the first day, why should it be different by the new club. We have old stuff Mama, Miriam, MJ and some more and new people, and they do all there best. Criticism is okay, when there are ideas how it could be changed, so where the ideas? 06 November 2007 08:57
Bottled said... It’s not a fair to compare the successfull old Lava Pit to this new initiative. Success depends for a great part on timing in this business and they are still gaining momentum and expanding their group of regular visitors and performers. I believe it has a great chance of performing at the level you describe in your article, and perhaps even top it. Times are achanging and SL is progressing, slowly. The new Lava Pit will evolve into the new era Rock Palace. I enjoy being there and i never really noticed the sex related items you mention. The dancers are very stylish and subtle in their teaser chat-lines. I can only recommend visiting them, it’s a wonderfull club. 06 November 2007 09:39 Trinity Dechou said... What’s important to remember here is that this is my opinion, in a freedom of speech way. By its very nature it’s controversial. I personally attack no-one, and compare old for new nothing more. As far as the new Lava Pit is concerned it is different, it always will be, I am sure in it’s own way will be a success. However in a like for like world I found it disappointing. I, unlike many previous replies, have the experience of both Lava Pits. 06 November 2007 11:14 Tressie Jetaime said... Well written trinity, The Lava Pit should have stayed buried, and remembered for how awesome it was. We visited the new lava pit a few times, which resulted in it being removed from our groups list. We were so disappointed by it, and mostly by how rude the staff were. And I too was there when mama N was there.. 06 November 2007 14:06 Speric Lane said... I must say i agree with several of the above, why recreate a place that was so great? I think i just made a point why. Should we expect it to be like the old days? No, The Lava Pit was about the people who made it what it was. I visited the new lava pit and like most of my fellow old pitties i was disapointed, not because of it being less classy or even the tacky decorations, but by the plain fact that i didn’t bump into my old friends. Like me, most of the old pitties have grown and developed themselfs further into their second life and don’t seem to be bothered enough to be in a club comunity anymore. The Lava Pit was like a place of birth to most of us old pitties and it seems only human to think that such a place should stay in our memories like the place it was.
Trin pointed it out herself, like her i walked into The Lava Pit as a newbie and stayed eversince, i even stayed on kiva for as long as it existed. It’s all about roots, and looking at the reactions from new lava pit visitors, i would think they are just as passioned about the place as we were about the old one. No it’s not the same, it never will be, but do we realy want it to be the same? Imagine a truly exact copy, that doesn’t include your old friends and the vibe that it used to give. No, i think this artical only proves the right for the new lava pit to exist. Therefor i think it’s a very good written artical that points out the things that make people tick in second life: roots and wanting to be connected to all of it involved. The new lava pit will grow and it’s members with it, just like we did with the original one!! on that bombshell i will leave you with much luck and lot’s of fun for the new owners. Speric Lane p.s. if anyone feels attacked by this artical, get a life. (preferably a real one) 06 November 2007 15:18 Aimee Trescothick said... I’ve kept quiet about this so far, but it’s been eating away at me for a while, so I think it’s time I broke my silence for some catharsis. In late August, I received a message from Lord Leafblower saying that he’d been asked if he would rebuild the Lava Pit for a new owner. However due to other commitments he did not have the time available to do so himself, and he asked if I would consider doing the work in his stead. I was flattered that he considered me up to the task of recreating something he had put so much time and effort into originally, and had many fond memories of my time spent at the Pit. I doubted I could do it justice, but with his and other peoples’ assurances that I was up to the task, I pushed all doubts to the back of my mind and took it on. While Lord generously provided many original items, such as the dance machine, art work etc. the building itself was lost. So I collated every picture I could find of the original Pit, taken from every conceivable angle and over a couple of weeks studied and analysed every detail, rebuilding it prim for prim down to exact dimensions, texture repeats and offsets. However, while I did this, those doubts
returned and grew. I came to realise my ability was not the problem, I had created a replica that even Lord referred to as “Spooky”. This is not a boast about my building work, but I wanted it to be right, perfect in every detail, virtually indistinguishable from the original. The problem was I had let my nostalgia cloud my vision; while I can only speak for myself and not for Lord, I now believe we had both made a huge error in judgement. The Pit was special to a great many people, and suddenly I felt like I was defiling its memory by trying to bring it back from the dead. However, I had given my word I would deliver, and I don’t go back on my word once given. So again I pushed away the doubts, and informed the new owner that the club was ready, He then informed me that he was now opening another club first and wouldn’t be able to take delivery. So I continued to stew for a while about whether I should be doing this at all. Eventually I received the go ahead to deliver, so, good to my word I did. I couldn’t rebuild the whole of Kiva, but I placed the replica on it’s new home parcel and carefully landscaped a volcano around it, true to the original. I won’t go into the details of what happened next, but after much bending over backwards, I did everything I could to make the new owner happy and walked away. Shortly after, the volcano disappeared, apparently because “the neighbours would complain”. Yet, this leaves the naked shell of the building hovering in space in a gravity defying fashion, like some proud bird of prey stripped of its feathers. The building is ugly, even without the later additions, and I can say that freely as I (and originally Lord) assembled it, never intending it to be on show as it is now. The green landscaped sides of the volcano formed a far more attractive backdrop to the immediate neighbours’ homes. Their opinions of what is there now are quite clear for anyone to see from their efforts to hide it. I have been back several times since, though other than the opening night, I have been unable to bring myself to enter, it frankly upsets me too much to see what has become of it. I am all in favour of evolution, one of the main principles of the original was that it never stood still; I was forever coming in to find that big changes had been made overnight. But this is not evolution. In rebuilding I simply created a snapshot of what was, which could only sit there as a museum piece. The singular vision, management ethos, and design aesthetic that formed the REAL essence of the Lava Pit have moved on, along with the people that created it and worked there. The fact people loved it so much that, in the fast moving world of SL, six months after its closure people even remember it, let alone want to reuse its reputation, is flattering and testament to what was achieved there. But this is not the Lava Pit. I love Mama, Koru, MasterJ, who I am told are now working there, I am proud to still count them as old friends and I wish them well. I was at least relieved to see names I recognised, I am sure visitors will always receive a warm welcome while they are there. But please, create something new by all means, but move on and don’t use the name and reputation of the Pit. I admit my mistake in trying to resurrect the dead, I can only urge you to do the same. 06 November 2007 19:02
Dana said... I will reserve judgement until durell is finished - he has a lot to do and is still building, so cannot be judged on ‘the pits’ surroundings. I have heard all the comments and can understand most peoples feelings on this, it will never be the pit - the pit we remember was more about the people than the building as speric has said. I don’t see any reason not to give new players the chance to experience some of what we had in those days when we were new to SL, also give them the music which Mama N is concentrating on and allow ‘the pit’ to grow. I think the new PIT has a lot of potential to bring a lot of happiness to new players - to the older players who don’t like what it has become, well, you are entitled to your opinions, some I agree with some I do not, why not allow Durell and Mama to at least finish before judging, we all know how hard finding GOOD staff is! 07 November 2007 09:50 blue said... all i can say is dont judge me, and ye i know i hurt aimees feelings. 07 November 2007 13:26 Voodoo Buwan said... It’s important to see here that this article of course is not a review of the New Pit, but rather a comparison to the old. For those who were there in the past, the new pit is in many many ways a shadow of it’s former self. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have it’s good points, and getting, for my money, SL’s best DJ involved in the running of it was a master stroke. However, the biggest question for my mind is WHY bring it back at all. It will never be the old pit, for the MANY reasons above that I won’t say again. And all the fantastic things like the people there, the music, the atmosphere, and the dancers and sex (if you like that kinda thing) would no doubt be just as good if some creativity had been used, rather than digging up the corpse of a much loved time and place, and trying to give it a makeover and inviting people to come make friends with it. Why invite comparison with the old pit by using it’s name and rep. Why not let this new club stand on it’s own, and become the club it is destined to be in it’s own right?
The Foundation For Rich Content Second Life is a world designed to be shaped by the ideas and imaginations of the many and varied people who call it their second home. However, in order to express your ideas or create and build the designs that you have rattling around in your head, most residents find that they need money, meaning that to an extent, you could be fooled into thinking that the world of SL is only really available to those fortunate enough to be able to afford to finance their own ideas coming to fruition, meaning the wealthy are the only ones able to afford providing content. Fortunately, there are organisations in existence such as the Foundation for Rich Content (FFRC), a non for profit group set up by sl residents with the goal of “foster diversity and richness in content and events in Second Life�, acting as a kind of arts council within our virtual community, to aid the those who have ideas that would be beneficial, inspiring or entertaining to the residents of SL as a whole, but don’t have the funding to properly get their ideas off the ground. Founded by RyeDin Meiji, the group is largely run by committee, chaired by Persephone Phoenix, with others offering their services to the group, such as Gabe Lippmann working as Treasurer and Jamys Vuckovic as their archivist. To find out a little more about the fine work that they are carrying out, I met up with Persephone, to find out a little more about this collective and what they have been up to:
Voodoo: What was the inspiration behind the founding of the FFRC? Persephone Phoenix: I am not able to speak for Rye, but the impetus began in the SL forums back in 2005 when Linden Labs cut funding for events. It was a hotly debated topic and I was one of the people voicing concern for events that might die off if they did not find a way to cover costs. Back then, mind you, funding was pretty small, but it might cover some of the costs of tier or prizes for contests, etc; a modest host fee. Anyway, in the midst of all the wet t-shirt contests and other content (content we suspected could be self-sustaining) there were community events, arts and culture events, and sporting events that a few people were rallying around. So there, on the SL Forums, the idea was tossed around about a funding foundation that was resident run that could help support content that enriches the lives of sl residents. And voila, the FFRC was born.
Voodoo: So, how many people are involved in running the Foundation itself? Persephone Phoenix: Well it is an open group so the membership is pretty big, but on average we probably see between seven and fifteen people at meetings. We keep it an open group and keep our proceedings public (chatlogged publicly) so that we can obtain the highest degree of transparency possible in Second Life. As a group doing not for profit work, distributing public funds, it is important to us to operate in a transparent fashion. But in terms of people donating tier, or donating money or time on some level, we probably have at least 100 supporters. Voodoo: Yes, on the subject of funds, you supply grants and funding for events and projects. Where does the money for this come from? Is it all individual donations? Persephone Phoenix: Yes. Largely we get donations from individuals in second life, however we have sometimes gotten funding from organizations and have something in the works with a corporate presence in SL. In the past, we helped to distribute funds from the RL nonprofit City Stages as part of their awareness-building campaign. I am hoping that we’ll be able to distribute a press release, soon, about our involvement in allocating a land grant for a corporate presence in SL. The press release is undergoing the approval process. Voodoo: How do you decide which particular projects are worthy of funding, as obviously there is no shortage of ideas in SL? Persephone Phoenix: Ah that’s a great question. We meet once per month and four of those meetings per year will be meetings at which we evaluate applications for funding. Anyone is welcome to come and listen or offer opinions (though we try to stay on task as much as possible since there is much to be done at those meetings), but only members of the FFRC who have been members for longer than one month may vote. Voting must occur during meetings. People can proffer opinions via the email group if they won’t be there, but to vote one must be present in avatar. Our proceedings are all public and can be found easily by googling SL Foundation For Rich Content. We also require that people don’t vote on projects in which they have a vested interest, where there might be a conflict of interest. Voodoo: I was just about to ask, has anyone ever tried to use the FFRC for their own personal gain, rather than the nature for which it is intended? Persephone Phoenix: I don’t think so, honestly. One thing that speaks well of an application is if the applicant has had a successful history of producing rich content. Voodoo: How would you define “Rich Content”? Persephone Phoenix: Ah, well this might well be defined a bit differently by each member. I can only answer for myself, but when I think of rich content, I think of something that brings fun into the lives of SL residents. I also think of things that deepen the experience of residents.
Voodoo: Do you have any personal favourites out of the projects that the FFRC has helped take place? Persephone Phoenix: Oh several. I really loved the “Vaudeville in SL” project, for example, where we helped fund Osprey Thereian’s project that actually produced vaudeville style acts for performances in SL and the “Learn to Sail” project, where we funded classes in the Hollywood Sim that taught people how to use sailboats in SL... I love the Crescent Moon Museum and am proud to have had the FFRC be part of its opening, We’ve funded many events and provided general funding to The Shelter, which helps so many new residents become acclimatized to SL and we also funded a project that is in the works by Phorkyad Acropolis to produce greek theatre in SL.
Voodoo: So finally, I guess I would ask, if someone wishes to get involved, or has an idea for a project, and would like funding, what should they do? Persephone Phoenix: Awesome question. If someone wishes to get involved, all they need do is stop by our meeting which is at 1pm SL time on the first Saturday of the month. The group is free to join (search groups and sign up for it to get group notices and see proposals, etc.) If someone were to wish to donate (and each donation is a big help) he or she should donate to FFRC Accounting Control. And if a person or group thinks they have a project that adds to the lives of SL residents, they should grab an application (an updated one will be available soon via the googlegroups page and distributed also at our Sami (228,147) location and on SL Forums) and fill it out. A person could also say hello to me and I’d be happy to pass one along. The easiest way to get information on what the FFRC is doing is to join the group inworld or to join the google group.
DE Designs - 3rd Birthday What’s your Achilles heel in SL? You know the kind; the place you ALWAYS go either to hang out or to spend money? One of mine is DE Designs. A wonderfully, beautifully different clothing shop in SL. With a real sense for fantasy, gothic 3D designs DE catches my attention each and every-time.
DE is approaching its 3rd birthday (I know this from the fan group!). With a new outfit planned for the birthday (previews on the blog). I had the privilege of speaking to DoC Eldritch the owner and sole DE artist.
Trin - DE Designs is approaching its 3rd birthday, can you tell our readers the highs and lows of the last 3 years? DoC - The high for me is what I have learned personally as far as creating these designs. Taking the 2-D aspect of clothes in SL and making them look as 3-D as possible. This has also allowed me to get into doing more art work. Something I had never done before. When I get im’s from someone saying how much they enjoy and outfit, or how they love a background, that’s my high. Lows, hmmm, I try my best not to get down about things. There are going to be those days when SL isn’t running right, something happens and you get dozens of im’s, someone “sets” you off so to speak or everything just piles up at once and I have to step away. You’re going to have those days in any business be it SL or RL. You learn how to deal with situations, take a breath and focus that energy in what you enjoy doing. It’s easier said then done at times. Trin - What was your inspiration behind DE? DoC - For the most part I wanted DE to be somewhere anyone could shop for clothes. Regardless of your appearance and or preferences, I had something to fit. As far as the designs, it really all depends on my frame of mind in a given week to be honest. Some weeks I want to create complex Ladies and Men’s matches, while other weeks I rather do a trendy or formal design.
Trin - Do you do all work on the outfits including promo pictures etc? Doc - Yes I do. In the last year in particular all my backgrounds have been drawn in Photoshop. A lot of times it may take me just as long to draw the background ad as make the outfit but it is something I enjoy doing now. I have always done all of my ad’s however since day one. Trin - Roughly how many outfits do you have and what is your favorite style of clothes for designing? DoC - Its over 1000 I know. I’m not really sure on an exact number however. At this time I enjoy doing the Fantasy style the most. Trin - Do you have any fashion experience in RL? DoC - None at all, most of my items lean towards an art, fantasy and or gothic old world look however. Trin - What does the next 3 years hold for DE Designs do you think? DoC - Hard to say, I take things day by day. I have expanded somewhat into other things outside of SL but I won’t to the point where it affects me creating for SL. Hopefully there will be more options within SL to expand creations, such as in the last few years with Flex and Sculpt options. A couple more clothing layers as well as another face layer would be great. I personally adore DE Designs and turn into a child at Christmas when I go there. Its never out of my cache! Check it out in world here and the official blog here.
Where’d Everybody Go? There’s a lot of press given to RL businesses coming to SL, and investing in the media of the virtual world to reach whole new markets. Big name Companies specialising in almost every industry imaginable set up shop, in a flare of pomp and publicity, to spread the word of themselves and their products through this untapped new market. Mobile telephone companies set up sims to allow users to send texts from inside the game. Record companies set up sims so you can listen to new album tracks before you buy. Finance companies set up sims to give advice to potential customers on what loans are on offer to them. Each of these stories get reported on, another example of how our little game is the future. It’s the new way. Coke know about SL! MTV know about SL! Even rock band Oasis know they should be in here, to boost sales of their new DVD.... but there is another story. The movie production company Fox Atomic, burst into SL with a high profile competition in SL, providing avatars based on their films, to allow people to take pictures or record a sl film to win big prizes. They set up a sim, http://slurl.com/ secondlife/Fox%20Atomic/122/141/23, where sets from the films were set out, and movie making equipment for people to make their own inworld films. However, since that time, they made one more appearance, to plug their presence at the San Diego Comic Con back in February, and the only person who ever seems to be at the sim these days is the guy who pops in to clear away the griefer debris that gets scattered around the this ghost town. The only thing they contribute to sl these days is that their sim has the same eeire deserted feeling as their film “28 weeks later”, only without the promise of zombie related excitement on any horizon. American television company, NBC, set up sim NBC1, http://slurl.com/secondlife/ NBC%201/128/128/0, and created a fantastic New York sim, centered round a central skyscraper. This building contained the Peacock Room, a venue where NBC would proudly broadcast a live performance once a week by a signed musical artist, both via video link, and also with an avatar representing the artist or band, in order for them to take questions from the audience. These events were so popular that the sim would be full every week. I personally went and covered one of these gigs, and had to turn up half an hour early to have a chance to get in before the sim filled to capacity. For those who could not get in, they were able to go and view the event at various satellite sites, showing the video of the performance in rl, and also at the Peacock Room, complete with avatars dancing away in the stylish venue. What more could
NBC want? What better publicity that hosting possibly the premier weekly live music event in Secondlife, that has people beating at the door to your sim. Making yourself the biggest name in SL entertainment as well as being one of the giants in RL. And yet, the events concluded with Joan Osbourne back in June and since then this site also sits empty. In fact, the posters from the Osbourne gig haven’t been cleared away, and some kind soul has chucked rugs all over the reflective floor, and there are no signs anyone is gonna clear them out either. Linden Labs would like you to believe that RL companies have a love affair with SL, that will prove a cash injection that will continue to keep our community on the cutting edge well into the future. Yet, it seems less of a love affair, and more of a one night stand, as big business has it’s fun with us, gets the heat and the glory, then sneaks out, leaving abandoned sims like stained bedspreads as they tiptoe out the door, looking for the next flavour of the month to claim conquest of, and we’re left behind, like yesterdays news, wondering how long the big shots will keep thinking we’re attractive.
Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2008 From Trin & Voo
Our Locations In World Influenced by classical buildings the office at Carpe Diem (http://slurl.com/ secondlife/Haven%20Shire/205/99/22/) is above an art gallery. The office is in keeping with the style of the building and offers a different style completely to Monema.
Our Monema Office (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Monema/97/81/58) is a more grungy building, combining a place to chill out and discuss ideas while dancing or playing games downstairs with a professional office enviroment upstairs.