Saturday, July 31, 2010

Last Call for Fun at the 2010 RFL Track

Unlike 2009, there was no one big tear-down party at the Relay for Life track this year. Instead, there were a number of smaller events in the hours leading up to when everything was due to be taken down. Among the last of these parties, an improvised celebration at a flooded RFL sim.

For the story, go to People

Reader Submitted: Avatar Artwork


A drawing of my avatar given to me by the multi-talented Alleara Snoodle. If only I could do even half this well.

I never smoked in real life or Second Life, but Alleara told me she was trying to create a "Bogart" look, the old-fashioned gumshoe reporter.

Many thanks Alleara, even if my avatar's feet are too big for most shoes. :-)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*Addition* Alleara made a slight addition to the press badge, now shown.

SL Poetry - Ocean Home

Once again, Shellie Sands' muse has inspired another poem. Her latest is an aquatic fare: "Ocean Home."

To read the poem, go to Extra.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Marney Wolfhunter to Hold Reading Event Series at Book Island

On a trip to Book Island, I met up with Marney Wolfhunter, a writer and publisher, founding a company aimed at “alternative” writers. She will be hosting a regular book reading event at Book Island starting Tuesday August 3rd. She talked a little about her own works, and those at the upcoming writers’ event.

For the story, go to Events.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Update on Tuna Oddfellow of the Odd Ball

Tuna Oddfellow and his partner Shava Suntzu, the owners of the unique “Odd Ball” show, have had some troubled times this year, with Tuna falling ill. Second Life Newser recently met up with them, to see how their situation has changed.

Read the story in People.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Delinda Dyrssen "Taking Flight" at the Snail Races

Delinda Dyrssen took part in a “Special Edition” snail race as part of Relay for Life. To her relief, she and the others took part in smaller snail avatars than normal. Although it was much easier for her to steer, quite a bit went wrong, the results sometimes hilariously awry.

Read the story in People.

Glistening Treasures

Last week, Gemma went to The Village International sim and got a look at it’s art. This week, she returns to see it’s jewlery show, one with a wide range of jewelers.

For the story, go to Events.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Science Friday - “Making Science Radioactive” in Second Life

On July 23rd 2010, I was able to attend the broadcast of Science Friday in Second Life. From about 10AM to Noon SL time (1-3PM EST), the National Public Radio program Science Friday is broadcast in the north west corner of the Science School sim, in the Sci-Lands, which includes places such as the International Space Museum and the NOAA area.

The setup for the show was fairly simple, a couple blocks with its name, a blackboard, a chair next to the blackboard, and during shows numerous chairs in the air. This is not lag hiding stands under the chairs. To get up and into the circle of chairs, one has to sit on the chair on the ground, and it promptly flies up into the air, a copy left behind in it’s place. In the middle was a kitty tip jar, asking for donations.

This show talked about a variety of subjects. Their first subject was “How Pleasure Works,” which they talked about why people consider things pleasing, including why some people apparently like being scared or having pain inflicted, which got some chuckles among the audience. They also talked about the race nearly a century ago to see whom would be the first man to the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott. Next was a robot fish which could get other fish to follow it. The second hour of the program talked about the latest news on AIDS. There was also a discussion about the geology behind oil fields, why were some more productive? Finally, they talked about the climate scientist Stephen Schneider whom died that week.

Science Friday has a history in Second Life. In the past, the program host, Ira Flatow, appeared in his own avatar at the set. Residents could IM him questions about the topic discussed. But in late May, I was told by a resident that the broadcasts in the Metaverse would soon be ending, one of the reasons being the cost of the virtual land. But as it turned out, it was not the end. Others stepped in to give the Science Friday set a new home. Kat2 Kit provided the tip jar to collect donations.

The Science Friday set is located in the Science School sim at (26, 210, 26). The Science Friday Radio program has a website at: http://sciencefriday.com/. Kat2 Kit had a video of some of the program in the ‘net: Here.

Source: Science Friday

Bixyl Shuftan

Monday, July 26, 2010

ADA at Virtual Ability

Saturday there was a full day of presentations at the Virtual Ability Community in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the civil rights legislation that gave protection to the rights of persons with disabilities. The Sojourner Auditorium was filled with people for the presentations.

I was able to attend the 10:00 talk by Eve Mavin in Second Life (real-life: Cindy Tandy, LCSW, Ph.D.) whom is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Valdosta State University in Georgia). The talk and slides recounted the history of the poignant fight for rights for the disabled and also explained just who these people are and how long it took to obtain these rights. She reminded us of the deplorable conditions in which people lived in the distant and near past before they were recognized for their abilities.

Eve reminded us “Businesses and corporations have learned that it’s smart to hire people with disabilities — it improves their workforce and the performance of their bottom line dollar figure — people with disabilities are often better workers. They are on time and have fewer sick days than their temporarily-abled co-workers. Starting in 3 days, the National Council on Disability will host a conference in Washington DC in honor of the 20th anniversary of the ADA.

The “Summit” will be a national dialogue on disability policies and programs in the 21st century — to begin conversations about the future of disability laws. It was an inspiring speech pointing out that the law is in place but there is still much to be done. Gentle Heron said of the speech, “Wow I am impressed to see how the ADA has evolved. We have a way to go, but considering where treatment of people with disabilities used to be..... we've come a long way.”

You can find much information at Virtual Ability 53,148, 22. Take a walk around.

Gemma Cleanslate

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Reader Submitted: RFL Crystal Coaster

Erix Oh, the guardian feral fox of Skybeam, sent over this little You-tube of a roller-coaster mine ride at the Relay for Life area last weekend. Worthy of an action movie, for those who missed it, including myself, here's a chance to see the Crystal Mine Coaster.



Submitted by Erix Oh

Former T Linden Hired by Vacation Home Rental Business

Among the Lindens let go during the “Restructuring” last month at Linden Lab was T-Linden. Thomas Hale in real life, he was the Lab’s Chief Product Officer, or CPO, most known for the development of the unpopular Viewer 2. He has recently found himself another Job

On July 14th, the vacation home rental company HomeAway announced they were hiring Hale as their new CPO, “a newly created position at the company.” Of him and their other hire, Brent Bellm of Paypal, “HomeAway is fortunate to be able to attract these two talented and seasoned professionals to our business.”

It listed his experience with several companies, Second Life included, as qualifications, one company he worked for being a “capital investor” in HomeAway. They also noted that he was, “an avid traveler and vacation rental owner himself.”

HomeAway also operates BedandBreakfast.com, “the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties.“

Sources: TechCrunch, PRNewswire, HomeAway

Bixyl Shuftan

Friday, July 23, 2010

More Scenes From The RFL Walk

As big as the Relay for Life was, lots of pictures were taken. Here are a number that didn't make it on earlier postings.

To see the pictures, go to People.

For Art’Sake

The dedication of a whole sim to Art for Arts promotion in Second Life has always intrigued me. Nathaniel Somerset and Stacy Braveheart have created a setting at The Village International for a marvelous collection of artists in place. The Village has been open since May of this year.

Nathaniel Somerset is an American digital artist and photographer. In real-life, he is a photographer. In virtual worlds, he concentrates on ”finding unusual creations or settings and capturing them in unexpected ways, creating images that are striking and capturing the feel of a virtual reality.” The artists exhibiting in the sim will be showing and refreshing their exhibits for the long term. In the sim there is also the "mhMm YeSss" Club, which features well known DJ’s and live performances on Fridays and Sundays at present. 7Seas fishing is available and contests are also held weekly or more often. But the art is the main attraction and the inspiration for the sim.

Nathaniel’s vision came from his desire to provide a place to show his own art. ”I was working on expanding my own gallery for my photographs and invited some others to display their work. I also was visiting galleries and realized there are few sims dedicated to art.” I asked Nathaniel how he was able to get so many artists in one place. He answered, “ Well I had seen many of their works exploring galleries. So I started inviting them to show their work, and some referred me to some of the people they admired too.”

One of the best features is that most of the artists include information about their art available in a notecard as you enter their area. As you wander through the displays you will be amazed at the variety of styles you will encounter. There is something for everyone’s taste. If you are looking for an addition to your own collection you will certainly find it there.

In keeping with the theme of artistic enhancement, the couple are planning a Jewelry show with many jewelry designers displaying their work in the sim from July 25 through July 31. Stacy has been working hard to attract jewelers who will be in keeping with the artistic theme of the sim. The jewelers who will be represented are Narita Rayna of Ticky Tacky, Lake Swords of Bodywear Jewelry, Ninja Petion of Digital Dragon, Tjake Kearny of Jewelry by Jake, Carrie Granti of CGUK and NIRVANA, Mericatherine Quinnell of Exquisite Jewellery, P4style Freenote of Milady’s and Tommy Angon of Culture Fine Jewelry. A wonderful collection of jewelry designers.

Of her work in the sim she says, “I actually enjoy working with Nate to make his vision come true. ... He has been my love for over a year and we compliment each others talents so well. He is my muse when I build. I'm his with his art.” During that jewelry week there will be live singers and other events. When you visit the sim be sure to set a landmark because the artists will be changing and adding to their exhibits often. Nathaniel and Stacy are always planning for additions and changes that will enhance the sim and add to the enjoyment of the visitors.

You can keep up with the events and activities going on there by visiting their website: http://forartsakemusings.blogspot.com/. The entrance to the sim can be found here, at The Village International sim at (163, 115, 26).

Gemma Cleanslate

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Tart Gallery Celebrates 3rd Anniversary

The Tart Gallery, noted for giving new artists a chance to be seen in Second Life, recently celebrated their third anniversary. This month's featured artist, Lisa Petrucci. A former gallery curator in real life, she was inspired to do artwork of her own.

Read more in Events.

King Kong vs Mega-Macro Lomgren

Among the unofficial events held in in the Relay sims between the Walk and the teardown was a party thrown by the Relay Rockers. A party crasher soon appeared in a gorilla big enough to be King Kong’s cousin. How does one top a giant ape? One skilled builder in the party had a way.

Read the story in People.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Cartoon of the Day


By Bixyl Shuftan

RFL: Scenes from The Walk

There were far more pictures taken of the Relay for Life Walk than could be fitted in the article on July 20. So here are a few.

To go to the pictures, go to People.

Roselinda’s Paradise Party

Gemma Cleanslate and her partner Quark Allen were recently invited to a party at the Roselinda's Paradise sim. The place is very well done, with a private art gallery with items collected over years, and visitors had a chance to look. But that wasn't all, there was also plenty of music, a number of DJs, and even an appearance by CraigLyons Writer. It was a party not soon forgotten.

Read the story in Events.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Relay For Life: Walking the Walk

For those in Relay for Life in Second Life, the weekend of July 17-18 was *the* event of their activities and fundraising. This was the moment they had all worked for. With over 1500 avatars in 139 teams taking part in forty sims, this was one of the big events in the Metaverse.

For the article, Click Here in Events

Eye on the Blog: Philip’s “Update on Strategy, Call for an In-World Meeting”

In his latest blog post, Philip Linden talked about what Linden Lab was doing, and announced there would be an in-world meeting soon, before the end of the month.

Philip came out to say Linden Labs had quite a bit of work to do in making Second Life more appealing to most computer users, and admitted Linden Labs was working on projects that it should have waited for until other things were taken care of. The Lab, he stated, was calling it’s current direction “back to basics.”

“First on the list,” Philip stated, “should be a big attack on lag and crashes, clearly things that very negatively impact all users.” Second, Philip talked about “need to more rapidly improve and innovate Second Life. ... in the short term you can expect to see greatly shortened release cycles across all our systems and ... lots of community feedback as a first result of those efforts.” He also stated Second Life would be sticking with Viewer 2, hoping to “very rapidly make Viewer 2.x the best and most widely-used Second Life viewer.” The negative reaction many residents have to the new viewer was not addressed.

Also talked about was Second Life’s “virtual content” market economy, expecting it to be around a total of $600 million US dollars in 2010. He wanted to “redirect efforts to improve and grow that market as quickly as possible. Making content and experience creators more successful is what ultimately drives the growth of Second Life.” He stated he wanted to make it easier for residents to buy and use products in SL, but did not go into specifics in the post as to how Linden Labs would accomplish this.

Philip wanted to talk about these, and other issues, more openly with the residents, “Before the end of July, we will also hold an in-world gathering where we can talk more about these plans and take questions. More details about how we can best get a big group together and talking will be coming in another post.”

Philip went on to say that Linden Labs would not be focusing on a web-based client, Linden Lab was “not planning to change Second Life to exclude any categories of users.” He suggested the work on that idea was being “reduced,” to concentrate on “a single effective system that is better for all categories of user” before it could go back to “how to customize it for different markets.”

He closed his post by thanking the Second Life residents, “in particular those people who sent me the many heart-warming email messages of support that I've received since returning.” He asked that the emails continue, saying that the questions and issues brought up in them were helping to guide his policies, I can't say that I can read or respond to everything, but I have gotten great value from many of the well-written thoughts I've received.”

For the complete blog and comments: Click Here

Monday, July 19, 2010

RFL Walk Scenes: Exterminate Cancer


Well, yours truly stuck around in SL too late to finish writing his article. Rather than leave you the readers empty handed, here's a scene of several "Dr. Who" Dalek avatars scooting down in a row (they made Daleks in colors?).

Guess they're off to "Exterminate" cancer.

More to come, but for now, off to bed.

Bixyl Shuftan.

SL Poetry - I Know A Man

Shellie Sands has been at work with her poetry again. Her latest work, "I Know a Man."

See the poem in "Extra Extra"

Sunday, July 18, 2010

24 Hours of Relay for Life

It's been quite a time at the Relay for Life walk with my friends. Unlike my determined lady friend here, not going to try to stay up all night. Stay tuned for pictures and a few stories.

Bixyl Shuftan

Saturday, July 17, 2010

The 2010 Relay for Life Walk

The Relay philosophy is: We are here so that those who face cancer will be supported, that those who have lost their battle will not be forgotten, and so that one day cancer will be eliminated.

On July 17th & 18th we will do just that. Below is a list of Ceremonies and Activities that will take place at the July 2010 Relay. It is a Relay tradition to keep one person from each team on the track at all times. We know that your teams will have a member walking the track all through the 24-hour period, as is the tradition of Relay any place or any time, but do take some time to participate in the ceremonies and various activities when you are not walking the track.

All ceremonies are broadcast live on the Official Radio Station for Relay - T1Radio and we encourage all campsites to turn their streams to the station so everyone may hear the ceremonies.

http://t1radio.serverroom.us:8242

Saturday, July 17th:
10:00am - 11am - Opening Ceremonies
11:00am - 12:00pm - Survivor Hour
12:00pm - 1:00pm - Caregivers Hour
9:00pm - 10:00pm - Luminary Ceremony
4:00pm - 5:30pm - Inspirational Storytelling Play

Sunday, July 18th:
6:00am - 7:00am - Fight Back Ceremony (The Cape Story)
7:00am - 8:30am - Live Auction done in Voice (entertainment sim)
9:00am - 10:00am -Closing Ceremonies
10:00am - FIREWORKS!

Themed Hours - Various stations and signs placed around the Relay sims will display which theme is scheduled for every hour. Get in the spirit and have some fun while walking the track! Have your banana suits and bicycles ready!

Continued in Events

More Preview Scenes

More pictures of what's for store for residents in the Relay for Life Walk.

Continued in Places.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Update Chaos: Trouble at the Bunny Ranch

Shellie Sands recently had some more trouble with her Ozanimal bunnies. Frequent updates from the company for her means trouble with her bunnies as they suddenly become unable to eat. Poor Shellie has to find the solution before her pets end up going to the carrot patch in the virtual sky.

Read the story in Extra.

Master Shipwright SimplyAmy Iwish

Grey Lupindo recently took a trip to the Victorian Age as she traveled to Caledon. There, she met up with an airship builder, Master Shipwright SimplyAmy Iwish. Chatting with her about these large aircraft, Grey had in store for her quite an experience.

To read the story, go to People.

Prieview Scenes of the RFL Walk

The Relay for Life Walk isn't officially open yet. But Second Life Newser got a chance to look at a few places on and off the track.

For the pictures, go to Events.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Cartoon of the Day

by Bixyl Shuftan

Club Zero Gravity and Purrfection Estates

Recently, after months of being packed away, a popular club was put back into service: Club Zero Gravity. On May 31, 2010 Nydia Tungsten announced it’s return, much to the joy of fans whom last year and before enjoyed dancing away in the space club.

Club Zero Gravity is not a new club, having had a history lasting a few years and a few incarnations. Shockwave Yarearch built the club, which was soon owned by Spectra Ninetails. Under Ranchan Weidman, the club took on a form much like it is today. Today with a few modifications, it is jointly owned by noted DJ Nydia Tungsten and Elphias Kojishi, the owner of Purrfection Estates in which the club flies overhead.

Ranchan called Zero Gravity, “One of the more open space clubs that I've seen or been to.” From outside, it appears like a station somewhere in outer space. On one end is the old landing platform, which in the past was where people teleported in. At the other end is the Zero Gravity Shop, which is where people teleport into currently. It offers some goods for sale, including some science-fiction items.

The main section is the social area, which naturally is where at the club spend most of their time in. Built for a unique look, the dance area has no real outer walls, but a force field around bands of metal curving around the interior. The DJ stand is on the edge of a large metallic disk in the middle, given a high-tech near-transparent look. Around the stand are a few floating platforms for poledancers, including one “zero-gravity” one built to hang upside down. The DJ and dancers have coin stack tip jars that get taller as the amount of money tip grows. Spokes under the station’s glass floor slowly rotate around. There is even a small alien-looking “pet” bounding from place to place, breaking the stillness for anyone dropping in between parties.

The most recent addition to the club is the small “private room” at the top, accessible by a metallic ramp from the dance floor. It was built intended for use between parties, either people just sitting around and chatting, or a dancer performing on the pole there for a small private party. All of these features combined result is a high-tech look that reminds one of how a space-age dance floor in a science-fiction movie would appear.

Nydia Tungsten was busy with Relay for Life fundraising, so left it up to co-owner Elphias Kojishi to meet up with Second Life Newser to discuss the new Club Zero Gravity. Bringing up Nydia being more familiar with the audience and sometimes thought of as the sole owner, "It's a popular misconception, mostly because I sit in the background, but I along with Miss Tungsten own Club Zero. People just don't see a lot of me around here because Miss Tungsten works so hard (giggle). She's epic. I asked Miss Tungsten to either build (a club) or find one, and I would finance it. And she came up with Club Zero.”

Elphias had first heard about Second Life through another online world: Furcadia, “A friend of mine played both and told me to try it. I did and was hooked (grin). I skipped through Orientation Island ... jumped right to the main grid. I ended up by trying to make a home for myself, me and my mate ... I built up a wonderful network of family and friends. ... I got sick of renting land from others ... So I wanted my own sim.”

Purrfection Estates was also the first sim she bought, “I’m kind of new at this. ... only a few months old. I bought it from the previous owner who didn’t want it any more. ... There were people here, but they chose to vacate for various reasons. The sim was kind of needing a club. ... My staff and I all work very hard to make this a special place, even though we don’t have tons of money. We do what we can. (smile)”

Elphias had first heard of Club Zero only about a week before Nydia declared it open, “We had started another club down below, but Miss Tungsten thought this one was better. She was right (big grin).” She was very pleased with the attendance on it’s opening night, “I was overjoyed. Finally the sim was being used for what I had hoped for. .. and we even have a mall.”

Purrfection Estates itself has other sci-fi features. “We are part of the HoO/Novatech Tardis network too,” Elphias, an admitted “Dr Who geek” explained, “Hands of Omega, builds these Tardises, they act as teleporters to anywhere that has build rights. They’re really handy for in sim travel and intersim travel.” She went on to say those living in her sim had access to special rooms in the Tardis, notably a movie theater. Purrfection is also connected to the Stargate network , “Basically it does the same thing as the Tardis does. It just looks kinda cooler (grin). ... we wanted to make our sim fun.” The sim also features water fun such as boating, swimming, and 7Seas fishing.

Elphias plans on having a tail sale (bachelor/bachelorette auction to those not familiar with furry and neko areas) to raise funds for the sim, “rest assured it will be something to attend. (grin)”

So for a unique club with a space-age theme, rocket away to Club Zero Gravity. And if you feel like exploring around after the party, take a Tardis down to Purrfection.

Club Zero is at the Purrfection Estates sim at (224,11, 3365 )

Bixyl Shuftan

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

MCA Exhibit at the Criss Museum

The Criss Museum of Contempora in Alajulea has four exciting artists showing their work at the gallery now. I went to take a look and found them all enticing in their varied styles. Their works are on the three floors of the museum, so don’t miss any part of the exhibit.




The setting at the Criss is enjoyable and if you like you can request a guided tour of the Museum and the artists by sending a message to Scotj Criss, Katrina Burner, or Lana Simondsen. There are orbs located on the ground floor that will let you send a message to each of them. As you arrive at the entry you will see a board filled with upcoming events.


The Museum is at Alajuela (182/74/22)

Gemma Cleanslate

The Redheads' RFL "Fanta-Sea" Party

It's not every day most in Second Life have a chance to go to a mermaid party. And when the RFL group Passionate Redheads decided to take their antics "under the sea" on Tuesday July 13th, they were joined by a number of residents. Some of whom had various mermaid or merman avatars. Others just brought scuba gear, or just held their breath until they could get to an air space under the rocks.

The party went on for two hours from 5 PM SL time to 7. During this time, Redhead Dusk Griswold caused a brief amount of mock panic when the bunnygirl showed up with a fishing pole, "She's gonna fish us!" "I think Dusk wants to catch a man." But instead she caught a few 7Seas fish, then put the rod away and joined in the swimming dances.

With just a few days until the RFL Walk, the Passionate Redheads are third among the teams in Second Life in raising cash (first is Circle of Life), and Redhead leader Sabine McGettigan has been the second most successful individual fundraiser with $520 US dollars, passing her goal of $500.

Bixyl Shuftan

It's Time to RELAY!

After four months of fundraising, avatars representing cancer survivors, caregivers, their families and supporters will be gathering on July 17-18 for the sixth annual Relay For Life® of Second Life 24-hour track event.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe (and in Second Life) a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At the Relay For Life of Second Life, teams of people build ‘campsites’ located on a set of designated, connected sims and take turns walking or running around a track. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, the Relay For Life of Second Life event is overnight and lasts 24 hours.

The theme of this year’s Relay is ‘Wishing on a Cure’. We look forward to welcoming you at the Welcome Area: http://slurl.com/secondlife/RELAY%20FOR%20LIFE/235/28/22.

Below is a list of ceremonies and activities that will take place at the July 2010 Relay.

Saturday, July 17
10:00am - 11am - Opening Ceremonies
11:00am - 12:00pm - Survivor Hour
12:00pm - 1:00pm - Caregivers Hour
9:00pm - 10:00pm - Luminary Ceremony
4:00pm - 5:30pm - Inspirational Storytelling Play

Sunday, July 18
6:00am - 7:00am - Fight Back Ceremony (The Cape Story)
7:00am - 8:30am - Live Auction done in Voice (entertainment sim)
9:00am - 10:00am -Closing Ceremonies
10:00am - FIREWORKS!

Themed Hours - Various stations and signs placed around the Relay sims will display which theme is scheduled for every hour. There are some great themes planned so have your crazy hats, birthday outfits, banana suits and bicycles ready and have some fun walking round the track! For a complete list of themes see the Event Information on
http://relayforlife.org/secondlife.

Round-the-clock activities:

Live Music - four sims are dedicated to a stage area where our favorite Second Life live music artists will perform. A specially designed stage for the performers and a large open dance floor and dance machines for all to enjoy! Watch posted signs for scheduling!

The Scavenger Hunt - Hidden on each of the four corner sims on the Relay track (Dedication, Acceptance, Imagine, and Survive) are clues with a question related to cancer. Find the clue, answer the question correctly and get a prize. You may even learn a few things you did not know. Each question has four responses and you get four tries to answer it correctly, so keep trying till you get it right. You will then receive clues about the location of the next hidden question along the way.

Auctions - Silent Auction and Live Auction. There will be a silent auction running from 10am - 10am, a full 24 hours, featuring incredible art items by some of the best artists in SL. Memorable pieces honor survivors, caregivers, victims, and the fight against cancer itself, along with other pieces. The Silent Auction features clothing, one-of-a-kind items, and more. Starting at 7:00am there will be a Live Auction done in Voice of even more incredible items!

Fishing - You know a diet healthy in fish is good for preventing cancer, so come catch your virtual dinner. The Design team has set up a beautiful area for fishing in our Water Sailing and Fishing sim. Visit the vendor on the dock, buy the supplies you need and fish! You may even amaze yourself with what you catch and the stories are good for a year about the one that got away! All proceeds go towards the Relay total, and it's FUN too!

Mining Roller Coaster in the Sky - Located on the Wish sim. Many cancer patients feel like they are on a roller coaster when they first discover they have been stricken by the disease. Take a ride on this wild coaster in the sky and see for yourself what it can be like.

Storytelling Play in the Park (4pm, sim to be determined) - An hour and a half of storytelling fun. ‘The Fire is a haunting 18th century tale of murder, mystery, and mayhem. Follow American brat Frankey and Pete the peasant as they visit 1789 during a famine. Will Frankey redeem himself?’ This play sends a message of strength and willpower, much like a cancer survivor, these traits are not an option, but a necessity.

Surfing - Catch a wave and ride it through! The tide is high and perfect for a surf board to sail it to the end. Cancer patients can experience some rough waters as they work their way through weeks, months, and sometimes years of treatments. This also signifies the waves of emotion that come along with surviving these treatments.

There will be a few other attractions as well, such as a Riverboat on the sim named Treatment, and Water Slide Tubes on the Unity sim! Be sure and check it all out!

ABOUT RELAY FOR LIFE OF SECOND LIFE


Relay For Life® is the signature fundraiser of the American Cancer Society. Relay For Life of Second Life (RFL of SL) is an annual activity that takes place in Second Life® in July each year. Volunteers form or join teams to have fun while fundraising and raising awareness from mid-March through mid-July. In July teams build campsites and walk a track, just like in a real world Relay. The main RFL of SL track event this year will take place on July 17-18. In 2009, RFL of SL raised US$274,000 for the American Cancer Society. The funds raised go to research, advocacy, patient services and programs, with 12-15% going to international projects. Just as in the real world, RFL of SL is an international event. In 2009 participants from over 26 countries took part in RFL of SL.

Linden Lab® the creator of Second Life® is the premier sponsor of RFL of SL in 2010.


MEDIA NOTES

FOLLOW US on:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/RelayForLife_SL

Avatars United: http://www.avatarsunited.com/groups/relay-for-life-of-second-life

Facebook: ‘Relay For Life of Second Life 2010’ on http://www.facebook.com and

RFL of SL Updates: http://rflofsl.blogspot.com/

For background information and the history of RFL of SL see:

SL Wiki: https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Relay_For_Life_of_Second_Life and

Official RFL of SL website: http://www.relayforlife.org/secondlife


FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Poppy Zabelin (RFL of SL PR Chair poppy_zabelin@yahoo.co.uk) or Breezy Carver (RFL of SL PR Co-Chair seabreezegal@gmail.com).

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Reader Submitted: A Visit to MadPea

A certain lady of unusual talent, who wishes to remain anonymous, submitted an article about a recreation sim she couldn’t help but write about: MadPea. The place offers challenging games that charge very little, if anything, in Lindens. So here is one reader’s look at this interesting game sim.

Read the article in Places.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Live in Sunweaver Islands: A Bargin Home in Second Life

Finding a place to live in Second Life for an affordable price can be a challenge. Sign up for Premium Membership to get a “free” Linden home, one will be paying $9.95 US dollars a month. One can rent land, allowing one to stay a free resident and skip the fee, but the prices for rental land and homes can be high, a thousand Lindens a week or more.

How about a place in Second Life where you pay not a thousand Lindens per week, but per month?

At the Sunweaver Islands, 1000L will get you for four weeks, a rate of 250L a week, a 512 square meter plot, 16m x 32m in size, with a 117 prim limit. One can rent as many lots as are available, and the staff will join them into a larger lot if possible, so one can build the house of one’s dreams.

The Sunweaver Islands have both public islands and private islands available:

Public Islands allow one the Flexibility of having either a house, store or both. As the name suggests, they are fully open to the public.

Private Islands allow one greater privacy, but are restricted to residents of Sunweaver Islands only. One is allowed to build stuff for sale, but no selling is allowed here. Control over who gets on the islands and behavior is enforced.

For more information on rental space in the Sunweaver Islands, please contact one of the rental managers: Nydia Tungsten, Wensleydale Dinkins, Shockwave Yareach, and Rita Mariner.

Also ask what move-in specials are available. As of now, the first month is half-off the normal price for new renters. In addition, thirteen lots have recently become available for rent in the public Sunweaver Air sim, twelve in one single lot, “So if you are interested, or know someone who is, now is the time to come shopping. This much land doesn’t open up often, especially all in one nice big place.”

Chilbo Faire Ends

For about a week, the residents of Chilbo held their Summer Faire, which included a number of amusements, and events such as the Relay for Life fundraiser. On Sunday at 10 AM, the final events started.First came the parade, complete with at least one float. Besides locals such as Fleep Tuque and Alleara Snoodle, there were others from outside the community who took part such as RacerX Gullwing of the snail races. After the parade, they celebrated the close of their faire with a party, with a "Faire-Well Fund-Raising Block Party." Partnering with Operation Squeegee, they raised funds to help cleanup efforts on the Gulf Coast.

It was the "end of a wonderful week in Chilbo."

Bixyl Shuftan