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Metaverse Messenger A real newspaper for a virtual world

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

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LL breaks SexGen By PHOENIX PSALTERY Special contributor

A CROWD GATHERS for the opening day ceremonies of Second Pride (top), while evening celebrations were packed every night (bottom). See more photos in this issue, - Photos by EDDI HASKELL

Celebration draws record crowds Second Pride, Second Life’s annual celebration of the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual) community, saw unprecedented crowds and recognition this year. The one week festival, held over six sims,

had eight packed days of cultural and entertainment events. Amnesty International co-hosted the event; final fund raising tallies will show a significant donation towards enabling its human rights’ efforts.

Stroker Serpentine, the owner and operator of Eros LLC/Strokerz Toys, which makes the line of SexGen beds considered by many to be the best sex animations in Second Life, announced recently that a recent action by an unidentified member of the Linden Lab staff had resulted in one of the crucial scripts that power the SexGen line having been blacklisted, causing virtually every SexGen product on the grid to break. “Several weeks ago, I was called at home around midnight by my manager, Andrea Faulkner,” Serpentine said. “She had ‘that tone’ in her voice that immediately let me know something was wrong. She asked if I was aware of any major grid malfunction or if I had pissed off LL somehow. She told me to get my a** into SL so she could show me. “When I logged in I was bombarded by IM’s of ‘My SexGen doesn’t work,’ or ‘Menu not loading.’ Andrea additionally cut/pasted similar IMs she was getting in email. I immediately knew what happened after [a similar] fiasco last year… We had been blacklisted.”

He placed a call to the Linden concierge, who expedited a ticket through to the development team. The next morning, Data Linden arrived and helped Serpentine isolate the specific script that was the problem. Data discovered that the asset ID (UUID) had been blacklisted, but was at a loss as to why. He informed Serpentine that despite the fact that he could remove the UUID from the blacklist, this would not solve the problems

which already existed. Strangely, the version of the script which had been compiled in LSL was blacklisted, but not a newer version which was compiled in Mono. According to Data, the fact that the script’s UUID was blacklisted was odd: “We almost never blacklist by asset ID — it’s dangerous,” he told Serpentine. Serpentine said he is trying to make sure all SexGen owners

know that “…we’re willing and able to make this right. We’re giving free upgrades and gifts to try and salvage our customer base. For the most part everyone has been understanding, but sometimes we lose an IM or return. Occasionally we get the ‘I paid good money for this, and it doesn’t work!’ They usually squelch their discontent when we explain what happened and give them something free… It’s going to take time and patience on both ends. We’re still dealing with hundreds of IMs at a time. “The best avenue for support is to send the broken items with a notecard detailing exactly what products are being sent for repair,” said Serpentine in an exclusive interview with the Messenger. “This saves time playing ‘IM Chase’ and duplicating efforts.” He indicated that the first point of contact should be Andrea Faulkner. If she gets overwhelmed, the overflow will go to Serpentine himself. “Of course, I am always available if I am online,” he added. “We’re offering a free gift and/or upgrade where possible to ease the difficulty this has caused. There is also a ‘Re-

See BREAKS, Page 19

Second Life to celebrate sixth birthday

By KATIER REITVELD Staff writer

Residents around Second Life began their preparations for the annual Second Life Birthday celebrations, as Second Life turns six years old on June 23. As with previous years, Linden Lab is donating a number of sims for residents to organise exhibits and events. As Second Life enters its second half of a decade, the message of this years event is one of looking forward. The official wiki had this, “This is your second half-decade! Now you’re so much more sophisticated than five, but still hovering near the oven, anxious to devour the cake, and wondering what six has in store for you. Or, for that matter, what about seven? 10? 15? Where do the years go, anyway? “Since you’re never content with things as they are, the event this year is a challenge to Residents: show how you intend to make things in five, 10 or 100 years. The Birthday theme this year is The Future of Virtual Worlds, and we’re betting you have some pretty awesome visions to share of the future you’re building here.

Inside

Sim of the Week - Page 10

“How will Virtual Worlds work? How will they look? How will they be part of everyday life? How will we learn, socialize and evolve in them? How will they affect your beliefs, and be affected by your actions?” As with previous years, while Linden Lab sponsor and oversee the event, it is a team of residents who put it all together. This year, the team is based around the same team who took over comparatively late in the day and made the event a success. It is led by Phaylen Fairchild and Dusty Linden, and planning for the event started a lot earlier than previous years. One issue that caused a lot of discussion last year was the fact that, for the first time, the event was explicitly classed as PG. This caused a good percentage of the population of Second Life to feel excluded. This year, again, the event is PG, and Linden said “We’ve tried to be very clear right from the beginning that the event grounds are completely PG rated, but that exhibitors wishing to highlight their work in non-PG areas are welcome to give landmarks to those areas from their exhibit on the See BIRTHDAY, Page 19

Latest

INDEX

The 2009 Second Life Community Convention is scheduled for August 13-16 in San Francisco, Ca. A variety of registration packages are available according to date of registration, and more information on pricing and the hotel is available at www.slconvention.com.

SL News . . . . . . . . . .Page 3 Perspectives . . . . . . .Page 5 The Line . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 ROTW . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 8 Comics .. . . . . . . . . . .Page 8 Entertainment. . . . . . Page 8 Photo Contest . . . . . .Page 9 Community . . . . . . Page 16 Sports . . . . . . . . . . .Page 18

THIS BALLERINA CAKE was one of several at last year’s SL birthday celebration. Plans are already underway for this year’s birthday party.

Inside

Resi of the Week - Page 8

About Us Volume 4 No.22 Second Life The Metaverse Messenger

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 General staff writers  Executive assistant  Fashion reporter  Business reporter  Entertainment reporter  Columnists  Cartoonists  Photographers  Group news  Event listings  Club news  Engagement announcements  Business news  Classified ads  Display ads  Wedding announcements  Photographs

E-mail [email protected] for details on applying for a job, getting your items published or buying advertising space.

SL News June 2, 2009



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REVEREND MARK BROWN (Arkin Ariantho in Second Life) founded the Anglican Cathedral of Second Life (seen above) and is now planning to retire. - Photo by KATT KONGO.

Reverend for Anglican Cathedral in Second Life to retire By PAM RENOIR Staff writer After founding and leading the Anglican Cathedral of Second Life, Rev. Mark Brown, aka Arkin Ariantho (SL), will retire from actively participating in Second Life in June of this year. In his blog post announcing his retirement, Rev. Brown said, “It is a real pleasure to serve God in this unusual setting. I am firmly convinced that God is the God of the virtual space.” Rev. Brown first joined Second Life back in January 2007 in order to explore the use of virtual worlds in Christian ministry. And even though Second Life was not as sophisticated as it is now, Rev. Brown said, “It got me; it captured me.” He soon located the Anglicans of Second Life group started by Rocky Vallejo and offered to lead a ministry for the

members. Rev. Brown shared with the group his vision to create the first Anglican church in this environment, and together they began planning what would become the Anglican Cathedral. In deciding what type of church to build, Rev. Brown said, “It was clear to me not to just build another square box modern church structure, but actually to build a cathedral - a grand, grand building.” Espeth Guyot suggested a builder for their project, Monty Merlin – a young, German student, and work soon began at a temporary location. Around May 2007, the group purchased Epiphany Island and moved the cathedral to the island. The first service was held in July 2007. Soon the two services a week became seven services a week. Eventually, the church began a bible study and discussion group and watched as the membership

grew from the original 15 to over 600 members. “It became apparent that a more formal leadership structure was required so we formed a leadership team to oversee the ministry,” said Rev. Brown. “In Spring 2008, Cady Enoch was elected the chair of the leadership team. She has been an enormous support and resource.” After Rev. Brown’s retirement, the leadership team will continue to work to ensure the Anglican Church in Second Life grows and continues to serve its members. Today the church offers programs very similar to those found in the meatspace world such as church services, bible studies and discussion groups. “But what is vastly different is that many of us will never meet in person,” said Rev. Brown. See REVEREND, Page 19

The Metaverse Messenger The most read publication in Second Life!

Page 4 The Metaverse Messenger June 2, 2009

The M2 is now hiring! E-mail [email protected] for more information. KINJI LOCKJAW (seen here at top) is the co-owner of Melody Bay, a tropical retreat for lovers, with romantic spots such as the one seen here (bottom). - Photos by SHERRIE SHEPHERD

Melody Bay provides tropical getaway for lovers By SHERRIE SHEPHERD Staff writer SL residents looking for a romantic getaway can’t go wrong when choosing Melody Bay, Yakamo (52, 236, 21), a lovely tropical environment consisting of three small islands on a quarter sim, all of which is at the disposal of guests with water sports and many options for relaxing and romancing. Available to guests for a few hours or a full day or more, prices range from L$700 for a four hour stay to L$2000 per twenty-four hours. Visitors can chill out on the beaches, enjoy jet skiing and snorkeling, cuddle at the waterfalls, slip into the hot tub and then have a relaxing massage in the bathhouse spa. When the day is done, guests can retire to the beautifully decorated main house to have a cozy dinner for two, dance on the balcony to a romantic music stream, step into the spectacular shower for two or settle into the luxurious bed for cuddles, romance and more. Kinji Lockjaw, co-owner of

Melody Bay along with her SL partner Finess Goodman, got her inspiration from the beaches she’s visited in SL to places that she had imagined in her mind since she was a child. Her creative interest in terraforming, landscaping and building helped her bring her dreams to reality for the benefit and pleasure of SL residents. Lockjaw explains, “I did all the terraforming and landscaping myself. My husband (Goodman) assisted by bringing in the romance factor and having a hand in some of the other features of the resort such as the waterfalls, bathhouse and underwater snorkeling area.” Lockjaw’s vision for Melody Bay was, in her words, “to have a place in Second Life that not only provides privacy and the opportunity to be sensual, but also to have a lot of fun as well. This is why we included the water sports activities and snorkeling. We want our guests to get the genuine sense of actually being on vacation.” Future plans that Lockjaw See MELODY, Page 18

Perspectives June 2, 2009



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Online bullies

By KATT KONGO M2 publisher

Every parent fears his or her child will be bullied on the playground, will start avoiding playing outside, or comes home with a bloody nose. But what happens when that child grows up, and is still being bullied – online? Online bullying takes many forms. A person might send threatening, taunting or teasing e-mails to someone; spread gossip or rumors; make someone’s private information public or pretend to be another person online and post or e-mail things that will embarrass or get that person in trouble. Other bullies will become a “pretend friend” online in order to hurt the object of their obsession, gang up on someone in a chat room or on a message board or grief someone in an online video game by constantly picking on the new or inexperienced players. And of course, the residents of Second Life see all of these forms of bullying. Personally, I feel the worst sort of bully is the one who uses a blog to hurl cleverly worded or even long winded insults at those they perceive have committed some grievous error. One of my staff writers bumped into such a bully a few weeks ago. The bully and my staff member had a disagreement that later blew into something larger, until they were both quite angry. Most people would shrug it off, chalking it up to a different

of opinion and then quickly forget that the incident happened. But the bully met this overwhelming desire to pull up her blog and seemingly spend hours writing on the topic of my staff writer and even pulling the M2 into the mix, using insult after insult to pad whatever vague points she was trying to make. Why do people do this kind of senseless act? Wouldn’t they be more productive spending their time in another way? I am firm in my belief that most internet bullies have themselves been a victim of bullying. Perhaps they feel “less than,” in spite of their intelligence, talent and creativity, and so they must constantly prove how much better they are than the average person, by way of bullying. Since Second Life allows residents to hide behind an avatar name, many bullies feel protected by this “false identity.” Because they feel hidden and shielded, bullies might do and say things they would never dream of doing to someone face to face. Sometimes, a person has a very sweet personality. They log on to the Internet, something happens, and they blog about it. Then comments pop up on the blog, with reaffirming words such as “You are so right!” and “I can’t believe they treated you like that!” And this sweet person who has herself been bullied finds that she now has a voice where she never had one before. See BULLIES, Page 21

Columnist wanted. For details, E-mail [email protected]

The Metaverse Messenger E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.metaversemessenger.com

Publisher: Kristan Hall (Katt Kongo in SL) Associate Publisher: Katt Kongo Composition: Katt Kongo Account Executive: Katt Kongo Office Manager: George

Backbite Distribution: Join the M2 fan group Associate Editor: Dagmar Kojishi News Editor: Katier Reitveld For a complete list of staff writers, visit the M2 website.

The Metaverse Messenger is published once each week on Tuesday for $L0 per year in Second Life. Subscribers should an instant message to distribution. Any erroneous reflection upon the character, standing or reputation of any person, firm or corporation, which may occur in the columns of The Metaverse Messenger, will be gladly corrected upon being brought to the attention of the publisher(s). The publisher is not responsible for copy ommissions or typographical errors which may occur other than to correct them in the nearest issue after it is brought to the publisher’s attention and in no case does the publisher hold him/herself liable for damages further than the amount received by him for actual space covering the error. Copyright © 2008.The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by The Metaverse Messenger and the Rose from Ash Publishing Company. No material may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the publisher.



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WANT TO WRITE? The Metaverse Messenger accepts signed letters to the editor/publisher from our readers. Letters must include avatar name for verification. Send letters to [email protected].

Page 6 The Metaverse Messenger June 2, 2009

norinnrichard.blogspot.com Shifting Zones This week as I write my column for The Messenger, time is something I am thinking about. This is partly due to the fact that I am (as usual) late turning my work in. An unusually bad case of writer’s block bit me this weekend, so a topic was very slow to come to my mind. However, time has been on my mind for another reason. As I have mentioned in the past, I work with other groups through my private alts. In one of those groups, I have risen to a position of leadership. About once a month, the leaders of the group get together on Skype to talk about plans for the upcoming month. The calls always start promptly at six o’clock Second Life Time. For me, that has worked extremely well, in the past, at least. Living on the east coast of North America, that put the meetings at nine my time. I had plenty of time to get all my errands for the day done and still be there for the meetings. With my recent move west, that has changed. I now live in Mountain Time, and as a result, I am only one hour off from Second Life time. The meeting that was once at nine is now at seven. I still forget that. Just this weekend, I had to be reminded of the meeting in the middle of my er-

rand running. We had wrapped up at the grocery store and were headed for the pet shop for more kitty litter. I asked where we should get dinner and was told, “Umm.. at home. You have your meeting in an hour.” Something as simple as shifting time zones has drastically altered how I interact with Second Life. Perhaps a better way to say it would be to say it has altered how I interact with people I know in Second Life. My friends from the UK and Europe are now two hours further away, making spending time with them a rare treat. People that I rarely saw because they were headed for bed as I logged in are not totally out of reach, particularly during the week. On the other hand, my west coast friends, who used to be a challenge to reach, are now much closer to my time. Folks that I would see in passing for an hour or two before I went to the land of nod myself are now around on basically the same schedule I am. The benefits of this would be even more profound, if the Pacific Ocean were not quite so big. There are only so many Second Life players among the islands that exist between North America and the next major land mass. See LINE, Page 20

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June 2, 2009 The Metaverse Messenger Page 7

Entertainment Page 8



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NAME: Melodee McDonnell OCCUPATION IN SL: Vocalist/Entertainer, Four Seasons, CZESTATE Kau Lei (135, 15, 21) DATE JOINED SL: Dec. 26, 2007 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING A RESIDENT OF SL? Aside from feeling like a princess in the beautiful gowns, my favorite part of SL is definitely entertaining people. A real connection does occur with live entertainment here in SL, and I have been reminded over and over again by my friends and fans the impact I have on them. This past summer a fan passed away, and his real life sister went to a lot of trouble to find out who I was and ask me if she could play a recording of mine at the real life funeral as well as sing live at the SL memorial. It was a touching experience. At times like that, it’s a humbling moment and [at] others, it’s a blast working the crowd up and having a party most nights. It’s definitely addicting! ONE THING IN YOUR INVENTORY THAT YOU WOULD BE THE MOST DEVASTATED TO LOSE? Nothing, I can honestly say nothing. After being in SL for almost a year and during that time have had grand homes built for me, firefly gardens, tropical paradises, underwater havens, all

See ROTW, Page 15

In the continuing effort to bring live music from my First Life venue to SL, I am putting together my overall business plan, which means I’m working to define the business benefits. Businesses should always validate that their activities actually support their mission. A little self examination is a good thing. Just because something is cool, and grabs me isn’t always the basis for a sound business decision. In the end, I’m not the audience; my customers are. Fundamentally, the questions are: Why is music important for venues in

First Life and Second Life? Why would any business want to reach in-world? The clear leader in the SL music venue scene is The Blarney Stone at the Dublin sim. With over four years of experience, the Dublin folks are best positioned to answer the fundamental question of why music is essential. Cher was great to get back to me right away. She pointed me to the Dublin website (http://dublinsl.com/about.html) which reads in part, “Dublin in SL is a gathering place for the world, a place in virtual reality which reduces the barriers to entry for people of different backgrounds to get to know each other...” I had to smile reading the

GOGOMODO TRIVIA SCORES For the week of April 27.

next line, owning an Irish pub myself: “Three things make a great Irish Bar and gathering place,” they say, and I agree: “Friendly people, great music, and hostesses and hosts to keep things movin’ along.” I’ll add that great service, awesome food, and cold beer helps too—but music unquestionably draws and holds a crowd, and helps create the right atmosphere. Music lowers barriers, Cher said, and “brings a sense of community and well-being, a common interest in which all can share and be entertained.” Music becomes the grist, or seasoning that makes all the pieces work together. She shared further that

See BITES, Page 20

Briony Bluebird

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TEAMS INDIVIDUALS freya Morgath Jaimee Bernard Zwozze Zabelin Fiona DuCasse Elder Lubitsch Elise Philipp Georgia Caerndow Nicolina Cale Chinouk Bluebird Mathius Sands Chaddington Boomhauer Karlo Antonelli Autumn Teardrop WavingMarcel Floresby

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Fantasy Isles cuppycake gumdrop Cafe Trivia Tranquil Falls kajun Sunflower Trivia Sunset Solace Zoo Bar eBid ZeroFee Auction The Queendom of Gaia Black Wolf's Bar & Grill Artemis Tavern The Cats Lair The Trivia Dillo Heads

June 2, 2009

Upcoming events

R e s i d e n t o f t h e We e k : Melodee McDonnell

THE VALUE OF MUSIC IN SL AND FIRST LIFE By TEDDI SHAMROCK Staff writer



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SOUNDCIRCEL FLANAGAN on June 5 from 11 AM to noon SLT in Gun (96, 183, 90). The host is Sin Speculaas. For more information on the artist, visit http://www.soundcircel.net PHAT CATS PRESENTS: Jazz Singer Mitch Treillis, on June 5 from 1 to 2 PM SLT at PhatLand (170, 104, 22). Come and listen to the wonderful and talented Jazz Singer Mitch Treillis! Great time to mingle and dance! Great shopping with new designers, nothing but the best at Phat Cats, come on over and join us today. The host for this event is Bronwen Loam. MORALITY MONKEY ART : “Hear no evil” on June 5 from 8 to 11 PM SLT in Rhoda (210, 4, 24). Morality Monkeys or “3 Wise Monkeys,” as they are sometimes called, are a symbol dating back to ancient Japan. I have been fascinated by the imagery and deep meaning behind their symbolism for a longtime. This is a collection of some of my favorites. From Dogland Park, by looking to the South, over the walls of the Memorial Garden, you will see a rainbow, and the words “Canis Boardwalk.” This is the location of this unique showing. Any donations or sales generated by this display go to Dogland Park, and to the survivors of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). For further information, contact Vitolo Rossini.

Send event details to [email protected]

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STARTING NEXT WEEK, a relationship column by Acuminous Watanabe (seen here) will grace the pages of the M2.

New column coming to the M2 Coming soon to the Metaverse Messenger: Advice columns penned by Second Life resident Acuminous Watanabe. Watanabe is a real life mental health professional with over a decade of experience specializing in relationships and social development. She has been a resident of SL for more than two years and shares her real life expertise and experience to assist other residents in navigating the emotions associated with relationships online, especially in SL. She has hosted a discussion group which meets twice per month, since July of 2007. The Second Life/Real Life Relationships Discussion Group (SL/RLRDG) was formed after she began struggling with her own experience and finding no resources in-world for guidance

and support. The group focuses on providing a supportive forum where people can share their experiences, both positive and negative, with others who understand and share this journey. Via the group and regular SL/RL Synthesis Notes (which she writes to share her insights from the group), private consultations and her own journey, she has developed a readership which has become a virtual family. Her relationship column, first published in November 2008, was the next progression in spreading this connection and expanding the growth of SL residents across the grid and beyond. Learn more at www.slprofiles.com/groups/slrlrelationships

WIN L$1,000 in the M2’S Eagle Eye Photo ID Contest! If you think you know where this picture was taken, e-mail your answer to [email protected] along with your avatar’s name. The deadline for this week’s contest is June 8. No one correctly identified the photo in the last issue as the Zurich Opera House in Swiss City. For a complete list of rules for the contest, visit the M2 office in Dublin.

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A TOWERING MONOLITHIC WATER fountain graces the entry courtyard to Grasp and Shopaholic Kimonos shops, Waves crash against a black, rock shore where pine trees are twisted by the wind below the stores in Grasp. - Photos by THE SOTW TEAM.

Sim of the Week: GRASP By Ravenmuse Rexan Staff writer

The scent of tea, the click of wooden shoes, the sight of carefully arranged flowers, and we arrive in Grasp, home to the shops Sweetaholic Kimono Shop, Grasp and Honey Teddy. (Norinn! Come here and let me do a samurai top knot for you! You’ll love it! Trust me!) Sweetaholic, owned by Asalt Eames, is a stunning shop, lit slightly at its edges and ringed in platforms for models to stand and coyly pose, showing off elaborate kimonos for the shop visitors. Its walls are bedecked with images of her incredibly realistic clothing textures shown on the walls and on her models. Eames has a neat little sitting area tucked in one of the sides of the shop where you can look over her work in a table book while relaxing. Eames also makes skins and includes an Asian shape long with her skins. Joining the Sweetaholic group gets you a geisha-styled skin with feathery white makeup and eye catching crimson lips, along with an animated fan. Both are very much worth having and make pretty additions to any wardrobes. In the center of the main area of the shop is a glass floor over an oriental rock garden. Set around this

glass floor are free standing vender selling lamps, obis, fans, hats and kimono stands. Almost all of them emit particles and have a built menu with animations. The pretty fabric of Eames’ clothing is shown on the stands in less detail but still her effort shows. The whole shop is beautifully offset by the blond hardwood flooring and the newsprint gray logos. Her wide selection of fans, umbrellas and shoes are set to going seamlessly with her ladies kimonos. Eames also has sixteen different versions of male kimonos, and they are cheaper than her women kimonos. Masculine in design and strongly toned in deep, cool colors, these kimonos are incredibly textured and detailed. All the male kimonos come with a hip blade and sheath. Eames also has a line of shoes and hats for men. She has made few items with dragon patterns and an oni demon pattern as well, and they are wonderful. Grasp is also home to Grasp, a modern, Western clothing store, owned by Asalt Eames. As with her kimonos, Eames shows her artistic skills here with well designed and textures clothing options for men and women. In the south west corner of Grasp is a tiny little island where you can buy tiny

See SOTW, Page 11

June 2, 2009 The Metaverse Messenger Page 11

Advertising works! TINY AVATARS for teddy bears are sold from a bear shaped island in one corner of Grasp. - Photo by THE SOTW TEAM.

SOTW little avatars to make yourself a tiny little teddy bear, kitty, lion, angel or devil. Owned and designed by Angells Babii, these tiny avatars are sweetly designed and very reminiscent of your childhood teddy bear. The buildings and rides on the island are made of graham crackers and chocolate bars, and you can buy specially designed hats and scarves for your avatar. And so we bid adieu to

From Page 10

Grasp, an island of interesting shops and diverse offerings. Where will our travels take us next? Only the winds of Second Life know, and they are not talking. So if you see your friendly Metaverse Messenger reporters out and about, feel free to say, “Hi!” and stop for a chat. Who knows, we might be writing about your sim. (Norinn, stop pulling on your top knot, you are only going to mess it up again.)

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The Other Walkin’ Dude By SYKO KAMACHI Staff writer If you remember last week, I had found myself in Nautilus, and had just gotten a glimpse into the immensity of the complex. This week I resume my adventures, exploring the interior of the city. Amidst network lag to lag the pants off a Linden, I set off into the Citadel. The centre was composed of a neatly circular lake, with some stuff laid around by good ol’ Governor Linden created by the Mole project. I suddenly noticed a sharp drop in my lag – had fortune begun to favour me? Of course not. I’d actually been disconnected from the internet. A quick relog put me back where I was, and I continued on my adventure. Passing the everso-coincidentally named Lag Street and many buildings of various architectural styles, successfully failing at recreating scenes from Assassin’s Creed and admiring a fairly all-round spiffing job by Lindens on crafting a realistic environment for people to explore, I started to get… well, just a little bored. Beautifully crafted scenery is entertaining and all, for a while. It doesn’t really provide anything to play with though. My patience ran out when the most interesting thing I could see was on a banned parcel. I said,

“RIGHT! I’ve had enough of this place!” and took a teleport from a friend. A rather anticlimactic end to a supposed “Grand adventure” into Nautilus, don’t you think? I made another grave error in taking the teleport however; I ended up on another island. Not only that, but I’m trapped in an underground lake with no way out. And then the friends who teleported me there promptly left. Before panicking and drowning, I resorted to the crafty use of sitting to rescue me, landing inside the land owner’s house. Alright, house invaders time! Looking rather unfurnished and bare, I quickly browsed through the place. They’ve only just moved in, so I guess I can’t blame them. The rooftop swimming pool was interesting enough, and it had poseballs, unlike Nautilus. It allowed me to see some verdant tree-tops, which immediately proved more appetising than a big desert with a neatly square hole in it. Part of me wanted to visit the square hole, but it just… didn’t seem like it was all that deserving of a visit. It’s like some of those supposed wonders of nature that actually prove to be pretty damn boring when you get there, or the Mona Lisa which is See DUDE, Page 14

The Metaverse Messenger

Fashion

February 17, 2009 The Metaverse Messenger Page 13

SKINS FROM DIFFERENT creators will change the appearance of your shape, so it’s important to have a shape with modify permission.

Beauty’s only skin deep By JESSIKA JENVIEVE Fashion columnist

Last night I had the awful news that my skin is not up to scratch! You can imagine my shock and horror; I’m devastated. So no invitations, please, until I get this fixed. Let me give you a bit of background here: I write fashion; I live it, breath it, make it and consume it. Looking good is what I do and that involves a lot of research, which mainly takes the form of attending fashion shows, parties, openings and lovely crystal glasses of SL’s finest champagne. A true SL fashionista needs a bodyguard for these events and the most exciting accessory for every girl’s walk down the red carpet is a Gorean Warrior. Easily tamed and very handsome; just don’t accept any gifts, because they have a habit of giving collars to every woman they meet. Well, my beautiful warrior got a bit above himself last night at a beach reception in Pondi and made a few comments about my skin. I flinched and protested, but I have to admit that he is right (and I do want to extend his contract).

So the arduous task that faces every newcomer to SL is beginning all over again for me. Let’s see how I am getting on. Not well, I have to report. The whole process is so completely overwhelming! I learnt a couple of things first time around: number one get your body and skin from the same designer. This is important, because the two must be compatible and fit well. Secondly, take your time. This is a major purchase and will affect your whole SL experience. And finally, whatever you do, don’t take your clothes off in public or take your bodyguard with you (he will not be helpful). So ready to shop? Before you begin, decide on your coloring. I am dark. I have dark hair and navy blue eyes, and I don’t want to change this. I am slim and strong boned; I surf and never eat a thing. So I must look at the skins to compliment dark hair, or get a fat pack with a selection of tones and make up. Once you have chosen a few skin demos, you should then collect demos of bodies from the same designers. The important

point here is to make sure you can modify your body once you have it. My bum looks really big in my blue dress and I have to adjust it. And sometimes my escort is not very tall and my shoes are …well… high! Instant modification is the rule for a good body. Now take your time, check out the very best stores and visit them all. Keep a folder in your inventory and store the skins and bodies together so you don’t get confused, because you will get confused. Find a private place to do your fitting and a basic garment to take on and off as you sample your new looks. If you have a trusted friend you might like to share the experience, but ultimately it must be your choice. You are the one who will have to live with your chosen avatar. You can change your look every week, but let me be honest here, if you are to be a celebrity on SL, you must set your own style and run with it, darling! So for the next week, I will be reclining in my spa on Grunther with the words ‘Demo’ along my neck. Watch this space for the results!

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The Metaverse Messenger

SYKO KAMACHI traveled along this aptly named path called “Lag Street” in Second Life as part of his weekly explorations. - COURTESY PHOTO.

DUDE supposed to be a masterpiece of Renaissance art, but is about the size of an average poster. Underwhelming to say the least. Abandoning the dodgy architecture and default textures of the previous quarter-sim, I moved on to the next, over mountains erected as a defensive wall around the garden within. It reminded me of certain RPGs and real-time strategy games, where they put these walls in place composed entirely out of the material that the ground is made of because it’s more effective than anything they else they

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have in their disposal at keeping players from landing outside the map and into developer land. The determination and stealth I employed to keep out of sight of the area’s other two inhabitants also reminded me of the time I paid a visit to W-Hat. Even then, that proved useless, as the island’s owner eventually found me. Fortunately, he was rather welcoming, and had company, so he wasn’t going to go round with me and get in the way of my screenshots and stuff. That said, he’d put together an impressively

chilled island getaway. Between the waves, the huts, the trees, the surfboards with sex poseballs on them, even the elevator caller looked like the base of a statue. The treetops were only more impressive. Everything; every piece of furniture, every wooden beam, every sculpted branch, every wave of green just conveyed and cemented tranquillity, peace and harmony. By the time I reached the uppermost reaches of the forest canopy, I was disappointed that it didn’t go on further. Why, I asked myself, why couldn’t it go on forever?

June 2, 2009 The Metaverse Messenger Page 15

ROTW to vanish in the click of mouse. So I’ve learned SL is about the moment and living in the moment because nothing is permanent here or lasting except the relationships and moments we have with each other here. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LOCATION IN SL? Wow, there are so many places in SL that come to mind with fond memories. I would have say Apollo Gardens because this was one of the first places I was shown. It was a wondrous and magical experience. The creativity and time put into places like Apollo Gardens is still a wonder to me. I’m always in awe of the great builders here in SL. I had the pleasure of performing in The Bellagio, before it was torn down. Great builds like The Purple Rose, built by Kaya Angel, and The Palace, built by Enes Masalam, and my own little club,The Four Seasons, built by CTM Underwood, are inspiring and I hope enhance my own performances and what I bring to Second Life.

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WHAT ONE THING ABOUT SECOND LIFE WOULD YOU CHANGE IF YOU COULD? That’s simple, the lag. lol DO YOU HAVE AN SL PARTNER? IF SO, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HIM/HER. I definitely have someone special here in SL, but he is special to my RL, and I didn’t meet him in SL. He brought me here to SL in the hope that I would be happy here and have the opportunity to perform live and develop my career. We have a deep and loving relationship. He is an amazing person, who is true to himself, a wonderful entertainer, builder and beautiful soul in general. I’ve learned so much from him through the years.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO SEE IN FUTURE SL UPGRADES? I’m excited about the future of SL in the technical respect. Hopefully seeing our avatars move as we do at home and speak, and in general more lifeWHAT WOULD YOU LIKE like, that will be so cool. Ok, and THE OUTSIDE WORLD TO yes, a little freaky… lol. KNOW ABOUT SL? This question makes me sad WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE somehow. I don’t think anyone PERSON (NON-PARTNER) outside SL can understand it or IN SL, AND WHY? appreciate it without experiencI couldn’t name one person. ing it. From afar, SL can look There are so many wonderful like a puppet show or Barbie and people I’ve met and enjoyed. Ken fantasy world. I guess it can be that if that’s what one wants. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE But just like RL, there are layers LINDEN? IF SO, WHO AND to SL, and it takes time to peel WHY? them back and look. I’m a natuI’ve only met one and it was rally curious person, so digging brief, I have to say no one at this in and finding out all SL has to time. offer and what it means to other people is an important part of the PIE OR CHEESE, AND WHY? llllllllllloooooollllllll Love entire SL experience for me. That being said, I wouldn’t want this question! And usually if you to “tell” anyone outside SL about give someone two choices, they SL, I think at least for me..I will pick one. But I’m not going would not be able to do SL jus- to! I believe you can have it all in RL and SL, just not all at once. tice in that respect.

Be virtually visible.

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Support for Healing Weekly Meetings:

Sunday 08:00 AM SLT Tong Ren Energy Sharing Hosted by TongRen Writer at Catherine House Peer-to-peer distant healing modality for physical and psychological issues.

Monday 04:00 PM SLT



The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195)

Depression Support Group Hosted by Industria Dowler at the Meeting Circle

Tuesday 06:00 PM SLT Tong Ren Energy Sharing Hosted by TongRen Writer at the Meeting Circle 07:00 PM SLT Loss for Life Hosted by Jenna Tapioca and Lavendermist McTeague at Catherine House This is a weight loss support group.

Thursday 08:00 PM SLT Anxiety Support Circle

June 2, 2009

Hosted by Glenn Oud and Reverie TimTam at Catherine House

Friday 07:00 PM SLT Loss for Life Hosted by Jenna Tapioca and Lavendermist McTeague at the Meeting Circle Monthly Meetings:

Saturday, Jan. 5 11:00 AM SLT GLBT Group Hosted by Industria Dowler at the Meeting Circle Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender issues. PFLAG and heterosexuals welcome!

Saturday, Jan. 19 11:00 AM SLT Fundraising Meeting Hosted by Industria Dowler at Catherine House Come help SFH's fundraising projects come to fruition! Impromptu Meetings:

*Random days 2:00 PM SLT

Buddhist Listening and Discussion Group Hosted by Jonno Zond at Catherine House Check events or contact Jonno for more info.

June 2, 2009 The Metaverse Messenger Page 17

Weekly events scheduled at SL Libraries

The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Portal’s Film Discussion: Film Discussion: June 6 at 1 PM SLT Film Title: Star Trek Director: J.J. Abrams Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife.com/Info%20Island/210/94/33 Hosts: Symmetry Munro and Hawk Lightcloud We’re discussing the recently released Star Trek film by Director J.J. Abrams which shows the original crew as young adults developing the skills necessary to be pioneers in space. You see their personal development into people who can take on the task of going where no humans had gone before and function there on their own. Whether you’ve already seen the film, or will by June 6, or are just curious about it, you’re welcome to participate in the lively discussion.

Solar Electricity (PV) 101 - June 6 Workshop The CAL Sustainable Living Library will present a workshop on the basics of solar electricity on June 6 10 AM SLT at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Emerald%20City/123/62/26. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about alternative sources of energy for the home and work place. The workshop, presented by Philip Friendman, will be an open-ended discussion, so bring your questions! Phil has been working in photovoltaic design, installation, and renewable energy education since 2003. He holds a Masters Degree in adult education and training from Colorado State University and electronics technology certification from Front Range Community College. He has worked in the field and in front of a computer with PV installs, technical support, and design and consultation. Now he is primarily consulting on PV design work and solar site analysis. Phil is also an online instructor for Solar Energy International in Carbondale, Colorado and is helping with developing new course curriculum. Find more information on SEI at http://www.solarenergy.org/ and http://www.solarproservices.com/ For more information, contact Victoria Petersen at [email protected] or Eileen Dumas at [email protected]. Plautia Corvale or Ariell Enoch will provide teleports to the location. Alexandrian Free Library: (Caledon, Winterfell, Steelhead, New Toulouse, New Babbage, Amatsu Shima, West of Ireland, Steeltopia, Deadwood, Al Andalus & Constantinople) Library Events for June 3 - June 9. Continuing Exhibits: *19th Century Literary Influences on Steampunk, an exhibit at the Steelhead Public Library, March 15 to June 13 at the Steelhead Public Library, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steelhead/123/184/25 *Caledon Library 19th Century Spiritualism Exhibit, curated by Mica Braun, from May 1 to July 17 at The Jack and Elaine Whitehorn Memorial Library, Caledon Victoria City, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Victoria%20City/59/196/23 Events of the Week: *Winterfell Library - Aianna’s Fireside Tales, June 3, from 6 to 7 PM SLT at Bard’s Bonfire, Winterfell Taure En Lor http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell/21/222/23 “Here is where the dragon roams, The faerie plays, the gnome hides. Across the centuries, from far to home, Here is where the magic abides!” Aianna continues to read from the short stories of Charles de Lint: June 3 – “Romano Drom” - Charles de Lint June 17 – “The Sacred Fire” -Charles de Lint July 1 – “Winter Was Hard” - Charles de Lint *WOI – Caledonia Skytower & Shandon Loring with Ancient Tales, on June 3 from 6 to 7 PM SLT, To Limani, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Locus%20Amoenus/48/155/24 Two Storytellers, and great stories set in the Ancient World including “The Lady or The Tiger.” *WOI - The Time Machine with Lilia Quinnell, on June 3 from 7 to 8 PM SLT at West of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Ireland, http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29 Have you ever wanted to travel to the future? Have you ever wondered what life would be like then? Join us as Lilia reads H.G. Wells classic novella The Time Machine. (part two) *WOI - Mongan’s Frenzy with Shandon Loring, on June 4 from 7 to 8 PM SLT at

West of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Ireland, http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29 The abbot of the Monastery of Moville sent word to the story-tellers of Ireland that when they were in his neighbourhood they should call at the monastery, for he wished to collect and write down the stories which were in danger of being forgotten. “These things also must he told,” said he. In particular he wished to gather tales which told of the deeds that had been done before the Gospel came to Ireland. “For,” said he, “there are very good tales among those ones, and it would be a pity if the people who come after us should be ignorant of what happened long ago, and of the deeds of their fathers.” So, whenever a story-teller chanced in that neighbourhood he was directed to the monastery, and there he received a welcome and his fill of all that is good for man. *WOI - Shandon Loring, Storyteller, on June 6 from 11 AM to noon SLT, at S.S. Galaxy http://slurl.com/secondlife/Galaxy%20MID/123/60/26 Join Shandon for great Irish stories, famous hero tales, lovely fairy tales and much more. *Winterfell Library Book Discussion on June 6 from 1 to 3 PM SLT at Winterfell Library - http://slurl.com/secondlife/winterfell/130/190/25 *Winter is Coming, Winterfell Library, on June 6 from 1 to 3 PM SLT at http://slurl.com/secondlife/winterfell/130/190/25 Join us to talk about the fourth book in the critically acclaimed and series A Song for Fire and Ice; A Feast of Crows. Plot introduction: A Feast for Crows is set in a fictitious world reminiscent of Medieval Europe (primarily on a continent called Westeros), except for the fact that in this world, seasons can last for years, occasionally decades. Plot summary: A Feast for Crows picks up the tale where A Storm of Swords left off and runs simultaneously with events in the following novel, A Dance with Dragons. The War of the Five Kings seems to be winding down. Due to complexities that arose during the writing process, A Feast for Crows only includes some of the POV characters from the past novels, as well as some new characters who appear only briefly. The remaining characters will return in A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book. *WOI - Caledonia Skytower and Select Stories from Peter Pan on June 7 from 6 to 7 PM SLT in MagicLand, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bracket/176/40/34 Selected adventures featuring himself, the boy who would not grow up, and Wendy, John, and Michael Darling as they share adventures in the Neverland with the Lost Boys, The Pirates, and the notorious Captain Hook! *Story Session at the Falling Anvil on June 7 from 5 to 8 PM SLT at The Falling Anvil, Caledon Tamrannoch, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Tamrannoch/229/107/22 Sponsored by the Caledon Library, the Clan of Seafarers and Storytellers, and the Storytelling Guild *WOI - The Tale of Despereaux with Caledonia Skytower, on June 8 from 7 to 8 PM SLT at West of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Ireland, http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29 The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Concludes with “Book the Fourth: Recalled to the Light” were the fates of our hero and those whom we have met intertwine for the conclusion of this great adventure! *Caledon Library Folklore lecture by Afsaneh Metaluna on June 9 from 4:30 to 5:30 PM SLT at Tinyville Library, Caledon Tanglewood, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caledon%20Tanglewood/23/214/23/ Folklorist Afsenah Metaluna will guide us in a new exploration each month; with illustrative stories and her own commentary she’ll expose to our understanding some facet of the rich and varied folklore of the British Isles. These lectures will feature brave heroics and wonder tales from the Celtic regions, Welsh lore including the tales of Arthur and Merlin, stories of the wise and the uncanny from Scotland, and folklore from England comprised of local legends that combine references to beliefs and customs and aspects of daily life, particularly rural life as well as the English ballads and broadsides, which have a strong tradition of their own. *Schedule of Lectures On each of these dates at 4:30 PM SLT June 9, July 7, Aug. 4, Sept. 1, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 *WOI -Dandelion Wine Stories with Gyro Muggins, from 7 to 8 PM SLT at West of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, West of Ireland http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/44/157/29 Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury, offers many lovely mini stories, join Gyro this time for: Lime-Vanilla Ice Cream Then Someday The Wax Witch

Page 18 The Metaverse Messenger June 2, 2009

Neo-Realms Fishing Camp Results from the week of April 13

THE BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED main house at Melody Bay offers romance seeking residents a place to have a cozy dinner for two, as well as dancing on the balcony. Visitors can also chill out on in secluded spots like the tire swing seen here.

2009-05-26 - OPEN ROD TOURNEY First Place: Hateinside Blackheart Second Place: SabreWulf Banshee Third Place: erree Amat Best Catch: Avner Raymaker

2009-05-27 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Sal Salubrius Second Place: Avner Raymaker Third Place: Carol1313 Greenwood Best Catch: erree Amat

2009-05-26 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Hateinside Blackheart Second Place: Avner Raymaker Third Place: Jaki Sismondi Best Catch: Jaki Sismondi

2009-05-27 - OPEN ROD TOURNEY First Place: zsuzsa Halasy Second Place: Lacey Latrell Third Place: Xenia Axelrad Best Catch: Xenia Axelrad

2009-05-26 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: BillybobJoeJohnboy Deerhunter Second Place: Jaki Sismondi Third Place: KaliCat Kennedy Best Catch: Anastazia Lemieux

2009-05-27 - OPEN ROD TOURNEY First Place: Andi Lauria Second Place: Miikkey Magic Third Place: Sal Salubrius Best Catch: Bibi Rabeni

2009-05-26 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Hateinside Blackheart Second Place: Gia Sautereau Third Place: Suma Sleeper Best Catch: Hateinside Blackheart

2009-05-27 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Sal Salubrius Second Place: Jamil Jenvieve Third Place: Richie Marenwolf Best Catch: Tiersel Dollinger

2009-05-27 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Gia Sautereau Second Place: Coug Sleeper Third Place: KaliCat Kennedy Best Catch: Leissa Schwade

2009-05-28 - OPEN ROD TOURNEY First Place: Sal Salubrius Second Place: Spacegirl Orsini Third Place: Nikee London Best Catch: GJackie Winkler

2009-05-27 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Hateinside Blackheart Second Place: Leissa Schwade Third Place: Gia Sautereau Best Catch: Carol1313 Greenwood

2009-05-28 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Suma Sleeper Second Place: Chowhound Inglewood Third Place: Coug Sleeper Best Catch: Sal Salubrius

2009-05-27 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: Leissa Schwade Second Place: KaliCat Kennedy Third Place: Lacey Latrell Best Catch: KaliCat Kennedy

2009-05-28 - EVENT ROD TOURNEY First Place: francois Uba Second Place: Maggiez Emery Third Place: BaaS Tone Best Catch: francois Uba

- Photos by SHERRIE SHEPHERD.

MELODY has for her resort include expanding from a quarter sim to a half sim, adding more sporting activities, a wider variety of locations and the possibility of a gift shop with mementos of their visit to Melody Bay. They are also looking forward to working with wedding professionals in terms of providing a romantic honeymoon location for their clients. Lockjaw invites the SL community to see what Melody Bay is all about when she says,

TOP 5 2007 TOUR From Page 4

“I would like the SL community to ‘come on!’ If you are looking for a place to getaway for the weekend, ’come on.’ If you want to celebrate an anniversary or special occasion with your lover, ‘come on.’ If you are looking for an exciting yet romantic place to honeymoon, ‘come on!’ All are welcome and we want to provide you with the best vacation and service possible.” For more information or booking, contact Kinji Lockjaw or Finess Goodman.

Name KaliCat Kennedy Carol1313 Greenwood Lacey Latrell mikelz Ember Jaki Sismondi

Points 604 447 438 372 324

First Second Third Best Catch 61 57 52 32 44 44 32 41 43 39 36 30 40 24 33 25 34 25 20 17

Hearts Enchanted (203, 192, 24) Samarai Tokyo (161, 96, 24) Alston (41, 87, 22) For a complete tournament schedule, visit fish.neorealms.com

June 2, 2009 The Metaverse Messenger Page 19

REVEREND Over the next few weeks leading up to his final service, scheduled for June 13 or 14, Rev. Brown will discuss the meaning and significance of virtual ministry. All people of all beliefs and religions are welcome at the services, and notecards are available with the readings and responses.

From Page 3

Those interested in attending can visit the Anglican Cathedral of Second Life Web site for the schedule: http://slangcath .wordpress.com/services-forthis-sunday/ The Anglican Cathedral in Second Life is located here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Epiph any/100/147/50.

Advertising works!

BIRTHDAY grounds. “As long as the people getting the landmarks are made aware of the maturity rating of the destination, we are fine with landmarks being given. “They can go with a small booth if they like, or they can be more ambitious in their build. It’s up to them. As long as what is on the event grounds is PG, they are welcome to exhibit.” Thus anyone who registered and is representing an area of Second Life that is of Mature or Adult content are welcome to exhibit. They will, however, need

From Page 1 to keep the exhibit PG rated but may issue a landmark to their own land or exhibit away from the official grounds. This remote exhibit may be mature in content. Overall, this year’s event promises to the best. Better organisation and a consistent team means the people in charge have experience of organising the event. Longer lead time has given everyone more time to prepare, and an interesting theme should challenge content creators to do their best.

BREAKS

pair Kit’ available at our shop in Eros. Wherever possible, we prefer to handle this on an individual basis and personally thank our customers for their patience and support. It’s the right thing to do. With few exceptions, everyone has been very understanding. However, sometimes IM’s do not make it through the throng.” Serpentine said that his understanding is that after the backlash of last year’s Multi-Love Pose (MLP) takedown, it now requires two Lindens to sign off on a gridwide blacklist. Apparently this blacklisting occurred after Linden Lab had closed in San Francisco. “At minimum, the creator should be notified. We received no such courtesy. I was told by Garry Linden that it was an ‘accident’ and that our script was being used as a griefing device. That was all I was able to determine from Linden Lab. Garry Linden suggested that I send out ‘Repair Kits’ and to post them on XStreetSL. I felt condescended to and dismissed. The apologies were sincere, but I cannot pay my tier with them, potential profits aside.

From Page 1 “I am not satisfied with an apology. I pay tens of thousands of dollars annually in tier and advertising. The repercussions of this are endless. Many of our customers are rental organizations whom have to replace hundreds of broken items. Additionally, the majority of residents are not made aware of the fact their bed or toy is inoperable until they go to use it. “These scenarios not only alienate our customers but their guests as well. There must be accountability when substantial incomes and fees are involved. We have spent years developing our ‘SexGen’ brand. “Reputation is everything in Second Life. It’s difficult to fathom that our investment can be decimated by a few careless keystrokes. “I would like to thank our loyal customers for their patience while we work through this debacle; also a very special thank you to Andrea Faulkner and our staff. This has been a trying experience for all of us.” The M2 will have more on this as additional information becomes available.

Have news you’d like published in The Metaverse Messenger? Send press releases to [email protected]

Page 20 The Metaverse Messenger June 2, 2009

LINE

If something changes on one side of The Line, things are affected on the other. Mostly, I have talked about how Second Life affects our Reality. Reality is of course what matters, it is the life side of The Line we have no choice about taking part in. How Reality is affected by Second Life is what most people like to focus on. However, the door swings both ways, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention something from Reality changing my Second Life. That of course is affecting my Reality as well. The friends I am

From Page 6 now missing in Second Life are a very important part of who I am, so no longer seeing them frequently matters to me. The new friends I am making are sharing their ideas and experiences, all things that are new to me. As I make that part of my experiences my Reality is changing further. As you ponder your relationship with The Line, think about how changes in Real have changes how you work and play in Second Life. How have those changes then been reflected back and changed your Reality? It is one of those unending cycles.

EDDI HASKELL PHOTOGRAPHS SECOND LIFE PALMS: Palms are ubiquitous in Second Life. By taking this photography in black and white, and sharpening the edges, one can see the structure more clearly and get a better appreciation of the sophisticated rendering involved. This photo was taken using Google's Picasa program which is available as a free download. Eddi Haskell's main gallery is located at Liberation (212, 12, 22), and his blog can be found at http://www.eddihaskell.com

RESIDENTS ENJOY the fantastic outer space build at Second Pride. - Photo by EDDI HASKELL.

BITES mixing music with the friendliness and the warmth of the Dublin and now San Diego communities helps “create lasting friendships and a home away from home.” That is exactly what every pub owner is trying to achieve. Humans are social creatures, and hanging out at the pub is one very enjoyable way of interacting with our fellow man or woman. For a pub owner, that is what it is all about. Music can be a draw and serve as a pleasant anchor encouraging pub goers to stay longer because they are having so much fun! Original music has a unique draw. Everyone wants to hear that new sound, or to be there at the beginning of something big. What rock n’ roll buff doesn’t wish they could have heard The Beatles at The Cavern Club? Can the virtual nature of Second Life help feed that desire, or increase the chance of being among the first to hear the next big sound? Beyond original music, for a straight forward good time, covers also can pull a crowd with smiles all around as patrons are pleasantly entertained by music they already know and love. The general happy created is called “stickiness,” which is basically getting folks to hang around. This is a key ingredient for my First Life pub’s success. The simple equation is to get and keep butts in seats. An empty pub is not profitable. My daily proceeds for nights with music compared to those without clearly demonstrates the earning power music helps create.

From Page 8

The question over music in my Real Life venue rings true for a Second Life venue too. But is there a benefit of melding the two? Could we have a musical performance in a U.K. Pub streamed through Second Life to my pub in North America and create the same kind of vibe as a face to face performance? Does that increase the chance that I might be hearing the next Beatles? Surely it would be as compelling as watching a music video or listening to say Sirius radio. That is the premise I’m operating on—besides that, let’s not forget that Second Life music scene is undeniably cool! You gotta have fun along the way too, right? Cher shared one final thought with me—a quote attributed to Madonna—that struck me deeply: “Music is a language of its own that precedes words and speaks directly to feelings. It crosses all boundaries. Is it any wonder music transforms any experience?” Really that’s why I’m in the pub business to begin with, to create community. Isn’t that what Second Life is all about too? Please drop me a notecard inworld with your thoughts on the value of music to your First Life or Second Life business, or to your life. I’ll share the best feedback here. With the help of the good folks from Dublin in SL, I’ve confirmed that there are valid business reasons for continuing my pursuit. Next area of examination is copyright obligation for performances of music streamed to or from Second Life.

June 2, 2009 The Metaverse Messenger Page 21

Campus of Hope created in SL Virtual environments have become valuable tools for elearning and distance collaboration. Now, a group of engineering students at the University of Michigan-Dearborn are using technology in a different way: as a means to address social needs and urge social change. This innovative project, called the "Campus of Hope," is made possible by a $100,000 Ford College Community Challenge grant from Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. Through this initiative, UM-Dearborn students purchase virtual land in Second Life, and morph themselves into digital avatars to promote awareness about the challenges of Michigan’s food banks. The Campus of Hope project is one of five that received funding in 2008 from the Ford College Community Challenge, a new initiative that invited colleges from across the country to design student-led projects that would offer community-based organizations innovation solutions for tackling critical needs. Winning entries had to embody the theme of "Building Sustainable Communities." "At Ford, we understand that to contribute to a more sustainable world, we must play an active role in helping institutions and communities address a wide range of vital issues from education to hunger to mobility," said Jim Vella, president of Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "Through this Community Challenge initiative, Ford is the rewarding innovation and initiative of college students who want to improve the sustainability of the places they work and live." In the online world of Second Life, Campus of Hope is mirrored after the real UM-Dear-

born community, complete with familiar campus buildings and a replica of Ford’s world headquarters – except this one houses interactive food-bank themed games scripted by the students. For example, visitors to Campus of Hope can drive a Gleaners’ Food Bank truck as they race to pick up food donations before a timer runs out. The goal of the Campus of Hope project is to use Second Life's technology to conceptualize challenges facing Michigan’s food banks and to develop solutions than can later be implemented in the real world through partnerships with the Food Bank Council of Michigan and other local agencies. Through 2013, UM-Dearborn students will continue to expand and strengthen the Campus of Hope community, operating it as a real and virtual network where food banks can collaborate, exchange best practices and access tools and resources. “The University of MichiganDearborn is committed to supporting the residents of southeastern Michigan,” said Bruce Maxim, associate professor of computer and information science. “Campus of Hope gives us a way to use technology to solve real problems for realworld communities, while providing valuable skills and public service opportunities to students.” The Campus of Hope project will be showcased at an upcoming UM-Dearborn conference that explores using virtual worlds to improve the real world. The conference will be hosted simultaneously in Second Life and on the UM-Dearborn campus on June 3. Those interested in attending can find more information about the conference at http://groups.engin.umd.umich.e du/hpceep/slc/FMC3flyer.htm.

BULLIES

The insults and bullying starts out small, perhaps with a funny comment or a joke. Then things slowly get out of hand. They start posting meaner and meaner things, and before they know it, they’re really hurting people with the things they write. And perhaps bullies don’t understand how their words can affect another person. When someone is hurting in Second Life, it’s hard to see that. A bully can’t see the tears her words have caused, so it’s hard to understand the depth of misery her writings may have caused. So what should you do if someone is bullying you? First of all, don’t retaliate. If someone is mean to you, don’t hit back. It might seem natural to give them a taste of her own cruelty, but this will just keep the war going. It’s hard to do, but you have to ignore it. Face to face, it can be very hard to “walk away” from an insult. Online, it’s actually much easier. Turn off your computer and walk away. Be the bigger person and just walk away. You are better than that. Do not engage the bully. Place the bully on mute if she is disturbing you in Second Life. Remember that bullies feed on power, and if you ignore them, you reduce the amount of power they have.

From Page 5 In September of 2007, Jessica Coen wrote an article for Glamour.com, where she revealed how she had gotten a job for the site gawker.com, a Manhattan-centric media and gossip blog with a readership in the millions. Her job was to basically be mean, “pointing out absurdities or inaccuracies found in newspapers, in magazines and online, while poking fun at the city’s overinflated egos.” In doing her job, and doing it well, she became the object of insults and more. Over time, her persona changed, to someone she didn’t like very much. She switched jobs, ending her career as a paid bully and offered the following insight, “The Internet is an emboldening, alternate reality—but it’s still reality. We need to apply our general rules of morality and civility to our interactions on the Web.” She added, “ I’m not advocating a pinky-in-the-air level of politeness, but Web users should stand behind what they say. I suggest this test: If you wouldn’t speak something to someone’s face, or sign your name to an angry rant, then don’t post it online. No more hiding behind the keyboard.” So in summary, while it’s tempting to be mean, to bully – don’t. Just don’t.

TAY BENINGBOROUGH AND Thunderfoot Lorefield tied the knot Saturday, May 30 in Kannonji. – Photo by PHOENIX PSALTERY

Beningborough-Lorefield exchange vows Tay Beningborough and Thunderfoot Lorefield were united in marriage at 2 PM SLT on May 30 at the Kannonji Chapel in Kannonji. Caspian Inglewood served as officiant. Beningborough’s Maid of Honor was Teann Bellic, and Phoenix Psaltery served as Best Man. A selection from the writings of the poet/teacher Osho was read by Martie Georgia. Music during the ceremony was provided by TallGuy Kidd, who performed “The Water Is Wide,” “She Don’t Like Roses” and a number of other selections.

The reception was held in the Great Hall of the Wisdom Center at Kannonji. Music at the reception was provided by vocalist Euterpe Queller, who is a friend of the groom’s in First Life. The wedding couple danced their first dance to “Lonely Ride,” a song that echoes the fact that although they are joined in Second Life, distance still separates them in Reality. Lorefield is a live music performer in Second Life, and both he and Ms. Beningborough are heavily involved in the Kannonji Retreat Center.

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Second Penguins:

Crusty Old Geezer By DRAKE BACON M2 columnist I’m giving a warning out to every reader. In fact, I’m giving out two. First, after talking with our esteemed publisher and editor, I’m about two weeks ahead. I won’t be back in sync until early July after Anthrocon. Of course, if you see me there wearing a white lab coat and a +5 hat of button holding, you may have a chance to talk. Please resist the urge to pummel me. The Dorsai Irregulars don’t like that. Second, it’s a bit of background. I’m 32 years old and started on computers at age of 9. That means I’m already an old geezer in terms of tech, and my view is very well aged. What do I mean? Well, I didn’t go from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95. I went Win 3.11, dual-boot 3.11/Slackware Linux, then dual-boot 95/Slack. Then Slack, Slack with a Windows NT4 virtual machine (or VM), Slack and a Windows 2000 VM, Gentoo and Win2K VM, Gentoo and XP VM, Gentoo on the laptop, Gentoo/XP laptop, now Gentoo/XP/Win7 laptop, plus a pure Gentoo 64-bit system and an iMac bearing Vista to boot. In terms of Linux/Unix desktop environments, I’ve used Afterstep, FVWM, WindowMaker, all before Gnome and KDE came aboard. I’ve used Gnome 1.x, which I think was a good match against Windows 2000... ...until Gnome 2.0 came. That’s when it gained weight, had a horrible face lift that cut off half it’s limbs (in the worst way), and belly-flopped onto the screen with a thud. Doing things in Gnome 2.0 that you did in Gnome 1.x was akin to walking through a packed Japanese subway car with sandpaper stuck on your clothing. It just got in your way. So I punted Gnome and went with KDE, which kept the sane Windows 2000 style look all the way up to 3.5. 99% of what I was looking for was there, and the rest I filed bugs on. Come to the present, where I’m still running KDE 3.5. I’ve

also started using Network Manager 0.6.6, which does make using 802.11 Wireless (aka WiFi) easier for most of what I do. Unfortunately, these are at older versions. The latest versions are KDE 4.2 and Network Manager 0.7.1. Also, Ubuntu has come to play, which makes using and installing Linux easier. But not for me. So I try loading up Network Manager 0.7.1 on my laptop and netbook. The netbook happily chugs along... until today when the little applet for working NetworkManager no longer shows. Why? That applet, Knetworkmanager, expects 0.6.6 and won’t compile against 0.7.1. However, there’s an nm-applet program, and it’ll work in Gnome! Yeah. Right. No faith there. Next up, compile up KDE 4.2. I had tried it with the release of Kubuntu 9.04, which looked promising — my overall gripes about using Dolphin over Konqueror were fixed, the Desktop can have these Plasmoid Widgets removed and back to old functionality, and almost everything was there... except that it keeps crashing with a segfault. Niiice. Out of frustration I slap Kubuntu 9.04 on there, which has KDE 4.2 on it. I get it working, get mostly straightened out... and realize half the stuff I had put on there really isn’t available there in all the repositories, and I forget half of it. I get frustrated at that. Plus, KDE’s gotten “The Shiny” which chews up screen real-estate, which in turn makes me want to perform a face-lift to KDE, and there’s no easy settings on killing that now. So I go back to KDE 3.5 in Gentoo, and Network Manager 0.6.6. There is a glimmer of hope, though. I’ve tried Xubuntu, which uses XCFE instead of Gnome. While it has some weight of Gnome behind it, it doesn’t have the tendency of getting in your way. It’s kinda like what Gnome used to be. I’ll have to try it in Gentoo... As soon as Clonezilla restores a month-old backup of my entire drive.

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Page 23

Pern based roleplay comes to Second Life By KATIER REITVELD Staff writer With great wings which look like a protective umbrella, flame and smoke from its mouth, dragons are always popular when Roleplay enters a fantasy setting. Within the fantasy world of Gianfar Peaks of Pern, they are key to the storyline. Dragons and their Dragon Riders provide protection for the inhabitants of the world. Gianfar Peaks of Pern is inspired and based upon the fictional, fantasy Dragon riders of Pern series of novels by writer Anne McCaffrey. Wendy Foxchase is one of the administrators for the sim, as well as one of the Dragon Riders. She said, “My husband, Soo, and I were all very fond of dragons and the Pern books. So we had a lot in common. Soo found a RP group on the Isle of Wyrms that did Pernese threadfall. “Pern is a humancolonized planet, which is hit by spores from space every 250 years. The very basic story line is that humans colonized a planet around 2500 years ago. And they didn’t know that these spores would fall everywhere on the planet for 50 years every 200 years or so.” The spores, the threadfall, are a constant danger to the planet, but the inhabitants have found that Dragons can counter it. Foxchase said, “During RP threadfall, it takes two players to really fight thread. The rider does the “driving,“ the dragon burns thread and controls teleporting out of the way of thread they can’t burn.” Roleplayer Siona Farina added, “The Dragons are bio-engineered from the local firelizards by the original colonists. We lost that knowledge though.” Gianfar Peaks of Pern consists of four sims of which three are the main roleplay area. The fourth is a homestead sim and used primarily for habitation for the residents. The sims are well constructed with stone

being heavily in evidence. This would seem to be correct for the environment given the fact that thread will eat through non-mineral housing such as wood. The sims cater for all types of characters from the books. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Dragon Riders are popular but roleplayers cannot just jump into that role. As with the books, a roleplayer has to develop their character through lesser roles. There are three possible roles for new human players. Drudges are the work force, while students are apprentices such as crafters. Runner candidates are the third type and are the messengers of the world. These players run around the entire ‘Pern’ world delivering messages and packets from one place to another. Interestingly, these new human players are all considered ‘NPC’s and have to prove their ability to roleplay before becoming full roleplayers. Non-humans are initially beasts or firelizards. Once all new roleplayers have proven their ability, they are then allowed to develop. They can either work on their character as it is or move towards being a Dragon, Dolphin or Dragon Rider. Farina is one roleplayer who is developing. She said, “I’m [an] apprentice Harper here now, soon to be Candidate for the Riders.” She learnt about the sims through some luck. She said, “[A] friend told me they had firelizard pets here, and I wanted one, and sort of got hooked.” Farina is clearly impressed with the level of detail the owners have gone into to create the world. She said, “They know the books well, and they try to replicate all the details as we can know them. They did manage the layout of a medieval place pretty well, especially a medieval place [with those] who’d live in cave complexes mainly” Overall, Gianfar seems to be an extremely well thought out group of sims with an interesting way of handling new roleplayers.

THE IMPOSING LANDSCAPE that makes up Pern is full of minerals, as these are the only things that can resist the effects of the periodic attacks that undergo this turbulent planet. - Photos by KATIER REITVELD