Wednesday, December 15, 2010

New Allied Base Sim in WW2 RP Area

A few days ago, on Thursday Dec 9, the opening ceremony to the new sim in the WW2 Combat RP region took place. Made for the US, British, and Free French teams, the sim was appropriately named “Allied Base.”

Seaone Bunyip officially opened the sim at 7 PM SL time, “Welcome To Allied Base WW2 Sim. This base is created in honor of the United States Forces and Veterans that fought and died for freedom In France and other theaters in WW2 and therefore will fly the United States Flag. Allied Base Sim is Headquarters for and Administered by the 1st Allied Command Group.”

Seone continued, “Historical notes on the area of this sim represents: This airbase represents the Advanced Landing Ground "A-72 Peronne Airfield France. Bastonge is 120 miles to the North East. Omaha Beach and Utah Beach are 175 miles west. Paris is 75 miles to the SW. Vermand is 5 miles to the East. St Quenten is 11 miles to the South East. Village of Brie is 4 miles to the West. Peronne Airport was a pre-World War II civil airport, consisting of a terminal, hangar, some support buildings and a grass airfield, serving the nearby city of Saint-Quentin.”

“We want to give a big hand to the builders of the sim! A special salute to the best builder on SL, Deusen Marx! A special thanks also goes out to Vickster Kuhn and all the WW2 sim owners. The sim is here for everyone to enjoy! Respect the rules of the WW2 role playing sim and we all can have FUN!” And with that, a ribbon at the opening gate was cut, and the place was declared open. For the grand opening a truce was declared between the two sides. A number from both the German and Allied teams showed up.

Deusen Marx soon told everyone, “I added something to the sim today in secret.” And he revealed a halftrack, though one needed to be “armed” with the Vice combat tag to drive it. The main group of people soon ended up in the bar. “This pub is called Leona's,” Deusen told everyone, “It is named after Vickie's deceased Grandma. I think we should all raise our glasses to Leona. Cheers! To Leona!” And people raised a toast, “Cheers.” “To Leona.” “Health to the new sim.” “And also a toast to our host, Seaone, thank you for your generosity and sweet spirit.”

This was soon followed by some cheerful joking around, such as funny gestures, and discussing the supposed reaction one skunkgirl officer in the German air group got from the Allied side when getting a commission during a medals and promotions event, “They sent a tank to the ceremony.” Later, it was described the tank was blown up, but the driver raised a toast to the newly promoted with a glass of Guiness ale.

After a while, some of the German pilots left. It wasn’t long before they returned, in a squadron of Stukas. Fighters were called up, but the Stukas didn’t have their combat enabled. They were just circling around for photo shoots.

There will be other events for the WW2 Combat RP this December. Among them, Joe Sparrow's yearly Christmas drop, on the 21st, "Every year i take up a plane and drop boxes with gifts in them. It's random as to what theyll get but i do put retail items in. Last year it was on my sim. This year, it'll be here."

And so, the Allied teams now had a little more breathing room, no longer confined to a tiny strip of land on the southern edge of the southernmost sim.


Bixyl Shuftan

Monday, December 13, 2010

North Pole and Santa's Workshop

If you’re looking for a place for holiday fun, take a trip to the North Pole and Santa's Workshop, Porvoo (255, 88, 104). Snowflakes and jingle bells greet you as soon as you rez. I even thought I heard a distant “Ho, Ho, Ho”.

Follow the footprints through the crunchy snow to reach the village and Santa’s Workshop. Take your time and enjoy the crystal sculptures and other treats that you’ll pass along the way. Detour off the path to visit the penguins and bears, too. But watch out—the ice is slippery!

I love the North Pole post office. The details—like stamp machines and mail sacks-- are whimsical and charming. Inside the elves are working very hard to sort and deliver all the letters to Santa. You can buy a few of the items here, including the animated elves, but the building doesn’t look like a store. Santa is in the corner near a sign that tally’s the number of Naughty’s and Nice. Fortunately there’s no names attached to the Naughty’s. Before you leave, be sure to click on the sign to hear Santa’s Christmas greeting.

In the middle of the sim is the largest building, Santa’s Workshop. Inside the elves are frantically working here, too. The workshop is jammed with colorful toys and the sounds of singing elves. Toy airplanes fly overhead and trains chug around their tracks. This is a busy, busy place. I liked the conveyor belt and the stacks and stacks of gifts. It’s impossible to walk around the workshop without smiling. A few of the toys are for sale, but the workshop doesn’t have a commercial look to it.

My favorite place is the Reindeer Barn. It is very realistic, and a quiet retreat after the hectic pace of the workshop and post office. There’s an elf here, too, but he doesn’t sing. Donner and Cupid are the first reindeer to greet you. They move, of course, and make cute reindeer noises. Blitzen was a bit stand-offish the first time I visited, but Dancer was so friendly that he followed me home. You can purchase all nine reindeer from a box tucked off to the side, or buy individual reindeer. The harness bells are extra, but well worth the $50L to add a festive, holiday touch.

A sign outside of the Workshop says that the elves have hidden some prizes around the buildings. I love a good hunt, but there are so many cute and whimsical things to see here that I didn’t bother doing the hunt. One problem, however, is that this sim fills up quickly. I crashed twice during visits at busy times. Try to go at an off hour, if possible.

If you have young children in your home, or if you’re young-at-heart, the North Pole is a great place to visit.

The North Pole and Santa's Workshop is at Porvoo, (255, 88, 104)

Grey Lupindo

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Dude! Surfs Up in Second Life!

Over 600 Surfing Spots in Second Life (SL) with Awesome Pipeline Waves! Like WAY more than real life! Dudettes and Dudes! Wax your surfboards! It's gonna be an Endless Summer!

Like check this out! A beach called Ocean Waves will lend you FREE surfboard, windsurfer, kitesurfer, and land yatch! Wow! Try them all free! Go down the stairs and walk to the end of the beach by the big kite. Kinstall Hill (91,19, 21)


Intrigued? You ain't seen nothing yet! Okies… You can BODY SURF with no equipment… All you need is Monster Waves which are EVERYWHERE in SL! See me Body Surfing in Picture 7! HOW: Fly your avatar, and hover just above the water's surface. Let the wave catch you. Dead Easy! Monster waves that travel across a full sim here: Syx Monkies (223, 90, 34)


Now the real fun! SURFING! One moment, I'm flying leftwards through a MONSTER pipeline wave… the next, I carve a CRAZY WICKED turn (Woah!), and then I'm SCREAMING off the big wave going rightwards. REPEAT: Carve-Turn, Scream Left, Carve-Turn, Scream Right! Omg! Monster waves in SL are totally narly PARABOLAS and you're screaming back and forth on them… Finally… MATH IS FUN! ... Wicked!

And before long, I'm paddling back out to catch another great wave! You got a freebie surfboard? Trash it! I'm serious. State of the art waves like from from HP Surf's genius Leogarto Burt will knock you off your freebie surfboard in a heartbeat! Oh my! What to do?

Dude… You got to check this out! 500 different state-of-the-art surfboards for sale. It's a place high up. It must be SURF HEAVEN! And it really is! Picture 9 is overhead view… Totally too many surfboards! AWESOME! And they are all from the top-of-the-line SL designer Sebastian Saramago, genius behind Surf Systems Inc or SSI. I bought my 1st proper board from "New Arrivals" lineup, a Drew Brophy original! COWABUNGA! Visit Surf Heaven: Tai (126, 125, 223)


Some beaches you can rez your board anywhere. But, let's say you got your dream board and WOAH bummer! This beach sucks! You can't rez there! What do you do?

Dead Easy! Find the surfboard rez box… A rectangle a couple meters square, clearly marked! Rez your board there and you are solid gold! Surfing Funster!

Just up the hill from the Tai rez box is one of my favorite live music clubs in SL. I was like WOAH… this Surf Heaven manager Desiree Beaumont… Hmmm dead familiar name! OH YEAH! Like stole her chim 100 times! Heeee! She's super-fun hostess of the hottest classic folk club in SL… Surfside Hideaway. Visit: Tai (211, 112, 30)


Now you got it all! Great waves, great live music, co-located! This must be Second Life!! Woooot!

Hey... like where are the 600 surf spots in SL? When you buy an SSI board, you get a gift, the Surf Spots HUD. It lists all 600 spots and gives you the SL landmarks. You can vote for your favorite spots and vote to blow away the lame ones… Here are the top spots on my Surf Spots HUD today:



# Votes Beach Name SLURL
89 Knowhere (warning)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/knowhere/122/24/25
66 Chi (full rez)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chi/92/253/21
61 Syx Monkey (rez box)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Syx%20Monkies/22/122/19
59 Primworks (warning)*
http://slurl.com/secondlife/PrimWorks/155/212/23
49 Quan Li (full rez)*
http://slurl.com/secondlife/%20Li/218/215/20
42 Bundoran Reef (full rez)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bundoran%20Reef/110/202/26
42 Tsunami (rez box & 10 FREE LOANER SURFBOARDS!!!)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/TSUNAMI%20BEACH/230/122/21
38 Pacifico Central 1 (warning)*
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pacifico%20Central%201/150/102/22
36 Tortola (full rez)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tortola/99/71/35
24 Neart Beach (full rez)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Neart/161/226/28



EXCLUSIVE INSIDER SURF LOCALE - Suggestions by awesome SL surfboard and "largest wave" maker Luscious Starship (Her store is at Tsunami, see above)...

(1) HP Surf is Leogarto Burt's Showcase (full rez sim) and possibly the best wave in SL, visit:
Crab Island (19, 160, 22).

(2) Tsunami Sky Beach is a platform at 600 meters with big waves (rez box)
Tsunami Beach (230, 124, 598)

(3) Largest Waves in SecondLife is at the 900 meter platform at Tsunami Beach (NO rez, but lots of loaner boards) Tsunami Beach (230, 124, 598) (for example the 200 meter Cyclops Sky Wave!)



Key to Annotations

(full rez) means you can rez your surfboard anywhere. SLURL is the location of the wave generator (start of your surfing).
(rez box) Use the board rez area as in Pictures 5 and 6. The SLURL is for the rez box to get you started quicker!
(warning) means unable to locate rez box in no-rez region.
* Only found small or no waves there.



P.S. Luscious Starship also said that other founders of SL surfing who deserve mention include wavemakers: Eathon Sands and Heather Goodliffe, and perennial SL surfing promoter Colleen Brennan.

And surf fashion designer Zianna Parx contributes this SLURL, Bundy Beach and Nancy Blake's Pub, a great to place to party, shop, and surf Bundoran Reef! West of Ireland (126, 237, 27)

Any1 Gynoid
(originally on CNN)

Monday, December 6, 2010

Club Zero of Nocturna

One of my friends kept talking about a “Industrial Gothic” club she frequented, Club Zero of Nocturna Urban Designs. “This is what this club is,” she told me, “Industrial club, Gothic club, Live DJs, ... a lot (of people) love this place. Ans we have great bosses here. They actually care about their staf and patrons of this club.”

Getting to the place, from the outside it looked much like a huge old-time theater, but in dark tones, black and dark red. The place had an audience inside, so it took a little time for things to rezz, a few vampires chatting in the lobby. The inside of the place continued the dark gothic look. The dance area was on the second floor, getting there taking a walk down a hall that wound around and up. And getting there was a healthy-sized crowd, close to a couple dozen in size, with club owner Musette Demonia and head DJ Hazard Fizzle leading the party.

Chatting with Musette, she told of the club recently celebrating it’s one year anniversary with an all-day event, “24 DJs in 24 hours.” Of the reasons the club was built, “I wanted a place where people would feel comfortable, bring in really good DJs, some place to feel home, blow off some steam, something that reminded of the club scene we grew up in.” Asking about how big attendance can get, she told me the two dozen at the time, “this is average. Late night it gets busier. ... Anywhere from 10-40, depending on the DJ.”

Hazard felt happy of the 24 hour event, “that was fantastic, so fun... rapid fire DJs all day ... We had so many great DJs doing short sets that the crowd just stayed. Evening was most popular. Saturday night, all of our best House DJs played that night. Pagan, Glitch, Kittynes.. they had the biggest.” But the club also has other events, “We do a cross dress night that is always very popular ... girls will be boys and boys will be girls, changing gender for the event. We do it every few months. People have fun with it. We also do Dj battles every now and again. ... 1/2 hour sets, back and forth. Any thime the DJs get to show off, it brings something special.”

Club Zero is at Nocturna Urban Designs at (228, 187, 34). It has a website at http://clubzeroradio.com/, and also it’s own Facebook page.

Bixyl Shuftan.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Wolf Mountain

Here I am again looking for more winter fun for you. I had such a great time at Wolf Mountain the past few years, I went back to check it out.

I stopped by the PeachTree Resort Lodge and found the manager there along with some people relaxing by the fire. I asked if anything was new. Oh yes! There is so much fun there! You can look for your favorite sport on the mountain or down below.

One of the first things I checked out was the ski lift ride to the top of the mountain. At the top I found skis and also a winter sledge waiting. There is also a snow tube if you like to be really close to the snow as you travel down the steep slope. I tried that out since I have skied there before and also sledded. That hill is fun for all the types of downhill so try each one and hope you make it down better than I did!

When I reached the bottom again, I decided to take a sleigh that was waiting next to the ski lift. That is a delight, but takes some work to control that horse. I stopped off at the chapel already decorated in festive red for the holidays. It looked as if there had been a wedding lately.

At the bottom of the hill is a lovely skating pond. Just don't hit the old gent who is ice fishing. Looking around a bit more, I found a ski board with special boots and went barreling down the hillside doing tricks as I went. Another exercise in control! A balloon ride takes you for a tour of the all the sims. That can be found at the skating pond.

I love Wolf Mountain and the owner Peach Fizz is always helpful as are her employees. Go enjoy and I did not tell you all the experiences you can have there. A 20+ minute balloon ride over the 7 sims will give you an idea of many of the activities you can enjoy there. Grab a bag of popcorn and go.

Start here at the entrance to the lodge: PeachTree Resort (52, 44, 33).