Aloha Beach

By Wesley Regenbogen

 Every once in a while we all have the need to go to a place to relax in Second Life. Although there are many places to relax around Second Life, some of those get crowded to often, because many avatars find their way to that place. The only solution : finding another place. That’s not too difficult, but if you want to relax and like a beach, check out Aloha Beach.

Aloha Beach is a tropical beach where you can relax and sit down and just enjoy the view of the beach and the waves coming towards you. There is also a place where you can play basketball, although that didn’t seem to work for me, and you can also dance to the music. There are many chairs that you can sit on, so choose one and right-click it and choose “Sit here” and there will be a pop-up message that asks you which sitting pose you want to take on the chair.

 You can even take an ice cream at the ice cream stand. You then get an object named “ 1 scoop” v1 or v2 or v3, depending on which one you choose. You then need to go to your inventory and look into the “Objects” folder and search for the name of the object mentioned above. You can then choose to “wear” it and then you will see that you are holding an ice cream in your hand. So, then you can relax sitting on a chair with an ice cream. Virtual life can be simple and easy, don’t you agree?

The place is owned by Ikapono Catnap. It was claimed by him on the 23rd of June,2013. But since he only understands Japanese, I wasn’t able to ask him any questions about the place. I don’t speak Japanese.

The music in the background really makes you want to relax and enjoy it and the environment itself. There are a few shops around, but I didn’t buy anything. There’s a bird sitting on a stick and when you right-click it and choose “Touch” the bird takes off and flies around for a round and then it returns to his stick. The waves in the water are really amazing to watch, they are so beautiful you can watch it for hours. Even the water itself is amazingly beautiful too.

So, if you like beaches in Second Life, this is the place to be.

Relax and enjoy the environment and the music, and maybe one day we can meet up there.

You can find this place at :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Veil%20ofthe%20Moon/20/150/21

Wesley Regenbogen

The Jungle

By Gemma Cleanslate

Do you  enjoy looking film or videos or pictures displaying  the lushness of a tropical jungle?Make sure you visit The Jungle region. When you arrive, you are invited to teleport to the many sites recommended to visit.  The owners of the Jungle, Perry Krell and Leigh Elton Krell opened this region in May and already have had almost 15,000 visitors. It is now on the Destination Guide. 

Actually, Perry told me he built the teleport because he was getting lost all the time. Or, you can take the walking entrance which is the Lion’s Mouth and wander off on the stone paths I spotted a pride of lions as I set off. Immediately you meet a whole elephant herd lazing in the sun, enjoying the pools of water to drink or bathing . The experience of being surrounded by vibrant flowers that glow, the massive trees, and the thick vines that hang from the trees, and buzzing insects will give you the feeling of being in the real jungle. I felt dwarfed by the foliage, some of which appeared  ready to eat me, but their  loveliness made me pause to look. Sweet bird songs, along with roars and howls of the animals surround you as you meander through the trees.   

I climbed one of the vines and rode a zip line to the ground. I took a boat ride down the river and viewed wild animals  along the edge of the land feeding or taking a drink of water. There is a cannibal village where the ferocious cannibals look like they are ready to go hunting for food....wild animals I hope. Waterfalls abound in the jungle and along the river. I spied 7seas fishing along the river and think there will be contests there soon. 

And who did I run into in this jungle? Breezes Babii, my dear friend And you recall her stories here in the paper too. She is a guide and a lion in the jungle!  

I visited the Art Gallery that has some relaxation areas to dance or just relax and cuddle. This is a sim to visit alone or with friends and every time I go there are people moving among the animals of just relaxing in one of the sites planned just for that. I asked Leigh what gave them the idea and she said,”We love the jungle and wanted a place of peace for avatars to be able to come to for relaxation.  The beauty of this jungle is among the best in Second life. The reality of the animals and the things than take place all over the jungle is amazing.  If you are in a hurry you will miss the point of the visit to The Jungle ; it takes time to explore and to enjoy!”

One thing I came across was a plane that had crashed where hyenas were rummaging in the area and Leigh told me that starting in the fall there will be a game connected with that called Plane Crash Survivors. That should be interesting. 

There are activities and entertainment going on at the social venues that you might enjoy so join the group for notices. Kudos to the builders ! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//1/160/27

 Gemma Cleanslate

AERO Golf Club

By Wesley Regenbogen

Golfing, it must be the coolest sport around the world!

The AERO Golf Club was created by Kaja Ashland and Marcus Bremser, who are also the owners of the club, and the opened in November 2013. Although this isn’t the first golf club within the Second Life environment, it’s a cool and nicely created club.

The number of visitors depends on which time of the day and which day of the week you there. But actual numbers on how much visitors were not given. But they have large club of golfers that come in and play regularly.

How to golf in AERO Golf Club :

To play golf, you must first join their group, and then you get a “Golf HUD” and a “Golf Club” handed to you. You must accept it to go further. This is done to keep order on the golf terrain and to keep it’s landscape nice. Another reason is that they want to avoid everyone using the golf club as a sandbox. So, only group members can rez the golf ball and other things to start playing. You need to wear both the HUD and the club in order to play golf.

Then you must move your avatar to the first hole, which are indicated by the red-white indicators. On your Golf HUD there are three words : “Putter”, “Wedge” and “Driver”. Those are the type of clubs to make your tee get towards the hole. Physics do have an effect on gameplay, so natural effects like wind, weather conditions and the golf ball also reacts to ground shape and other objects on the track.

Once you putted a hole, you can move on to the next tee, which is clearly indicated with arrows with “ Next tee”. Before you start to try to push your golf ball towards the hole, you can adjust the direction of your throw by using your arrow keys. More precise targeting is done by holding down the Shift-key and the arrow keys on your keyboard.

On screen there is always the wind speed in mph. Once you are ready to golf, just click on “Driver” and then you can hold down the left mouse button until the speed indicator from green towards red, allowing you to adjust the speed of your throw.

To hit your golf ball, you can release the left mouse button. Your avatar now shows an animation of a golfer hitting his golf ball towards the hole. Once your golf ball has landed somewhere on the course, it will show a marker where the ball is. To teleport towards the golf ball, you need to click on the marker, your avatar will teleport there instantly.

There are 18 holes to complete before finishing the game. I haven’t completed a game of 18 holes myself yet.

There are basic and advanced tutorials, which are available at tee number 1 under the white tent.

In my personal opinion : this is the coolest golf club that I have visited in Second Life so far. But I have only visited one golf club in Second Life, haha ….

You can find AERO Golf Club at this location :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lavender/128/86/28

Wesley Regenbogen

The Dawn Kingdoms : Walking with the Dinosaurs in Second Life

By Wesley Regenbogen 

The Dawn Kingdoms ( located in the Fort Nowhere sim) is the place where you can walk around aside the dinosaurs. The name comes from dawn, which means the early ages of Earth and kingdoms reflects on the empire that was owned by the dinosaurs.
 

This sim was created in the year 2007 and the Dinosaur Shop was opened in 2008, and is a full-sized sim. The owner hopes to expand the sim, when the funding allows it. The creator/owner of this all is Wanders Nowhere, but he gets assistance from two trustworthy friends of him (Alevan and Kaitlyn ), who are also sim admins of the place.
 

Wanders Nowhere created this sim all by himself and he also created the dinosaur mesh bots. Those dinosaur mesh bots are scripted bots that can react when an avatar is nearby, by roaring at them. The owner says it was difficult to create those dinosaur mesh bots in the beginning, but now he can create one in 1 or 2 weeks’ time. He is experimenting with new scripts and new methods of moving of the dinosaur mesh bots. Some dinosaur mesh bots are difficult to create, because they have unusual features, feathers and other things that all need to be animated and put into place. I have also seen a T-Rex in the Dawn Kingdoms, that was quite a scare, because it really is huge.

Wanders Nowhere also says that it has been hard work to create it all, but he says it challenging and rewarding to make it all. In the future he will create so-called “guests rides” where they follow a path or even fight with avatars who wear combat HUDs on them. There is also a group where you can get updates from this place, but I haven’t joined it yet.
 

Before you get in the actual dinosaur adventure, you arrive at the dinosaur shop and the entering area. To “time warp” into the sim, you need to follow the arrow , which takes you to a glowing orb and you need to touch it ( right-click and select “Touch” ). You then need to “sit” on the glowing orb and wait until the teleport system transwarps you to the era. Before entering it asks which era you want to teleport to. But there is only one option, at the moment of writing this article, so, you click it and it takes you to the sim itself.
 

The landscape of the sim is beautifully rendered and the dinosaur mesh bots are awaiting you. When you get a bit closer towards the dinosaur, it will roar once you near it very closely. This is the reaction that the owner put in place to allow the dinosaurs to “react” to avatars. When you wander around the place you encounter a few dinosaurs, like a T-Rex, and raptors and other dinos.
 

This place is one of the coolest places that I have ever visited in my lifetime on Second Life. In my personal opinion, this place is awesome and I hope he can continue to create further here.

It’s worth a visit, trust me.

You can find it at :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fort%20Nowhere/129/68/1102

Wesley Regenbogen 

Creations For a Cause

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

 

What a delightful time I had visiting the region, Creations Park. Originally I went over to view the Dreamscapes exhibit featuring some exquisite art by five SL artists in the elegant Gallery . The pieces were all lovely and represent the artist’s images of what is Dreamscape to them. Be sure to view them during August and September. There will be a new theme for the following months. When I said I was going to Creations, someone said to me that the region was lovely and to explore it. I set out from the Gallery on foot and picked up a notecard telling me about the purpose of the sim and landmarks not to miss. 

 

The mission of the sim in SL is to support the Team Fox founded by actor Michael J. Fox, whose mission is raising funds for research into Parkinson disease. The founder and owner of the sim, Barbie Alchemi, relates her feelings, “After 2 years in Second Life, my brother and I felt a desire to give meaning and purpose to the hours we spent in-world. Our Dad died with Parkinson's and our Mother has it now. To quote her "I may have Parkinson's, but it does not have me." At 85 years young, she has entered Second Life and is thrilled to see herself running and dancing again.  This sim was created for everyone to enjoy. Those of us in Second Life can have fun while knowing we are making a difference in the real world. Those who are affected by Parkinson's can learn about SL, a world where they can be free of physical limitations.“

 

I picked up a demo horse and took a ride along the paths and over the brick bridges that connect the areas. There is a marvelous beach with a water slide, relaxing beach chairs, cozy cabanas and cuddles. Under the waters you will find a gorgeous underworld mermaid paradise. I happened upon a party of mermaids dancing while I was there. Around the dance area the underwater decor is lovely, including an Atlantis setting . 

 

Back on dry land, I wandered along to the village of shops where I ended up purchasing some fall outfits . All or half of the money you pay for the items goes to Team Fox. It is nice to buy something and know that part of the money goes to a good cause. There are two lovely shopping areas there with some well known fashionistas  involved. While I was there a summer hunt was going on so I picked up some nice gifts. 

 

I visited the towering Castle filled with interesting secret rooms.One teleport took me to a snowy winter wonderland with midsummer ice skating, skiing, balloon ride and more available and it was a frosty treat! Some dazzling Christmas trees were displayed in gingerbread  houses around the skating area. There are activities going on during the week at various places around the sim so you are invited to join the group to be informed, or join the subscribo for information.  

 

A teleport board  is placed all around the areas giving the option of getting to the numerous venues easily . There are more places to visit than I talked about and you will find them there for your pleasure to explore. I will definitely be back for more!  This entrance will put you near the tp board , or near a demo horse to rezz to start your travels.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Creations%20Park/192/68/22 

 

Gemma Cleanslate

The Shelter : A Place to Relax And Enjoy !

By Wesley Regenbogen

The Shelter is a newbie-friendly place where avatars can meet and chat with each other in a nice atmosphere. People can just relax, listen to music, dance or just head out to the pool and relax there. Or, if you like water, you can take a dive into the pool itself. 

The place was created by Travis Lambert and Lars Bismark and was founded on August 20, 2004. So, within a few weeks they will celebrate their 10^th birthday in Second Life. The current coordinators of The Shelter are FireEyes Fauna and Shadow Pidgeon. They have 22 volunteers and 11 DJs giving their time to add to the enjoyment of our patrons. Their events are listed on the Second Life official website, but they also have a forum (http://www.slshelter.com/forums/) and an in-world group to announce their events.

Newbies will feel welcome at The Shelter as there are a staff of volunteers that are answering questions and offer advice, also to older avatars. Members of the group can also set The Shelter as their home. The Shelter offers a calm, friendly place to socialize and dance, and also relax. The Shelter offers a shelter from the chaos of Second Life. They have pool parties on the weekends. There's dancing on the deck or take a relaxing dip in the pool.

Their soon to be 10th birthday is quite an achievement in Second Life terms speaking, and they are proud of it.

They have a large group of supporters and shops and ad rentals that keep them going. Without the support of these supporters The Shelter wouldn’t have existed. They can always use more help, to help them exist another 10 years.

The creator of The Shelter, Travis Lambert once posted on the forum : "When I was a newbie, SL was a very different place than it is today. The entire grid was limited to 100 mainland sims, and there were no private islands. Events were so few, that Lindens actually announced them grid-wide with blue popup messages. There were still plenty of things to explore, but if you wanted a more social experience, your options were pretty much limited to chaotic welcome-areas with little policing, or a few Sex/Orgy clubs that were so raunchy it'd make a porn star blush. After a few months of frustration, Lars Bismark & I decided to try our hand at our own place with our own vision, and opened the Shelter. The idea for the name came from an alternative club in Detroit, where Lars and I were both from, and it seemed to fit perfectly for what we were trying to create: A Shelter from the chaos of SL."

So, if you are looking for a place to relax, then The Shelter is the perfect place to be.

Maybe we can one day meet eachother there and have fun.

The Shelter can be found at this location in Second Life : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isabel/44/226/81   

SL Wiki entry: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Shelter

Shelter forums: http://www.slshelter.com/forums/

Wesley Regenbogen

The Cornfield: An Old Region Renewed

By Gemma Cleanslate

The Cornfield was pretty much a mystery to me until last year when the Lindens brought it out and placed it at the SL10B . Then I learned the legend. It was a place where griefers and other naughty persons were sent in the early days of second life to consider their transgressions. If reformed they came back to the normal sims. Well, The Cornfield is back but in a new resurrection. I went to see it.

In order to get there, I went to the Linden Realms Portal entrance where you can access several interesting places, The grid hunt, the Linden Realms, the Wilderness,  and The Cornfield,  and some hang out areas. I entered the walkway  leading to a large old barn, passed through it, was TP’d  and arrived in a similar  barn where I was handed a basket to wear on my back and a plank to carry as a weapon along with a hud. I picked up rules for the game. The barn was filled  with people coming to empty their baskets into the bins.

This is a very busy game so be prepared to run like the wind, watching all around you for horrible creatures (griefers) of all sizes and shapes that are intent on catching you. They sneak up on you from all sides! Some look like dead pumpkins, others like cornfield zombies, some like wild scarlet eyed half animal half beast. While you are busily looking for corn cobs and coins, and other treasures in the field they are on your tail. If you are caught you end up in a graveyard and lose all the corn you have collected in  your basket. Then you start over again with the collection of cobs, luckily your coins do not disappear. 

The cobs are converted to coins when you empty them in the bins. The coins can be spent in the company store for various prizes. They can also buy you some armor and other tools that help you fend off  or kill the griefers in the field and gain coins they leave behind as they perish. One problem is that as you kill one griefer another kills you so you miss getting some of the coins. I am not much at killing zombies in SL but these guys deserve it!  I learned to use the buildings in the field to remember where I was and try get back there before someone else grabs them. 

The hud appears and disappears when you enter and leave the region. To reach the barn you need to start in the Portal, follow the path to the cornfield barn  and go through the rear door there to be tp’d into the Cornfield barn. I met some friends there on my second day.Marianne Mccann is a fan and has been playing for a while. She informed me that there are other hidden treasures in the fields besides the corn and griefers. Using the plank to kick the griefers is not easy! I already have my armor but now to earn enough for a better weapon than a plank!  Hates to leave you with that little info but you will learn by playing! See you there !

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LR%20Portal%20Park1/126/127/24

Gemma Cleanslate

The Pony Sim At Nisa

By Grease Coakes

When I interviewed Amehana Ishtari about her new book Selkie skins Castle And Wells, I noticed that the sim was unique as it was a friendly sim for Ponies, or rather; ponies akin to the popular show "My Little Pony : Friendship Is Magic," or in shorthand MLP. When I warp to the sim, I hear a classic rock music stream which fits the mellow atmosphere of the sim.

When I got off work one night Amehana and I agreed to meet at Nisa (97/243/25). She was hanging out with her two friends Phoenix another pony and YunaJones Resident under the second name Twilight Sparkle High Note.

Amehana told me about a summer solstice event which was like a treasure hunt looking for dragon pearls. The dragon pearls were used to craft items that were useful to the pony in one way or the other. She said that RP or Roleplay is not required, however it adds to the sim environment. She mentioned Phoenix her friend was very good at creating quests for ponies. You can learn more about their summer solstice event at http://www.manelands.com/topic/the-solstice-approacheth .

I asked Amehana is roleplay required and she said this, "RP is not required here. There are some that simply come to explore and enjoy. RP is encouraged though, as it's intended as an MLP sim, just with our own lore as Nisa, Thessalia, and the Ibex Empire are all fan created countries in the universe."

"You'll find that those that RP here tend to like magic, science and knowledge very much. You'll find some nods to other things here too."

I asked Amehana about her own character and she had this to say about her kirin fursona. To double check, a kirin is part dragon and unicorn She said for this sim she said it was a different species. Instead Raikou Hare is more like an alicorn (like Twilight Sparkle from the TV show), "Raikou Hake is a kirin from the Ibex Empire. That country is populated mainly by Ibex, other kirins, and dragons. She grew up in what equates roughly to a samurai family that oversaw rice plantations. Her family has a love of learning and it's own library, and from an early age she loved to paint and write. When she was very young she wrote a story that shocked her parents and her father's friend... a priest at the crystal shrine local to her family (and he is a dragon). As a result she ended up studying story crafting and art...with a large dose of  'study all the things.' She also has a very strong bond with the Ibexian Life crystals... When that becomes it's own sim she will be fully boded with those crystals."

To add to the roleplay experience Nisa and other pony sims like Canterlot have their own website at http://www.manelands.com/. Ponies add in their characters so people have an understanding of each other's fursona. Amehana mentioned so long as no one blows up the sim and makes sense, they are accepted within the website as an approved character. In fact to fufill the lore and RP of the Nisa sim they are looking for dragon characters. Dragons need apply if any scaly fire breathers are looking for a pony roleplay sim.

A good time to come to the sim is on the 16^thth of this month where Amehana announced there would have a Jellicle ball http://www.manelands.com/topic/jellicle-ponies-come-one-come-all.

Part of Raikou Hare's description is she's the sim librarian. She's planning a poetry workshop in the near future.

Over at the Trotsdale library Amehana was reading over voice lore about the pony sims to any interested ponies or anyone else. She added in this, "The books that I have read for Trotsdale are ones that I thought would be enjoyed by the pony community. I read 'The Last Unicorn' and then 'Mitama' with a bit of my poetry between those, and some poetry by young Oliver Lambert. What is available here in the Nisa sim are lore cards for sim RP, and some short stories and poems I wrote -as- Raikou for RP purposes."

"It was Mondays at 6PM I was reading. I finished the book this week and am taking a break while what's going on with that library is worked out. However I do read at the Sapientia Concha Librarium in the Computer sim Saturdays at 6 or 7 PM SLT. That's different from my MLP involvement though (even though I often don't change back to my usual avatar). Trots Mon at 6 (holding). Computer Sat at 6 or 7."

Amehana also gave me an info notecard explaining the rules of the Nisa sim. A lot of it is common sense on how it's a tolerant environment. No trolls or being mean to other ponies is allowed. Fair warning that any such behavior will get you banned. Also that Nisa is a G sim so no dead ponies or extreme violence. No adult themes either.

During the interview, a friend of mine from WAYYYYYYYY back IMed me asking what I was doing. I told him writing about ponies. His name is Sneaky Krugman and those who remember Tj Icey's before it was changed into Dance Island may remember he used to work there as a host. Sneaky is also known as a DJ and creator of voice emotes. Crim and Amehana and I encoruaged him to try out the sim as a pony. Sneaky felt like he was crashing the party and warped elsewhere. But maybe the ponies could recruit him as a dj.

Crim Mip, one of Rita Mariner's Sunweavers, is one of the main ponies of the Nisa sim along with his girlfriend Lacy. Amehana herself is also an admin. Crim Mip also showed up and asked if I had any questions, and I told him Amehana was very helpful. He commented, "She's a great help in watching over the sims."

There are a few houses for rent, at no cost, as Nisa is always looking for more dragons in particular, or any other sort of mythical animals or ponies. Amehana added in there's also caves to explore.

Amehana mentioned this was a home to her. Why not check out Nisa and see if it's a great fit for home for you as well?

Grease Coakes