Monday, January 25, 2016

The Aero Golf Club


By Becky "Sha" Shamen

Long before becoming a reporter for the SL Newser, this bunny was hopping to the four corners of the grid, in search of the next been there done that.  A friend and I would take turns introducing the other to a new place and  activity. One of these adventures took place at a golf course. I had never tried real life golf, other than on a computer simulation, so was game to try it in SL. Turned out, I really liked it, although I couldn't explain why. Hoping to introduce our readers to this fun adventure, we searched for a golf sim, to re-learn the game and take notes on the back of the score card of the things we liked.

Our first pick was a place called the Aero Golf Club. But we soon learned of several other great clubs. From the landing, we pass through the clubhouse, noting large meeting rooms on either side. They must have some big events and tournaments here. Out on the back patio, you'll see a large pool on your right and to the left there is a kiosk, where you join the club, to be allowed to play there (free) and get a HUD and golf club.

The golf club is what they call a loner and is good for 24 hours and only at Aero. You can always get a new loner club for each time you come, or click the [?] on the HUD to learn where to buy your own, use anywhere kit, which even comes with it's own holes.

Next, we find the first tee, just a few steps from the kiosk. A large marker gives the tee number and it's par and has an arrow on top, pointed to the hole. Two small blocks mark the starting line Aim your body in the direction of the hole, then select the Driver from the HUD. This does several things to set you up to shoot. The head of the club adjusts shape, you are posed to hit the ball, a small cloud emits a tail to show direction and strength of wind and a pointer on the ground allows you to aim, using left and right arrow keys. Having  aimed in the right direction, you must now decide how hard to hit the ball. Click and hold down the left mouse button, in a clear area like the sky. As you keep it held down, a bars meter adds bars and changes color, as it reaches the maximum power level. Letting the button up allows the swing to begin and hit the ball. As the ball travels, it leaves a cool strobe light trail, which remains as you approach it. To get you to the ball's exact location, a large ball marker hovers above it. When you are close enough to click the marker, it will TP you to the ball. From this position, we follow the same steps as before, facing the direction of the hole, picking a club from the HUD, aiming and hitting. After you sink your putt in the hole, a look around the perimeter of the green will find the arrow that points to the next tee.

The HUD and club are simple to use and, after only a few holes, you begin to get pretty good at using them. Playing golf at Aero  is way better than a mere golf simulator, for several reasons.  The sim is a beautiful park-like setting, with a very enjoyable music stream. You can't help but find yourself thinking that this would be a great place to bring a friend or date. There are several places for small gatherings, like  a gazebo and the beach.

On my last visit to gather a few last details and pics, my radar picked up an avatar moving about the sim. Moving to their location, there was nobody to see. Then she welcomed me to which the reply was "Hi invisible lady". We worked out that a glitch in my viewer was keeping her from rezzing, while she could see me and my Newser Reporter tag. She told me about the golf world, in SL. I followed her as she finished her last few holes, although she was invisible, by following the bouncing ball. When her round was finished, she took me to two more golf sims and I could see her in those. We quickly looked around Hazeltine Golf course, then went to Claremont Pines to meet Ben Sauber, a top competitor on the circuit. My hostess qlued me that they use voice, when playing, so I turned it on. Having only recently upgraded to voice, I was amazed at how much the added dimension increased the fun. 

We highly recommend golf, in SL. My good friend, Doc Philly, liked it so much, he went out and bought his own set of clubs. Perhaps you'll catch him there, shooting some rounds.

Lavender (233, 127, 25)
 
"Sha"

Friday, January 22, 2016

Mardi Gras for Team Fox


By Bixyl Shuftan

Team Fox is getting a touch of "The Big Easy." As February approaches, the Creations for Parkinson's sim now has a "Mardi Gras" area, complete with a street parade.

Grab your Krewe and head on down to New Orleans. FrannyDJ Dean brings the French Quarter to life. Ride 100 interactive floats in this spectacular parade. Dance to live music and get crowned King or Queen at the Hot Clubs on Bourbon Street. Don't miss the thrilling carnival rides.The party never stops. Have the time of your life while helping to find a cure for Parkinsons.

Teleporting to the place, I appeared in a small welcome center building beside the parade street. There was a display of food on one side, and on the other masks one could pick up. There was also a bead thrower available to take. From there, it was just a short talk to the street, where one could see the floats passing. Many, if not most, had their own music playing from them. People could also hop on and dance on them, becoming part of the parade. In a few places, there were also cubic kiosks with a fox on top, where one could donate Lindens to Team Fox for Parkinson's research.

There were a number of avatars watching the parade, or taking part, when I arrived. Among those watching was Barbie Alchemi, the owner of the sim and the head of Team Fox. She told me this was the third year the Mardi Grads parade was here, and some of the floats were reproductions of originals from the parades in New Orleans a century ago. Each float's music was chosen to go with it's particular theme.

A notecard I found stated that there were over 90 different floats, balloons, and other items in the parade here, and they took an hour and a half to go down the street before starting all over. More would be added as time goes on up until Fat Tuesday on February 9. It was also recommended people keep their scripts down to avoid lag, and that AOs might interfere with riding the floats.

Besides the parade, there was also a carnival ride area in the "Croc Docks" where one could get on the rides and enjoy other attractions there. Nearby was a restarunt, "The Bistro," which offered food and dancing. Near the parade start was "The Crazy Leprechaun Pub."

Once again, all donations made to the parade kiosks go to fund Parkinson's research. The parade will be up until at least Ash Wednesday, possibly for a day or two longer..

Creations for Parkinsons (54/175/1163) - for the Parade

(76/25/1163) - for the rides

Bizyl Shuftan

Friday, January 15, 2016

Jay's Club


By Wesley Regenbogen

The idea behind Jay's Club is a very extraordinary one.
JayMaze Yao’s real life son died 10 years ago. His son was a real life DJ and he loved music. It was his life. About a year later, 9 years ago, he created his avatar in Second Life, in memoriam of his son. His son's DJ name was DJ JayMaze. So JayMaze Yao decided to put it as his first name in Second Life.
He made the venue like a tribute to his real life son whom died in real life. Even the photos in the club are from his son. A noble cause, don’t you think?
Jay’s venue consists of a club, ballroom and live stage. JayMaze Yao was the creator of most of the venue, and he decorated the place by himself. Jay’s Romance ( the ballroom area ) was built by Dorothea L. It was created a few months ago in November 2015.The venue plays different genres of music, with different clubs having different styles. Jay's Club offers rock / blues / oldies / and today's music. Jay's Romance has Jazz and Ballroom music, and formal attire is requested here. Jay's Mainstage offers music of all genres.  Sometimes live artists will come and play at one of the clubs.
The venue's staff communicate to their visitors through group notices, the events page in SL, and in the schedule. And you can find also find more information in JayMaze Yao’s profile.
Personally, I like this club. It is a nice tribute to JayMaze Yao’s son. JayMaze Yao did a very nice job in creating this tribute for him!
So, if you want to join the fun, head over to this location in Second Life :
Wesley Regenbogen

Monday, January 11, 2016

Experience Nature at Oyster Bay


By Kelly BloodyKitty

This my lovely friends is called 'nature'. Something a lot of us may not see depending on where we live. This sim is called LICK Sim Designs and is located in the region of Oyster Bay. Like a lot of places I go to seem, it appears to be owned by a group as well simply titled, LICK, and is a open and free to join group. Basically there is no significant purpose like shopping, gaming, RPing, or even gambling, the fun is up to you! I spent a few good minutes checking this sim out and it's very beautiful.

In the description of the landmark it basically telling you to enjoy your time here and enjoy the majestic views, experience cliff diving, and to even find some of the hidden spots in the sim to enjoy some time with your friends and loved ones. I feel personally like any sort of nature is a fun and or romantic getaway to travel around. While I am not a big fan of nature in our real world because of the bugs and ants, I can appreciate the other aspects. Here though you don't have to worry about ants or bugs biting your poor avatar and that you can just listen to the wildlife while you take a nice dip. 

I hightly suggest you visit this landmark if you want to hang out in a peaceful environment with your friends or a lover, or even explore on your own! The first place as you can see is you are on a dock surrounded by mountains and or hills and a lovely waterfall. The best part of coming in is that you can swim across the lake or tube it to get to the start of a lovely day. 

Oyster Bay (30, 124, 25)

"Kelly"

Friday, January 8, 2016

Eiffelicious at LEA 7


By Gemma Cleanslate

LEA7 was my choice of a New Year’s Eve party on a spur of the moment. I received an invite at the last few minutes of my time in Second Life, so off I went. I missed getting over to explore the region sooner as I was off exploring winter sports and shopping sims for the paper and working at the Relay Christmas Expo. The sim was packed with people dancing on snowflakes while smaller flakes swirled around our heads. We were at the base of the Eiffel Tower that stretched high into the air above us. The builder of the sim, Regi Yifu, put up the tower rather quickly I am told. “The tower is 244 meters high nestled inside a 300 meter tall snow globe with beautiful fountains and winter vegetation ty18 told me. I determined to go back to check it out after the party.

There are several levels to visit along the way to the very top. Each gives one a chance to examine the build of the tower itself and get a good look at the reflections of the tower in the interior wall of the globe. It is easy to get around on the space capsule teleport that offers a choice of places to visit. Then there is the gallery. Here I put my graphics all the way up to ultra as suggested. It was a delight. There is rotating art all over the interior walls of the gallery. There is a poster to touch and you will receive a folder of items to help you enhance the experience, a personal projector and information about the Photo Contest that is going on. 
All around the lower part of the gallery there are arrows in front of the wall. Go to the arrow and the submissions of photos of the tower will appear in front of you. Try the recommended windlight and wear the offerings for the best experience. It is well worth it. 
 The tower itself is an amazing build. It is astounding to me how precise the girders look all together and rise so beautifully. Turn on the music too to enjoy the especially selected stream. It all works together. It is all very Eiffelicious as the name indicates. The sim will be open through February so put it on your list.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA7/130/133/85

Gemma Cleanslate