Fantasy Faire-Inspired Contraption Sim

 

Not long ago in Fantasy Faire group chatter (yes, I am still in the group even though the yearly event is months away), I heard about one of the sims from the 2025 event being up again, or at least one that looked very much like it. For those with fond memories of the Steampunk/Victorian sim Galerie Gailland, sponsored by Walton F. Wainright, it's back as the sim of Contraption 

 

"I LOVE how Contraption mainstore is the entire region build from FF2025! So cool exploring it once again!" "Yeah- I had a great time at some of the events they sponsored when they opened it up." "Reminds me of that very first time I saw it and was in awe!" "They had intended to rebuild it after 2025 all along." "I'm so glad they did! It's nice to feel the spirit of FF alive in SL in this way." "A lobster, a whale, and a corpse lily.  I like the statues at the landing point. It is a whole museum.  More is rezzing. Now I'm starting to remember this, I loved it when it was new." "There are a lot of us who try to keep it alive in our own special ways, but this is a wonder. I had such a lovely time taking my GF, who missed that faire, there." "Hehe its like being at FF all over again. I am very happy."

For those who didn't see the place eighteen months ago, the sim is more or less a castle of  stone, steel, and glass, built in a Victorian-era architectural style I found elegant in it's design. Much of the ground and second floors have a number of exhibits from bones to statues to odd mechanisms, giving the look of a museum. Parts of the place, notably on the outside of the main structure in the southeast, have plants growing, which with the glass reminded me some of a greenhouse. 

 

The shops themselves do not stand out like sore thumbs, but like other Fantasy Faire areas were made to blend in with the scenery. They sell a number of goods from clothing to weapons, to avatar accessories and more. Also on the ground area, on the southeast, is a party area. 

 

A charming sim that for Fantasy Faire fans will be a blast from the past. 

 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Contraption/82/52/130 - Landing point I was given

 

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Contraption/226/55/118 - SE corner

 

Bisyl Shuftan

Nemo (2010)

The following was originally published in Second Life Newspaper on April 23, 2010.

*  *  *  *  *

By Bixyl Shuftan

Those with a fascination for Steampunk, fans of the classic novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” or even just a simple interest in either, may want to head to a certain place in Second Life: Nemo.

The entry point is a metal platform, with a walkway leading to a metal tube poking up through the surface, a doorway open and leading to an elevator. One can take the elevator down, and find oneself in the middle of an undersea city. The structure is done in the style of the Victorian era, but with strange machines mixed in. Near the entrance is a model of the complex, which can help in seeing where one can go while down there. There is also music in the background, which was a bit haunting at times when I was there.

The underwater complex is well detailed. Some rooms are simple living quarters in which one can sit on a couch by an amp and read the books of the day. There is also an occasional portrait of a notable person, appropriate to the setting, at the time, such as scientist Nikola Telsa. There is also an organ in one

In other places in the structure, one can look at electrical and plasma-filled equipment fit for a mad scientist’s lab. There are robots in the place, resembling sea creatures, in various stages of assembly, as well as sketches of the contraptions on the wall. If one looks outside, an occasional working model can be seen moving through the water. There are also other machines for use outside the lab, such as a fortune-telling machine. The machines are done in good detailed, sometimes with moving gears and other parts.

Nemo was built by Sextant Shepard, a French journalist in real life. In the Linden Blogs, he stated he was working on another area, the Oruchalcum Mine. Nemo itself is still a “work in progress,” evidenced by a closed door with a sign at one point.

A fascinating sim that anyone who’s read the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells will enjoy.

Nemo is at the FRANCE3D futuna sim at (91/148/21).

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SXcQVgnOP1Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Someone also did a Youtube of the area, which one can see: Link.

*  *  *  *  *

Nemo was one of the last places I would cover for James and Dana's Second Life Newspaper. This sim received a good deal of praise for it's design. It was featured in the destination guide and mentioned by Linden Lab as a key place to go to. More was built after the article, including scenery above ground, so I went back to see the new additional areas. Sadly, it didn't stay up for very long. In a matter of weeks, it was gone. I would go back once more for a few more pictures before it faded away.

Bixyl Shuftan

Steamed Custard

By Becky Shamen

While he was still dressed for the part, we sent Josh to yet another Steampunk location. Starting 2000 meters up, in the middle of a tangled nexus, where map and compass are useless, you might think our explorer would require some time to get his bearings. Not so. Like some kind of Dr. Who, he made a bee line for the most unusual feature on the sim, breedable penguins. Really? Have we now seen everything?

Perhaps not. Turning about, shaking his head, with a big grin, Josh spots a shop with clothing and vehicles and heads for it. True to the period, the vendor display pictures are all in sepia tones. It will be a hard sell, for one accustomed to HD colored ads, but Josh needs a wardrobe and loves unusual vehicles, so scrolls through the entire catalog. The clothing didn't measure up to Blak Opal's, but they had some great vehicles, two of which were only $1 each, so guess who added to his garage.

At the next area, a female robot, carrying a tray of drinks, offered refreshments and conversation. He had read that there were robots here, so this seemed quite natural. Shortly thereafter, he found a shop that sells that model and a host of others, either avatar or autonomous styles, including classics like R2D2, Buck Roger's "Twiki" (bidibidibidi) and the one from Space Family Robinson (danger Will Robinson...).

There were also some nice park areas and a multi-level freebie shop. All of this, so far, was in the sky, on interconnected floating platforms. Having seen a sign announcing land for rent, Josh jumped off to go have a look at ground level.

Back on terra firma, we find the land office, some homes and more breedable penquin areas. Having seen everything, Josh returns home to Sunweaver Bay to open and test drive his new rides. Since Josh and Sha do most of their exploring late at night, they seldom meet residents, so can't say much about the social scene. We can say; there was no lag and there were lots of new, unique, interesting things to see. It is an enjoyable, entertaining adventure. We give it thumbs up and recommend it to our readers.

 http://slurl.com/secondlife/Custard%20Developments/197/202/2000

Becky "Sha" Shamen

LPP Neo: A Place of Floods and Mystery

By Becky Shamen

This location seems to be a real paradox. On the one hand, it is one of the newest sims around, and yet it looks like a civilization, left in ruin by waves of rising sea levels. The Destination Guide gives only a brief description.

"From the fallen lighthouse to the marooned submarine and flooded railway, this house of steampunk style survives amidst a drowned region that is well worth exploring."

At first sight, our eyes tell us that almost all of the three connected sims are covered in water, leaving little else to be seen. Soon, our sixth sense begins to draw us in deeper. Perhaps the water is telling us that there is a great mystery to be found and solved, hidden from our eyes, just beneath the surface. We will need to focus our eyes and look for subtle clues.

A picture is worth a thousand words. This article has been richly illustrated, to assist your preparations in your quest for the truth.

When given a map view, in Destination Guide, we see only the three sims of LPP, Studio4D and Club Zain. When we spot this local map, titled "Water Lost World Project", we have to ask where the lost sim is. Calling the phantom real estate "Endless" doesn't fit either. Endless implies always was, always will be. What premature pralaya has removed all but the idea of this, so called, Endless sim?

When we arrived, on a dock in LPP, there was a submarine moored before us. Before it could be examined, it sank beneath the water. Our original plan included using a boat or sub, to explore the area, but further research revealed this U-boat occupies the only channel, deep enough for a ship, and it is blocked at both ends and too narrow to turn around in. It is truly marooned, but still has some life left to it.

Near by, we find the remains of a fallen light house. It's beacon still shines and rotates, telling us to look around, to learn more of the story. The scene hints at how the land became covered by water. Only a fool would blame this on global warming. Melting ice caps would take years to cover the island with water and allow residents time to build higher. A tsunami could destroy buildings, but the ground water would all drain off in a day. If real life geology can be applied to SL, we must conclude that this sim has been the victim of an earthquake, which has lowered the land (subducted), perhaps by 10 meters, leaving only the hill tops.

If you keep to the paths, between the sparse attractions on these sims, you'll keep your powder dry. Stray a bit and you'll wish you had worn hip boots or a wet suit. There are almost no shopping places here. The main shop has clothing for women and a black ops suit or two for men, but the prices are high, so even Sha would avoid going there. This shop, for Cyber Dolls, has some unique and well textured outfits. It's worth a look, even if you don't buy.

We head North from LPP, along the flooded railway, to Studio4D. The sim is almost entirely covered with a shop that sells dance animations. We tried a few, but at more than twice the price of most, quickly headed for the last sim in the group. The largest structure on the Club Zain sim is called the Main Floor and seems to be built, on stilts, to accomodate for the water. Inside, it's like a mix of dance club and TV studio. It reminds one of the sort of place where shows like "Soul Train" or "American Band Stand" would be recorded.

Just North of the Main Floor building, there is another postdiluvian structure, called the Stadium. It has a large dance floor, made of clear glass, flanked by enough bleacher seating to accomodate all the people that have visited this site, since it's beginning. Music is provided by a state of the art DJ booth, with a crate of vinyl albums and more CD titles than Walmarts stocks. In the center of the dance floor, there is a group of blue and green prims, which, at first seem to be a senseless clutter. As we pan our camera around, we begin to see that there is some planning involved in their placement.

 

A Puzzle

Moving the camera up, for a birds-eye view, we can see these prims have been arranged to form a symbol which is communicating some kind of message. The prims are placed on three levels, which we can study, in an attempt to decipher the symbol. At ground level, 15 blue triangles, all pointing the same direction, are arranged into a large triangle, broken up by progressively smaller ones, all pointed in the same direction. We don't know, yet, which of three directions our attention is being pointed in. About one meter above the floor, three green triangles sit above the blue ones on the floor. This way of "highlighting" tells us to look in the direction of the DJ booth. Higher still, we find 12 green bullets, arranged in a circle, all pointed to it's center. Had they been spaced equally around the circle, they might suggest a clock face or time. These bullets have left a gap from 10:30 to 12:00, which could mean either the time has not arrived or has been cut short. We are being given a message about this DJ, or perhaps DJs in general. Either their time has yet to come or it has been cut short. We will need more clues, to get the whole story.

The thing is, everywhere you go, there are odd things, found strewn about, that could be another clue. In writing this article, we returned many times to see things that we had passed before, thinking them odd but unimportant, but now that the puzzle was being pieced together, they began to fit and fill in more detail. The return visits also turned up new things that hadn't been seen before. In SL, when you click on a door, it opens. We found two doors, one on the ground and the other on the base of the abandoned bridge. They should not have opened to anything, but when clicked gave the message that we were not allowed to enter. Knowing that there were no others on the sims, we used the cam to pan around to the backside of the doors and find a chair or pose ball to sit on and poof, we were inside forbidden areas and finding more clues. At the base of the bridge, this technique got us into the "Stray Sheep Diner". This is one of the most developed spots yet. It is very detailed and full of possible clues. It is difficult to understand why the doors are locked. We can only hope that entering doesn't get us banned.

We could tell you much more about this adventure, but our goal is to tempt readers into having adventures of their own. Test your Sherlock Holmes skills and solve the mystery of TPP neo.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/LPP%20NEO/183/88/22
 

 Becky "Sha" Shamen

Neo Victoria

By Becky Shamen

 In recent months, the Newser has had some great articles on Steampunk communities, like Caledon and Steelhead. Reviewing the Destination Guide, Josh discovered a collection of other Steampunk communities, ranging in size from two to thirteen sims. Names and addresses were gathered into a notecard and he began exploring each of them.

After touring the first four, beleaguered by lag and yearning to yawn, it began to look like his report would be titled "adventures in adversity." While it was true, he had noted a point or two of interest at each location, there are only so many ways to say, it was beautifully, ornately textured, but beyond my meager budget to buy. Such a list would not be something he, or Sha, would be willing to sign their name to.

Thank gods and faes, our next stop proved to be an adventure, worthy of a story of it's own. Landing in Neo Victoria, we find ourselves in the visitors center, where me must prepare for what lies below.

By it's own definition, Neo Victoria is, "Dark roleplay, Steampunk style - A small community of gifted artists, working together to bring their stories out of Second Life, into the world of the real."
Avatars of all types and species are permitted, as long as they are not "cartooney." An anthro coyote is OK, Wile E. Coyote is not.

Orientation and shopping is in the sky. The two, ground level sims serve as home for members and a film lot for Machinima videos. If you are not a member, or out of character, you can visit ground level, but must get and wear the OOC (out of character) tag. To engage in roleplay, one must conform to the local story line. No cross story lines are allowed. As a means of learning the lifestyle, notecards are given as you walk down the dark halls that lead to the TP to ground level. Alternatively, there is a web site, giving more details and samples of their videos at www.NeoVictoria.net . They also have a web site for members only, which has community news and personal pages for each member.

Other factors that made Neo Victoria a great place to explore were, no doubt, the bi-product of using the sims for making videos. There are fewer mesh scenery objects, making it almost lag free. They also allow you to rez things there, with auto-return after 15 minutes. Using this, I rezzed my airship, for a birds eye view and saw the entire place, in far greater detail than was possible at other places visited.

Becky Shamen

Reader Submitted: Exploring Second Life - Caledon

By Becky Shamen

    The best laid plans of mice and men...., I am happy to report, this is NOT the story I had planned to write. Having recently told of how one might take adventure journeys of discovery, traveling the mainlands, via connected sims, I had become adept at using the World map to find and TP to new areas of adventure. By zooming out and panning on the map, I was able to find and go anywhere in SL, without first reading about it in the destination guide. I knew, from past experience, of sim collectives which were connected in such a way that allowed travel to a dozen sims without need of a TP. Twelve sims might sound like a big area, but in real life is only just under one third of a square mile. That's about the size of my free range when I was in grade school. By comparison, larger SL continents contain as many square miles as a city the size of Chicago. I lived in Chicago, for a number of years, and, even with high speed transportation, only explored a small portion of it.

    In my report on intercontinental travel, I had suggested the need of locating sims that allowed rezzing new vehicles, so the journey could be made in stages. As a follow up to the article, I was using the world map to locate and TP to random points on the continents, to see if there were places I could rez a ship. On one such venture, I was panning the map and spotted a large area of land, smaller than a continent, but big enough to see from outer space. Zooming in, I discovered this "island" was made up of 59 connected sims. The northern 18 sims are called Winterfell and the southern 41 are "the Independent State of Caledon". I had heard the name Caledon before, but had never been there and had no idea of how big it was or how well known. Now, I am amazed that the name is not as well known as Disneyland. I figured, if after three and a half years in SL, this place was "news" to me, it needed to be researched and reported to others.

The first thing I learned was that Caledon was dedicated to 19th century, "Steampunk" life. Knowing that this was a popular theme among many of my friends, I decided to map, explore and report on Caledon. I began with making a detailed map, so that I could mark points of interest on it. Using the world map, I cut and pasted each of the individual sims into one large map. This map has a resolution of one square meter per pixel. The image ended up being 1570x2340 pixels, which is way larger than SL allows to upload (1048x1048 max). To upload it to SL, I had to make a scaled down copy at 703x1048, which is still very detailed. Now, map in hand, I proceeded to explore all the sims of the State of Caledon. I am going to give highlights of what I found, but for two reasons, will not go into much detail. First, I discovered there is a lot written about Caledon and it's individual sims, which can be found on the internet and discovering all this is what makes the exploration fun. Second, given all that has already been written, I needed another reason for writing about it. After all, I am writing an article about exploring new things, not compiling a book of existing reports. We'll get to the reason I decided to write this article, after some highlights of Caledon. Be patient.

CALEDON

    Caledon began as a single sim, about seven years ago, on the mainland. Within only a couple years, it had moved off shore and grown to nearly two million square meters. It's theme is 19th century. Period attire and language is not required, though greatly welcomed. You can travel the nation on public horse and carriage, tramway, train or air transport routes, or bring your own Victorian era vehicle. In most of Caledon, you can fly and rez things. Most places had no automatic return of your things and those that do allow an hour, so you can park your vehicle and stretch your legs or shop. Remember to remove anything you rez and if you crash, go back and fetch anything left behind. Nobody likes a litterer. Caledon is part of a larger, 4.26 million square meter area, devoted to steampunk, known as "The Realm of the Roses." If steam is your thing, you might like to make your home there, but there is a waiting list. You'll find the residents are intelligent, creative, friendly and helpful. There are a dozen info hubs, scattered about the state.

Oxbridge University is a great place to start. Following the red arrows, on the ground, one finds signboards that explain SL basics, which are helpful to noobies and seasoned users. They also have scheduled classes, in the lecture hall, where you can learn about building, animation, RP, clothing design, mesh, sculpting, photography, and things to do in Caledon. Near by, in the Hall of Caledon, you can learn about things found in the State, it's history, etc.

Victoria City is the capital of Caledon. It's streets are laid out in geometric patterns and walking about is like a park with many sculptures. There are many shops for period clothing, furniture, gadgets and vehicles, with a fair amount of freebies. There is also a large public library, with multiple language resources.

Caledon and Caledon II, centrally located, are the first two sims, around which the micro-nation formed. Having mentioned the founding sims, I will now begin to end this report. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg here, as you could easily write a whole book on Caledon. It has only been less than two weeks since I discovered this place. I think it would take months, maybe years, to see and learn from all that is there. It is themed as being 19th century, but they are not fanatical about it. At one sim, I saw phone booths. I also passed one location that appeared to sell dirt bikes. As amazing as Caledon is, it is difficult to understand why it took three and a half years for me to learn about it. Talk about your "best kept secrets"......

Now, in closing, let me explain why, with all that has already been written about it, what my greatest delight is about discovering this place. I have spent much of my real life developing a new technology, called Pneumatic Crystal Lattice (PXL), a means of constructing ultra-light rigid structures from which floating and flying cities could be built. My teacher/guru predicted that one day this technology would be used to build "cities of light," that would inspire the planet and usher in a new, golden age. I recently asked the members of our class, "The Keys of Knowledge",  given this technology, could they come up with a covenant by which a group of individuals could become an inspiration to the whole world. Centuries ago, 13 North American colonies gathered together and became an inspiration to a planet. None of my RL classmates could offer any suggestions as to how today's humans could create an inspirational nation. Now, in a virtual world, called Second Life, I have found a group of people that seem to have found the answer. They may call themselves "old fashioned," but, in this writers opinion, they are as new age as I have yet seen.

Becky "Sha" Shamen

Forgotten City

The city hovered on rocks high above me as I made my way in on cobble stone roads, passing a a marker, like a gravestone , on the way that said “Forgotten City.” It was a long walk over several bridges until I came to a sign that said elevator. I pressed a button and down came an ancient box. I had no idea where I was so after pressing a few buttons a cage closed and I went up to level 2. The cage opened and I almost stepped into an abyss until I realized it was a two way cage and stepped out the back door carefully.

This is a silent empty sim with magnificent buildings to explore. The doors are impressive and the wall paper in one of the lavish buildings spoke of older times as did the parquet floors. No furniture remained and no portraits on the walls. I passed a neglected sign that said "Rent a House." I came across the first automaton in the square stationed in a kiosk that said "News Tobacco and Souvenir Stand." I glimpsed a lamp lighter in the distance but as he approached I saw it was another automaton. I was to see many more as I walked along . They are the workers who keep the City going.

I came across a fantastic steampunk water wheel behind the houses and stopped to watch it work for a while wondering what purpose it served. I saw a zeppelin take off and vowed to take a ride in it next time it came down. In the meantime I set off to visit the Capitolorium. There some wonderful eclectic pieces of art on the walls inside the building . The centerpiece in the entrance way is an old fashioned train set with locomotives and cars rounding the tracks of a miniature village with miniature people waiting to board the cars outside a the station. The tiny towns have familiar names to me: Chesterfield, Bellows Falls, Brattleboro ... all in the state of Vermont in the USA and I have been to all of them. It is a sight not to be missed.

I stopped in the saloon to watch the dancers on platforms move around and around. Out back in the courtyard I found a map of the city recommending rentals of the abandoned buildings. As I roamed I did find that indeed some people have returned to take up residence in the city in various corners . So perhaps in the future perhaps it will come to life again. I finally caught the Zeppelin and took a ride over the city. It is a great overview of all there is to see there. There is an intricate system of pipes running through the entire area carrying power from the waterwheel I assume in the form of steam. I found the port with a schedule of vessels that come by at various times and you can hop aboard or you can take a row boat and explore the canals.

I was lucky enough to meet the owners and creators of this spectacular sim. The newest addition to the city is a Winter Park (you will need a mesh viewer at the Winter Park) with ski jumping and other fun activities, and I went there and sat down to talk to them. I was interested in why and how the sim became. Jenne Dibou and Mandy Marseille are the creators of the City. Mandy explained “we had a different island here, called SOL Solution Island, owned by a good friend, and built too mostly by Jenne ... but that friend left SL and so we had to decide to go homeless or try to build something that's more than a playground for us. Something 19th centurish thing, but more Central European than British, so the build style is really a mix of 'fantasy' and secession/jugendstil, a kind of branch of Art Nouveau that was common in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the story is basically that our dear renters (who we love very much!! *smile* ) or explorers arrived here around 1885ish ... they have discovered this city in the middle of nowhere really. And they realized that people are gone, even though you can see Lincoln or Napoleon had once visited this place.”

After I left I paid a visit to the JD Mechanical Toy Factory. That is a must and you can find teleports around the Capitolorium and in the streets to take you up to it. Outside you will be able to try some of the games available. Horse racing was great fun! Choose your horse and watch it win or lose. Play poker with a friend. I lost! I tried the shooting gallery and did not do too badly there. Inside the factory itself you can purchase lots of fun steampunk items including creepy avatars, automatons, flying machines, motor vehicles of past ages, and entire buildings. It is a steampunk aficionado’s delight!

In the meantime plan on a long visit to the Forgotten City. As I look at the last view of my visit I know there is more to discover. It has been a while since I have found such an amazing sim to visit over and over. Perhaps I will see you there. It will be not so much "forgotten" but unforgettable.

Forgotten City (175, 210, 35)

Gemma Cleanslate

The Curious Prim Main Store

I'm in the mood for something out of the ordinary, something historically captured and exceptional in detail.

My selection is made in Second Life’s destination guide. I arrive in a unique architecturally designed island with steampunk, fairy, antique and Roman influences. It is whimsical and stunning as the guide states. The textures are elegant and its main store is called The Curious Prim.

Walking up to the first exhibit on a marble floored display is Uncle Irvin Chatbot. The 41 prim stationary bot is so clever in his appearance. Grey Kurka needs to be recognized for his steampunk creativity. Uncle Irvin 's brain is encased in a covered tank floating in water, electrical-like pulses generating. His blinking eyes on each side of the square tank appear to look right at you. His body is formed from a steampunk typewriter with scrolled paper. It appears an adjustment knob is on the side of his propped up body. His legs are a three-legged tripod with wood grain. To the right is an old canvas bag and matching fedora. Nothing less than enchanting.

Off to the next exhibit I find "The Night Palace," a 230 prim, copy-modify build. You can teleport to the building to explore its multi-use structure. Grey's notecard informs me that it can be used as a residence, store or exhibition space. Its footprint is 50x50. All unique textures and sculpties are used throughout. It can be used for a role-play environment or an attention getter. Across from it is a Luxury Store which is designed as an elegant space to be used as a store or exhibition hall. It includes ceiling lights, urns with acanthus plants and a sculpty Venus statue. Only 138 prims with a 40x40 footprint. Front and center is a magnificent reproduction, the image of elegance, perfect for a musical recital. The white Harpsichord Princess has a French look to it. It is exhibited with a smaller model. Propped up in the center, you'll find the sheet music. Casting light to read the sheet music is a tall candelabrum. Love it.

I could not resist the lure of an air ship close by. A short flight and I touched down on its deck to cast my gaze across the sim.

Returning a day later I found more wonderful creations. A Green upholstered Regency couch and chair set, a dark wood gothic table with lighter wood top and benches, an ornate gilt mirror and portraits, a leather covered trunk. Everything is rich in textures, unique and beautiful. The content creator deserves an award in creativity.

I had to touch base with this man who has somehow reached into my dreams and created the fantasy world I desire. Grey Kurka is The Curious Prim's creator. The first incarnation of his store was at a charming corner lot in the Rue Dantibes shopping district. It was nestled next to Barnesworth Anubis and Cory Edo, two talented early Second Life creators. The store opened early in 2008 and after a year or two it was expanded to a larger parcel in the Otherland Continent which is now gone.

"I settled here in Mythopoeia in July of 2010, so all told I have been in business with the Curious Prim for nearly four years. I also started using the SL Marketplace from the beginning and that has been a great help," he told me.

Kurka didn't choose to work on any specific genre. He merely let his inspiration and sense of whimsy be his guide. His love of fantasy illustration led to his creation of "Fairypunk."

"That term sums up my love of fantasy and Techno-Baroque funk," Kurka explains. "Because Second Life tends to be composed of different role play communities it is easier for them to identify work that fits an intended environment. However as a designer, I feel free to let my imagination roam at will."

Kurka's ideas are generated from real life objects. He tries to avoid looking at how other 3D artists have solved a certain design question and prefers to study as many actual artifacts as possible. Then he lets his imagination and ability with technology work to their best advantage.

“My Manor House, for example, was inspired by a boathouse designed by an architect named Julia Morgan, but it was greatly modified,” he explained. “Most of my stuff has some antecedent in real life to give it a context, but is then made personal through reinterpretation.”

In terms of how long does it take from prim to texture to fine tuning, Kurka said that if his drawings are sound, and he has gathered decent reference photos, the actual construction phase moves along fairly quickly. For example, a chair takes two three hour sessions. He’ll make three prototypes for every final.

“However, the research, design, and animation creation can easily take three times as long, not to mention scripting and all the preparation for sales in world and on the web,” he mentioned. “So, from idea to actual display, a week or more.”

Kurka does not enter contests. He finds it’s a difficult fit for designers that create for commercial venues. He said the designers that role-play as fine artists in Second Life tend to have a culture of “monastic abstinence when it comes to selling their work, perhaps perceiving that it compromises the purity of intention.” However, real life galleries work on the assumption that the artist expects remuneration, and the average income of any designer in Second Life is basically on a token level as far real economies are concerned.

“To be fair, we are all illustrators in here, creating visual equivalents for our own fantasies and dreams,” he said. “When I first started working in Second Life, I used to visit a sim called Dreams. They have speed-builds and building contests. I had a lot of fun working with a talented group of creators and teachers, a great way to learn. I would suggest everybody should visit and get creating or just support their wonderful efforts.”

What does he find most rewarding?

“For me the true reward of finishing a new design is knowing that it enhances the immersive experience for someone and adds some visual interest into their play. It is the use of an object in a role that completes the intention and gives context to the work.”

Asked what he would love to create, he replied that he would like to see a feature where the hand of the artist could be used directly in Second Life. Having a simple set of "paint" tools, a brush, pencil, paintbucket, etc. would bring the studio into the grid in real time. Surface textures could be added to objects or artists could work directly creating 2D work on a virtual easel.

“For me the experience of doing a landscape painting from within Second Life would be so much fun.”

Netera Landar

Traveling back to Steelhead Shanghai

If you’re over 18 and looking for an unusual SL site to visit, take a trip to Steelhead Shanghai, an 1890’s Chinatown community located along the Pacific Northwest coast. The notecard describes Steelhead Shanghai as a community “built up by the oriental railroad workers of the old country. The town is darker than the rest of its beautiful neighboring cities, an ever present fog rolls under the streets over the water, junk boats litter the bay as a few merchants with heavily loaded small boats push their way through the water. Some boats are packed with fresh fruit to sell, others have more... nefarious dealings.”

I started my journey at Luminous Designs Gardens, located at Steelhead Shanghai (71, 70, 27). The garden is near a rushing creek, and wind chimes add to the ambiance. Luminous Designs, which can be reached from the gardens by either steep steps or a teleporter, offers interesting clothes and accessories for ladies and gents.

If shopping isn’t on your list of tourist activities, stay on the garden level and walk around the harbor area. Steelhead Shanghai is a mix of a working class Asian, Steampunk fun, and adult amusements. Zoning didn’t exist in the 1890s, which allows for a colorful, eclectic mix of buildings and enterprises on this site.

Near the gardens is the tranquil and sophisticated Tokaido Art Gallery, located at Steelhead Shanghai (42, 75, 29) Currently it is featuring "Bridge from Afar: Images of Old Tokyo and Kyoto", which are images and photographs by Steadman Kondor. In the front of the gallery, you can enjoy a cup of green tea as you listen to the narration. Kondor has also created original art depicting traditional and modern Japan that you can view. In the back room you can relax and watch Japanese dance performances.

From the Gallery, walk back toward the gardens and descend the bridge into Oriental Steampunk to tour the Steelhead Cannery. Hold your nose -- the table of salmon filets smells a bit, but they will taste yummy. Go into the cannery to see the steam driven conveyor belt and stacks of canned salmon. Outside the cannery you can pick up a free cold one, courtesy of Sylva's Animation Factory, to help wash down the fishy odor.

This area is clearly a working man's neighborhood. The streets are narrow and everything looks more than a little sinister. Follow the wooden planks behind the Cannery, and you'll come to a hog pen. Continue around the corner to find more workers housing and machinery. If you’re mechanically inclined, you can work a grinder in one carpenter’s shop. Barges are tied up here, and for $125L you can buy a flatbed barge of your own. But the area isn’t all work. You and your friends can play a game of Mahjong at Steelhead Shanghai (51, 221, 23).

Nearby is Shamian Alley & Shanghai Boardwalk, Steelhead Shanghai (50, 187, 23). This store sells beds, animations, and a most interesting device, Dr. Quicksand's Electro- Massage machine. This shop has adult content, so tourist beware. But for the curious adventurer, Dr. Quicksand’s device is very, shall we say, stimulating. Further down the Alley is the Shanghai Trading Company, where you can find oriental furniture, rugs, and wall hangings.

A large shrine sits in the harbor, reachable by bridges that link the different areas. There are notecards and information about Steelhead Shanghai here. The Shrine can be rented for special events, too. Contact Krystine Qinan for more information. Be sure to ring the Prosperity Bell for good luck!

The Shanghai Free Market is a site for the citizens of Steelhead to sell their wares, located at Shanghai free Market, Steelhead Shanghai (198, 75, 27). Open stalls are set out in rows, and a stage area is off to the side for local musicians to perform. The market looks like a dangerous place to be after dark, and I was glad I visited during the day.

Watch your step around the harbor area of Shanghai. Boards are rotted and the area appears to be a bit on the wild and dangerous side. I nearly turned back when I turned a corner and walked into a beautifully maintained Zen garden. A sweet cat named Beatrice seemed content and happy here. Rows of nicely maintained rooms surround the gardens and a koi pond.

Down on the harbor, I found a 7Seas fishing spot, located at Steelhead Shanghai (196, 132, 21). I wouldn’t want to eat any fish that came from this part of the harbor, but I caught a rare white jellyfish that I’ll keep as a souvenir. Not that I will need a reminder. Steelhead Shanghai is such an unusual concept, and so perfectly implemented, that I will never forget my visit.

Grey Lupindo

Pictures of Nemo

Before the Nemo sim closed last Friday October 29th, I went there to get a few pictures while this magnificent build was still up. Here's some of what I took.










































Thanks for your artistic work, Sextant Shepard.

Bixyl Shuftan