The Clock Museum

By Grey Lupindo

  One of my favorite things to do in both RL and SL is to visit museums.   I recently found a unique one here in SL, The Clock Museum, located at Triglav (104, 32, 75).  There are over 100 clocks in every size, shape and type in the beautiful stone building and surrounding gardens.   The Museum is a tribute to the creativity of SL residents as well as the generosity of the site’s owners, Selador Cellardoor, elisha Zamin, and Doll Ulysses.

         The three owners are all long-time residents of SL.  Selador Cellardoor has been a resident since 2003, and Zamin and Ulysses since 2006.   Their Museum is free and non-commercial.   They even have a few freebies, including clock patterned clothing, for visitors to take as souvenirs.   

         The variety of clocks is impressive.    Some are tall and massive.   Others are small and dainty.  There are Victorian and early American reproductions that are very detailed and historic.    Many of the clocks are imaginative and fanciful.  The styles range from antique to modern to futuristic.   Lots of steampunk ones, too.    At least two clocks are powered by water wheels.  One of them was inspired by a RL French clock from the 19^th century.   Notecards are placed beside each clock so that visitors can take a landmark to the clock maker’s shop for more information or to purchase.  

       My favorite clock is one that does more than just tell time.  It is a clock house that is powered by a gerbil on a wheel.   It is located in the garden and well worth the short walk to see it.    In addition to the clocks, the garden has a picnic table, dance pavilion, a maze, and plenty of benches where friends can meet for quiet conversation.      

           I visited the Museum twice in order to see all of the clocks.  In addition to being visual treats, most of the clocks make beautiful sounds.   The sounds vary with each clock and provide a soothing background.    The Steampunk clocks hiss and vent steam, too, so be careful to not get too close.     In the entrance is a modern clock that shows that time doesn’t fly—it falls.   With each changing minute the old numerals fall to the floor and are replaced by the current ones.  

           As you stroll through the Museum, make sure you turn your sound up so you can hear the clocks.  Plan to stay long enough for the hour to change, too.    On my second visit the time changed to 3:00 p.m.    What a great surprise!    All at once the Museum filled with the sound of coo coo’s, chimes, whistles, bells, music, and more.    It was amazing.

            The Clock Museum is a hidden gem in SL.    A visit won’t take much time, but the pleasant memory will last forever

Grey Lupindo

Sha's Thoughts: Sunweaver Bay Time Travel

By Becky Shamen

 Sunweaver Bay's newest resident, Joshua Xavier, stands atop Sha Hill, surveying the many changes that have been added, since Becky Shamen first moved there, as one of it's first and longest residents. Like the Bay, Josh has evolved. His creation started as an experiment of Sha's, to prove that SL males could do as well as it's females, finding Love and Lindens Dollars. Like Sha, he is, alternately, human and furry. Having recently become his own man, with a seperate SL account, he will continue to share Sha's home and duties, as an explorer and writer for the Newser. While touring the Steampunk collective of Mieville, he found a shop called "Who's Who," on the Wells sim, and bought the multicolored scarf, worn by the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker. The making of this photo, to show off his new lion avi and outfit, served as the inspiration for writing about the evolution of Sunweaver Bay.

At one time, Sha had a castle on Sunweaver Air sim, connected to the West side of Sunweaver Space, within sight of Club Cutlass. After retiring from exotic dance and hearing rumors of the sim going away, she moved to low rent areas elsewhere, to cut down on expenses. With the creation of Sunweaver Bay, she returned to rent a lot and had her choice of locations. At that time, there was very little there, so she chose the hilltop at the west end of the bay, for it's panaroramic view. Then, as now, there were few neighbors, but the view has evolved considerably, to attract more renters.

Looking East from Sha's Place, we get a good sample of the scenic additions that have become a part of the sim, in the short time we have been a resident. On the right we see, at 11 floors and 88 meters tall, The Sunweaver Bay Apartments. Speaking of taking up lots of air space, check out H.M.A.S. Little Dove, which nearly cuts the sim in half, at the same altitude as the top of the apartments. Adding to the skyline, we see a Tesla tower and a lighthouse. At ground level, there are a variety of trees, bushes and flowers, and waterfalls in every direction. The bay now serves as a harbor for seagoing vessels, suggesting that this sim is the starting point for adventure. Now under construction, a monorail system will soon connect all the sims in Sunweaver Estates.

 

All of the improvements have indeed made Sunweaver Bay a very desireable place to live, but, for Sha and Josh, there was an unexpected draw back. Having a computer and router, which we are told is the minimum of what is needed for Second Life, made the sim too laggy for us. To resolve the conflict, without moving from her beloved home, Sha built a platform, 1000 meters above her lot and moved her house and furniture up, to enjoy lag-free living. 

 

Alas, at that altitude, she no longer had the beautiful scenic view from her windows. To compensate for the loss, she surrounded the platform with walls, with mountain scenery texture. That improved the view, but, explorer that she is, it gave her claustrophobia. Meanwhile, Josh was shopping on Marketplace for a free airship to explore with and found a zeppelin skybox, that would fit Sha's lot, for a mere L$5. The new abode provided an unexpected plus. The external view was replaced with an interior, that even Captain Nemo would approve of. Upon seeing it, the fire chief pronounced it the coolest home he had ever seen in SL. What's more, the new arrangement used less of Sha's prim allowance. With the previous house, there were only 10 prims left. Now she has 30 in reserve.

 

Becky "Sha" Shamen

Mcarp Land in LEA

When I spent time talking to Aley in her sea at LEA, she told me she was sharing the sim with her friend, Mcarp Mavendorf. I had seen Mcarp’s giant avatar image over looking the sea from above. But on closer inspection she had just stepped on a church like structure and ruined it. Well, it was one of her own builds so I guess that is ok. 

There are several more buildings on the sim, all seeming to be cathedral or castle like  buildings. Each is lovely . In each you find clocks, all set to the proper SL time. Each clock is more interesting than the other. If  you open the large map while you are there, you will see the sim is actually a clock itself! The most magnificent building is filled with interesting clocks. Someone said to me when we visited,  “this is a temple to time.” 

I met Mcarp in the cathedral and she took me for a tour of the clocks and explained her thinking in creating them. She admitted she is obsessed with clocks.  She is evidently a math wiz and loves to script, some scripting based on calculus. That was the end of my understanding. I know she would like to have more but is running out of ideas on new creative ways of making clocks. “my problem is I don't do clocks where the face is some picture, in those you can do a million of them ... to come up with some new mechanical concept so each clock is about a different mechanical look.”  

Her favorite center piece is in the sanctuary area of the church. That is not a clock but a counter based on AND gates (complicated) .  We took a tour of the rest of the building where you will find a lovely organ that you can play. There is a gorgeous fountain in the middle which is a fully functioning carillon on top.  The windows are beautiful and enhance the cathedral. We then moved over to the castle where there are more clocks. In the kitchen Mcarp turned on the dishwasher, one of Aley’s creations and immediately plates began falling to the floor and smashing. We went out to the lift and met Aley and we all took a ride over the sim where we could see all the churches and the mount with faces that they called "Mount Lag."   When I sat in the lift, I was left holding on the outside desperately not to fall. “this is our special 'hang the reporter out to dry' sit target” said Mcarp. On the way back I was able to sit on the roof. 

There is not room enough to write about all I saw or learned. Be sure not to miss the garden gnome at the draw bridge . Fascinating!  This exhibit will be in LEA for about four more months. I know you will love and understand everything if you are a scripter. but if not you will love just to gaze at it all and enjoy. The first time I went there I climbed a long set of stairs arising out of Aley’s sea. You could go that was but  I will make it easier for you to get there.

 
http://slurl.com/secondlife/LEA11/39/155/21  Have fun!!

Gemma Cleanslate