Inspire Space Park

The Inspire Space Park has been around in Second Life for at least a few years. But it’s a location that continues to draw crowds every day. The park doesn’t represent a real place in space or in science fiction, but is more of a place of the imagination.

Upon getting there, change your environment settings to Midnight to get the best view of the space surroundings. The place may take a while to rez, as there are always many people here. Sometimes you may need to try twice or three times to enter. Even at odd hours, there are still a number of people around. But once everything comes into focus, visitors are rewarded with a visual treat.

Those arriving at the entry point will find themselves on a large asteroid’s flat surface. Smaller asteroids float nearby. Further away, planets and stars can be seen in spectacular views. A haze conceals the ground view, and from where you are it might as well be a nebula cloud. The easy music in the background adds to the atmosphere of the place.There are a few seats nearby one can relax on, including a circle with meditation poses. There is also a bridge of stones to another large asteroid.

One of the fun things about the place, you can hop to some wandering poseballs via green teleporter across the asteroid. Getting on one, you float around, slowly tumbling in orbit. One can do it alone, or with a friend. The park makes for a great place to take a date and quite literally sweep her off her feet, and slowly drift among the planets and stars in each others arms.

In the past, there were also teleporters to nearby locations. They’re probably still around, but I didn’t see them in more recent visits. One is a drive-in theater, the “Inspire Beach and Drive-in” at Shinda (105, 189, 26), near the highway. It used to have a 1950’s look, but more recently the tailfinned classic cars were replaced by space-age skycars. There is also a space-club, the “Inspire Dance Planet” in the Butsu sim at (217, 214, 1546). When I dropped by some time ago, it was a space-age club with bright neon colors. From outside, it looked like a star. Someone told me other larger planets and stars had hidden surprises inside.

There are occasional events held at the space park. Cypress Rosewood has on his website a film of him performing there. On a more recent visit, there was a particle show. The place was so full of particles, a friend had to leave due to an overheating graphics card.

The Inspire Space Park is a beautiful work of art, a stellar dreamland.

The entry point is at Shinda at (34, 211, 1559). The okace is owned by the Virtual Life Media group, and was made by Earth Primbee, Grafx Newbold, and Raphael Cremorne.

Bixyl Shuftan

Morgan Straits

"Aye, There Be Pirates Among Us"

No you haven't fallen through a time portal and landed in the age of the rebellious, but you're darn close.

On Morgan Straits you'll find role players from the United States, France, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, Scotland and England. The original five sims were created January 2010, by owners/founders Dizz Darkstone and Migizi North, who according to Julia had an idea to create a place, with few rules, but common sense.

"It's a place where logistics disappear. You can see what's over the horizon and obtain it," explained JuliaThePirate Buccaneer, a role player member who is deep into the magic of what the 19 sims offer. "Anything you can imagine you can execute. The only thing we require is that you dress pirate, navy, native or mer."

"The people here are friendly and fun. They take care of their own and are open to anyone who wants to visit," said Leessens Mistwalker, a pirate, merman and owl, who "sails fer the pirates, fights fer the pirates and swims in the seas with the mer." He runs two of the sims in the NE and just rebuilt them.

"We wanted to have an estate that was built for sailing. There were more than two of us in the beginning, five or six, each bought a homestead, and Dizz bought the full sim for the estate," Migizi explained. "Now there are 19 sims which are owned individually. We sell to people and they pay tier to Diz. Morgan Straits is the main sim.”

Roni Foxdale added that it’s a pirate infested region, but the New Brunswick Navy does its part to keep the waters safe.

“And if you stumble upon people sitting down and having a drink they'll scoot over and find a crate for you to sit on, pour you a drink and have you join in. I like it here because there is always room for one more,” said Renate Marchionne.

Here you'll find the marketplace, which has a collection of vendors where you can get everything from clothing, weaponry, TSS, SCS and SSS ships, furniture and there's even home rentals.

Roleplay is everywhere, but isn't forced 24/7 in this estate which follows the Golden Age of Piracy 1650-1750. Dizz does most of the historical research in this pre-steam ship era. There are two Harbor Masters, who are battle coordinators: Kayseer Voss and Peeble Oh. A special note of recognition is that Chandra Pelazzi of Shack N Chateau Designs, has worked for a year rebuilding nine sims in the estate, and welcomes custom build requests.

The following is Morgan Straits Event Schedule

Battles:

Monday:
Alternate Monday 11 AM Events
Ship Wreck Battle Race 11 AM SLT
Rum Race 11 AM SLT

Navy vs Pirate 8 PM SLT

Tuesday:
Blood Bath Tuesday 3:30 PM SLT
Cargo Shipment from NB 7 PM SLT

Thursday:
Alternate Thursday 2:30 Battles
Defend Yer Arses Ye Bastids! Melee/Sea Battle
2:30 PM SLT
FFA Sea Battle 2:30 PM SLT

PE - Defend the Tower Melee 4:30 PM SLT

Weekly Events:
Tilted Kilt - Open 12 PM SLT Mon - Friday, closing times are determined by battles.

Sea Shanty Tuesdays! 5-7pm SLT -Nobody's Inn
New Brunswick with DJ Alleykat

Morgans Market - Wednesdays 12-3 PM SLT

Special Events:
Men In Kilts - Saturday, September 24th 3 PM SLT @ Salty Crab -Morgan Straits
DJ - Flamia

Halloween Costume Party - Saturday, October 1st 2 PM SLT @ Morgan's Docks

Mer Ballet Performance Sunday, October 16th 1 PM SLT @ Morgan's

Formal Ball - Saturday, November 5th 2 PM SLT
@ Pirates Keep
Bosun DJ

Here's Morgan Straits Points of Interest!

There are beautiful sims and caves for you to explore freely.

The Tilted Kilt - Saber Point:
A pirate tavern with a Scottish theme. Live dancers to entertain you, with a feisty
bartender to keep yer mugs filled.

Hours of Operation

Monday
12-4 PM SLT
Tuesday
12-3:00 PM SLT
Wednesday 12-3 PM SLT in the Morgan Straits Market
Thursday
12-2:15 PM SLT
Friday
12-4 PM SLT
Hours reflect Morgan's Battle Schedule. The Titled Kilt often stays open longer, if yer there, we are!

Morgan's Market Day Wed 12-3 PM SLT:
Wednesday's 12-3 PM SLT. There are free stalls for your items, come in before 12 to set up, 50 prims, remove all items at 3, and remain on site during market hours. Dance with the Tilted Kilt gals, 'ave a pastry from the baker, get a free hat from the hat maker, or a bath if ye smell a bit off! All welcome! Cheers!

The Salty Crab - Morgan Straits:
A pirate pub located on Morgan Straits Docks
Without regular hours of operation, but used for parties and gatherings by anyone in the estate. See Migizi to book dates.

Dead Man's Tales - Skeleton Reef:
Thursday Nights 8 PM SLT
An evening around a Rebel campfire, listening to pirate stores that will tingle your senses and tantalize your mind.

Teagues Tavern - Dead Man's Reach:
A feisty tavern where the Rebel Pirates and friends dance the hours away. No set hours of operation.

The Tatr'd Sail - Pirates Keep:
A open air venue for live music located on Pirates Keep Docks. Event notices sent out for events.

Morgan Straits Battles:
Most battles start in Morgan Straits Sim. Battles are announced through group notices.

Sacred Lake - La Dominique:
The heart of Dominica is a little lake called "Sacred Lake" by the Kalinagos the last Caribbean native tribe! Take care and be respectful, in character you'll be savagely hunted! Never a pale face that has seen the Sacred Lake has sailed away alive!

Smilla Fredriksson, Artist - La Dominique
Visit our island and keep your eyes open, you will find some of the more than 1,000 pictures she’s done so far in SL.

Native Area - Shanshara
Shanshara offers a message of peace and tolerance! For the Sanatos tribe, even if Kalinagos allied, the Shanshara (mother earth) is open to everyone who come in peace!


Aztex Palace:
You are also welcome to visit a realistic Aztec palace!

Mer Art Gallery - Ashlands
A beautiful underwater tour through tunnels, which feature artwork. It leads to ancient ruins and private hideaways. A must see.

Blood Red Flamia - Pirates Keep
In a remote little house in the swamp, the owner has a den and artistic studio.

Netera Landar

Noah’s Ark

I was recently told about a Noah’s Ark build in Second Life. Handed an LM, I later used it to head to the Necros sim. Arriving there, near me was a huge ship on a hill, both taking up much of the length of the sim. Getting inside is via a long ramp, walking past the title “Noah’s Ark” on the side. Three decks high, one enters the ship on the third.

Written on the wall is a brief overview of the story of Noah and the ark. On the table is a list of instructions Noah was given about the construction of the ark, including it’s dimensions of 300 cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits in height. There are a number of tables full of tools around, as well as some gardens. There’s a potters’ wheel here which you can sit on to use, and receive a pot after a few minutes. You can also use a plane on a board or scrub the deck.

Deck two is where the animals are. In the middle are cages with birds and insects. on the edges of the room are stalls with various animals. There’s also a picture of extinct animals, and a pen with dinosaurs in it, a rainbow on the pen when clicked revealing a notecard, the writer feeling there were probably dinosaurs on the ark, referring to the “behemoth” descrbed in God’s conversation with Job (Job 40:15-24). Only a small area of deck three is accessible, the builder of the sim feeling it was used tor storage of food, water, other supplies, and ballast.

Outside of the ark, the path leading down a hill leads under a rainbow. Further away is a picturesque scene with various trees, waterfalls, ponds, and more. A number of these items were up for sale. There’s also a small church, named the “Greenwood Chapel,” next to a cross and a number of bells. People can go into the church and sit on the pews. On the church was a notecard dispenser. The card revealed the creator of the place as a Dragomir Greenwood.

Here I am known as Dragomir Greenwood, on the Internet at large I am BountifulKnight, but at home and church, I am simply George. So why am I in Second Life? When I saw a preview about it on a television show, I had a very strong feeling that if people were coming to this place, then Christians needed to be here too. I determinied that I would come, learn about it and build a prayer chapel here... and so I did. Secondly, I saw some potential here to earn some income to support my family. As of the moment, I'm still in the beginning stages of that venture having learned some lessons the hard way, but it is beginning to show some promise. As the apostle Paul made tents to earn his own keep, so I make things here in SL.


An interesting Biblical build on the Grid.

To get to Noah’s Ark, head to Necros (191, 175, 68)

“May God bless and keep you and draw you close to Himself that you may live in His abundant Love.” - George (Dragomir/BountifulKnight)

Bixyl Shuftan

Railway Stopover at Jopsy's

As I was tooting along the GSLR railway I saw a familiar sight in the distance. A hot air balloon I visited probably about 4 years ago. I decided to go back to renew my acquaintance with Jopsy's Pendragon's delightful particle places. There is a chair placed before a choice of TPs that will take you off into the sky in the balloon.

I took the ride, first, to the Cloud Chateau in the sky. After debarking I sat and enjoyed a spectacular particle display. This is listed as one of the oldest particle shows in Second Life. You are offered ”peace and welcome to all,” and can enjoy the music while you watch the show. It is a kalidiscope of exploding motion and ever changing color as it evolves before your eyes. It looks even better than I remembered. I think it is a relaxing place even though it is vibrant.

On my next balloon ride I took off to visit the Particle Lab in the sky. The last time I wast here I had no clue of what was going on . Now, I could never use the information but I at least understand now that Jopsy has made a “university” for those who want to major in particles . I can see that all the information here guides those who are fascinated with making particles and using them properly. There is a sandbox for practicing also. Green arrows will direct you on your way around the lab. I made my way back to the hot air balloon after my walk around.

My next flight brought me to the Vehicle Lab. A sign there told me that it is ”unfinished and opening soon," but that I was welcome to visit. It is another section of the university I see, with information for building all sorts of vehicles for a variety of movement around Second Life. I might be able to try building one of these from following the processes laid out here. After looking at the dates on the notecards, I wonder if this part of the university will ever be finished. But there is plenty here to keep one busy learning. The building is massive.

My next destination took me to “The Whale.” As I entered I was invited to join the Cycle of Life experience and enter into the grotto of lost souls. It is an introspective experience that I enjoyed. The next part of my voyage I had to work. I was handed an oar at the entrance of the caverns and had to guide myself through the maze while admiring the sights. It was a more extensive and interesting trip than I thought! As I took any easy way out by mistake I found myself in Jopsy's secret sandbox where there is work going on. There I found a lovely map of the entire balloon rides. There are many.

Again, this is a place that I will have to leave before I finish the tour or you may never read about it! I think you will enjoy a visit to Jopsy's place. If you like some of the articles you see don't miss the store you can shop for them before you leave. Jopsy describes himself as "a mix of Puck, Pan, Puff, Kringle, Elric, & Giger. He lives to tinker, create, teach, and flirt." I have to agree, though I have never met him. I recommend starting here to catch the hot air balloon and then you can choose your own route to adventure. It is right next to the railway in Slate (20, 183, 41)

This is not my last stop! Off on the rails to future fun!

Gemma Cleanslate

NOAA Island - Virtual Weather

I first reported on NOAA Island in March 2008 for Second Life Newspaper, set up by the The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the government agency in charge of research of the oceans and weather. The Meteroa sim, about a year old at the time, was interesting then, and three years later still has much to offer those wanting to know a little more about meteorology and oceanography.

To get there, just type "Meteora" on your map and teleport over. The sim will automatically place you in the entry point. Just north of the entrance is the Real-Time Weather map. A map of the United States (save Alaska and Hawaii) shows the temperature and cloud cover & rain over the country. The map is not static, but updated as conditions change about every eight minutes, the data recieved by NOAA.

South of the Weather Map is Science on a Sphere, which contains a hologrpahic display sphere viewed from inside. To the east is the Tsunami simulator. Activating it, a siren goes off, and under the surface the ocean floor shakes. This is followed by the water drawing away from the beach, then a massive wave crashing down and wrecking the nearby buildings. This is probably one of the more entertaining places on the island, and I've seen at least one youtube poking fun at it.

To the south is the Sea Life area, where one can take a sub to observe plant and animal life, a hydrothermic vent, and a cave. To see inside the cave though, you need to either exit the sub or pan around in. The southwest corner of the island has the glacier simulator. Activating it, the hillside (and anyone standing on it) get encased in ice, and the water level nearby drops.

The northwest part of the map has the Hurricane Plane Ride and the Weather Balloons. By grabbing a balloon, or getting on the Orion hurricane hunter plane and taking off, one can fly up to see the hurricane high up in the air near the island (or you could just fly up their on your own).

Both the submarine and hurricane plane can be quirky. The first time I used the plane, somehow it got it’s tail caught in the hangar and would not move further. When I tried it more recently, it took off normally, then in mid-flight near the hurricane, it vanished, leaving yours truly to free-fall into the water below. The sub was stuck in the docks when I got there, so couldn’t use those either.

What has changed since March 2008 is the sim now has some neighbors. North of Weather Island, one can take a look at an Alaskan port and go on a virtual crab fishing trip. To the west is Okeanos, or NOAA Second Island. There, one can go on a survey vessel, clean on oil spill, study algae blooms, and look at coral. There was also an archeology dig. Curiously, there were some purple "streamers" nearby, but I didn't find out what they were for. South of Okeanos is the Second Earth sim, which offers a gigantic globe.

To the east of Meteora is Energy Island, which had what looked like a supercollider wraped around the place. Strangely, the Island was blocked from entry. There was, however, a smaller floating island overhead with a few exhibits. Why the main island would be blocked to most if the purpose of the place is education is unclear (though probably one can work in a joke about government agencies).

Despite those small flaws, the NOAA region can only be considered first class, even after a few years. It is a must-see for any Second Life resident even remotely interested in science.

To get there, head to Meteora (176, 160, 27). You can also find it in the Destination Guide.

Bixyl Shuftan

Mars Institute Island and the SEEDS Project

Mars Institute Island is a work in progress, just like the real-life Mars exploration project. The Second Life site is located at Mars Institute (127, 128, 27). It’s a good place to visit if you are in the mood to see a serious rendition of exploration of the Red Planet. Modular buildings are being constructed for study, lectures, work, and living. The Spartan buildings, with their tinted violet windows and airlock doors, have a genuine feel to them. A clear glass building is an auditorium. The barren, rocky terrain looks authentic, too.

According to its notecard, the Mars Institute was created to establish an independent nonprofit organization whose purpose is to advance the scientific study and exploration of Mars. They emphasize high quality, peer-reviewed research and share their knowledge and experiences of Mars exploration with students and the general public worldwide. The RL Mars Institute is found on the web at http://www.marsinstitute.info/ .

The Second Life site is owned by Kenji Aero, and many of the structures have been developed by Selenus Bracken. According to his profile, Selenus is a RL British scientist who is living in Canada. The real-life Mars Institute has been incorporated as a non-profit corporation in both the U.S. and Canada. It was founded by many scientists, including Marc Boucher, Charles Cockell, Pascal Lee, Stephen Braham and others.

This site has great potential, especially since NASA is planning to launch an exploration of Mars later this year. The RL landing on Mars is expected in August, 2012. A six-wheeled rover, Curiosity, will be used to explore and gather rocks. One can easily imagine a SL version of Curiosity.

The site next to the Mars Institute is the SEEDS Project, located at The SEEDS project, EDAKent (79, 216, 24). This site continues the space exploration theme, but its emphasis is on sustainable communities in space. The site has crops, a fish farm, duckweed and algae ponds, and a floating greenhouse.

Through the use of notecards and other devises, the site asks important questions about how people will be able to live and thrive in remote space stations. It raises social and psychological issues, as well as similarities and differences between space colonies and small communes.

Together, the Mars Institute and the SEEDS Project offer Second Life residents an informative and interesting way to learn about space exploration.

The 8-Bit Area

A few weeks ago, I got hungry for cleaning out my landmarks folder and went to visit some of the oldest landmarks I had to see if they were still up and running. One of these places was the "8 Bit Area", over in the Leiter sim. Originally it was a place where you could walk around in a floating 8-bit land, complete with [?] Blocks, coins to pick up, a chain chomp bouncing around, and a small store with various 8-bit items inside. There was even a "death" function, where if you fell off into the water, or got crushed by a Thwomp, you'd "die" and thus get teleported home. Anyone got a 1-Up handy?

So on this trip, I found that the place had been regulated to "archive" status. No longer active and down what appeared to be about half its land, now there was a "landmark block" sitting in front of the store. This led to a place called Electrobit City, on the Electrobit City sim.

Teleporting there, it was quite the surprise. Decked out with a Super Nintendo (well, Famicom) as its centerpiece, the place has what appears to be a club inside it, and various nooks and crannies to explore. Wandering around, I found what seemed to be a tutorial "pole" that when touched, created a little "buddy" that showed you around the place and explain a couple of things to do (like climb the pole, or stand in certain areas to make "!" symbols appear that you can click on).



Then, there was the "VR Node" in the corner. Clicking on the picture on its side activated it, and when the "!" appeared to click on, I was whisked away to a REAL 8-Bit area. There are many pipes to jump into and around (some with "!" you can click on to go from one pipe to another)... there are Goombas to squish, Thwomps to avoid, coins to collect. If you're hit by a Thwomp it sends you down a long shaft of death where you're sent back outside to the front of the Famicom at the start of the sim.


I'll say this right now. Five Dragon Hoards out of five, immediately. The effort put into this really shows and there are a lot of things to see and do. I'd known the original creators had been wanting to do a LOT with the original 8-bit area up in Leiter but after so many years of being in "stasis", I'd thought the place abandoned. It's really good to see that it was not given up on and that something like this now exists on the grid... with a lot more to come, I expect. There are two "lands" right now, but I figure there will be more as time progresses.

I'm currently in the process of tracking down the creators for an interview, and when I have it, I'll post it here.

Xymbers Slade

Railway Sidetrip

Since I wrote about the SLRR before I finished the route I thought I should take you a little farther. I decided to check out the “other” rails. I took my hobo engine to the GLSR to see the sims there. The engine passes along very nicely I was happy to find. At the end of the line I saw a sign for a ferry and there it was, arriving.

I hopped off the engine to take the ferry across the channel for a new adventure. Again, I was sidetracked by the sight of huge working oil rig sitting in the middle of the channel. Since the ferry stopped there for 60 seconds I decided to debark and check it out. I discovered that this ANWR rig is pumping out the basis of Second Life! I watched while prims came tumbling out and landed on a conveyer belt and down a holding place to wait for distribution when you need one.

After looking around for a while I went back down to wait for the ferry. You would think they could put a bench there at the waiting area. The ferry did not appear so I teleported back to origin and started over. I crossed the ANWR channel and landed at Cecropia on the Atoll. It was an interesting and enlightening side trip.

Wondering about that ANWR rig, I searched and found the answer in video you might like to see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df--_BTXdK8 .You can also find more about the rig in the wiki. I plan to continue my journey and let you know about more of my adventures.

Gemma Cleanslate

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

Seasons of the Witch

Recently I traveled to the Witches Forest to view an art exhibit called Seasons of the Witch. The pieces promised to "explore the soul and spiritual side of life, whether it be 'real life' or 'second life'." The sim is dedicated to the ancient art of Wicca, or "white magic."

Arriving at the TP point, I encountered a dimly lit gallery lined with various art work. In the center was a pavilion of sorts with a bright white cone of light shining straight up. Taking time to rez, I slowly made my way through the exhibit. In the pavilion was a poster depicting the Wiccan pentacle. This explains the various elements of the "religion." These five elements are invoked during many magical rituals, notably when consecrating a magic circle. The five elements are Air, Fire, Water and Earth, plus Aether (or Spirit), which unites the other four elements.

Most of the art spoke to the deeper, inner meanings of life. Most all featured moving imagery with printed inspirational words which we all can live by, whether Wiccan or not.

Following the path, I found a quite magical place filled with beauty and nature. I followed the signs for the Witches Fountain which led me to a sparkling fountain in the midst of a shopping area with kiosks lining the pathway. This is the most commercial aspect of the sim I quickly discovered.

Continuing in my journey through this strange and mystical place, I began following signs for the Witches Mountain. Along the way, I encountered many beautiful sights filled with spectacular color. The path seemed endless but I trudged onward. I finally arrived at a large volcanic void which seemed to be above the entire gallery and kiosks. The view was amazing and nearby was a mountain lake with a lone duck swimming in it.

As I have always been drawn to the idea of Wicca, this was time well spent. I'm sure all will enjoy the meaningful art and amazing, colorful landscape.

Shellie Sands

Riding the Rails - the Second Life RailRoad

How many of you have taken the SL railroad ride? I knew there was a railway but have never understood the length of the ride on Heterocera Atoll continent. I was amazed to find that the rail route covers 80 regions in Second Life with offshoots from the main line.

The railway has been around since 2005. The complete history of the railway is deliniated in the wiki if you would like to read about it all. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Second_Life_Railroad/SLRR_History. I found it interesting that the railway began as a means of transport when there were no direct teleports.

I went to the Tuliptree Station and picked up a free engine and set out on my adventure. What fun. At some stations you can rezz your own engine near the track, and it will find the track by itself. Then you become the engineer and take off to ride the tracks as far as you want. Blow the whistle! Ring the bell!! Speed up the train!

As you ride along you will pass many places to stop and visit if you like. As it meanders hrough the sims, you will see some lovely venues: fields of wheat, horse farms, skyboxes, industrial areas, so, so many scenes. I stopped off at some of the sites, art galleries, shops, and Stations. I read somewhere that the station designs were a result of a building contest.

At Hobo Station I ran into a friend, Douglas Runningbear, who hosts fishing contests. He has lived at Hobo infohub "forever" he said, and he sees trains passing and told me there was a museum nearby. I tried to locate it but could not, so plan to go back to search again when I have time. However. I did find a delightful Steam Train museum in …..another sim ,with information about the history of the early steam engines, some small models and some large steam belching engines.

At the Bhaga Station I found a marvelous building housing the S&O Bessemer Steel Company with a nearby round house of trains switching rails. The place is amazing with cargo being unloaded and put into containers for transport by truck. There is a ferry ride back to Tuliptree, but I did not catch it. It is an amazing tour. I cannot tell you all that I saw. It would take a book! If you are an adventurer, I think you should take this trip, perhaps a little at a time.

You can pick up the landmarks of the SLRR at Tuliptree, where you will find the headquarters of the Railway Consortium, your first stop.The Virtual Railway Consortium is a non profit SL railway related group of train enthusiasts who work closely with the Linden Lab on the Second Life railways. Their website explains their vision in Second Life: http://www.virtualrailwayconsortium.org/. If you have a sim and wish to have a railroad on it you can find guidance for building your own on this website too. It is here at Tuliptree that you will find the information and also your free engine.

No, I have not completed the ride. It will take me more time. I thought I should write the story before I finished or it will be weeks before it gets to the paper.

Well, if you are looking for a long term project, keep it in mind. You can do a little each week and sometime in the future you will have traversed the whole continent! Then you can move on to the GLSR on the Continent of Sansera and to the ONSR, where you will need winter clothes! Bring skis too! First try SLRR beginning here.

See you on the tracks! Tuliptree (152, 155, 31)

Gemma Cleanslate

More Scenes from the 2011 RFL Track

I took quite a few pictures of the 2001 Relay track. Here's some of the rest that didn't get posted earlier.

Jaycatt Nico of the "Jaycatt & Frogg" musical team stops by the Redhead camp

Blogger DrFran Babcock taking a break.

Redhead Wet Squirrel walking down the track. The sparkles are from a wrist device that activates when she's chatting.

A scene during the International Lap, with Redhead Sabine Schmidt, or "Sabby" as we call her to better tell her apart from team leader Sabine McGettigan, chatting with Treminari Huet and Elphias Kojishi.

A Britisher, Sabby may wonder why Treminari chose to wear her display of patriotism instead of flying it.

The luminaries were color-coded to show how much was donated. Most were blue, meaning a hundred Lindens were dropped in them. Purple meant someone deposited 10,000 L.

The lady captain of one team offered to get "pumped up for Life," by donning a more muscular look for a week if 10,000 were raised. It was, and she did.

Team Caledon's beach area. Steampunk gadgeteers having a day on the beach.

Vicerine Kammiliah Hauptman of Team Caledon

A better picture of Kammiliah and friend

A contribution I made for "Halfpipe," a friend who wanted to make the Relay, but her computer couldn't handle the power needed for Second Life

A close look at the "Tornado of Life"

A cathedral near the edge of the winter and spring areas.

The Star Trek build


The flowers at the Trek place would turn to face you. Fortunately, I didn't get shot at by spores.

The "Circle of Life" build, an elven forest

These elves weren't too shy, inviting visitors to take an inner-tube ride

An Egyptian pyramid in the northeast corner of the track

I read the place was one of the locations for a scavenger hunt. Looks like someone made off with the mummy.

Two of the Gorean team at the closing ceremonies. Although the Goreans have an iffy reputation, they did raise a lot of Lindens.

A more typical scene of the closing ceremonies, artist Bryn Oh in the lower left