Bay City turns five today!

Bay City turns Five!

Bay City is turning five years old today, with a special celebration (and we’ll be joining in with a special Designing Worlds all about Bay City tomorrow!).

In May of 2008 the Linden Department of Public Works unveiled its first project, the themed city area on the Second Life™ Mainland known as Bay City. As we’ll be showing, that collaboration still continues to play an important role in the development of the region, with its fascinating 1950s retro appearance.

But today, as Bay City turns five, its community invites everyone to join them in celebrating this milestone.

The anniversary celebrations will kick off around noon SLT/PDT on Sunday, the 19th of May, with a parade lineup at the bandshell in Bay City – Harwich. The parade will make its way down Route 66 beginning at 12:30 p.m. SLT/PDT, concluding at the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel region.

A live concert will kick off at 1:30 p.m. SLT/PDT at the Fairgrounds, featuring Christov Kohnke, CelticMaidenWarrior Lancaster, and RoseDrop Rust, and including GoSpeed Racer of KONA Stream providing music leading into the event.

We suspect that there will also be fireworks … it is, after all, Bay City.

Bay City Fairgrounds

All Residents of the Second Life grid are encouraged to participate. Celebration goods are available at the Bay City Community Center, in the Daley Bay region, for those who wish to be a part of the parade, and able viewing area is provided. The music event is also open to all who desire to attend.

A little background from the organisers – Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab™ and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life™ and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest Bay city group, and home to most Residents of Bay City.

As I said, there’s some interesting stories to be told in – and about – Bay City, and Designing Worlds will be taking a look on Monday 20th. But for today … enjoy the party!

 

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Two Art Projects to take an interest in: ArtWalk in Raglanshire and Art Contest in Cloud Party

Well, there’s always plenty of art projects going on in Second Life, but two have come to my attention recently.

Raglanshire ArtWalk

The Raglan Shire ArtWalk 2013 opened Sunday May 5th, and displays the works of over 130 artists over four sims in an outdoor setting.  The show runs from May 5th through May 26th. Artists gridwide converge to exhibit their RL photography and art and SL photography and sculpture in this annual arts festival, hosted by the tiny community of the Raglan Shire sim cluster.

2D art of all kinds is exhibited along the hedgerows in the central area of Raglan Shire sim. Second Life sculptural works are exhibited among the trees and along the shores of the western half of Heron Forest in Heron Shire sim, in the parks on Morning Shire and Raglan Commons sim.  TP kiosks to the display locations are throughout the grounds of the festival. It’s a little like the displays we get in my hometown or in London, where artists exhibit on park railings every Sunday (and sell their paintings too).

You don’t have to be a tiny to visit and enjoy Raglan Shire. Avatars of all shapes and sizes are welcome to visit the show during May and enjoy wandering these fun sims dedicated to tiny avatars. Be wary of riding the transport if you’re a biggie, though. It might (heh heh) bring you down to size.

For more information, contact Teal Freenote or Liandras Jameson, or visit the Raglan Shire website at http://raglanshire.com/

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Looking for Art in Cloud Party …

Meanwhile, Cloud Partty are celebrating their first Anniverary with an Art Contest, and a handsome $1,000.00 (USD) prize.

In collaboration with art critic Ben Davis, executive editor of Artinfo.com, Cloud Party are sponsoring an Art in Cloud Party contest with a first prize of $1,000.00(USD)! The Community Favorite prize, as voted by the community, takes home 2000CC(Cloud Coins virtual currency). And to make it easier for artists, entrants in the competitionwill be given free virtual studio space for a month to create their entry. The deadline for entries in June 12th.

The theme is “Monumental Work of Public Art” – so one suspects we’re not looking for small, intimate pictures of family life here.

The Cloud Party team say, “We’re looking for people who make truly use of Cloud Party’s tools to create the kinds of visionary artworks that have never been seen before.”

There’s already a taste of the possible in Cloud Party with Claudia222 Jewell’s work.  The clarity of textures she achieves and the level of involvement suggests that Cloud Party has great potential for installation art – as you can see on the Designing Worlds show where we featured Cloud Party. It will be fascinating to see what is offered.

Art work by Claudia222 Jewell in Cloud Party – photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Originality of concept
• Personal voice
• How well it takes advantage of the virtual environment
• Overall coherence of vision

The rules for what you create are pretty wide open. It can be visual, interactive, collaborative – whatever you come up with that meets your definition of art and reflects our theme. Since this is a subjective topic the organisers say that they intend to be pretty open-minded, but do keep their Terms of Service in mind and that this is a 13+ website. More details (including entry forms) can be found here.

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Linden Lab discuss server side baking and the materials project on Designing Worlds

Now available on the web – our latest episode, as we are joined by Oz, Brooke, Troy and Nyx Linden to discuss the issues of Server Side Baking and materials.

This was a really fascinating show as not only did our guests from Linden Lab explain what these major changes to Second Life would entail, but we also went to Hippotopolis for a fascinating demonstration.

Join us as we explore the effects of specular mapping

You can go there and check this out for yourselves but if you want to see the items properly displayed, you’ll need to download the special Materials Viewer (it doesn’t overwrite the main Linden Lab viewer).

Nyx, Troy, Oz and Brooke Linden explain the changes coming

If you’re wondering what server side baking and specular materials are and how they might affect your Second Life, this show should explain it.

In addition, Inara Pey has published a transcript of the first half of the discussion on her blog, which you may find useful too!

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Prim Perfect Jigsaw: Once more in Lula

In Lula Once More

Inspired by the image in the jigsaw from yesterday, which I took from Honour MacMillan’s wonderful photoblog: Honour’s Post Menopausal (View of Second Life), I popped across to Lula to see if it was really as pretty as it seemed in her blog.

And you know what?

It really was.

As I hope my own picture today proves!

I’ve been popping around other places too … the Home and Garden Expo and the SL10B Community Celebrations regions.  Both are not ready to be photographed yet – but starting to look very exciting!  More on that soon.

In the mean-time, let’s do a jigsaw!

Once More in Lula

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

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News of hunts and exciting events in this week’s Happy Hunting!

Cinders and Rosamoo discuss some great Hunt prizes!

Join us in the treet.tv studios in Garden of Dreams at 3pm, Friday 17th May, with our host Cinders Vale and hunt reporter Rosamoo Mendelsohn of Hunt SL for another great show – featuring not one but TWO interviews with hunt organisers (and details of some wonderful new hunt goodies you can grab!).

Big Day Hunt logo

Cinders will be talking to Nomiki Tremmor of The Big Day Hunt who will be telling us all about her her special wedding day themed hunt – and it’s not just for brides and grooms either, but offers a selection of things for participants and guests too!

Then Heavenly Villa will be telling Cinders all about plans for the Home and Garden Expo which will be featuring a Hunt created by those wonderful people at Whiz. Our next show will be coming from the event, but here’s a taster here right now!

Plus there will be news from Rosamoo of exciting hunts that lie ahead!

So join us at 3pm today in the studio for the broadcast. Bring along your hunter friends too. We will be glad to have you all join us for the show.

Cinders talks to Heavenly Villa

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 3pm SLT on Friday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live or on the Vimeo channel – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/happy-hunting.

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Prim Perfect Jigsaw: Loving It Here in Lula

Lula

Here is another image from our deputy editor, Honour MacMillan – taken from her wonderful photoblog: Honour’s Post Menopausal (View of Second Life).

In this recent post, she muses over early mornings (and guilt) while exploring Lula, a really beautiful region where she perfectly captures the soft early morning light.

Do go and read … and visit … but first, let’s do a jigsaw.

Lula, photographed by Honour McMillan

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Catch up with your Prim Perfect jigsaws (showing images of Second Life and other virtual worlds).

If you’d like to submit a photo of your own to feature as a jigsaw, send it to the Prim Perfect Flickr Group. It should be sized 800w x 600h, or else it will need to be re-sized.

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Last chance to apply to be part of the SL10B Community Celebrations!

SL10B Community Celebration logo

There are just a few short days left to be part of the team at Second Life 10th Birthday Community Celebrations!

Applications for Exhibitors, Performers, slots in the Auditorium and for Volunteers will be closing at midnight on May 20th.

All applications will be carefully considered, and acceptances will be sent out in the week starting May 20th. But don’t worry if you don’t hear immediately – it will take the whole week to let everyone know.

How can you be part of the team at the Second Life 10th Birthday Community Celebrations?
There’s still time to apply to have a plot as an exhibitor. You need a good idea of what you are proposing to build – it should be community-orientated and celebratory. The clearer the information you can give, the easier it will be to assess your application. Look at the guidelines in Event Policies, and then tell us all about it.

If you want to exhibit something:
Art installation
Informative exhibition
Community group
Instructional
Media (writing, machinima, photography, etc.)
You need an EXHIBITOR APPLICATION

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If you want to perform, or to give a presentation or host a talk in the auditorium, make sure you fill out the form giving not only details of the event, but also the times that would suit you best.

If you want to present something:
Talk on a topic
Run a workshop
Teach a class
Do performance art
Put on a media event
You need an AUDITORIUM APPLICATION

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If you want to be involved in the musical celebration as a:
Live Performer
DJ
You need a PERFORMER APPLICATION

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If you want to help as a volunteer, but aren’t sure what role would suit you best, there’s a page of Role Descriptions too. Full training will be given to volunteers, and it’s a great chance to work with an amazing team of people.

If you want to help out with any aspect of the celebration, such as:
Greeter/Host
Moderator
Exhibitor Assistant
Stage Manager
Public Relations
Press
You need a VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

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But remember – you only have a few days left.

On May 20th, at midnight – Applications close.

So make sure you get yours in before the deadline!

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Join Designing Worlds for a special recording!

Designing Worlds studio

Join us at 2pm SLT today, Tuesday 14th May, for a special live recording of Designing Worlds at our studio in Garden of Dreams, as we are joined by Chantal Harvey, the weel-know machinamatographer and Tony Dyson, the designer who created R2D2, who will be joining us to talk about their fascinating new project – the Bobbekins – which utilises Second Life as a part of a wider project to create interactive electronic materials for children.

Bobbekins eBook

Chantal and Tony will be talking not only about their project (currently online as an Indiegogo project), but also about their work and careers.

And there will be the opportunity for our audience to ask them questions too!

As this is a recording of a show to be shown at a later date, we will be starting the filming at 1pm, and you will not be able to see all the inserts we will be discussing (although we will supply web addresses so the audience can take a look!). But it will be a chance to find out more about Tony, Chantal and their fascinating project!

So do come and join in the recording at 1pm!

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Designing Worlds finds out about changes and exciting additions to Second Life from Linden Lab

Talking about Server Side Baking and Materials

Join us at 2pm SLT today, Monday 13th May, for the new episode of Designing Worlds at our studio in Garden of Dreams, as we are joined by Oz, Brooke, Troy and Nyx Linden to discuss the issues of Server Side Baking and materials.

If you’re wondering what these are and how they might affect your Second Life, this show should explain it.

But – as server side baking means earlier viewers will no longer work properly, it is essential that every user of Second Life should be prepared for the changes.

Nyx, Troy, Oz and Brooke Linden explain the changes coming

Server side baking is a whole new way of solving the problem of avatars (and system clothing) that fails to load properly, by moving this from the viewer side client to the server side. It will need significant changes to the client viewers (like Linden Lab’s own viewer, and also third party viewers like Firestorm and Exodus). Nyx and Troy Linden will be talking about this and explaining what Second Life users should expect.

Katana, created by June Dion of Bare Rose, demonstrating materials

Then Oz and Brooke Linden will be explaining about materials, normal and specular maps, what this is and what it will mean for our Second Life experience. And there will be samples to see too – when Oz and Brooke took us to see the work in progress at Hippotopolis. You can go there and check this out for yourselves but if you want to see the items properly displayed, you’ll need to download the special Materials Viewer (it doesn’t overwrite the main Linden Lab viewer).

A simple cube takes on depth and texture under changing light

Materials are going to mean a richer Second Life experience, and creators are going to be very excited about the possibilities, we suspect! But don’t take our word for it – come and watch the show at 2pm!

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/designingworlds – our very own version of the iPlayer!

Join us as we explore the effects of specular mapping

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Have you started following the Quest for the Golden Prim?

Back in the days of The Primgraph, we regularly featured the web comic The Quest for the Golden Prim. When the magazine closed, so too did the comic – it had completed its first volume, and had just started on a second.

Now, two years later, it’s back – and in an exciting new web format – complete with games that relate to each episode.

We launched it at Fantasy Faire – and now you can see the first two episodes of Volume 2 – here (Part 1 – After the Volcano)  and here (Part 2 – Still No Word of their Ship?) – and also look at the Games that go with them.

The opening of episode 2

You can also catch up on the Archived Chapters of Volume 1 here.

And another episode will be out tomorrow.

(And why does Lady Copperhead see Ralph Montcalm’s face in the mirror?)

 

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