By: Look Stoop

For me, this is as exciting as it gets because you get to see the start of something that you might be the next big thing in SL. What if that prim that woman just rezed is the start of the next breedable pet? That big box with holes in it, might that be the new building for that sim I use to go to?

As an aspiring builder myself, I love to watch other people build. Every time I see it, I pick up something new. I learned how to align prims better, some texturing tips, what shapes fits for what purpose and many other things. The most important thing to learn can’t be teached by any school, it can’t be picked up by watching others and that is how YOU work best. There are several ways to do the same things, and some people find one method easier, others find another method easier and the only way for you to find out is by doing it yourself, experiment.

Sandboxes are public areas, so when you build you have already agreed that others will see what you build. Many don’t have a choice, they need the extended prim limit that a sandbox offers, but most people don’t think what they build is secret. After all, it is in the mind of the builder that all the secrets lie. With this in mind, there are a few things you need to conciser when on a Sandbox Safari (and this will mostly be a rehearsal from the Sandbox Etiquette article):

1. Don’t go into other peoples builds. You might be in the way of the builder or distract the person.
2. Don’t IM people you see building. If you want to know how that person did something, walk within 20m of him/her and ask in local chat. If the person is willing/able to answer, it’s fine, if not they will at least not be distracted.
3. Don’t TP to an occupied skybox/sky platform without permission. These are ways of getting privacy and it is rude to go there unannounced.

With this in mind, go out there, look for popular sandboxes and see what ideas sparks in your mind. Or you can try to guess what the person is making before it is done. You could even try to guess if what the person is making is going to be sold, used privately or if it may be the next big thing in SL.

If you have some time to kill, go to a sandbox and get your thrills.

[AB] Anna Vest dark red. L$59

[AB] Smexy jeans rust L$89

Shoes from Grumble Grumble Jean set

Hair Truth Hair (dyed red).

SLURL

Website

I remember being new and I remember all the questions I had about stupid little things I take for granted that everyone should know today. I remember having to ask how to use landmarks, how to get unstuck if stuck in an animation, how to upload pictures or where to go to learn things.

There are many helpful places out there and they can usually be found if you search for them. One such place is Helping Haven. What makes this place so special is that it is a hangout that is made for helping people. Newcomers come there to get help and old-timers come there to help others.

Most helping sims have tutorials for Second Life, but Helping Haven takes it one step further and gives you tutorials on how to use the viewer as well. You will learn how to dance, how to dress, how to change the look on the viewer and a lot of other helpful things. They also hold classes if you want to know things beyond the tutorials. If you don’t want to wait for your answer, you can always ask any of the people that are there, there’s always people nearby eager to help.

They also have a stage with weekly events, such as the upcoming barn dance. At the stage you have convenient information about what you need to think about if you want to become a DJ yourself, so it is worth a checkout just for that. If music isn’t your thing, why not check out the freebie store? Loads of outfits, skins, shapes, accessories and items, all for free. Want to try out building something? They have a sandbox there too, where you can build freely without having to worry about prim limits or such things. Of course, the sandbox is surrounded by tips and tutorials to help you become the next fine builder of Second Life.

Just want to hang out with a friend? There are several games at your disposal, all with guides and rule sheets. Some games are old classics that you know from RL, others are games that have blossomed up in Second Life.

Want to try out the ever popular SL Fishing? There’s an area for that too, and it’s completely free. You can just sit there, let the lure stay in the water and relax. If fishing isn’t your kind of relaxing, right next to it you have the meditation area, both of htem conveniently placed next to the landing area.

1. MINECRAFT
I am a huge fan of Minecraft so when I found out that there was a mobile version I was quick to find it and get it (couldn’t get it not compatible with my phone, Gutted). For those of you who have  been under  a rock for the last year and a bit. Minecraft is a sandbox building indie game created by Markus Persson (or Notch as he’s known by the gaming community) and his company Mojang. The game focuses mainly on building and creativity, allowing players to be creative with cubes (or blocks) within a 3D world. When it came out there was a huge storm amongst the gaming community  due to the freedom it gave its players, which became very popular. It’s popularity grew so much that gamers started making videos, web series and mini games (in the form of custom maps) within the game. In 2011 the beta version began to appear on computers across the world  as well Android phones, iOS and on May 9 2012 it was finally released to the console Xbox 360.

2. Temple Run

I blame my partner for this one as the first time I played Temple Run it was on his phone (Sony Ericson Xperia) and found myself happily addicted to it. Temple Run is an endless action video game, created by Imangi Studies. It was released, first on iOS in 2011 and came to Android in March 2012. The premise of the game is simple, you are an Indiana Jones type explorer running away from a bunch of angry demonic monkeys because you stole an idol from them. The player must control the explorer through varies obstacles, along the way you can collect coins (that you use to buy upgrades) and powerups to help you to get away from the monkeys. The main object of this game is to survive and be careful of low hanging tree trucks, missing bricks in the walk way and going around turns.

3. Dark Legends

A game that looks quite interesting, Dark Legends is a free vampire 3D Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game.   Based around The Vampire Nation, a league of vampires whose existence is unfortunately  revealed to the world, are now hunted by humans. The player take the form a vampire who is must fight to survive in a world that has turned against them. It sounds unbelievably awesome and in a world where Twilight vampires have dominated the past  few years and  is finally coming to an end, this games seems like a breath of fresh air.It’s available on Android, but I can’t play it.

Because my phone sucks.

Instead of going into the different types of clinics there are I’m going to show you one clinic which follows the basic formula (no pun intended) that all clinics in Second Life seems to work with and what makes that clinic stick out from the rest.

You can choose the length of your pregnancy, from the shortest of 4 weeks to the full 9 months and while you’re going through this are places the make your pregnancy very enjoyable.

Rock a Bye babies opened 5 years ago by Robinnurse Rowlands,a registered nurse in her real life from some where in the USA. RABB is a Maternity Clinic that is possibly one of the best clinics in Second Life (in my opinion). They bring the realism of Pregnancy In the Virtual World and does it in such a way that at times you forget that you’re in a virtual society having a baby. Right, going to say this once and only once SL experiences just like real life experience vary from person to person, I understand that there are many other clinics in Second Life and fit other people but from my experience in this world Rock A Bye is the one that would fit perfectly for someone who wants the real experience of pregnancy. I have been to several places some where good for what they were, and others seemed to be confused with what they wanted (Baby Kisses) but Rock A Bye has maintained a  level of realism and professionalism that is something that needs to be praised.

Robinnurse started Rock A Bye as a way to bring beauty of pregnancy into Second Life, dragging from her own experiences of having children in real life, she wanted to show everyone that having a baby, although at times a painful experience, not only depended on your doctor but also your surrounds.Basically, you might have the greatest doctor in the world but overall what you’ll remember is the overall experience of the place you stayed in for how ever long. While some Maternity clinic merely role play their positions, Rock A Bye only hire those who are qualified medical professionals  in their real lives. They bring their expertise into Second Life, so you’re not just roleplaying having children, you are roleplaying having a child with real doctors! They offer weekly prenatal exams, sonograms, Lamaze classes, a variety of delivery options and birth certificates.

It’s not all peachy and perfect at Rock A Bye’s because not all pregnancies are perfect, keeping this in mind, they have accounted for it by having high risk options. Okay not HIGH risk but low-key high risks like high blood pressure and diabetes in pregnancy it isn’t crazy but keeps RABB from turning into an unrealistic clinic where every pregnancy is 100% perfect and without  complications.

Roro Underwood, the clinic administrator of RABB comments, “ I was dragged into Rock A Bye’s by Robin 5 years also and I’m glad she did because we are all a family now.”

Tinman Merlin, a Physician of RABB and one in a long line of men (there aren’t a lot of men there and it seems that when one guy leaves another one takes his place, it’s probably just the shifts) comments “ Well I was the first employee to be hired at RABB and I whole heartedly believe in this clinic. If I didn’t believe in it I wouldn’t be here for close to 4 1/2 years.  All of the staff are truly professionals and we all have a medical background.  We also have quite a lot of repeat patients as well,we are like a real family and take care of each other.”

The Big thing about Rock A Bye is the price, they aren’t cheap but for what they offer, it is worth it, not only are they giving you a great place to have your baby, they give you the full experience that is truly priceless. If you would like more information of their maternity packages, just drop in to Rock A Byes and ask.

Oh, before I forget. one more thing I love about Rock A Bye, the fact that all of the doctors, (a part from the men of course) are always pregnant, it creates a feeling of your pregnant for the first time in Second Life which can be scary at first, but they are going through it all too so it’s fine and you’re in good hands.

Coolmama is wearing an outfit called the Motive Red Phoenix rising and guess what that complete outfit was L$25 and for me Phoenix Rising Mason jeans and my top was called Phoenix Rising Push shirt in teal this came to a total cost of L$50

By: Look Stoop.

Yes, you can get pregnant in SL and it is truly an amazing experience. There are several ways you can get pregnant in this virtual world. the most popular is the realistic approach, (other ways include just saying ‘I’m pregnant’ and increase the size of your avatar’s stomach for how ever long you want.), which means going through everything you would in Real Life, actively trying the old fashion way, picking out clinics, doctors appointments, shopping for clothes, and labour. It’s an experience, a very expensive experience.

Things you’ll need for a ‘real’ experience

A Pregnancy HUD: The way the Pregnancy HUDs work varies depending on the brand, but they all have the same propose, to make your avatar ( or your partner’s avatar) pregnant. They are normally found on the marketplace, which is where I found the Total Woman Tantra HUD but they are also available for purchase from the family planning Clinics across the Grid. The Total Woman Tantra HUD, created by Resident Tex Evans, is a HUD that is worn on the avatar and allows that avatar to experience her menstrual cycle, making the process of getting pregnant in Second Life a lot more realistic.

How can this be realistic? Well, the Total Woman Tantra HUD tries to work as it would in real life, with realistic odds, risks and the potential for birth control as well as the experience you would have if you were trying to get pregnant in the real world. The way it works is simple there are different stages which are represented by different colours.Check out the Tantra Website to Find out what each colour means.

The Total Woman Tantra HUD costs L$ 700.

Tummy Talker: A tummy talker is an attachment that tell you what is going on through out your Second Life pregnancy. Through emotes it tells you what your avatar is ‘feeling’.Just like the Pregnancy HUD, Tummy Talkers differ depending on the brand. A normal tummy talker will just tell you normal things such as, ‘your feet hurt,’ ‘your baby is going healthy’ and so on. Others will let you know when you are hungry and will even give you what you ‘carve’

Some Tummy Talkers cost around L$600 –L$750 but they can also be found in clinics and some will even give you a talker as part of their packages.

Clinics: If you want a real experience you will want to go to a clinic. Second Life Maternity Clinics do their best to make your experiences as realistic as possible, going as far as to have weekly check ups and real life medicinally trained staff. These Clinics can be quite expensive but if they are good you do get full use of your money. Some clinics even have Lamaze classes that are very helpful as a way of looking into what Pregnancy is like in Second life and in real life.

Over the new week I will be taking you through the stages of Having a Family in Second Life, from looking at one of Second Life’s Maternity Clinics, Clothing Stores, to looking at Baby stores, Adoption and  the experience through the eyes of an SL mother. Stay with us to learn more about Having a Family in Second Life.

This week on Mobile Fun, we have been looking at an application that was meant to make using your cell phone camera more entertaining.

Instagram is a free photo-sharing application that have become quite popular lately, especially in my circle of friends. It allows you to not only take pictures but edit them, apply a digital filter to make pictures seem retro/hipster and upload it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Created in October 2010 it has become largely affiliated with Facebook and has made in headlines recently after being accused of promoting self-harm.

The app itself is easy to use, you can either upload or take a picture with your phone, apply the four digital features to it ( Normal, Amaro, Rise, Hudson) and upload it to which ever social sites you choose. It seems to be a mobile clone of a photo sharing social networking site called Dailybooth (2009) which has the same premise but just for computers.

At first I thought Instagram only allowed you to follow your friends who were loaded in from Facebook, this wasn’t the case as there is a ‘Popular’ Thread. This feature allows you to view the pictures, profile and also  follow those who are also using this application, but this is limited as there is no search link, you can only find those who are popular at the time. They do provide you with a way to find others using their user names but that is about it.

As all social networking sites do, they provide you with ways to protect yourself with a photo privacy setting. This means that, if activated, those who want to follow you, will have to ask first.

It is pretty cool to take pictures with a very retro look to them and if you have talent in photography  then you could make some really awesome pictures. Instagram is free on Google Play for the Android and is also available on the iPhone and iPad, but not for Blackberry at the moment but keep an eye out.

As for myself, I’m not very talented when it comes to photography but I did have fun, taking pictures with this App:

When you are not listening to the awesome music or watching the live events on the main stage, you can walk about the two sims looking at all the booths, filled to the brim with games and fun things to do.