Tag Archives: virtual

Snapshot_007
Apr 10 2013

Second Life Walkthrough: How to Get Lindens in SL? ( How do I get a job?)

Second Life has its own, very active, economy and currency. It is called the Linden Dollar (L$) and is about 0.01USD = 1L$. Time  for a few FAQ (or Frequently Asked Questions)

Why do I need Lindens?

To buy goods and services, such as clothes and a place to live.

How do I receive Lindens?

There are two ways:

1) Buy Lindens from the Second Life website using real money. You can do this by signing in to the Second Life website (using your SL username and password), go to your Dashboard, then to buy. It will ask you how much you want to purchase noting that the minimum allowed is at least 500L$ or 3.00USD.

2) You can get a job in world. There are several jobs that you can do in Second life. You can find these jobs through Job Agencies in world.( Search Job agencies). You can also create items to sell for Lindens or open your own business.

What kind of businesses/jobs are there in Second Life?

There are several jobs/businesses you can become involved in. The most common jobs are available through clubs and other music based establishments  , working as a DJ, Host/Hostess, and Dancer. There are others jobs that are less common such as Managers, Assistants, Models, Writers etc.

Businesses include Clothes Designer,Builder, Script Writer, Club Owner, Property Owner, Blogger (Fashion, News, Music & Destinations). These are jobs that takes a lot of commitment, so if you do not have the time and don’t want the stress the most frequent jobs would be more ideal for you. Some jobs, particularly the most common ones, have a promotion system (Start at the bottom and work your way to the top) but this depends on the owners. 

How do I find work?

Job agencies are a great way to find jobs. There are tons Job centres and agencies for you to find work. Most jobs require you to fill out an application form and send it to the employers. 

What are employers looking for?

Many employers are looking for Reliable employees, someone who will show up when they say they will and do their job well. As a result many employers will not hire you until you are 30 days old and in Second Life on a regular basis.

There are some jobs that will need experience and even training. Being a DJ in SL will require you to have training and experience (There are schools and help guides out there that specialize in  DJ training). Hosting is another job that requires training,  most clubs will offer to train you since  Hosts need  to use different marketing equipment to pull customers in.

Helpful Links:

So You Want To Own A Business in Second Life Part 1 & Part 2 & Part 3 & Part 4

Becoming a Dj in 8 Steps 

Jobs in Second Life Series

These are some of the questions that have been the FAQ for the Torch, if you have any more questions ask at valkyrie@thetorchslguide.com

Well,  you have the money, how about we look for a place you can call home? Join us next time on Second Life Walkthrough.

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Snapshot2_001
Feb 13 2013

The Romantic Spots of Second Life: Fishing in Virtual Ryukyu

The thing that everyone loves about Second Life is that they can go to any real world replica destination they please. If you want to go to the island of Hawaii, you can do so with a click. New York? Sure! Paris? Oui oui. Want to go to Dublin to explore Irish culture? Yes, please. All done with the click of a landmark.

So with this ability why not have a romantic date in the Village of Virtual Ryukyu, a place dedicated to ancient Japanese culture. Created by Second Life Residents Inuyasha Meiji and Silverfox ‘Giniji’ Rainbow. It is the perfect spot for those who would love to share their interest with ancient Japanese culture. Here you can relax by the sea as the music stream takes your away on an oriental journey. You can you go fishing, take a stroll around the village, watch a friendly combat in the local dojo, or even enjoy the local cruise (Yes there is traditional Japanese food here. You can’t eat it but adds to the immersive experience. It will have you craving for the real thing though, so be warned :) .). This is truly a beautiful place that should be shared with your loved ones. So take your date to Virtual Ryukyu, go fishing and enjoy your Valentines Day.

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Follow Virtual Ryukyu on Twitter and check out their blog

Which Path will you take_002
Dec 5 2012

Second Life Hunt: The Suicide Awareness Hunt

In the UK, according to the Samaritans 2012 Report, there were between 5000-6000 suicides (both male and female) in 2010. According to the World Health Organisation in the US there were around 0.012% in 2009. The WHO also states that the top three countries that have the highest Lithuania, South Korea and Guyana.

I don’t know any one who has committed suicide. The closet I’ve been is knowing someone who knows someone who has. I don’t understand why someone would do that, to me life gets hard, yes, but you work through it. You fight for it.

So doing the Suicide Awareness Hunt was good for me and any one who doesn’t know much about whatWhich Path will you take_001 drives people to suicide. Created by Second Life Resident Joshuan Banx, it was developed to help those who don’t understand, those who want to help but aren’t sure how to, and those who might need help but aren’t sure where to get it. Hunters follow the story of a girl named Juliana, and her family as they deal with Juliana’s suicide. Players are given the choice of choosing one of two paths, one path takes them on a journey to save Juliana and another takes them on a path if they are not sure how to save her.

It is a heart breaking yet informative hunt that will leave you with a better understanding of what drives people to suicide and how it can affect those around them even after their death.

The Mental Health Awareness Retreat is a parcel in Second Life, that gives help and support to those with mental health or those who are looking for resources on mental health.

The Suicide Awareness Hunt ends on December 15th. To Start the Hunt head over to the Mental Health Awareness Retreat and choose the path you would like to take. Check out their website for more details.

Jul 27 2012

Flying Tigers: Sports Festival

In London Olympics Flying Tigers are having their own Sports Festival.  16 days of partying, fashion shows, exhibitions cheerleading performances, sports games.

SPORTSFESTIVALPNG

Flying Tigers’ Sports Festival Schedule of Events

**This schedule is subject to change**

Unless specifically stated, all events will take place on the WW2 Tribute Sim

July 24 to July 26, 2012:

-Exhibitors set up all day

Friday, July 27, 2012:

-Sports Festival Opens

-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games

-12pm slt – DJ Anakin

-1pm slt – Second Life Cheerleader Performance

Saturday, July 28, 2012:

-12pm slt – DJ TBD

Sunday, July 29, 2012:

-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair

-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games

-10am slt – DJ Anakin

-12pm slt – Korn Tribute Band Concert

-5pm slt – Flying Tigers Air Show

Monday, July 30, 2012:

-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-10am slt – DJ Prettybones
-2pm slt – DJ Cath

Tuesday, July 31 2012:
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-10am slt – DJ Mia
-12pm slt – DJ Anakin
-5pm slt – VAW Show

Wednesday, August 1, 2012:
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-10am slt – DJ Sweetdizzy
-4pm slt – DJ Anakin

Thursday, August 2, 2012:
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-10am slt – DJ Sweetdizzy
-4pm slt – DJ Anakin

Friday, August 3, 2012:
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-12pm slt – DJ Anakin
-6pm slt – Champion Horses’ SteepleChase Event (Champion Horses Sim)

Saturday, August 4, 2012:
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-12pm – Paintball Tournament
-6pm slt- Champion Horses’ Cross Country Event (Champion Horses Sim)

Sunday, August 5, 2012:
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-11am slt – Champion Horses’ Harness Races (Champion Horses Sim)
-12pm slt Lady Gaga Tribute Band Concert
-After the Lady Gaga Tribute Band Concert – DJ TBD
-6pm slt – Champion Horses’ Awards Ceremony (Champion Horses Sim)

Monday, August 6, 2012:
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-12pm slt – DJ Anakin
-2pm slt – DJ Cath

Tuesday, August 7, 2012
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-12pm slt – DJ Anakin
-4pm slt – DJ Cath

Wednesday, August 8, 2012
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-12pm slt – DJ Jami
-4pm slt – DJ Anakin

Thursday, August, 9, 2012
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-12pm slt – DJ Neilio
-4pm slt – DJ Anakin

Friday, August 10, 2012
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-12pm slt – DJ Anakin

Saturday, August 11, 2012
-All Day – Exhibitor/Merchant Fair
-All Day – Free Tennis, Basketball, European Football/Soccer Games
-11 am slt – Last Man Standing Aviation Contest

Sunday, August 12, 2012
-11am slt – L’Amour Management Sports Fashion Show
-2pm slt – DJ TBD

Feb 1 2012

Become a DJ in 8 steps

So, you’ve all seen the DJ’s, you’ve all heard them play. Have you also secretly wanted to be them?

Here are my collected “wisdom” (a term I use loosely about myself :P ) from my time as a DJ, both in SL (for about a year) and RL (about 10 years).

1) The player! This is essential, you need something to play on. There are many alternatives, but the main ones are SAM Broadcaster (pricey, but one of the best), Virtual DJ (Mid-range, but reliable) and Winamp (free, but rather unreliable and a bit clunky, you also need a plugin for it to work with Shoutcast)

2) The stream! You need a stream, which is basically a web address that you send everything you play to. You set up your player/plugin with the address and some additional info (like what you want to appear on the DJ board, if the club has one and the format that the songs should be displayed in in the chat on Phoenix/Firestorm viewers), Many clubs in SL have their own streams that you can borrow, but that limits you to that club. You can also use an apache server to stream from your own computer, but unless you have around 100MBPS up on your broadband, this is not an option. The best option would be to rent a stream, either directly from SL in one of the many stream rental places or over the internet. The former is more convenient and you have everything already set up for SL, but the latter gives more control and can be a bit cheaper if you know what you are doing. Steams in SL can be as cheap as 100L$ for a day (great for auditions or events) or 800L$/month (great to keep on a subscription if you get a job at a club).

3) The music! As a beginner, pick a genre and stay to it. Throughout your whole career you should think of mixing up the songs, so you don’t play too much from the same artist. Every genre have great mix-collections (either on CD’s or as downloads) that give a good, solid foundation. A mix-collection is usually about 2 hours long (the length of most sets in SL clubs) and have all different artists. You can then start to expand by getting more from the artists that you notice people are liking. A good start is to have enough songs for 8 sets of 2 hours, that’s 16 hours worth of music, all of different artists, so you don’t play the same artist twice in a set, but the latter is the DJ’s preference.

SAM Broadcaster User Interface

4) The workplace! Clubs around SL are many, and it might be hard to find the one YOU like, and DJ’s are plentiful. Even with that, I can assure you that ALL clubs in SL are looknig for DJ’s. The DJ business is hard, you WILL be playing for empty dancerooms a lot in the beginning, before you get a following. Once you get fans, your reputation will rise and you can expect more and more crowd. Just give it your best and you’ll make it in SL club circuits. The mistake many DJ’s do is that they try it out for a month, notice that noone is there and quits. The thing the great DJ’s of SL, the legends, did when they started was to play for the sake of music, not for the crowd or tips. Playing for a club so full the sim crashes is a wonderful feeling, but it takes time to get there.

5) The following! That brings us to your identity. I know this might seem counterintuitive, but before you even get the stream, create an identity. What do you want your host to call you? Once you have that, create a group named “DJ X fan group”, where X is your identity. Invite your host to the group and give him/her invite rights, put the group as free to join and open enrollment and make sure your crowd knows you have the group, so they can join it. Send notices before EVERY event you’re playing at!

6) The Host! The hosts job is to work the crowd, to get seats filled and take care of them. Your job is to play the music and make sure you get the right music for the moment. IF you have time over, you can join the chatting, but that is the lowest priority. That’s why you have a host there.

7) The Mic! Even thou it’s not a necessity, hearing a DJ talk over the music hightens the emotions of every visitor. Get a mic, get used to talking in it and use it while DJing. Don’t use it too much thou, use it after a song when you got tipped, other than that, just use it for announcements every 4-5 songs at a maximum. Remember that people are there for the music, not the talking.

8) HAVE FUN!!! This is the most important part! If you’re in a bad mood, it will reflect on your performance. The transitions get sloppy, your voice will sound harsh and you won’t pay as much attention to the crowd. If you’re not happy at any of your sets, there might be something wrong at that particular club. Don’t be afraid to tell the club owner or manager(s), that’s what they are there for. If it’s the music that gets too repetetive, they might allow you to do a few sets outside the clubs genre, if it’s a problem with a person, you might get some help sorting it out. If all else fails, try working at another club for a while, there is nothing preventing you from working at several clubs at once. Be careful thou, know your limits. When doing something you love, you risk overdoing it and I’ve seen many DJ’s go down by being overworked. When you have a timeslot at a club, it’s easy to get stuck on the idea that you HAVE to play then and there, every week, indefinitely. Then you get to another club, get an offer to play there, and suddenly you’re stuck with more sets than you can handle, but don’t have the heart to say no to any of them. Don’t be afraid of telling the owner or manager that you feel overworked, they might consider pulling you down to one set every other week instead, or give you a leave of absence for a month or two.

Aug 24 2011

First Look: Viewer 3

When I heard that there was a new what I like to call Vanilla Viewer – the benchmark where all other tastes derive from – I knew I needed to check it out. Check out Morphman’s post on the blog as this is supposed to be a major release.
Viewer 2 got a lot of slack and negative comments by a lot of die-hard viewer 1.x fans as it was a major move away from classic looks: new interface, engine coding and feel. What Linden Labs forgot then was that people don’t like too much change. I guess they listened to the complaints as Viewer 3 has a v2 look and feel… or is it just a rename of the year old bottle of wine?

Login Screen

The login screen did change a bit: you get a website overview that in my opinion could have been more integrated into the viewer: the colors are more “website” than “viewer” based. I have a feeling this has been rushed and not looked over by a graphic designer, as the image on the top is pasted against the top bar, rounded at the bottom means for me it’s missing a bit on the top… But that’s pure esthetic!

What is interesting to me is to see the “What’s Hot Now” screen, you get an overview of the busiest sims of that moment, although I’d have to investigate if those are real-time stats (I doubt it) or some timescale is being used (more logical and server economic I think). The “Destinations” is what it is: destinations filtered by their category. If you want to feature in this I guess you have to take time to put them in the “Events” diary. Finally something that might make this feature a bit more appealing to use, as it might bring in new people to your events.

The more interesting thing is what happens when you look at the bottom: no change whatsoever! You still get a choice between “Basic” and “Advanced” mode – I’ll be skipping the former as in my opinion it takes too much away from the SL experience and thus being pointless (don’t get me wrong, it’s a great way to ease new players into the SL experience, but most will skip it within a day or two I think :)

Checking out the viewer

Of course this release gets a new number as it incorporates mesh into SL. But what is more interesting to me is if the minor “problems” have been solved… So mesh for me isn’t all that important – yes I am excited about it for other reasons, mainly to see what builders are going to do with this new toy!

Not a lot has changed at first look: the much hated – but in my opinion very useful – sidebar is still there. You get the “Linden home screen” with the same basics that were shown in V2, so i’m going to skip that. I do recommend as a new user to go over them, there is some useful stuff in there!

The profile screen got revamped when you click the “profile” button, more in touch with the website version of your profile. This was not unexpected as LL announced a more web-inclusive interface. The other tabs haven’t changed at all on a first glance. The favourites bar is still there – one of the features that I really liked about V2 from the start!

What I suspected: V3 is just V2 with mesh code incorporated into it. Not a bad idea to rename this, as it is a major difference in user experience inworld, but not per sé viewer-wise.

What is really getting on my nerves is that 3rd party viewers are able to render things right, but V3 still has a problem rendering textures right for me when I switch to “ultra” graphics settings… I can only compare to Firestorm at the moment, but there I can run SL smoothly with everything bumped up to maximum, V2 and V3 just aren’t up to the challenge! Frame rates drop, making my experience less than optimal… Why is it that a brand new high-grade computer still isn’t able to use Ultra graphics settings, Linden Labs? Why still include this!

The other thing that still get on my nerves is “depth of field”: granted, a useful tool when you’re taking pictures in Second Life, but why hasn’t this option been moved to the “snapshot” function? Depth of field isn’t that useful on a day-to-day basis.

Yes, I agree these are minor things, but annoyances non the less…

Pro
• No major changes – except of course for including mesh
• Various tweaks, like the web-integration that has been refined.
Con
• Messed up Ultra – at least for me
• Minor gripes solved in 3rd party viewers still present in Vanilla…

Conclusion

Viewer 3 is a logical rename of the previous viewer, giving users access to the long coming promise of mesh inclusion. I’m sure in time coming this will become apparent to all users, as mesh will steadily be introduced to the grid. Don’t worry, it will live perfectly next to prims and sculpties as we know them, so you don’t have to start buying new stuff immediately!

Hopefully my minor problems with V3 will be solved in the (near?) future, although these are my gripes and as with everything: you can’t please’m all!

Sven Hyx 

Secret Love
Jun 9 2011

The love of 5 musketeers on Secret love

Did you know there’s a place in Second Life where love is the keyword of success? Where you can feel butterflies in your stomach and where you can feel like Prince Charming or Cinderella?
Today I like to tell you about a sim where you can fall in love, spend hours with your lover and even can marry.
Love your life on Secret love!

You enter the sim on a heart-shaped island, that’s connected by bridges to other islands. On every island there’s something to do. Heart island gives you several options to explore the sim. You can take a taxicab or fly around on a very special way…
This time I decided to walk around and tell you a few secrets about this sim. I take the north bridge and walk in the direction of the huge waterfall.
If you want to have some privacy with your lover you can peek under water or walk further north. You’ll find there a very nice building. Here you can buy your lover roses. All ingredients to make you beloved one feel in heaven are available.
But Secret Love has much more to offer. You can take a ride with the air balloon or if you prefer staying on ground level, you can take the boat.

Secret Love isn’t only nice and has many tools to entertain you, it’s very practical too. The sim offers an ATM/DX point where you safely can transfer rl money to SL without the need of register your credit card.

I continue my walk towards another great building, a Rajah. Here you can dance and relax, cuddle in the bedroom or play games in the penthouse. Enjoy the scene and walk outside on the 3rd floor. Here’s another great spot to dance.

Back on the ground I walk towards the castle, entering a nice garden and find a few boxes where the sim is collecting money for charity.
Dionne, the queen of the Freedom Caretakers Group, started 3 years ago an organisation to help orphans in Bobodioulasso in Burkina Fasso.

Dionne: I found babies drinking water. There was no money for cereal. So I came home and started this organisation and now these babies drink milk.

The organisation isn’t like the big organisations. No expensive director and all the donations go directly to the orphans.

Dionne: We ask from the people one euro a year. All cost goes directly to the orphans, there isn’t one Pennie for us. Even when we travel to Africa we pay for all the expenses ourselves.

The organisation is located in the Netherlands and they have a website where you can read about it. The original dutch site or a translated version to english click here.

Let’s go back to Secret Love. The castle with the pretty garden is a very romantic place. You will be surrounded with flowers and butterflies. The garden will lead you to another part of this place: Freedom Too. Very beautiful too and completely different, but also worth to visit.

I walk south and cross te bridge that leads to another nice garden with a very romantic building, called Dionne’s house.
Not only the building is fascinating. The view here is admirable.

When you walk in the direction of the blockhuts, you’ll find another garden where you can picnic together. I walk further to the east and find a bathhouse with a wonderful view of the ocean.

I follow the coastline and arrive on a funny place. A ruin where you can dance. And if you like fireworks. You can make your personal fireworks show here too.

If you think this is all, you’re wrong. If you take the taxi cab you’ll find many options to visit.
I selected the Bazaar, where you have a shopping mall and you even can find some freebies! There are shops available for rent here for a very fair price and if you’re homeless and searching for a home, you even can rent houses here.
In the middle of this little village you have a huge ballroom and an art gallery.

I take a cab again and head over to Arctic, where you will be amazed with a nice winter scene. If you don’t like winter. Head over to the Blue world.

If you prefer some action take the cab to the Runaway, where you can rezz a plain and test your skills.

All of this is just a small part of what you can do here. You can spend here hours with all different kinds of entertainments.

Secret Love exists since 2008. First is was just a place for the family (Freedom Caretakers). They lived there and learned to build. Nowadays this place is open for everybody.

Saronda Jewell: “We created it as a home for many to enjoy a warm place within Second Life.”

Last year Secret Love had an upgrade and the traffic starts to grow. So this really is a good place to meet new people.

The Freedom Caretakers is a very warm group. They call themselves the 5 Musketeers. All have unique talents and they all have the same goal here.

starlite Steampunk: We all work together…but saron has the eye for development.

Secret Love changes with the seasons. And with the different seasons there are different activities here.

Shahzad Kharg: “You should have seen the island at Halloween. Starlite was in charge of that.”

Sometimes they have special events here. They have planned to do much more in the future. And like the diversity of the sim, their events are very diverse too. They have plans for games, hunts and even an air combat.

Shahzad Kharg: “We intend to have competitions for every one to participate and win prizes.”

Secret Love is very flexible. When someone want to have a wedding here, they’ll change the sim into a perfect wedding location.
You can find the Freedom Caretakers here most of the time when they’re online. They’re very friendly for everybody. If you accept their two rules they will make you feel at home.

No nudity in public and second RESPECT for everybody here.

They accept people from all kind of cultures outside SL and inside SL. Secret Love is a great place for everybody, but they’re very friendly for newbies. If you have a problem or a question. They’re always happy to help you.

Dionne Jewell: When I see the real world there’s so many tragedy, so many wars, so much sadness. I wanted to create a place where people could meet from all over this real world in Second Life. Understanding each other and be friends. I know its possible as long as we all respect each other.

Saronda Jewell: Even Second Life can be very hurtful with jealousy, gossip and cheating. I do meet a lot of hurt people in Second Life. We want to make a difference and show its possible to share TRUE friendship and love in SL.

I felt in love with Secret Love and the Freedom Caretakers in 2010. I’ve never seen a group with so much love and respect for people. You can feel this when you speak with them, but also when they aren’t around. You can feel their love in their creations.

A warm thank you to Dionne and Saronda Jewell, Starlite Steampunk, Shahzad Kharg and Jim Lurra for spreading your love and make our Second Life a place how the real world should be.

TP to Secret Love

Hugs

Justum

building
May 22 2011

The wonderful worlds of Scottius

Lunamaruna

I teleported to a colourful world, like a dream, this is fantasy on a high level!
You enter the world inspired on his illustrations. And you’ll see this art project brings you to a complete different Second Life.

You’re part of the art of Scottius.
I arrive on a big hill and see a village in front of me. The village look painted, but is it?
I walk down and see fishes swimming on the ground. But these small fishes are different. They grow in size, and you can ride them.
In the distance I see buildings. All looks painted but you can enter them!
The flora is beautiful, though different from real life. Like a dream within the fantasy of Scottius. This is a unique world.

I’m sitting in a tree, relaxing together with a fish. Right behind me a big sort of stingray swimming in the sky.
I walk back and talk with mr. fish, who’s relaxing in front of his shop. It’s clear he’s a bit lazy, because he made a mess.
But he’s got a friendly smile and sells nice stuff in the store. If you can’t find something you need, there’s a tip jar here too.

I take the stairs up and arrive at a huge trampoline. Can you reach the top-level?

If you like colours and like to have fun. Then Lunamaruna is a must see location!
TP to Lunamaruna

Mushroom
I’m a small creature in the huge world called Second Life. A virtual world where smell isn’t possible yet. Or is it?
I’m small oh I’m small. I’m as small as like I was a young child. The chairs are too big for me. I hide in the closet and I want to be bad. So I climb on the bed and JUMP…..hoping my parent’s won’t see me.

Mushroom is a special place, it’s another world based on the art of Scottius. You’re again in a illustrated world. But complete different. Here you can play and be a child, who’s doing things people wouldn’t do as a grown up. When’s the last time you danced with Amoebas?

On the other side of the building, there’s a gallery with illustrations, made by Scottius. You’ll recognise them immediately.
You can buy the illustrations and if you have some Linden dollars, you can donate here as well too.

Visit Mushroom and feel like a child!

The Docks
When you cross the bridge you enter the latest project of Scottius. You’ll recognise his style, though the emotions you’ll get here will bring you to another level.

I enter a dark blue world. A bit creepy at first sight.
I thought I saw a lighthouse but then…..it’s gone! Or do I see it?

The water looks polluted. Do you dare to grab a tube and jump in?
Do you dare walk up and talk with the spirits of the dock? Are they looking for something?

I walk back to the land towards a little cottage I see in the distance.
The cottage looks like it’s owned by a fisherman. I hope he won’t come home, he definitely will lock me up in one of the lobster crates that can be found outside on the dock.

Visit The Docks
The Docks will move to a different location on the 30th of June.

Scottius Polke
Last but not least there’s a gallery where you can see and buy different art of Scottius.
Scottius is an artist by heart.

It is something I have felt a need to do since I was a child.
I have been drawing since before I can remember.

Scottius is a perfectionist when it comes to art. It takes months for him to build one project. But you’ll see. Everything fits.

Scottius is in real life an artist too. Second Life gave him inspiration to restart his rl art.
You can find his rl art on http://www.srolfe.com
What you’ll see there is great. It’s clear the rl artist and the sl artist are the same person with the same perfection.
Up here he can make the art, that would be too expensive to make in real life. And the profit here is, that people can fly through the exhibition.
He tries for both worlds what works best for his art.

If you aren’t familiar with art. His art is very open for any level.

“I try to allow one to experience it without any knowledge beforehand”

Scottius is a very friendly artist who doesn’t mind you’re big or small, an experienced artist in real life or new to it.

I have spoken with people who never did art before sl and have wound up doing beautiful art

To me personally this is fabulous. I have seen in real life people who made great art but were banned by the people who did art school. Because you would need art school to be able to make art.
Second Life proves the difference.
I asked advice to Scottius for new upcoming artists.

One of the great things about sl is the community.
It can be intimidating to begin sl art, but other people can be of great benefit.
You can ask advice.

Scottius art is unique because of several things. First of all his typical style of his designs, the light effects and the interactivity. You can watch and do things.
Every projects is a world on it’s own. You can recognise it’s created by Scottius, though all have a very different story and bring different emotions. What I described here is just my experience, though I’m curious what your imagination brings you.

You can explore his art in Second Life but also in real life.
If you like his art. You can reach and follow Scottius on Facebook.

Thanks Scottius for the amazing art you make and share with us in Second Life and real life!

Hugs Justum

Article and photos by: Justum

Demoni_Featured
May 11 2011

The Demonic Night Club – Fantasy Week

On a industrial estate, somewhere in Second life you can find a place where everybody is welcome. Not only humans but every creature can enjoy their time here.

Inspire yourself and head over to the Demonic Night Club!


When you teleport it takes a while before all is rezzed. But it’s worth to wait, because the music here’s great if you like rock and metal. The Demonic Night Club is always open and there’s 24 hours a day live music streamed by great DJ’s.

You enter the sim on a crosspoint. From here you can walk outside and visit many shops. It’s worth a watch, because there’s a great variety of stores and the builds are impressive.

When you don’t want to shop, you can take the stairs down and dance with lots of people with the most diverse avatars.

The club has a grunge atmosphere with ia stagen the middle with impressive light effects where the dancers and the DJ do their act.

Around the stage you can find dance balls for couples and singles and this great club has 4 dance floors!

Recognisable visitors who were so kind to model: chesslyn lyric & nicolas schreiner

On the walls you can get information about the Demonic Dance club. You can find a board with information about the DJ and the music that’s playing.

Although the fantasy in the club is well represented by the art and the building, the realism of the furniture, like the stereo system, makes you feel like you’re in a real life party.

When I danced I saw the most amazing avatars. I danced between a wizard, demons, humans and lot’s of vampires.

It’s really a nice idea, that people can be here with the avatar they want and play the role they like, without bothering others.

For people that don’t want to roleplay. The place is safe for everybody. It’s for example forbidden to bite in the club and you’re not allowed to combat here.

And what’s nicer to meet other avatars and listening to great music in an environment where everybody can feel comfortable?

The place is great for new residents. First of all you’re safe here and you can explore several cultures in Second Life in just one club.

Aside from that, the Demonic Empire offers a safe possibility to purchase Linden Dollars in several ways without the need of registering your credit card on your SL account. You can find this in the huge mall in the south.

The Demonic Empire is a very active place. That’s why this place is also interesting for designers and creators that needs a store. And good news, there are still a few places for rent.

They’re also in need for good DJ’s and good dancers. If you have talent, it might be interesting to contact the owners.

Thanks WebMaiden Tomorrow and Rokko Luminos for make such an open and wonderful environment for the Residents of Second life!

SLURL

[Editor added] In the comments section we got this link, where someone has made a video about the club. Check it out!

Article by: Justum

Photos by: Justum

high street_001
Mar 27 2011

London Week – Take a Stroll Down High Street London pt.2

What can I say, I’m swedish, so when I saw the sign saying Så Roligt I just had to walk in there. It was not what I expected, but it was a pleasant surprise.

This store sells sexy clothes to a reasonable price, ranging from 100-300L$ for a complete outfit.  I asked Rolig Loon, the owner and creator, about the shop and her involvement with London.

What is the history behind the name?

Rolig Loon

 

It’s a play on my own name.  In Swedish, “rolig” means “funny,” as in a funny story.  In Danish or Norwegian the same word means “calm.”  I’d be happy if I could live up to either of those descriptions, so it seemed right to try for the same feel in my shop.  The play on words?  “Sa roligt!” means “Such fun!”

What has been your main inspiration?

The challenge of creating things that I’d be pleased to wear myself, and the satisfaction of finding that other people like them too.  I design clothes that ought to appeal to professional women, the kind of clothes that help you look attractive without making the clothing the center of attention.   Even as I create negligees, I am inspired by the challenge of using a fabric or the cut of a bodice to augment the wearer’s own personality, not letting the garment be the showpiece.  I prefer dresses myself and I like interesting, colorful prints, so I’m often inspired by finding a pleasing fabric.

Do you have anything aimed at new residents in your store?

Not specifically, but I really don’t think of newcomers as different from long-time residents.  I price all my clothing in a range that ought to fit anyone’s pocketbook, and I design for an average figure so most things should fit with a minimum of adjustment.  I will be most pleased if a dress from Sa Roligt! is one of your first purchases in SL and is still a favorite a year later or more.

SLURL to Så Roligt

A taste of Så Roligt’s clothes:

Another store on High Street is Fenwitch & CO, one of Rob Fenwitch several stores. This store sells gadgets for stores, offices and such for a really low price. I ran into Mr. Fenwitch himself while taking a stroll, he’s often seen wandering around London, so I asked him a few questions.

Why did you chose London for your stores?

Rob Fenwitch

 

I was a resident in London before and was asked to stock and run two freebie shops for the estate. Later I was asked to open two more; one in Hyde Park and later in Knightsbridge. By this time I was living in and working for VL London so it seemed natural to open shops here once I had started to make things.

What has been your main inspiration?

The things I sell in my shops are things I originally made for my own use. I opened the firework reseller store in Kensington because I needed some fireworks and there wasn’t a shop in London that sold them.

Are these London stores the only stores you have?

I have one other branch of Fenwitch & Co. in a SIM which I share with friends.

Do you have anything aimed at new residents in your store?

The freebies shops are entirely aimed at new residents. In particular, I noticed that mens clothing was quite rarely found in freebies stores so I made a point of stocking those.

What does the future for the Fenwitch stores look like?

Alas, the magic 8 ball works no better in Second Life than it does in Real LIfe.

Article by: Morphman

Photos by: Morphman