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| Stareyes riding the pod |
The summer of 2013 will be remembered as the 10th
anniversary of Second Life ©. The SL 10 B Community Celebration has been
working discreetly behind the scenes to bring you the most astounding 22-sim
fairground bursting with the creativity of avatars. Stareyes Galaxy had the
privilege to preview the fairgrounds and talk with some of the personnel and
exhibitors on the eve of the opening.
Arriving at the welcome area, I was expectant but also a
bit hesitant, having already heard of the numerous exhibits to be seen at the
SL 10 B CC fairgrounds. As I walked over to the nearest pod ride station, I
quickly realized how little imagination I had had, as the sights started to
unravel all around me. The pod rides are divided to the East and the West
Exhibit tracks, and taking the ride, the visitor gets information on the
exhibits located adjacent to the track. There is a HUD to control the speed of
the pod, and you can get off anywhere you wish.
The sheer number of exhibits left me breathless, and soon
I was experiencing “fairground frenzy”, only missing a stick of candy floss to
tangle my hair in. The exhibits range from commercial to the artful, showing
all aspects of SL creativity. Ethnic groups, charities, entertainment - all are
represented for a good day’s family fun. The sims are “G”-rated, so I do advise
discretion.
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| Yavanna Llanfair |
I talked with the creator of the pods, Yavanna Llanfair,
who said she does these as a service to the SL 10 B celebration. Her exhibit
tells about the history of the pods, how they came about, and the basic
principles of how they work. “This is the
third SL B I have run the pods. It’s a
big responsibility, but I love that sort of responsibility – something I have
to get right,” she told me at her exhibit. She doesn’t sell the pods that
also run routes on mainland, but she does sell the scripts to make the pods
run.
Interview
with Yavanna Llanfair
SLE:
I am really getting a “pre-show” excitement vibe here. Do you have the same?
Yavanna: I
do, yes. This is the 10th, that’s significant. There are some really amazing
builds here this year.
SLE:
Do you have any favorites, besides your own?
Yavanna:
Well, I would love to mention “Culture & Fun Group,” of which I am also a
part of (but nothing to do with their exhibit).
SLE:
Any final remarks to the visitors?
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| Stareyes at Avatar Central |
Yavanna:
Just come – and if you want to get a quickish flavor of all the exhibits, ride
a pod. The two pods visit every single exhibit.I met Emma Floresby at the Avatar Central. This exhibit
is part of the welcome area for SL 10 B CC and it is themed around 2003,
including the basic “Newbie” and “Ruth” avatars that you can pick up there for
free. Emma is a volunteer guide at the SL 10 B CC.
SLE:
Is "SLB Greeter" a real job for you?
Emma: I’m not hired...
it's a volunteer job. Right now I’m here to know the place - I want to see
everything before the event begins, to know what is where.
SLE: Okay, so you
will help people get around once the show starts?
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| Emma Floresby |
Emma: Yes.
I will show them the places, try to clear their doubts about SL10B.
SLE:
Do you expect a big crowd?
Emma: I do... SL birthdays
are always crowded .I’m worried about the lag. The first week might be the most
crowded, I think.
SLE: It's great to
see the preview - this area is vast. Will you have landmarks for people to TP
to?
Emma: if they want, I will,
but I will not send LMs to them as they arrive... Some people just don’t like
being annoyed with a lot of info.
SLE: You said you do
this for non-profit. Will the “pay" go to a charity or some such thing?
Emma: There is no pay for
me, I wouldn’t accept money for it.
SLE:
What else do you do in SL?
Emma: I’m a RHN
Mentor... I worked the most of my time
in AJuda SL BRasil, and I’m mentoring in White TIgers, Mental Mentors, Phoenix Wave Team. RHN, Resident
Help Network is a Linden Lab sponsored program to help new residents when they
start their Second Life.
SLE: So, helping
people here for you will be an extension of what you would do anyway?
Emma: I think helping
people is one of the most REAL things we can do in SL.
SLE: Is there
something you might want to say as a general welcome to visitors to SL10BB?
Emma: SL is a fantastic
world made by fantastic people - join us!
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| Left: Marianne, Sanura, Callie |
I also met Marianne McCann, Callie Cline, and Sanura
Snowpaw. Marianne is one of the designers of the Avatar Central. KT Syakumi
also joined the discussion – she is one of the responsible avatars having
helped to put it all together.
SLE: What is your
role in the event?
Callie: Well, I helped with
some of the publicity, but other than that I just am an exhibitor. We made a
special birthday cat, our 3rd one for the birthday parties.
Sanura:
This is my first year doing an exhibit.
Marianne: I'm
the sim coordinator for Beguile and Wonderous, and put together this welcome
area, as well as the History Walk. I am also the lead on the Bay City History
Pavilion. I also do the laundry!
We then discussed the last-minute logistics of putting
the event together. Everyone agreed that there was enough time to complete the
sim builds, but that many people still were scrambling toward completion at the
last minute. “I just did ours tonight,” said Callie, “as we did a whole sim
offsite also for the celebration.”
SLE: Marianne - How
did you get the idea about making Avatar Central “2003”?
Marianne: Well, it was something
KT and I worked out together with the idea of bringing part of the experience from
10 years ago back to here. So this is a recreation of the original Welcome
Area, known by many then as "Newbie Corral."
SLE: I find it hard
to find accurate dated stuff, even from 10 years back. How did you find the
necessary resources?
Marianne: It is very difficult
at times. On the plus side, I am a hoard... er... collector, so many resources
I had available. The kind folks at The Ivory Tower of Primitives also let us
borrow the Statue of Man and the Arch. Linden Grande items, like Avatar Central
here, were recreated using vintage, accurate parts.
KT: some of the stuff
here is a recreation, and some is the actual assets, and we're not saying which,
but Pygar Bu did an awesome job of building it.
SLE: What do you
think, in SL, has advanced MOST during this time?
Sanura: I would say the
creativity, yes the technology and stuff have improved greatly as well but
without the creativity those updates and changes could have stalled out.
Marianne: Hmm. Well, the tech
has grown by leaps and bounds. The social structure has evolved, the community
- and in a lot of ways, they're all one thing, each driving the other.
KT: Even this birthday,
our theme is looking forward, looking back, but the emphasis is firmly on the community!
I was getting a vibe of a real
"pre-show" excitement as I was talking with these fine and creative
avatars. They all had put their heart into building the exhibits and common
areas, and into making it all work. Many exhibitors are highlighting the
celebration at their in-world main stores as well.
As the gates open on June 16th,
I encourage everyone to visit SL 10 B Community Celebration. I will certainly
return, with my friends!
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