GRAND CANYON – NOW MORE THAN EVER – A PARADISE IN PIXELS: JOSH (THOMAS1 BELLIC) REPORTING

The basic unit of color in a computer image is called a “pixel”.  SecondLife residents, using the medium of these pixels, have proven to be some of the most talented and most creative artists in the world.  Their creations are legendary in their beauty, as these “Pixel Masters” create whole new worlds for the rest of us to explore and enjoy.  And there are none more talented than those who take examples from the Real World and replicate them in cyberspace for our enlightenment and amusement. Arguably, one of the BEST examples of Real World landmarks being immortalized in pixel is the SL Grand Canyon.  I caught up with Lis Dubrovna, the creator of Grand Canyon, and managed to get her to share some about this wonderful place with our SL Enquirer readers.  This was no easy feat, mind you, as Lis is almost ALWAYS on the go, creating, redesigning, tweaking here and there, doing what she can to improve her four sims.

JOSH BELLIC (JB): Lis, what inspired you to build the Grand Canyon?

LISISME DUBROVNA (LD):  I went to visit the opening of the SkyWalk and tour the Grand Canyon in RL. I was very thrilled and impressed. Some years later I joined SL. I wanted to build a sim which would teach residents the skills needed in SL and also to offer an alternative to poorly done and immodest sims. I woke up one night at 5:00 am and wondered excitedly if anyone had built the Grand Canyon. I went to my computer and researched that no one had so then and there I bought a Full Sim. Little by little I added to that first sim and now there are 4 and they offer just about anything you can imagine. I made my sims free to all residents.

I thought LL would recognize the value and popularity of my sims and assist me with tier but they have not taken notice. I rely on donations and mostly on my RL job as a graphics artist to pay the $600.00 USD per month tier which Linden Labs require.

JB:  The Grand Canyon as you have built it is more than just a canyon.  You have many delightful areas scattered around the Park Grounds.  Share with us a couple of your favorites here?

LD:  On all the Grand Canyon sims I rent homes and the renters are such cool people. It's like a family. On Grand Canyon South I love my Falls Ballroom which is so very beautiful for couples and my art galleries at ISME where talent from across the grid can be shared.  There’s Mermaid Park and Salsa Salsa. I love the central area of Grand Canyon which offers free ridable horses and so many trails and other activities. Crater Lake and Zen at Grand Canyon North are romantic and fun. A new addition is Circe du soliel camp grounds at Crater Lake which has great animations and horse trails. And then there is the crowning jewel, Mt Everest. It is the Highest terraformed land mass in SL. I love watching the hikers find their way up the mountain. The latest addition is that we now have EXPERIENCE which allows fast teleporting all over the 4 sims. It is used as a teleport to the new LOVE TUNNELS. I hope people will begin to realize that saying yes to EXPERIENCE does not mean, in any way, that you hand over control of your avatar. It just gives you the ability to get from one place to another fast.

JB:  Besides the Grand Canyon, you built another of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, that you just mentioned - Mount Everest.  Tell us more about that project?

LD:  Mt Everest was built with pixels recycled from digging out the Grand Canyon. Seriously, I love the ocean and scuba diving but I really love hiking and snowboarding and mountains. To build Mt Everest was a dream come true. I discovered a secret for raising land to over 500 meters in SL and hence Mt Everest is the highest terraformed land mass in SL. It has a gorgeous Tibetan village with dance and activities. The water falls coming from above at the Buddhist temple are very beautiful. The Temple offers Buddhist teaching scrolls and a meditation room. The music is calming and lovely. You can climb all the way to the top by way of trails and ladders and zip lines. There are secret love caves at the top. I love having built 2 of the 7 Natural Wonders of the world.

JB:  I know there are several different rides in the Grand Canyon.  Tell us what is available, and which is your personal favorite?

LD:  My favorite is our famous hot air balloon ride which has given rides to over 600,000 people. It is a way to relax and chat with a friend and get to know them better as you are carried on the wind to all the best places on my sims. There is also a hot air balloon ride at Mt Everest. I have a horse giver near the lodge and many trails. Another favorite is at the canyon bottom near the lodge and it is a rock slide avalanche. People love it although it is a little frightening. The Water Slide is well loved. The Hang gliders and para gliding are also fun. I have a submarine ride at Mermaid Park which shows off the beauty of that underwater park. There are so many fun things at the Games area. You need many days exploring to find all the activities I offer. 

JB:  How many visitors have you had to Grand Canyon properties over the years?

LD:  That is hard to say because I have not really kept track. I know the balloon ride has given over 600,000 rides so I can assume that all 4 sims in their 11 years have hosted well over a million visitors. I have a group and the members are called Grand Canyon Scouts. There are 11,500 Group members, which is quite large for SL. 

JB:  What are some of the unexpected headaches that come with running 4 sims. 

LD:  The unexpected headache is "be careful what you wish for". I always wanted to build a place people would have fun at and be loyal to and enjoy AND I didn't want to make them have to pay any fees. The people who come here are terrific and love the sims but the sims are so loved that I can't bring myself to tear them down even though they are draining my bank account. 

JB:  Did you do this all yourself?  Or does it take help to run a place of this magnitude?  Tell us about your support Staff.

LD:  I pretty much did it all myself and continue to. In the early years Tiger Zepp helped add fun things to the GC sim. Willie Frangilli and Wanli Resident have been loyal Estate Managers for many years. There have also been a few other helpers along the way who have brought their talent to help improve the sims. This past year WakiZashi Yoshikawa has been an Estate Manager and he is super creative and reliable and kind hearted and given so much unselfish attention to the sims. Waki is my partner and I doubt anyone could find a more honorable, trustworthy, Skilled programmer in all of SL. He is starting a line of mesh jewelry called Zashi and he has a shop on GC South.

JB:  What can we expect next to come from the creative mind of Lisisme Dubrovna?

LD:  I just finished the Love Tunnels and caves and created Experience on the sims. Recently I brought 2 statues I cast in bronze in RL as mesh statues to my art gallery in SL. They are unique in the techniques I used. I have a terrific permanent exposition by Igor Ballyhoo at Gallery One. I added a corral full of horses at Grand Canyon and a free horse. I added Cirque du soliel camp ground to Crater Lake. I'm sure I'll find a new project soon. I always do. 

So there you have it folks.  If you have never seen the Grand Canyon SL, you are truly missing out.  If you have been here before, I urge you to come back and see what’s new.  

Yep.  The Grand Canyon: Now more than Ever…

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Grand%20Canyon/106/193/111

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SL Conspiracy Theories- Stacey Cardalines Reporting...

SL is a world devoted to unusual and often fantastic things. I have a friend who is a 6 foot tall human cat, for instance. I can teleport to anywhere in the world, carrying everything I own, effortlessly. You h

ave to work hard to astound someone on SL. Fortunately, there are people out there, working hard.

A grey area between the crazy real world and the not-reality-based crazier world of SL encompasses may odd practices and beliefs. One realm of this area involve Conspiracy Theories. These are explanations for situations that involve a sinister collaboration working in secret. They range from harmless things like "New Coke was a marketing ploy to increase demand for original Coke" to the more apocalyptic "Space lizards are embedded in our government." 

A common denominator among them is that the situations the theory is supposed to explain can be explained by more mundane events. Perhaps it was Hillary Clinton who murdered Seth Rich, but it was more likely just a common street murder by Annie Thug.

SL reflects reality, to a point. From colleges to armies, you can find many RL entities animated by the Lindens. If someone has an interest, someone most likely has a sim for it. It is a sound business practice to identify things from real life that can make you money on SL, and it only stands to reason that somebody in some dark corner of SL is peddling conspiracy theories.

As a seasoned SL journalist, I always have my ear to the ground. I'm an excellent snoop... if I'm looking for it, I usually find it. If I don't hear it directly, I know somebody trustworthy who heard it directly. My people and I put in work, and we'll share the juicier theories we've heard.

Keep in mind, the thing to remember about conspiracy theories is that they are almost always bat-ship crazy. I wouldn't waste a lot of energy worrying about most of these things. For all you know, I have a deadline in 12 hours and I'm just making things up.

However, the world is more fun if you are fighting a sinister cabal. A fantasy world somewhere between Snoopy on his doghouse pretending to fight the Red Baron and Walter Mitty smoking on a street corner while- in his mind- staring down a firing squad is preferable to a life slingin' eggs or fixing some rich guy's lawnmower. As fine a job as it is, no kid ever dreams of being an Accountant.

That applies to SL as well. Some people want to be a vampire, some people want to prove that Woody Allen stole the Lindbergh baby. If it's out there, it's my job to bring it to you. You can make up your own mind, once I've messed around with it some.

Second Life Will Someday Become A Nation

May as well lead off with the good stuff. This one, like many conspiracy theories, has some basis in reality. It is also a variation of the Cyrus speech from The Warriors. 

Second Life is estimated, by Linden Labs, to have between 800,000 and 900,000 accounts. This is down from a million in 2013. That one million number is a nice one to put up against actual real nations. It gives SL more "people" than Cyprus, Cape Verde, Suriname, Samoa, Luxembourg, Guyana, Montenegro, the Bahamas, Iceland, Bhutan and 50 other nations, territories and dependencies. We would be the 157th biggest nation in the world. "Can you count, suckers? Cannnnnnnnnnn you dig it?"

If SL were organized and dare I say weaponized, we would have UN-worthy numbers. We'd have agents in almost every country in the world. We could vote in election-tipping blocs. We could move information and finances along strange, hard to track channels... a theme we'll investigate further in a different theory once you scroll down a bit.

This leads to a series of difficult questions, ranging from "Does an avatar have rights?" to "If SL gets UN membership, do we send an actual real person to meetings or just set up a computer screen and have the avatar bellow threats at Iran or Canada or whoever?"

The Ghost Avatar

With the paranormal, remember that it is no stranger to claim a house is haunted than it is to claim a sim is haunted. You have equal proof and equal reason for doubt in each case. 

The ghost avatar story involves variations of The Ring, FearDotCom and even The Crow. A woman dies, either murdered by a man she met on SL, or by suicide following a failed SL relationship. Her body died, but her spirit lives on in her avatar. Unfortunately for us, it is an evil, sadistic and vengeful spirit.

She lurks in dark corners of SL, looking for those who would love a girl and then leave her. She is a player hater. She is not gender specific, as will she hunt women as happily as she hunts men. She is impossibly beautiful, quite forward and has a gentle, caring nature... until you bail out on her, at which point she climbs through the computer screen into real life to rip out your lungs and beat you with them.

She is the third rail of cybersex... touch it and die.

Celebrity Avatars

Geena Davis is into archery. Tim Duncan plays Dungeons and Dragons. Taylor Swift collects snow globes. Mike Tyson raised pigeons. Is it really beyond belief that some or perhaps several celebrities play SL?

It is an odd thought. Everyone wants to be famous (for the right reasons, of course.... few people want to be famous for "caught on video accidentally castrating themselves"), with the possible exception of people who are already famous. Perhaps they seek new, more anonymous interaction with people who don't also have agents and Tonight Show appearances scheduled.

I bet that everywhere Steven King goes, someone stops him and asks him about his books. King is a country fellow, raised in rural Maine, and most likely yearns for regular conversations about baseball and rock music. Instead, it's all "In 'Home Delivery,' is Maddie really the Virgin Mary?"

If King becomes Steven2502 Resident on SL, that problem goes away.

Of course, the hard part with this theory is identifying the celebrity. I hunted around some, and rumors pop up.

The big name is Drew Carey. He referenced a SL designer on Twitter once, and is said to be a fan of SL Steampunk stuff. Michael Stackpole, who is an author in some field, is said to be a player. Suzanne Vega, who I think wrote the song "Luka," is also said to be an avatar somewhere. The guy who wrote the Ready Player One movie was a player, although he said in a 2012 interview that he hasn't logged on "in many moons."

One guy claims that a member of Duran Duran is a player, but who knows?

The guy on The Office with the glasses (the character he plays, not the actor) is referenced to be playing SL in at least one episode. I'm not sure if that carries over into RL.

I also saw references to Mia Farrow, the late Kurt Vonnegurt, Will Smith, the late David Bowie, the later Steve Jobs, the Pet Shop Boys, Tim Burton, Daft Punk, Sharon Stone (I may have fought her), LeAnn Rimes and Ricky Gervais.

Five Feet Of Fury

This is my favorite one, as it involves me. 

I'm as short in RL as I am on SL, five feet nothing. You get used to it. I was an athlete in high school and college, and in high school- 1992, to be exact- someone hung "five feet of fury" on me because of my bloodthirsty soccer-playing style. It went to college with me, was good for a laugh or two, then was used exclusively by my husband until I started playing SL.

On SL, I took up professional wrestling as a hobby in about 2010. Small girls are useful there, as I am generally scheduled against teens and Asians. All wrestlers need a nickname, and I already had "five feet of fury" hanging off of me. I also get called "Smurf" a lot, but that is a different story.

In 2013, the WWE introduced Alexa Bliss, a vertically challenged wrestler. She, like all wrestlers, picked up nicknames. "The Goddess," "Little Miss Bliss" and- I should sue- "Five Feet Of Fury."

I'm pretty sure that Bliss isn't an avatar, and thus didn't stumble across and steal my nickname. I have read that WWE writers decide the wrestler's names, acts, tendencies, etc... There is a famous story about a wrestler from India who the WWE decided would make a good Rampaging Muslim Terrorist character. The Indian asked to not be cast that way. "I am from India, we have fought three wars against Muslim Pakistan, my grandfather died at a Muslim's hand, and I will not be able to return home if I play a Muslim villain on television." WWE CEO Vince McMahon thought it over and huffed, "Put the goddamned towel on your head and shut up."

While blonde, beautiful and very busy Alexa Bliss most likely doesn't play a short wrestler on SL after playing one in real life, it is not beyond comprehension that a WWE writer has an avatar lurking around somewhere. Maybe he plays for fun, maybe he is doing research on wrestling sims, but he would be the easiest direct link between my 1992-2020 nickname and the one Bliss began using in 2016 or so.

So, Bliss gets a million a year with the nickname, while I write for the SL Enquirer and get paid in Lindens. Life's fair.

FBI and CIA Surveillance of SL

Just because they say you are paranoid, it doesn't mean that people aren't out to get you. Likewise, not all conspiracy theories are nonsense. This is one of them.

During the Arab Spring protests, Lanai sent me off to cover a "riot" in a Muslim-based sim. The riot wasn't that menacing. People were friendly, and I ended up playing Yahtzee with them. No one was threatening to hijack a Boeing or eviscerate Donald Trump or anything. I also covered an Austerity Dogs riot in London where they did burn a building.

However, it came to light that the FBI and the CIA had embedded avatars into online multiplayer games such as SL, World Of Warcraft and XBox Live. Remember that Edward Snowden guy? All those stolen files he released? One of them concerned surveillance of SL by organized Law. While I was playing Parcheesi with Khalid during the Arab Spring SL protest, there was probably some CIA spook nearby, taking notes. 

In theory, terrorists or anarchists could use SL to transfer money, recruit new adherents, plan attacks and/or just be a menacing subculture. The CIA has to worry about stuff like that. So, they embedded agents into the games, and were snooping on whatever Arab protesters were up to.

This most likely doesn't touch you or (maybe) I, but the potential is there. Linden Labs denied letting the government have access to all of their information, which, as you know, means that they let the government have access to all of their information. The government could have a file on me, or perhaps You.

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Looking for a job? Want to determine your own salary? Think of working for Sl Enquirer!!

SLE Advertising AGENT

* This position is about Maintaining and managing The SL Enquirer's advertiser accounts.

JOB DESCRIPTION: Set up & Keep Track of SL Enquirer Advertising Accounts. 

Contact Orion Baral orionbaral@gmail.com for an Interview.

Requirements:
Must have organizational skills, friendly, professional. 
Must know how to Create Event/ Announcements
(training will be provided of course, if needed)

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Music Venue Ownership and A Popular Singer: Scarlet and Jeffah- Fynnyus Resident Reporting

This is just a hunch, but I believe that most of what we do in Second Life is pretty haphazard. It’s a place to escape, have fun, and get away from reality for a while. It’s rare for me to make plans or set a time or date to do anything. I kind of like the serendipity of not having a plan and just going with the flow, so to speak. And so it was on a Monday morning in early June. It was then that I received a group announcement from Scarlet (scarletexiles) who owns Scarlet's Ranch & Resort. A popular singer would be performing there in the next few moments. The message said: "Canadian born-and-raised, Jeff has performed all over the RL world, and quickly became a fan favorite in SL. His attention to detail and explicit emotion in each song will bring you back show after show. Whether you like rock, pop, jazz, etc. Jeff will sing your requests. Come and experience a musical journey as this multi-award winning vocalist performs songs the way they were truly intended to be heard! Join us for an hour of great music." Being a newly minted music writer for the Second Life Enquirer, I thought I would go and see what’s up. So, off I went and teleported to the venue.

Upon arrival, the singer was just starting. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I messaged Scarlet to get some information about music venues and what it was like managing and owning a virtual place for music. Here’s how the conversation went:

Fynn: Hi Scarlet, is this your place?

Scarlet: Yes Fynn, it’s one of 3 I have here on this region primarily for music, but we do some weddings, too. I have Red Rocks and Scarlet's Aquarium here also.

Fynn: I'm curious about what it's like to run a music venue.

Scarlet: You have to love music and have deep pockets, at least for live artists. It's fun, I do it for the fun.

Fynn: If I might ask, what does it cost?

Scarlet: Well, you have to have land obviously, you don’t have to have as much as I have but you need a decent spot and then you build or buy a club. The cost of artists varies but if you’re going to have very many your looking at a nice amount of dollars going out. I have had over 35 live artists that sing at my venues. Some don’t cost, but not many work just for tips these days. The better known they are the more expensive they can be.

Fynn: Is Jeffah well-known?

Scarlet: Yes, he has been with me both at Red Rocks and here, but he is an entertainer who promotes his shows and has decent crowds come to listen. I just enjoy the music, building, and fun. I've been doing this a little over a year in SL now.

Fynn: You seem to have done a lot in a year.

Scarlet: I'm just ambitious and I don’t like people telling me I can't do something. I started out with a DJ club and a second venue with occasional live events. DJs have gotten harder to build on, but good live performances bring the people.

Scarlet was busy during the live performance managing patrons, greeting new arrivals, and such, so I didn’t get to talk with her as much I would have liked to, but it made me think I might delve into music club ownership and management at some point.

Then my partner, Misty, happened to log in so I teleported her to come and dance with me. Misty is really smart about music and has played guitar her whole life. I asked her what she thinks. She always impresses me with her understanding of music history, and he’s always honest as hell. I love that about her. We dance and listen and talk about the singer and other things. Her perspective is in this writing. She’s an inspiration and influences my thoughts as I write.

There’s lots of ways to categorize music in Second Life. Two broad types are those who accompany themselves while singing, usually with guitar or keyboard, and those who use prerecorded background instrumentals while they sing. The latter, a karaoke-style of performance, is quite popular in Second Life and it is what we hear at this performance. Jeff (Jeffah24) has a very distinctive vocal quality. It’s quite unique and he is very engaging with the fans who have shown up, and for a Monday morning there’s quite a few (of course it’s not “morning” everywhere in the world, lol). He sings works by Elton John, Aerosmith, Adele, Neil Young, Roy Orbison, and more. During the performance, Jeff actually explains what he’s doing: he has a microphone with software for background accompaniment. He can add reverb and other voice altering techniques, which he uses proficiently. And then there’s the karaoke background music, some with choral background vocals in some songs. It all makes for a fun show.

Doing my research, I find out that Jeff has been performing in Second Life quite a while. In fact, he was interviewed for the Second Life Enquirer a few years ago when he won Second Life’s Got Talent Award in 2015. His profile describes him thusly, “A six-year veteran of the SL live music scene, Canadian-born Jeff has spent his entire life devoted to music. He has performed solo all over the RL world, and tours with an internationally recognized band. His SL shows often feature Rock, Pop, Jazz, and many other genres. Experience who fans have dubbed the "Human Jukebox" as this multi-award winning vocalist takes you on a musical journey!”

Also, “Outside of SL, Jeff toured for over 4 years with the internationally recognized Fiddle Rock band FIDDLESTIX, playing keyboards, Irish whistle, sax, and vocals. He spent a further 3 years living in Lisbon Portugal, and just recently returned to Ontario Canada and has begun touring with Fiddlestix again. His vocal recordings on SoundCloud have surpassed 2.9 MILLION plays, averaging over 6000 plays per week, or 850 plays every day.” 

Very Impressive, in my opinion! I spoke with him after the show:

Fynn: Generally, why you do this? 

Jeffah: I've been a professional musician most of my life.  it's second nature to me to be an entertainer.... and SL is one of many avenues that allow me to do that and reach a wide spectrum of audience members from around the world. :)

Fynn: Where has music been and where do you think it’s going?

Jeffah: I can only speak for the past 6.5 years -- but I know that SL live music started a very long time ago as a platform for solo instrumentalists to play music for each other. It has evolved over many years to include all forms of live entertainment from instrumentalists, to vocalists, to bands and even spoken word and  stand-up comedy.  Only time will tell where the scene goes from here on forward. :)

Fynn: Tell me a little about your style.

Jeffah: I don't really have a single style.  I love and greatly appreciate all genres of music and love to perform Rock, Pop, Country, Romantic Ballads, Jazz/Swing, Broadway, Disney,...

Fynn: I am curious about the karaoke style, there seem to be those who play guitar or keyboard, and others like you who use karaoke-style. Maybe there's other ways, but those seems to be two main ways musicians accompany their vocals.

Jeffah: I'm a musician who plays almost every major instrument class.... but I perform in a band in RL several instruments, and so in SL I choose to be a vocalist.

Fynn: What's it like to be a SL musician?

Jeffah For me, it's quite a lot of work.  I don't have a manager making all of my bookings for me, seeking out new venues, keeping in touch with the venue owners, or handling all the administrative work... I do all of that myself.  On average, a one-hour show takes about 3 hours of my time.  There is promotion to be made, advertising to be posted, multiple forms of communication to my fans and followers letting them know the show details for each day, etc.  Usually the one-hour show is my time to finally relax and have some fun, provided there are no technical issues during the show!  lol... and there have been countless technical issues over the years.  I have way more to do and take care of during my show in SL than I do as a singer/musician performing in my RL band.  Not only am I the performer, I'm also the sound technician, the lighting controller, the request manager and the problem solver.... I wouldn't be able to survive a show without my amazing assistant!

It was at this point that Jeff had to return to reality for dinner. We said our goodbyes and I thanked him for his time and his insights. And hey, another success with serendipity! Give it a try, I swear it works! Until next time, I remain your Wannabe Music Critic, Fynn!

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LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR BRAVO to the 3rd GROUP of SEMIFINALISTS!

Six more beautiful and stylish women have been selected as SEMIFINALISTS for the contest LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR! Bravo to Avalon Chrome, Becky Kenaan, Laura, Sholee, Tiy and Vocale!
There are now 18 SEMIFINALISTS in the race but it is still time to enter because two more groups of six semifinalists will be selected in the next weeks!

STILL TIME TO ENTER EASY To PARTICIPATE FABULOUS JACKPOT

You got style? Show it off! You might be the gem that LUXE Paris is looking for! The famous fashion house is looking for an elegant woman who will represent the brand with grace an charisma. First prize: L$50,000 cash! L$10,000 to each of the two runners up. A total of L$175,000 in prizes!

This contest is open to amateurs and professionals. A special training will be given to the finalists without experience of the runway. So stylish women, do not wait any longer! Wear a LUXE Paris outfit, style it, snap a picture, put your name in the title and send FULL PERM to luxeparislookoftheyear resident in world. Gift to all contestants!
The LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR style contest is presented in collaboration with the SL Enquirer, Swank Event, Womenstuff, Tone Makeup, Zuri Jewelry, In-Nova Modeling Academy, ProPose Modeling Poses, Bon Amour Avant-garde Hair, SL Confidencial magazine, L'Amour Diversity magazine, Stavros Hexem Photography and Villa Media Broadcaster.

More information at LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR.com

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GeekSpeak – Game of Thrones in RL: Where will world power shift next? Joiin the discussion Saturday June 13th at 12pm SLT

 

We are at the beginning of big geopolitical changes.  Which country will be on top in the next 20 years? Or 50 years?

Most people will say China, but China has a host of problems.  Could it be Australia? Or Brazil?  Or Norway?  Or is it possible that we will see a shift that no one expects?  Weird things happen in the real world.

Come and discuss world politics in GeekSpeak.  With a smile towards our unexpected future.  Bring your friends and a crystal ball!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.

Danmu

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Kultivate turns 5 this year and the annual anniversary weekend is returning June 12 to 14, 2020!

This special weekend will feature a special art exhibition, live music, & giveaways!

Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Water%20Haven/136/135/24

EXHIBITING ARTISTS: aht1981, Akiko.Tripsa, AlexAvion, Angel Heartsong, Anibrm Jung
Anouk Lefavre, archgothica, DrusillaGwind Resident, Elle Thorkveld, Francis Bagration,  Hana Hoobinoo, ilyra chardin, Inara Pey, Jamee Sandalwood, Johannes Huntsman, Kapaan, Karma Weymann, KismaKSR Resident, Myra Wildmist, Reycharles Resident, Rissy Feiri, Sabine Mortenwold, Sheba Blitz, SkinTrader Greyskin, softandred, Syphera Inaka, talligurl resident, Tempest Rosca-Huntsman, Vanessajane66, Veruca Tammas, Vita theas, & wintergeist

Kultivate 5th Anniversary Photo Challenge Information

SCHEDULE:
-Friday, June 12, 2020:
-8am slt – Exhibition Opens, Photo Challenge Begins
-4pm to 5pm slt – live performer Nina Setner (10 slide show frames giveaway, 1 Templar Poses poseback giveaway, & 1,000L’s Trompe L’Oeil Gift Card giveaway)
-5pm to 6pm slt – live performer Melenda Baptiste (10 slide show frames giveaway, 1 Templar Poses posepack giveaway, & 1,000L’s Trompe L’Oeil Gift Card giveaway)

-Saturday June 13, 2020:
-4pm to 5pm slt – live performer Samuel James (Ten lucky winners will win 250L’s each & Templar Poses posepack giveaway)
-5pm to 6pm slt – live performer Aislen Sings (Ten lucky winners will win 250L’s each & Templar Poses posepack giveaway)

-Sunday, June 14, 2020:
-1pm to 2pm slt – live performer Max Kleene (1 LumiPro giveaway)

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HAPPY 10TH REZDAY WOLFIE MOONSHADOW!

Destiny, Wolfie, Lanai, Orion

On behalf of The SL Enquirer, the Wolf Pack and everyone who came out to celebrate this very special milestone, Wolfie we wish you all the best and many more years in Second Life!

Oh and Wolfie.... Gotcha!

And he thought he was putting on a diamond bracelet...

Calendar:  http://tinyurl.com/WOLFIE-MOONSHADOW

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/wolfiemoonshadow

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WMoonshadow

SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/wolfie-moonshadow    

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Music in Second Life: A First Take with a Look at Maximillion Kleene and Kaleb Avedon- Fynnyus Resident Reporting

Being an academically trained media researcher, I’ve often wondered about various aspects of Second Life. The questions are numerous and never-ending. In fact, the longer I’m in Second Life the less I think I know. I ask, why do people come here? What do they get out of it? Why don’t male avatars have a penis? Why would you choose to be a furry, or why would adults want to represent themselves as a child avatar? Why is there food in Second Life? I see it everywhere. And what is the deal with music in Second Life? It’s everywhere, too, and comes in many forms. In many ways, music is a defining aspect of Second Life in the way it aurally shapes the virtual environment and sculpts emotions. Music gives our avatars something to do. Deejays create playlists, musicians play live for fans, and dance animations enliven our avatars to provide visual enjoyment. There are performers of all musical genres, clubs with live deejays who play a vast variety of musical styles, radio-like streams for our Second Life homes, and businesses, and much more.

I own a piece of virtual land and it has a music stream that I and my partner listen to. Most of you also listen to music streams. Sound streams are used by live musicians, deejays, and other denizens of Second Life.  The music stream is the bedrock for all music in Second Life. But what is a music stream and how is it used? That’s another question I have and hope to get into at some point, but I want to mostly talk about the music in Second Life: those who play it live, deejays who mix it, and all the people who dance to it. My hope is to write about a wide range of musical aspects in Second Life and to give a personal touch to what I write, but also, hopefully, provide some insights to the many and variegated aspects of virtual world music. And so, this first article is about a new music venue in Second Life and a couple live performers I happened to catch.

I arrived a little late to Maximillion Kleene's live performance on Sunday, June 8th at the grand opening of the Mad Twist. I teleported there and move out of the landing zone and wait for things to rez. Meanwhile I open my inventory and go to the Animations folder and pop open a few of my favorite dance animations and click one to get my avatar going; dancing, not quite on the beat, but close enough.

Then, because I'm writing this article, I want to be as informative as possible, so I click the About Land tab and see that this new place is a live music club with club events , art gallery and many more twists! So, the theme is music and various twists . . .  hmmm . . . will this bring me back here to see what sorts of twists there might be in the future? I'm not sure. What would a Second Life music club twist be? I rarely plan things out in Second Life, so it's unlikely . . . unlessssss . . .  I join the club group to get group announcements. Okay, I think, I’ll do that. Well, at least I tried to join the group, but the damn group joiner did not work when I right clicked on it and all I got was the landmark to the place. Oh well, whether I return here is a crap shoot, then, unless Max comes back here. I'm in his group and go see him now and then because yes, he's really good. 

Maximillion Kleene

The next thing I do is pop open my mini-map to see if anyone is too close, I'd hate to be dancing on top of anyone. That happens from time to time in Second Life. One of the quirky things about virtual life is you don’t always see another person’s avatar right away and you run right over the top of them, or stand right on them. Anyway, I note that there’s about a dozen or so people here when I arrive, and that number will increase as the hour-long performance goes on. I also look on my mini-map to see if any yellow dots are around. Friends (people on your “Friends List”) show up as yellow dots and people who are not are green). Then I open my World tab and click on "Nearby Avatars" to see who else might be here, former friends, former lovers, exes, or whomever, but I see none. All the while, Max is doing his thing, playing music, so I settle in and delete a few of the HUDs blocking the view of the venue on my screen and go on with my analysis.

Listening, Max is a really fantastic musician and it feels like he is really into what he does. He is very professional. He strums along on guitar, has smooth key changes, and the tunes are mostly up-tempo with an occasional slow tune. He sings popular tunes by Tom Petty, the Foo Fighters, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Duran Duran, and more. But Max is highly versatile, he has a repertoire of hundreds of songs and works in more than just guitar accompaniment. There is what sounds like a prerecorded music track of a Hoobastank song, and multi-tracking for harmonizing effects. He also plays electric guitar, and wow, it’s really good stuff! It's understandable why he's so popular. Digging into information about Max a little more, I look at his profile page. It says, "I stream into SL from Niagara Falls, Canada and sing Rock/Pop/Alternative solo acoustic tunes covering old classics (CCR to Johnny Cash) to fun, newer hip stuff (Jack Johnson, Foo Fighters, Green Day and Jason Mraz)." And he also quotes Jimi Hendrix, "The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye...The story of love is hello and goodbye... ...until we meet again." 

I’ve seen and heard Max play live in Second Life many times and will see him many more times, I’m sure. His performances are always fun and never the same. 

Next was Kaleb Avedon. He performed right after Max at the same venue. His group information describes him as, "a Hispanic Singer/Songwriter in SL.  He has been writing songs and playing the guitar since he was 14 years old.  His repertoire is filled with romantic songs from his bicultural heritage and his own inspiration.  They include songs from Garth Brooks, Jewel, Elvis Presley, Hinder, Enrique Iglesias, Jesse and Joy and many more. So come, sit by the fire, listen to him sing and be transported to a place of romance." 

Kaleb Avedon

And here again you have someone who genuinely sounds like he enjoys what he does. I would say that there's happiness in Kaleb’s voice. Today he is singing songs by Tracy Chapman, The Beatles, and some other more obscure (to me anyway), but beautiful acoustic pieces. His tenor voice with hints of falsetto, is clear and has a nice vibrato. He does one of the most beautiful renditions of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah I can remember hearing, on par with Rufus Wainwright's version as sung in the movie, Shrek. His is falsetto vocals shine in this song, especially. 

Hallelujah is an interesting song with obvious religious overtones. In Hebrew it means to rejoice in praising god. But Leonard Cohen was a clever song writer who taps into the human condition and the sexuality that goes with it. Indeed, the song alludes to the rush associated with an orgasm. We see this in the lyrics:

Well there was a time when you let me know

what's really going on below

but now you never show that to me do you

But remember when I moved in you

and the holy dove was moving too

and every breath we drew was hallelujah

“Below” is a reference to the female sex organ. She has, however, grown cold and holds back her feelings. Perhaps the relationship is dying. Thus, the meaning of love and intimacy lost emerges. It’s a complex song full of multi-layered meanings and when sung well, like Kaleb does, those meanings are further distilled and given their true essence.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the entire hour of Kaleb, though I would have liked to. But real life called me away and we all know real life comes first. So, it’s time to fire up the grill for dinner. Salmon in a nice marinade, yummy. Hey, I wonder if I can get that in Second Life?

Until next time . . . I remain the Wannabe Music Critic, Fynn.

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