The Memorial

Tonight I visited Codebastard Redgrave's Linden Memorial, located in Bowness. This is a relocation of the original memorial she constructed at her own sim, Rouge. It's a brilliant idea that leverages the magic of Second Life into a very moving experience.

The layout is simple: gravestones on a hillside, each representing a recently-departed Linden. (No, they're not dead, they were simply let go from Linden Lab employment.) Nevertheless, I found myself strolling among the rather long rows of headstones, searching for people I know. Knew.

The feeling I had was eerily similar to similar real-life experiences in actual graveyards. Reading unfamiliar names; wondering why there are so many flowers on this stone, and none on another; unexpectedly finding someone's name whom you thought was still alive, er, employed. Just like RL.

The gravestones may be "paid" to produce a flower, and many indeed have flowers. There were many on the graves of Data, Jeska, Minerva, Matthew, Aimee, Babbage, Mia, Harmony, Tofu and my friend Joppa Linden (above), who I spent time with at SLCC. The most flowers by quite a margin were found on Blue and Teagan's headstones.

Interestingly, there were no flowers on T Linden's stone, and I could not locate a stone for M. Perhaps it just hasn't been done yet?

The property is group owned, and they would appreciate any donations you can provide, either through flower purchases or direct donations as indicated on their welcome board. Be sure to visit - and note the ominous "Unknown Linden" headstones at the back awaiting additional announcements.

ArminasX has a Sexual Encounter!

No, it's not what you think. But it does involve sex. This week I visited a place where Second Life's virtual capabilities were used to the extreme: The Tour of the Testis.

It's one of those amazing automated tours, where you board a vehicle that takes you through interesting and usually educational displays. This tour is definitely educational, as you actually fly through a truly gigantic testis and observe the entire biological process from the inside.

The tour is presented by The Ohio State University, Second Life Campus. Specifically, it's for their Medical Center, and was built by DrDoug Pennell.

Strangely, your vehicle has a wiggly tail and is shaped like something familiar. It seats four, so bring your friends. You choose between an audio or text tour. I chose text.

The tour takes you inside the relevant body structures, as if you are cell-sized, where you can actually see cells being generated and swimming through tubules. The sperm particles are represented as fluorescent green particles! They're pretty easy to notice as you can see in this image.

The biological explanations in text are well beyond my meager medical knowledge, but they seem quite comprehensive. Here's an example:

Normally these spaces would be filled with sperm in various stages of development.
However in patients with Sertoli Cell Only Syndrome, they only have ....
Sertoli Cells :-).  They are azoospermic (have no sperm) and as you might expect, are infertile.
We are now outside the tubule.  However, we would still be INSIDE the testis.
Note that the blood vessels as well as some cell types such as the Leydig Cells (orange/brown) are OUTSIDE the tubule.

I suspect medical students would benefit from the explanations more than casual visitors such as myself. 

The display shows incredible biological detail in a massive and intricately built model. Key structures are highlighted and animated to show you precisely how things work.

The tour ends at a dramatic platform where you can examine a breathtaking overview of the tubule. Don't leave yet, because there are additional animations you can access from the platform by clicking on the signs.

This tour is very well done and provides some great educational value. But here's the key question: is this a good place to take a date? Heh, it depends. Why don't you find out? Here's the SLURL.

Is It a Real Mouse?

There’s many builds in SL that are a representation of a real-life area or building. Some are very precise, and some not so. But regardless, they are always a lot more fun when you’ve been to the real location first, and then encounter its virtual equivalent.

This week I bumped into a region just like that: Mouse World. It’s intended to be a replica of Walt Disneyworld (or Disneyland, they’re pretty similar). No, it’s not built by Disney at all, as screams the signage as you enter:

Mouse World is not affiliated with, maintained by, or in any way officially connected with the Walt Disney Company or any of it’s business units.

This site has been created for Disney fans, by Disney fans.

Our views and opinions are not endorsed by, nor are they associated with The Walt Disney Company in any way.

All Disney character images and some photographs are Copyright The Walt Disney Company.

It turns out to be a very close replica, nevertheless. Having been to Disneyworld in real life several times, I wondered whether I would be disappointed upon visiting “Mouse World”.

 

Upon arrival, I found myself on this monorail platform, which is actually one of the main ways to arrive at the Magic Kingdom (it’s one of several actual Disneyworld parks and Mouse World is modeled after it).

I then followed the tortuous sequence of ramps, stairs and hallways to arrive at the main entry area of the Magic Kingdom and gazed out at the shops. At this point the eerie feeling began. I somehow knew this area. I’d been there before, in real life. Yes, somehow the entry path from the monorail “registered” in my head in the same slot as the real area.

 

As I traveled through the park, I mean region, there were many rides and exhibits, and they were in just the right places, through the right corridor and around the right corner. Among the rides was the Haunted Mansion.  

Hah, I thought - they duplicated everything except the food, which is all over the place in the real life Disneyworld. But no, there it was, the “Lunch Pad” in Tomorrowland, just like it was in real life. You can get burgers and hot dogs there, but unfortunately none of those wonderful mouse-ear-shaped ice cream bars.  

Another very entertaining ride was the Jungle Cruise. As you awkwardly float past kitchy and stereotypical displays, your tour guide explains with jokes so bad they began to be hysterical. Some examples:

Skipper whispers: That's no house cat over there on your left. Bengal Tigers can jump over 20 feet, and we must be at least, well... 15 feet away!  Don't worry, he'll jump right over us.

Skipper whispers: Since we are in an area filled with rare tropical foliage, I'd like to take a moment to point out some of the plants to you. There's one over there, and there's one over there, and one over there...

At that point, I realized how much fun this area truly is. It’s not the greatest build, but somehow the designers managed to capture not only the Disney layout, but a touch of the Disney entertainment magic, too. You can visit Mouse World here.

Lemme Fly the LEM!

 

Yeah, I was back at the Apollo simulation again. I guess I’m a little bit more spacey than usual due to the amazing things in RL space lately (the International Space Station is finally truly international, with crew from all partner countries in orbit today - and another seven to visit on Saturday to break the record for the most people in space simultaneously.) 

Meanwhile in SL, Apollo simulation is a fascinating exhibit, because it is always changing as the maker implements enhancements. In this view, Radar Masukami and I have successfully flown the Lunar Excursion Module down from orbit to the surface of The Moon.

Erm, you might be wondering why there is a Joshua Tree on the barren, airless Lunar surface. Well, that’s because the landing area was (at the time of our flight) simply a sandbox below the orbital area, not yet fully moonscaped. This also explains why we are able to successfully walk on the surface without space suits.

But we had to wear our Trek outfits, of course.

Back to the Moon

 

I received numerous inquiries regarding the secret location of the amazing Saturn V / Apollo simulator this past week, and today I’ve received permission to publicize the not-so-secret location. It's a construction of Wicked Quasimodo, who built it in and above a space-oriented sandbox. 

The launch site may be found in the Space Frontier sim.

 

If you visit (and I strongly recommend you do), here are your astronaut tips:

• The rocket launches (meaning “leaves the pad vertically really fast”) at precisely 32 minutes after every hour. You MUST be on board before this happens
• Be prepared to arrive quite a bit before 32 minutes past the hour, because you’ll want to witness the various preparation activities that take place during the ten minutes or so before the actual launch. You'll see plumbing retracting and locks at the bottom releasing the rocket
  
• At the base of the gantry, the “funky computer” on the launch platform gives you a HUD that will broadcast actual Apollo 11 audio tracks at appropriate moments during the simulation
• Summon the elevator and walk along the gangway that reaches out to the rocket. If the gangway is retracted, you’re too late!
• Set your world to Midnight. It just isn't the same otherwise
  
• Another reason to get there early is to get a seat! There are only four seats in the capsule, get yours early! If you miss out, you'll have to wait another hour for the next ride
  
• The door to the capsule doesn’t work, as far as I can tell. To get inside, simply “cam” inside and right-click “sit” on one of the seats
• Do not under ANY circumstances "stand up" during the flight. You have been warned!
  
• Turn your sound up to hear the various announcements that take place, especially during launch
• Try various camera views, but remember, the rocket travels quite fast and your cam might not keep up
• Once in orbit, be patient. Things don’t happen right away, so you’ll have to enjoy the amazing view. A Space Navigator is astronomically useful at this point.
  
• The last time I visited, there was a garish nightclub floating nearby that kinda disturbed the view. It's a sandbox, after all. Recommend you look in the other direction

And that’s it - I enjoyed the trip immensely, and so can you.

UPDATED - Radar, Haley and I ran through the ride again tonight, and found that the builder has added a LEM landing now! You can move into the Lunar Excursion Module, which detaches and lands on the ground.

To The Moon, Almost

We bumped a very interesting build into the other day, which is an astonishing simulation of an Apollo mission to the Moon. Not only do you get to see the life-size rocket launching, but you can also ride along as an astronaut (avanaut? astrotar? cosmatar?).

The build is still being constructed, so it is definitely not complete. The builder has quite a bit done now, but the simulation currently stops at earth orbit. Future stages will likely include a simulation of the journey between Earth and Moon, perhaps including a landing!

 

The journey begins by climbing the titanic Saturn V launch tower and walking across the gangway to the command module.

  

The door is actually sealed, so you must cam in and "sit" to take your seat. Best to wear a flight suit, but on this occasion we weren't properly equipped and took a chance that the capsule would remain air-tight during our flight.  

The rocket powers off the pad in an extremely realistic manner automatically every 60 minutes, and performs staging of the Saturn V sections just as the vehicle did in the 1970's. You can see the gangway being retracted, as well as the locking bars at the bottom release the rocket when it hits full power. Here we see the second stage just before it lit up.

Once in orbit, you are presented with simply the most marvelous scene I've ever experienced in SL: a highly realistic Earth, sliding gracefully under the ship as it sails across the planet. Oh, you must set Midnight for this to work properly. If you look closely you can make out continents and even some cities.You can see Africa and the Arabian Peninsula in this view.

The view is absolutely breathtaking, especially if using a SpaceNavigator to fly your camera around outside the ship. Like a real astronaut, I spent a lot of time simply staring out the porthole.

 

After several minutes spent gawking at the incredible view, the ship suddenly releases the Lunar Excursion module, stored above the third stage.

The Command/Service Module automatically rotates around and slowly docks with the LEM and extracts it from the third stage, which then falls away.

The CSM/LEM combination ship then orbits the earth. At this point the simulation seems to end, but one can imagine the obvious next step: transferring into the LEM, undocking and landing on the Moon's surface.  

I did transfer myself to the LEM, leaving Haley alone to operate the CSM, but I found the LEM incomplete. I hope she knows how to drive!

This wonderful simulation is clearly a work in progress, but I can tell you that this ride will be one of the top destinations for any SL visitor once it's completed. I cannot tell you how amazing this experience was; you just have to see it yourself. Unfortunately, I don't want to disclose its location yet so that the builder can still work on completing this amazing destination without being overrun with visitors. I'm sure it will be completed soon. 

Particles at Burning Life

Every year some amazing builds are open to view at the Burning Life festival. But I am not going to tell you about the best builds or the most interesting displays. Instead I am reporting on interesting uses of particle effects.

I flew around several of the many Burning Life sims in search of cool particles. By no means did I see all of the displays; I’ll have to go back for more another time. While many builds were extremely interesting, very few seemed to use particles. Those that did were generally not the greatest. But there were a couple that caught my eye.



This display was an interesting firework particle effect. An unusual spiky texture was used to form the explosion, while another effect shot up from the ground to trigger the explosion. 



By far the best particle effect I discovered was this amazing whirlwind. Actually there were several that randomly wandered through an otherwise empty area. You can’t quite see it in the still image here, but it was twisting and rotating at great speed. Dust picked up from the ground swirled about the base. Very realistic, and very well done!



After all that exploration, it was time for a rest. Or something.

Ten Tips for Better Exploration

Frequent readers will know that I like to explore the Second Life Virtual World. It’s full of highly creative people building amazingly creative things. Sure, there’s lots that is not-so-great, but in hidden places we can always find something beautiful, amazing, fun or educational. The best places have all those attributes.

The problem of exploration is simply “where should I go?” Answers are found in several places:

1. Ask your friends, particularly those who like to explore or always seem to know a good place to visit. They’ll be happy to tell you of their most recent adventures. I certainly do.
2. Read the SL blogs. There are literally hundreds of SL-oriented blogs on all manner of topics. Some are dedicated to exploration, and those blogs often uncover new and unusual tourist destinations. One good example is Ambling in Second Life.
3. Try the Showcase. With the end of the universally abhorred “Popular Places” search feature, a new feature, “The Showcase” has emerged. I haven’t really used it, but some say it has been useful.
4. Profile Peeking. If you don’t care to ask your friends (or don’t have any) you can frequently find interesting locations by peeking at the Picks in avatar profiles. Remember, they found the place so interesting they spent the time and effort to put it into their entry-limited profile, so it’s probably worthwhile visiting. Just ignore the adverts and inevitable buddy pics.
5. Creator Tracing. Have you ever seen an interesting object or building and wanted more of the same? Simply EDIT the object (even though you may not have modify authority) and you can quickly determine the owner. The owner’s profile picks could lead you to their store, or other locations they find interesting.
6. Random Flying. This is perhaps the first technique I used to discover new places, before I realized there were other methods and I still use it occasionally. Simply fly around in a random direction. Maintain your height or you may be bounced by security systems, but keep an eye on the ground for anything unusual. You’d be surprised what you find. And also who you might find.
7. Map Pegging. Call up the MAP, zoom out. Click randomly somewhere. Teleport. Voila – you are exploring. More than likely you will not be in an interesting place, but you can use this location as a base to fly about and bump into something interesting nearby. Alternate approach: look on the map for a clump of green dots, and probably something interesting is underway. However, be warned as you might TP right into the middle of a demonic initiation ceremony, a sim-wide orgy, a private event or a machinima recording session. Best to spot your landing a short distance away from the clump and approach silently, ready to CTL-SHIFT-H if necessary. 
8. Eye In The Sky. Call up the MAP again, and zoom to an intermediate level where you can see some details of 20-30 sims. Scroll randomly so that you are looking at an area you’re not familiar with. Examine the aerial views of the sims until you see something interesting. What should you look for? Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it. It may be a large and unusually shaped architectural build, for example. For an interesting sample of what you might see from above, search for the “Rouge” sim.
9. Random Word. Open SEARCH on the PLACES tab. Obtain a random word by flipping open a dictionary or newspaper, and punch it into the search. Teleport to where ever the search leads you. Amazingly, this technique actually works quite well, especially if you use interesting words. I’ve even had people visit my store via this method.
10. Record It. No exploration is complete without a record. Upon arrival, create a landmark immediately. Take pictures, especially if it’s worthy of sharing with others. Create a notecard with, well, notes! Finally, if the build is truly awesome, make certain you tell everyone about it, so that the creator can get credit for their astounding creation.

Regardless of where you go, remember that you are a visitor and that you should respect the owner's property and privacy. Although many areas are considered public, some are not and you should act appropriately. If you make a mistake, just fess up quickly and you may be forgiven. Or indoctrinated if you happen to land in the wrong place.

It’s probably obvious, but one more tip: combine these techniques together and you’ll soon find the most interesting places you’ve ever seen. Happy trails!

Museums, Robots, Donuts and Reality

The Museum of Robots is a very special place for me, as I’ve been a science fiction fan for many years. This virtual museum provides 3D representations of all the most famous robots seen in the movies, ranging from Robby in Forbidden Planet to R2D2 and even more recent mechanical men. I’m standing above beside Isaac Asimov’s famous three laws of robotics

When I visited a few weeks ago there was a robot-building contest taking place outside the museum. There were many entries, all of which were interesting in their own way. Some were incredibly elaborate, and there were several Forbidden Planet Robbies, but my favorite was the electronic maids from the Jetson’s, who were cleaning up a spill.

As if the robotic displays weren’t enough, the museum seems to offer periodically changing temporary exhibits as well. At this time was a showing entitled, “Robots and Donuts”. Now, you might ask yourself what those two esoteric and common topics would have to do with each other? Frankly, I immediately thought “this is going to be baaaad.” I went inside anyway to have a laugh. And, it turned out I was entertained – but not in the way I expected.

“Robots and Donuts” is a series of paintings by artist Eric Joyner, who, strangely enough, specializes in the obtuse theme of robots and, yes, donuts. First, the paintings are of high technical quality. But secondly, the artistic elements are weirdly interesting. Each picture is a totally bizarre clash of robotic scenes and giant donuts. Not only do most of the famous robots appear in the works, but also all the donuts are represented too: chocolate glaze, sprinkles, etc.

In spite of the unreality of the robots themselves, and the unbelievable intersection of robots and donuts, the placement of the two together in seemingly normal scenes somehow makes it all seem very, erm, normal. Even so, all of this takes place in virtual reality.

If you can, I’d suggest you take a TP to the Museum of Robotics for a good long look around. It’s worth the trip. You can visit the museum right here.

Stand Tall!

Meta Linden plurked an interesting SLURL the other day: a link to Daden Limited's sim. They are a "Virtual Worlds consultancy and information 2.0 specialist", and the company is demonstrating unique uses of Google maps within The Second Life Virtual World™.

As I normally do, I decided to explore the location after reading Meta's plurk. Frequently I visit places that, while interesting, don’t really warrant a blog post. However, this place certainly does: I had one of those rare “OMG” moments.

The premise of the site is to provide a house-sized google map on which you may walk. A sluggish, but easy to use control panel is used to navigate the map in the same manner we’re used to from maps.google.com. In fact, the exact same map data is displayed.

I could not resist but to find my RL location on the map – what else would one do? Having eventually navigated my way there, I then proceeded to walk upon the map itself.

And then something very interesting happened.

I was standing tall, in my very own neighborhood. Very, Very Tall.

The scene was totally familiar, except I was a giant on the street. Striding down well-known paths, I just felt extremely “big”. The map data is only two-dimensional, but when you are standing tall on the map, the viewing angle makes it seem somehow weirdly realistic. You’ll see what I mean when you try it.

You can find the map right here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Daden%20Prime/228/19/400, but don't step on anyone! (Thanks, Meta!)

Once You Have Tasted flight...

Readers of Second Effects will know that I like to explore whenever I have time to spare, and it can be tremendously interesting. Not only do you see amazing things, but you often meet amazing people too. And then there are those times when you run into a fellow explorer of the Second Life Virtual World™ and compare notes. 

The other week I ran into one such explorer, Dana Musgrave (pictured with myself at the Inspire Space Park). We traded interesting Landmarks like two cowboys at a shoot-out, and I am afraid I lost badly: Dana gave me 51 Landmarks that I had not visited, while I could provide her with only a mere 15 that she had not visited.

Afterwards, I marveled at Dana’s persistence and ability to explore, and thought everyone should get exploration tips from a master explorer such as Dana. I contacted her recently and here is the result:

Second Effects: Thanks so much for answering my questions today! There are many would-be explorers and I am certain they’d appreciate some exploration tips from you. How many places have you visited, and how long have you been exploring?

Dana Musgrave: Well, I would say close to maybe 400 sims, for about a year and a half now.

SE: How often do you go exploring?

DM: Almost every other day.

SE: When you explore, do you have a goal in mind or do you teleport in a random direction?

DM: Yes, I do have a goal most of the time to keep focus, then when I go for whatever it is I am looking for it usually leads me to a plethora of other things!

SE: Where do you find good exploration ideas and tips?

DM: When I see unusual objects in SL or really nicely done objects, the main thing I do is go to edit on them, then look at the picks of the profile of the person that made them, the creative people in SL sometimes have really great places that they have found and cherish and openly want to share them with others. Also, I ALWAYS have my "Camera Control" out so that I can explore a place more thoroughly.

SE: What do you do when you first arrive somewhere?

DM: CREATE A LANDMARK! LOL - Especially since SL is so capricious in nature of crashing!

SE: How do you keep track of all the places you have visited?

DM: I place all the great places on a notecard, simply drag and click them on one, you can do it just as easily as placing them in a new folder but to me quicker and easier.

SE: Favorite place ever visited?

DM: I would have to say.....hmmmm......Inspire Space Park, something so profound and tranquil about it, especially using the orbital pose balls there and the music!

SE: Where are you going next?

DM: Magnanimously into the minds of others, to do as I always try to do, inspire them to travel SL more so that they too can see much of the beauty that it has to offer and maybe, just maybe inspire them enough to create a spectacular sim to be viewed by many as well!

SE: Thanks again, Dana!

I must agree with all of Dana’s suggestions, particularly regarding stowage of landmarks. There is nothing worse than having piles of old landmarks in an inventory folder and not knowing how you came by them, let alone if they are of any value. The notecard idea even lets you write a few words about the landmark so you will always know why you kept it.

I also highly recommend Dana’s choice of the Inspire Space Park, which is truly a magical mix of sight, sound and imagination.

And just for the record, my SLBUZZ profile indicates today I’ve visited some 1008 sims. Now, if only I can remember them... sigh.

Finally, Dana added a special quote for great explorers:

"And once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you long to return......." -Leonardo da Vinci

"Bring a Date — It'll Glow Your Mind!"

That's the slogan for a new Rezzable attraction entitled, "Tunnel of Light". What is it all about? Well, it's kinda like, a tunnel of light!

Seriously, when I arrived I was extremely disappointed. Instead of seeing animated buzzing color textures and extravagant particle effects all around me, I somehow landed in a peaceful and pastoral meadow scene. I half-expected to see cows wandering in the vicinity. Thankfully, there were none, as they often deposit unpleasant surprises for those walking by.

However, one item stood out: a red neon arrow, indicating I should traverse a path towards a pond. Being quite adventurous, I took the arrow's advice and ended up at a rather dull pond. Noticing a small item floating in the pond, I touched it.

Then many things happened. Quickly.

I fell down, up and through a myriad of brilliantly decorated light tunnels, ending up at a black/neon boarding area reminiscent of a DisneyWorld ride. A car-sized teacup slid up and stopped in front of me, and of course I jumped in. Ten seconds later, the teacup began a magical journey through numerous psychedelic zones, some of which included the most amazing texture animations I have ever seen.

The teacup followed a wispy blue path through tunnels and into massive open areas, seemingly traveling between planets. At one point I moved through a forest that was made of, well, this is hard to explain, and impossible to photograph, but the "buzzing" textures made the forest look blurry. I've never seen anything like it.

And glow! Things were glowing everywhere! Builder Spiral Walcher has taken advantage of the WindLight viewer in ways never seen before. Maybe I am crazy, but even my Group Tag was glowing!

The preview of Tunnel of Light can be found here. Warning: you really must be WindLighted to get the full effect. Evidently the Tunnel will become a club later this month, I'd recommend you head down to the Tunnel of Light straight away - and unlike me, bring a date!

Gods of Second Life

Every society sprouts a new religion from time to time, and Second Life is no exception. Yes, there are lots of conventional and unconventional religious activities taking place, but this week I came across a unique and purely Second Life-flavored worship area.

The difference?

Gods of Second Life is based entirely on actual Second Life characters and phenomenon, as if we were suddenly hundreds of years into the future when today's issues and personalities had become legend.

Upon arrival, the worship area is rather sparse and seemingly uninteresting - until you look closer at the several altars. Each one is carefully designed to play on Second Life. There is little signage, so you must know your Second Life trivia to understand the exhibits. A long list of Second Life Deities is provided, which includes this quote about the God "Uncle Phil":

Uncle Phil is the Creator from who's loins the world of Second Life and Ruth, the All-Mother have spung. The bringer of Order from Chaos and Pixelated Reality from the Great Void. An effigy of Philip's pants is the shrine of Ruth.

"Uncle Phil" is one of the three Major Deities, the others being "Ruth" and "The Great Corey". All the great features and personalities of Second Life are represented here, including Torley, Hippos, Lag, Crash, Linden Bears, Newbies and many others.

I don't often post multiple pictures, since I fear the Internet will run out of online storage, but Gods of SL deserves many. First, outside the temple is a monstrous torch, which looks eerily similar to the standard torch one finds in the default inventory, except that it oddly emits Flying Spaghetti Monsters. This is the altar for the God "Corey". Watch out for those noodly appendages!

The main temple, which is itself a gigantic effigy of "Uncle Phil's" pants, is pictured above. Note the similarities between the temple and the "real life" Philip Linden - including that rather strange multicolored structure covering the naughty bits.

The Goddess Ruth sits inside the temple, greeting visitors with her standard unchanging gaze. She's holding a Pastafarian torch very much like "Corey's". Pictured are Ruth devotees Infinite Graves and Marlee Theas, who have come to worship before Ruth's default chair. Ruth doesn't seem to move very much, but I am sure she is watching over us all. According to the legend, "If you are fortunate, you may glimpse her visage briefly as people of SL teleport in and out of areas".

Near the teleporter, a gigantic list of commandments specifies:

In Yadni we trust
thou shalt build like crazy
thou shalt help the newbie
thou shalt save the freebie

That's as good advice as I've ever heard for Second Life! Strangely, I follow them too. Most of them. Well, two.

Near the temple is a very inspiring obelisk showing the default avatars on each side. Male and female, human and furry, all equally represented on the different faces of the obelisk just as they are in-world. Seeing those all-too-familiar avatars stirred up uncomfortable memories for me... newbs just don't know how newb they are until it's too late. At least in my case.

My favorite display is this default wooden cube. It appears to be a standard box, and indeed it is. Then you read the description:

"Altar for LAGNOR, God of Lag. I would have finished it, but the sim is too laggy."

So true.

I haven't shown the Altar to Torley, the Hippos Bath or many other amazing items, but you can see them by visiting the Gods Of Second Life at this SLURL. When you arrive, choose "Gods of SL" from the teleporter and enjoy!

Splashy Ideas

Shopping is definitely not one of my fortes. In fact, I foolishly try to build any item I need first. Or at least I contemplate building before finally giving in and undergoing a shopping ordeal. Why is it an ordeal? I am not exactly sure, but usually I end up doing what seems to be an endless search for something that may not even exist. It typically takes a very long time and I often get frustrated when lag slows my store visits even more. Am I being too picky? Probably. Am I impatient? Um, Yes.

Fortunately, my friends keep me honest by directing me to the best shops in Second Life. This week a very dear friend took me to Splash Aquatics, which sells a variety of watery goods. According to their directory, they sell:

• Marine, tropical & freshwater fish
• Fishtanks & bowls
• Aquarium & pond decor
• Fountains
• Natural freshwater pods
• Bridges
• Ocean wildlife
• Aquatic animals & birds
• Scuba diving
• Aqua-scaping

I wasn't looking for fish on that day, but if I did I would certainly come back to this very interesting store.

Readers will recall that I often rant about store structure and organization. But this time I wanted to point out the good things I observed at Splash Aquatics. Not only does Splash Aquatics have a great selection of high-quality items that all follow the same theme and are grouped in very sensible ways, it also has a couple of interesting twists that I believe many shops should consider.

First, there is a very strong element of realism throughout the area. Buildings and landscape appear just as they would in real life. But one of the most interesting realism aspects was the manner in which fish were sold. Pictured above is the "Nursery" where small fry fish apparently are spawned. To the right of the tank are buttons for purchasing said small fish. What struck me was how different this was from a typical store display. Instead of merely having an array of product boxes lined up on a wall, the nursery tank seems to bring the concept to life by showing you precisely how the product can be used. And even better, it is exactly what you would see in a real life aquarium store.

Secondly, Splash Aquatics has a "feature attraction" in addition to the store product displays and stocked shelves: a walk-through fish tank. We've all seen these in real life, where you may walk in dry safety within a glass tunnel at the bottom of a large tank, watching sharks skim just above your head. You can do exactly the same thing at Splash Aquatics; their tank looks very much like real life. Having a feature attraction like the water tunnel is a tremendous idea for any store. It provides visitors with another reason to visit, and possibly show it to their friends who otherwise would have had no reason to visit your store. That's exactly how I discovered Splash Aquatics.

Someday I will build a feature attraction at Electric Pixels. I've already been thinking of some ideas, but I haven't quite got the right one yet. A feature for an aquatics store might be obvious, but for particles? Stay tuned!

And by the way, you can visit Splash Aquatics here, in the unfortunately named sim, "Gooruembalchi".