2013 Christmas Town-A great Explore and Shopping Area for the Holidays

2013 Christmas Town, a photo by Kara 2 on Flickr. (This promo pic taken by Laura Libery)

Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elizabeth%20Town/128/128/22

Laura Liberty has 2013 Christmas Town open now for everyone to enjoy, so hurry on over for some holiday fun and shopping.  Laura is well known for her great seasonal builds that not only provide a wide variety of products but also entertainment in her unique and fun sim builds.  

This year Christmas town provides shoppers with a quaint little town filled with decorations, clothes, gifts and a wide variety of Christmas items all conveniently located in her picturesque town with old world charm.  The town has some great photo spots and things to play on to, so ladies bring your men as they can really enjoy this one with you.  

As you move along through town you find a huge ice castle at one end that offers single or double ice skate rides through the castle that does not appear as big as it really is due to Laura's gift for hiding her behind the scenes build areas thus maintaining some magic in my SL.  

My partner Enigmatic and I donned the couples skate option zooming through some very cool castle entry on to passage through scene after scene from old to modern day classic Christmas movies complete with audio and video changes along the way.    

I won't give it all away but will say this is very much worth a visit and would be great for shopping, photography, dates, and exploring.  Be sure to try out her fun things to play on in town too.... you'll see what I mean when you visit : )  Have fun!

 

Shadows in Black and White Exhibit 12-8-13 12noon SLT

Shadows in Black and White, An FCP Reunion Exhibit, a photo by Kara Trapdoor on Flickr.

Everyone is invited to:
Shadows in Black and White: An FCP Reunion Exhibit

Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Station/171/112/1028
Opening Party Sunday December 8th at 12 noon SLT
Josie Anderton will sing in the gallery at 12 noon followed by DJs in the club
Featured Artists:
Burk Bode
Maloe Vansant
Zach Larsen
Chaos  Richard
Josie Anderton
Sugar Silverstar

Flickr Collaborators and Posers (FCP) was a longstanding group, now mostly inactive, that comprised a large number of SL residents who met weekly Fridays and/or Sundays, accommodating various time zones over a 3 year period.  The group was founded around February 2008 by Katiya who also organized many of the photo shoots.  A pre-selected theme and location was arranged and announced in the in-world and Flickr groups then people would get together and pose for group shots in costumes, poses, and props fitting the selected theme and sim.  

Many of the former FCP members have become exceptional SL artists and this exhibit showcases works from just a few of the “regulars” to FPC.   We thank the artists contributing to this Skywalk Gallery exhibit.  Last month’s exhibit “Technochory”  by Bryn Oh and Sina Souza will also remain in place for an extended time.  Please enjoy the exhibits and explore the entire sim. 

The Station boasts a variety of fun things to explore in the sky and on ground level including 2 clubs, 2 theaters (one can be booked for free/contact sim management) many rides (various carnival rides, a human cannon that explodes shooting the rider into the air opening on a steampunk bird glider to fly around, a sling shot ride from sky to ground, trains, trolleys, a mechanical bull, floating balloons), a fun house, zeppelins, numerous hidden locations for hanging out, dates or photography, a gambling hotel with various games to play for free, stores, rentals, underwater area, freebies in various locations and much more.  Look for future art exhibits, live music, and club events to come.    (Sim owner/builder: Enigmatic Deir, Sim Manager: Sonrisa Seminario)
 

UWA Creation Challenge: What Makes Us Human?

Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA/128/128/25


This looks very interesting and should be a nice challenge, check out the latest UWA 3D Creation Challenge, "What Makes us Human?"

The press release states:" A UWA 3D Creation Challenge: What Makes us Human?
UWA Encourages you to Create a Model, Animation, or Simulation that reflects What Makes Us Human at a Cellular, Organ or System Level
December 1st 2013 – February 28th 2014
Prize pool: L$268,750
Open to Everyone!
You be the teacher!
Models that simulate and models that stimulate! Your models can be interactive!Imagine riding a blood corpuscle through a three storey high heart, watching from “inside” the brain as an aneurysm bursts (a “stroke”).

OVERVIEW
“What Makes Us Human?” is an event run by UWA and sponsored by the School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology as well as the School of Physics. We encourage you to create a model, animation or simulation that reflects what makes us human at a cellular, organ, or system level. We encourage you to create fairly accurate or representative creations or models that can be used for teaching. The aim is to enable others to learn anatomical, histological, developmental and/or physiological concepts about the human body from your work.
Entries can be submitted anytime between the 1st of December 2013 and the 28th of February 2014. Entries should have no more than 300 prims. There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit. Entries will be displayed at the UWA Virtual Gallery.

HOW TO ENTER:
Fill out the Creator's Notecard form and include it with your entry.

Place the model in the contest entry receiver at UWA Gallery HERE 􀀃
    Select your item from inventory while holding down the CTRL key
    Drag the file from your inventory to the contest entry billboard prim.
    The outline of the billboard should turn red. You may then release your mouse button and your entry will be deposited.
    Do the same with the Creator's Notecard form.
    Mod/copy perms are appreciated so entries can be displayed via temporary rezzers. This will allow for a greater number of prims/land impact for individual entries, if mod is not possible copy is adequate.
If you have problems with the receiver, drop the model into the inventory of FreeWee Ling (UWA Curator of Arts) or Jayjay Zifanwe (Jay Jay Jegathesan: UWA in Second Life Founder & Lead) along with a note card stating the name of the model/animation/simulation and the creator.

SUGGESTIONS
Histology (convey the microscopic structure of human tissues)
Nervous System: What are the various representations of different types of neurons?
Muscular System: Examine structural differences and/or similarities between skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells.
Anatomy (convey the gross structure of human body parts) & Histology
Embryology & Foetology: What are various stages of embryonic and foetal development? Perhaps look at the transformation from embryo to foetus.
Anatomy
Skeletal System: What are the components of the human skeleton?
Present the anatomy of various types of joints.
Physiology (convey the processes that enable the human body and its components to function):
Nervous System: What are some of the neural pathways that enable us to perform day to day cognitive and motor functions?
Circulatory System: How does blood circulate through our body to meet the metabolic needs and maintain the normal function of cells/organs/and bodily systems.
Anatomy & Physiology
Circulatory System: How does the heart operate, and what are its different chambers and valves?
Histology, anatomy, and physiology are disciplines that go hand in hand. It is only natural that you may construct entries that draw on more than one of these disciplines in order to facilitate the learning of concepts.

Furthermore, you could also think outside the box. You can portray/convey the difference between normal features and functioning, and the abnormal or dysfunctional.
Other topics could include representations of anatomy, physiology and histology pertaining to the following systems: Digestive, Endocrine, Exocrine, Immune,  Lymphatic, Reproductive, Respiratory, Urinary, Visual

PRIZES:*
1st L$81,250 (~$330 USD)
2nd  L$62,500 (~$255 USD)
3rd  L$37,500 (~$150 USD)
4th  L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
5th  L$12,500 (~$50 USD)
Anatomy Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Histology Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Physiology Special prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Total Prize Pool = L$268,750 (~$1,090 USD)
*(Prizes will be awarded in Linden Dollars. US Dollar equivalents are shown for reference.)
Contest Entry Rules (ESSENTIALS):

    By submitting an entry, you agree to allow the University of Western Australia to use your model/animation/simulation for teaching and learning purposes, and for promotion of UWA's programs.
    Maximum land impact for any entry is 300. Mod/Copy perms are appreciated so we can rez/remove entries on demand, however, if mod is not possible, copy is appreciated.
    Size is not technically limited, but may not interfere with other exhibits or activities on the sim.
    Script lag, light or particle emitters, or sounds should be confined to the area of the entry.
    Contact FreeWee Ling, curator, regarding any special requirements such as orientation, media parcels, environmental needs, etc.

Judging Panel:
Professor Stuart Bunt (Anatomy)
Professor Geoff Meyer (Histology)
Assistant Professor Gavin Pinniger (Physiology)
Jay Jay Jegathesan (Founder & Lead - UWA in Second Life)
FreeWee Ling (UWA Second Life Curator & Designer)
Teresa Clune (UWA APHB Contest Administrator)
ENTRIES CLOSE FEBRUARY 28th 2014"

Calas Galadhon's Hauntingly Beautiful Take on Christmas This Year: "One Christmas Night"

Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SilverMyst/128/128/23
Calas Galadhon's hauntingly beautiful take on Christmas this year. "One Christmas Night"
Truck and Ty did it again. I didn't think it possible for them to top their Calas Galahdon sims but they have added "One Christmas Night" and just WOW!  These guys are amazing.  This is a must see sim.

Turn your lights to the suggested sim windlights in the note where you land (or default/midnight) for a very cozy night experience or pop the lights up a little to be able to see further like I did for a few photos that were a bit lighter.  The feeling intended is a quiet winter night.  It all starts with a smooth sleigh ride (one for up to 4 friends or another for couples) that provides  a very scenic tour of the sim.  It's long enough to thoroughly enjoy the ride and see all and if on the couples ride have a very romantic time.  It lands you at a nice skating area near their gorgeous building that houses a large dance area, a cozy fireplace seating area (that has some nice free things if you click around), a huge huge tree with presents underneath, and the piano area for their events.  Explore around and you will find cute animals roaming around, and a reindeer flying tour for singles or couples.  There are also some very nice areas to sit or cuddle and intans all around that sort of look like sun dials.  The sim recently opened to group members and today 11-30-13 to the public.  Check it out for a super nice time.

Enigmatic Deir and I enjoyed both the reindeer tour ride as well as the beautiful sleigh ride followed by some dancing then exploring the skating area, the beautiful ballroom and events building and all the cute little areas around the sim.

(And below I snapped a shot of Truck and Ty enjoying the sim themselves!)

Patron, A Magical SL Shopping Experience Now for a Great Cause

Visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Patron/128/128/38

Each Christmas I blog Elia Wierwight's Patron, a home decor and art area that is absolutely magical.   Last year I went on and on about her Christmas trees and special garlands and beautiful free wreaths among other things.  She has beautiful items for year round decorating, but I especially get excited over her Christmas items.  This year she has all that, the outdoor gallery, plus so so much more that is just so perfect for decorating, but she taken on a cause this year.  So, I will focus on her cause this year while showing a few pics of her place so you can see just how special it all is.

Eliza was watching a documentary with her child and got inspired to help out a cause.  You can read it all in a touching note, "An Elephant's Tale",  she includes at her sim in the information givers associated with this fund raiser.  To make a long story short she designed special elephant Christmas topiary that can be purchased for one's self or gifted that gives 100% of the sale to "Save the Elephant Organisation/Foundation". 

★Buy one gift boxed "Save The Elephant at PATRON Holiday Topiary." for yourself, buy lots and gift the ultimate legacy  to a friend, make a donation, bit by bit we can do this over the next month.
★ Tell your friends, spread the word.
★To sponsor an SEF Elephant costs USD$ 109.20.
★That's approximately L$27,000 per elephant.
★That's 54 donation/sales at L$499 each of the Save The Elephant at PATRON Holiday Topiary per elephant sponsorship.
★Now we multiply that by 35 Elephants which is the current sponsorship goal.
★We can do it !!!
★In fact I have already sponsored one elephants all by myself  (actually with my son because he'd be sad if he wasn't involved)
★Meet the rest of 'our' elephants and read about their journeys to Elephant Nature Park
http://www.saveelephant.org/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=67_68

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuD_OUBhGh

(Here you can see a photo of the elephant Eliza and her son sponsored, if you read her full note you can see photos of some of the other elephants she has been charged with finding SL sponsorships via purchases of her topiary designed for this)

Scarborough Square Props, Poses, Furniture, A Club, and So Much More!

Visit here:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Upper%20Fenland/128/128/60

My good friend Isabella Mavendorf, who I've always known was a talented builder and great maker of sets, poses, props, furniture, and choreographer of dances and shows that move the avatars around by themselves, has been much busier than I realized lately making a whole Scarborough Square filled with stores of her products. 

The whole place is great and especially appealing to my poser junkie side.  The town square is adorable and filled with a variety of products including those mentioned plus clothes and at the end is a nice club.  She also has a dinner theater for shows she develops and directs.  I think her poses and props rival some of the best in Second Life and although this area and many of her products are new, it should become a premier area for shoppers as Izzy has been skillfully making such products for years sharing them with friends and helping with events. 

Izzy's unique pose props often have a great number of pose options and many add additional props for the poses that seem to magically appear when a pose is changed.  Some of them have multiple individual poses in various props within a set. I ran around her store taking pics in the sets for this blog as you can see.  Izzy has her own great hunt going on right now in the area, as well as participating in a variety of grid wide hunts with some fantastic prizes. She has many fun items for Christmas out right now too.  I also really enjoyed some of her box pose prop sets such as the My Calendar Girl months of the year sets that I took pics in and made a little collage of to show off here and also the 7 Deadly Sins multi-pose box set.  Be sure to check out this cool area!

Happy Thanksgiving

Ten Historical Thanksgiving Facts

»

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.
2. The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving.
3. They celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the fall of 1621.
4. The Wampanoag Indians were the people who taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate the land.
5. The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast.
6. The state of New York officially made Thanksgiving Day an annual custom in 1817.
7. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's.
8. Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the USA.
9. By the fall of 1621 only half of the Pilgrims, who had sailed on the Mayflower, survived. The survivors, thankful to be alive, decided to hold a thanksgiving feast
10. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the USA.

                                      YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK IF:
                               You've ever had Thanksgiving dinner on a Ping-Pong table.
                                Thanksgiving dinner is squirrel and dumplings.
                               You've ever re-used a paper plate.
                               If you have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say Cool Whip on the side. 
                               If you've ever used your ironing board as a buffet table.
                               On Thanksgiving Day you have to decide which pet to eat.
                               Your turkey platter is an old hub cap.
                               Your best dishes have Dixie printed on  them.
                               Your stuffing's secret ingredient comes from the bait shop.
                               Your only condiment on the dining room table is ketchup.
                               Side dishes include beef jerky and Moon Pies.
                               You have to go outside to get something out of the 'fridge.
                               The directions to your house include "turn off the paved road".
                               You consider pork and beans to be a gourmet food.
                               You have an Elvis Jell-o mold.
                               Your secret family recipe is illegal.
                               You serve Vienna Sausage as an appetizer. - See more at: http://holidaymetro.com/thanksgiving-jokes/thanksgiving-redneck-clean-funny-thanksgiving-jokes-riddles.shtml#sthash.EUw0EMaI.dpuf

(sooooo ewwww to the stuffing secret ingredient..bleh)

And finally a little Second Life Turkey Tail: (Don't forget there are tons of SL fun clothes, novelties, foods, decorations etc on the SL Marketplace and inworld if you look)

 Have a happy Thanksgiving, don't eat too much, and remember to be thankful for what you have and show appreciation to those who have helped you!  I am thankful for the friendship and support my SL friends.  Thanks!