New World Notes

Upcoming Second Life Events: Bryn Oh's Latest Artwork, Salon's Scott Rosenberg On Blogs, Amazon Job Fair

What strange and sad beauty does Ms. Oh have for us beyond this entrance?

I'm a poor substitute for NWN Events doyenne Chestnut Rau, who's on vacation, but I am pretty sure these are five potentially great Second Life events coming up in the next few days:

Friday, July 10, 6pm SLT: Bryn Oh presents "The Rabbicorn"

Widely admired metaverse artist Bryn Oh unveils her latest immersive installation, which curator Tezcatlipoca Bisiani describes as "a world of poetic narrative, subtle ambient sound and beautiful visual artistry, part Gorey, part Poe, part Velveteen Rabbit, but with an original take that is uniquely contemporary, and uniquely Bryn." Sponsored and hosted by IBM on their exhibition space. More here on the blog of Bisiani (IRL IBM research designer Andrew Sempere.)

[Direct SLurl teleport to event at this link]

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Saturday, July 11th, Noon-Midnight SLT: Rouge's 1st Anniversary

Rouge is an island in the shape of a beautiful woman, and it offers elegant decadence galore; celebrate its first anniversary with owner Ms. CodeBastard Redgrave with designer's gifts, live DJs, and surely much more.

[Direct SLurl teleport to event at this link]

Sunday through Tuesday listings after the break...

Open Forum: What July 4th Weekend Second Life Events Are You Attending?

What SL events will you be participating in this weekend, and when/where will they kick off? (For some ideas, Ms. Chestnut Rau has a great guide of upcoming SL events here.) Please post the details here, for possible highlighting in an update. Bonus if it's Independence Day related!

Tonight: Adult Content Community Celebrates "Zindrapendence Day"

Tonight at 9pm SLT, to celebrate their independence from the rest of SL, the Zindra Alliance, a community affiliated with Second Life's new Adult-rated content "Amsterdam continent" are having a "Zindrapendence Day" party. In fact, Alliance co-founder Jago Constantine tells me, "The theme is Banned On The Mainland, so come in something you couldn't wear to SL6B (remember that naked is not a costume!)" Give them your tired (of getting Community Standards penalties), your huddled masses yearning to breathe free (in public orgy rooms), they lift their [censored] besides the golden door, or something. Direct SLurl teleport at this link.

Chestnut's Choices 7/2 - 7/8: Particpate in Brooklyn is Watching Fest, Make Exploding July 4th Cakes, Attend St. Leo's Reziversary Party and much more

Chestnut Rau’s weekly round-up of upcoming SL events…

One of my very favorite art projects in SL is Brooklyn is Watching (BIW), which consists of a series of related spaces for artists, audiences, and participants.  There is land in SL where artists are invited to leave work for one week and an alcove in the Jack the Pelican Presents Gallery in Brooklyn where the sim can be viewed. There are online discussion forums, a blog, and weekly podcasts. 

Beginning July 7th BIW will celebrate the Best of Brooklyn is Watching Year 1 Festival.  There will be artist talks, panel discussions and exhibitions of works that have been shown at BIW over the past year. Thirty of the best works were chosen via an open nomination process and they will be displayed through August 23rd.  Visitors can vote for the winner of the "People's Choice Award."  Please read more about the Best of Brooklyn is Watching Year 1 Festival at the BIW blog. Go on over to the sim, be amazed by the art and vote for your favorite!   In Popcha.  [SLurl teleport at this link]

NOTE: I will be on vacation without reliable access to the internet for the next two weeks.  Look forward to the return of Chestnut's Choices on July 30th.

Also after the break: Listen to new SL bluesman Mance Moonwall, Participate in SL's Iconic Snail Races, Catch Grace McDunnough's Musimmersion, Attend Art Openings for Monroe Snook, Feathers Boa, Layachi Ihnen and much much more...

Ray Kurzweil to Keynote This Year's SLCC

Here is extraordinary and transformational news: I just got word that Ray Kurzweil, the legendary inventor and futurist, will keynote this year's Second Life Community Convention in San Francisco, speaking on the benefits of virtual environments and virtual reality. "I think Ray Kurzweil’s speech will change the tone of this year's convention compared to previous ones," SLCC director Nexeus Fatale tells me, which is an epic understatement. Among the world's greatest technologists, Kurzweil has often spoken about Second Life in relation to the future of human society, in ways that stretch far beyond how we currently experience it. Here's a sample:

Generally SLCC is keynoted by one or more top Lindens; but this year, Mr. Fatale tells me, "we expressed an additional desire for speakers who could help drive a larger message concerning virtual worlds, and the sort of impacts Second Life has within this growing space. In our search, Kurzeil’s presentation on the next phase of virtual reality birthed the idea of securing him as a keynote speaker." It's a tremendous credit to Nexeus that he succeeded there.

Kurzwei's SLCC keynote happens on Friday, August 14th at 9am PDT, and will also be broadcast in-world. Go here for more details on the conference, including registration and logistics.

Chestnut's Choices 6/25 - 7/1: Experience Grace McDunnough's Musimmersion, Celebrate SL's 6th Birthday, Meet a Guide Dog for Blind SLers and much more...

Chestnut Rau’s weekly round-up of upcoming SL events…

By now most every one has heard about the Second Life 6th Birthday party which spans 20 regions and celebrates "The Future of Virtual Worlds."   SL6B is enormous and the sheer number of events is overwhelming.  There is live music spanning every genre from folk and indie to marching bands.  You can find talks and presentations on everything from the new adult continent to fashion.  The Party began on June 23rd and runs through June 30th with a closing speech by Philip Linden on June 29 at 11am.

How can you find out what is happening and when?  How can you track down the exhibits that interest you? A full calendar of events containing more than 400 events can be found here.  You can sort the events by date/time, location and type of event by using the handy drop down menus at the top left of the calendar. If you want to search for exhibits that interest you go here.  This page has the same handy search function and exhibits can be searched by type from enterprise, to education to visual arts, science and fashion.  The main landing point is in Paradox.  [SLurl teleport at this link] 

Also after the break: Participate in a Tiny Dogfight, Attend a Live Play, Listen to a panel discussion on the future of education in virtual worlds, and much much more

Second Life Vigil for Iranians at the Mosque of Al Andalus -- Today at 12:30pm SLT

Today at 12:30pm SLT (i.e. Pacific time), there's going to be a Second Life vigil for Iranian dissenters killed in the regime's post-election crackdown, including Neda, the young woman brutally gunned down last weekend. The event was put together by the temporary "Support Iran" group, which you can also join, and it's being held at the Al Andalus mosque (pictured above, with Decimal Zsun, who arrived early for the event): direct SLurl teleport at this link.

Since the vigil is happening at a virtual mosque which numerous Muslims in Second Life include in their religious observances, the organizers suggest you dress respectfully and appropriately. Female avatars, for example, are encouraged to wear a headscarf in the mosque -- there is a free dispenser outside the door. However, as the event notecard reads Ninlil notes to me, that's strictly an optional choice: "If you choose to honor this request, you may find your experience enhanced." (Thanks to Brian Sapphire, Jas0n Althouse, Ninlil Xeltentat, and others who alerted me to the event.)

Participate in New York's State of Play from Second Life

Even if you can't attend New York Law School's famed State of Play metaverse law and economics conference today and tomorrow, you can participate in-world via AvatarCamp, a mixed reality summit based around the NYLS event.  That begins with a video stream of SoP starting today at 6am SLT/9am Eastern, at Vesuvius Island. [Direct SLurl teleport at this link]

Go here for more in-world viewing sites and additional AvatarCamp info.

Chestnut's Choices 6/18 - 6/24: Listen to Live Classical Quartet, Participate in a Pagan Summer Solstice Ritual, Reenact the Uprooting of African Slaves and much more

Chestnut Rau’s weekly round-up of upcoming SL events…

Duo Appassionato is a violin duo based in North Carolina.  DnA, a duo for piano and oboe, calls Los Angeles home.  On Friday June 19th at 4pm these 2 classical duos, who regularly play in SL, will be performing together in RL as a quartet.  The concert will be streamed live into SL and the quartet (Sisi Schumann, Kahuna Schumann, Young Zeid, and Izabela Jawowerer) will be heard on 21 different sims across the grid.  The musicians view this performance as the beginning of a long musical collaboration. 

You can attend this mixed reality event at Music Academy OnLIVE or you can watch it live on Treet.TV.  Perhaps the best place to listen and enjoy the event is the Amadora Recital Hall where the musicians will perform in avatar form. In A piacere. [SLurl teleport at this link] 

Also after the break: Listen to Tamra Hayden Perform Broadway Pops, Attend a Fashion Installation Showcasing Menswear for Business, Participate in a Demolition Derby and much much more......

Want to Attend State of Play? Get NWN's 25% Discount!

Sadly I won't be able to attend this year's State of Play, the preeminent conference on the law and economics of online worlds put on by New York Law School, happening June 19th-20th. However, a plethora of SL-related folks will be there, including metaverse academics Tom Boellstorff and Thomas Malaby, virtual world journalists Julian Dibbell and Bernhard Drax, former Linden Jean Miller, former Electric Sheep evangelist Jerry Paffendorf, and many many more. Even better, State of Play organizer Dan Hunter gave me a reader discount of 25%. Here's how to get it: