New World Notes

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: ABADDON

Summer Axon and Detect Surface tend bar

Recently I stumbled across a dark and beautifully foreboding industrial town, and on further investigation, learned it was Sector 13 in the City of Abaddon, on the island of Merrick's Landing.  (Direct portal at this link.) 

I begged the owner Detect Surface to tell me about building it, and he happily obliged with a deluge of description and richly-textured postcards-- and a brochure of the 'bots which finance it.  Take the tour after the break.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: ARS VIRTUA IN DOWDEN

Kliger Dinkin is Ars Virtua's first artist-in-residence in Second Life, chosen in an open proposal request by the real world arts group to create commissions of metaverse art based in Second Life.  His work in Dowden is a colorful and crystalline flood of imagery, words, and sensation, and he sent along a suitably rococo treatise to describe his creative process.  That and more staggeringly gorgeous images and video from Dinkin's Dowden exhibit after the break.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: IMZADI

Recently born to the world, Veritas Raymaker went searching for an ideal home, and having found it in a tropical paradise near a Malay museum and a Star Trek themepark, began creating an expansive educational space (he teaches geography in real life.)  "I know I am not the most objective judge in this issue," he tells me, "but I can honestly say I have not found a more scenic, beautiful, and painstakingly rendered/designed/built sim based on a tropical island theme.

"The residency covenant rules here are very strict," he adds grinning, "and that goes a long way to accounting for that."

Iris Ophelia's World Fashion Tour

Ten wildly diverse locales, ten altogether fabulous ensembles-- one universally glamorous avatar.  Armed with reader tips and her own personal itinerary, NWN fashion correspondent Iris Ophelia fearlessly explored the grid, and returned from her whirlwind tour with her hair still perfectly coiffed-- and a breathtakingly dazzling travelogue in hand.  Where in the world did Iris go, and who was she wearing when she got there?  Find out after the break!

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: 7000 OAKS ON COSMOS ISLAND

Pei Twang and Pei May send a postcard from Cosmos Island [direct teleport here], where they've built an SL recreation of a noteworthy real world installation: Joseph Beuys' "7000 Oaks".

"Beuys' project begun on March the 16th, 1982," the Peis write. "His plan called for the planting of seven thousand trees, each paired with a columnar basalt stone. Beuys intended the Kassel project to be the first stage in an ongoing scheme of tree planting to be extended throughout the world as part of a global mission to effect environmental and social change."

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE MOSQUE OF CHEBI-- AND MUSLIMS IN SECOND LIFE

Drown Pharoah at the mosque's entrance

For his World from my Window entry, Drown Pharaoh told me about the Mosque in Chebi, next to a Christian cathedral, and of course, that led to a broader conversation on the place of Islam in Second Life.  His utterly fascinating insights on Muslims in the metaverse, after the break.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: CALEDON HIGHLANDS

"My first day in SL," Chance Takashi writes me, "was the day the first Caledon sim opened, and I fell in love with the Neo-Victorians and with the steampunk style. I didn't officially live there, though, until the Caledon Highlands came into being."  He goes on to lovingly describe what followed next, in the community of the future past-- in words, and in this witty travelogue movie, appropriately created as if it was made during the Lumiere era.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: LAKE GNOMA

Gypsy pauses in his hike to take in the scenery

Johan Durant sends a postcard from Lake Gnoma (direct teleport here):  "Hi, let me tell you about Lake Gnoma, the land owned by my friends and I.  We have more building work planned, but it's already a beautiful place to visit.  Lake Gnoma campground is half of Gnoma, on the east side of the road.  The lake itself is in the southeast corner of Gnoma, but the campground actually extends all the way up the eastern side.  We initially bought the lake in order to preserve it, but our love for the area quickly led us to purchase more and more adjacent plots until we owned half the sim.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE MONASTERY OF FELIX MERITUS IN LILL BURN VALLEY

"January 2007," Man Monnett writes me, "I discovered the valley called Lill Burn Valley.  It was empty and peaceful. I wanted to keep this, and started building the Monastery of Felix Meritis. Buying big plots of land to ensure the peace and quietness of the Valley made it into this spectacular area.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE BLOCK (Updated)

Iris Ophelia told me about The Block, a place that had recently become her pinnacle of cool, and since Iris is bound to know these things, I went and saw for myself, and was duly impressed.  So much so, I begged Dragontat "DT" Zagato to tell me about the Block in a "World from My Window" entry, and to our great fortune, he did.  What he describes is a unique and impressive story of social emergence, a community unexpectedly evolving from a shared sense of fashion, culture, and urban space.

Bizarre Berry and The Deeper Story

Mr. Story, Our Intrepid Correspondent

When Douglas Story wrote about Bizarre Berry's marvelous caves of Lascaux in Modesta as his World from My Window contribution, he wound up with a far longer (and just as fascinating) profile of a uniquely strange and gifted Resident, who spoke to him on everything from the taboo of ugly avatars, to creating the caves, to his custom-made crack ho, to... the Unitarian Universalists of Second Life. 

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE INTERACTIVE SCULPTURE PARK OF MARNI ISLE

Mashup Islander sends a postcard from the island of Marni, describing the many wonders he and his hobgoblinesque friend Adam Ramona have built there.

"Adam and I bought a quarter each of Marni Island a few months back... Second Life was our world of choice for a collection of commercial projects we have on the boil, but it quickly became a quiet, creative space where we could skill-up and ply our creative selves. Adam is a real-time 3D artist with extensive experience in interactive, spatialised sound sculptures.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: COCOLOLO ISLAND

"At first,I didn't think about a business with this sim," Rocky Sassoon tells me in rough-but-game English (in real life, he's a web developer in Japan). "It's only for makes me relax." 

Inspired by Aman Resorts in Bali, Rocky got his friend Jennifer Hana to re-envision a resort in-world, on his island of Cocololo.  (Direct teleport here.)

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: GINSBERG IN DA BOOM

Rockwell Ginsberg just sent me a postcard which filled me with nostalgia, since it was sent from the ancient land of Da Boom.  Which, "[a]s I'm sure you know," he writes, "is the first sim ever created. My house was built by Bill Stirling and my deck was custom made by Trinatie Nolan. The view is of the Smith ocean sim (owned by the Govnah). My time in Second Life is spent buying and selling mainland, but this is one piece of land I'll never sell.  Aside from myself, most people in Da Boom have been around SL since the early days (some since 2003). They have a lot of perspective to offer, and really know what the SL community is all about."  [Direct telport here.]

And where in the world do you live?  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

WINDOW'S STILL OPEN!

My original home in Shipley, in the ancient lands

Though the last entry was in December (and what a marvel it was), I'm still taking and posting entries to NWN's World From My Window series.  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE CAVES OF MODESTA (Updated)

To describe one of his favorite haunts in Second Life, Douglas Story composed a short illustrated essay and profile:

My contribution to this series falls into the "one of my favorite places" category: it’s the wonderful Second Life version of the famous real-world Cro-Magnon art gallery in France: The Caves of Lascaux. I’ve always been fascinated with prehistoric cave art, so when I read about an example in-world I rushed there as fast as a teleport could take me. I was delighted by what I found, and have been bringing friends there ever since.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: WARKIRBY MAGOJIRO AND SIRRENA GREBE OF BLISS GARDENS

WarKirby Magojiro sends not just a single image, but an epic tribute to his home:

"I live in Bliss Gardens natural park. It is a huge seven sim nature reserve, built and owned entirely by Master Landscaper, Luna Bliss. 

"It is a sprawling and magnificent maze of mountains, waterfalls and ocean. I originally found this place through a friend, who developed the guided toursystem that is in so many nice places now.  Two of my friends rented a nice property there. I kinda fell in love with the place, spending so much time here with friends, and also bringing dates here. Eventually, I decided to get a house of my own. The very first place I can call home.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: OCTOPIA

"Octopia is a relatively new area," Tyranor Horus tells me, "with a light cyberpunk/futuristic theme.  Hovering a few hundred meters in the sky, it somehow still manages to keep a vaguely serene, peaceful environment.  It includes a mini-mall selling all kinds of useless, futuristic junk, a residential area, as well as some rather pleasant bars, all to some pretty damn great sci-fi music.  It can be pretty empty at times, but at peak times you can usually find some fun people and wander around looking impressive while shopping.  The floor level of Octopia is also being renovated, to make something which may just rival Nexus Prime!  Or not.  Who knows."  (Direct teleport here.)

And where in the world do you live?  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE HARPING MONKEY IN UNGNYO

"The House of the Harping Monkey," Michelle Morphett writes, "is an Irish pub featuring Celtic and live music, free pool and darts, two open bars, and good company... it's a great place to hang out when you're done with the craziness of the clubs. And believe me, that's where I was when I first found the Harping Monkey. I was completely turned off by the casinos and strip joints in Second Life when a good friend of mine brought me by the pub, which was still under construction then...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: WASHTOWN IN BARNET

"It’s not quite from my window," Tillery Woodhen tells me, "but it’s in the neighborhood.

"This is a shot of the center of Washtown, a Firefly-themed settlement in the Barnet sim. For those of you who don’t know, Firefly was a short-lived but very cool sci-fi series where settling the stars was a lot like the old West. The movie Serenity followed from it. Much of the architecture in town is a mix of old west, far east and high tech. This shot shows the center of town with the Firefly-class ship Serenity and our central building, which has a bar, game room, shooting range and Companion spaces and some holiday decorations. In other views, you’d see the mechanics/engineers shop, general store, saloon, temple, warehouse and marketplace."  (Tillery himself runs Washtown's Shiny Saloon.)

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: LIMANTOUR

Roy Irwin and Karen Zohari share their story of coming to Limantour, after learning about SL in a Dutch newspaper:

"Like many new Residents, we almost became lost souls but we survived. This virtual 3D world has triggerd us to be creative, so we decided within a few days we needed to upgrade our accounts and buy land. Not because we wanted to be the next landlords, but because we wanted to have a place to feel like home and be able to build on our own land...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: VELDA

A meditative Shinesse Madison sends along her personal moonlit perspective:

"This is the view from my little hut in Velda. I moved here back in April/May of this year. I've lived all over Second Life but this to me is the perfect spot. When I bought the land, there was this huge castle, and I had no idea exactly how pretty it was here, but my friend convinced me that this would be well worth the price. She was right. I have the perfect view of endless sea and beautiful day and night-time effects...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: BODEGA BAY

Click To Play

Osprey Therian sends a dreamy video postcard from her home (direct portal here), and writes:  "Bodega is a lovely mainland sim.  I've lived here for about two and a half years and I grow to love it more each day.  I have my original 'Land for the Landless' land, and had a nice neighbor-- a heavy metal singer from Munich-- next door for a year and a half.  When he left he sold me his land, as well as some raucous seagulls and his vegan shark, which circles the waters of the Bay... 

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: NUMBAKULLA

Alan Kiesler sends word and window from his haunt in Numbakulla, home to "The Pot Healer's Adventure."  (Direct portal here.)

The isle, he writes, is "an entire no-fly PG sim dedicated to an adventure game, in the spirit of the older games like Myst or the original games from Sierra On-Line.  You basically start the game shipwrecked on an abandoned island. As you explore, you learn that you’re not the first survivor to make it here. Follow his writings to complete the adventure...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: ABBOTTS

Relee Baysklef tells me about her home:

"I live in the Abbotts simulator. Abbotts was one of the first sims put up for auction when the Second Life Land Auction system was implemented [in early 2004]. It is the only main-grid sim with player-owned land next to the public Linden-owned sandbox. I used to live in Mocha before the Olive [Sandbox] sim was turned into a normal one, and the Cordova sim was made into the new Sandbox. I cherished the 'mad scientist community' that lived in the Mocha simulator (as much as my old friend Bob Bunderfield in Slate was troubled by it!) and I hoped that would continue in the Abbotts simulator.

"My home in Abbotts has changed a few times since the sim opened, through various interesting scenarios each time. My previous house was blown up in an incident that I was totally not paid not to tell anybody about, and am totally choosing not to talk about it of my own accord (wink wink). My current home is a small pink tower resting on a puffy cloud at about 500 meters up. I've gotten a lot of different comments on it. A lot of people love it, and it tends to blind my goth friends.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: MULI BASIAT'S HOME IN TENAGRA

Muli Basiat sends three postcards from her home. "It was built by Madison Gardner," Muli announces, "and is a unique home - one of a kind!"

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: TOLKIEN IN TSL

"I spend almost all of my time at my home in Tolkien, Dun Grey Dawning," Aesop Thatch writes from Teen Second Life.  "The build is a rambling set of timber-framed buildings set into the side of a hill, and surrounded by a heavily forested area. I have friends that drop  by often, and many newcomers find the build and spend some time here, to find some peace in the world or to learn about it.  The build is idyllic, with paths running through the forests, soft piano music, and many little places for people to stop and just admire the view on a bench or rock."

And where in the world do you live?  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: NEXUS PRIME

"This is the view from my window in Nexus Prime (Gibson/Bonifacio)," Icon Serpentine writes from the back of a big rig.  "We get a lot of foot traffic here every day. Sometimes I think it might be because it's so easy to get lost. Sure there are the main areas that aren't hard to find-- but under the surface there are lots of hidden places and neat things to see..."

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: COYOTEANGEL DIMSUM IN CALEDON

Ms. CoyoteAngel Dimsum send along a postcard, and it reads in part: 

"While JJ Drinkwater and I were working on building the new Library in Caledon, I took a few moments to indulge my homesickness for the American West and used a giant prim to surround myself with Moab, Utah for a few hours.

"When I first stumbled upon Caledon," she adds, "I was dumbfounded.  'Where are the giant rotating signs?  Where are the neo-porn casinoettes?  How will I orient myself without the pulsing throb of SimuSex billboards?' 

"You get used to it, I've found.  Welcome to the 'burbs."

And where in the world do you live?  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: BOSCOMBE IN TSL

"This is me flying and chilling in my new Sith avatar in front of Swordz Inc.," Demian Tank tells me from Teen Second Life, "where SPGenex Carrol, Joshua Birdbrain, and me are owners.  Swordz Inc. is also having a new private sim called 'Avalon' built... 

"This place is basically my house without a house-- I live here but not in a typical house. This is also where I conduct buisness deals and sell my stuff-- we get at least 30 visitors a day... this is where all my best items were invented, including numerous swordz, avatars, hovershoes, and my favorite--the Sith force which is a lightning bolt that comes out of the palm (custom animation) and throws people."

And where in the world do you live?  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE CHURCH OF ELVIS IN NAMPO

"A few months ago," the right Reverend Faust informs me, "I had a vision.  The Spirit of Elvis appeared to me, His image having been scorched onto a burnt tortilla I was frying up.  And lo, at that moment I did hear a voice. And the voice said unto me, 'If you build it, they will come!'"

"I had been exploring Second Life for a while before that, but had never really considered actually investing in land," the Reverend Elvis Faust continues.  "All this changed after that fateful and undoubtedly Holy visitation! I immediately turned on my machine, logged on, and upgraded my account.  Within hours I had bought a small plot of 'first land' in Nampo.  And within days, the earliest iteration of the First Second Life Church of Elvis was constructed!"  (Direct portal here)

Screenshot by Molly Montale

"That Sunday I held my first sermon.  I was amazed and delighted when a handful of people showed up!  I was worried that no one would attend, that the event listing would be lost amongst the cacophany of yard sales, Slingo games, and 'hot AV' contests-- but the Spirit of Elvis was definitely with us!  And the Spirit has been with us ever since!"

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: HURSLEY

Since Hursley is still a private island closed to the general public, and a project financed in conjunction with IBM's UK office, this World from My Window entry from epredator Potato (pictured above in Predator-esque garb) also qualifies as a Mixed Reality Monday entry:

"My fellow eightbar colleagues and I use it as a sandbox and test bed for all sorts of things," Potato explains.  "I am actually viewing Hursley from my other sim, IQ, where we’re doing a more structured build. You can see the start of Yossarian Seattle's (of translator fame) build of Hursley House. We started with just a photo, and now we have the real virtual thing...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: THE HOME AND PROMENADE OF LUNA CARTIER

"I have two places I spend a majority of my time in Second Life," says Luna Cartier.  "The first is our home on Mystique... but we keep it private and do not allow visitors.  Leyla Firefly built it for me, and it is the best home in Second Life, and one that would make Frank Lloyd Wright proud!  I sit on the lower balcony and drink coffee while checking in-game business, and Leyla and I spend long times together just enjoying the views while spending time together...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: QUINLAN PFIFFER IN TSL

Quinlan sends a postcard from the forbidden Teen Second Life:

"The land that I usually hang out on is my own. I work on various projects and occasionally watch a movie," he writes, "while particle rain falls on the premises. I like the land because it is close to a canal and what, in Teen Second Life, is called a city. I consider it to be a good purchase because most of the buildings nearby are well-built.  There is even one dedicated to the game Half-Life 2...

"Friends drop by and mess around on projects of their own, because it is a good work environment.  I am also a Snowcrash fan, and have several Daemons marching about and helping anyone who happens by."

And where in the world do you live?  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: GEOFFRION IN ORION

Young Geoffrion sends me a missive from his her villa in Orion (direct teleport here):

My dear sir,

When first I came to this Life, I wander'd hungry and homeless among a thousand homes, seeking my fortunes as an adventurer and defender of the helpless. But food and wine did not warm the body or intoxicate the blood, slaves did not always wish to be freed, nor philosophers disputed.  I journeyed on roads and sailed the high seas, pursuing legends of islands that could not be reached on foot. I collected a modest store of tales and became instead a raconteur to Aegyptians in Themiskyra...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: ESPERANCE

"Here I am on a typical work day in my custom-made office pod overlooking an island called I built called Esperance," Gary Hazlitt e-mails me.  (Direct portal here.)  He developed the island for a real world film/TV/radio school. "[It's] been hard work creating the machinima areas, theatres, cinemas, film set backlots, display and play areas, but well worth it.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: OCTAL KHAN'S HOME IN SHAMROCK

"This is the view from my home in Shamrock," Octal Khan tells me. (Direct teleport here.) "This is also the view (kind of) from my home in real life in Los Angeles, the main difference being in SL, I get to put it right by the ocean."  He grins. "About a year ago, I got the idea to do a reconstruction of our mid-century modern RL home in Second Life. The architect, Gregory Ain, was a protege of Neutra and Schindler and one of the unsung heroes of early modernism, so I attempted it partially as an exercise in building, but also as a way to perpetuate Ain's ideas as a sort of 'ghost in the machine'.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: ASTER'S RAINY GLEN

"Here is my little parcel in Second Life," Aster tells me, grinning. "I'm always changing it. Usually there's rain, but I think SL started to dramatically limit particles from sources off-screen or something. And there's still that annoying order-of-rendering bug when it comes to alpha channels. Could have had some much better shots."  Perhaps to make up for those limitations, he created a short video of his glen, too.

"I tend to stay here by myself," he adds.  "I'm a bit of an introvert even in my cyber life."

And where in the world do you live?  Take a look at the entire Window series for inspiration, read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite haunt.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: MARS

"This is the view from my home in the Mars sim," Boss Melnitz writes me.  "This particular view is from upstairs, looking out the front of the house.  My small work area and pictures of my kids are to the left.  I stumbled across Mars completely by accident while flying around in my helicopter one day.  [SL real estate developer] Azure Islands hadn't listed the sim on their website yet, and it was largely unoccupied.  I ended up buying four plots there...

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW: SUFFUGIUM

The first World from My Window submission comes from Aliasi Stonebender, shown here on the mean streets of Suffugium.  (A place, as it happens, I've visited myself.)  "Both home and my primary hangout," Aliasi says, "here I am taking a hard-earned break from janitorial and, ahem, 'enforcement' duties as an admin/builder of the sim outside the Blue Arrow Diner, just down from the Acoustic Coupler netcafe, deep in the slums of the city."

But where in the world do you live?  Read the details for submitting to NWN's World From My Window series, then send me a screenshot or video link of your SL home or favorite hang-out.

THE WORLD FROM MY WINDOW (Updated)