New World Notes

SL Go Places: Let's Shop With Iris Not-so-Live at Geeks'n'Nerds 2014

 

This week I thought I'd try something a little different for my SL Go post. Instead of walking you around a location in text and images alone, I decided to fire up SL Go, my favourite screen recording software, and a 5+ year old laptop that gets used once in a blue moon to walk you around in person. Well, in avatar. This time, we're swinging through Geeks'n'Nerds (or at least part of it) which is open until December 10th. 

Geeks'n'Nerds is the place to go if you want to express your love for Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and dozens of other geeky fandoms in Second Life. And to be perfectly frank, this is also the video to watch if you've ever wanted to be cured of a desire to go shopping with Iris Ophelia. I chat about gacha machines, texturing, Sailor Moon, cats on Roombas, and say a load of other things that almost certainly call my geek cred into question.

If you want to visit Geeks'n'Nerds for yourself, just copy and paste this URL into your viewer of choice:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fabulous%20Land/170/175/52

Play it This Long Weekend: Framed, a Smoky and Stylish Noir-Inspired Puzzle Game for iOS

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

A narrow corridor, guards at every door, a peculiar arrangement of stairs, and a briefcase. In their default configuration they will lead the hero to a swift defeat, but with some juggling, a little dragging and dropping, they lead him to freedom instead. At first glance Framed looks like a motion comic with rather limited interactivity, but when the action stops and the player takes over a world of diverging, puzzly scenarios opens up.

If you have room left in your heart (or on your phone) for one more ridiculously stylish mobile game then you absolutely need to pick up Framed, and here's why:

Spend Friday, Saturday & Sunday With Whiskey Monday

After a hiatus that lasted most of this year, the artist known as Whiskey Monday continues turning Second Life screenshots into a genuine art form, and her very latest images are particularly arresting: There's "Moths Among the Whisperings", sampled above which you need to see in its full glory here. But there's also "Was Rorschach." and "Asunder", and those are also worth contemplating too. (You could look at one each day of this long weekend!)

As it happens, I profiled Ms. Monday a couple years ago, and here's what she says about her art:

DX Exchange Adds POLi Payments & Alipay Payment Options for Asian & Australian SLers (NWN Partner News)

DX Exchange (a proud partner to this blog), has just added payment and customer support options to benefit Asian and Australian customers of its authorized Linden Dollar exchange service:

• Click here for the Chinese language site of DX Exchange, which now accepts payments through Alipay, the leading Paypal-type service in China and much of Asia.
• For folks in Australia and New Zealand, DX Exchange now accepts POLi Payments, a free and leading payment service in those nations.

Questions? E-mail DX Exchange support at dxexchange dot com or IM the company's in-world representative (pictured here) MarcelEdward DX.

Iris Wants to Know: What Are You Thankful for in the Virtual World (and Beyond)

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

It's Thanksgiving for NWN Readers (and writers) in the U.S., providing a long weekend perfect for reflecting on everything you're thankful for... In addition to eating generous and guilt-free portions of turkey and pie. 

With that in mind, I want to know: What are you most thankful for in Second Life? I'm Canadian, so Thanksgiving is technically already in my rear view mirror, but I can still take a moment to pause and consider what I'm grateful for. In Second Life, I'm most grateful for the talented and inventive artists that provide me with a neverending supply of things to share and gush about. Artists like pokute Burt, who's responsible for the charming pic embedded above. These people present the very best faces of Second Life, and the metaverse just wouldn't be the same without them.

So what about you? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and have a happy and safe holiday!

SL Sex With a RL Lover - Jenn Frank's "All the Spaces Between Us" (Part 2)

Originally published in Kill Screen Magazine and now serially featured in NWN with new screenshots and an afterword by the author, “All the Spaces Between Us - Struggling to Connect in a Pixelated World” is Jenn Frank’s deeply personal account of exploring Second Life and what she learned about identity, sex, creativity, life, and death along the way. (Read Part 1 here) -- Hamlet Au

When I asked Zachary if he wanted to have sex in Second Life with me, he said yes. He and I had been dating, rockily, for five years. He said he missed me.

I was in another state. I’d been living with my parents for a few months. I was getting scared. I still rented the apartment in San Francisco, and Zachary still had a pair of keys to it. He was taking care of my pets and plants. Maybe if he really missed me, he could let himself into the apartment and sit inside. He could even use the Xbox if he wanted. He could read my books. He could use the kitchen, he could use the shower and the toilet.

Sure, he missed me. So he said yes.

I explained that Virtual Amsterdam was a place that couples went, and that I’d—really! Really!—never been there before. But I’d read about it. We could rent a room?

Zachary said yes.

The Arcade: Five Things to Look for at Second Life's Most Popular Seasonal Gacha Event

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

'Tis the season for another round of The Arcade, one of Second Life's most popular shopping events and without a doubt its most popular gacha themed event. In case you're not in the know, gacha machines in SL are a lot like their real life counterparts -- packed with a set of goodies, some rarer than others, that players can buy randomly for a fraction of what they might cost under normal shopping circumstances.

The doors open on December 1st, but if you just can bring yourself to wait I've got a preview of what's in store, starting with...

Don't Miss This Full-Figured Freebie, Coming Soon to Ample Avi (NWN Partner News)

The Peace on Earth Hunt is both one of the largest and longest running hunts in all of Second Life, and impressively enough NWN sponsoring partner Ample Avi have participated in it every year for the past six years. That's a pretty solid track record to say the least.

􀀀This year Ample Avi will be offering Curvy Soft, a full-figured avatar shape modelled on the left. Though the free POE version will be copy only, a modifiable version of Curvy Soft will be available for sale after the event. While I can't reveal precisely where Curvy Soft will be hidden in Ample Avi's main store (that's the point of a "hunt" after all) I can reveal the clue that will lead you to her location. As Ample Avi designer Xme Xue revealed to me, "She's got the whole world in her hands." Remember that hint and you have all you need to locate this shapely freebie.

... At least, as soon as she's available. The Peace on Earth Hunt runs through the holiday season from December 1st to January 6th, so be sure to swing by Ample Avi's main store (teleport link) during that period to pick up Curvy Soft for yourself.

The Trouble With Second Life Avatars - Jenn Frank's "All the Spaces Between Us" (Part I)

Originally published in Kill Screen Magazine and now serially featured in NWN with new screenshots and an afterword by the author, “All the Spaces Between Us - Struggling to Connect in a Pixelated World” is Jenn Frank’s deeply personal account of exploring Second Life and what she learned about identity, sex, creativity, life, and death along the way. -- Hamlet Au

“Wow, you must really hate yourself.”

That was Scott, typing at me from three city blocks away.

“What,” I said aloud at my desk. “WHAT,” I typed back at Scott.

“Jesus, come on,” he typed back. “Is that really what you think you look like?”

This was three, maybe four years ago, and yes, I thought it resembled me:

Paint Me Like One of Your Virtual Girls: Don't Miss This Second Life Artist's Gorgeous Avatar Portraits

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

As if any of us needed another reason to be in awe of SL designer and RL artist Nylon Pinkney, but here's one more to add to the list. Nylon (whose fans include comedian Drew Carey) has recently been painting up a storm with a series of beautifully detailed digital avatar portraits, including the one above which you can see in full on Flickr. 

Nylon's artistic talents are no mystery to those of us who follow her in SL, but if you're new to her work you may want to catch up...