Happy New Year

Join the Excitement of Fun and Educational Community Events in Second Life!

 

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Happy New Year, Second Life Residents! If you’re eager to kick off 2024 with a burst of excitement, here are some fun and educational community-driven activities and events lined up throughout the year. Enroll in building classes, attend lively festivals, and immerse yourself in educational conferences throughout the coming year. 

Relay For Life – Unveiling the Power of Unity

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American Cancer Society

The official home of the American Cancer Society in Second Life. Since 2005, cancer patients, caregivers, and volunteers have been able to receive services and support from the ACS in SL without having to leave the virtual world. Visit the island to learn more or to make a donation to fund the world’s largest and most successful cancer research program. More info at relayforlife.com/secondlife

Go on a journey of compassion and support as Relay For Life of Second Life events kick off this year. Mark your calendars as registrations open this month. SL Living Expo, Fantasy Faire, and other event dates have already been announced. Don’t miss out on any details – follow the American Cancer Society Google calendar for all the info! 

Burn2 – Festival of Community, Art, and Fire

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Burn2

Experience BURN2, the festival of community, art, and fire that brings the culture and cool of Burning Man to the metaverse. Learn more at www.burn2.org

Experience the virtual rendition of Burning Man in Second Life with Burn2! With captivating events every quarter, their first event, Winter Burn, starts on January 26th. Explore the details on their website and get more info about their weekly meetings and events in their Google calendar. It’s a virtual festival you won’t want to miss!

VWBPE – Unleashing Educational Innovations

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The Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education (VWBPE) is a community-based open conference that provides opportunities for participants in all virtual worlds to share current teaching, learning, and research practices in 3D virtual environments. This year’s theme is “Mythic Origins” and it runs from March 14-16, 2024. Join the event for three days of lectures, workshops, discussions, games, and fun! It’s a must-attend event for anyone passionate about the intersection of virtual environments and education. Learn more on their website at vwbpe.org.

VWEC – Igniting Educational Conversations

Continue to elevate your educational journey with the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium (VWEC) Eduverse! If you’re passionate about fostering collaboration among educators and navigating the virtual landscape, this is the destination for you. You can learn more about VWEC from the Spotlight interview of three of their coordinators. Additionally, you can check their website and their Google Calendar to attend their daily events and fireside chats.

Virtual Ability – Empowering Lives in Virtual Worlds

Virtual Ability, a non-profit corporation founded in 2007, is dedicated to enabling individuals with a wide range of disabilities to flourish in online virtual worlds. They have two major events throughout the year, keep an eye on their website for more information coming soon: 

  1. Mental Health Symposium (May): In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Virtual Ability hosts the annual Mental Health Symposium. This event serves as a platform to share crucial information about mental health and disabilities with the broader population. The cross-disability community within Virtual Ability includes members dealing with various mental health issues. The symposium not only offers a chance for community members to learn from experts they might not encounter otherwise but also opens the doors for the general public to attend a professional conference at no cost.
  2. International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference (October/November): Taking place around October/November each year, this conference is a testament to Virtual Ability’s commitment to advocating for disability rights globally. Join this empowering event that brings together voices from the disability community to discuss, affirm, and advance the rights of individuals with disabilities.

Builder’s Brewery – Crafting Dreams Since 2008

For all aspiring builders out there, Builder’s Brewery is your go-to destination. Established in 2008, it stands as one of Second Life’s oldest hubs for learning. Dive into free training classes covering everything from building to scripting, textures, mesh, animations, and more. Check their schedule of classes on their Google Calendar.

 

Find even more educational destinations and exciting events in the Education, Help & How To, and Featured Events categories on the Destination Guide throughout the year!

But wait, there’s more! Along with these community-driven activities, we here at Linden Lab also have a lot in store for 2024 – including the Valentine Shop & Hop which is about to open on February 1st, and of course our 21st birthday celebrations in June! 

Get ready for a year filled with excitement, creativity, and unforgettable experiences in Second Life. Don’t miss out on the action – stay connected: follow our Featured News blog, sign up for our weekly email newsletter, and connect with us on social media.

Let the adventure begin, happy 2024!

Happy New Year From All Of The Staff At Zoha Islands/Fruit Islands Stay Tuned For Estate Updates and Upgrades.

Fuschia Nightfire and Wolfie Moonshadow Make Beautiful Music Together

Fuschia Nightfire, also known as Nina Camplin in RL, is not only a talented designer and artist in both RL and SL, but she is an accomplished machninamist, as well. Among her many accomplishments in SL are sculptures and statues, and she built the beautiful **STARS** Dance Club in Second Life, a live music venue.

Nina’s RL website can be found by clicking this link: Nina Camplin.

Here is a link to some information about her and **STARS** Dance Club can be found by cliking this link: Fuschia Nightfire and **STARS** Dance Club

One of the most beautiful love songs currently on the airwaves is Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” The music video for his song is a stunningly elegant and creative dance of two lovers. Fuschia re-created this video in SL, set to “Thinking Out Loud” being sung by talented SL and RL live music performer Wolfie Moonshadow.

This collaboration of talents has resulted in one of the most beautiful machinimas I’ve seen to date. Set against the stunning backdrop of the beautiful **STARS** Dance Club, Fuschia and Wolfie have created something that is a delight and treat for your senses.

I’ve included both the link to Ed Sheeran’s original video, and to the machinima created by Fuschia and Wolfie.

Here is Fuschia’s machinima:

Here’s Ed Sheeran’s original video:

Click here for the SLURL for **STARS** Dance Club in Second Life. They have live music three nights a week: **STARS** Dance Club

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Blogger and Social Media

Machinima In Second Life

One of the things in Second Life that fascinates me the most is machinima.

Machinima is the use of real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. Most often video games are used to generate the computer animation, such as Second Life. Machinimists use external software and 3-D mouse to capture gameplay in Second Life, and then edit it, add music and effects much like regular videographers do.

Second Life’s Facebook page posted a machinima that is extremely well done. I love the effects. I thought I would post it here for you to enjoy!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZoHa Islands Blogger/Social Media

Frisland in Winter

I saw a link to this video on Facebook, and decided I needed to post about this beautiful place in SL. This place is exquisite.

Here is some information on Frisland given in the notecard you receive upon landing:

“This is an open place for all ppl [sic] that love to relax in a beautiful environment on a sim where time stands still. Frisland was designed for photographers and explorers based upon the idea of a phantom island in the North Atlantic that appeared on lots of maps during the 16th and 17th centuries. We want to share this place with you but there are a few rules to follow:

1. Frisland is a moderate sim also frequented by kids and families. So please: NO nudity and NO obvious sexual activities. We accept your RP like D/s but we want you to make your leashes invisible and wear proper clothes that are acceptable for a sim like ours.

2. NO rudeness, NO violence, NO weapons. Treat other ppl [sic] on the sim with respect and enjoy a relaxed talk with them as long as they want. Don’t molest or harass them. Some ppl [sic] just come over to enjoy the silence and peace on Frisland.

3. As a member of the Frisland Group you can rez here. This permission is only for rezzing poses or probs to take a pic, NOT for abusing the sim as a playground or sandbox! If you want to build or unpack your purchases, please use the search to find appropriate places. Also, please do not rez cars or motorbikes or any modern stuff that doesn’t fit Frisland.

if you want to join the group, it costs a small fee of 150 L$ that helps us to keep running the sim 🙂 ”

Here is the video I saw that first made me take notice of this beautiful, peaceful place. This is machinima done by a professional; way better than I could ever hope to do. It was well done, and so I thought I’d share with you. Enjoy, and visit this location if you’d like to see it in person.

For the SLurl to the sim, click here: Frisland in Winter

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media