THe 2015 Snowball Warzone Showdown is happening this Friday, February 6th from 10:00 a.m. SLT to Noon SLT.
I just heard about this today and thought it would be worth posting, in case some of you can make it, despite the late notice. Unfortunately, I cannot attend because I am at RL work at that time. Should be a blast! Click on this link for the Facebook Page: Snowball Warzone Showdown.
“Come pelt some Lindens and fellow Residents with snowballs in a frozen field free-for-all at Winter Wonderland. That’s right – between 10 AM SLT and noon SLT on Friday, February 6th, we’re holding a meetup inworld at the Snowball Warzone. Get your free snow launching weapon, gather your posse, and prepare to say hello to some Linden friends for a full on flurry of snow-slinging fun.”
Today, February 1st at Noon, MadPea’s latest interactive and immersive grid-wide point and click adventure game began!
This highly-anticipated event had the writers and creators working feverishly to put the finishing touches on the game in order to be ready for their opening at noon. Once opened, MadPea gamers, or “Peas” as they like to be called, began flooding the sim. I have been a huge MadPea fan for several years now, and I always wait with baited breath for the newest event. Sometimes a hunt, sometimes a game, but one thing that you can always count on — it will stretch your imagination and tax your deductive skills, sometimes even frustrate you beyond belief — but you always know that with MadPea, you expect the unexpected.
Not only do participants in these events have a grand adventure, but they end up with some amazing prizes at the end.
As the minutes ticked by towards Noon slt, you could almost see the Peas at the door, hands flat on the glass, eyes fever bright in anticipation, breath fogging up the glass. Excitement sends a frisson down the sim when you see the group notice come through — “We are proud and excited to open our first game of the year – BURIED!” I immediately TP’d over and bought my game hud for $300L.
This is the welcome message:
“Welcome to BURIED the game by MadPea Productions.
You have landed on an island that a few decades ago was used frequently by campers. The islands you see ahead of you are privately owned by Lily and Joshua Morano. It’s the end of June and Lily has been missing for two weeks. The police hasn’t found any clues about her whereabouts and Joshua is getting desperate. He would do anything to have his loving wife back and has offered a $500 000 reward for the person who finds Lily. That massive reward is the reason you (and hundreds of others) are here for.”
When you wear your HUD, you get this message:
BURIED HUD v0.9:
“You are equipped only with your tablet. Additional accessories to get immersed into the story with can be purchased from the store at the landing point. Start the game by exploring the island and finding clues about Lily and what could have happened to her. We recommend that you take the boat, it’s a long way to swim and the waves are unpredictable. Good luck, Player! If you should require any help, you can always ask in MadPeas’ group chat. The map icon takes you always back to the landing point.”
As always, MadPea continues to outdo itself with each event.
I was able to explore the first couple of islands, but then had to log to real life for awhile. Now, the sims are full and I cannot get on. I am not quite sure what I’m looking for, but I know the theme of this game is about a missing woman who was writing a book on geocaching. It should be fabulous!
To start the game, purchase your hud at the store by clicking this link: Buried by MadPea
For more information, click on the link here to go to their blog: MadPea Blog
The best thing about MadPea is the community. The Peas are all ready, willing, and able to give hints to anyone who wishes a helping hand. Just join the group, and ask in group chat and someone will IM you. Everyone is friendly, kind and helpful.
Here are some pics I took today:
Enjoy!
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media
Like many people, Dori Helstein was drawn to Second Life because of the myriad of artists and creators in-world. “It’s what keeps me here,” she says.
As a result of her love of art and all things creative, Dori opened an art gallery in Second Life nearly a year ago, to showcase some of SL’s best talent. Her store, Dori Helstein Designs, can be found by clicking this link: Dori Helstein Designs
Dori Helstein
Dori’s love of artistic expression in SL is evident within moments of meeting her.
“I am a supporter of arts in SL, thus I decided to use part of my gallery store to exhibit new or relatively new RL artists in SL. DH Designs Art Events will host about 2-3 artists per year, [and] each will run two months long. The event is for people to enjoy the art, but they can also acquire the art if they so wish.”
Dori’s latest find is RL photographer Rhy Breil. Rhy is currently exhibiting his photography at her gallery, and will be there February 1st through March 30th. All are invited to his Gallery Opening Sunday, Feb. 1st, from 6pm to 8pm SLT t browse Rhy’s RL photography, and purchase any that strikes your fancy. All photos come framed and are resizeable.
Rhy is from North Carolina and has been doing photographs for a number of years. His work is varied and includes urban scenes and landscapes to suit most any taste.
“I have known Rhy and his work for about 3 years,” Dori stated. “And I have seen him grow and develop so much it is astounding. I knew he was ready for a showing in SL. He is a very easy going person and humble about his art. Even then, we have 39 photos exhibited here.”
I was invited by Dori to preview the exhibit, and was very impressed with the beautiful RL photography that he has created and brought into SL, and which would look wonderful any SL home or business. His photographs have bucolic landscapes, edgier abstracts, sepia-toned photos of old vehicles, and Noir street scenes. Dori also tells me that Rhy has some amazing photos of North Carolina’s coastline, which she hopes to have him exhibit, also.
Rhy’s collection has four series, or areas so you will see the signs marking each one.
1) Whispered Lives
2) Life’s Abstractions
3) Past as Motion
4) Vie Noir Series
Please plan on attending the opening reception of this amazing photographer on Feb. 1st at 6pm. Here is the link to the gallery: Photography by Rhy Breil
If you can’t make the gallery opening (I hear there is some football game tomorrow… hehe), please plan a visit to the gallery and wander, absorbing the beauty of these photographs and even purchasing one or two if you are so inclined. They are well worth the price.
Here are some photographs I took of the gallery. Enjoy, and hope to see you there!
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media
For residents who wish to know more about parceling, here is some helpful information on subdividing and rejoining land.
Subdividing Land
To create two parcels from one parcel:
1. Stand on your parcel. From your View Menu turn on Property Lines. If you use the Firestorm viewer, you would go to your World menu, choose Show More and pick Property Lines from the side menu, or simply use the keyboard shortcut Cntrl+Alt+Shift+P. After a brief pause you should see your land boundary shown in red.
2. Right-click the ground and choose Edit Terrain, or hit ctrl-5. A dialogue box will pop up.
3. Your mouse can now be used to draw a yellow bounding box to select the portion of land you wish to divide into its own parcel (see the image below). Simply left click your mouse at the starting point, and hold the mouse button down while dragging your mouse to select the parcel. If you make a mistake, simply let go of the mouse button, close out the menu and start over again. Do this until you have the area selected that you wish to divide.
4. With the area selected, you can now click Subdivide under Modify Terrain in the Edit Terrain menu.
5. It will prompt you to confirm the split. Once you have agreed – your land will be divided into two separate parcels.
Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Yellow bounding box for subdividing land
Each parcel can have its own settings — such as rename the parcel, set music stream, land options, etc. The separate parcels will accrue traffic independently of each other, which is important if you’re monitoring traffic to a business. Security systems will recognize parcel lines if set to parcel only.
Joining Land
Joining land is a very similar process, once again using the yellow land selection bounding box.
1. Stand on one of the parcels you wish to join to another. From your View Menu turn on Property Lines. If you use the Firestorm viewer, you would go to your World menu, choose Show More and pick Property Lines from the side menu, or simply use the keyboard shortcut Cntrl+Alt+Shift+P. After a brief pause you should see your land boundary shown in red.
2. Check that both parcels of land are adjacent (they must share a border at some point).
3. Check that both parcels are within the same region. You cannot join land across a region boundary.
4. Check that both parcels have the same owner. You cannot, for example, join your group land to your personal land.
5. Next, right-click the ground and choose Edit Terrain or hit Ctrl-5.
6. Now you are ready to create the yellow bounding box. Left click and hold your mouse down, and drag the yellow selection such that it spans the border between the two parcels you want to join (see the image below). You need to have selected a little land from both parcels that are to be joined. You do not need to select all of both parcels, just some from both.
7. With that done, you should now be able to click the Join button under Modify Terrain in the Edit Terrain menu.
8. With both parcels now joined into one, check the About Land window. Firestorm users click World – Parcel Details, or simply right-click the ground and choose “About Land” and make sure that your settings are correct.
Click on the picture to enlarge it.
Select the border between parcels to rejoin, including a little land from each parcel.
Note: The smallest parcel you can create in Second Life is 16m² (4m x 4m).
I hope you find this information helpful. Have fun!
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers
ZI Social Media
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.
I received a note card inworld about One Billion Rising — an event that started in Second Life in 2013 and continues today. February 14th is the day chosen for Second Life’s One Billion Rising events.
The One Billion Rising website (that’s a clickable link) describes it’s beginnings and the objective of the event:
“ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Walk, Dance, and Rise as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.
The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.
The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing to donate.
One Billion Rising in Second Life is sponsored by: Alchemy Immortalis; Bits and Bobs Animations; Cheeky Pea; The Domineaux Effect; Dutchie; Galland Homes; Garden of Dreams; Gos Boutique; Gwen Carillon Designs/Serenite; Heart Garden Centre; Kaerri; MadPea; Maven Homes; Meshworx; Prime; and Spargel and Shine. In-kind sponsors are: caLLie cLine; Fruit Islands; L’aize Dayz; KittyCatS!; and Prim Perfect Publications.”
This is the information on the note card I was given:
“On February 14th 2013, one billion people in 207 countries rose and danced to demand an end to violence against women and girls.
On February 14th 2014, we escalated our efforts, calling on women and men everywhere to Rise, Release, Dance, and demand Justice!
Now, on February 14th 2015, we are calling for a revolution for change.
Change can happen if grassroots movements and marginalized communities are in the lead.
Change can happen if we demand accountability – making sure our justice calls last year are realized. We are going to continue to demand justice, and will continue to highlight the issues surrounding the social injustices inflicted on women, and to keep highlighting where these issues connect. We will continue to challenge institutions, governments, policies, laws – and make these systems, which are responsible for creating situations of poverty and violence, accountable.
Change can happen if we harness our creativity and energy. We will highlight, create and envision new, brave and radical artistic initiatives to bring in the new revolutionary world of equality, dignity and freedom for all women and girls. There is nothing more powerful than art as a tool for transformation.
Change can happen if…WE ACT NOW. AND WE ACT TOGETHER.Change can happen if…WE ACT NOW. AND WE ACT TOGETHER.
One Billion Rising in Second Life 2015
In Second Life, we will be marking the occasion (as we did last year) with a twenty-four hour one day event that will allow women and men to gather. There will be music, there will be art installations and exhibitions, there will be poetry sessions, there will be storytelling events, there will be live dramatic performances, there will be dancing – and there will be information kiosks that will share information about organizations devoted to promoting justice for women across the globe, and stories of events that will be happening around the world.
The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.
This is not an event to raise money – although you will find information about organizations that need funding. But our primary goals are to draw people together and to raise awareness.
What can you do?
You can attend the event!
You can send us information about groups known to you that we can add to the informational kiosks. How can you do this? You can write to 1billionrisinginsecondlife@gmail.com or post on our Facebook page (that’s a clickable link).
You can spread the word about One Billion Rising in Second Life amongst your friends, your communities and through social media.
You can volunteer to help us organize the event – by completing this form by clicking here: How Can I Join In?
We need greeters, security, stage managers, media liaison and information processors, who will help build the information that will go into our displays.
You can add your reasons for rising to our special Why I’m Rising page by clicking here: Why I’m Rising
If you would like to be a sponsor for the event, contact Samantha Ohrberg in-world.
If you would like to be part of our special Press Day, you can complete this form by clicking here: Information for the Press
Change can happen if…WE ACT NOW. AND WE ACT TOGETHER.”
I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media
THe 2015 Snowball Warzone Showdown is happening this Friday, February 6th from 10:00 a.m. SLT to Noon SLT. 
