The MaMachinima Festival 2009

I attended the MaMachinima Festival in Rasta Flats briefly today. The LagFest was godawful, I crashed three times just sitting there. On the gripping hand, I got to see the work of some incredibly talented people, and got to have A MAY STROLL seen by a bunch of people.

To see a short vignette, click here:

Good heavens, I should practice more

Rivet Town to close

Photo: R. Fabre

It's sad to see it happen, but I suspect it will happen more frequently in the months to come. Rivet Town's owner and manager, Grace Loudoun, announced recently that her roleplaying sim set in a steampunk reality will close at the end of March. For the full text of her message, I refer you to Miss Easterman's blog. Ms. Loudoun's reasons are financial in nature; the community did not generate enough rental and shop income to sustain itself. In tough economic times, I suspect SL may be the first thing to go. I saw an interesting statistic about the number of islands being returned to Linden Labs not that long ago; it was quite an eye-opener. I suspect it will be going up in months to come.

Steelhead's Rapier Wits

Yes, that's our team name. Blame it on Remington, I do!

We appear to have five or six stalwarts that will come to the colors-- Nabila, myself, Riven, Eugenia, Tensai (if she's not busy), Eva, maybe one or two more.

I can already tell I need to hit the piste more, if the current standings are any indication:



Guess who showed up to give it a try?

Change we can believe in

Well, maybe.. in any event..

The Monastery of Felix Meritis in Lill Burn Valley

Although YHN has been involved in Second Life for more than two years, he still finds the best discoveries in world to be happy accidents. It is a testament to the creativity of the vast network of creators that inhabit the known world that I still make happy discoveries on a regular basis. So it was with the Monastery of Felix Meritis, located in a small island of serenity on the southern mainland continent. YHN disovered this location in general search, while looking for the term "rennaissance." The good Rittmeister's recent lecture had me interested in diverse arms and accountriments of the renniassance soldier, it was pleasantry ironic to find a monastery cropping up in the search results, so I hopped the nearest aetheric conveyance and showed up.

The Monastery is primarily the work of Man Monnett, who started work in January of 2007. Since then the Monastery has grown to a surrounding village and inhabited most of the Lillburn Valley on the Southern continent.

In the words of Man Monnett:

There is a place in Second Life where you can find peace - it's called the Monastery of Felix Meritis.



History
When I first joined Second Life two years ago, I did the usual commercial things. I went shopping, bought ‘stuff’, and sought out the normal activities that I would pursue in the real word. All of these real-life choices were available, but were neither particularly satisfying nor interesting. They were also not inspirational and seemed blatantly commercial, even aggressive at times and very superficial. After a while I found Second Life an empty and rather frustrating experience.
I actually stumbled upon the valley where the Monastery is built and was immediately impressed by the peace and tranquility. It was quite a different feeling than anywhere else I had been in Second Life – which is why I decided to build the monastery. I simply wanted to capture this spiritual feeling and show a new experience in Second Life.



It started with a small court. But it has been re-built twice since then, and has grown in size with each re-design as neighbors and various people have donated their land when they saw what a unique and safe haven it is. With every construction the complex became more and more realistic reflecting the architecture and art of southern Europe. With a minor in Renaissance Art I am particularly drawn to that period in history from 1200 – 1500.



Hence, the creative inspiration for the Monastery has its roots there. Over the years I have visited numerous monasteries and cathedrals around Europe. Mostly Italy, France and Spain that have influenced the design. During this time period in history – Early Renaissance, the perception of God slowly transformed towards a more humanistic image. ‘God does not live in a dark church but has given you His Holy Spirit to guide you.’



Today
The monastery of Felix Meritis and its peaceful valley are visited regularly by a growing group of people. Almost half the cloister is inhabited and it has over 150 paid group members. Many of the visitors return weekly and bring friends and family. People give all sorts of things; they light candles, bring flowers, give money, and even donate their complete inventory including their land when they leave Second Life. In a way it’s almost like a real monastery. Although it is a non-denominational monastery and we welcome people of all faiths. It is not an ‘order’ and has no direction or agenda, beyond that it is meant to be a safe place where one can experience their spirituality without rules and restrictions. It provides a path to God without any obstacles such as language, education, cultural differences, or personal history. Therefore there are no ceremonies or services other than a listening ear. People can call the monks to talk to. Every monk will answer the situation with his own personal knowledge and caracter.
There are also monthly group meetings by invitation but there is no agenda, and the interaction is spontaneous.



And to repeat myself, we are Christian but do not ‘practice’ a religion. I believe that God is within each of us. And it is up to each of us as individuals to develop our own spirituality and find our unique faith in
what we do and who we are.

The monastery and surrounding village is a true treat to visit; both for Christians and builders with an appreciation for historical texture work. Well worth a casual visit, and like a gem hidden on the mainland.

YHN Makes no apologies

…for his appearance in this one..

It’s Spiral’s fault.  Honest..

Any rumors of a new cartoon called Morty the Happy Moose are merely idle speculation.

Cavalry and Cavarlymen of the 1500s, a lecture by Rittmeister Peterman

On Monday, February 23rd, the Parish of Reading Primley hosted a lecture by Rittmeister Peterman on the subject of cavalry and soldiering in the 1500s. The Parish is located in Renaissance Island. In Real Life, the Rittmeister is Gordon Frye, student of history, jouster, historical recreationist, master of the British Cavalry in the movie "The Patriot" and one of the instructors at the "School of the Renaissance Soldier. He is also the RL husband of Mrs. Peterman, aka Nabila Nadir.
Mr. Frye has ridden the horses, worn the armour, felt the shock of the lance and been researching this subject for many many years.


I am not sure whether Mr. Peterman would approve of me publishing his outline, so I will point you toward his site and give a few excellent historical websites of interest he gives at the end of his lecture:

http://historypundit.webs.com/

Websites of Interest:

“School of the Renaissance Soldier”; Patrick Gaul, Gordon Frye and Barry Siler. See especially Barry Siler’s detailed discussions on Siege Warfare

Military Science in Western Europe in the Sixteenth Century. by Jherek Swanger

Le Poulet Gauche, an SCA Tavern (of all things!). TONS of great information on the French Wars of Religion

Elizabethan World, with lots of information on the manners, language and lifestyle of the day and age. Very nicely done.

History of the Spanish Tercios

Image of Ireland by John Derrick, London,1582, with wonderful woodcuts showing what an English army looked like in that day and age.

The lecture was very well attended, and the good Rittmeister held forth for an hour at least, demonstrating a thorough depth of knowledge on the historical subject of medieval soldiering.




YHN had a wonderful time of it-- lectures such as these are one of the better uses of Second Life as an educational tool.

Steelhead City enters the burgeoning Naval Race

Late last evening, the Governor of Caledon, Desmond Shang, announced plans for a revitalized and more active Caledonian Navy, with a mysterious new Admiral at its helm. The Governor announced that "new ships had been commissioned" for his newly envisioned and purposed naval forces. Elsewhere, the Hammers and tongs have been going all night in the shipyards of the Steeltopian Empire, as they have sent no less than three new ironclads down the quays. In newly emergent nautical town of Armada, there is strong talk of forming ironlad pirate forces to prey upon the rich coastal cities. Even venerable nautical powers such as Antiquity have had a stronger focus upon Ironclad forces lately, as each of the Steamland nations ramps up their wooden fleets to take advantage of the twin benefits of s more powerful engines and strong iron armor. Steelhead City, always rather peaceable to its neighbors, has been rather late to get into the ironclad race, only lately having formed a fleet, the Steelhead Naval Service, under Commodore Peterman.

The balance of power may be shifting in its favor, however. Recent reports indicate the new SNS TAOS to be thoroughly advanced in construction and quite capable in terms of combat effectiveness. A modified casemate hull sporting a non-classical cigar shape overall, the TAOS Class boasts a Gatling Gun forward, three Dhalgrens a side, and one Dhalgren aft. The TAOS is ram-capable as well, which should come as a nasty surprise.




When reached for comment, Commodore Peterman said "Our uniforms may not be as pretty, and we shan't be going to sea with sideboys and full ceremony, but I suspect we will soon be in decent enough shape to give any fleet what-fer"

Wrath Fleet Commodore O'Toole stated: "The TAOS looks pugnacious, rude, as if it were personally seeking a hind end to kick. In other words, an excellent combat vessel. I look forward to engaging it in battle"

With an imminent commissioning date for the TAOS class, Steelhead's nautical future is no longer a matter of speculation.

Summon the Kharma Brigade for Duke Barrymore

I have read over on the Heliograph that the RL human behind Duke Greg Barrymore of Antiquity has been hospitalized with a, quote, "serious heart condition." There's something about appending the word "serious" to a medical condition that has always made YHN apprehensive. In any event, if you have a moment, and are of the persuasion, say a prayer, bang a gong, clack some beads, sacrifice to Baron Samedi, or just think good kharmic thoughts about The Grand Duke's health.

The Duke at the Recent Dining In Holiday party, reciting a limerick before the assembled guests

Perhaps the skeptics amongst us will consider this a waste of time; I never do. Best wishes going out to the Grand Duke for a speedy and complete recovery, and prayers for his family and friends in this time of stress.

A Record Journey

Being in a mood to explore last night, I launched the MSS HOLLAND from the dock at Roatan, and sailed North to the Santa Cruz islands, then west to Nantucket, and passing south of there, out into the Blake’s Sea. 

I crossed the Blakes and proceed on into the channels above the Nautilus continent, which led inland into another, larger inland sea.

This mainland sailing area is vast.. easily dwarfing the Blakes in size and attached to the mainland itself.  The last time I ventured into these waters, I found the going surprisingly difficult.  Last night, I found that as long as a Mariner kept to the middle course and didn’t go full speed ahead, the sim crossing problem was mediated nicely.

I moored the Holland here, at the end of a journey easily 70 plus sims from end to end.  I could have continued, but I thought I recognized the name of the sim as “The Velvet”, a place I often frequent with my fellow Hobos.

Alas, THIS “Velvet” was a European sex club, which had Your Humble Narrator scurrying back to the docks.  One never knows what the effect of a sailor suit will be in such establishments.

I could have gone on, slightly farther, but I was astonished at the clear sailing as it was.. From Port Merrimac all the way deep into the mainland areas in one long unbroken water trip.

The Inauguration of the Clockwinder of New Babbage

The former candidate for Mayor of New Babbage, Mr. Aeolus Cleanslate, graciously took over the inauguration ceremony for the new Mayor Clockwinder of that City, Mr. Mosseveno Tenk. Regular readers may recall YHN's participation (in a peripheral sense) in the New Babbage election, by volunteering to create public commercials for all candidates. Beyond that, I was not much engaged in the debate transpiring in New Babbage at that time. Despite this, it was requested that I preside over the ceremony of Inauguration by swearing in the new Clockwinder. I was honored to perform this service. Planning went forward in earnest under Mr. Cleanslate. YHN suggested a swearing in pose of some sort, and a few remarks. Mr. Tenk's response was brief and to the point, much like the man itself.. "Take care of it, O'Toole." Not sure of how much of the ceremony would be under purview, I took the liberty of writing a speech, based upon two of the best speeches given by the late President Lincoln of the United States, the Lyceum Address and the First Inaugural Address, I drafted a speech which was rejected out of hand for being too inflammatory. Sigh. I am loathe to to toss it out of hand, so it resides here.

The Oath of Office was easily made; YHN started with the oath taken by members of the armed service and highest office holders in the United States, and worked it on the fly, the night before as we worked on blocking:

I (state your name) do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Great City of New Babbage against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation of Clockwinder freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; that I will keep her gears oiled, her mainsprings wound, and her steam engines stoked with coal, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of Clockwinder on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

The crowd was quite wonderful; I didn't expect such a huge turnout, but there it was.. :-D

Here is a slide show of the event. Pray click on the picture to enlarge it.




The ceremony went off without a hitch; Mr. Tenk surprised us all by free associating in his own right, and presenting the Mace of Office to Mr. Cleanslate, now named The Chief Engineer of New Babbage.

Congratulations, Mr. Clockwinder! And well done, Mr. Cleanslate!

The Storm Eye

Click Thumbnail to play video

Mr. Douglas Story, creator of the FLOWER BALL some years back, has created THE STORMEYE in collaboration with Miss Desdemona Enfield. The Eye is a sort of contained weather art piece that looks like a gazillion video balloons in the shape of a cornucopia. The build is astonishing, and you should go visit it right this instant. For more information, and a SLURL, visit Mr. Story's STORM EYE journal.

The October Country: We have met the enemy and he is us

I was dismayed to hear of the demise of Martian Wei's wonderful OCTOBER COUNTRY sim. I recall visiting the sim for the first time in early 2007, and the many great times I had there*. It is a testament to Martian Wei, the sim's owner, that he provided an environment where Second Life customers could simply sit thoughtfully around a simulated camp fire and listen to stories unfold. What a simple concept. What a lovely Gothic setting, with the campfire and story circle.. the graveyard, the lonely Bates motel up on the hill... Because of group limitations, I had to drop out of the October Country group some time ago, and with Second Life being the way it is, that's like shutting the door on something. I gradually lost touch with October Country, though I returned occasionally for special events, like their wonderful all day long Halloween parties. Then I read an emotional, highly editorialized account of Martian Wei's decision to shut down October Country. I was stunned. Wei's own estate managers had pounced on him, berating him for putting his own considerable real life issues of family and declining health first, and 'not being around enough". The combination of betrayal within and sharp decline in contributions from donations made closing the October Country a painful necessity for Mr. Wei. I can certainly agree with his conclusions, given the story of what had transpired. It couldn't have been easy, however. How well I recall the days when the October Country was bustling, with upwards of 20 souls around the campfire, all silent, listening to stories..

That was here

The October Country’s Halloween parties were epic, all day affairs, with the requisite macabre audio stories and wonderful costume parties up near the Bates Motel.

That was here

We will likely see more wonderful projects like the October Country disappear as the economy contracts and people aren’t as forthcoming with donations as they once were. I cannot fault Mr. Wei for this decision. It was his sim, and his money, after all, and if he felt that could not give the project he loved the attention it deserved, nor trust his own lieutenants to run things well in his absence, than it was time for this to happen.

Yet Second Life is poorer with its absence. Mr. Wei, if you’re out there somewhere, please accept my thanks for your efforts, your kindness and vision. I greatly appreciated everything you did for October Country and I wish things could have worked out. Rest, and be well. Raise your son. Some of us understand.

* In those posts of two years ago, I incorrectly refer to October Country as "Haunting Harbor Island". Either that younger self got bad information at the time or the sim was going through some name changes. For purposes of the narrative, Haunting Harbor Island is the October Country.

Orabelle Steamforge Paddleboats now available at Port Merrimac

Miss Kandace Commons, a brilliant designer and builder, has created wonderful low-cost (1 Linden!) combat paddleboats which are now available on the dock at Port Merrimac in Roatan.  See the illustrations for where to find these paddleboats.  Paddleboats are key elements in Miss Commons’ excellent CAPTURE THE FLAG system.  As the Wrath Fleet may be hosting a Capture the Flag game for Relay for Life in May, the Commodore thought it might be useful to put the boats out early to putter about in.

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Please come by and pick up this wonderful, nearly free item, which will provide endless hours of amusement.  The paddleboats CAN fight and sink each other using the ICS (Ironclad Combat System) as this video shows.

Of course, to use these boats you will need the proper permissions for Port Merrimac and/or the sims at Zatzai and Lilliput.  See Hotspur Otoole, Zatzai Asturias or any Lilliput Event Administrator for information on Rez Zones and permissions.

We must be mad! Elven airships at Gulliver Airport

You may recall previous attempts at flying Mr. Tinleg's fabulous Elven Airship. They were exciting, if not always accurate.

Having inducted CDR Tinlegs into the Wrath Fleet, as well as LT Nichus Berman, YHN and CDR Murakami took our former Middlesea officer for a tour of the lands surrounding Roatan. Upon seeing lovely Gulliver Airport, the redoubtable Gnome produced his Elven Flyer, Mark II!



CDR Murakami was raring to give it a try. YHN, remember many high speed impacts of months past, was perhaps.. shy.



CDR Tinlegs assured me that all the kinks were worked out of this one. Hmmm. Yes. Well, Avanti, then.

Imagine our shock pleasant surprise when the now three seated Elven flyer rose up, shot out over the Blake Sea as if it were no trouble in the world.



For the first time in YHN's experience, the Elvish flier did exactly what it was supposed to do!



Astonishing!



We welcome CDR Tinlegs and LT Berman to our ranks, and look forward to more genteel and successful experiments like this one.

Bad Customer Service, like Bad Mexican Food, leaves a taste in one's mouth that one soon won't forget

EDITORIAL: In June of last year, I had a little run in with sim manager Alejandro Rosenthal in the public chat for the group "Carnival of Doom", a group supporting the wonderful "Carnival of Doom" build I am a fan of. Carnival of Doom is part of the Rezzable sim community, and Mr. Rosenthal is, presumably, Rezzable staff for this build. In June, I reported the full text of the interaction with Mr. Rosenthal-- as it was public in nature, and illustrated Mr. Rosenthal's notion of customer service to the community he supports. As the text shows, I mistakenly tried to be glib and dismissive of Mr. Rosenthal's point of view, as he ejected people from his sim right and left, presumably for the 'sin' of not being serious enough in the public chat. My motivation, at the time, was to calm Mr. Rosenthal down, get him to laugh a bit and not get two innocent people ejected for speaking in a jocular tone with me in public chat. The normal tone of that channel was silly enough.

I confess, I didn't take the matter very seriously at that moment, not truly understanding Mr. Rosenthal's managerial role in things until it was too late. So I didn't see how angry he was becoming. Mr. Rosenthal got pretty chesty with me, very quickly, so I decided it was time to bow out of that conversation (which had degenerated to Mr. R. slinging insults) and perhaps come back to the Carnival of Doom when he wasn't there. I did so, a few times, and then my interests went elsewhere as they often do in a virtual world that changes so rapidly.

I didn't even think about CoD again until last night, when I was in the Hobo Village sim, which is part of the Rezzable Empire now. What did I see but a cornfield leading over to the Carnival of Doom sim? I decided to ride Electric Blue, my steam horse, over the border to see what was new with the CoD, not having been there since the previous June or July. You can guess what happens next.

I politely sent Mr. Rosenthal a request:

"Mr. Rosenthal, I am a hobo from the hobo village sim. Tonight, I tried to enter the Carnival of Doom from the "children of the corn" entrance (my term for the border with the Hobo Village). I discovered I was banned. Can I ask why?"

No reply. I suspect I'm muted. I can live with that. I can live with being banned from a sim. The reasons for the ban, however, I find mind boggling. After the public display of Mr. Rosenthal's petulance in June, I had no more interaction with him. I DID express my views in this journal concerning Mr. Rosenthal's people skills, as an example of what not to do if you wish to build a true sim community starting from a marvelous concept. Not for nothing did I title that piece "How a good idea goes south in Second Life... all too quickly".

The only conclusion I can draw from this experience is that I am banned from this Rezzable sim for giving my honest opinion about monumentally poor service from Mr. Rosenthal, in this journal. Again, I'm rather indifferent about actually being banned from a sim-- there are a lot of them out there. I know I am no 'griefer' and disrupted nothing in the Carnival of Doom other than Mr. Rosenthal's nettled pride. I suspect banning is Mr. Rosenthal exacting a little petty revenge for not looking good in "print". That's his privilege as a manager, but it does not cast Rezzable in a very positive light. Banning is a potent tool in a sim manager's toolchest, but it should be one used as a last resort, certainly never out of spite even if it's private land. Perhaps the Rezzable management should look at the dozens and dozens of names on the ban list for the Carnival of Doom and start asking the hard questions.

Disclaimer: I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for Rezzable and its community of worlds, INCLUDING the Carnival of Doom, which I think Mr. Rosenthal and his fellow builders did a magnificent job on. I mention this incident because I have strong opinions on the formation of communities in a virtual world, and Mr. Rosenthal's actions are like a case study example of putting a MAKER in a position a MANAGER should inhabit (See the previous link for the taxonomy of community positions).

Not quite Macy's..

But a grand time was had by all at the Mardi Gras parade over in Caledon over the weekend. A grand total of three parades were held. The Fleet of Wrath Exiles floated a special version of the MSS LAVANCO that floats on air (courtesy of the last minute work of Fleet Engineer Murakami).

Fortunately, the kinescopic capture devices were rolling.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! (or just click me, okay?)

Mardi Gras Parade around Caledon!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Once again! It's time for another MARDI GRAS PARADE! Courtesy of Mr. Hasanov, Caledon witnessed two parades, one starting int Tanglewood and ending at Vic City. Another starting at Port Caledon, and heading God knows where.



YHN ran a float, a floating Ironclad Lavanco. CDR Murakami of the Wrath Fleet dropped in to help steer.



(A PictoBrowser of Miss Anderton's lovely photographs)

The narrow streets of Penzance were problematical.



A wonderful time, Mr. Hasanov! Thank you for your diligent efforts!

On the Winding Trail of the Grand Tour

YHN spent a little time visiting with the Grand Tour yesterday, the event that tours many of the Steamland sims and stops for a little socializing at each one.

I first dropped in at Giverny, the verdant garden sim owned and run by Miss Soleil Snook. Giverny is a renown for its lovely greenery and French Provincial twist. The new tango by Miss Maar Auer from Metaversal Arts was much in evidence at several stops-- the new dance is superb!

From there, it was on to Wheatstone Waterways, and the usual pleasant crush of Babbagites. I had opportunity to dance with our lovely host, Miss Carver.



From there, to the somewhat gloomier New Toulouse, which always seems to be set at midnight for some reason.





Alas, griefers stalked the event wherever it went, for the sheer jollies of ruining things for people.

I ended up retiring after a prim emitter attack on New Toulouse kicked me out into the aether.

A fun evening, really, even with griefers present. Kudos to the organizers and planners of this event.

Arkham and surrounding municipalities

YHN can be something of a Lovecraft enthusiast from time to time. He has seen efforts by others come and go in world, and always receives news of Lovecraftian roleplay with some enthusiasm (to observe, if nothing else). An earlier effort at SANTO sim last year was very promising indeed, sporting some lovely builds, alas, no community grew out of the effort, and today Santo is another mainland lite style island, the dark dreams of a Lovecraftian village a thing of the past.

Miss Tombola tipped me off to a brand new effort that is still building, but already more advanced then the previous effort in Santo.



Arkham Village and its surrounding communities of Kingsport and Dunwich compromise the Miskatonic Valley Authority community. The main effort appears to be spearheaded by a lady named Ceres Eilde.

I had opportunity to visit last evening and stroll around the grounds.

Arkham and Dunwich are two connected villages of a semi-urban makeup, sporting some rather detailed classic Victorian architecture.



Kingsport is wilder, less developed and more rural looking.



All three sims are connected in a "L" shape, providing much contiguous area for Lovecraftian roleplaying.



The houses were all very lovely, and very much in keeping with the literary theme:



My only criticisms are mild. The rental signs are horrifically jarring, boasting a rather mainland kitsch look of either neon orange or floating spinning yellow thing. This is hardly an effective lure to people that wish to get away from it all.



The layout is interesting.. reminiscent, to YHN, of a series of boardgames in his collection: Arkham Horror plus the Kingsport Horror and Dunwich Horror expansions. That is hardly a criticism; YHN owns and endorses such source material gladly.



YHN hopes the Miskatonic Valley Authority develops some community building activities and starts to network with other, like-minded organizations and sim communities in world, such as Caledon's Dark Victorians and perhaps even the thriving Vampire communities. I look upon this project with unfeigned enthusiasm and best wishes for success.