Community News

"I know many of you may get tired of hearing people talk about PTSD because the term is so overused, but let me tell you from my own experience it is very real. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is unique to the individual but the stages are similar. It is commonly associated with veterans who have served on active duty and those who have lived through natural disasters or massive violent events; however, it can also develop after the death of a loved one or even after a traumatic hospital stay or vehicle accident. I so can identify with this and go through it and I still get triggered." Read more on the blog.

"I jokingly refer to my main Second Life avatar, Vanity Fair, as a “Second Life supermodel”, because she appears so often on this blog, as my go-to model when I am showing you the latest fashionista freebies and bargains across the SL grid." Read more on the blog.

"It is finally complete. The new gallery building and the landscaping are done. Just like in real life, we like to re-decorate our environment, so I wanted to make the changes to the building for some time." Read more on the blog.

"I’ve thought a lot about this concept lately…this idea that even the most positive change brings about some of the greatest challenges.  I always knew it.  I mean, when I got married…it was supposed to be the joyous celebration and yet the stress and anxiety of being married was horrendous." Read more on the blog.

"In all my ups and downs in SL, what keeps me coming back is the varied collection of creative folks I meet within the pixellated world. Yes, it can be easy… tooooo easy to hide away at times, but the real joy and laughter can be found from sharing times with others and even from just saying “Hello!” to new people." Read more on the blog.

"For a long time in Austria and some regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria, St. Nicholas was the main character in the Christmas celebration. But he was not Santa Claus, and he arrived earlier – on the 6th of December. The tradition has it that on December 5th, children will leave a boot or shoe in front of their door and St. Nich will leave them some goodies if they were good and coal if they were bad. This is still being done all over Germany, however, nobody really gets any coal." Read more on the blog.

"Palomma Casanova was a remarkable lady in Second Life. The Free Dove was her baby, her project, the way she reached out to help everyone. It really was a labour of love, I know from our conversations how much she toiled over it. When I heard she had passed away I was really shocked and saddened. Palomma had never mentioned that she was sick, never moaned or complained. Always upbeat, forever forging on with her plans inworld." Read more on the blog.

"After 7 years the Basement Club, which was only a vision of mine remains open and enjoyed by music lovers all over." Read more on the blog.

"Today I turn 23. My birthday is a day that is supposed to make me feel happy, another year of life complete. And don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful for the fact I’m still alive and physically healthy. I don’t take that for granted. Ever. However, it’s also a day that brings me some anxiety. I’ve struggled with depression since I was 16." Read more on the blog.

"Dear Makers of Amazing Things in Second Life, Let me start by saying: I LOVE YOU. I would not be in Second Life without you. I could not do what I do without your inventive, beautiful, well-crafted creations. Thank you for all that you do. I enjoy shopping for and collecting the imaginative items you sell. I want to support your work!" Read more on the blog.

"Another Year , Another candle on my cake ! We grow neither better , nor worse as we get older, but more like ourselves! So, Be the better "You" , at least try to do/be better!" Read more on Flickr.

"I’ve been active in the virtual world of Second Life for over 14 years now, and one of the things I have learned (which also applies to the newer crop of social VR apps and the suddenly-ubiquitous NFT metaverse platforms) is the following lesson: people are willing to invest a significant amount of time, energy, and money in their avatars!

But what I do find extremely interesting about Second Life (which has a userbase which skews significantly older than, say, VRChat or Rec Room) is that people almost uniformly confirm to looking as young as possible! In my peregrinations and perambulations across the grid, I can often go for weeks at a time before I see another avatar who appears middle-aged, or (God forbid!) a senior citizen. SL is full of clubs and nightspots where everybody seems to be young, pert, taut, and beautiful (even the men!). Why is that? Why does nobody question the status quo?"

Read more on the blog.

"As we turn the page to continue our story for our second chapter, we would like to take a moment to honor all who have contributed to the success of SLEA no matter how large or small the contribution. We would also like to introduce you to our newest Liaison, David Varro." Read more on the blog.

"I have been fairly open about my struggles with my mental health. Mostly because as much as I struggled, I have always been on the other side. I would still be in that tunnel, but I had already crawled through the darkest part. I was where the light at the end of the tunnel was bright enough to light through where I was walking. I would tell myself that no matter how bad it was now, I have endured worst." Read more on the blog.

"Do you ever feel so incredibly alone? Like you’re surrounded by people, and you have the most amazing friends and support system, but for some reason you can’t just get out of your head? It’s like with every moment, it’s just another stone placed on your chest. One stone is fine, and so is two and three and four and exponentially more. Until it gets to the point, where everything feels too heavy. Sometimes you just need to take a step back and remember to breathe." Read more on the blog.

"You ever entered a room or a place in Second Life ... where it reminded you of something; it could be a time, a place or a moment, frozen in time that is just… there. That is liminality." Read more on the blog.

"I’ve taken plenty of breaks from Second Life but I always get back into it and every time I do, I see amazing progress. My most recent return after another three year break has left me in awe of the great advancements in realistic 3D graphics, virtual world features, and the ever-active and thriving virtual world community and creator economy." Read more on the blog.

"I believe what brings people to virtual worlds is not only other people. Sometimes we like to escape people and the virtual world may just be the place for that. I enjoy the solitude of the busy real world and I can log into Second Life and create." Read more on the blog.

"The days are getting shorter -- and cooler -- for many of us. Time for sweaters and jackets and brisk mornings with hints of the dampness to come." Read more on the blog.

"After months and years of waiting today Linden Lab have officially connected the Bellisseria continent with the Satori continent. The lab have added Carmine Sky, Cthulhu and Windover Cay regions within the past 24-48 hours or so." Read more on the blog.

"A few things recently have set me thinking about the nature of virtual vs physical realities. The first of those came out in my post about Virtual Hugs, which seemed to be very positively received. In that piece I talked about the importance of emotional attachment to your avatar." Read more on the blog.

"Pride means different things to different people." Read more on the blog.

"In recent months I have been experimenting with the Immersive Theater, a series of techniques to perform performances where there is a real direction in everything: scenes, movements, shots, zooms and panoramas." Read more on the blog.

"...is one of those English idioms that are hard to understand if you look for it word by word. I guess it just means how shocking rude someone can be. You can have nerves of steel but that makes me think of how you are going to pass the metal detector at the airport. You could get on somebody's nerves too. I suppose you could be all nerves which we would call ein 
Nervenbündel." Read more on the blog.

"Yesterday, while browsing my Twitter feed, I came across a tweet from the official Second Life account, calling for ‘clothing creators, riggers and avatar makers’ to contact them. My immediate thought was “Ooh, new starter avatars incoming?” and my second (and subsequent) thought(s) turned to what I would love to see in the next set of Second Life starter avatars." Read more on the blog.