Community News

"A bit of sad news this evening, FabFree.  Palomma Casanova, owner of The Free Dove, succumbed to a long illness on January 14th.  She was a very kind, generous person and will be sorely missed inworld.  In the next few days, I’m going to be posting a few items that I picked up at The Free Dove to honour her memory.  She would have liked everyone to enjoy the gifts while they are still there." Read more on the blog.

"KT was an artist, a gifted poet and choreographer extraordinaire. Each week his gentle, melodic voice would, through his artistry and imagination, transport us to new worlds, new experiences. It might be a dawn walk along a mountain trail or a treatise on creating sand sculpture on a windy beach. It might be about the effect of sunlight on a falling leaf, a slow walk through a sleeping town or the lulling effect of the clackety-clack of trains in the distance." 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 stumbled upon something new recently and I have to totally share it with you. Its a new service in sl called Thundr, an in-world Hud based dating app. It works by matching you with other avatars from Second Life. Thundr is the best dating service I have found in SL." Read more on the blog.

"When Hamlet asked me to highlight my favorite posts from my Friday Fashion blog column, the first one I thought of is: Second Life Blogger Reviews Virtual Hotels" Read more on the blog.

"We head into the last few days of 2022 with a new Deadwool suit on the grid. If that’s not cause for an end-of-year celebration for those of us who adore exquisite virtual tailoring, then I don’t know what is. Add to that the fact that I managed to find a Rolleiflex-style camera on SL Marketplace, to continue the apparent ‘Skell taking photos’ tradition for these retrospective blog post header images, and we’re all set for a look back through my virtual and online life this past year." Read more on the blog.

"Each December, it has become my habit to offer a general look back on Second Life’s progress through the year – as I recently published for 2022, using the Lab’s own look back as a foundation (much as I did in 2021). In some of these looks back, I’ve included some personal notes on my own times in-world, although of late I’ve let that drop away, as is seemed rather self-indulgent. However, to break things up a little as 2022 draws to a close, I thought I’d toot my trumpet again and look back on the year and what it has meant to me." Read more on the blog.

"This is the photo that I mentioned I was working on yesterday. While I’ve been planning on this photo since probably Thanksgiving, I procrastinated far too much. Regardless, I am so happy with the result. This year’s prompt was, “Pretend I asked/forced you to go caroling with me.” I felt like it fits because it’s like when I have these random projects and cajole my friends to take part with me." Read more on the blog.

"It is as though every year I get older, it feels less like the Christmases I used to remember. Or maybe the world just seems less beautiful and less wonder filled. Or maybe I’m not so easily impressed. Or maybe the nostalgia and fondness of holiday’s long past have been thrust upon this pedestal in my mind that nothing could compare. I try to do things to capture that magic and that feeling. It’s part of why I wanted to do the I’ll Be Home For Christmas winter destination in SL." Read more on the blog.

"Excited to reveal the cover of my upcoming book cover and its new title: Making a Metaverse That Matters: From Snow Crash & Second Life to A Virtual World Worth Fighting For. Set to publish next June -- Second Life's 20th anniversary -- I hope you consider pre-ordering now." Read more on the blog.

"The Interactive Cookie Swap at the Holiday Neighborhood on the “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is now stocked with cookies for everyone to come and collect!" Read more on the blog.

"So I’m sweet sixteen! Or at least my avatar is – would that it applied to me once more…

When I reached 15 continuous years in SL I really had little to say (although I managed to say it in around 900 words!), as not that much had changed with me personally over the course of 2021 – and SL itself had remained fairly well balanced.

2022 has been slightly different – there have been new features and capabilities deployed to Second Life, with LL working to try to increase the platform’s appeal and engaging with users in the development of new features"

Read more on the blog.

"Lady Arsenika Satanis’ shot this fab pop art self-portrait. I love her style -- and love to see that drag queens are active in Second Life. Her picture, “Pop Art Fantasy” is the apotheosis of drag queen glamor." Read more on the blog.

"Hard to believe that the holidays are around the corner. How did this happen? What are you thankful for?" Read more on the blog.

"As I mentioned in my last post, I recently packed up my mainland parcel and relocated to Second Norway. 

I had looked at several options. While I continue to root for mainland to thrive, I couldn't afford the parcels that had all the bells and whistles I wanted. I've leased homesteads before, but I didn't like being cut off from the Blake Sea, not having neighbors, etc. 

Exploring by horseback, speedboat or auto are how I spend my slack time in SL. After weighing all the options available, I finally found a solution.

Second Norway is the best of all worlds."

Read more on the blog.

"My 16th rez day in Second Life was back on 31st October. It’s crazy to think that so much has happened and changed over the 16 years since I first signed up to Second Life. I started blogging about Second Life from December 2007 and since then my blog has become popular over the years." Read more on the blog.

"With all the sales events, weekend specials and talented designers in Second Life, it's easy to go crazy and loose with the $Ls. Believe me, I know." Read more on the blog.

“I did this collaborative project two years ago, and I want to do it again this year. If there is one thing I feel this world needs more of, it is kindness, and I can’t think of a better way than to express it to those we are most thankful for. For this project, people will submit a short note for someone and write why they are thankful for them. Each submission will appear as their own page in a book that will be published online on issuu. This is open for anyone to participate in, and you can do as many submissions as you would like.” Read more on the blog.

"Sometimes I wonder how often people lie when they are asked how they are. It is so much easier to just say you are okay, to say that you are fine. It is also easier to just pretend and fake that you are okay. Half the time you doubt if they are being genuine when they ask, or if it’s really just an effort for small talk (I hate small talk)." Read more on the blog.

"I love Halloween. It’s really my favorite holiday. This year I’m going to curl up with movies, Bell, Book and Candle and The Mummy, a bowl of popcorn and a glass of dry red wine. OK, so this is a column about science. To justify this particular offering, I decided to see if I could find any scientific excuses for my enjoyment of Halloween." Read more on the blog.

"The last time I took one of those personality tests was about five years ago. Back then, I was an ENTP-T. A couple nights ago, I tried again and I am now an ISFP-T. I spoke to my SL sister about it, and she thinks it fits. It just got me thinking about how we are all constantly changing, how life experiences and what we take from them mold us and help for us to grow." Read more on the blog.

"In the original metaverse, Second Life, we host residents from all over the world. People of different cultures, varied languages, economic circumstances and intellectual abilities. It can be easy to forget, especially when we're all shrouded behind our online personas and lacking the subtle visual cues we normally experience in first life." Read more on the blog.

"Quoting from the book of Job, Jade K.oltai announced the offline death of her sim-building partner Serene Footman with this photo of Isle of May. With this photo above, she announced that she resurrected their Isle of May in his remembrance. " Read more on the blog.

"I am home for a few days with no work, no zoom meetings or business calls. The relaxing feeling is awesome. I have been in the mood to create, so I took on a landscaping job. What fun! Totally enjoyed it. I pretty much had creative freedom, with the only a few requirements. Use their home, deck, and must have waterfalls." 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.