Linden Lab

Check out this video tour of six love-themed regions so you can plan your visit ASAP. There’s a quick peek at Isle of View, the Linden-run location that pops up every February. In fact, this region is hosting Dunk and Hug a Linden TODAY from 1pm to 3pm SLT. Come hang out and chat! There is also Hypnotic Romance, owned by Miss B. Miss B met her partner in SL, so she really means it when she says, “avatars can fall in love, after all they are real people.. you don't have the boundaries of looks. You find it easier to open up and learn so much more about the other person just by talking.” Miss B owns several Linden Homes and is a very active user, telling us, “I love everything about Second Life because I can explore, dance, build, design and {do} anything I want to (I can even dance naked). What I love most is being able to talk to people from all over the world and from different walks of life!” In terms of what inspired Hypnotic Romance, Miss B says, “I wanted a romantic {region} to reflect my vision of a perfect date in a moderate and beautiful setting. Hypnotic Romance was developed for avatars to have a place to meet, to spend time alone, getting to know someone intimately, with a romantic interest or someone special.” Valentine’s Skiing, owned by Lestat Zalivstok, champions the idea that a more wintery vibe can make snuggling with someone special extra fun. Lestat tells us, “the idea of Valentine's Skiing came from the fact that my SL brother Kwajkid (who owns the region with me) and I love mountains and snow. What's better than a cozy place with a fireplace for you and your loved one after a day of having fun in the snow?” It’s important to celebrate and engage in traditions to both connect to others as well as maintain a sense of normalcy. As Lestat knows, “it's not easy to be together on Valentine's day, especially during these years of pandemic. Second Life has been an amazing and safe way to meet, and to spend romantic and fun time together.” Ashley's Oasis Elite is owned by Ashley Bellows, who believes that “each day should have love, caring, loyalty, joy, enjoyment. I find each of them in Second Life on a daily basis from friends who have crossed my path and have remained friends for years.” Ashley encourages everyone to be open to the special connections waiting in SL, and Oasis Elite has fun games and gorgeous scenery to get conversations started. Need a last minute V Day plan? Stop by today, as Ashley would like us to know that “on Valentine's Day we will be enjoying an hour together with anyone that would like to attend our Love in Air Formal/ Sim Formal at Ashley's Oasis Elite. Chris London will be performing live from his home in London England.” Crystal Line Romantic Ballroom, is an opulent region owned by Anzenpin, a Resident from Japan. For Anzenpin, “Second Life is a part of my hobby where I can enjoy riding a marimo, playing a guitar and singing live. You can also make friends with people from all over the world.” Last but not least is Incanto Musical Dreams, a colorful fantasy region owned by Nicky Mirajkar, as well as the Valentine’s category of the Destination Guide. We hope everybody has a fantastic and safe V Day that serves as a warm reminder that love will always prevail. Plus, stay tuned to find out about the love story between Ajay McDowwll and her husband Syn Zabelin, who met on Help Island and have been married for over a decade. Episode coming May 3rd. Video Production Credits: Draxtor Despres

Watch a special pre-recorded edition of “Lab Gab,” a talk show about the virtual world of Second Life, on Friday, February 11th at 11am PT as host Strawberry Linden speaks with Van Star. Van is a world traveled musician, songwriter, producer, and TV actor from Los Angeles California. His span of work includes working with the likes of Chris James & Deadmaus, Groove Armada, David Guetta, Jamie Foxx, Angie Stone, MTV Awards, the Grammy Awards, and more. Parts of the official video for his new single “Closer” (also being released on February 11th) were shot in Second Life using his Second Life avatar. Get an exclusive look at that video during this Lab Gab! Follow the official countdown to the release of his single on his Facebook and Instagram! This edition of Lab Gab was recorded at the virtual NFL Alumni Association Stadium in Second Life! Tune in on Friday, February 11th at 11am PT on our YouTube channel! For full episodes of Lab Gab, click over to the Lab Gab YouTube Playlist.

This week we are shining a spotlight on Sydd Sinister, an award-winning blogger who has curated an inclusive vision of beauty for over a decade. How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it? In 2006, an online friend (My dear Sheda) introduced me to Second Life as a way for us to hang out online. Unfortunately at the time my PC was in no shape to run SL (lol), so for about a year I did not play. Then, I got a brand new PC and thought, "Hey, I wonder if I can play that Second Life now?" Sure enough it worked, and I have been logging in ever since! Tell us about your avatar’s style and how it has evolved over the years. When I started playing Second Life, in SL & RL I was very much into punk style: piercings, tattoos, all of it, and I thought it was so cool to be able to have that reflected in my avatar. I still very much love that style but through Second Life I've been able to experiment with a ton of different styles, as pretty much any style you can think of can be found in Second Life. So as I've grown, it's been less about a specific ‘style’ and more “things I love, I wear." We’re so grateful for the Second Life creators of products that add small authentic details for avatars of color. What are some body parts (hair, skin, freckles, etc.) that really blew you away in terms of offering diverse choices, and what would you like to see more of? Recently, especially as far as mesh bodies in Second Life, I've been extremely impressed with eBody Reborn and Kalhene Erika, as I love all the curves you can create on these bodies. Of course as a blogger and continual shopper in SL there are so many hair and skin brands that I absolutely love. The diversity in SL has come a long way. A few skin brands who continually impress me and will always be favorites of mine are Modish, Public Figure, Leronso (seriously amazing), Revoul, Amara Beauty, Lueur Beauty, Glam Affair, Koonz, Boataom, Birth, ItGirls, Nonative, The Skinnery, Tres Beau, Purple Beauty, Nuve, Pumec. Moccino Beaute, Dernier, Velour, Ives Beauty… I could keep going forever. Skins are one of my favorite parts of SL! There are some things where I have no trouble picking favorites though. For eyes, Avi-Glam are my absolute favorite, and for eyebrows, the-Haus by Princess Usbourne and Marsh are two definite must haves for me. Hoodlem, Garden of Ku, Carol G and Mister Razzor are my go-to tattoo spots, and TOP1SALON has come out with some of the best makeup for all skin tones, from light to dark they are flawless. Tell us about how you got started with your award-winning blog and what topics/styles you get excited about. When I got back into Second Life in 2007, the most fun I had was dressing up my avatar and shopping. I started taking pics of my avi, just wanting to share with anyone. Through that I found the world of SL Blogging. Back then it was a much smaller community but it really helped me to find stores and places in SL I loved. The only thing lacking for me was diversity, and then I found Khitten Kurka's blog! She was the first Black American plus-size blogger I saw in Second Life, I related to her so much and it was because of her blog that I decided to try and start blogging myself. Not only did I want to share whatever I thought was "cool," I wanted to share as many skins with different tone ranges as possible. Back then it was a lot harder to find diverse skins and I felt like if I could show all the great skins I came across, maybe it could help someone like me who was new to SL and didn't know where to find themselves, y’know. Skin Fair is always my favorite time of year to blog, not only because it falls in my birthday month, but because I love seeing what everyone comes up with and what new brands I might find. The talent in SL always amazes me. Where can people see your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts. Blog: http://sydd0sinister.wordpress.com Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sydd_sinister Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydd.sinister Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syddsinister.sl We hope you enjoyed learning more about Sydd and her many years of contribution to the Second Life fashion blogging community. Each weekly post will feature a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup

This week Ras Solaris, curator of the Meroe Museum, eloquently describes the value of sharing culture as a way to enable an authentic and three-dimensional understanding of the Black community. Ras describes the Meroe as a “hub to learn the origins of all cultures in an interactive and engaging way. {It’s} Focused on providing a safe space for people to discuss cultural differences and to challenge current ways of thinking.” Ras became a Resident years ago, recently returning from a hiatus “because I noticed the amazing changes in technology, architecture, and the incredible amount of multiculturalism from across the world. Although many spend their time on FB, I prefer the Metaverse space, Second Life… where privacy and content creation are key for Residents to be able to help create in this amazing world.” Throughout the video, Ras illustrates how a more thorough understanding of other cultures can help deconstruct bias. He also shows us the humanizing power of diverse representation in all fields of study. For example, the Innovation and Black Inventions exhibit presents essential items from modern life that, unbeknownst to many of us, were invented by Black people. By tying in the contributions of Black people in the physical world to the creations of Black Residents in the virtual world, the Meroe reminds us that every avatar you meet has a rich history that led them to this moment. This venue has two exhibit halls, a vibrant gallery, and don’t forget to explore outside the museum walls! THE BLVD. and Jamrock City offer a variety of terrains, seasons, and exploration. Plus, mark your calendars, as there will be a two day music festival at the end of the month. However, Ras wants us to know that the Meroe Museum will not disappear at the end of Black History Month. We hope that patronage continues to be robust throughout the year, and that the knowledge gained in this space breeds kindness and positive change. As a bonus, Ras tells us “100% of donations are given to RL not-for-profits focused on community service and STEM programs.” Contributors to this project include: Fly Toretto: An inworld automotive designer, Fly’s contribution is a part of the Innovations and Inventions Exhibit that highlights core inventions created by Black people that we use in our daily lives. Diamond Martinez: Founder of Rho Gamma Psi sorority, Diamond’s contribution is a part of the Kente Cloth Exhibit that highlights the traditional cloth and the history and messaging behind it. Alora Taurus: Model, Artist, and Photographer. Alora’s contribution is a part of our Tech and Communications and the Innovations and Inventions Exhibit. Her art titled “Cosmological” is featured in both exhibits. Dehja Dahl: Model, artist, and photographer. Dehja contributed her recent art piece, which incorporates the work of the infamous artist, Basquiat. Her art is featured as part of MEROE standard communications and will be featured in the Basquiat Exhibit this summer. Ms Warm: Owner of Business Minded, a networking business group. Ms Warm specializes in identifying SL Residents with high-value unique offerings. She is an avid entrepreneur in the community who has a keen eye for representation. GiGi Monet: Director at MEROE and founder of The BLVD., GiGi specializes in creating interactive experiences in Second Life. She is passionate about bringing in quality, process, and structure into aesthetically pleasing viewscapes. GiGi’s contributions to the Museum vary from Operations, Graphics, Marketing, Landscaping, and more. Tyesia Xevious: DJ and CEO of Frequency Radio, Tyesia is our main Media contributor and has curated an afro-centric experience on Frequency Radio, which is currently featured on the region. Nedar Koba: As a mesh designer, Nedar specializes in creating high quality unique designs. His contribution includes the Adinkra symbol, which happens to be the only Adinkra symbol created in Second Life, the Gye Nyame that you see throughout the region. The BLVD.: Home to MEROE Museum, JamRock City Residential Community, and A XeoLife Roleplay Shopping and Dining Experience. The region is lightly based on tropical islands around the world with a flare of luxury, serenity, and waterfalls surrounding you. We’d also like to share the other ways we are celebrating Black History Month inworld: Pic of the Day will feature a Black Resident every weekday, don’t miss our weekly Second Life Spotlight posts, and please visit the Social Awareness Category of the Destination Guide. Video Production Credits: Draxtor Despres MEROE Museum - Home of Black culture MEROE Museum, is the Home of Black and Aboriginal cultures in Second Life. The Museum's purpose is to provide a safe space for the repository of black culture from across the diaspora, and a place for dialog in an effort to resolve many of the conflicts that plague our communities. During Black History Month they will have many activities including a bookstore and an art gallery. Visit in Second Life

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we have released new limited edition last names today! The following valentine-themed names are only available until February 17th: Cupid Lovely XOXO Desire Enamour Cuddles Snookipuss Schatzi These names for Valentine’s Day are seasonal and may come back around this time next year, for a limited time. The following is a screenshot of the full list of current last names available: We have been very pleased to see the response to our limited edition last names. We will continue to make additional updates to the available last name pool, so if these options aren’t for you, stay tuned for future updates. You can also suggest your favorite name on our suggestion form, most of the new names were chosen from there! For more information about the costs and how-tos involved in name changes, read the Changing your username FAQ. Click to change your name now!

This week we are shining a spotlight on Kurimu Kuma (MiruBani), a fashion and lifestyle blogger whose carefree style is often influenced by her deep interest in fantasy and cosplay. How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it? I've been in Second Life for over eight years. The first time I heard about Second Life was through an invite by a friend. She invited me to come and see her store inworld, and I remember trying to wrap my brain around the concept of having a real store in a virtual world. I wasn't sure what it was going to be like but I was very intrigued. In the end, the store was but one of the many wonders {to be discovered}. I clearly remember being excited about the novelty of being able to run and fly in such an unconstrained fashion. I was used to a completely different 3D environment in which such free movement wasn't really a thing. I couldn't find the end of this room, it just went on and on. {There} was a learning curve, definitely, but one I enjoyed getting around. I still really love flying, it's not going to get old. I do it less now because I've learnt “some” etiquette along the way. However, if it wasn't quite so rude to, I would fly through and over everything I possibly could. Walking is so terribly pedestrian now. If only I could really fly like my avatar. There is an element of fantasy and cosplay in your avatar’s style. Where did that come from? It's definitely seeping in from my real life; fantasy and cosplay do feature quite heavily. {They are} but a few of my favorite subjects. I absolutely adore cosplay and it's something I like to indulge in my everyday life. I've just never outgrown playing dress up. I really enjoy the whole process of trying to put together an outfit and if I can sew it myself, even better still. In Second Life I get to do that on an almost regular basis every time I log in, but with so many more things available to me. My first thoughts once I've pressed the button to log in are usually along the lines of “What shall I dress my avatar up in today?” And, even better, I'm less likely to go broke from it. Fantasy has always been something I've loved from my first interactions with it in books, and I have an overactive imagination to boot. Writing and creating characters, outfits, and worlds for them to live in has been something I've done since I was little. The idea of escaping into a fantastical world even for a moment is something oh-so-magically exciting. Most of my hobbies are creative in some way, shape, or form; my imagination is always being fed in different ways. My avatar herself is just a fantastical creature I made a story about. Your in-world photography is amazing. Can you tell us about your setup process for taking a great shot? I am very much my own worst critic so I'm not always satisfied with my images when they come out. I'm always thinking of things I could have done better. However, there are a few things that I do every time I take an image in Second Life. I always like to tell a story, even if I am the only one aware of it. It's how I get my ideas for what I want the picture to be. I think a lot about what the focus items are and build the story around that. I decide what the mood will be, and I find that lighting really helps with that, but ultimately the items that go into setting up the scene will reflect that also. I rely a lot on windlights and inworld lighting to help me. I love playing with shadows too, I find it always makes a scene look so different when added. Working with larger scenes can be a bit daunting for me because I worry how I'm going to fill it, but I've found that focusing on a small area first and working outwards helps keep me focused instead of getting overwhelmed. Now I also have a bad habit of being very nitpicky with setting up, and I've slowly just come to accept the fact that I like to take my time about everything that's going to be in the shot… Turning it here and there numerous times only to later decide I don't want it in at all. Funnily enough I do this with the camera angles from which I take the shot. I do try out a few angles and then pick the one I like the most before going in to take the final shot. The aim is always to get as much from Second Life as I can so I don't have to change too much in editing. If I don't accomplish what I want completely? Well, there's always next time. I try not to let it get to me too much and instead take away from it the things I would and wouldn't do next time. Tell us about your blog and what kinds of topics you like to write about. When I set up my blog it was made to be like a picture diary of my avatar's Second Life adventures. The pictures I take and its subjects revolve around decorating, food, fashion and friends. It tends to be done in the style of me writing about my avatar as a person in her own right, though we are both in firm agreement on many things. In most cases it merges a lot with my real life and I end up hijacking her story for a while, but we eventually get on track and find a balance between ourselves. There is something about decorating that is even more satisfying than putting together outfits and taking pictures of them. It's the feeling of accomplishment that comes with turning an empty space into something decorated, then sitting in it and existing uninterrupted for a while. I adore decorating so I always cover decor shots. Food tends to fall into this area too but sometimes I just like to focus on the food itself. The more edible it looks the happier I become. It's like indulging sans the calories. I'm one of those people that loves to take pictures of her meals before eating, and I love cooking so much. It is strange because at one point I hated cooking. Now I love it and the level of excitement that occurs when I find beautiful virtual foods is unreal. I have a bad habit of putting it in almost anything I can. Fashion is another topic you'll find on my blog. My own fashion tastes have been projected onto my avatar, for good or bad, and I tend to lean towards girly fashion with a lot of light colours. Florals, frills, ribbons, and cute adorable companions. However, there are times when I go outside of my norm, because where's the fun if you don't? At the end of the day if I try on an outfit and I'm feeling very happy with it, chances are I'm taking a picture of it and it most definitely includes magical girls and costumes. Where can people see your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts. My blog and Flickr are the two places that I use the most. Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/137212676@N02 Blog: https://kurimu-kuma.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kurimu_kuma We hope you enjoyed learning more about Kurimu. Each weekly post will feature a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup

Happy Wednesday! We’re writing to remind everyone that we’ll be holding our monthly Web User Group meeting today at 14:00 SLT in our usual meeting place, where we’ll be discussing our status with ongoing projects and our near future plans for our web properties. As always, we’ll leave plenty of time for Q&A from the community. We look forward to seeing you there!

Metro City is an urban metropolis that was crafted with the intention of being a safe and inclusive space for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Creator Aesu Morningstar, aka the mayor of Metro City, tells us “I came to SL almost 17 years ago and to this day, I've been a die hard fan. Second Life has been my single most used social media platform and is truly the most immersive platform of its kind out there. Second Life has been the first and only true Metaverse.” Given Aesu’s extensive experience in SL, when Covid first entered our lives it was only natural to build a meeting place for people to get through these difficult times. Metro City unsurprisingly had a powerful and positive impact on countless Residents. Aesu states “I credit Second Life for helping me stay sane while I stayed home! Over the span of the pandemic, Second Life gave me hope and I was able to stay mentally healthy because I could continue to be social even though I was locked inside.” Metro City has an inviting aesthetic that is clean and modern, and yet ambiguous enough for it to exist anywhere in the world. This speaks to Aesu’s focus on inclusivity on a global level: “Although we're primarily in the USA, we have visitors and regulars from all over the world spanning many different time zones. And thankfully we have translators so we can all communicate with ease.” Chat with friends at a cafe or take a peaceful stroll through a tree-lined courtyard or park. Metro City offers the tranquility of a perfect fall afternoon. There is also a steady stream of events! To name a few: trivia and other game nights, live DJs and performers, regular photo contests, themed parties, pop-up events, shopping and more. Aesu would also like to inform people that “We are home to many full time Residents who either live in our main social region or in one of our "Metro City Destination" regions… Our staff of experienced managers are on-call most of the day to help new Residents with almost anything they could need.” Visit Metro City today for a huge dose of relaxation and good vibes. Video Production Credits Draxtor Despres Metro City - LGBTQ+ Community Metro City is a premier entertainment and residential community for the LGBTQ+ community. Featuring many places to hang out, meet new people, attend events, and live across multiple beautifully themed regions. Visit in Second Life

The 2022 Valentine Shop & Hop is almost here with 200+ participating merchants across 10 shopping regions. All are offering their best to inspire your Valentine fantasies from a romantic evening with your bae, to a party with your friends, and everything in between. You will definitely find something to suit you! There will also be a 20% discount on all items and a new and exclusive gift available for free! The event formally opens to the public on Wednesday, February 2nd at 9am PT - but who wants to wait when you can get early access! If you can’t contain your excitement, join the official Second Life Birthday group inworld to be granted immediate access. Before you jump inworld, you can get a sneak peek at many of the items that will be available in the official Second Life Shop & Hop Flickr pool. And don’t forget to share photos of your haul after your shopping excursion! Scroll to the end of this post for a complete list of all 200+ participating Shop & Hop Merchants in alphabetical order, and their direct slurls! To visit the 2022 Valentine Shop & Hop - start at any one of the Regions - but be sure to visit them all to see everything that's available. Happy shopping! ISLE OF VIEW AND MORE VALENTINE’S EVENTS The Isle of View, which opens on February 4th, is our annual tribute to all-things-romantic via four regions filled with forested walks, cozy nooks for cuddling, and romantic swan boat rides. Visit one of the Love Pavilion gift kiosks to browse through a variety of gift selections that you can send to your friends and loved ones on Valentine’s Day. This year’s selection includes heart lollipops and balloons, an adorable teddy bear, a chocolate box with rings, cutesy cupcakes, love lanterns, and, of course, romantic roses. To select and send your free gifts, follow the directions on the sign adjacent to the kiosk. We have also dusted off our Valentine’s Day Destination Guide category! You’ll find a few romantic Valentine’s-themed destinations in there already - so grab a loved one and go on a romantic date or just some friendly exploration. If you would like your Valentine-themed event or destination listed there, make sure to drop us a note at editor@lindenlab.com or submit your spot via web form. Don’t forget to read more about the Destination Guide guidelines and criteria to be featured. VALENTINE'S LOVE BOAT CRUISE AND PARTY This year will also feature a special Valentine's event on the Bellisseria continent, the Valentine's Love Boat Cruise and Party! Learn more about it from Patch Linden's forum post. DUNK-A-LINDEN & HUG-A-LINDEN EVENT Are you feeling “some kind of way” about the Lindens? Show your love (or friendly aggression) for the makers of Second Life at our annual Dunk-A-Linden & Hug-A-Linden Event, held this year on February 14th from 1pm to 3pm PT at the Isle of View. Come early for some fun conversations and plenty of soaked Lindens! Roses are red, Violets are blue, Hug and dunk some Lindens, At the Isle of View! NEW LAST NAMES Additionally, we have released new limited edition last names for Valentine's Day! You have until February 17th to pick one of these names, click for more info. A complete list of all 200+ participating Shop & Hop Merchants in alphabetical order, and their direct slurls: .tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-fr8s{background-color:#FFF;border-color:inherit;color:#15C;text-align:left;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-gd2f{background-color:#FFF;border-color:inherit;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-bn54{background-color:#FFF;border-color:inherit;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom} .tg .tg-mfxq{background-color:#FFF;border-color:inherit;color:#00E;text-align:left;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:top} .tg .tg-za14{border-color:inherit;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom} Store SLurl _-FAS-_ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/229/102/53 :::boyberry::: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/167/168/53 ::C'est la vie !:: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/54/161/53 . Hanzel . http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/202/101/53 .: Runic :. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/158/26/53 .:Tm:.Creation http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/60/100/53 .{PSYCHO:Byts}. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/155/60/53 [ADD] store http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/28/99/53 [allasio] http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/158/203/53 [Chris Two Designs] http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/202/101/53 [CIRCA] Living http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/99/23/53 [DPSP] http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/197/158/53 [QE] Designs http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/99/23/53 [WellMade] http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/99/228/53 { wren's nest } http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/202/101/53 {Poeme} Couture http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/88/164/53 {ViSion} http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/54/161/53 ***Ambrosia*** http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/99/228/53 *Salesita's Creations**SC* http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/99/228/53 ++Twilight++ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/92/89/53 ~ Enchanted Fantasy ~ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/99/51/53 1313 Mockingbird Lane http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/23/159/53 2LOVE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/100/200/53 777 MOTORS http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/228/158/53 A.D.D.Andel! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/161/233/53 A&D CLOTHING http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/158/203/53 ABSEN http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/28/99/53 ACORN http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/99/51/53 Addams http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/88/164/53 adorsy http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/88/164/53 Afterparty http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/60/100/53 Ahroun Designs http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/28/99/53 ALANTORI http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/167/168/53 Aleutia http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/88/164/53 Altamura Bento Avatar http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/197/158/53 ALTER http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/28/99/53 Amikko http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/92/89/53 Ananas http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/202/101/53 Anastyle http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/28/99/53 Aphrodite Shop http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/158/26/53 Artemis Corner Sculptures http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/99/51/53 AtaMe http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/54/161/53 Atelier Burgundy http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/99/23/53 AURORA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/100/200/53 Avani http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/60/100/53 B(u)Y Me http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/197/158/53 Baiastice http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/100/200/53 BBX Yachts & Buildings http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/167/168/53 Belle Epoque http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/55/154/53 Beloved Jewelry http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/229/102/53 Bloom! furniture & Decor http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/99/23/53 Blow-Up http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/228/158/53 BMe / The Silas Gallery http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/99/51/53 Bonnicci http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/100/200/53 Bumblebee http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/23/159/53 ʙɪᴘᴏʟᴀʀ sᴛᴏʀᴇ http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/100/200/53 Caboodle http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/28/99/53 Candy Bell http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/202/101/53 Cerridwen's Cauldron http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/99/23/53 CH Skins http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/161/233/53 CheerNo http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/167/168/53 CHEZ MOI FURNITURES http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/99/51/53 Cinnamon http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/158/203/53 Clover http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/23/159/53 Culprit http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/167/168/53 Cwtch. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/60/100/53 Dahlia http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/99/23/53 DAMIANII http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/202/101/53 Dark Mouse Jewelry http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/165/93/53 demicorn http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/167/168/53 DICTATORSHOP http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/99/23/53 ELIKATIRA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/167/158/53 En Pointe http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/165/93/53 Entice http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/54/161/53 ERSCH http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/88/164/53 Ever Green http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/158/26/53 Faida http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/100/200/53 Famous http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/99/51/53 Fancy Decor http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/92/89/53 FashionNatic http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/28/99/53 FAYDED http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/158/26/53 FINCA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/155/60/53 FlowerDreams http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/88/164/53 Fourth Wall http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/60/100/53 friday http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/165/93/53 Fusion Dancers and Clothing http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/100/200/53 Gabrielle Hamelin http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/28/99/53 Gaeline Creations http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/197/158/53 Ghee / Baby Ghee http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/23/159/53 GIULIADESIGN http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/167/168/53 Hangry http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/229/102/53 Harshlands http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/155/60/53 HERA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/197/158/53 HILL http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/60/100/53 Holli Pocket http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/23/159/53 HopScotch http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/228/158/53 ionic http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/92/89/53 IVES BEAUTY http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/158/203/53 JIAN Pets http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/92/89/53 Jinx http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/60/100/53 key style http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/99/228/53 Killer's Production http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/158/26/53 Knick Knacks http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/158/26/53 Konoha http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/60/100/53 KUNGLERS http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/165/93/53 Lacrime dell'anima http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/158/26/53 LaGyo http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/165/93/53 Lapointe & Bastchild http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/197/158/53 Libertine http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/165/93/53 Lilleth Mills http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/99/228/53 Limited Addiction http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/23/159/53 Little Fox http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/99/228/53 Love Hair & Apparel http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/228/158/53 LOVE SUPERSTORE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/99/23/53 LuLu http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/99/228/53 LYBRA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/197/158/53 Lyrical B!zarre Templates http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/155/60/53 M-BdP - Moonlite Backdrops & Poses http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/228/158/53 Mad' http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/161/233/53 MadPea http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/228/158/53 MADRAS http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/60/100/53 Magic Party http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/158/26/53 MAke a MArk http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/158/26/53 MaleDiction http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/167/168/53 MALified http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/54/161/53 Mandilena Gestures http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/197/158/53 MAZE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/158/203/53 MeMOIRE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/54/161/53 Mewsery http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/228/158/53 MICHAN http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/229/102/53 MIURA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/202/101/53 MONOMANIA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/23/159/53 MOVEMENT http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/202/101/53 ND/MD http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/161/233/53 Nebur Cyborg http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/155/60/53 neve http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/88/164/53 NeverWish http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/229/102/53 Nisa http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/202/101/53 Nuve http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/158/203/53 Oh Deer http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/229/102/53 OhMai Kitty! (OMK) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/155/60/53 OLD TREASURES http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/155/60/53 Petit Chat http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/99/51/53 Pink Cream Pie http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/100/200/53 Pitaya http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/99/23/53 PlantPets http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/228/158/53 POISON ROUGE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/165/93/53 PosEd Poses http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/197/158/53 Pretty Deceased http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/54/161/53 PULSE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/23/159/53 Rainbow Sundae http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/155/60/53 Redangel http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/197/158/53 REINVENT http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/158/203/53 Rodeo Drive http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/228/158/53 Rosary http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/99/228/53 ROZOREGALIA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/165/93/53 Rubedo http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/158/203/53 Sanjak http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/158/203/53 Sascha's Designs http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/100/200/53 Sassy Sweet Poses http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/158/203/53 SAVAGE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/202/101/53 Schadenfreude http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/92/89/53 SENTINUS http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/99/228/53 Short Leash http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/99/23/53 Simply Shelby http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/158/26/53 SOFIA http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/88/164/53 Sparrows Nest http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/99/51/53 Spruce http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/60/100/53 Stardust http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/161/233/53 Stories&Co. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/54/161/53 Sway's http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Golden/92/89/53 Sweet potatoes http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/99/228/53 Tachinno http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/165/93/53 tarte. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/92/89/53 Teegle http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/165/93/53 The Annex http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/100/200/53 The Olde Attic http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/99/51/53 The Reckless Angel http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/54/161/53 The Stringer Mausoleum http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/161/233/53 The Wine Mino http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hollyhock/155/60/53 TO.kiski http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/28/99/53 TONE 2 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/161/233/53 torment. / tsukuyomi. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lupine/229/102/53 TREND Originals http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/23/159/53 TrigiGifts http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/228/158/53 Trompe Loeil http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/92/89/53 TRULY OUTRAGEOUS FASHION http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/88/164/53 Vae Victus http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/229/102/53 Valentina E. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/88/164/53 Vulnus http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/229/102/53 What Next http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Halcyon/92/89/53 WILD FASHION&BEAUTY http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frosted/161/233/53 Witch in a Box Boutique http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/155/60/53 WitchCraft http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/28/99/53 X-CLUSIVES ANIMATIONS http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snapdragon/99/51/53 Ys&Ys http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/161/233/53 YsoraL http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Snowflake/229/102/53 Zenescope http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tinseled/167/168/53 ZK Store http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gilded/161/233/53 zOOm http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Poppy/23/159/53

Hello Residents! Well, this is not the way we wanted the past week to go -- multiple outages in the same week! Not fun for anyone. Here’s what happened. Login and Inventory Issues: Monday, 1/24 - Friday, 1/28 On Monday, January 24, residents’ inventories stopped responding to requests. Some residents were unable to log in as a result. We identified the affected accounts, addressed the problem and restored services to full operation in a little under 3 hours. Beginning on Wednesday of this week, we received reports of intermittent inventory issues – failures to rez, unpack and delete inventory items; and intermittent errors upon login. When the number of reports increased, it became clear that this was an outage. Several Lindens jumped in to diagnose the reports. After some digging, we discovered our back end infrastructure was being overloaded. Once this was resolved, the positive impact was almost immediate. The data now looks good -- on the back end and we are no longer receiving inventory reports. We’re taking steps, including a deploy late last week, to prevent these issues in the future - and we have already seen progress in making the service more robust. Weekly Rolling Restarts: Tuesday, 1/25 Every week we restart the simulator servers to keep them running smoothly. We only restart a certain number at the same time, allow them to finish, then start another batch. That’s why we call them “rolling restarts.” But on Tuesday a recent upgrade to the simulators meant that the usual number of simultaneous restarts was too much for the system to handle. The result was load spikes and numerous regions going down. Ultimately more than 12,000 regions were stuck in restart mode, which is 40% of the grid. Not good! The team came together quickly to bring simulators back up in smaller batches, and then manually fixed blocks of regions. After some trials and monitoring, we found a smaller number of concurrent restarts that worked better. By 1:00 PM all regions were restored and operating normally. We apologize for this lengthy outage! Advance… Retreat!: Wednesday, 1/26 We had planned a deploy to the production grid that would help us gather information on group chat performance. Unfortunately, the procedure used during testing did not work in production. We figured -- OK, we’ll just roll back. But then the rollback itself had problems! Residents experienced issues with login, group chat, and presence information. The team was able to isolate the problem and complete the rollback, getting a few more gray hairs in the process. We’re going to take what we’ve learned and do a better deploy that will give us the information to improve group chat in the long run. Last week was no fun for a lot of people at the Lab. Thank you for your patience. We really don’t like interrupting your enjoyment of Second Life. Here’s hoping we don’t have to come back with another one of these blog posts for quite some time! With love, The Lindens

This week we are shining a spotlight on Colpo Wexler, an Italian Resident who is an architectural and design maven in both the physical and virtual worlds. Having been in SL since close to the beginning, his style and ability to navigate change have adapted with finesse. Custom build for PARÉ Mega Store How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it? I {have been} in SL since December 2006. I heard about it through a friend with whom I then founded one of the first Italian {regions} in SL: "ITLAND," which later also became Orientation Island as part of the Community Gateway of SL. Custom build for Palette Mega Store What first inspired your love of architecture? I studied scenography at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan, and previously at the Art School with a specialization in architecture. From that time I imagined that my scenography in the future would be dedicated to virtual reality and that's what I did. Creating architectural set designs for metaverse. Custom build for UBER Event Had you done 3D modeling before you started building in SL, and what 3D modeling software do you use? Yes, I used to model both architectures and objects but obviously I applied meshes only when they were introduced in SL. Previously for years I specialized in the realization of buildings in prims. The software I use is Blender. Custom build for T O X I I N Store How would you describe your virtual architectural style? My style is generally minimal/modern but I often like to range and contaminate styles. Clearly I also love cyberpunk, new retrowave, and urban style. This taste for the contamination of styles comes from the requests of my clients, who often propose interesting ideas that stimulate creativity. As you can see on my portfolio on Flickr, many of my buildings are the result of the fusion of the styles I mentioned before, and sometimes also of oriental or classical motifs. Custom build for Elle et Lui store Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that inspire you and whose work you admire. As you can see I've been in SL for a long time, and I was inspired by other architects or designers I had seen in the early periods. One of them is definitely Botha, who made houses. Then there was a beautiful furniture store (with a lot of prims also) called CULT. Obviously there are, and have been, a lot of really good creatives in Second Life throughout its history. Custom build for H A P P Y Event Where can people follow you to learn more about your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts. My Bio: http://www.colpowexler.com Portfolio: https://www.flickr.com/photos/colpowexler Website: http://www.mydigitalcult.com FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/colpowexlervr Custom build for UBER 2021 Colpo has been creating custom builds for content creators and events in Second Life for many years. Check his Flickr for his full portfolio. Custom build for ASCEND Mega Store We hope you enjoyed learning about how Colpo was drawn to building and designing in Second Life. Each weekly post will feature a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup

The Concierge and Land User Group meeting is a monthly, public meeting for discussion and education on Second Life, useful to both Mainland Residents and Estate owners. Topics include any issues relating to Customer Relations/Support or concerning Land in general (mainland, islands, Linden Homes, estates, auctions, etc.). Join Wendi, Vix, and members of the Land team, on Wednesday at 12pm PT at Linden Estate Services. All are welcome.

Take a look at Ashemi Remarkable, an artfully constructed futuristic city inspired by Asian culture. Creators Ime Poplin and Jay met about eight years ago. They are both artistically inclined, with Ime painting in her spare time and Jay playing the guitar. Given their mutual interests, they decided to build together in SL. When picking a theme, their longtime shared tastes included “An interest in Asian items {and} culture, and also futuristic vibes. We thought.. well, let's do a kind of futuristic-styled {region} to begin with.” Building came naturally to Ime, as she tells us, “Growing up in Denmark, the country where Lego was invented, I {am} used to tearing down and building new and just playing around. Building blocks, all the items we buy in SL… the many, many cool and talented creators, tons of items {are essentially} building blocks, in both Jay’s and my inventory.” Ashemi Remarkable is a stellar example of what takes exceptional design to the next level; every part of this region has a story, and that makes it come alive. In the middle of the city, one finds a spooky cemetery with a mysterious volcanic eruption. What happened here? Check out the sky high restaurant with glass walls so you can enjoy a romantic dinner with a panoramic view. What types of people come here? One of the most visually striking design elements of Ashemi Remarkable is the artwork on the street. Paintings abound in varying styles, hanging above storefronts and in businesses. These paintings bring a human touch to the concrete and bright lights, reminding us who created all of this. This speaks to Ime’s process: “The fact that we have a nice balance with nature and urban scenery is very important to us. We like balance, darks and colors and contrasts.” This sprawling urban playground blends traditional and modern decor to pay homage to the past and give a playful glimpse of what the future might hold. Ime thinks of this place as “A world for us to experiment. Always evolving, always changing. That is very important to us. And then of course, the fact that we love being together as much as we can. That is what makes us happy. Jay is my muse, and I'm pretty sure I am his as well.” Video Production Credits: Draxtor Despres Ashemi Remarkable Ashemi returns with a highly detailed urban landscape. Mixing the past with the present and offering something of interest to those who love to explore. Get lost in the streets and alleyways or hop onto a train to admire the neon reflections that dance upon the sea. Visit the cave that sits underneath the city or simply let your mind wander as you meditate in some of the many beauty spots in and around the region. Parts of the old city can still be seen but also boasts a more modern sleek look with its club and high-class restaurant. Tucked away are many strange and bizarre surprises to make your visit an entertaining one. Welcome to Ashemi and enjoy your stay! Visit in Second Life

As 2022 begins, we are looking to set new goals and make Second Life Residents happier! Later today and in the following weeks, research@secondlife.com will be emailing thousands of Residents with an invitation to complete a survey and give feedback. Please keep an eye out for it, and feel free to share your thoughts on how to make Second Life a more pleasant experience for all. We’ve also been conducting qualitative research with a smaller group over the past few weeks. If you participated in that research, you are still eligible to take part in this survey. Also, for Residents active on Flickr, the Flickr team is conducting its own independent research on the Second Life community. Flickr has sent some of its own users an email in the last few days asking for feedback and suggestions to make their website a more seamless and engaging experience for the Second Life community. The email also mentions 360 Snapshots and Flickr’s new efforts to help connect Second Life Residents on their platform. If you received this email, please consider participating! And if you haven’t already, make sure to follow our official Second Life account on Flickr and join our official Second Life Flickr Group. So check those spam folders and don’t hit the delete button. We hope you take this opportunity to have your voice be heard! In other news, we are really excited to see the response from the community on Philip Rosedale’s return. We’ve received hundreds of questions from all of you and are including many of them in the forthcoming “Lab Gab.” We should be announcing the streaming date for “Lab Gab” with both Philip and Oberwolf in the next week or two. Keep an eye on the Second Life Public Calendar for the date!

Happy new year! We released a change this week that hopefully will help fight the winter blues. Uplift has been an ongoing adventure for a number of engineering teams, but the goal of improving the SL experience for all residents has not changed. Uplift brought in new hardware and the ability to reconfigure it quickly to react to changing circumstances. A few months ago, we quietly changed hardware configurations to provide better performance for the simulators, but our job was not done there. After this upgrade our engineering teams dug deep into the simulator to modernize it and take better advantage of AWS capabilities. We referred to this as our “Tooling Update,” which allows LSL scripts to run more efficiently. Regions with heavy script usage will likely see more scripts run and even some spare time returning to the simulator. The release also includes a modernization of our compiler and supporting runtime. Newer tools allows for better code generation and awareness of modern CPU designs. While the news is mostly good, a word of caution that with more scripts running, other areas of the simulation environment may be driven harder. Scripts that were already approaching throttles or other limits may find a throttle engaged; this also applies to remote services accessed via llHTTPRequest. We do see the possibility of revisiting these throttling limits as a result of these improvements. They could see higher request rates as scripts perform more work. We hope that you enjoy the additional script performance for your regions. Anecdotes from region owners on the RC channels before release were generally positive. We are keeping an eye on the data with expectations that these improvements are here to stay. We hope that as the regions improve performance you will find ways to create and explore in ways that you could only dream of before. SSL Support Library upgrades include more recent SSL support. Removal of old protocols and obsolete ciphers is underway and some new restrictions are in effect for llHTTPRequest, llRequestURL, and llRequestSecureURL functions. With this release, SSLv3, TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and related ciphers are deprecated for these functions. This does not change the login service in any way. These changes are restricted to simhosts. We hope you benefit from this update! As ever, we welcome your thoughts.

This week we are shining a spotlight on Sassy Nitely, a busy mom and lifelong musician who rediscovered her passion for performing through the live music scene in Second Life. Sassy about to start a show in 2021 – Photo by Kaitlyn Pruitt How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it? I have been in Second Life since October 2007. I first heard of Second Life through a coworker; she explained the platform to me. However, like many new Residents of Second Life, I had no idea what I was doing or what would come out of that decision. {Joining} Second Life was one of my best decisions and has impacted my life tremendously. I owe a lot of gratitude to Second Life. I was 30 years old when I signed up and nearly 15 years later, I can say without a shadow of a doubt: Second Life has taught me a lot about myself, shaped real life relationships, and brought me back to my musical roots. Sassy (top center) in Madrigals (1995), Antioch High School, Antioch, TN How did music become such an important part of your life? For musicians, music is our lifeline, much like the air we breathe. I grew up in the music industry here in Nashville, so this life of being a musician and being the daughter of a musician is all I have ever really known. My dad began his music career playing drums at the age of 15, and by the time he was in his late 20s, he was playing at the Grand Ole Opry behind many country music icons. When I was 11, I loved to sing. I was obsessed with lyrics and started to write my own songs with catchy hooks and melodies. At the age of 12, I decided I wanted to be a drummer like my dad. I loved to sing, but growing up around a professional drummer I naturally wanted to follow that path. I put the notepad of lyrics down and switched it out with staff paper. He taught me how to read and write rhythm patterns and I learned the bible of all drummers: drum rudiments. In sixth grade, I joined the middle school band’s percussion section. I excelled in music, but found I gravitated more toward the melodic percussion instruments like the bells, xylophone, and marimba. Playing those instruments, I had to learn how to read sheet music and become more involved with music theory. Missing the singing aspect, I signed up for choir and finished out my sixth grade year in band and show choir. In high school I continued in concert band, choir and “Madrigals,” which is a select choir of 16-18 vocalists. Those are my roots, and although so many amazing things happened musically in my youth through honor band and choir, I moved on to my college years and majored in Vocal Music Education. This era in my life taught me more about music composition, theory, and I also became a decent pianist and a classically trained vocalist. In 1999, my husband {at the time} and I started a family. The music was put on hold for a while. Then, in January 2008, due to Second Life, music came rushing back into my life and I picked up the guitar that had been sitting in my closet for years. Sassy (bottom, third from right) at a Madrigals showcase rehearsal in 1995, Antioch High School, Antioch, TN When did you start performing live in Second Life, and what venues can people visit to hear you play? In January 2008, I found music on Second Life. A new friend sent a message asking if I’d like to join him at a music concert with some friends. I was excited and intrigued because I had no idea live music was even a part of Second Life. I gladly accepted the invitation. I landed at The Freudian Slip and my Second Life was forever changed with the sound of one voice and one guitar. Lyndon Heart was singing his heart out and strumming his guitar that day at The Freudian Slip. I knew instantly that this was exactly what I needed to do. Second Life was a way that I could be at home in the evenings with my son and bring me back into performing. That concert gave me an epiphany that saved me in many ways. I found my way back to music and have been performing in Second Life since February of 2008, and in real life since 2011. Sassy performing in April 2008, photo by Sassy In my years of performing in Second Life, I have had so many incredible opportunities to help raise money for charity through music. I’ve played concerts for Homes for our Troops, American Cancer Society, Feed a Smile, Power Up for Charge, Team Diabetes and others. This gives me a great sense of purpose and the charities listed mean a great deal to me. I have also performed for the Bloggies and most recently a halftime performer at the NFL Alumni Association's ESTV event. Sassy at the ESTV Halftime Show, photo by Linden Lab I am grateful and beyond blessed to play many of Second Life’s premier live music venues. I play every other week or once a month at After Dark, The Blue Cornflower Lounge, The Black Diamond, Free Spirit Farms and Swamp Water Bluz. This family of venues has been around a while; they are a staple of live music in Second Life. If you want to hear the best talent Second Life has to offer, go to one of these venues. Those who own/manage these venues and their crew are very selective about the performers they pick. How would you describe your music? Who are some of the musicians who have influenced your style? My roots started in country, rock, and eventually pop, but I was introduced to many genres growing up. My music is soulfully strong with a bit of sweetness and sass (hence the name). I grew up listening to Bob Seger, Aretha Franklin, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, The Judds, CCR, and many others. A great singing voice is an amazing instrument and I grew great admiration for those artists who could also accompany themselves with an instrument. In my teen years I listened to Shania Twain, Jewel, Martina McBride, Whitney Houston, Taylor Dayne, Melissa Etheridge, Reba McEntire and Sarah McLachlan. These ladies are all incredible artists with strong, soulful, and sweet voices. They sing with raw emotion and conviction. If the performer feels the music and lyrics, it will radiate to their audience. Just like the artists mentioned above, I leave a piece of me on every stage and if I touched at least one person through a song, I did my job right. Sassy performing in her band “My July” Sassy with her newest music project “New Binge” Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that inspire you and whose work you admire. I cannot miss the opportunity to point out Lyndon Heart again. I had the extraordinary honor of meeting and playing music with Lyndon at the Nashville Music City Jam in 2012. He is quite a songwriter and I encourage everyone to look him up. Other incredible songwriters I admire and consider professional in their art are Zak Claxton and Phemie Alcott. These artists not only enjoy writing, but they also accompany themselves well on their instruments and tell their stories with conviction. There is a mixed bag of incredible artists on Second Life. There are vocalists who sing to high quality tracks, instrumentalists, musicians who sing and play multiple instruments or electroacoustic artists who compose electronic music on the spot. You just have to go concert-hopping to find who fits your niche and follow them. The talent in Second Life is endless and there is something for everyone. Do a quick search of live music events in Second Life. Drop into any show and you will find greatness. The live music community in Second Life is a tight knit family and every year there are several chances for us to get together in real life to make music. My SL and RL best friend Anastasia Yanwu and I organized the 2012 and 2014 Nashville Music City Jam. This year, Yvie Caproni and Marina Sharpshire are bringing the jam back to Nashville to continue the tradition! I cannot wait to meet up with our community and make new memories filled with fun, laughter and of course, MUSIC! From Nashville to Baltimore, Dallas, Minneapolis, London, and others there are many destinations to attend a jam. Be sure to check out the SL Live Music Jams Facebook page to keep up to date on where the next live jam will be. All attendees signed this board at the first “Nashville Music City Jam” in 2012 Where can people follow you to know more about your next shows? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts. You can find me listed in live music events inworld or at any of the links below. I included my RL band information as well for our Nashville-based SL Residents. Sassy on the Web: www.newbingemusic.com/sassy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sassynitelymusic Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=sassy.nitely%40gmail.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2PTVKG-njH-ekhkIwsiHtg SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/barbie-horsley SL Life Music Jams: https://www.facebook.com/groups/186627631374381 RL Band: www.newbingemusic.com Thank you for this opportunity to share my story with you all. Second Life is full of surprises, and you never know what doors can open for you as a result. Thank you, Second Life – for everything. ♥ Thank you Sassy for bringing your melodious music to the live music scene in Second Life! We hope you enjoyed learning more about Sassy today and get a chance to enjoy some of her virtual concerts in the near future. Each of these weekly Spotlight posts will feature a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup

“Funday” by Cica Ghost, a whimsical meditation imbued with childlike wonder, is open to visitors for one more week! Cica Ghost is known in Second Life for making temporary creations akin to virtual art installations. While many parts of SL have been maintained for years, these transient regions are a great reason to log in regularly and explore, because you never know what you might miss. Funday greets you with lighthearted old-timey jazz, which cements the feeling of being transported to a different time and place. One of the most visually striking elements of this region is the distorted sense of size. A cartoonish caterpillar the size of a school bus lounges in one of the large brick blocks. The aesthetic of the region is hard to categorize; it feels like a worn out schoolyard with sprinkles of farm life and bucolic peace. A cluster of brick boxes next to the caterpillar almost looks like an urban cat tree. Murals of children and animals offer trippy optical textures as your eyes comprehend a two-dimensional character in a three-dimensional space. There is a hint of the adult fable throughout Cica’s work, a reminder that one is never too old to stop and play. Some of Cica’s previous works that she is particularly proud of include Rust, a patchwork circus of metal gears, and Drawn Town, an immersive black and white illustration-themed neighborhood. Cica has been putting out a new installation every two or three months as of late, and while there are stylistic similarities due to her characteristic approach, color palette and tone are unpredictable. So much work goes into each build, support the visual artists and creators of SL by visiting today! Video Production Credits: Draxtor Despres Funday by Cica Ghost Funday is a new art installation by Cica Ghost. Happy new year and happy funday! Visit in Second Life

Have you heard the news? Second Life founder Philip Rosedale is back! With today’s announcement about High Fidelity’s investment in Linden Lab, we’re excited to welcome back Philip Rosedale in the all-new role as Second Life strategic advisor. Philip is a recognized metaverse pioneer who led the early days of Second Life to help form and inform the now-mainstream concepts of virtual economies, cultures, and communities. In his new role, he will bring his vast virtual world experience and vision to help shape the future of Second Life. Philip will be joined by Linden Lab executive chairman Brad Oberwager in an exclusive “Lab Gab” community Q&A in the next couple of weeks – and we want your questions! To submit your questions in advance for consideration by both Linden Lab’s executive chairman and the Internet’s original metaverse pioneer, please use this form no later than midnight (Pacific) at the end of Sunday, Jan. 16. This special edition of “Lab Gab” will be streamed on our socials in late January – so stay tuned to this blog and follow our social channels for more information! UPDATE: We received hundreds of questions and Oberwolf and Philip have covered many topics in the interview. Watch this special pre-recorded edition of Lab Gab on Monday, January 31st at 9am PT on our YouTube channel.

This week we are shining a spotlight on The Wastelands, a post-apocalyptic community celebrating 15 years in Second Life this weekend. Learn more from the founder and curator, NeoBokrug Elytis. How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it? A little over 16 years ago I saw an article about Second Life on the Make Magazine blog. And then a few more articles about Second Life later... I decided to sign up on Halloween of 2005. I was instantly hooked on building with prims and visiting the virtual spaces all over SL. How long did it take to build The Wastelands, and what goes into maintaining it? The first region (The Wastelands) took a few months of planning, but only a couple of days to build its infrastructure. I distinctly remember working with my dev team and not sleeping until it was done. After that, the first Residents had their initial builds done within the month. All of this was before mesh or even sculpts existed, so when folks built things, you could see prims take form in real time -- and it was amazing! Because we're a themed community, most of the land in The Wastelands is owned by its Residents, so all due credit for maintaining those spaces goes to the folks who live here! They are always building and changing their builds. There are some Residents who have had the same parcel of land since the day we opened, and there are others who move to a different chunk of land every month to build a brand new thing. Despite the ever-shifting sands of the estate, the general aesthetic always stays the same. These days most of the maintenance comes in the form of greeting and helping new Residents, planning and hosting events, and working on the game we have here. The community of The Wastelands is always helpful to visitors and each other, so in its own way it's very self-maintaining. Part of the fun of exploring such a vast region is noticing the different design styles throughout, such as industrial, desert, and psychedelic. What are some things that inspired these stylistic choices? The majority of The Wastelands is owned by its community members, and so much of the stylistic choices of what is built is left up to them. The whole estate has an overarching theme of post-apocalyptic ruins, which is inspired from all flavors of post-apocalyptic tropes. Certain regions also have sub-themes. For instance, The Junkyard region is more of an industrial ruin, while The Great Fissure {features} more tribalistic ruins made of recycled debris. New Residents tend to plant their roots in regions that are visually interesting to them, so regions tend to stay cohesive all on their own. We also have a "Public Works" department, where Residents make thematic assets for the community. We've got a respectably big heap of free stuff now, and I think that helps glue the different aesthetic builds together. As long as our estate management can see that you're making a good faith attempt at building within the theme, we're typically fine with what you make. If not, we'll make some suggestions and offer help; more commonly, your neighbors will likely offer to help you before we do. My account may be 16 years old, but I constantly remind myself that we were all new users at some point, and that we only get better at building as long as we have some place to practice those skills. How would you explain getting started in roleplaying to someone with little to no experience? What a complex question to try to answer! I'll do my best to keep it simple and generalized. Over the years I've found that roleplaying in Second Life is done in many styles and methods. It all really depends on what the destination offers, how the other characters interact with the setting and each other, and what you want to get out of it. I guess the most important thing to know is that everywhere does things differently. But I'll try to explain some common ground... The first thing to do when you arrive at a destination is read up what they're offering when you land there. It's essential to remember that they've built their roleplay setting with certain ideas in mind, and you should think of their setting as a book of rules to follow. At the same time, don't try to shoehorn in your own ideas that don't really fit within the setting. If the destination you're visiting allows you to lurk as an out of character spectator to their roleplay, I would highly suggest starting off with that for a session or two. One universal rule that most places adopt is designating how local chat should be interpreted. Most chat in a roleplay setting is by default considered to be ‘in character’ {so} a way that folks show that chat is out of character is by encapsulating the line in single or double parentheses, e.g. ((such as this)), or (like this). There's a shortcut in the Firestorm viewer: if you press ALT-ENTER when typing out a line, it'll automatically add double parentheses. This is useful to ask participants questions out of character, because if you're ever unsure about literally anything, it's ALWAYS best to ask questions. Another universal thing is that there are generally two primary types of accepted styles of chat-based roleplay. One is Paragraph or Para-RP, and the other one could be described as script style roleplay. There have been huge debates about these two styles, so I am going to very broadly explain them. I am not going to cover if {the written text chat} is first, second, or third person perspective, because everybody does everything differently. Paragraph roleplay is where the participants usually take turns in order by typing about a paragraph's worth of text for players to read and react to. Because players are taking turns writing a long paragraph, it may be quite some time before it's your turn to react and respond. It's typically best for smaller groups of roleplayers, as the wait time in larger groups can be rather long. But it gives the players time to think about what they'll say or do. Script style roleplay is where a player writes just a sentence or two, and anyone at any time can react and respond. Because the flow of roleplay is faster, it takes more attention to react to what's happening at the moment. It's better suited for any size group of players, but could be a bit chaotic with lots of players. The primary downside is you might feel pressured to keep up with things, but I've seen it used at a slower pace just fine. I think consent among roleplayers is critically important, because you can't have people join and say "Bang! You're dead. I win!" No one really enjoys players who command what happens to others unless the setting allows it. There are instances where players plan among each other before roleplaying what might happen between each other to push a story forward. But if you want to try to do something that may affect another character, you may want to {convey} that you're taking an action and let the other player choose how it plays out. Perhaps you're drawing a gun, and maybe they react by hiding behind a dumpster, and then you position yourself to corner them, but then maybe they try to disarm you, and you let them. That's how things should play out in my opinion, by giving folks opportunities. Perhaps even discuss what should happen ((out of character)). I think the above info is good for a general understanding of how roleplay works in Second Life, but it is certainly not the be-all, end-all of what roleplay is and can be. At best, it's the tip of a very deep iceberg. I didn't cover a lot of things such as dice-based resolutions, or HUD-based combat, or anything like that. The beauty of Second Life is that we can build settings and tools to augment how roleplay can be enhanced inworld beyond just text. Roleplay in The Wastelands isn't mandatory, it's opt-in and completely at your own pace. Feel free to visit and lurk because we honestly don't mind spectators. The Wastelands will be celebrating their 15th year in SL very soon, can you tell us about some of the events you have planned and how people can participate? We've got three days of partying planned, starting on Friday, January 14th at 5pm SLT. We're going to have live music, DJ sets, combat & sports, roleplay sessions, giveaways, storytelling, and more! It's free to attend and open to the public, and there is no dress code other than wearing some dang pants, so feel free to stop by and enjoy! On Friday and Saturday most of our events take place at our Arena stage: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Wastelands/38/146/75 On Sunday the rest of our events take place at our Junkyard stage: https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Junkyard/122/162/72 Our full schedule of events and locations is here: https://bit.ly/3JGH4RU Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that inspire you and whose work you admire. Haha, that's such an unfair question! I've been on the grid too long, and I've seen too much to pick a handful out of literally hundreds of creators I admire. Besides, I could easily play favorites among longtime personal friends, Wastelanders, and folks I've worked with professionally. So instead -- and I hope that this is an acceptable answer -- I will list some qualities of various creators that I admire. Because it's very hard to not be inspired by content you see in Second Life. First and foremost, anyone who makes ruined, broken, or wrecked content from scratch in Second Life is doing amazingly hard work. It's far easier to make something that looks fresh from the factory and has a new coat of paint; it is extremely difficult to make it look weathered, ruined, dented, or broken. Great post-apocalyptic content is few and far between on the marketplace and inworld events. So I do what I can to spread the word and buy it all up when I see it. Anyone who creates mesh and does proper LODs (Level of Detail) earns the highest of marks in my book. I don't personally create mesh, but I am very technically knowledgeable about the whole process and the time involved in creating mesh LODs *properly* for Second Life. It's a lot of hard work, and it might cost more LI (land impact) for customers to rez -- but in the end mesh that looks great at any distance is something I can really appreciate. Creators who make great use of textures and materials deserve far more praise than we give them. I specifically appreciate those who avoid using a lot of high resolution textures. They're making the viewer run better for everyone, and I think it's one of the least understood and most underappreciated skills among content creators. I love all the 3D art installations in Second Life, too! I could literally go on and on forever about how, what, and why certain Residents inspire me, but the truth is, anyone who creates in Second Life inspires me. I am always eager to see what people are making, or participate in what people are doing. From creators to performers, to bloggers, to communities, I think it's all super amazing because there's always something new to see. Where can people follow you to learn more about your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts. Our website has important updates around the community and unique roleplay articles: https://the-wastelands.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wastelands_inSL Mastadon: https://s.the-wastelands.org/@wl Plurk: https://www.plurk.com/TheWastelands Are you visiting and taking pictures in The Wastelands? Please post them to our flickr group: https://www.flickr.com/groups/thewastelands/pool Finally, we have a pretty active Discord server where folks can stay connected and share pictures of cats, food, and post-apocalyptic memes when not in SL: https://discord.gg/cdkhzb4QCh Watch this fun video about The Wastelands: Video Production by NeoBokrug Elytis Music written and performed by Irk the Mutant (shannonwilsonbell) We hope you enjoyed learning more about The Wastelands. See you at their 15th-year celebrations this weekend! Each of our Spotlight posts features a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup

Happy Wednesday! We’re writing to remind everyone that we’ll be holding our monthly Web User Group meeting today at 14:00 SLT in our usual meeting place, where we’ll be discussing our status with ongoing projects and our near future plans for our web properties. As always, we’ll leave plenty of time for Q&A from the community. We look forward to seeing you there!

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon masterfully blends the serenity of ancient artwork with stunning virtual architecture. Creator Patch Thibaud is actually an architect in the physical world as well, and his years of experience inform every detail of this majestic locale. After observing some work on Patch’s Flickr, Resident Crista reached out to him to build a region for her. Of the request, Patch says, “I agreed to participate as long as I got to do The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which was an ideal subject; an evocative and romantic concept, monumental in scale - and nobody has any idea what the original looked like, if in fact it existed at all.” Patch’s affinity for building in the metaverse is strengthened by the fact that “there is no one in between me and the final result; I don't have to deal with contractors, estimators, building codes, etc.,” and yet there are limitless possibilities. Furthermore, Patch feels that “in all 3D modeling software I am familiar with, you are working in an abstract, gridded space. In SL I am used to working outdoors, with a beautiful sky and perhaps with beautiful water, and the context of an entire world.” The concept of storytelling has been incorporated into many visual art forms, and as a trained designer, Patch adopted an episodic approach to the immense project. Patch created an extensive history for the estate: “This build imagines a structure originally built in mud brick by the Assyrians; later seized and rebuilt in stone by the Romans; {eventually} acquired by a cardinal during the military struggles of Renaissance Italy, who rebuilt the temple complex at the summit to include a villa for him and pleasure gardens and pavilions; subsequent alterations and additions by the cardinal’s family, including the ballroom and the Moroccan Garden; and finally the current owner, who restored the whole structure and its gardens, and inserted a gallery for art, built in the modern style.” Crista is also a longtime Resident, having started her inworld adventures 14 years ago. For Crista, Second Life is “a part of myself… part of my life and {it has} taught me many things that made me what I am now, in RL and SL. I am one person living in two different worlds. A wonderful SL can make a better RL. The Gardens were my SL dream for years… A ton of thanks to Patch Thibaud, I am not sure if we have a better builder. Sharing the beauty he makes, {as well as the} sensations and feelings deriving from it, is the biggest pleasure and satisfaction in this world.” Video Production Credits: Draxtor Despres The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is an amazing estate filled with magical places that will amaze you. Created by Patch Thibaud and adapted as a residence, this is a true work of art. Majestic beyond words, you must experience this to fully appreciate it! Let the gondola guide you to your arrival then explore this awesome creation. Visit in Second Life

This week we are shining a spotlight on Bixyl Shuftan, who just celebrated 14 years of reporting the Second Life news! Artwork of Bixyl Shuftan’s Second Life avatar by artist Alleara Snoodle How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it? I first started hearing about Second Life in 2006 when one of my online friends told me about it. She got me interested, and when I got high-speed internet that year, I signed up for it. But it wasn't until {the next} summer that I began logging on regularly. When and how did you get started writing about the latest news in Second Life? After I began coming here on a regular basis, I wanted to know more about the place. So I started reading blogs and newsletters about the virtual world. One was the Second Life Newspaper, owned by JamesT Juno and run by Dana Vanmoer. After I sent in some reader submissions in late October 2006, they asked me to meet up with them. After a short conversation, {they} hired me as one of their reporters. So I was officially in {around} early November 2006. For two and a half years, I would send the Second Life Newspaper articles about various people, places, and events at least once a week, often more, as well as most of its cartoons. But real life would catch up to James and Dana, and in June 2010 they sadly closed the paper. But the staff had been told ahead of time, so three other Residents and I started a new publication: the Second Life Newser. By July, it was clear we were around to stay. And although there have been changes in the staff since then (Gemma Cleanslate has thankfully remained onboard), we've continued to report the news about the people, places, and events, publishing online on a daily basis. The Second Life Newser Office in Second Life Do you have a submission process for Residents who want to have their event or location promoted on your news blog? For the majority of places and events, such as stores and club anniversaries, we generally charge an advertorial fee. But {for} charity events or places that are clearly a benefit to all, such as a well done nature park, a museum, or a benefit to raise money for illness research, we'll do a small advertisement for free. If we're impressed and have enough time, we may do a larger article. I should note that we're hiring. We've always been open to talent, and have had some great writers over the years. So if anyone reading this has a latent for writing and wants to tell the Residents about notable people, places, and events (large and small), please contact me at bixylshuftan@gmail.com. If you haven't got the time, but still want to tell others about a great place or person, we accept reader submissions. Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that inspire you and whose work you admire. Oh, there have been many over the years. Dana Vanmoer was the person who showed me how to run a newsletter and a team. In the past, there was Paisley Beebe who did a live weekly talk show. Delinda Dyrssen had her "Live and Kickin" show to promote musicians. Pooky Amsterdam for her intellectual game show "The 1st Question" and videos, as well as machinima artist Chantal Harvey, among others. In more recent years with Second Life media, Draxtor Despres has made an impressive showing between his podcasts, videos, and book club. A number of inspiring people have been in the Relay for Life. They've demonstrated a shining example of the good virtual worlds can do. There have also been some talented examples among my virtual neighbors, the Sunweavers, such as Shockwave Yareach and Cynthia Farshore, our top builders who have designed some award-winning structures. Nydia Tungsten and I have supported one another on the projects we've done, she's probably best known for her music videos, as well as being a published writer in real life. I should also mention Alleara Snoodle, a brilliant and kind woman with physical disabilities who accomplished so much. Sadly, she passed away recently. Finally of course, there's Gemma Cleanslate, who's been with the team since the start. For over 11 years she's been contributing an article or two a week. I can't imagine the paper without her. I could mention many others, but there just isn't the space. Are there any big news stories in early 2022, or projects you are working on that you’d like people to know about? We'll be writing our Year in Review and for the past few years, we've also been doing a "Man of the Year" article about the person or persons who had the most impact on Second Life news. In February there will be the "Hug a Linden" event, and the start of the official Relay for Life fundraiser season. I've also been writing a science fiction novel, "The Corsean Encounter," which is just about done, currently going through some editing. It should be published before too long. Where can people follow your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts. The Newser’s official site: https://slnewser.blogspot.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slnewser Besides checking it for the daily news, you can read the archives for past events, as well as articles on some great people and places. So stay informed about the news, in both real life and Second Life. And while we may be the best source, we're not the only one. By all means, check out other newsletters and blogs (and in real life check out multiple sources of news). But we're the newsletter that reports every day on the people, places, and events across the grid, large and small. We hope you enjoyed learning more about Bixyl. Each of these weekly Spotlight posts will feature a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup

Happy New Year! We wanted to update everyone about today's Web User Group meeting, which has been moved to next week, Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 at 1400 SLT, at our usual meeting place. Remember to keep an eye on our wiki page and the Second Life public calendar for all updates about user group meetings' dates, timings, and topics. See you next week!

Music is priceless; it can strengthen social bonds and turn an acquaintance into a lifelong friend. It is also one of the most effective ways to get people connected in a virtual world. For close to two decades, Residents in Second Life have been using the power of music and virtual dancing to express themselves and interact with others. The Music category of the Second Life Destination Guide is filled with hundreds of venues playing all genres of music. In this week’s destinations video, we are featuring six of the most popular clubs in Second Life, according to our data. Along with the music category, these clubs are also listed in the Popular Places category, which showcases some of the most visited places in SL that are great for socializing and newcomer-friendly, so there are no scripted newbie kickers, payment info restrictions, or adult ratings - all are welcome! Exhale Dance Club is a great example of how there is literally never a dull moment in Second Life. DJs from all over the world play live mixes 24/7 in this sleek club with a huge dance floor, neon lights, and a peek of the nighttime city skyline through the windows. Exhale’s vibe features a variety of music genres including EDM, trap, hip hop, electro, techno, house, and trance. Visitors can also enjoy special themed events like DJ battles. There is ample space for letting loose as well as chatting, and sometimes the DJs will make a shout out to individual patrons! Big Daddy’s Rock Club has been a den of good vibes in SL for over a decade, changing the decor seasonally to keep things fresh. This open air dance floor also has a huge outdoor space to catch your breath and explore. Follow the walkway of Hollywood-like stars to get to know the history of the venue and some notable Residents. And just in case you need a last minute outfit change, Big Daddy’s Mall is right next door. Posters throughout the club offer Residents news of current events and ways to get more connected with the virtual world. Visit today to hear classic and contemporary jams as well as one-of-a-kind mashups. Fogbound Blues is a laidback and rustic music venue where visitors can grab a seat at the bar, explore the dance floor, or lean against the jukebox to take it all in. The club opened in 2009 and over time gained a loyal following of music loving patrons. Owner Yanik tells us “Looking at it now with 70 avatars in the room, the best blues DJs in SL, and a full 24-hour schedule, it's light years ahead of what I hoped. It has become home for so many regulars. A social hub where friends gather. It's a community. Some depend on it to battle loneliness, sickness, to still feel somehow alive in this crazy era. It's now bigger than me. It's theirs, and I make sure it stays that way.” Muddy’s Music Cafe is a slice of paradise for those in search of a beach vacation. Surrounded by glistening waves, this oasis offers an intimate dance floor and a lounge area with a pool table and piano. The decor is playfully casual, almost like a house party with a pile of records in one corner, musical instruments and statement pieces to serve as great conversation starters for even the shyest of Residents. Las Muchachas is a Latin dance club with a casual dress code. You’ll hear everything from samba to salsa, mambo, merengue, flamenco, chacha, lambada, and more! The dance floor has the aesthetic of a wooden dock, as if your cruise ship just landed at this tropical locale with a view of the city off in the distance. Grab a festive drink, dance, and enjoy conversation in the cabana. One of the walls in Peak Lounge is emblazoned with the phrase “When words fail, music speaks,” and we can’t agree more. This ultralounge features DJs from all over the world playing a variety of dance music. The decor feels like a celestial dream, with a modern lounge area flowing seamlessly into the dance floor and DJ booth. It comes as no surprise that Peak hosts exclusive fashion events, with stylish outfits and accessories available for purchase in the entryway. Peak Lounge expertly balances intrigue and hospitality, making all visitors feel welcome. In the new year, explore new places and make new memories! Video Production Credits: Draxtor Despres Music Credits: Todd Squall

Happy new year! While many of us are still recovering from the winter holidays, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and our shopping itch just won’t go away! Linden Lab is winding up for a Valentine’s Day inworld shopping event - and we’re now looking for Merchants who would like to participate. The 2022 Valentine’s Day edition of Shop & Hop will open on Wednesday, February 2nd, and will run through Tuesday, February 15th. We are looking for Merchants willing to offer a discount on their items (at least 20% off) and provide a new non-exclusive gift to shoppers. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please fill out this form as soon as possible and no later than Sunday, January 9th, 2022. We will contact you soon after that date if your application is accepted. Love is in the air!