Rufferta

I went to investigate the 'clue' someone mentioned. If this is a true clue we should be very afraid. And this is the baby. Filters -TOR Subtleties/Pirate's Dream.

I'd like to add that if they had wanted to create Bellisseria as a definite shape, they easily could have done that. I have seen different regions carved in different shapes, but the most beautiful I have seen is "Terraform Me" currently owned by Patch Linden.

Was Bellisseria planned to be a specific shape? I think it depends on how you look at it. I tend to believe that our habit of 'pattern recognition' makes us try to make things make sense and Bellisseria just grew at random. Or, it could be planned to be the shape of a monkey with a tin cup. As for "What will be the theme of the next residences?" I looked at the new regions' names and thought I saw a few that seemed to refer to merpeople. I looked around for regions that seemed to be being seascaped (rather than landscaped) and couldn't find any - but perhaps those ice islands are covering something? I also wondered if the fact that the western extension seemed to be gradually rising meant that we would have snowy mountains in the future. I visited the current snowlands in Anton and found that (Second Life being what it is) you could have land with snow textures from as low as 90. And lastly - there is a new region called "Blueberry Patch" - could that mean the next residences will be big thickets?

Lindal Kidd teaches a "How to Buy Land" class that is excellent, and you can ask her questions after the lecture. I recommend it highly. If you want to know "How Not to Buy Land", I've made every mistake in the book and I wrote a long article at https://thesecondlifetourist.blogspot.com/2016/07/draft-how-not-to-buy-real-estate-in_79.html .

This is a great example of how one of the first educational centers in virtual reality used Second Life to show residents what it might be like to experience an earthquake, or to visit the interior of a volcano. You can also find out what it might be like to ride a space elevator or take part in a dozen other activities - all designed to make learning fun. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bowness/91/147/32

Daniel Voyager just reported an extension on the lower east side of Belli. I went to look and it appears as if it could be extended in possibly three directions, with hills or mountains starting to show up at the farthest east point. I can't wait to see what happens!

These two private regions were created by Cheyenne Palisades and she has generously made them open to the public. Over the years, she and her partner Sweetie have worked to bring the landscaping to perfection. This is a a wonderful example of what just a few people can achieve, and I always find something to inspire, astonish, or amuse me. The beauty extends from underwater to high in space - but at every turn the humorous touches make this place unique. Be sure to read the signs and pick up the notes and handbooks available at different locations. If you just put "Whimsy Kaboom" or "Kaboom" into your Second Life map you may arrive in the water, but that is just one of the many surprises you will find on your visit. If you want to try for a dry landing, just use one of the Slurls below. A destination board. Nearby are directions to places like the Robot Sanitarium and Earth Orbit http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Whimsy/16/108/33 This takes you to solid ground, near a directory of some of the many activities available. Turn around and you'll find a directory of other destinations, like the Robot Sanitarium or Earth Orbit. You can control the volcano from the viewing platform: Slurl : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Whimsy/34/57/60 Bob the Paleolithic Drinking Bird is one of the oldest objects here. Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Whimsy/101/44/30 Beauty, and danger, but I think the touches of humor make this destination unique. Be sure to read the signs and pick up the notecards. Have fun! Note: You can pick up a notecard with Landmarks (rather than Slurls) at the Unofficial Tourist Information Center in Ukanipo.

If this is a community market area, does anyone have any idea how a resident could get a stall?

I like the idea of having fixed sizes for parcels. I also would agree with a stipulation that these parcels not be split down into smaller portions to save tier. Imagine if a RL homeowner said "I'm tired of paying taxes on that 10 x 50 spot in my back yard, I'm going to abandone it and let the City take care of it."

The Northeast Linden Home Continent was originally called Nascera or Nacera, but is now usually called the Eastern Premium Continent. Although the four Linden Homes Regions are pretty much clones, Nascera has some extra areas to explore, like Cape Ekim. The 'underground temple' is actually the end of a short quest that starts when you find a note on the ground in one of the park areas.

I have a houseboat I got on the second day Bellisseria was open. I enjoy the community there, and I can sail quite a distance from my dock. I do worry that there is a very small contingent of Bellisserians who complain about "those crazy neighbors" on the forums and who may some day decide my sea serpent does not conform to 'community standards'. I also have a small parcel in Ukanipo for my Unofficial Tourist Information Office (which is on a sky platform). Right now I am working on landscaping at ground level. Here my worry is that a lot of the Region is for sale, and I have no idea who my new neighbors will be. I already have more tier expenses than I can really afford, seeing as my RL rent has just gone up, but if I had a significant increase in RL finances I would buy more Mainland.

Corrected map. I will also be replacing the map I had on the Marketplace. Hope there are no more mistakes!

Thanks for the correction.

I don’t know about you, but since teleportation is the usual means of travel in Second Life, I often end up in a location without really knowing whether I am on part of the Mainland or on an isolated private Region. This is a short tour I’ve put together as a bit of introduction to Second Life Geography. It is the Second Life version of “If it is Tuesday, this must be Belgium”. I have tried to find a neutral teleport destination on each continent where you can stop, look around, and move on to the next site. For those who want to spend more time exploring I have added the slurl for the closest Pod Station. I made an updated map of the Mainland showing Bellisseria. Let's start with Corsica: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paneer/217/62/23 If you have Second Life installed the link will take you to the Explorer's Information Center in Paneer, Corsica. Inside the building you will find a variety of maps and information, including a map of Corsica showing the two main routes - Circuit La Corse, and Route 11. There are Explorer Information Centers on most continents. Another spot to visit in Corsica is http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fishers%20Rest/33/67/23 Fishers Rest, Corsica One Corsica Pod Station is at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Corfeld/247/62/71 - Yavascript Pod Station Gaeta 1 (The Unfinished Continent) Lastness Marina and Lighthouse is at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lastness/215/104/23 from there you can explore the Sandy Beach Trail, or try sailing around the shoreline. There is a Gaeta 1 Pod Station at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elten/12/149/29 Gaeta V 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Helfell/208/133/72 - This is a public beach area near an Infohub. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//186/178/48 Heterocera has many roads. This slurl will take you to a spot on the High Mountain Road just below Simple's Zoo. The High Mountain Road is excellent for travelling by horseback. 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Concinna/23/182/40 - High Mountain Road Calleta Pod Station - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//122/150/43 Jeogeot 
In Jeogeot The Lordshore Bridge spans several regions. There are underwater wrecks and a cave nearby. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lordshore/65/59/55 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Monowai/8/141/73 Nautilus Magellan crash-landed in Nautilus and his rocket is still there. You can sit in the cockpit and view his first surveillance photos. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nautilus%20-%20Mysehi/109/36/24 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cecil/9/118/60 First Generation Linden Premium Home Continents There are actually four First Generation Linden Premium Home continents. Each continent has Meadowbrook, Tahoe, Shareta Osumai, and Elderglen housing communities and infohubs. In this case we are only going to visit one location on one continent, but it is well worth exploring the rest on your own. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shareta%20Osumai/138/171/89 There are no pod tours on any of the First or Second Generation Premium Home Continents Sansara may be considered "The Mother Continent". Second Life started with a small cluster of 16 regions near Da Boom on March 13, 2002. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Da%20Boom/159/219/36 This will land you next to Caffe DaBoom. One Sansar Pod Station is at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Durango/154/188/119 Satori has Asian-themed signposts, but a diverse Second Life population. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bagheera/59/125/57 This is the end of Route 8 in Bagheera. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//3/156/24 is the landmark for the Pod Station in Basilisk. The Sharp Continent (Teen Second Life or TSL) used to be the place where teenagers were sent before they were old enough to venture on Mainland. There are many places to visit. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//3/156/24 There is a Pod Station at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//137/147/116 Zindra is away on the right side of the map. Linden Lab started it as a project to create a new continent specifically designed for Adult content. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pengallen%20Bridge/199/242/38 - From here you can take a free sailboat explore the river, head straight back and explore the interior of the power station under Pengallen Bridge, or just walk up to the top of the bridge and look at the statues. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bronlen/36/11/37 I have found most of the residents I've met there to be very friendly and helpful. Bellisseria. This is the "Second Generation" Premium Linden Home Continent. It was first opened to residents in April 2019, and has been steadily adding land and structures. You can get more information at the Bellisseria Citizens Group Headquarters in Arghh or visit the forums. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Arrgh/145/124/27 I hope this post encourages someone to explore the Mainland.

Good estate owners and land barons are valuable, because they provide residents with safe places to live and not everybody wants to live in Bellisseria. I think it would be fair to give them a space to advertise their communities. I envision something like a permanent virtual ComiCon - bottom floor full of booths offering information, and lecture halls where folks like Oxbridge instructor Lindal Kidd could talk about how to actually buy land. Perhaps there could be panel discussions like "Rent or Own?" or "Can You Still Build With Prims?". In the past "Housing festivals" seem to have focused on the buildings to put on the land, not so much how to get a place to call home. To save wear and tear on the instructors and presenters, perhaps some of the lectures could be canned (like Great Courses). Many times I miss scheduled classes in SL because their times conflict with RL priorities. How about individual viewing booths where we could sit down and choose a lecture from a menu? For those classes that require an actual virtual avatar instructor be present an integrated Calendar board could show place and time. Perhaps LL could sponsor a contest for "Best Instructional Video" for such a venue.

ProzacGummyBear's question reminds me that there is a big gap between being spit out of the chute at the current Noob Indoctrination Point, and actually learning to walk around and do things. It seems as if many unofficial residents have teamed up to provide places where people can ask questions and learn basic skills but there is so much to learn...how about Linden Labs gives every new avatar a handbook containing links to the official help pages, the forums, and the different in-world help groups? I am still learning things every day.

About moving the Constellation from the Blake Sea area: My understanding is that several years ago Linden Lab partnered with a Blake Sea group to extend access to the Mainland. http://blakesea.blogspot.com/p/history-of-blake-sea.html - To my mind while this made Mainland accessible to sailors from Blake Sea private estates, it also meant that some Mainland residents had more access to the Blake Sea Region. I would love it if Linden Lab opened a sea route from Bellisseria to the Blake Sea. Perhaps the next Premium Home continent could be put into place between Sansara and Satori - just move some little Void-Ocean-locked private regions over a smidge (they won't notice the difference). Also, for those who are interested, there is a life-size recreation of an independence-class light aircraft carrier, the USS Woodbine, in the Woodbine Region. It is not as large or impressive as the Constellation, but still worth a visit.

One of my alts is in the Pod Riders group and saw the list there. I think you have to be a member to access the notices, but there is no fee to join.

Checking out the new Victorians, I found wonderful forested regions with streams and clear pools. One of the Regions is SSPE375, right above Banebury. I'm wondering if they are going to give it a name?

Last night I was exploring an historic Mole Build, and I saw this huge sign on the edge of an adjoining sim. When I flew closer to see what the sign was protecting a teleport orb gave me a 15-second warning. It made me sad to think how many new residents, exploring the Mainland, had probably run into something like this. I'm used to it by now. When I checked for the owner, and started to add a note on their profile, I saw that I had been stuck on a ban line* on one of his properties in Corsica a few days before - again, the owner was within his rights, but this was in a narrow public sailing channel, and the banline (while on the edge of their property) was a few meters from an obvious property barrier. I did IM suggesting that the owner put up a marker buoy, but I'm not holding my breath for a response. I love the Mainland, and I'm not leaving it, but sometimes I despair... *experienced sailors probably know this, but I found that I could get out of the banline by editing my sailboat and moving away, then restarting it.

1. If you derender the water you will see either the black of the Ocean Void, or the terrain texture for that region. 2. Where the water is cut off at the end of the parcel, it could be either because there isn't anything there, or because the Owner is using an object with an animated water texture that resembles 'real' water. Nothing is real. Also, I have been told that water levels may be different in different regions. "Off sim" objects like rocks and lighthouses often make it look as if the 'real' water extends over the Ocean Void. Sometimes it is very hard to tell.

Abnor wrote somewhere that he made the obelisk because he was sad at some of the ugliness he saw on the Mainland. He said these are 'suggestions' rather than rules. They are free to copy.

Just from personal experience, I have found it helps me to put the name of the Region (some call them 'sims') first when naming a landmark. I then put it in an inventory folder marked "Places I've Visited".

Please let us know. I'd love to know if there are any I've missed.

Welcome to Second Life! I once tried being a Land Baron - buying property, improving it, and renting it out or re-selling it. It was a lot of fun but when I toted everything up I found I was not making any money - just losing it very slowly. I think you have to be a very dedicated person, willing to put in long hours, to make money in real estate. Premium membership, the cost of land, structures, advertising, etc....all factor in. I don't think I could give you any realistic estimates for how much it would cost, but I agree with Prokofy's advice, above. As for making things to sell, you can download blender for free and there are a ton of tutorials out there. Residents seem to always be buying new clothing and accessories. There seems to be a need for people who can create with bento, animations, and baked-on-mesh (BOM). As for making houses - I recently did a survey of houses on the Marketplace and I was surprised at the variety and quality that was available. I even picked up a few freebie houses that were quite well made. If you want to make a living making and selling houses you will be facing stiff competition. BUT - if you learn to work with Blender and animations you will have skills that you can use outside of Second Life. I've read that some people have no trouble learning Blender, while others (like myself) have yet to get beyond making very simple things. Look around inworld and see what people are doing, and look at the Marketplace to see what is selling. Pick up some freebies and see if you can take them apart to see how they are made. Good luck!