Health Care Community Discussion in SL

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the Health Care Discussion and write an article for the SL Newspaper about the event. At the meeting were noted journalists Draxtor Despres and Nonny Writer who were there filming the event, a Machinima, which would be sent to the President-Elect's transition team. I received word earlier today from Siri Vita, who had served as moderator for the discussion that the Machinima has been completed and is available for viewing.

Obama healthcare team gives greenlight to Second Life volunteers!

Filthy Fluno’s Mixed Reality Opening

An invite from Filthy Fluno is always worth exploring, so I popped over to check out his latest as he hosted a mashup event in SL/RL. About twenty plus av's showed up on the SL side, not sure how many were at his studio in RL, but we all took turns typing out hello to the RL peeps in chat. The event location was typical Filthy style, an urban setting and arrivals were greeted by the working ladies on the street corner. Filthy has several of his most recent pieces on display, one had to traverse the cityscape to view them and it is worth the view. Filthy also mentioned working on a painting of this Mixed Reality Opening and he was popping in and out of both lives while dancing across from the Apollo Theatre. Can't wait to see it.

Stained Glass Exhibition

The reception for Texanna Schumann's stained glass exhibit began at 6 pm. SLT and was held at the Ruttan Gallery at the Cetus Art district on January 8, 2009. The exhibit, sponsored by Twilight Peace, will continue for one month. I stopped over to take a peek, pleased at having received an invite by Ms Schumann. There were several people there already when I arrived and after ten minutes thirty plus avatars had gathered to join in the festivities. On the down side, SL was being exceedingly slow and while there I barely had time to glimpse her work before heading on to my next engagement. I had previously seen work done by Texanna who is a marvelous photographer. So making notes for this post and plans to stop back the first chance I could, I congratulated Texanna and promised to stop by soon to view her works.

Update from the Rings Discussion Group

A note came over from the Rings Discussion Group announcing the 8^th of January meeting, "Lots of Marvelous News to Share - And lets brainstorm the next big action. Come and tell about what you are planning! We can help!" The organizers of the December Human Rights Festival in Second Life and 28 interested avatars gathered together for a discussion on lessons learned and to lay out an agenda for continuing the activities begun with the festival and carry what was learned and the theme of "Human Rights" into 2009.

The agenda was succinct, and the dialog was ably facilitated by juni and Medora where they focused attendees in the following areas:

• Review the festival
  
• What can we learn
  
• Connecting networks and having a common schedule
  
• Ideas
  
• Next meeting
  

Some stats from the December Human Rights Festival

• 2500 people attended cumulative
  
• 35 Exhibits
  
• 65 Concerts
  
• 83 Live Events
  
• 150+ people Involved in organizing the event, including artists
  

For more information on what's in store for 2009, see the Human Rights Network Website

A Chat with Written Word’s Jilly Kidd

I've had the pleasure of knowing both Jilly Kidd and Hastings Bournemouth at the Written Word project for just slightly over a year now. Their activities within SL have been amazing, both working tirelessly to promote SL as a venue for all of us in the literary world. Besides being the hostess at the many events held on Cookie Island, she also does a weekly show from the SIM called "Meet the Author" which can be viewed on SLCN TV. I caught up with Jilly recently and chatted about what's been going on with her at the project.

"Hey Jilly ... I hope all is well with you." I said.

"Yes really good, I'm a guest writer on that Reed Media blog now so that's fantastic. Here's a link to my first article (What the Papers Don't Say) and I'll be writing regularly." She said in reply and then added, "The publishers are a new part of the project, and they'll all be offering something to writers - ways to submit without an agent from some awards with book contracts, a litzine from Canongate where you can post your own work. Picador will also be joining us soon and they aren't mentioned in that article. It's something very new on SL this combined venture - writers and publishers, RL/SL merge with them mutually benefitting each other. The publishers are really looking into how to do something different to fit into our project. Macmillan will be concentrating on their Macmillan New Writers scheme which lets first time novelists send their manuscript by email and without an agent."

"I'll pop out shortly to take a read of your posting. It does sound like there's a lot going on with Written Word. I know we chatted briefly about this a few weeks ago, I'm still planning to interview you when your book comes out." I said

"Yes that should be next month, not too long now anyway." She said and then continued, "It takes ages for the publisher to get books out. But there are a lot of processes to be done properly to bring a book out and have it distributed and promoted well. It takes just three weeks to actually produce the book but months of planning to have distribution and promotion organized."

'It all sounds great Jilly, I can't wait to read it and then of course meet for our interview." I replied.

Auction of Queen Elizabeth's Rainbow Portrait Dress in Second Life

One of a Kind Auction of Queen Elizabeth's Rainbow Portrait Dress in Second Life

Shakespeare, Second Life and Zoha Island E, Second Life: In support of the SL Shakespeare Company's SOS "Save Our Sims" Fundraising Campaign, historic costume specialist Naergilien Wunderlich has created a virtual rendition of Queen Elizabeth I's Rainbow Portrait gown for auction with all proceeds benefiting the SL Shakespeare Company. Finely and expertly re-created for Second Life, the dress will be a rare "one of a kind" prize for the highest bidder at 4 PM SLT on Sunday, Dec 21, 2008. The dress is on display on a mannequin at both the Wunderlich Main Store in Zoha Island E and the Shakespeare Island SIM.

The dress features photorealistic textures based on Issac Oliver's Rainbow Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I. The dress comes with a set of exquisite sculpted jewelry, rubies, gold, and ample pearls of virginity, manifest in earrings and a necklace. The outfit is worn with several symbolic talismen, notably the one protruding from her puffy sleeves, the serpent with a ruby heart hanging from its mouth, passion controlled by wisdom.

Ina Centaur, fashion consultant and artistic director of the SL Shakespeare Company, asserts, "This is, by far, the most meticulous rendition of any of Queen Elizabeth's dresses on Second Life."

The dress débuted in a SLSC SOS Fundraising soiree in Caledon last Sunday, and had already garnered a high bid of L$10,000 before the event's end. Naergilien Wunderlich is collecting bids through note card and IM in a silent auction to culminate in a ballroom event on Sunday, December the 21st from 2 PM to 4 PM, in conjunction with the SL Shakespeare Company's Shakespeare on Ice.

>>> ABOUT the SL Shakespeare Company: <<<

The SL Shakespeare Company (SLSC) is a resident-funded and resident supported professional theatre company that embraces the best of what Second Life (SL) has to offer. Since 2007, we have been making history by providing extravagant and unforgettable theatrical performances on Second Life. With each show, we continue to shape the field by developing and re-leasing a new technology for virtual theatre on Second Life. Our vision is to make live Shakespearean theatre available to anyone anywhere with a computer to create new possibilities in entertainment, culture, and commerce for residents of a diverse, unbounded Geo-sphere. Those are the side effects of our mission: to make Shakespeare cool again!

>>> Latest News: http://blog.SLshakespeare.com

>>> ABOUT Wunderlich's Garb <<<

Wunderlich's Garb specializes in Elizabethan and Victorian clothing, and other eras that capture naergilien Wunderlich's interest. Stunning portraits and well made movie costumes also make their appearance in her shop. Ms. Wunderlich has been a fanatic real life costumer for the last fifteen years, and has had a decade's worth of experience in texturing for various 3d applications.

Shakespeare on Ice – in Second Life

Shakespeare, Second Life: On Winter Solstice 2008 (Dec 21), the SL Shakespeare Company endeavors on a last production of the year, a 24-hour ongoing festival of 'Shakespeare on Ice', to occur on the Shakespeare Island SIM, with a purpose of entertaining and educating.

The festival revives salient plots and character relations from past SL Shakespeare Company productions, as well as new ones created just for this, in the form of displays that replay through the brief segments persistently. Managing Director Complex Infinity states, "We're using bots since scheduling is too painful in this season, and also, this is a chance for everyone to—literally—drop by and get a glimpse of us at any time." Artistic Director Ina Centaur explains the purpose of this production, "It's a production, and we actually have it labeled as a SLBP—'Super Low Budget Production.' The 'scenes' or displays are set up somewhat like museum exhibits, where the audience can explore each one on their own. [Although no new animations and very few assets were created for this production,] We're maintaining our trademark for visual excellence while trying to give everyone a chance to see what we're about—even during these hard times as we attempt to raise funding to keep our islands." Though admissions is free, Centaur mentions that several relevant merchandises will also be available for the audience to purchase to help support the Company financially, "All proceeds for purchases of the skins of each character will help support our current SOS 'Save Our Sims' Fundraising Campaign. Also, we will be displaying a 'one-of-a-kind' photorealistic virtual gown based on Queen Elizabeth's Rainbow Portrait—the silent auction for this item would end at 4 PM on Sunday the 21st."

Centaur explains the reason behind each display, "Each exhibit is self-sufficient and does not refer to a particular scene, explicitly, but is true to the relations among the characters in the world of [that] play. They're basically a 'single-instance interpretation' or a caricature-like 'capture' of part of the essence of each play." The Company's Hamlet is back in the unlikely form: Hamlet is revived and stalking Lucianus down a path, leaving him with "what became of Romeo and Juliet", then coming back to pursue Claudius who had been arguing with both Polonius and Gertrude; Ophelia looks at the scene in a frozen expression of horror, and the Ghost loiters about. Although such script-programmed behaviors have not been used in a major theatrical production on Second Life before, Centaur waves off the technological innovation of this production, "We're really just digging through the attic and showing off some very old toys we didn't have to use before."

And, of characters not yet seen in past productions: Both Queen Elizabeth (incognito, dressed informally in her Rainbow Portrait gown, as Gloriana) and Henry VIII will make their appearance while roaming about on skates on ice paths on the Shakespeare Island. New 'productions' created especially for this display include a "single-instance interpretation" of Kate, the female lead from The Taming of the Shrew, and the triangular relationship of Romeo, Juliet, and the Apothecary. Kate is shown psyching out on ice (but the ice never breaks); Romeo and Juliet, dressed as ice skaters, are circling around a stooping and unmoving Apothecary, with a dagger to the heart protruding from Juliet's blood-stained body, and Romeo binging on a vial of poison potion.

Ina Centaur jokingly names the exhibit of "Romeo and Juliet (and the Apothecary)" as a tribute to virtual economist Edward Castronova, "We weren't lucky enough to get any external funding for our projects, so we had to do everything [referring to this particular display] with just L$250. Ed got a US$250,000 grant to create a Shakespeare world in Second Life, where people could 'learn' about Shakespearean plays presumably through such Disneyland-esque methods. But he didn't actually get to make his project on Second Life, so—not that I particularly cherish the theatrics of this one—we dedicate this display to his idea!"