Virtual Worlds – Page 93

February 24, 2015

Science Fiction Author Elinor Caiman Sands Engages With SciFi Convention 2015 In Second Life

Authors outside the virtual world at times pay attention to the virtual world. Terry Pratchett visited once for a talk in a promotion of his book Nation. Science Fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson used to pop into Second Life for a talk or two, dressed as a coyote. I’ve talked, more than once, with Nara Malone who has formed community links with authors in Second Life and beyond into OpenSim, especially with projects such as The HyperGrid Stories Project.

Over the weekend whilst roaming around the Science Fiction Convention 2015 in Second Life I stumbled across the works of another author, UK based SciFi & Fantasy author Elinor Caiman Sands.

Elinor has a small exhibit in the Risa sim at the conference, featuring promotion of her books and some Second Life based artwork. Elinor is a fan of alligators, I’m not sure how many of them really exist in swamps in the UK, although legend has it that the UK was indeed once a very swampy land. However she does have experience of the British Labour party, so she should be used to people showing their teeth and trying to snap.

At the exhibition four of Elinor’s e-books are promoted :

Europa Spring
Elinor’s Little Book of Funny Critters
The Martian Ascent
Mouse About the House

These are all short stories and were published as Kindle editions in 2014.

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February 21, 2015February 22, 2015

Talking To Lani Global About OpenSim SciFi At The Second Life SciFi Convention

OpenSim SciFi may seem like an odd fit at the Second Life Science Fiction Convention, indeed your first thought may well be “These aren’t the droids we’re looking for.” However you would be wrong because in a similar fashion to storytellers, SciFi spread across OpenSim and Second Life with the communities working together even if the technologies don’t. I caught up with Lani Global to chat about OpenSim SciFi.

First things first, I had to make sure that Lani wasn’t an evil sith Lord or lady, she frowned and then replied :

“I doubt that the OpenSim universe has been conquered as an empire yet, but there are many trying!”

However more importantly, how popular is SciFi in OpenSim, this was a question that received a warmer reply :

“Sci Fi is probably one of the most popular themes in OpenSim.” Lani told me, she also told me that she has her own Hypergrid enabled OpenSim location “My main region called “Lani” has been enabled for HyperGrid since 2010. It gets about 15,000 unique visitors per year, and about 20% of them are via HyperGrid.”

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February 21, 2015

Centaurs, Tarot And A Stunning Vintage Village At Verdigris

A post over at New World Notes caught my eye : Visit in Second Life: In The Hall of the Centaurs, a Masterwork by Acclaimed SL Architect Havit Neox. That post itself links to one from Eddi Haskell : Great Second Life Destinations: Haveit Neox’s Gorgeous New Masterwork- In The Hall Of The Centaurs :

Havit Neox, one of Second Life’s most famous architects, builds fanciful structures and entire cities that employ a wide range of architectural effects. His latest creation, In The Hall of the Centaurs at Second Life’s famous Verdigris City, is another jewel in his crown and a must-see destination.

Hmm, I thought, I better go and see what all the fuss is about. So I did, and the fuss is most certainly worth it, not just for the Hall Of Centaurs, but for the whole sim of Verdigris itself.

The Centaur Hall lies on one side of a wooden bridge suspended in the sky and it offers some spectacular views. The building itself is stunning but the design and artwork inside is very much a joy to behold.

There is, as one would expect, a distinct mystical feel to the surroundings, both inside and outside of the Centaur Hall.

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February 21, 2015February 21, 2015

Intergalactic Planetary, Planetary Intergalactic – The Sci-Fi Convention Launches

The 2015 Second Life Science Fiction Convention officially launched earlier this evening and there were no glitches. As a Dwarfin this was unchartered territory for me as I boldly went where no Dwarfin has gone before, to experience space, the final frontier.

The convention, which is part of the Second Life Relay For Life fundraising effort for The American Cancer Society spans six intergalactic sims, the links are the SLURL’s :

The event opened with an opening ceremony at Merciless Ming’s, which is based in Fhloston Paradise, but don’t worry if you missed it, there’s more entertainment planned for today.

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February 20, 2015

A Taste Of Sci-Fi In Second Life – Graves Appear To Be Taking Over The Virtual Universe

In my preparation for Sci-Fi Alliance’s Second Life Science Fiction Convention 2015, which is now open, I decided to get in the mood by visiting some Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk locations. I’ve mentioned this before, but there aren’t as many as I’d like to see. The Destination Guide has a couple of categories, Cyber and Sci-Fi under roleplaying. There aren’t a lot of sims and quite a few appear in both categories.

However one thing I have learnt is that Graves appear to be taking over the universe, but more on that later. The first place I visited was Remnants of Earth, which is a roleplaying location. You arrive in a rather impressive space station of sorts. There you can find plenty of information about the storylines, the factions, join the group, buy content etc.

Outside you find yourself in a pretty damn impressive futuristic world. I really have trouble taking snapshots of locations that are best served dark and as with all three of the locations I visited, you will get a much better impression if you visit yourself.

SLURL To Remnants Of Earth : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tron/129/78/3066/

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