voyeurism

on the trail of the redoubtable Magellan Linden

Nautilus City (not to be confused with the continent of Nautilus) is the most recent landmass on the Linden mainland.

word first leaked out of its existence after the intrepid explorer Magellan Linden surfaced from beneath its bowels in his bespoke Mole Tank.

earlier today, i managed to secure ownership of the plot of land nearest to where the abandoned Mole Tank lies. the plot is directly across the Great Canal.

a pyramid of indeterminate origin has been rezzed there, and it's as great as any a place to start exploring this new and exciting landmass from :-)

Additional reading:
- HeadBurro Antfarm's 24 October 2008 entry (The Hunt for Magellan: Exploring Nautilus) Backpacking Burro

[update: the pyramid was closed on 29 May 2009. grateful thanks to all who visited it :-) ]

in Magellan's pilot seat in the skewed wreck of the Mole Tank

the Marina at Da Boom

the one-hundred-and-fifty-third episode of ventriloquy explores the connections between England's Lake District during the 1930s, and some of the most historic sims in present-day Second Life.

capping off a busy weekend, and just in time to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Second Life coming out of beta, i open the Marina at Da Boom to you :-) the Marina is built on a land parcel for which i have just taken over stewardship from Rockwell Ginsberg.

in this 3.3 MB download, i invite you to take the slow boat and explore the waters around the oldest regions on the grid - these were the first to come online.

if you do have the time, please also do consider visiting the newly-expanded and renovated Raymaker Learning Space at Eduisland 3; if you still can't get enough of the salt-sea-air in your lungs, i am very pleased to make available two Docksider homes by Blaccard Burks for your rental consideration. They lie at the edge of a Linden continent and therefore offer unspoilt sunrise views.

explore these historic waters at a leisurely pace from the Marina at Da Boom

sunset over the Smith ocean, looking towards the Marina at Da Boom, with my neighbour's (Dimitrio Lewis's) shop in the background

the newly renovated Raymaker Learning Space at Eduisland 3

Temasek - Tora! Tora! Tora!

i haven't blogged on Temasek for a week!

things have been progressing at a breakneck pace, with Derekcsy, Sanspareil and i pulling full-day stints, while Limkopi comes in in the wee hours (Lim Pikajuna finished his fair share a long time ago, and Felixx is more or less done, with only his own portfolio booth remaining to be set up).

here's a sneak preview of something that Derekcsy has been working extremely hard at :-)

Temasek - first pic of the Visitors' Centre

over the weekend, Derekcsy Cortes worked on the Visitors' Centre at Temasek.

Derekcsy based its design on the old Kallang Aerodrome, which is presently the headquarters of the People's Association.

the Visitors' Centre at Temasek, along the banks of something approximating the Singapore River

Temasek - first pic from the historical zone

just a quick peek at how Derekcsy Cortes is interpreting the historical zone at Temasek :-)

his attention to detail is clearly evident.

for those of you who would like a little background information on the significance of cannons to the history of Singapore, here are a couple of good places to start :-)

the Raymaker Vulcanigallery at Da Boom

the one hundred and thirty-sixth episode of ventriloquy introduces you to my most recent learning facility in Second Life: the Raymaker Vulcanigallery at Da Boom.

as its name implies, the Vulcanigallery allows you to come up close and personal with an active volcano - specifically Pulau-Pulau Bompa, which i have relocated from the now defunct Raymaker Field Studies Centre at Sky Island Bay.

the volcano is designed, built and scripted by my good friend Ludvaig Lindman, who is also the genius behind the weather engines powering the independently-controlled meteorological zones in the equally-recently-upgraded-and-renamed Raymaker Field Studies Centre at Norma.

as for the Vulcanigallery at Da Boom, it is situated in the original sim in Second Life - the first-ever to go online - and it adjoins the History of Second Life Museum (unauthorized), which is designed and maintained by Tree Kyomoon (RL: Ryan Cameron).

so why not join me in this 1.7 MB episode, as we take a geographical and historical fieldtrip :-)

Additional reading:
- my 7 October 2007 blog entry (this new ocean)

[update: as of 27 November 2009, Pulau-Pulau Bompa is now at Cassiar Park]

the original sim

i have bought a small plot in Da Boom.

Da Boom is the original sim of Second Life. by this is meant, that the grid of continents, open water, and private islands that make up Second Life as we know it, started with the very first sim - Da Boom - on 21 November 2002.

it's mind-blowing to think that Second Life in general, and Da Boom in particular, is four-and-a-half years' old. it literally is very nearly pre-historic, on the Second Life timescale. over the years, many of the original residents of Da Boom have moved on and out. yet there are still parts of the sim where you can immerse yourself deeply in the original culture of Second Life, not least at the Starax Memorial maintained by Rockwell Ginsberg.

for further reading about the historical nexus of Second Life - including how it got its peculiar name - you could do worse than to start here :-)

as for the plot in Da Boom which is now under my stewardship, i could not think of a better name than da Capo. it lies somewhere in the foothills of the Frelon volcano.

da Capo is actually my third plot on the continent of Sansara - Sansara may be the oldest landmass on the grid, but i would concur with what is often said about it still being the best.

as we prepare to usher in 2008, i cannot think of a more appropriate sim to do so in, than Da Boom.

:-)

the continent of Sansara, with Heterocera to the north

these are some of the oldest sims

Da Boom - where it all started

"Take her to sea, Mr Murdoch"

the one-hundred-and-twenty-eighth episode of ventriloquy is one which i've been meaning to produce for two months now.

this 1.5 MB download celebrates the Grand Opening of the RMS Titanic in Second Life!

:-)

conceptualised and built by my friend Morphius Barbosa over six months, this painstaking replica has been crafted with the loving attention to detail that only a childhood passion could nurture.

Morphius has very generously set aside some prime space on Titanic's 'A' deck - between the ship's bridge and the Grand Staircase, no less - for a learning exhibit on the history of the ship (as she was in Real Life). We've named this space A Second Night to Remember: the Barbosa-Raymaker Museum on the RMS Titanic.

quite a mouthful, i know - but it pays homage to Walter Lord's 1955 factual account of that fateful maiden voyage.

as a proud member of her crew, i look forward to welcoming you aboard the RMS Titanic!

heart of the ocean

here's a sneak preview of something in which i have had a small part to play :-)

many, many thanks to Morphius Barbosa for making space in the realisation of his dream, for me.

:-)

Technorati Tags: geography, globalization, Second Life, Titanic

second chances

it could be argued that Second Life is all about second chances.

so, it's completely apt (and not at all unexpected) that the RMS Titanic will soon sail again...

:-)

Additional reading:
- the RMS Titanic (wikipedia entry)