Second Life Fresh News

Surveybot - a Virtual Robot Avatar

2007-11-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

By Fresh Catteneo

Her name is Sava Basevi, born on 6/6/2007, and her profile says:

I am a survey bot, created by Mario Sonic. To make me ask you survey questions, say "SURVEY" to me. If I annoy you, say "BE QUIET" to me and I will stop talking to you. If you want me to talk to you again, say "TALK TO ME"For more info, IM Mario Sonic, or mail mario@menti.net

I met her at an office at Mario's Island and was convinced at first that she was a regular avatar. She was well dressed, courteous and looked at me with big blue eyes, shining behind long black eyelashes that blinked once every few seconds.

This would be the equivalent of a robot in the Real World, I guess. It's a robotic avatar, fully independent and automatic. The only thing it is programmed to do at the moment is ask you survey questions, and offer you coffee (but you have to help yourself). At the end of the survey, she payed me $L1. But I only answered two questions and didn't really complete the survey...

I then went to check out more SL survey systems and landed at Hippiepay who promise:

**FREE LINDENS** For Doing Surveys! Hippiepay. Fast Linden!
Earn 50-3000 Linden for each survey completed with Hippiepay

I was prompted to click on one of these "casino machines" and be linked to a website where I was supposed to fill in surveys and earn hundreds of Lindens. I did land at a website but from then on all I got was a bunch of broken links.

My mother always says: "There is only one thing you can get for free in this world - a good spanking"

A Mother - Daughter - European Union Collaboration

2007-11-14T23:44:00.000-08:00

By Fresh Catteneo
What do young SL entrepreneur Irah Anatine, her mother Catalina Streeter and European Parliament Deputy Paulo Casaca have in common ? This is what I tried to find out upon my arrival to Avalon Isle's Babel, a beautifully designed compound of squeaky clean marble buildings. I was greeted by mother and daughter Catalina and Irah who first of all pampered me with a warm cup of Cappuccino before giving me a thorough tour of the premises.

I was mostly impressed by this Hi Tech conference hall which can accommodate up to 100 people, free of charge, including providing security and technical services. Local security are well trained and experienced in handling spammers or abusive avatars. Free speech is endorsed here, except racism, Irah says.

The compound also includes facilities such as a library, a university, a school, a cinema, a business center, a Cafe Babel, offices for rent, an art gallery and many more.

So how does Paulo Casaca fit into all this ? Irah says she came to SL to promote dialogue among citizens and several associations and institutions she believes in. All her work is sponsored by the European Parliament Deputy Paulo Casaca, Catalina Streeter and Ras Hye. You'll find her learning with them in Athmosphere, at Avalon Island.

European Parliament Deputy Paulo Casaca offers a new angle on the Iranian Nuclear Crisis. He calls the International community to adopt a different approach towards the the Iranian Mujahedeen - an organization the regime in Tehran considers as its enemy number one, along side America and Israel.. He says it is a legitimate resistance movement that merits the support of the free world. He believes the Mujahedeen constitute the world's best chance to counter the growing Iranian threat. More..

Sr. Paulo Casaca (born on 2 July 1957, Lisbon) is a Portuguese politician and Member of the European Parliament for Portugal's Socialist Party (Partido Socialista); part of the Party of European Socialists. He is a regular contributor to the regional and national press on economic and political subjects and author of many books and shorter publications. More...

Flying Windmills - a Reality in Second Life

2007-11-14T03:53:00.000-08:00

An important advantage Second Life has is to enable scientists to present the world with models of their newest inventions at a minimum investment. Sky WindPower, a San Diego, California–based start-up calls our attention to a new kind of machine at the PopSci Future Lounge. It's not a helicopter, nor an exotic kite, but a Flying Electric Generator (FEG) designed to generate up to 20 Megawatts. The company says only 4 million dollars and a permit from the Federal Aviation Administration is needed for realizing the dream. More...

Regular windmills are noisy, cause television interferences and are considered not pretty by many people. The flying windmills are expected to solve these disadvantages and generate 5 times more electricity, since they will be harnessing the strong winds of the Jet stream, 11 kilometers above the surface of the earth.

The FEG is fixed to a 3 inch-thick tether that will serve both for anchoring it to the ground and shuttling the electricity. It will lift off the ground using electricity from the ground station to turn it's propellers (like a helicopter). Once off the ground it will hover with the aid of the natural Jet stream. Experiments have already begun. See video here.

Scientists have also started experimenting with floating windmills on the ocean, where winds are stronger and the potential for voltage production is thus bigger.

Malburns Writer's Metaverse InfoHub

2007-11-13T07:51:00.001-08:00

One day, a man called MalBurns sent me an invitation to join his group - the Metaverse InfoHub. You have to admit the name sounds good.... I checked the group out :

"Working Together" across arts, entertainment, development, commerce and the media. Helping co-ordinate the activity in a rapidly evolving new society.
A private group for those involved with information provision, collection and distribution in Second Life and other Metaverses.
Based at Mal Burns' InfoHub - BFP Bouwinvest 2 (57, 199, 35). For membership information please contact Malburns Writer inworld.
Mal Burns constantly publishes SL links online via http://twitter.com/malburns throughout the day.

Well, I was flattered and joined the group right away. To this day I do not regret it, because now and then Mal organises very interesting meetings involving top SL players. I went to visit Mals' conference and central operations facility today and caught him in the midst of last minute preparations for a Metanomics meeting to be held this evening.

The walls were covered with digital screens, connecting Mal to news agencies, and data distributors. If something happens at SL, MalBurns is sure to know about it, you can count on that!. He got numerous proposals to work as a professional reporter in SL, but he says he prefers to remain independent.

In one corner there was a CNN camera. CNN is now recruiting reporters, and anyone can join and send an SL I - Report. Sending an SL I-Report is easy. Use the FILE menu at the top left of your screen and select "Take Snapshot." Then send it as a postcard to slireport@cnn.com. In the "Message" field, tell CNN your avatar name, where you took the snapshot, and give a brief description of your SL I-Report. It’s that simple. If it's good, they will publish it at http://www.cnn.com/secondlife.

I let Mal continue tweaking his central operations facility and went on to visit CNN . I stumbled onto a conference for future CNN - Ireporters.

People mostly wanted to find out what could motivate them to send CNN I-reports, given that CNN offers no monetary compensation. They also talked about what kind of topics in SL would make good stories. Tyson iReport, conducted the meeting and tried to provide answers.

He said, iReporting shouldn't be considered as a job, but as sharing stories with the SL community. Someone said that iReporting could be a great avenue for free advertising, and another said that CNN is looking for volunteers.

The Humans Behind the Avatars

2007-11-11T12:27:00.001-08:00

These are male and female avatars, obviously a couple. They are operated by human beings sitting in their homes behind computers. Once the human logs off Second Life his avatar ceases to exist. The avatar was created by the human, and controlled by him. The avatar does not have an independent life of his own.

I used to have a girlfriend in Second Life. I mean, my avatar had a girlfriend avatar. I guess it's the same thing. Anyway, we didn't have sex but we did all the things couples do in SL like dance and cuddle in romantic places. SL is practically a heaven for people who like to do those things. Anyway, we broke up and don't see each other anymore.

She sent me a picture of herself in RL. That means I got to see what the human who controls my avatar's girlfriend looks like. She does not look at all like her avatar. I must say that I too don't look like my avatar. My avatar is much more handsome and athletic than me. But there are similarities between me and my avatar. Our style is similar. We are both simply dressed, no jewelry, no studs, and nothing too fancy. Just simple guys.

This is now, but a while ago I had a warrior phase. My avatar was armed to the teeth with weapons of all kinds - bow, knives, swords etc... It's called role play. Many people in SL take this to the extreme and have avatars that are animal like or non human - monsters, fairies, Furries, Gothic. Some sims in SL look like a big Halloween party. But a 365 days in a year Halloween party.

Tornadoes on Mars

2007-11-11T05:12:00.001-08:00

By Fresh Catteneo

The Martian area at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the California Institute of Technology experiences tornado storms every few minutes. Scientists who studied these swirling pillars of sand in Nevada measured electric charges of up to 4000 volts. They believe the voltage occurs as a result of friction between the dust particles rubbing against each other. These tornadoes are often called dust devils, and they form when hot air near the earth's surface flows upwards through a cooler pocket of air. On Mars, dust devils can be five times larger than on Earth.

But the three dust devils which simultaneously attacked the Viking Lander I were not strong enough to turn it over or even move it. It landed on Mars in 1976 in a mission to explore the Martian terrain and continued sending data to Earth until November 1982. There was also a Viking 2, and each Viking had an orbiter.

Another strange phenomenon I encountered on the red planet were big airbags which would pop out of nowhere and start bouncing down the cliff. As I was examining the Viking spacecraft I suddenly heard a strong rumble and then saw a strange cluster of giant balloons rolling straight towards me. I didn't have time to run away, so in a desperate attempt to save my life, I clicked on it to sit. To my great surprise I managed to sit on it but it kept on rolling and I soon found myself up side down with my head buried deep in the sand. Don't try this at home !
I think that these types of airbags were used for cushioning spacecrafts' landings on Mars.

The ride on Nasa's little blue glider was much smoother, enjoyable and very recommended,

although there was a gigantic rocky grey asteroid constantly chasing me.

A view of Nasa's rockets bathing in the magical red sunset, made me soon forget all my worries.

Poem: A man in Second Life

2007-11-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

A man in Second Life
A long road stretches ahead
What lies beyond is unknown
He pauses for a minute, his eyes screen the horizon
He need not eat nor sleep
For an avatar is he and forever young
Money, fame or profit ?
Fulfilling desires ?
In the horizon a bright light
The Future

By Fresh Catteneo

Free This Parrot Please

2007-11-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

This parrot is sad and miserable. Trapped in solitary confinement inside a 50 cm by 50cm steel barred cage, he will undoubtedly go insane or die of depression. He should be in his natural habitat - up on a tree, chirping merrily with his flock of parrot friends, passionately courting a parrot girlfriend or freely storming the endless skies. But this particular parrot was unfortunate enough to be chosen as an expensive and exotic decoration for one of Second Life's castles. He will never be able to do all those things which are his natural birthright and reason for his existence. Captivity,Cages, and Confinement are depressing, demoralising. and destroying our animals! Lets "free them from all exploitation.. Here's a nice video from U- Tube that would hopefully inspire the parrot's captors to set it free:
Free The Animals(send me on my way)

Ironically, this is all happening at AngelHEROS Mainland Embassy. AngelAID is a Not-for-Profit charity organization in the USA serving children with life-threatening diseases or undesirable situations (homeless, abused, or in foster care). I am sure that the AngelHeroes didn't mean to harm the poor parrot, but is it possible that in the midst of heroic efforts to help children, animal rights were overlooked ? None of us are perfect, and I am not criticizing AngelHeroes, but please pay attention to this, you guys...
AngelHeroes is a part of a group in SL called the Global Movement for Peace. Their main goals are:

To foster a culture of peace through education
To promote sustainable economic and social development
To promote respect for all human rights
To ensure equality between women and men
To foster democratic participation
To advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity
To support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge
To promote international peace and security

This penguin was found floating high above a building called Garden for the Missing, a Non profit organization honoring the many who disappear from family and friends. This organization is also a member of the Global Movement for Peace. Here again, like in the parrot's case, somebody disregarded animal rights. The poor penguin is stuck up there, with a fluorescent green foggy ball enveloping the lower part of his body. And I call the owners of Garden for the Missing: "Please bring the poor animal down and release it from the foggy green ball. You are doing a great job helping parents and relatives find their missing loved ones. I am sure this penguins family is sick worried about him. Get him down."

About Friendship in Second Life

2007-11-08T22:34:00.001-08:00

By Fresh Catteneo

The blue box in the top right-hand corner of the screen is a friendship offer that I received this morning. It made me feel good and happy. This person probably finds me either attractive or interesting (or both). Who doesn't like to be offered friendship ? I did not respond immediately by pushing the "Accept" or "Decline" buttons. First of all, who is this person ? Why is he/she offering friendship ? What is he/she looking for? What are their interests ?. This can be checked out easily through the person's profile. A quick look at the groups the person is a member of will quickly reveal his whole world. Does his/her world correspond to my world ? If yes, then I might accept the offer. But what am I looking for in Second Life ? Well, that is something I still have to work out.
I think that I read somewhere that if you decline some one's friendship offer or kick him out of your friend's list, you will never be able to make friends with that person again in SL (under your current name). So, there is always the possibility to make friends with someone, and keep him/her, locked in the cellar, that is, not let him see your online status. And then one day, when you need that person for some reason or another, you can contact him and say: "Hey Buddy, long time no see ! " The problem is to explain where you were all that time....
SL knew what they were doing when they enabled this function of not letting your friends see your online status. It can be pretty stressful when you get three or more people simultaneously calling you. The "friends" option in SL is not strictly reserved for social friendships but also serves for business purposes and contacts with clients or business partners. When one has more than 10 - 20 "friends", and still wants to surf SL with a peaceful state of mind or concentrate on doing some work, it is indispensable to be able to control if people see you online or not.

So did I finally accept that friendship offer ? Yes, I did...

Man Threatens to Jump Off Bridge

2007-11-08T08:21:00.001-08:00

By Fresh Catteneo

This happened today at The Lost Gardens of Apollo , a paradise of magical towers and enchanted gardens. The man, (Stone Perenti) aged somewhere between 20 - 30 stood on the banister of a bridge suspended about 300 meters above ground. I tried talking to him to find out if he was going to jump and why but all he did was mutter a few sounds. The girl standing next to him was in "busy" state. Didn't seem to care.... When I came back a few minutes later, he disappeared. I am guessing the guy was trying to impress the girl with this stunt, but didn't really succeed.

Down below, people were practicing Tai Chi - an internal Chinese martial art often practiced with the aim of promoting health and longevity. Tai chi chuan's training forms are well known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks around the world, particularly in China. Some medical studies support its effectiveness as an alternative exercise and a form of martial arts therapy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_chi_chuan

Communists Against Communists

2007-11-06T00:34:00.000-08:00

By Fresh Catteneo

It seems that sooner or later every organization, government, business or institution on Earth
will have an embassy in Second Life. Communism already does and it's located on the Red Strip. But after a brief tour of the location I grew more confused about Communism than ever before, mostly because of this exhibit (shown in the picture) of some Communist leaders, named "Communism's Greatest Hits". It can't be seen on the picture but inworld there are labels above the heads of each of these figures. Each label states the number of dead people the Communist leader is responsible for. Starting from the left: 2 million (name ?), 30 million (Mao Tze Tung), 2 million (name ?), 20 million (Stalin), 4 million (name ?). I don't know where these numbers are coming from but I do know about the Communist Party's history of killings from reading the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.

The people responsible for building the Red Strip apparently belong to a group called the Communists of SL. Both sides of the boulevard are crowded with a colorful mish mash of buildings, flags and roadsigns of all shapes, sizes and styles. It's a blend of Communism, Marxism, Leninism, and Socialism. It's not very clear who represents what and if these ideologies are consistent or contradict one another. But the main question that bothers me is that if the Communists of SL are aware that Communism has led to so much death and destruction, what keeps them going and why do they persist in nourishing and participating in this movement ?

Another problem:
The Red Strip is a perfect example of the architectual chaos that exists in SL. People build extravagant ultra modern sky high glass towers a few meters away from old, battered and dirty brick houses. Gigantic road signs are everywhere and strange statues pop out in the skyline. It's not very beautiful and disturbing to the eye. I can understand that buying land enables you to build whatever and however you like, but there should still be some architectual logic and order in the SL sims. What SL needs is a city architect:

This is responsible supervisory and professional architectural work involving the performance and/or oversight of a full range of architectural services (e.g., design, project evaluation, programming, schematics, construction cost estimating, preparing working drawings and specifications, contract bidding and administration, etc.) for City building and remodeling projects. The work also includes design, review and planning for the City’s space needs, developing policies regarding building construction and efficient building operation, supervising a staff of employees responsible for maintaining a number of City facilities, performing budget development and monitoring activities, and providing advice and assistance to other City agencies in the areas of expertise. The work is performed independently under the limited supervision of the Inspection Unit Director. http://cityofmadison.com/hr/jobspecs/Architect.htm

Reporters Without Borders in Second Life

2007-11-05T00:26:00.000-08:00

By Fresh Catteneo

This beautiful two-story cottage in the pastoral green countryside of Hangflame district (23/84/92 ) is the new SL home of the human rights organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF - Pour la liberte de la presse). Their mission is to aid journalists worldwide and protect the freedom of press especially in areas where government censorship is extreme and free reporting can result in imprisonment or even death of journalists.

This is a look from the inside. The walls are covered with maps and pictures, all themed around the freedom of press. This picture in particular caught my attention:

There was a map of the world showing the situation of press freedom in different countries around the world. The different colors represent different degrees of press freedom. White - Good situation, Grey - satisfactory situation, Blue - noticeable problems, Red - difficult situation, Black - very serious situation.

I was interested to see which are the countries marked in black. China was the most obvious one, because it was the biggest black spot on the map. Also in black are Saudi Arabia, Iran, Cuba, Burma, Libya, Laos, Belarus, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Eritrea, Tunisia and North Korea.
When I came back to the sim to collect more information I spotted two black spots hovering above the cottage. Upon closer inspection they turned out to be rockets. I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to wipe me out while I was doing this report.

I do not know who fired them but I did discover that they were originally manufactured by SL builder Jack Orlowski. And he states:

Being awake and being conscious are intrinsically different in their psychological manifestations. They are not polar opposites. Rather, they are 2 distinctly different levels of being. The being awake simply denotes that one is aroused from his/her sleep (or inactive, complacent, and isolated state). But, if one is not conscious, that is fully and acutely aware of his/her being as well as the rest of his/her world...then he/she might as well be in a coma. So, Tell Me...Are You Comatose?
I also build ships for rl. I specialize in custom fabrication for RL and SL. Im a gear head all the way through and enjoy making the illest most RL models possible. Come check out OpFor in Jessie

Second Life's Record Holders

2007-11-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

By Fresh Catteneo
Reporting from the depths of Cyberspace

I think that everyone in SL, every now and then crosses paths with avatars that are soooo weird that you just can't take your eyes off them. I am not talking about those who no longer have a human image, like the Furries, who look more like animals. I am talking about humanoid avatars that have one or more of their features totally exaggerated. Like this guy in the picture for example, who looks like he was hit by a lightening or accidentally stuck his finger in an electric socket. No, actually all he did was wear two tons of jewelry with the bling particle effect. I'll tell you how I met this guy, who's name by the way is Rupen Razor, and I am not kidding. I went one day to the Mambo Beach, very early in the morning. There were only a couple of people there. Then I saw from a distance something flashing and could hear very strong popping sounds of electric sparks. I was convinced I was looking at an avatar who is welding something, as if he was doing maintenance work at the Sim. When I came closer I saw that it was not welding but his blingy jewelry. So, then I thought I might do a series of articles on Second Life's record holders. Is there someone blingier than Rupen Razor ? If there is, I wanna see it !

Now look at this guy. Isn't he the most muscular man in SL ? His name is Nail Sands and I managed to snap his picture a split second before he disappeared. It was at the Linden Village.
If I see anymore record holders, I promise to report, so stay tuned...
Or if YOU see any, let me know !

Rabbit Assassinated in Virtual New York

2007-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

By Fresh Catteneo
Second Life Reporter

If you thought Second Life is a paradise of beautiful flowers, magical landscapes and enchanting sunsets then you are..... probably right. But there is a second side to Second Life and it is dark and dangerous. This white rabbit was shot point blank right in the forehead on CSI:NY Orientation West . With a cigar still stuck in his mouth he lay flat on his back while his wound oozed blood all over the sidewalk. A close examination of the footprints leading away from the body reveals they belong to someone wearing high heels.

I was not alone on the crime scene. In fact, the area was surprisingly crowded. But not by typical SL residents wearing L$ 2000 suits and skins, but by dozens of shiny bran newbies with NOT flexy hair. Most of them had CSI FAN tags on them and NY police badges... Here's a picture of a typical CSI:NY fan inspecting the scene:

And what else is typical newbie behaviour at SL? There are two main ones; being in a state of "Away" or in a state of "Editing Appearance". This girl came to the crime scene to help solve the crime (I'll tell you about that in a minute), so why is she dozing off while floating in midair ? And wearing only one shoe ?! What's going on here ? Is this a police badge I am seeing on her right breast ?

The rabbit was shot by a dangerous assassin called Venus who started off in an episode of CSI:NY , later escaping her pursuers into SL.

The CSI detectives followed her tracks, in the form of SL avatars. They are detective Paul Dawson, Medical Examiner Dr Dacota Lenox, CSI Nathalie Evans, and Jared Washington.

Also a major player is detective Zuiker:

This virtual CSI team calls SL residents, CSI:NY fans and literally anyone with a bit of a detective spirit to help locate the whereabouts of Venus and deliver her alive to the hands of the police. This apparently draws many people to participate. At the sim's landing spot (welcome area), I counted new avatars materialize at a rate of about 5 - 10 per minute.

Once you arrive, you are instructed to download an additional piece of software called the OnRez (developed by the Electric Sheep Company), which is a sort of upgraded traditional SL viewer. It's very user friendly and enhances the overall SL experience. The detectives left clues and tracks one must follow in different sims in SL. I am not sure but did I see a reward of 5000$ ? The game will go on until February 2008. I might continue following this story, so stay tuned....

The Animals of Volcano Island

2007-10-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Animals of SL Part 3

After dancing all night at the discotheque inside the volcano (see previous post), I felt I needed to get out and breath some fresh air. The sun was shining on Volcano Island and it seemed that the volcano's lava had stopped flowing towards the village. Although I still didn't see any people, some animals began to appear. There were many marine animals that I photographed either inside the water or near the seashore.

Shark

Pelican

Seagull

Crab

This is the second sea turtle that I have seen in SL. The first one I saw was at Bodhi, but he was of a different species. I plan on setting out on another expedition to Bodhi to document all the animals on that Sim. As I recall there are very interesting species of wildlife there.

This is yet another species of humming bird and also the second I have encountered in SL. You can see a picture of the first kind that I met at Mystica at "Animals of Second Life Part 1"

Dragonfly

Volcano Inferno is Erupting

2007-10-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

By Fresh Catteneo

I was informed tonight that volcano Inferno on Volcano Island has begun to erupt. Volcano Island is a tropical paradise and a vacation resort. When I arrived there it was completely abandoned, as all the guests and permanent residents have escaped for their lives. The lava began to flow down the mountain and is threatening to drown the village and bury it forever.
The only one left was a lion who stood on the beach and didn't seem to mind.

I decided to take a closer look inside the volcano. This was very suspicious and there was no reason for this volcano to erupt. Something is going on and I had to find out what it was.

I flew and entered into the gaping pit of the volcano. The heat was unbearable but I had tolerated worse things in my life. After all, I AM Superman. I descended lower and lower until I almost stood on the lava bottom of the volcano.

Something was fishy. I could swear I am hearing music from down below. This is no joke. I held my breath and dived into the sea of lava. I was in the dark for a few seconds and when I opened my eyes I was deep inside the volcano, under the sea of lava. I looked down and saw that I was hovering over non other than a discotheque....

The reason for the volcano's eruption was discovered. The 2000 MegaDecibels this discotheque was generating had caused cracks in the earth's crust and seismic vibrations which caused the volcano to start erupting.

This is a scandal and whoever is responsible for it should be reported to the authorities immediately. It's a man made disaster. I started looking up the records of the place to find the name of the owner and report him to the SL police but something peculiar happened. I began to like the music. It was so funky ! Not before long I was all over the dance floor, dancing like a butterfly... Doing some really groovy moves....

I think I will hold off calling the police for now. Maybe later. Hey, come on guys, this place is a blast! Click here to teleport to Volcano Island.

At the Zoo

2007-10-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

The Animals of Second Life Part 2

By Marose Mizser

If you read "The animals of second life part 1", then you probably know that my co-worker Fresh Catteneo didn’t go much to the Zoo when he was a child. So I decided to have a look at the Escapade Zoo & Safari Park at Apollonia, to find out whether it is a nice place for a visit. Then I would invite Fresh for a tour and maybe some popcorn (only if he behaves himself…).
When I got there, I met face to face with two adorable Panda Bears. As they nibbled at the bamboo, they told me everything about the Zoo's animals.
I sat on a Lama and stood next to a camel. Where else can you do that, other than in Second Life?

In the aquarium there was a very big octopus who told me that the train was leaving. So I hopped on for the most amazing train ride of my life.

The first thing I saw were monkeys, and then the train submerged underwater. A shark passed very close to us. Luckily we survived, but it left me shaking.

Not before long I ran into another horrifying experience. I saw a frightening creature growling at me. It looks like a dinosaur.

After that I hopped off the train and burst laughing at the sight of pigs rolling in the mud.

I really recommend going to this Zoo if you are looking for a nice thing to do in Second Life. The owners, couple Clarissa Zhao and Dan Seiling did a great job.

Click here for Second Life Animals part 3

Click here to teleport to the Escapade Zoo & Safari Park at Apollonia

The Animals of Mystica

2007-10-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

Animals of Second Life part 1

By Fresh Catteneo

I love animals and as a child one of my favourite pass times was to go to the zoo and watch the animals in their cages. I found the monkeys the most interesting and could sit and watch them for hours . If there was no one to take me to the zoo then I would watch them on T.V on the National Geographic channel. SL is teaming with wildlife and it seems that almost all species of animals on earth have their virtual three dimensional representatives in SL (not to mention magical and mythical creatures). So I decided I might start a series of articles about SL's animals and try to document all the animals I will encounter in my journeys. Sounds like a big project but I think it will be fun, especially when all my friends will join in to help me (hint...hint....) Readers are also invited to send me pictures and descriptions of animals they meet or observe.

Yesterday my friend and co-worker SLFN reporter Marose Mizser invited me for brunch on a tower at a Sim called Mystica. It's a place dedicated to studying healing and the magical arts. The scenery is like taken straight out of a fairy tail book - black crows, giant mushrooms, colorful butterflies, dangerous black spiders, sky high castles etc.. It's a meeting point for witches, wizards and fairies.

We sat on the porch of this incredible tower and chatted away when suddenly an amazing blueish-green humming bird approached me to say hello. It was then that the idea popped into my head that all these marvelous animals have to be seriously documented.

Except for a black cat and a praying mantis, all animals I encountered at Mystica were winged. Well, it's not surprising since it's a Sim that specializes in witches and fairies that can also fly.
This yellowish- brown butterfly was found near a bush on the ground where hundreds of butterflies similar to him kept flying out in all directions. There is a good tutorial at Nathalia Zelmanov's blog on how to make these butterfly effects. (Here)

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so they regularly attract attention. The diverse patterns formed by their brightly coloured wings and their erratic yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a popular hobby. (Wikipedia). Here is another species of butterflies that were flying on the porch at the high tower:

This American eagle flew around at a high altitude searching probably for rats or mice or other small animals he could snatch on the ground. By the way, it might seem difficult to take pictures of these animals that are in motion. But actually it's very easy. I was surprised to find that once you zoom in on a moving object, the camera locks on it and follows it like a shadow, so you can snap away all you want. Also there will be no smudging of the picture like in RL when you shoot a moving object.

Black cat

Praying mantis

Wasp

Elven Rider

Ladybug

Scorpion

Bee

On one of the walls at Mystica I saw a sign with a message. I think it is important so I will post it here:

Help Stop the Drilling in Another Wildlife Refuge

The Baca National Wildlife Refuge
Is not just another Refuge to be violated

There is only enough gas there to satisfy Americans lust for energy for 2 1/2 weeks.
The refuge is home to elk and bison as well as a host of rare and endangered plants and smaller animals.

Big Oil is raping our lands. Stop them now.

Click here for Second Life Animals Part 2

New Football Stadium Prepares for Launch

2007-10-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

By Marose Mizser

Today I met Pascal Abramovic (on the right) and Patron Broek (on the left), the founders of the football stadium at the Dutch Community (0031). The stadium is located next to the Vinex district and will be the home base of the champion football team FC Schoondamme. Pascal got the idea to build a stadium because there are not many sports in Second Life. To make his idea come to life he contacted Patron Broek who is an expert builder. I can truly say this stadium is absolutely fascinating.

On Saturday November the 3^rd at 7.00 pm (Netherlands time) the stadium's opening ceremony will begin.Of course your reporter will be there. Come have a look for yourself at this beautiful stadium. Do you want to play football? You can subscribe by contacting Pascal Abramovic. It only takes three players to form a team. Don’t you have two friends as sporty as you are? If you don't have then Pascal could match you up with other players to form a new team.

Pascal himself will be the coach of his own team, FC Schoondamme. He was almost forced to stop building the stadium before it was finished. The management of 0031 decided in a meeting that the stadium will have to fit into the rest of 0031 and be a part of it. Some people thought it was too big. But luckily a split majority voted that the stadium should remain independant.

Click here to Teleport and visit the stadium:

A Fairy in a Castle in The Heavens

2007-10-24T12:49:00.001-07:00

By Fresh Catteneo

Not all avatars know, but the SL skies are almost as inhabited and full of life as on the ground. Once you start flying upwards towards the heavens, you will begin to see buildings and structures floating in the air. The castle in the picture belongs to Bietje Merlin and her boyfriend Jack, who built it all by himself. Bietje rents land in Forest Sangha, and that allows her to build structures in the space above that land. Here's what Wikipedia says about it: "The most basic method of moving around is by foot (also running and jumping). To travel more rapidly, avatars can also fly up to about 170 m above the terrain (meaning 270 m if ground level is 100 m, 180 m if ground level is set to 10 m) without requiring any special equipment, but with scripted attachments there is currently no limit to how high an avatar can fly (although once past several million meters, the rendering of the avatar mesh starts to be affected)." Well, I had to use an attachment called a "feather" that Jack gave me in order to be able to float around and take pictures of the castle. Without it I would freefall immediatly. When I arrived at the castle, I found Bietje standing on the porch.

Bietje and Jack are good friends of mine. I thought I might pay them a visit and see how they are doing. Jack was away on vacation but Bietje was at home, flying around the castle dressed as a green fairy. She gave me a little tour of the castle. This is the ground floor.

What caught my attention was the beautiful picture of Bietje and Jack that hung on the wall. Bietje said Jack painted it.

Then we pressed a button and were teleported upstairs to the second floor, to the bedroom and porch. The walls were decorated with a foggy light brown texture, and had two oriental shaped windows.

Then Bietje told me to touch the walls and when I did they disappeared and turned into semi-transparent curtains. Nice! Gives you a really floaty feeling....

We went outside and sat on the porch looking at the sunset. Bietje started telling me about some adventures she and her friend Cat had at a Gorean Sim. What is a Gorean Sim you ask ? Well, that's a whole different story and I might tell you about it some day... Anyway, she and Cat dressed up as witches and went to annoy some Gorean people. Apparently they succeeded and were almost kicked out of the Sim for disobeying the rules. It happens that most Gorean men are fierce warriors and the women are their slaves... (except the Panther girls).

Bietje and Cat did finally succeed to escape from that horrid place but as a result Bietje got stuck to a broom and can't get rid of it. So whenever she tries to move, she is compelled to ride it. What a punishement...

Click here to teleport to Bietje's castle.

Stomach Problems at Dutch Farm

2007-10-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

By Marose Mizser

Episode 4 of the Dutch Farm story

Last night we had a very long meeting at SLFN (Second Life Fresh News). We drank a lot of coffee and ate many doughnuts and coffee again and sandwiches (all on my expense, but I'm not worried, SLFN will get the bill at the end of the month). Towards the end of the meeting we finally arrived at a big decision. As you might have read in the last episode, we had to consider if we will reveal who left the manure at the Dutch farm, and caused Mystics to slip and brake her leg. Snip (the cow) is still very unhappy because she was wrongly accused.

At the office, the editors decided to vote on it, and I can tell you it was a very honest voting. Although there were some fights between us and differences of opinion, we are now proud to announce that we will reveal who left the manure at the farm. Ready ?

It was a male human avatar. His name is: Midknight Miles. As you can see on the photograph there is no doubt it was him. Off course I went to ask why he did this. He was very reserved but nevertheless he was willing to tell me.

He said he found a chocolate apple, and because he likes chocolate apples very much he ate it. But the apple was rotten. So after a while he began to feel pains in his stomach and had to relieve himself.

There are no toilets at the farm, and he couldn’t hold back in time to make it to the “Bonte koe” - where the toilets are. So he left his excrement out on the farm.

Now that we have revealed this I hope Snip is happy again and will go on with her life at the farm. I also want to say to fireman Maroen Jarman and LordSmAllen that they can return to the farm at the Dutch Community because I will not ask them anymore questions about this matter.

This was the final story about the broken legs saga at the Dutch farm, but I promise to update you if anything else interesting happens there. I hope you enjoyed reading the episodes and that you will come back to read more exciting stories about Second Life.

New Evidence Reveals Dutch Cow Innocent

2007-10-23T10:21:00.001-07:00

Part 3 of the Dutch Farm Story

By Marose Mizser

Last night I went back to the Dutch Community to see if fireman Maroen Jarman was on duty and if he was willing to answer my questions. I searched everywhere but he was nowhere to be found. Is it possible he was fired by the fire department?

I also went looking for LordSm Allen to hear his side of the story. He was accused yesterday by Roelien32Karas for pushing her against the fence. He too had disappeared. Is he hiding from the press ?
Instead, I met Roelien32 Karas again who told me she had some new information for me. She presented new evidence proving Snip (the cow) is not guilty of leaving his manure in the center of the farm. Second Life Fresh News published an article saying Snip's manure caused Mystics Baile to slip and brake her leg. We are sorry for wrongly accusing Snip. So last night I went to the stable to present my apologies to this poor cow. I took some roses to give my excuses some extra strength. I talked and talked and excused myself a thousand times but Snip wouldn’t listen. I tried to give her my roses but she refused to accept them. When I tried to leave them in the stable she kicked them away.

Then suddenly, just when I gave up and walked away she whispered: “I will only accept your excuses if you reveal who is the one who left the manure on the farm.” I told her that I could not do that because the evidence I have is too sensational and could cause a huge embarrassment. I have a very clear snapshot of how it really happened. Poor Snip began to cry.

So should I reveal who left the manure at the farm? I think this is the only way Snip would be happy again. Second Life Fresh News will have to consider this and come up with a decision.

To be continued…

Enlightenment On the Highest Mountain

2007-10-23T01:53:00.000-07:00

By Fresh Catteneo

Mount Meru is a sacred mountain in Hindu, Buddhist cosmology, and Jain mythology. It is considered to be the center of all real and mythological universes. It is believed to be the abode of Brahma and other deities. At 80,000 yojanas or leagues (450,000 km) high and located in Jambudvipa, it is rare for anyone to climb to it's summit. Only the bravest and most determined spiritual seekers will attempt it.
I thought about Mt. Meru today when I explored the snowy mountain tops of Bodhi - Land of Buddha Dharma. After my meeting here with the strange creature Excelsior and his pack of magical pets, I decided I might stay here for a few more days. I suddenly saw a yellow dot down below. I flew closer and then spotted a young Japanese woman, MyssMichiko Kumaki, immersed in deep meditation on a giant lotus flower.

From ancient times the lotus has been a divine symbol in Hindu tradition. It is often used as an example of divine beauty. For example, Vishnu is often described as the 'Lotus-Eyed One'. Its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise.
I did not want to disturb MyssMichiko's peaceful state of mind and annoy her with worldly matters. But I did take a good look at her and was mesmerised by her beauty and pureness. On her left shoulder quietly sat a cute little white mouse.

And then Gendhar, a warrior dressed in a black Kimono appeared. With a mighty sword strapped to his back, he stood on the edge of the mountain peak and scouted the area with his sharp eagle eyes. Ghendar is a Samurai and is MyssMichiko's partner. The word "samurai" is derived from the archaic Japanese verb "samorau," changed to "saburau," meaning "to serve"; thus, a "samurai" is a servant, i.e. the servant of a lord.

It was just the three of us on top of the highest mountain in Bodhi - Land of Buddha Dharma,
and maybe the highest mountain in all of Second Life. It was a clear day and I could see for miles around. The air stood still and only an occasional cry of a hungry wolf disturbed the silence. I was a stranger to these two people but somehow I felt it is not a coincidence that we met here, of all places, 8000 feet above sea level.

Before we said Good Bye, I asked Ghendar if he has any final words to say. And Gendhar replied: "I never add final words. I like to leave my future open (: "

Alleged Attacker from Dutch Farm Exposed

2007-10-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

By Marose Mizser

Here we are back at the Dutch Community cow farm with new revelations on the story of the two girls who had both broken their legs. (See Part I).
This morning I met the injured Roelien32 Karas and her saviour WitchEsmeralda Woodget at the farm. I now had a chance to ask them how exactly Roelien's accident happened.
Roelien told me yesterday she was pushed against a fence by some guy. Today she told me the name of this guy: LordSmAllen.

I asked him why he did this, but his only comment was: “If you publish this I will see you in court, Marose!”
The mystery of how the girls got to the hospital eventually is also solved now. Roelien told me she just had to struggle there on her own. Why did Fireman Maroen Jarman not help her? And where was friend of the girls Foxmenn Cortes at the time of the accident?

To be continued...

* Disclaimer* - SLFN is not claiming LordSmAllen broke Roelien's leg. This is for a court of law to decide. But it is our duty to quote Roelien's accusation. We do not take sides in this dispute in favor of neither party. LordSmAllen is welcome to provide his side of the story and it will be published.

Rare Creatures Discovered in Tibet

2007-10-22T02:45:00.000-07:00

By Fresh Catteneo

The Himalayan mountains of Tibet are one of the more peaceful places on Earth. At this high altitude, where oxygen levels are low, only Tibetan monks and hermits can survive. Many of them are disciples of Bodhidharma - the founder of the Zen discipline of the Buddhist school. Meditation cushions are scattered between blue rivers and sparkling waterfalls which decorate the barren mountains. Golden statues of Buddhas sit there for thousands of years, undisturbed.

This SL sim called Bodhi - Land of Buddha Dharma is a virtual island dedicated to the teachings of Buddha. Operated by a non-profit group comprised of real-life Buddhists from around the world, Bodhi is a public commons dedicated to exploring and cultivating Dharma for the benefit of all. Bodhi takes its name from the ancient word for "awakening," for it was under the Bodhi tree where Gautama Buddha achieved enlightenment, an awareness of the true nature of life and the world around him.

Expecting to find only birds and monks in this heavenly place, I was completely baffled when right in front of my eyes materialized one of the strangest creatures I have ever seen in my life. He was of a humanoid form, somewhat tribal, and was surrounded by a faithful group of pets which were no less stranger than him. His name was Excelsior Recreant and he states:

"What am I? Do you know? or do you just THINK you know? are you certain?
Appearances can be and often Are deceiving, take nothing for granted.
Only my form is fluid, my personality is solid. Honor is EVERYTHING."

Excelsior explained that Tibet was his true home. This is a place where "griefers" will not enter.
He said griefers are trouble makers that have fun in harassing people, revenging, blowing up buildings and sending avatars to the moon. I looked at his pets and counted four altogether.

A black bat called Honery hovered a meter above his head.On his head sat a Dust bunny, on one shoulder a Gargoyle called Spitter and on the other shoulder a Pirate Kitty. They all knew how to talk and answered back when he called them. Slowly slowly I began to get used to Excelsior, and found him to be quite a pleasant chap. But if you don't know him, and have a weak heart, I wouldn't advise meeting him when you are all alone in a dark ally !

Clarification: Owner of Bodhi Tenzin Tuque adds that Zen and Buddhism are practiced and open to all traditions, cultures and countries. (Not only Tibet as it might be understood from the above article)

Stay tuned from more Tibet stories. This place is NOT what it seems....

Two Dutch Girls Brake Their Leg on Cow Farm

2007-10-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

By: Marose Mizser

On the evening of Sunday October 21, I went to visit the Dutch Community in SL, and met two girls: Mystics Baile and Roelien32 Karas. Both had a broken leg. How can both two girls brake their leg at the same day?

Here is what happened according to them. Mystics was having a nice walk on the farm when suddenly she slipped on some cow manure, also known as a “koeienvlaai” in Dutch. The cow, called Snip, had broken out of the stable and left her manure out on the farm.

The farm is always very busy so it is a wonder that Mystics was the only victim. WitchEsmeralda Woodget, who witnessed the accident, struggled to get the cow back into the stable before Snip would cause anymore trouble. Then she came back to take care of the misfortunate Mystics Bailey who was in terrible pain.

Roelien32Karas also tried to help her. But she too had broken her leg. She was hit by a guy and pushed against a fence. This is how she broke her leg. The rescue helicopter which was supposed to pick up the girls and evacuate them to hospital did not arrive. We now know that it crashed at St. Benedict Monastery a few days ago. (October 18, 2007 Post by Fresh Catteneo). Nevertheless, the girls finally made it to the hospital and received appropriate treatment. How did they finally get there ? The girls would not say…

I asked fireman Maroen Jarman, who was also at the farm at the time, if he was able to help the girls. His comment was funny: “No, I could not help, because there was no fire!"

To be continued....

Exotic Princess Arrives at Apolon Airport

2007-10-21T12:57:00.001-07:00

By: Fresh Catteneo

After my brief meeting with the adventurous German pilot (see recent post) at Apolon airport, I thought that it was time for me to return to Forest Sangha, my SL favourite place. But my plans changed unexpectedly, when out of the blue, on a yellow little jet, arrived Pamela Princess, an irresistible blond beauty. The color of her dress even matched the color of the jet !
Pamela invited me for a ride on her jet and promised to show me wonders I could not imagine. Well...I didn't think twice and hopped on behind her. After all, it is my duty as an SL reporter to investigate anything that seems slightly suspicious and bring it forward to my news-hungry readers. (u..hummm).

We approached her island, a tropical paradise deep in the vast cyberspace of SL, where no Superman has gone before. Pamela built most of the island by herself, and indeed it was evident that she was talented in many areas...(u..hummm). We approached the docs. A pair of old and rusted cargo ships floated sadly like no one needed them anymore.

Then Pamela did something that totally caught me by surprise. She steered the jet right into the water. But It quickly became apparent to me that this was an amphibious aircraft and we were heading for a journey in the depths of the ocean.

I could not believe my eyes... A whole town lay sunken on the bottom of the sea. Hundreds of questions passed through my mind. Who lives there ? Amphibious people ? Mermaids ? Men of Atlantis ? Kevin Kostner ?

But Pamela didn't seem to treat it as something unusual and steered the jet through mysterious paths right into her own house. Pamela promised me surprises and she absolutely kept her word. We soon emerged in her house into a room with the most amazing built in dance floor I have ever seen. She calls it the Salamander (91,120,33) and says everyone is invited to come and dance. (Well, almost everyone... naked people are not allowed)

Before saying Good bye, I asked Pamela to show me what her house looks like from the outside. Because we had entered it from an underground water tunnel, I was very curious. So here is a view of Pamela's mansion from the backseat of the yellow jet. Somehow I have a feeling that the adventures of Pamela Princess are not over yet... Stay tuned.

Mystery Helicopter's Airport Base Revealed

2007-10-20T22:40:00.001-07:00

By Fresh Catteneo

I am standing on a helicopter landing doc at the Apolon Airport control tower in Kalua Island.
Our investigation led us here, to the apparent origins of the helicopter which crashed at the St. Benedict Monastery (See recent post). Below me are dozens of helicopters of many different shapes, sizes and colors, ranging from military crafts to police and civilian. Although no landings or take offs
are in progress during this early morning hour, a busy flight controller can be heard on the speakers coordinating flights and communicating with pilots.

We decided to inspect some of the helicopters. This $L 1200 AirWolf has 4 seats, a turbo reactor, smoke effects, an altimeter, a variometer, and a compass. It is armed with guns, missiles and bombs. As with all the other helicopters in the airport, it is manufactured by Air Apolon@ Compagnie.
We didn't have to wait too long before the action began. From a distance we could hear the roar of an approaching helicopter. His light beacon was on as if he was searching for something.

The pilot, NewChief Congrejo, was in a flying frenzy. Dressed in what looked like a scuba diving suit, he landed the helicopter and jumped precariously for a wild ride on a glider. He was moving so swiftly it was virtually impossible to take his picture. He was finally caught on camera on a rare split second of non action.

Another pilot was present at the airport during our visit. He too, experimented flying just about any aircraft in the proximity. Getting ready to fly an armed UH-1 10 seated military helicopter, he was inspecting the winch as if he was planning on setting out on a rescue exhibition.

We wanted to ask him about it but he spoke German and we spoke English, so it was a bit hard for us to communicate. Nevertheless, he rewarded us with a few exciting moments of a presentation of high class flying maneuvers.

To be continued....

Mystery Helicopter Crashes at St. Benedict Monastery

2007-10-18T23:27:00.002-07:00

On Thursday evening, 10/18/2007, the pastoral atmosphere of St. Benedict Monastery Mountain was interrupted by an unexpected and rare event. The birds stopped chirping, the dogs stopped barking and all wildlife gaped with silent amazement at a white helicopter crashing thunderously into the foothills of the mountain.

Second Life Fresh News reporter who arrived at the proximity, a short while after the crash, found the helicopter's cockpit completely empty. Except a lion and a few sheep, no survivors nor witnesses where at the seen. Strangely enough, the motor was still running and the propeller turning at full speed.

Records show the helicopter is owned by German radio expert Stephan55 Kayo, and was created by aircraft specialist Apolon Obscure. While photographing the incident, we were visited by Catholic Spiritual Warrior Janek Bamaisin. He too was baffled at the strange event.
Why did the helicopter crash ? Did the pilot survive ? If not, why did his body disappear, and where to ? Could he be hidden somewhere inside the caves and secret underground tunnels of the ancient monastery ?

Is it just a coincidence that the Catholic Spiritual Warrior happened to pass by just as we were taking pictures ? Or does he know something that we don't ?

To be continued....