Last Day of SL12B Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the last day of SL12B! If you haven’t visited it yet: hurry! ;-)

The Dream Generator. Not a world-domination machine - really!

It's starting up...

This little picture gallery shows my Dream Generator in action.

New Steampunk Vehicle and More of SL12B!

As I hinted one or two posts ago, I was in the middle of working on a new creation when SLB came in between. Well sort of. The design was basically finished in my head, I just had to get it out (which is sometimes actually the harder part). So the change to building The Dream of Steampunk was a pretty welcome one. After that was finished, I had a fresh approach for:

Tada! My new Steampunk Gyrocogster!

I dare to say this cute little thing is one of my finest builds yet. It is quintessential steampunk with its da-vinci-style wings, the steam-engine and its irresistable cute look.

2nd Week Of The SL12B - Part 2

As promised yesterday, here is the continuation of my SL12B gallery. Some of the buildings you can find there belong to the finest you can find in SL - and outside of it.
Of course building quality isn't everything. Some exhibits impress with clever ideas, making extensive use of the possibilities virtual worlds do offer - others look just damn cool!

Not a borg-anthill: Astonish DJ Stage

2nd Week Of The SL12B

After the busybusy preparations for SLB, I spent most of the last week strolling around there (which is quite a task for itself - it is 15 Sims!). Well ok, I also finished building a new vehicle, which I will present soon. But for now, lets have a look at SL12B and some cool exhibits!

Nanscapes

SL12B! Tomorrow! Yeäh!

The recent days were busy busy busy for us. Getting our infernal machine ready for the exhibit, working on the hunt gift and a few other things, which will hopefully be finished in the next days - yes, I must be mad to do all this stuff...

Do you dare to turn the dream generator on? I bet you do!

Many many thanks to my lovely partner Emma who spent her spare time this week scripting all the craziness I was building! (and it became more and more) You are the best dear!

Also big thanks to Professor Wickentower, who provided me with some of his cool steampunk airships for my exhibit. They do look fantastic, don't they?

Now we can finally relax and wait for the big opening. I can't wait to see all the other exhibitions and the events. It's going to be a pretty cool time!
Please note, the events will be held in the first week, starting tomorrow, while the exhibits will be around for another week, to give everyone the opportunity to see them.

Speaking of seeing. My exhibit made it into the Destination Guide! I am happy, very happy. And yes: quite proud too.

These links will provide you with everything you need:

The Dream Of Steam Exhibit

SL12B on the Destination Guide

SL12B Blog and Timeline

I hope you have a great time there!

Getting Ready For SL12B!

Yes, it is that time of the year again, when the grid celebrates the birthday of Second Life. Its the 12th already - time flies! 12 years are quite a steep age for the internet. When SL started, there was no Facebook, Amazon mostly sold books and even Google was still rather a novelty.
I personally didn't experience SL until 2007, which also is an appalling while ago already! So I got spared from all that mayhem of the grid's early days - and experienced instead the regular mayhem we more or less still have today!

Over the years I learned a lot here. About people, myself and last but not least building. When I started with SL I had absolutely no idea about building or even meshes, textures or scripts. I actually didn't dare to touch the build window until being 2 years on the grid - and promptly messed a nice set of wings up!

Well, things have changed. I can mess up the things I have built by myself now! Yay - achievement! But seriously: I am very happy for what I have learned and for the creativity inside me I could unleash via this lovely and messy and laggy digital world called Second Life.

In the recent years I also went more and more into attending events. First as visitor and blogger, but more and more also as exhibitor and this year's SLB will be very special for me in this regard: I will have my own exhibit on SLB!

I was busy building my exhibit most part of last week, taking my inspiration from various directions, added with a good amount of madness and megalomania. May I introduce: The Dream Of Steam!

I bet you don't guess where I got the idea for the building from. 

The exhibit features the most sophisticated steam- and tesla-technology. With lots of rotating gears (ask Emma, she had to script them all!), discs, glowing tubes and tanks and lightning and whatnot, to spread funny and crazy steampunk dreams into the world. Likely without causing permanent physical or psychological harm - yay!

No, it's not a doomsday-machine. Well, at least not quite.

The 16 SL12B sims will be opened on Sunday, June 21 at 12 PM SLT. The first week will see plenty of events. More info about this on the official SLB blog.

And here is a direct-link to my exhibit. The best way to start exploring SLB anyway, if you ask me!

Have a wonderful time!

Some Year's Review

One of the big events in 2013: SL's 10th birthday. I doubt the LL-humans did expect SL lasting that long ;-)

2013 was quite an eventful year for SL and myself too. Things like server-side baking and the long needed improvements in sim-crossing with a vehicle (hello Blake Sea) really brought quite significant performance benefits of our favorite virtual world. The only complaint I have is: Dear LL, why didn't they happen already years ago???

It was also the year when meshes had their big breakthrough. You began to see them mushrooming everywhere: as building and landscaping structures, furniture, vehicles, clothes or even full avs - and they just make things look so much better :-) Oh, and I finally became a mesh creator too. But more of that later.

February

After a large rebuilding of Lady Walworth's Estate in Kraizek, my partner Emma proudly opened her new Sunshine Technologiy Store there - yay!

March

March saw us participating at the Festival of Steam which was held at several german-speaking sims, like Virtuelles Köln (Virtual Cologne), where we did present my steampunk Airplanes and the brandnew Prometheus-Class Aircraft carrier:

@ Virtual Cologne

@ The SL Planetarium

It was a nice event, And I met my old friend Randy there. The festival was followed shortly after by the Steampunk World's Expo in...



April

It was epic in every regard. Every day interesting and fun events: music, games, exhibitions, presentations and readings - for almost two weeks!! Hats off to its host Cyhtleen and chief scientist and tinkerer Zen Wickentower who did an awesome job!

Wooooow - Steampunk!

The Expo-grounds with the tower of the Morlock's Revenge-Pub in the center.

One of the many fun events was the squid-tastic game Kraken Polo!

The Prometheus had a prominent role at the Expo too...

I gave it a glass roof for obvious reasons!

...as take-off platform for our exciting airshow:

Oh, and a general remark about steampunk: there can't be too many gears:

Emma in full steampunk - gear!

June

The big thing in June was SL's 10th birthday, abbreviated as SL10B (you know, using abbreviations make you look like an expert!). A huge event, taking part on more than 20 sims with dozens of different installations. I spent days there taking photos.

A look down at the Cake-Stage - which was actually a tree - with a cake on top ;-)

The Cake Stage!

One of the most impressive installations: The Behemoth! It likes bunnys!

One of the rather contemplative exhibits.

Bobbekins! Another favorite of mine. And of course I went on exploring with that hopping ball for the rest of the day!

Emma had her fun too ;-)

Does this exhibit needs a caption? I don't think so ;-)

July

In July I opened the new Drow Science Mainstore at our home-sim Lionheart Nala...

The Drow Science mainstore with Drow scientist!

...before I jumped straight into learning blender (its really been time!) and making my first mesh in...



August

Changing to meshes was perhaps the biggest step Drow Science had ever. The improvements in details and land-impact-efficiency are just spectacular!

My first mesh: the Steampunk Gramophone.

September

Using what I have learned while making the gramophone and other mesh items for my store I designed a set of RLV mittens for Sunshine Technology too. While I have to say I'm proud of my design, I am amazed by the scripting she did for it!

October

Was again quite busy. It saw me and Emma working intensely on the gift for the Femdom Hunt and on my first mesh airplane, the classical biplane "Kestrel".

Our friends Vila and Antony kindly showing off our Femdom Hunt gift. The Yoke's clearly on him!

The hunt also saw the continuation of a fun tradition and was a welcome change from doing the final tweaks on the plane. Its good to let projects rest for a bit and then having a fresh look at them again - and it turned out very satisfying:

The Kestrel, more detail, more fun, less prims ;-)

Lets call this picture "Wheeeeeeeee!"

November

In November I was learning the basics about Dr. Who (he is a Doctor and lives in some kind of phone box, you know!) and making a scarf for the series' anniversary and for another fun tradition which got somehow established this year.

Robin Kalamunda wearing the scarf proudly (and not much else).

December

Of course the most important part in December is Christmas! And air delivery is simply the fastest way sending your parcels:

One More SL10B Post!

There are just a few days left till it closes and I have to say: what a great event! I really feel a little sad its ending so soon. It was a wonderful festival of art and happiness and creativity making me spending hours after hours there! I think I never did so many photos in such a short time.
I am still amazed about the many different approaches people took - some of then even following this years motto! ;-)

Another really positive thing is that SL10B had a healthy low amount of commercial advertisement. I am very happy about the rather strict exhibitors conduct - its not a sales convention after all!

Building-wise the level was nicely high. And the future is definitely and insistently pointing towards meshes for landscaping and building structures - we will see amazing things there, I am very sure about that!

Its really quite a way LL's creation has behind itself. From really crude graphics of its early days through countless steps of evolution (not all of them successful, buts thats evolution too). Some came pretty late indeed, but still in time it seems - SL is still there after all!
If you ask me, especially the recent improvements really gave a boost in the quality of the experience. There are still some quite rough edges and design flaws which cannot be ironed out that easily. Much is simply due to the sheer age of the system.

Anyway. I am very sure SL will see another 10 years at least. Its an anarchic, mad, silly, curious, enthralling and in every way colourful wonderland!

WarBug Corner

Ok, its product-presentation, but in a fun way and they give away a free SL10B plane ;-)

And having a red Fokker Triplane gives extra sympathy credits!

Just hope the Disney-guys won't see this here...

Dreaming Time

Another Parcel Which Looks Too Good To Have No Name

But it hasn't! What a shame - its so lovely!

New England In Second Life

Once again a lovely example of landscaping!

Dwarfins

Ooooh! A Dwarfen mining project!

Despite being underground-dweller too there is no real sympathy between Drow and Dwarfs. I think they envy our long Drow legs :p

ER Bear Bash 2

Another 100% commercial plots at SL10B I usually don't post about them, but at least all bears were freebies. But my main reason was the following picture:

Oh, and did I mention that its on a G-rated sim? ;-)

Time Capsule

The name already tells it: Each box contains a time capsule from its year - back to 2005! I wonder whats all in there? Vintage lag-spikes? Preserved bugs?

Nomiki's Eats And Treats Exhibit

Yummy!

Harambee Gwassi-Kenya Project

RL content ahead! I gladly feature this one a bit more extensively: This exhibit is made by an NGO which is active in eastern-Africa.

The project is aiming in sustainable development, education and economic growth instead of simple charity. You can learn more about them on their website.

And it brings a lovey piece of Africa to SL!

I tried really hard but Motorhead just didn't sounded right on it :p

This is actually how sculpts are made!

The Jewelery is just one of more than a dozen freebies you can get there.

The project also has a parcel outside of the festival grounds. Check it out!

Invasion of the Space Dinosaurs

And now for something completely different. I think this picture speaks for itself ;-)

This will be one of the exhibits I will remember for a long time...

A very long time.

There are also rides in flying cars to take. But the cars look actually cooler than the rides are.

Still I love the alien elvises! Thank you SL for all the madness!

Avatar Evolution

The last one nicely concludes my SL10B postings. As its name already tells it is a review on how our avs appearances changed over the years. And I'm pleased to say its maker didnt forget the fun!

Evolution, lesson 1: At the beginning was the prim!

There is hardly a more fun way to illustrate all the improvements which came to SL over the years.

I remember the first time I saw and avatar as cloud - I actually thought its a really cool costume!

The LL bear as crown of creation? I.Hope.Not.

Another glance into SL-Stoneage: The birth of the prim-hair!

Show this picture to everyone who says that things were better in the old days :p

Phils hair! Run for your lives!!!