We hope your favourite way of exploring the Grid is in pursuit of our passport stamps, using the GOTG (Gazette Online Travel Guide) or StaFi (Stamp Finder HUD). Not everywhere issues a stamp though and many residents of SL rely largely on the Destination Guide to find out what's going on.
Most of us go right to it in the viewer, rather than visiting the website. It's found in the WORLD menu or by clicking the icon shown below (in Firestorm).
We always check out the EDITORS' PICKS section. The guide's editors see every location that's submitted so their suggestions are well-informed and usually good.
Editors' Picks screenshot | click to enlarge
Their picks at the moment predictably have a Halloween flavour. Our American friends seem to love this creepy holiday. Conversations around the Grid are currently dominated by residents discussing plans for ghoulish redecoration of their homes and creepy costumes they're going to wear.
Interestingly, the wearing of costumes on Halloween was originally a safety measure. It was believed that the souls of the dead wandered the Earth until All Saints' Day. Therefore, the night before – All Hallows Eve – was their last chance for vengeance on living enemies. So people wore disguises to avoid being recognised by ghosts with grudges!
If Halloween is your thing, why not get into the seasonal mood by putting on your spookiest costumes and checking out the Destination Guide to find your favourite haunts?
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
... Pookanthimbusille's Impervectly Pervect Fantasy Home est. 9/2023 A tavern whose theme is loosely based around Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures novels
The BBB is looking for an all-round Man/Girl/Droid Friday to assist Amanda with organising events, rallies and entertainments as well as helping with stamp design and stamp terminal production as needed. This is a role that will involve a lot of personal contact with our users. We offer long hours, no pay and regular 1,000% pay increases!
Please apply to our CEO Jezebel Bailey (Bel).
NEW LOCATIONS
Impervectly Pervect is a tavern in Fantasseria's Retief region loosely based on Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures novels. All are welcome here for music, dancing, and camaraderie.
The collective noun for a group of butterflies is a kaleidoscope and that's the reason for the name of the next location on the private island of Pebble Isle: the Kaleidoscope Monarch Education Project. Follow the nature hike to learn about the importance of this beautiful butterfly and its wintering grounds.
Second Life® founder Philip Linden is famously a enthusiast for the Burning Man event in RL. Perhaps that's unsurprising as at Burning Man, as in SL itself, the participants design and build all the art, activities, and events.
BURN2 is the first sanctioned Burning Man regional in the virtual world. Burning Man has always had a presence in Second Life since its beginning. BURN2 occupies a region in Second Life year-round called Deep Hole, with extra regions added to their virtual space during special events. It is run by a group that includes people involved directly with Burning Man, along with seasoned Second Life programmers and digital artists with a genuine interest in Burning Man.
The particular event for which this stamp is issued is the Burn2 Animalia Fall Event and runs from October 6-15.
Baking Bunny Tea Room in the Mieville region is a quaint tea shoppe of the old-fashioned style that commands archaic spelling! What with all the bunny involvement, there's definitely a Beatrix Potter vibe going on.
Walden Walk in the Blue Moon region's Botanical Holiday Home & Garden is a reference to Thoreau's Walden - or Life in the Woods. There are milestones around this SL version of Walden Pond. Touch them as you explore to receive a note card with a quote from the book.
Cara's Crab Shack in the mainland region of Swansea bills itself as an Interactive Dock and Dine, XeoLife compatible, roleplay restaurant where you can meet for a casual fish dinner, tend bar, cook, fish or enjoy a boat ride down the river.
Boo's Gallery and Café in Bellisseria's Newbrooke area Coin Toss region is a small art gallery with some games and a café.
We begin at the Artsville Café but this edition will take you much further afield. In fact, you could end up anywhere in SL!
The elegant café is part of the Artsville complex, which is a major centre for SL art. Right next to the passport stamp terminal, you'll find an automated kiosk that gives a copy of the Art Korner HUD – a device that has become essential to SL art fans.
First issued on April 26th, 2021, it's published weekly and is now in its 103rd edition. Our staff reporter caught up with publisher Frank Atisso and he kindly agreed to be interviewed. How did he come up with the idea?
I realized that with the vast number of art exhibitions around the grid, it was impossible for people to keep track of them. Even if they did, the landmarks would usually be scattered all over their inventory. The HUD was a way to tackle both problems. People can not only know which exhibitions are up every week but also have a way instantly to TP to the exhibits. Fred Allandale scripted the original HUD and we re-textured each face of it to give the characteristic appearance that it has now
The HUD is promoted through various art groups in SL, Frank's own mailing list and kiosks like the one in the café. Art venue owners have agreed to host those kiosks for the use of their visitors. They're updated each week from Frank's server at Artsville. There are now 20-25 kiosks across the grid and the network is growing. Frank sends out thousands of HUDs every week.
I put exhibits in the HUD without judgement. I have my own likes and dislikes but it is meant to give people information – not my opinion – on the exhibits.
The Art Korner HUD
Frank first came into SL in 2010. Not having found a purpose here, he took a break for four years and – like so many others – returned in 2020 during the pandemic.
Frank Atisso | click to enlarge
He briefly managed a region with a couple of art galleries. As he started to explore art in SL, he realised how difficult that could be. For example, there was no single calendar for all the events in progress. His solution was the Art Korner HUD. It filled a real need and took off quickly.
His other big venture – owned jointly with Jerzzie Reece-Redstar (jerzzie.reece) is Artsville itself. Frank's enthusiasm was obvious as he explained it;
Artsville is a place where artists can explore their creativity and bring their amazing ideas to life. Any artist who has some great idea about an exhibition or installation can always approach me. I love artists who use the many different possibilities that SL offers in contrast to RL. In here, art need not be limited to a building. We can create the perfect setting for it. We do have three traditional galleries but also three installations in the sky where the artists can customise the entire visitor experience
Art Korner HUD Kiosk outside the café
Megan Prumier designed and built the beautiful complex. We encourage you to stay a while and check out the latest exhibitions. There is some real artistic talent in SL and gallerists like Frank work hard to help our artists find their audience.
The Art Korner HUD shares our own mission; it exists to encourage exploration and help people find the marvellous stuff SL has to offer. We thank Frank for making it and hope you enjoy using it as much as we do.
Article and Photographs by Gazette staff
EMBASSY OPENING REPORT
The new embassy to the adult SL continents of Zindra and Horizons opened last Wednesday.
On behalf of the BBB, Bel – our CEO – welcomed the guests to what she said was a new frontier for us. She thanked Rascal and Kiki for donating the land and Abnor Mole for all he does for us.
Abnor formally presented the embassy keys to Her Excellency Rascal Starlight, Honorary Ambassador and addressed the guests:
Some people scoff at adult content in SL, but I do not. It is all part of the human experience and for SL to truly be a second life I believe it must incorporate that part of life as well. It just needs to be done in a way that is responsible. Even though Bellisseria may be rated Moderate, not Adult, it should come as no surprise to anyone that adult activities do happen behind closed doors. And that is just fine.
Having an ambassador for The Adult Continent can be very helpful to residents in both areas when they have questions regarding adult vs moderate. I'm sure that Rascal will do an excellent job.
Accepting the keys from Abnor and after thanking him, Bel and the BBB team, the new Honorary Ambassador said;
I aspire to pave the way for a flourishing relationship between our continents. My mission is to ignite a spirit of curiosity and exploration, encouraging an influx of visitors to and from Bellisseria, and fostering a cross-continent cultural exchange.
As Abnor mentioned, Zindra has more going for it than just the obvious adult nature, and I think promoting this aspect can help foster a responsible adult community. Here's to new friendships and exciting journeys ahead!
Her speech was met with much applause and celebrations began in the new embassy's splendid garden.
If you are a resident of Zindra or Horizons, you can now obtain a passport from the embassy.
Article by Gazette Staff | Photograph by JillianQ
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
Relocation of the Bellisseria Commissary
Please be advised that we have moved from our old location to this new one, where there's now more space, more props and more freebies! Our passport stamp remains the same and the terminal is to be found inside to your left by the food counters.
Felix Frankfurter
Bellisseria Commissary
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500th V3.00 Passport Issued and New Zindra Passport now available
In a milestone event for the BBB and its affiliates, on September 15th, Laurel issued the 500th Version 3.00 passport to resident Furious Soup, citizen of Bellisseria. Congratulations to Furious and to all the BBB team. At the time of writing there were 529 V3.00 passports in use!
We have no way of knowing how many V1 and V2 passports were issued as the process was entirely manual. However we think most active users will have upgraded by now.
Of course there will also be a new passport available as from this week. With the opening of our embassy to Zindra & Horizons, there's now a new passport available for the adult continents. This adds to those available for Bellisseria, CDS, Planet Tambalya, Sansara, Satori, Corsica, Gaeta, Jeogeot and Nautilus. There's also an SL Basic (sometimes known as generic) passport for the homeless or residents of private estates.
You can apply for a Bellisseria Passport using the application form in the side bar. You can apply for a CDS passport at the embassy in Neufreidstadt. You can apply (until 24th December) for a Planet Tambalya passport at the passport office there. You can apply for a passport for any of the SL Continents (or an SL Basic passport) at the relevant embassy.
NEW LOCATIONS
We have four new locations this week. First is Rust, the Lofi Road Café in Heterocera. Rust means tranquility in Dutch. You can enjoy a treat there while working and then head to refuel your own vehicle or use one of the wacky ones available from the rezzers.
We had an event stamp at Mieville recently and we hope to have many more. This week we have a permanent stamp for the Welcome Center at this venue for a regular series of events and hunts. You can read all about them at its website.
You've heard a lot recently about AmandaT Tamatzui's regionwide sci-fi art installation under the auspices of the Second Life Endowment for the Arts (SLEA). Planet Tambalya is a colourful place, very much in keeping with the style of her art. Her enormous new gallery (an event that lasts until Amanda's time at the SLEA expires in December) lives up to that aesthetic!
Finally we have Neverland, a place owned and made by one of your Editor's oldest and best friends in SL. Raven is well-known (as a recent Second Life Spotlight article about her said) for weaving destinations brimming with adventure and dipped in fantasy. Check out her latest – Peter Pan's magical world – and pick up a stamp before setting off on a region-wide hunt.
Regular readers may remember this titbit from the 8th July edition of The Gazette, during SL20B;
In other SL20B news, two charming visitors to our space station made a surprise philanthropic offer to the BBB. This should give rise to an exciting development Soon™. Discussions are under way as to the details but watch this space for news of a new venture into formerly bureaucracy-free regions of Second Life®.
If your curiosity has been troubling you, the wait is over. On 20th September at 2pm SLT the embassy to Zindra & Horizons officially opens. The keys to the new building will be formally presented to Her Excellency the Honorary Ambassador Rascal Starlight by Abnor Mole. After the ceremony, there'll be music and dancing to celebrate this momentous event.
As our new ambassador says in her SL profile:
Zindra's where all the fun people hang out.
... so come along and see if she's right!
Our sincere thanks go out to Rascal and her partner Kiki Meowmix (nikita.moonshadow) for so generously donating the land for the embassy. It happened during the first SL Birthday at which the adult continents were represented and the question was asked – if they can feature at SL20B, why shouldn't they be part of our network too?
You are all cordially invited to join in this historic moment. Here's your taxi to the event. Dress Code: formal
Please be aware that this is our first embassy located in an adult region so be prepared for the possibility that your more delicate sensibilities may be challenged – not by us of course, but quite possibly by neighbours or visitors.
BELLIHUB: AN INTERVIEW WITH MINI MOLE
As part of Second Life’s 20th anniversary celebration, Linden Lab spiffed up their support of Linden Homes. They created two places that people can go to look at interactive models of every Bellisseria home. And they staffed both of them with trained mentors; knowledgeable Bellisseria-resident volunteers who are passionate about Bellisseria and love to help people.
The Lab started this process on June 8, 2023 by posting a call for volunteers on Second Life’s blog. The response was both rapid and massive. There were so many volunteers they had to close the applications early. Seventy-two volunteer mentors have completed training and are now active. Each helps at the demo areas for at least two hours a week. Some are so excited about it they put in additional time.
This is a large group of volunteers. A single Mole (a resident working as a paid contractor to Linden Lab) oversees and manages the mentors and everything related to them being able to do their job – training, answering questions, helping when problems arise, scheduling, supplying needed materials, etc. That is a pretty big job. So Linden Lab decided to hire someone they felt would be able to handle it well.
They chose Mini Mole.
I was able to catch up with Mini and ask her a few questions about her job. And I would like to share what she said with you:
Do you know what motivated Linden Lab to come up with the concept of a Bellisseria Mentor?
It was an area that Linden Lab felt Second Life residents would enjoy. Linden Lab wanted to do more than just give them the opportunity to view demo homes and access a knowledge base. They wanted people to be able to connect and interact with actual Bellisseria residents who could offer their expertise and assistance to resident’s questions.
What does a Bellisseria Mentor do?
A Bellisseria Mentor is there to assist Second Life residents with any of their questions about living in Bellisseria, what style of themes and models are offered and how does a resident go about becoming a premium member and getting their very own Linden home in Bellisseria.
How did you go about recruiting your team? Did you have any trouble finding volunteers?
A notice was put on the forums and sent out in several resident-owned Bellisseria groups seeking mentors. The response for volunteers to mentor surpassed our expectations.
How do you go about leading this team? What has been the biggest challenge for you? What has been the biggest reward for you?
The first stage was selecting residents that would work well in the volunteer role of a Bellisseria Mentor. I asked them to attend a training class and fill out a questionnaire. That questionnaire covered material that a Bellisseria mentor would need to know in order to assist a resident’s questions. Some of them learned things as they researched the questions that they did not already know the answers to. In a few cases, I met one-on-one with them to go over the areas they were unclear on.
The mentors have been exceptional in coming in on their own available time frame and being available at the two different Bellisseria Linden Demo home regions, at the ready to answer questions and assist.
The biggest challenge for me is probably communicating with over seventy-five mentors in different time zones.
The biggest reward is hearing back from our mentors that have had a great experience, such as helping someone use the land page to get their first linden home and then being very happy with the home they got.
What is the most interesting or exciting story that you have heard back from your mentoring team?
Probably when the Ranch theme homes were released. There was a lot of excitement from both residents and mentors exploring the new theme and home models and our mentors being able to assist many residents in a single day, who were eager to get one of the newly released theme homes.
What advice do you give to anyone who might be interested in becoming a mentor at some future date?
Currently our need for Bellisseria Mentors is met. In the future we’ll be opening applications again to those who would enjoy being a mentor. The best advice I can give when applying, is to have a good knowledge base on living in Bellisseria, and sharing experiences with other residents.
Ok, I have to ask… what theme of Linden Home do you live in? Do you have any other favourite themes?
I live in a traditional house. I like all the themes of course!”
What is your favourite thing about Linden Homes?
The beautiful neighborhoods!
Article and photograph by Teresa Firelight
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
... shimmycoco's Waterford Houseboat est. 5/2023 I mostly tried to stick to nautical themes. I also added extra walls on the upper level to make the rooms feel more intimate.
... Cocoaberri's Cocoa's Log Home est. 5/2021 I went with an African motif for the interior. I love the rich and vibrant colors of the continent.
... Robert Rhodan's Goshun Ranch Home est. 6/2023 finally enough garden space for my animals, and yet still large enough for a cozy home. okay, no kitchen .. but there is a good pizza delivery service nearby ;-) more user-supplied pics: click here
******
Visit Planet Tambalya!
On behalf of the Tambalyan Tourist Board, we invite you to visit our planet. Start your tour from your crash-landed spaceship (or if you're a Time Lord land your Tardis on Tambalya Beach nearby) and explore the lush landscape and the cute homes (knows as thuts) of the native Tambalyans. Visit our art gallery featuring the works of Planet Mother, AmandaT Tamatzui.
When you've toured the surface of the planet, you can take a rocket shuttle from our spaceport to our enormous space station in orbit above. The space station has its own art galleries, space farm and much more – including the Tambalya MegaDome, which has already featured some great events and will soon be featuring more. Here's the video of the opening party to give you an idea of what to expect. The Tambalyan Tourist Board thanks film-maker Jordan Rizzo for this amazing movie.
Visitors from all galaxies are welcome. Holders of Bellisseria, CDS, Mainland or SL Global passports can get the Tambalya Event Stamp at the spaceport. There will be other stamps issued for special events in the weeks to come.
If you wish, you can acquire Tambalyan citizenship. The Tambalyan Passport is fully compatible with BBB tech and will instantly feature all the stamps you've collected on other passports. It will only be available while Planet Tambalya remains in this dimension, but the passport will continue to function throughout SL.
Planet Tambalya is an art installation by AmandaT Tamatzui with a sci-fi theme. It occupies a full SL region granted to the artist until December this year by the Second Life Endowment for the Arts.
NEW LOCATIONS
Our first new stamp-issuing location this week is the Downward Dog Yoga Wellness Center. It's in a Coniston Newbrooke container home in the delightfully-named Bellisserian region of Coin Toss. You can do yoga, meditate, work out or just relax and take some time for self-care. There are free motorised tricycles available so when you're done, you can also flex your pixels with some power-assisted pedalling around the pretty neighbourhood.
Our second new stamp is an official one. It's the entry visa stamp for Zindra and Horizons in our new embassy there.
National Good Neighbor Day is Sept 28th, 2023. Yes, there really is such a thing – at least in the United States, where Second Life is headquartered.
Started by Betty Mattson in Montana in 1971, President Carter made it a national holiday in 1978. The date was changed to Sept 28th in 2004 and we have been celebrating that date as National Good Neighbor Day for the past 20 years – both in Real Life and virtually.
If you look at your calendar, you probably noticed that today is September 9th, and the holiday is still almost three weeks away. So why talk about it now? To give you time to make sure you are a Good Neighbour in Bellisseria (or wherever in SL you currently reside).
I have five tips for you on how to be a Bellisserian good neighbour.
Tip 1 – Avoid Full Bright / Light Pollution
Full bright textures in the yard/garden can be extremely disruptive to neighbours, because they stick out like a sore thumb and are visually disruptive. The same can be said of light emitters and objects with glow. Flashing objects are another offender.
(By the way, this doesn't apply the Fantasy Theme homes, as that theme has a lot of full bright and glow built into the landscaping.)
You might have full bright or glowing objects or light emitters in your yard and not even realize it. Some of the landscape creators enable these features in things you buy to decorate your yard. If you keep your environment on daylight, you probably won’t notice it.
Fortunately, it is easy for you to check for light pollution. Simply set your personal environment to a night-time setting, and go walk around your yard. Full bright, glow and light emitters will almost literally jump out at you as you walk around your property.
A dark environment setting enables you to see anything that needs to be modified. Then you can fix it using the SL Editor. The glow and full bright settings are on the Texture tab, and light emitters are on the Features tab.
Tip 2 – Avoid Sound Pollution
Sounds in Second Life carry further than you may realise. That piano which plays the same song over and over may be pleasing to you, but might drive your neighbours crazy. The same goes for crying babies, barking dogs and machinery.
Sometimes you can control this by adjusting the volume of the noise emitting sounds. Other times the noise volume cannot be modified.
One way to keep sounds from disturbing your neighbor is a setting in About Land on the Sound tab. There is a little box you can check Restrict gesture and object sounds to this parcel. It will keep your noisy objects from bothering your neighbours.
The downside is that you also will not hear the Linden sounds, such as birds singing or crickets chirping or water running. If you enjoy the Linden sounds, you can always uncheck that box when you are home and check it again just before you leave.
Tip 3 – Avoid Clutter and Messes
Sometimes people use their yard to unpack their shopping and leave the packages in the yard. Or they put things out for personal use that don't really belong such as pose stands, etc. It is better to either unpack your shopping goodies inside the house or else to set up a platform 2000M above the house and keep your clutter there.
Tip 4 – Stay In Theme
I think this is fairly self-evident. Palm trees and surf boards don’t really fit in a log home setting, and fantasy trees with glowing purple leaves aren’t really appropriate at the Stilt beach. You get the idea. You may have some favourite items from a previous theme. But before you put them out at your current home, ask yourself if they are appropriate for the theme you are in now.
Hint 5 – “Be Friendly
I could go on about things to avoid doing. But instead of focusing more on that, I would like to end on a more positive and proactive note. It would be great if we could greet neighbors that we don't know in IM, welcome someone new to the neighborhood, compliment people on their pretty landscaping, engage in friendly chat with others in the area, etc.
I would like to encourage you to reach out and touch those around you, even if it is chatting briefly by IM. Get to know people. Make friends out of your neighbours.
In closing, I encourage you to try at least one new thing to be a good neighbour for Sept 28th … and then keep finding more ways to be a great neighbour on an ongoing basis.
Article and image by Teresa Firelight
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
Upcoming events on Planet Tambalya
AmandaT Tamatzui's full-region sci-fi art installation at the Second Life Endowment for the Arts is in full swing. There are two events upcoming and here are the details
BlackPink Kpop Concert at Planet Tambalya
Party with DJ Ethahm at Planet Tambalya
Both events are in the Tambalya Space Station's MegaDome event venue. There will be gifts for visitors.
MegaDome Events Venue at Tambalya Space Station
NEW LOCATIONS
Realms of Xaandaria - Campaign One is the first event in a series that will take you through different areas of a fantasy realm inspired by massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG). The first adventure starts in the city where brave adventurers ready themselves for their coming adventures. So whether you are a human, elf or orc, warrior, cleric or mage its time for the adventures to begin! The event will take place at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds.
Mieville Historical Hunts is an active moderate-level community of several multi-purpose regions managed by members of the Mieville Historical Hunts group. They are currently staging their thirteenth annual Renaissance Hunt.
AmandaT Tamatzui (SL avatar of real life artist Amanda Tomasoa from New Zealand) is known to many of our readers as a stamp designer for the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy. She is also an active figure on the Second Life® art scene. Many passport-holders will have visited her galleries and exhibitions, where she always offers special stamps in her unique style.
Last year Amanda was given a grant of a quarter-region at The Second Life Endowment for the Arts (SLEA). SLEA is a public initiative (in partnership with Linden Lab) to provide opportunities for the work of both established and emerging artists in Second Life®.
This year she's been awarded a whole region for a science-fiction themed art installation, which she calls Planet Tambalya. The installation features her art and that of guest artists such as Ilyra Chardin and Mareea Farrasco, both on the planet surface and in outer space above.
In a new departure for Amanda, she's even become a virtual street artist so that some of the planet's structures feature unique Tambalyan graffiti. She's also designed TARDISES featuring her artwork, so visiting SL Time Lords can fit right in.
Apart from sci-fi themed art exhibits, Amanda has commissioned original mesh structures, vehicles, homes and creatures for her planet and has employed various friends to help her build the infrastructure; including an enormous space station in orbit reached by rocket shuttles from the surface. In turn, a shuttle from the station will take visitors onward to Ilyra Chardin's exhibit on a nearby planet.
If that were not exciting enough, Amanda's vision is that Planet Tambalya should not just be a venue for the static display of artworks, but also a film set where sci-fi machinima will be made. She has put together a team of creatives to write, produce, direct and act.
As you can see from this brief description, this is an ambitious project involving many collaborators. Amanda has even involved her humble bureaucratic colleagues at the BBB. There will be a Bellisserian Embassy in the planet's space port and not only will you be able to collect passport stamps at Tambalyan events, you'll be able to take up honorary residence and acquire a unique Tambalyan Passport! The fully-functional passport will only be available during the event but works with the BBB's technology and will display all of your stamps, past and future!
We at the BBB congratulate Amanda on her SLEA Grant. We're happy she involved us in it and we wish her every success in this major artistic venture.
The opening party will take place soon so you can get your first glimpse of this new alien world. See Events & Announcements for the details.
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
Grand Opening - Welcome to Planet Tambalya
The grand opening of AmandaT Tamatzui's full region art installation at the SLEA will take place in the MegaDome in Space Station A, in orbit above her new planet – Tambalya.
There will be two opening parties, one at 1-3pm SLT on Sunday September 3rd and one at 1-3pm SLT on Monday September 4th. DJs Frank Atisso and Fuyuko Wintergeist will provide the music.
There will be water tanks for visiting merfolk and hamster wheels for visiting hammies. All are welcome!!
BlackPink in Concert at the Tambalya MegaDrome
Next week the Tambalya MegaDome in orbit over Planet Tambalya will host a special concert by KPop sensations BlackPink at 1-3pm SLT on September 10th.
All are welcome! Special provision will be made for merfolk and hammies.
Honorary Consulate of Titania reopens
The venerable Honorary Consulate of Titania has re-opened at our new location! Come and get our original passport stamp, if you don't already have it. Through Labor Day (September 4), come and pick up our new free props around the house! Pick and stomp some grapes and sample some new Titania Elderberry Wine from original Mole barrels!
Figure out the perplexing Letter of Transit Quest which starts here. Ascend to the Kokshetau Mountains to obtain your fortune from the Fairy Queen. File complaints, petitions, and suggestions -- and perhaps you'll catch a glimpse of our founder, Telehub Ross, in the mirror!
Henry Hutchence, Manager
NEW LOCATIONS
Our first new location this week is one for the cat lovers. Brevin Cat Island is an educational and relaxing space to learn about our feline friends. The two roaming around in the café – named Rascal and Tilly – are the SL counterparts of two cats belonging in RL to the family that owns the island.
The next location is the Magical Frog Reading Bog, which is the home of Kiwi & Lime Storytimes. It is a seasonal family hangout, hosting small events in a cosy atmosphere.
There are full details in this week's lead article about our very own AmandaT Tamatzui's epic sci fi art build at Planet Tambalya. The installation remains in place at the SLEA until December 24th this year and the event stamp will be available (near the space port on the planet surface) throughout. For this week only, there's also a special stamp available at the Tambalya Space Station's MegaDome events space, where the opening parties will be held (as announced in this week's Events & Announcements section).
On Thursday Aug 17th, I got a notice from one of my groups about a Bar Train Tour of Bellisseria, starting at the Newbrooke Drama Llama Station. It came at a time when I wasn’t busy, so I decided to catch the train.
The tour was run by Greg Timmerman and lasted an hour. There was a bar at the front of the train and seating compartments of four chairs (two facing forward and two backwards) with a table in between. Of course, each table was stocked with some drink givers. The bar was already full, so I sat in the front compartment with two other passengers. I selected a glass of Don Perdigon, and have to admit that it was a very good year.
The tour brought us past some scenic Newbrooke Homes, Houseboats and Chalet Homes and along some coastal areas. It stopped at ten train stations before returning to our point of origin. Several of the passengers commented on how pretty the scenery was, and one person even decided to get herself a Linden Home after seeing how nice the neighborhoods were.
But there was a lot more to the tour than just the nice scenery. Greg, our conductor, had to deal with several challenges as SL was really acting up during the tour. He managed to keep a friendly pleasant demeanour and resolve each issue that came up. We had a region crossing where we lost a passenger. Not only did the crossing kick him off the train, it also kicked him out of SL. Shortly after that another region crossing threw me and one other off SL. As my connection was dying, I got an IM from Greg asking if everything was ok. When I logged back on and IMed him, he TPed me to where I could get back on the train. Greg did the same for other region crossing victims. At one point his camera went wacky and he had to stop the train and fight with that. But despite all of the SL challenges, he remained calm, collected and pleasant. It was as if SL acting up did not bother him at all.
Some of my favorite moments of the ride came from the other passengers. For example, there was one little girl on board with her mother. At one point she pretended that she was a bird, flapped her arms and “flew” to the back of the train. Then she sat at the table in an empty compartment and continued to flap her arms until her mother stopped watching. Then she reached for a bottle of liquor that was sitting on the table. She almost got away with it, but her Mom was a bit too watchful.
The train ride also emphasized the fact that Second Life really is a “small world.” One of the passengers' names sounded familiar to me, so we chatted and it turned out that we had been in the same Trek Role Play group about 9 years ago. And another of the passengers turned out to be a customer from my hair store, and she was pleased to meet me out and about in SL.
I did manage to chat briefly with bartender/conductor Greg as we toured, and I would like to share that with you.
Me: How often do you do this tour Greg?
Greg Timmerman: That all depends of my real life. The best way to know when I am doing a tour is to join my group Greg’s Bar & Lounge. I also have bar boat and bar airship tours.
Me: Which one is your favorite tour to do?
Greg Timmerman: Honestly? I love them all, but the boat tour is probably my number one. However, passengers can see more than usual from the airship, so that one is also my favorite.
Me: What inspired you to come up with the idea of these bar tours?
Greg Timmerman: I was at a Real-Life cruise with some friends and we met at the bar. Suddenly it occurred to me that would be a fun way to explore Second Life. So, of course, I started with a bar boat tour first. It took me a while to develop it. I later added the other bart tours.
The train tour was a lot of fun and I recommend that you try it out when you get a chance.
Article and Photographs by Teresa Firelight
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
NEW LOCATIONS
Last week we announced new locations at Ariadne Zoo and its camping ground. A very different kind of attraction under the Ariadne brand is the escape room and post-apocalyptic town in the neighbouring region of Pasiphae. You can find your way out of the escape room or you can just explore and make interesting photographs.
Finally this week, find beauty, peace, and serenity in an imagined Californian setting. Each path leads to a unique quiet spot to sit and relax. Rez a boat, look for the dolphins, bask on the beach, cuddle up or dance. Once again, this is a great location for virtual photography. This is a location associated with the excellent Nature Collective, which brings together many "natural" places in SL.
On August 10th, Linden Lab introduced a new group named Bellisseria Help Group. This is a place that people can ask questions or get help with anything related to Bellisseria, Linden Homes, or Premium memberships.
The group is staffed by ten moles and (at the moment) fifty-seven trained Bellisseria Mentors. They are from all time zones, and the hope is that no matter what time it is for you, there should be someone online who can assist you. In addition to the help staff, some of the group members are also very knowledgeable about everything related to Linden Homes; and can also answer questions.
Let me give a few examples of things that have come up in the group so far:
Someone wanted to know how to find out what home themes were available before abandoning their current home to try for a specific theme. They were advised to log an alt into their Second Life dashboard and then go to this link.
A Premium Plus member wanted to know how to submit a ticket for a specific location. They were advised to submit a ticket with Issue Type of Land & Region with the subtype of Linden Homes. They needed to include the SLurl for the Linden Home they wanted and it is good idea to have a 2nd and 3rd choice in the ticket in case the first choice is not available when it's processed.
Someone wanted to know where the new Ranch regions were so that they could fly around them and try to choose a house. These regions were not on the map yet because they were brand new, so they were told about a couple of regions that border them, so they could teleport there and fly in to look around.
Some of the other types of questions that may get asked include things like:
Needing help resetting a stuck Linden Home Rezzer
Wanting to know which themes have a certain feature (such as lots of water or more privacy, etc)
Wanting to know how to use the control panel inside your house
Or any other questions that might come up that are not related to your personal account. (For those you will need to submit a ticket.)
The group is new and only has about a hundred and ten non-staff members so far, but is expected to grow. Anyone in Second Life is welcome to join, they do NOT have to be a premium account holder or Bellisseria resident.
If you would like to join the Bellisseria Help Group, paste this link into nearby chat and then click it.
Article by Teresa Firelight
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
Heterocera Flag
Honorary Ambassador to Heterocera (and BBB Founder) His Excellency Boo Rojyo has designed a new flag for the Heterocera Continent. Referencing the distinctive shape of the atoll in stylised form it's available in a special flag pack from the Heterocera Embassy. The pack contains a flag pole flying the new flag and a texture you can apply to your own flags.
Boo told The Gazette;
This is NOT an official flag for the continent, but failing finding one that's generally recognised I've created my own. The design is based on the general geography of Heterocera. Green for land and blue for water. The thin blue and red lines represent the road and rail network around the continent.
The text is Greek themed, but certainly not Greek. The symbols are only intended to give the feel of the word Heterocera which in fact Latin and is the plural noun for "a division of Lepidoptera consisting of moths"
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Error Message when attempting redelivery of non-Bellisseria Passports
Our recent article about fixing the hide/show bug applied only to Bellisseria Passports but users have been attempting to get redeliveries of mainland/generic passports too. This results in a – not very informative – error message, which we will try to improve.
The redelivery/bug fix system will be extended to other passports at some point, but for now please note that it works only for Bellisseria Passports.
NEW LOCATIONS
The Philosophy Class has been doing what it says on the tin in Heterocera since 2007. Our bureaucratic colleague Gemma Cleanslate is an Assistant Professor there. We always suspected she was a deep thinker!
There's a new exhibition at the Black Tulip Gallery in CDS. It's called Pensive and opens on August 20th with a party at 1-3 pm SLT. DJ Frank Atisso of Artsville will be providing the tunes. The event stamp will remain in place while the exhibition continues, which will be at least until September 1st.
Ariadne Zoo is family friendly and spans a full region with many animals and games such as bowling and mini golf. It's a great place to explore with your family or friends. There's a stamp available for the zoo itself and for the associated camping ground in the neighbouring region of Theseus. It has four bungalows, three tents and two caravans – all free to use for a short vacation. It also has a swimming pool with Linden water, a toilet/shower house and a small foods and drink store.
We have made great progress with our new website. Check it out here – we think you'll find it useful. It offers a web map, which you can browse directly and a searchable illustrated database of available stamps. Each entry in your search has a View on Map button to show you exactly where to find it. If your viewer supports it, you can then go to the location directly from the teleport link on the map! Failing that you can just copy and paste the SLURL.
Thanks to Ven at GridPlay Productions for all her sterling work on this. We asked Ven how the idea came about and what has been involved in implementing it:
Someone from the BBB reached out to me about adding stamp locations to my web map. After some chat in Discord and with Bel, I really saw the potential in the BBB and that they needed an official website.
It usually only takes me about an hour to setup a Laravel installation ready for web design and LSL communications. Thats an in-world script able to send data to the website. Laravel PHP is an awesome secured framework for web developers. It really helps with rapid deployment so I use it on all of my websites and web apps. There is still a lot of work to do on the BBB website so there's no time frame, I never put a time frame on any website project since it's always in active development.
In fact, we reached out to Ven after a user told your editor at SL20B how wonderful it would be to see our locations on a map so that she and her friends could plan their explorations to take in any stamp-issuing locations. He passed on the suggestion to the team and all this has flowed, it seems from that.
Full credit must go too to Robert Rhodan. His BBB databases developed for the Gazette Online Travel Guide and the StaFi (stamp finder) HUD in-world supply all the data for the new maps and search facility. Also to North, our chief scripter, whose database-driven V3.00 design not only made our passports better and more reliable in-world, but gave Robert a basis on which to take more of our services on-line, automate them and so allow us to cope with more users.
We are lucky to have such experts to make our daft ideas work. Our bureaucracy is an elaborate joke, not in any way to be taken seriously, but these folks play it for real and that makes it all the more fun. Enjoy – and please keep those suggestions coming.
FIXING THE V3 BELLI PASSPORT – IN MINUTES – TO GET RID OF THE HIDE/SHOW BUG
Some Bellisseria V3 passports had the nasty habit either of going off-screen when you clicked the red hide button, or of rotating to edge-on, resulting in an invisible green "show" button. Our colleagues Sandy Burgess and Robert Rhodan have now fixed this bug in our script. However, this requires all 434 passports in use to be updated, which could have been a logistical nightmare.
Fortunately, Robert has also developed a self-service redelivery terminal, which allows anyone with a passport problem simply to get a fresh one, with all their data and stamps intact. This can also be used to distribute the new version, with the hide/show bug removed.
If you have this hide/show button problem, please just teleport to BBB HQ and click on the Redelivery dispenser board. It will give you a folder called BBB IC Belli PP Redelivery DPL. In that folder you'll find a notecard with instructions and an object called Template BBB IC Belli PP HUD blank redelivery v3.004.
Please teleport to a sandbox, e.g. this one, or any other place where you can rez. Put the Template BBB IC Belli PP HUD blank redelivery v3.004 object on the ground. You'll see it's a blank V3 passport.
If your passport was issued in response to one of the old notecard applications, your personal data is not yet in our systems. Don't worry! The redelivery mechanism will automatically take you to a web-based form to fill in the missing data – passport photo UUID, sex, species etc. That will then be added to our database and you'll never need to supply it again. Just zoom in on the front page of your passport. Click anywhere on that page and follow the resulting link to the online form. Come back in-world when the form has been submitted.
If your passport was issued in response to our current web-based application system, we have all your data so you won't be directed to the online form. You will complete the next step automatically.
Zoom in to look at the front page of your passport. Click anywhere on that page. This will begin the process of regenerating your passport – filling in your personal data and recreating all your collected stamps.
When you take it back to your inventory it will be renamed IC-Belli PP V3 BE-<Your Name>. That's your new passport HUD, free of the show/hide bug! The whole process should only take a couple of minutes!
Article and illustrations by Robert Rhodan
LINDEN LAB RELEASES SIX NEW RANCH HOME FLOOR PLANS
The ranch theme homes originally came with seven floor plans. Most were very open and had large rooms, irregular shapes and limited windows. Linden Lab received feedback that these were too large to decorate comfortably. Some creators began releasing kits to divide the huge rooms. Some great creations came out but not everyone wants to buy add-ons for their Linden Homes.
Linden Lab responded to the feedback on Friday August 4th by introducing another six floor plans that added more walls and rooms.
I am a big proponent of regular sized, squarish rooms that are easy to decorate. My comments on the six new floor plans are based on that. People who prefer large open spaces and dislike closed-off rooms may not agree with my evaluations. The new floor plans that I like most, they will probably like least and vica-versa.
Stable View and Stable Ridge:
Stable View is a two story with an angular staircase just to the left of the door. It has a large open space to the right with a back door, five small windows and one regular sized. There is a long rectangular walled off area to the left of the staircase. There are three rooms upstairs. For most people one will serve as a master bedroom, one as a second bedroom or office/study and the other as a bathroom. Personally, I find the downstairs part of the open model difficult to decorate.
Stable Ridge is the new walled version of Stable View. This is my personal favorite of the new floor plans. The large room to the right has been divided into three more usable sized rooms and the rectangular one to the left into two smaller rooms accessed by a small hallway behind the staircase. They walled off the original entrance to the left of the staircase so you can only access those rooms from the hallway.
In my opinion, the walls here are a huge improvement. The rooms are normal sizes and shapes and very easy to decorate. The upstairs remains unchanged. This remodel gets five stars. Well done.
Knotty Pine and Knotty View:
Knotty Pine is a one-story house divided into two sides. The right side has a hallway with three nicely sized rooms which could serve as bedrooms, studies, dens, an over-sized bathroom, etc. The left side is one huge narrow rectangular room. Most people would use that as a combination living room, dining room and kitchen. It has a bulge in the middle to help delineate it into three areas. There is also a special treat, a ceiling door which drops a stair ramp opens into a large square attic.
Knotty View is the same layout except that the long narrow rectangle to the left was divided into three separate rooms using archways and cleverly placed partial walls. I was very impressed with how they divided this one up into easily usable rooms and a very coherent feel with the other side of the house.
The new rooms are all a comfortable size and easy to decorate. This remodel also gets five stars from me.
Grizzly Point and Grizzly Pass:
Grizzly Point is a simple, very large two-story home. It has a single room upstairs, which most people will use as a bedroom. You enter into a large and mostly square room. I say “mostly square” because one end extrudes into the porch area, giving a little corner nook. The left side of the house is a long rectangular room with two entrances – an archway at one end and a doorway at the far end. Many people add a wall to divide that rectangle into two rooms, and use them as a bathroom and a kitchen/dining room There is a c-shaped stairway that leads upstairs to the bedroom. I really love how they did the stairway, it hugs the walls and divides the stairs into three separate short walkways. Very classy.
Grizzly Pass adds a wall and long archway to break the room you enter into two. The main room is squarish and still large, but not too difficult to decorate. The new room on the other side of the archway is a long and narrow rectangle. It can still be nicely decorated with a bit of clever furniture placement, but not as easily as a squarish room. They isolated the left room by adding a wall and door. Now it is now a hallway by the stairs plus a smaller rectangular room with doors at both entrances. I suppose it is possible to still add a dividing wall and use it as a bathroom and small kitchen
This layout is easier to decorate than the open model, but only moderately so. I give it three and a half stars.
Silver Spurs and Silver Ridge:
Silver Spurs is an L-shaped house with a few unusually shaped walls. You enter into the rightmost room, which has a pentagon shaped nook near the back door. Most people use the entry as the living room and the nook as a kitchen. Some of us, including me, walled the odd corner off to be a regular square shaped kitchen area. There is a hallway leading to two back rooms. The one on the left is a regular but large rectangular bedroom. The one on the right is a smaller but unusually shaped room that many people use as a bathroom.
Silver Ridge added only one wall with an arch. This wall separates the kitchen area from the living room area. It is a minimal change. I was not impressed by this modification, I don't see any benefit over the original model. I give it two stars.
Spring View and Spring Crest:
Spring View is a cute 2 story house. It has two rooms upstairs, suitable for a bedroom and bathroom. The downstairs is divided into three distinct areas. There is a diagonal staircase and a wall to partition the first room into an entry or den/office. There is a larger room behind that has one diagonal wall and multiple windows on the two exterior walls. Most people make this their living room, but I would be tempted to put my kitchen and dining room here. The left side downstairs is a large rectangular room. Most people are making this their kitchen and dining room, but I would be tempted to make it a living room and den. I think this is one of the cutest models of the original seven open homes. It seems rather well laid out and I don't think it would be that difficult to decorate.
Spring Crest is the same upstairs, but downstairs it divides the home into 4 distinct areas plus a small hall. The room behind the stairs still has a diagonal wall, but much of it is now an archway to a small hallway. Their rectangular room is divided into two easy-to-decorate rooms with entrances from that hallway. All of the rooms are reasonably large and more or less a “normal” shape that's easy to decorate.
I give this model four stars because the open plan was so nicely laid out that it is hard to improve on it too much.
Buffalo Pastures and Buffalo Paddy
Buffalo Pastures/Buffalo Paddy are almost identical to Grizzly Point/Grizzly Pass. The only difference is that the main room is smaller on Buffalo Pastures and is regularly shaped. The Buffalo Pastures room still seems large to me and was a challenge to decorate, but it is possible to do it nicely with a bit of effort and forethought.
The only difference between the Buffalo Pastures and the Buffalo Paddy is a single wall and door along the top of the left room (the long narrow rectangle). This separates it into a smaller rectangle with two doors and a hallway near the stairs. It seemed like an unnecessary separation to me. It would have been better to separate off a small bathroom on the end where the door was.
I was not particularly impressed with this addition and give it three stars.
Creek Stone
Creek Stone is a smaller one-room house, and they did not create a new floor plan for this one.
Article and photograph byTeresa Firelight
RANCH HOME VIDEOS
The Parade of Homes staff (Teresa Firelight and Robert Rhodan) decided to celebrate their new Ranch homes by making videos of each of then. Robert is the talent behind the videos, but each decorated their own home.
You will notice they use different styles and have distinctly different tastes. Hopefully one or the other of their homes might serve as an inspiration for those of you trying to figure out how to decorate your own place.
That is what makes Parade of Homes successful – the fact that people have different styles. Parade of Homes exposes people to multiple ideas of how to furnish and/or landscape their Bellisseria residence. Since the Ranch homes are still relatively new, we hope people will find these videos helpful.
Teresa’s home is here and you can watch her video here. Robert’s home is here and you can watch his video here. Please feel free to visit either or both of the homes, to pet the cats, enjoy the animals, etc.
In addition, there is also now a Ranch Homes listing category for Parade of Homes. If you want to list your home for others to come visit, you can do so here.
Article by Teresa Firelight and videos by Robert Rhodan
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
Nice write-up in the Newser
Our new BBB Scout, Gemma Cleanslate, is best known for her work as a journalist at the long-established SL newspaper, SL Newser. She's recently interviewed our founder, Boo Rojyo, and published a very good article about our work.
For all our efforts at publicity it was clear to those of us who spent a lot of time talking to visitors at SL20B that there are still many SL residents who don't know who we are and what we do. There are also some very odd conspiracy theories in circulation about us, as to which it's best we just smile and move on!
An article like Gemma's in one of SL's most widely-read newspapers has to be a good thing. Thank you Gemma.
Wumpkins Wood is being taken over for a special celestial celebration with music by DJ H. The event is at 8-11pm SLT on August 17. The stamp will be available until August 20 though.
We love a good diner and the one at Mowry Depot in Sansara looks like fun. It's part of an open-to-all complex that includes a roadside GTFO! cargo hub, a helipad and Donut truck.
Continuing our series on the resources available at BBB and Bellisseria Diplomatic Corps locations, this week we draw your attention to the Embassy Room at BBB HQ in Swordfish, Bellisseria, where you can find information about our embassy locations. It's across the landing from our photo studio upstairs.
Since we started – through the Continental Passport Control Board (CPCB) – to issue passports for mainland we've been surprised to find how many residents don't know which continent they live on. If that's true for you, this room is a good place to begin. It has a map of the mainland showing where all our embassies are located, as well as information boards for each of the continents – showing more detailed maps. By comparing your home location on the world map with these, you should be able to figure it out.
If not, message your Editor in world and he will drop a free continent detector on you. It's out of date and does not know about Bellisseria (which it describes as "Western Ocean") but it works well enough otherwise. There are more recent, paid, continent detector HUDs on MarketPlace, but we can't speak for how up to date they are.
Once you've answered that question, you'll know where to go to get your passport. If you're homeless or live on a private island, you can pick up a generic SL Passport at any of the embassies. To get to your embassy, you can use the LMs from the information boards or the teleporter in the Embassy Room itself. If you're an SL time lord, we know you don't approve of teleportation. So we're pleased to announce that there is now a landing spot at every embassy featuring the BBB's custom exteriors. So you can return to your TARDIS parked outside The Gazette's office and travel there in comfort!
The information boards (apart from the new one for Zindra, which hasn't been placed yet) also give out embassy landmarks and information notecards about each continent, with suggested places to visit. The boards have not all been updated with details of the current ambassador, but you can check that in the sidebar of The Gazette, where you'll find The Diplomatic List.
Not to blow our own trumpet here, but eight times out of ten, any question your Editor is asked about our work can be answered by reference to the links in the sidebar to The Gazette!
Our locations are open to all. Please feel free to stop by any time and make yourself at home.
Article and Photo by Gazette Staff
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
New articles in Parade of Homes Review
Teresa Firelight has written two new articles in our sister publication, Parade of Homes Review. Parade of Homes is a BBB enterprise that lists "open houses" around Second Life®. These are the homes of residents who have kindly agreed to open them to all visitors; particularly those seeking inspiration for their own interior design or landscaping.
The first article is on precisely that subject. It talks about how to get inspired by someone’s interior design and use their basic layout. It explains how to add your own style and flair to make a unique build that is not just a copy of the one that inspired you. You can read the article here.
The second article is off the usual subjects for Parade of Homes Review but is very topical. Teresa writes about the new Senra avatars added to everyone's inventory this week by Linden Lab. She focuses on the Jamie (female) avi and how to set her up.
It's a really helpful introduction and you can find it here.
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Some changes at BBB HQ
On the subject of our Parade of Homes venture, we've decided to give it more prominence by moving its office into the separate structure to the left of the main building (viewed from the front). The post office has been moved upstairs inside the main building – opposite the photo studio.
Our founder Boo, in relaxed gardener mode in retirement, has designed and laid out a new Zen Garden to the rear of the HQ buildings. Whether you meditate or not, we hope you all find it a relaxing place to hang out.
NEW LOCATIONS
We have two new transport hubs this week; both in Zindra. They are the Northern and Southern locations in Kama City for Fox Box Logistics (FBL, which specialises in LTL (Less than [truck]Load) shipping. It's a location for GridHaul, a parcel based freight hauling game similar to the popular GTFO!
We also have a new location in SL's oldest democracy, the Confederation of Democratic Simulators (CDS). Turn left out of the Rathaus front door and follow the street up and over the hill where you'll find Kaffeehause Talenstrasse on your left, in the shade of the city wall. The café is open to all. SL Time Lords will find a convenient landing spot for their time machines nearby.
GridPlay Productions is setting up and hosting a new BBB website, which is currently under construction.
GridPlay, registered in Ontario Canada, began as an SL scripting company making tools and services for roleplay. Ven (Venkellie Resident) of GridPlay told The Gazette;
GridPlay Productions is proud to be partnering with the BBB on a brand new website. We see a lot of potential in the BBB and like what they are doing for SL so it's an honour to be not only coding a new website for them but hosting it too.
The BBB is grateful to GridPlay for this generous contribution to our Resident-led initiative in SL. We have plans for new mapping applications to be hosted from the site, which we think will significantly enhance Residents' enjoyment of SL as well as their knowledge of its geography.
Watch this space for more details Soon™.
IT'S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE THAN THE OUTSIDE
For those of you who are not fans of the longest-running sci-fi show in the known universe, a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) is a time ship most famously piloted by the Doctor, the hero of Doctor Who. It's dimensionally transcendent (bigger inside than out) and capable of transforming its appearance to fit in with the different places and times it visits. The Whovians of SL are well served by competing manufacturers of Tardises. Dimensional transcendence is emulated by having a permanent skybox as the interior, which connects to exterior capsules that land at the destination. Walk through the exit door in the interior and you emerge from the exterior. There's a Tardis landing spot outside The Gazette office. Your editor commutes to work that way. It's not private parking though. Any reader with access to a Tardis can look for BBB HQ in the navigation database and land.
You will now have the chance to materialise in a brand new BBB-exclusive form. After months of dispiriting failure (tech is not his strong point) your editor has built a new BBB Tardis, with much help from script fairy Nikita Moonshadow. Thanks Kiki!
You may expect to see the TARDIS landing in variants of this form at BBB locations and events in future. It's already available at all embassies (except CDS. though you can land at the nearby Limoncello Kunstgalerie) and the Satori Post Office. Watch out for it!
If any passport stamp location would like a landing spot with the BBB TARDIS in it, we're happy to organise that. It takes up 1LI when vacant and 5LI when a TARDIS is landed. If you'd like visiting SL Time Lords to have other options, those can be added but may use more prims. Tell us how many LI you have to spare and we can put in a selection of exterior forms.
GETTING TO KNOW: BBB HQ #1 REZ ZONES AND PHOTO STUDIO
The buildings managed by the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy are public resources. They're provided by Linden Lab to support our resident-led initiative and you are most welcome at any time. Over the coming weeks, we'll remind you of the facilities available – beginning with our headquarters on the beautiful Bellisserian coast in Swordfish.
There's a boat rez zone nearby, so why not arrive by sea? Steps lead directly from the dock to our charming gardens. If you want to continue your journey by road, there are vehicle rez zones out front. Perhaps you haven't visited since you applied for your passport, driving, boating or flying licences? If so, it's time to take another look.
Part of the fun of SL is the ability to update the appearance of your avatar. Does your passport photo even resemble you right now? Have you enhanced your appearance since it was taken? Is it just not "you" anymore?
Unlike in RL, there's no reason to put up with a bad passport pic. Upstairs at HQ there's a fully-equipped photo studio. Hop on the pose stand and it will position you against a passporty background under the benign gaze of our mascot; Benjamin the Bellisserian Bunny. If you go with a group of friends, there's a comfy sofa so you can relax and chat as you each take your turn.
Play with your environment settings or wear your favourite facelight, and snap away. Hold down on your picture on your passport HUD and a dialog box will open into which you can paste the UUID of your super new photo.
In future issues of The Gazette, we'll remind you of our other facilities available to you.
Article & Photos by Gazette Staff
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you have one of our stamp terminals at your place and you're having an event there or would like to make any other announcement, just let us know and we'll be happy to feature it here. Please drop a notecard on the Editor Dave (Lord.Junibalya) in-world or use the Email the Editor link in the sidebar to send us your information, posters or photos.
NEW EMBASSY OPENING SOON
Thanks to donors Rascal Starlight and Nikita Moonshadow, who approached us with a generous offer of land during SL20B, Bellisseria will soon be opening a new embassy. Thank you Rascal and Nikita! The adult continents were represented for the first time at SL20B so we think it's time we opened diplomatic relations too. The new embassy to Zindra & Horizons is under construction at present. Watch this space for news of the formal opening.
Visiting the construction site for the new embassy
In the meantime, if you are aware of any flags, logos or coats of arms in accepted use for Zindra and/or Horizons, please let us know in the comments, BBBug chat or by IM to any of our officers. Indeed we're interested in flags, heraldry and logos generally. If you know of any good ones for anywhere in SL, please let us know.
NEW LOCATIONS
Port Scandium in Sansara, a long-standing stamp-issuing location, has been remodelled and is open once more to visitors. It is a public resort featuring a Motel, Sushi restaurant, Café, Bar, Pool, Library, Gym, and more! It's a vacation destination minutes from Bellisseria with two hour open rez.
Everyone loves a good SL railway, so Metropolis Railroads' station in Heterocera, part of an SL rail system with its own website, is very welcome this week. It's yet another GTFO! location too.
Montlaur is an enormous hangout spot in Satori with a bar, spa, beauty salon, pizza place, gas station, bowling alley and much more. More a small town than a "spot" really!
