Greg’s Bar Boat Ride @NatureCon | Bar Train Too! | Beeb Metamorphosis Part III: A story for NatureCon 2022 | All at Sea for a Rare Stamp | New Locations

GREG'S BAR BOAT RIDE @NATURECON 2022

I saw an announcement about a bar boat ride from Naturecon to the SS Galaxy cruise ship and back. I decided to hop on it. My friend MissB joined me. We arrived on what was literally a floating bar and lounge area, attached to a small tug boat.

We were greeted by Captain Greg Timmerman and he offered us a drink. Since it was early in the morning, I choose orange juice and MissB choose coffee. (Yea, I know… boring… but what can I say.. we had both just got out of bed half an hour ago, and it was too early for anything alcoholic).

The tour itself was scenic; sailing past several small islands and docked houseboats. It took us about half an hour to travel from Naturecon to the Galaxy. The boat tour traveled back to Naturecon, but I had to skip the return trip because of some RL stuff.

In addition to departing from Naturecon, Greg offers several other tours. His dock is located here.  If you happen to arrive when the boat is already out on the water, there is a sign you can click to track the boat’s location and TP to it. People are welcome to join the cruise even when the tour is already in progress but be sure to sit down quickly so the boat doesn't sail away from you and leave you in the water.

It was fun and I recommend that you try to catch one of his tours.

Article and Photo by Teresa Firelight

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BAR TRAIN TOO!

Greg also runs a bar train and we joined it for a trip through Bellisseria. There was a big crowd on board the luxurious carriages and much fun was had by all!

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BEEB METAMORPHOSIS PART III: A STORY FOR NATURECON 2022

Previously on Beeb Metamorphosis: Chief Passport Inspector Eustace Beeb suffered a transformation following unwise experiments ...

Most disconcertingly Novacoleoptera Beebii had a fatal attraction to cockroach bait from which no titanium shell would ever protect them. 

It was obvious he needed to instil some higher intelligence into these poor dumb creatures. Of course the highest intelligence he'd ever encountered was simply so readily to hand. Himself, Eustace Beeb, evidently! 

Responsibly, he'd dwelt on the ethics of his plan for a full half hour. But of course depriving beetlekind of his superior intellect was far greater a crime than interfering in nature.

He selected a robust timarcha tenebricosa specimen for his most important experiment. He'd like to say he'd chosen the solid black beetle for its superior intellect, however he'd selected it on the basis that it was the easiest to catch in his terrarium.

Hooked up via silk thin tubes, cranium to cranium, Beeb began the slow process of inter-class transfer, from mammal to insect! Beeb felt a definite sensation of something momentous occurring. 

It was a slow process, and his mind wandered. That scotch egg in the refrigerator, might just be past its sell by date, but it suddenly felt irresistibly enticing. A man, accustomed to subduing his every base desire, was quite overcome by the effects of the aura of success.

The beetle by his side looked just as dumb and docile as before, but Beeb was convinced something significant had transpired. It was understandable the beetle might need a little time to acclimatise to its new elevated intellect.  

It slowly dawned on Beeb, as he noisily rummaged through the trash bin for delicious long discarded morsels of rotten food, that the transfer might not have been in just one direction. For once though he was glad the BelliBin collection was delayed.

To be concluded in the next edition of The Gazette...

Article by Boo Rojyo, as recounted to him by Mr. Beeb | photographs by Boo Rojyo | Mr Beeb's beetle collection is currently on show at NatureCon 2022

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ALL AT SEA FOR A RARE STAMP

I predict that the DRFS NatureCon 2022 ferry service stamp (announced last week) will be one of the rarest in the history of the BBB/ CPCB passports. To obtain it, you must catch the DRFS ferry serving the time-limited NatureCon 2022 event (see the ferry company's website or last week's edition for details) and click on the SSiD tablet computer carried by the ferry captain.

She doesn't make it easy by lurking in her cabin throughout the voyage, so some camming skills are required on a boat that's bobbing about! I recommend you show up early and grab her while everyone else is boarding. Clickety-click, double-quick!

I boarded the cute ferry with its special NatureCon livery on the dock at Utopia Point in Bellisseria. I made it past the first stop at the Norse Auk lighthouse before, sadly, crashing out of SL. At least I had time to people-watch my fellow passengers and collect the precious stamp. Later I logged back in and swam the rest of the way!

As an experienced SL sailor who loves to explore our virtual paradise by sea, I know that such are the dangers of grid navigation. We are all in peril on the SL sea – especially at region crossings. But hey, there's no adventure without jeopardy! Try it yourselves while you can and I wish you all a safer trip than I had! 

Article and Photo by your Editor

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NEW LOCATIONS

We are unstinting in our praises for our Moles. All we SL'ers love them. They are after all "our own" – residents just like us – recruited to use their in-world skills for the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW). They gave us Bay City. They built us our Linden highways. They landscaped all of Bellisseria and built our homes there.

Just occasionally, however, these furry Homers nod. The new location this week is just such an example. The Shonash Ravine Bridge is very good up to a point. The point, that is, where it stops in mid-air. Not to worry though. Completion of construction is scheduled (see photo – click to enlarge)

We at The Gazette have a theory as to how such a long delay came about. Shonash Ravine is nowhere to be found on the SL World Map. The unfinished bridge is actually located at the Clayton Ravine. Perhaps, having once mis-labelled it in their project management system, the Moles have never been able to find it again to finish it?

Many Moles carry our passports and collect our visa stamps, so perhaps now the Gazette Online Travel Guide and/or the StaFi HUD will allow them to find it again and complete the work? To do so will require the exercise of eminent domain (compulsory purchase powers) however, as the Moles have now built some rather nice houses on the other side of the ravine!

Shonash Ravine Bridge BE

BBB Air Force One takes to the Skies | Embassy Activities to Enhance Your SL Experience | Beeb Metamorphosis Part II | Sneak Peek | New Locations

BBB AIR FORCE ONE TAKES TO THE SKIES

BBB AF1 coming in to land

Being a reporter for The Gazette can be tough at times but the only difficulty of this assignment was keeping it a secret for so long! My pleasure in imagining the surprise on our ambassadors' faces when the news broke helped me hold my tongue. Now my wait is over!

Alicia & Robert with AF1 | click to enlarge | Photo by Robert

Courtesy of Alicia K. Johnson of Quimby Aviation, here is our new aircraft – a dedicated private helicopter for transporting Bellisseria's Hon. Ambassadors on their diplomatic missions around the grid. When he heard the news, Boo Rojyo (Founder and CEO of the BBB) immediately named the craft BBB Air Force 1!

If Alicia and Quimby Aviation ring a bell, you may recall the flights they offered during BBB3B and the spectacular aerobatics show they staged for our visitors.

Alicia, a good friend of the BBB, was kind enough personally to take our editor Dave and me on AF1's maiden flight. She flew us over NatureCon 2022 and hovered over the BBB's pavilion there for photographs.

She was also kind enough to spare the time for an interview, explaining that Quimby Aviation is unique in SL;

Because we are a true working airline. Our focus is flying and taking care of our passengers

Quimby operates single and twin engined small, medium and larger jet aircraft up to and including their 737. Their helicopters are mostly executive carriers designed for small groups.

If someone wants to book a flight, they can contact Alicia or any of Quimby Aviation's pilots directly or leave a message in one of the SL travel groups. They will then set about scheduling the flight. Alicia added;

The farthest distance we can cover for a flight is from one SL continent to another. Although it can be a bit risky flying over ban lines and orbs, we can usually make the trip!

Asked about her pilot's RL experience of flying, she said; 

As far as I know only one of our pilots is a pilot in RL. He is ex military. Flying in SL vs RL is different although some similarities exist.

BBB AF1 flying over the BBB pavilion at NatureCon 2022

Article & photograph by Robert Rhodan | Other photographs by Dave

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EMBASSY ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE YOUR SL EXPERIENCE Honorary Ambassador Dariah Raynier arranged a tour of Mount Campion National Forest on July 30th. I saw the notice and mentioned it to my friend Laurel. We decided to go on the tour. At the time we had no idea how much this was going to enhance our SL experience.

The tour was conducted by one of the Park’s Rangers, Hex Shining North Star and by the Park’s Owner, Mar Scamon. It lasted over 90 minutes. There was so much to see in this large forest, and it was all so interesting and beautiful. Also, we noticed that the park had several campsites and two BBB/CPCB passport stamp machines.

Laurel and I were captivated with the forest preserve. It was large, beautiful and really gave the feel of being in a national forest park. We realized that the tour only covered a small percentage of the park, and that there was so much more to see and do there.

We decided to rent a small campsite each in the park, so that we could have a home base to explore it further. We decorated our campsites and showed them (and the park) to some of our friends. Our friends fell in love with the place too – and some of them rented campsites as well. (The park rents some lovely mountain homes too, but since we were all Bellisseria home owners, little campsites and Cabins made more sense to us.)

Suddenly there were five of us with campsites in the park. Naturally we had to see each other’s sites and that meant we needed to figure out how to travel between them. That sounds easier than it actually is because there are so many twisty trails and paths and it is very easy to get lost – in fact that is sort of a standing joke with the park residents “this is a fun and beautiful place to get lost in.”

We have had so much fun exploring together, gathering at each other’s campsites, etc – there is something exhilarating about being outdoors surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful nature. This forest is so realistic, and we are spending more time getting together in it than we did visiting each other’s Bellisseria homes. In addition, each of us has had a lot of fun exploring the park on our own, doing park activities and meeting other people who live here.

There is no doubt in any of our minds that Mount Campion National Forest has enriched our SL experience. And it is unlikely that any of us would have found it if it were not for the Hon. Ambassador to Heterocera arranging that tour. The BBB ambassadors do great work showing off their continents, and I am looking forward to finding out what they will show us next.

If this article inspired you to check out Mount Campion National Forest, they have a self-guided tour you can take. Each tour sign will talk to you in local chat when you touch it, and is shaped like an arrow pointing to the next tour stop. The tour starts here.

Article and photographs by Teresa Firelight

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BEEB METAMORPHOSIS PART II: A STORY FOR NATURECON 2022

In the previous episode: Eustace Beeb of the BBB suffered a transformation following experiments to create super-beetles...

There was no way Beeb's clunky claws could handle the blue toothbrush so neatly arranged next to his wife's more delicate pink version. He'd have to leave, teeth unbrushed, which was quite a bother to him.

It was obvious that his uniform really wouldn't fit that morning, but his shiny black armour looked quite presentable, all things considered.

His fresh mild cheese and cucumber sandwiches at the ready in the kitchen somehow held no attraction. So he scuttled off to work, sandwich-less, and for once not saying goodbye to his wife. Best not to bother her, he thought, with his little perturbation.

He was, as was all too habitual, left completely alone at work. Somehow he felt more comfortable crawling under the shade and shelter of his old and heavy oak desk. It was quite a day for firsts. No uniform, no sandwiches, no farewell to Mrs Beeb, teeth unbrushed, and now working under his desk.

His thoughts turned to his current predicament. His razor sharp mind immediately linked his metamorphosis to his recent beetle experimentations. 

It was an all consuming passion somehow to improve upon nature. In one fell swoop to evolve beetles in a single generation to an advanced state they hadn't reached in aeons.

His early trials were promising but somehow still unsatisfactory. The new cyber species Novacoleoptera Beebii was a much improved and better-armoured beetle. Titanium shells made them almost indestructible. However they were also inordinately stupid – almost on a par with his work colleagues, as he'd sniggered to himself. 

To be continued...

Article by Boo Rojyo, as recounted to him by Mr. Beeb | photographs by Boo Rojyo | Mr Beeb's beetle collection is currently on show at NatureCon 2022

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SNEAK PEEK

BBB's Robert Rhodan who brought you StaFi – the stamp finder HUD – is planning a new, community-driven collaboration project. It's to be called the BBB Spelunker's Map of Mt. Campion Caves. Here is an early preview based on grid-drawing using SL coordinates. There will be more news about this in the next few weeks.

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NEW LOCATIONS

To collect the Ferry Service stamp from NatureCon 2022, it's not enough to visit the pick up point for the ferry provided below. The stamps are not issued by a stationary terminal, but instead by an SSiD (single stamp issuing device) carried by the Ferry Captain. You'll need to make the voyage and click on the SSiD tablet computer the captain carries in order to get the stamp! It may help you to check out the ferry timetables here or at the NatureCon 2022 destination dock.

DR Ferry Service @ NatureCon 2022

NatureCon 2022 Coming Soon | Beeb Metamorphosis Part 1 | New Locations

NATURECON 2022 COMING SOON

The excitement is mounting about NatureCon 2022 – the new event for nature lovers in Second Life®. The Gazette has already featured a sneak preview of the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy's stand there and details of the DRFS Ferry Service to take you to the event.

The inaugural NatureCon will run from the 18th through the 31st of August. Details of the Event Stamp appear in the New Locations section below – though the stamp terminal may not be in place until the event opens next Thursday.

Mark up your diaries, clean your hiking boots and get ready for some fun in and around the Great Outdoors.

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BEEB METAMORPHOSIS PART 1: A Warning from Nature

Beeb woke early. He always wakes early; punctuality is his byword. Although his work colleagues would be nothing but pleased if he was late, or preferably never arrived at all.

He sensed he wasn't quite himself. Was it that Scotch Egg he'd so scandalously eaten after eight in the evening? Mrs Beeb had warned him of his rash and decadent impetuosity.

However last night he was so dizzily buoyed up with elation at the apparent progress of his experimentation that a Scotch Egg had seemed minor recompense for his labours.

Those fools at the BBB would squirm and wither under the brilliant light of his reflected glory when it was revealed that he, Eustace Q. Beeb, was the man who had single-handedly improved and evolved the whole order of Coleoptera with his devious manipulations.

He scuttled off to the bathroom, as quietly as he could so as not to disturb the still-sleeping Mrs Beeb. That good lady's usual sweet nature could be somewhat fractious at that time of the morning.

It was the accustomed bland face that looked back at him in the bathroom mirror. However the body, well the body such as it was, was a thorax and abdomen in shiny oily black armour. His arms were thin, black, scaly, and thorny. His hands, such as they were, were rudimentary pretarsus insect claws. 

It was most discomforting. 

To be continued...

Article by Boo Rojyo, as recounted to him by Eustace Q. Beeb | photographs by Boo Rojyo

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NEW LOCATIONS

The inaugural NatureCon will run from the 18th through the 31st of August and a special event stamp (preview below) will be available for intrepid explorers who venture into SL's Great Outdoors. Please be aware that you may not be able to access the stamp terminal until the event opens. Enjoy!

NatureCon 2022

NatureCon 2022 | Mount Campion Tour Photo-Report | SL19B Memories | Problems with scripts | New Locations

NATURECON 2022

There are many new locations issuing stamps this week. That's partly to do with NatureCon 2022, an event that will run from August 18th - 31st. Its noble mission is;

to inspire connections between related SL communities and organisations through a shared love of exploration and expressions of Nature in SL

NatureCon 2022 is produced by Soull Starlight and Her Excellency Yukiko Yeshto, Hon Ambassador of Bellisseria to Sansara; two community-minded residents with a background in community management and event planning. They were recently featured on Lab Gab and find joy in bringing unique experiences to the grid. Soull is known for her luxury Mainland experiences and Yuki is famous for her tours, in which many of us have taken part. Yuki explained to us how NatureCon came about; 

During a morning-coffee-chitchat Soull was saying she'd love to see tech conferences in SL. As we talked in IM, we realised we were each at separate forest locations on Mainland. I suggested an event on the theme of Nature and so NatureCon was born. It took us about another hour to plot our main goals and ideas. We both enjoy Mainland and Bellisseria. Soull offers many places on Mainland continents for residents to enjoy. I, as Ambassador for Sansara, have a direct connection to Bellisseria. So it was natural (no pun intended) for us to wonder how to bring them together and support the whole SL community. We originally planned a 3-day-conference around Nature at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds but everyone we asked was so excited to be part of it that we ended up on event regions between Sansara and Bellisseria. Which perfectly matches with our idea of connecting Mainland (and in my case, especially Sansara) with Bellisseria through a shared love for Nature. We started with ten collaborators for a 3-day conference on a quarter region but ended up with more than fifty collaborators for a two week conference in 2 regions!

The BBB, CPCB and The Gazette are happy to be involved with this exciting new project. The BBB will have a stand there, with a surprise nature exhibit so please be sure to visit us and check it out. There will be a time-limited special event stamp for your passport.

 

We hope this is going to become one of the regular features of the Second Life® events calendar. 

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MOUNT CAMPION TOUR PHOTO-REPORT

H.E. Dariah Raynier reports that last week's 90-minute guided tour of Mount Campion National Park was a great success. She kindly  provided these photos of the event. 

Mount Campion Tour

© Dariah Raynier | click to enlarge and scroll

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If you'd like to get a sense of what it's like to be on such a tour, check out this video from the esteemed SL Newser, made by BBB Bureaucrat Robert Rhodan.

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SL19B MEMORIES

H.E. Yukiko Yeshto, Hon. Ambassador to Sansara, drew our attention to this Flickr Album of photos of SL19B by Wildstar Beaumont. They include several excellent images of the Bellisseria Bureau of Bureaucracy's stand. We thought you might enjoy checking them out too. Well done Wildstar!

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PROBLEMS WITH SCRIPTS

We've had occasional problems in the past with users (and recently a landowner) complaining that our stamp terminals don't work for them. The cause has always been the same – the owner of the land where the terminal stands had disabled all scripts but their own. This is an option in the land menu.

If you encounter this problem as a user, please let us know and we'll sort it out with the landowner. As a temporary work-around until that happens, try standing just outside the land in question and reaching in to touch the terminal. Your scripts will then work. In fact you may find they work as soon as you step off the script-disabled land!

Our stamp terminals and our passports are full of clever scripts. If you have a terminal deployed on your land, you need to let those scripts work so please check the settings in your land menu. 

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NEW LOCATIONS

Our new locations this week include one of the prettiest boat rez zones you're ever likely to see. We're always looking for a reason to fly our fae or dragon avatars to Fantasseria but we'll now also have to see what elven watercraft are available on the Marketplace. It would just seem wrong to embark on any less magical craft at such a place! If you do set sail from here, be careful when heading Westwards. We'd hate you to break the Ban of the Valar by sailing to the Undying Lands. Even if you didn't cause the Fall of Second Life®, we'd miss you.

Just as pretty, but less fantastical, is Bellisseria's surf beach at Treeowatoor. Our beloved Moles have made many wonderful hangouts for us, but this is one of the best. Great fun to surf from of course, but also a cool place to spend time with friends on the beach or at the bar. Speaking of the Moles, please don't embarrass them by asking why so many of the houseboats they build seem to come to grief. The one here looks like it was washed ashore in some simulator storm. Just smile and call it landscaping please!

There's more beautiful Bellisserian landscaping at Orion Falls and you'll find charming oriental gardens at the Sakurasseria community centre in Shobu. While you're there, we suggest you take a look around to find the cutest of all SL's railway stations.

Magellan's Secret Hideout is not quite so secret now that a passport terminal marks the spot. You'll still need to explore a little to find the hideout though.

You might like to wear a wetsuit (or tail and scale if you're of the merfolk) before you drop in on Stormy Waters.  Perhaps surprisingly, among all this week's beautiful natural locations, one of the most attractive is a humble neighbourhood dog park. The Moles really went to town on this build. There are rez zones outside the park gates, so you can drive your tired pooch home afterwards. Enjoy! 

Phungissah Mungis
Surf Beach Treeowatoor
Mountain Spring Orion Falls
Shobu Community Gardens
Magellan's secret hideout
Stormy Waters
Verdant Falls Dog Park