The Gazette is hosted by Typepad.com, which has been experiencing technical issues in the last week, associated with migration to new servers.
The site (and therefore The Gazette and The Parade of Homes Review) is now running again but until today there were still glitches which prevented some images from loading.
We can only apologise for this. Typepad is assuring all of its users that the problems will be resolved as soon as possible.
UPDATE: As of today, 4th November, the site appears to be working normally again, so we'll un-pin this notice from the top of the page after successful publication of tomorrow's edition of The Gazette.
The Bellisserian Embassy in Heterocera invites you to a new exploration tour. This time a classic and real cultural grid heritage site will be the destination: the Great Wall of Heterocera. The tour first involves a train ride to Amelia and then a helicopter flight from the airfield there, crossing the inner atoll to Horisme. The tour group will then travel by bus and off-road vehicle along the Great Wall through twelve regions.
The journey will provide great views of the regions of the western Heterocera and great opportunities for fantastic photographs. From the end of the Great Wall in Athetis, it will continue along the High Mountain Route 6 to Sabre. Route 6 offers many beautiful views and attractions to explore.
In Sabre, four-legged friends will await all travellers and the descent by horseback will go to Sabre SLRR Station. Nearby, an Irish pub invites you to stop and wash the dust of the country road from your throat. Her Excellency Dariah Raynier, Hon. Ambassador to Heterocera, told The Gazette;
Sometimes we don't really notice the old things that seem to have been there forever Together with H.E. Yukiko Yeshto, I'm delighted to offer a tour that lets you experience the old in a new way by rail, air, bus and horse.
Yukiko Yeshto and Dariah Raynier are looking forward to doing this tour with the citizens and friends of Bellisseria and Heterocera. After the tour, an information card can be provided so that everyone can explore the highlights of the tour on their own again.
The tour is scheduled to last one to one-and-a-half hours. It starts at 12pm SLT on November 5th from the station at Tersa. Please watch out in the group notices for further information.
Article & Photos by H.E. Dariah Raynier
MT CAMPION PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR
Mount Campion National Forest has announced its first ever Photography tour. This will be different from the usual park tours, because the emphasis is on SL photography and taking pictures of their scenic park.
It will start with a short lesson from WrenNoir Cerise, who is the co-founder and co-instructor of Visionaire’s Institute of Photography. Visionaire has been training people in SL photography for years, and has turned out a lot of outstanding and skilled photographers. Wren’s talk will be on SL voice only (no text in local chat), and the topic is “Taking Nice Pictures.”
After Wren’s talk, the tour of the park will continue, taking in five particularly scenic areas and giving people ten to fifteen minutes at each location to take pictures. This part of the tour is expect to last approximately 90 minutes. Information will be provided about each location in local chat if there is anyone who is unable to hear SL voice.
People are invited to submit some of the pictures they take during the tour for display in the park's gallery. If you are unable to do the tour, you can still take pictures and submit them at the gallery's mailbox.
Article & Photo by Ranger 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'd 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.
Hammieween ends on October 31st but that means you've still time to check it out and attend one of the events, including the grand party for the closing. Everyone loves the Hammies, even when they're being spooky, so go check them out. Access via the witch's door at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds.
Saturday, 29 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Alex
Hammieween III Party!
Sunday, 30 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Fuyuko
Hammieween III Party!
Monday, 31 October
12:00 – 3:00pm
DJ Stephanie
Hammieween III Closing Party!
WEBSITE ISSUES
The Gazette and the Parade of Homes Review are published using Typepad.com, a hosted blogging service. Your editor has been using it (for his RL blog) since September 2006 and it's always been reliable. Of late however, following a migration to new servers, there have been technical issues and we've noticed in the Citizens Group chat, for example, that some of you have had problems getting to us. We do apologise.
We've filed support tickets and we're assured the problems are being corrected. Please be patient in the meantime and don't forget to check back later if you have any further difficulties.
NEW LOCATIONS
If you're a fitness enthusiast with transporter phobia, you'll have been wondering how to visit the gym and mini golf course etc. at Ashworth. Today we have good news for you as Ashworth Heliport has opened. Let's face it, Second Life® is even more fun when you get into air, sea, road and rail transport. TPs are a banal at best, nauseating at worst, mode of transport.
Speaking of transport, there's a friendly biker club to be found in Nautilus called Lele Air & Space. Also to be found in Nautilus is Ho'onanea Club & Marina. Both locations are now issuing our passport stamps to be sure to record your visit officially when checking them out.
As you enter the front door turn right and enter the room ahead of you where you'll find a dispenser labeled BBB's PoH/OH HUD. This now additionally delivers an object named PoH Yard Sign Package Delivery. Adding this object as a HUD temporarily will give you a folder with both types of yard sign and a How To notecard.
Please be sure to place the appropriate sign near the landing spot for your location in the PoH database.
If your home or place of interest doesn't feature yet, the application form is here.
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hammieween continues in the special spooky location accessed via the witch's door at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds. Here is the schedule of events for this week. Don't forget to collect the special limited-edition stamp, available only during the event, which ends on October 31.
DATE
TIME
DJ
EVENT
Saturday, 22 October
1:00 – 3:00pm
DJ Freddie
Hammieween III Party!
Sunday, 23 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Dulcinea
Hammieween III Party!
Tuesday, 25 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Giselle
Hammieween III Party!
Thursday, 27 October
2:00 – 4:00pm
DJ Matti
Hammieween III Party!
Saturday, 29 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Alex
Hammieween III Party!
Sunday, 30 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Fuyuko
Hammieween III Party!
Monday, 31 October
12:00 – 3:00pm
DJ Stephanie
Hammieween III Closing Party!
BBB3B
Those of you who enjoyed last January's second birthday celebration for the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy will be happy to know that discussions are underway about the possibility of staging BBB3B next year. Watch this space for any official announcement in due course.
NEW LOCATIONS
Ashworth is becoming the place to go in Second Life® for physical recreation. Last week, a fitness centre opened there. This week, is mini-golf your thing? If not there's also a tennis court and a bowling alley.
The great, the good and the the rest of us assembled at the Bellisserian Embassy in Jeogeot last Tuesday at noon SLT. Overcoming a technical hitch which required her to find another computer to log in, the new ambassador finally arrived. BBB CEO and founder, Boo Rojyo welcomed us all and introduced Abnor Mole, who had the enormous key to the embassy to present to the new ambassador. He must have been happy he had an inventory, rather than just pockets, in which to carry such a big object to the event.
Abnor's speech revealed his local connection;
The very first land I ever owned was on Jeogeot ... up around Doomaekkot I think. That was waaaay back in the day when it still had that new region smell. I'm not sure what that smell was, but it was new. Eventually I sold the land for a good price and moved to a different area, but it's still where it all started for me. Does that make me a Doomaekkoter? A Jeogeotian? Is that is even a thing? We're all residents in the end no matter where we are from or where we choose to live. And that is the point really. Something I hope Bel and the embassy here will help to foster. And with that, I declare this Embassy open and, Bel, I present you with the key.
Bel thanked Abnor and welcomed us all, saying – to riotous applause in text;
It is my goal to integrate Jeogeot with Bellisseria and vice versa. I have found Jeogeotians who are ready and willing to help with that effort. I am more than a little bit excited at being given the opportunity to return as Ambassador to Jeogeot. As Ambassador, I want to integrate the things that Jeogeot has to offer and is known for. And to integrate the things that Bellisseria has to offer to all of Second Life®.
Declaring the embassy open once again, Bel led the guests to a charming outdoor dance floor, where the festivities continued in high style for some considerable time.
We at The Gazette and all her former colleagues at the BBB are delighted to have Bel as the latest member of the Bellisserian Corps Diplomatique and look forward to working with her again.
Article & Photographs by Dave | Additional Photography by Robert Rhodan
JEOGEOT: ORIGINS & ETYMOLOGY
Abnor Mole's use of the word Jeogeotian at Bel's inauguration ceremony raised the thorny old question of the correct pronunciation of Jeogeot. There is an interesting post on this subject on the Community Forums by resident SarahKB7Koskinen.
Jeogeot was meant to be – and was sometimes known as – the Korean Continent. The Lindens seem at some point to have envisaged residents congregating in SL according to their RL origins. In the same way, for example, Satori was meant to be – and was sometimes called – the Japanese Continent.
Residents never bought into that idea and – with the assistance of translation software – SL is delightfully diverse. That's one of its attractions to many of us – hanging out with virtual neighbours who might be from anywhere in RL.
The name of the continent is therefore meant to be Korean. According to Jack Linden's early map of SL in the New Kadath Lighthouse Gallery (a fascinating cartography collection, which we highly recommend) Jeogeot is 지구 in Korean. 지구 means earth, district, zone or area and is usually transcribed as Jigu in the Latin alphabet (ph. chee-goo).
That would make Abnor phonetically a chee-goo-shun. However Jeogeot is not the same as Jigu. It's an inaccurate transcription of 지구. In her post on the Community Forum, Sarah theorised that;
"jigu" had been deliberately misspelled into the fictitious English-language name Jeogeot by a very creative Linden map maker. He probably changed Jigu's first "jig" syllable into Jeog, and used a J in place of that very asian "tzch" sound that doesn't really exist in the English language. Similarly, the second "u" syllable became "eot", and adding a silent letter T to its end to make it more "exotic" looking when read, perhaps a bit like the "eot" in Peugeot, the French car manufacturer.
Alternatively perhaps the intention was to call the continent Jeogeo, a Korean word explained in this educational video. In which case it means "that, over there", which would make some sense if you were standing on another SL continent when you named this new one!
Anyway, without the benefit of Sarah's research or the ability to read the Korean text on Jack's map, most of us had always favoured a pronunciation more like Jo-Jo or JoJot, which would make Abnor a jo-jo-shun or a jo-jot-ian.
Interestingly, the New Kadath exhibition of SL Maps states very definitely (though we don't accept definitively) that it's pronounced Juh-Gut, which would make Abnor a Juhguttian. As it's a made-up name in a made-up world, who's to say what's right?
Without access to the unknown Linden who devised the name, perhaps we shall never know. Reader, if you are that Linden, or have any better information, please let us know in the comments! If you speak Japanese and can tell us the meaning of the Japanese name for Satori on Jack's map, we'd love to hear from you too.
Article by Dave, with acknowledgement to SarahKB7Koskinen for her research and to AmandaT Tamatzui for finding the Jeogeo video.
HOW TO REMOVE UNSIGHTLY CLUTTER THAT RUINS YOUR VIEW
There are times when neighbours put out things we really don't want to look at. They could be eyesores (really ugly stuff) or clutter (stuff that doesn't seem to belong). This kind of stuff can ruin our view. The good news is that - in Second Life® - you don't have to live with it.
If you use the Firestorm viewer, you can permanently remove clutter that ruins your view by derendering and blacklisting. This is a simple process when the clutter is only one or two objects. Just right-click the offending items and select either Derender or Derender+Blacklist. Derender is temporary and the objects will be redrawn if you leave and come back. However, Derender+Blacklist removes them permanently – unless you choose to take them off your Asset Blacklist.
Clicking the offending objects one at a time is hard work when there is a bunch of objects to remove. Fortunately, there is an easier way:
Edit one of the clutter objects to get the owner's name.
Open Area Search (World-> Area Search)
Select Filter tab and uncheck "Neighboring Regions" from Exclude Objects
Select Find tab and put the name from step 1 into Owner field
Hit the search button
Search takes you to the list tab and gives you a list of items. Right-click on any of them and choose Select All
Right-click again and select Blacklist
Occasionally you have to repeat the process to get rid of all the objects. If there are multiple owners, you will need to repeat it at least once for each owner.
Finally, if you want to restore items you have blacklisted, select World->Asset Blacklist.
This article was originally written as a notice for Mount Campion National Park.
Article & Photographs by Teresa Firelight
MAP OF BELLISSERIA
It's not easy keeping up to date with the development of Bellisseria. The Lindens and Moles are busy adding and landscaping regions and building new homes in various styles. His Excellency Freddie Harrington, Hon. Ambassador to Nautilus made an updated map recently and, with the help of some brainstorming on the BBB Discord Channel, your Editor came up with some (we hope) helpful labels to guide your explorations. If you have suggested improvements to the legends, please drop a notecard on Dave (lord.junibalya) in-world or use the email link under Contact Us in the sidebar.
If you come up with your own maps, we'll be happy to publish them. Our ultimate goal is to make exploration in SL easier and more fun!
Cartography by H.E. Freddie Harrington | Legend by Dave
PARADE OF HOMES REVIEW
Our very own Robert, stamp designer and HTML guru for the BBB, has been doing amazing work over at our sister publication, the Bellisseria Parade of Homes Review.
The Review was established by Prudence Anton as a service for her Bellisseria Parade of Homes group, whose house-proud, design-savvy members open their homes to all-comers and proudly display "Open House" signs to welcome visitors. The Review was first published when the Parade of Homes Group became part of the BBB.
Since Pru stepped down from the BBB and PoH, Robert has updated the online listings of properties, incorporated those from other similar groups in-world and created an application form, which allows for owners to add more information and photographs to their entries. He has also automated it so each new home and its associated information no longer needs to be painstakingly added to the listings directory by hand.
If you are looking for inspiration for your own home decoration – in-world or in RL – you could do worse than browse the listings and visit the homes that catch your eye. One recent change is that applications are now accepted from homes anywhere in SL, not just in Bellisseria.
Teresa Firelight, another BBB stalwart, has taken on the editorial role at the Review and is publishing occasional interesting articles about home design. Her latest post – Decorating a Houseboat – features her newly-acquired home on the Squishy Pickle sandbanks, which makes her a welcome new neighbour of your Editor.
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'd 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.
The Bellisseria Animal Sanctuary Presents
HAMMIEWEEN III – 2022
At The Bellisseria Fairgrounds
October 15th - October 31st.
Dat's right we are back for another Halloween celebration! We have created a brand new space this year with some fun features such as:
A custom, limited edition stamp for the event
A spookeh camping area to enjoy with your fiends ... Whooopsie! We mean friends!
The MadPea Trick or Treat Trail Game for 2-6 players!
A Halloween Trivia game
Special Edition Hammieween Bento Lanterns in Hooman and Hamster versions. They should also fit Dinkies etc.
A creeptacular buffet for all your Halloween munchies!
And last but not least. "The Ghost Magician Hammieween Hunt"!
The hunt will consist of "13" special prizes for you to find and collect. All prizes are copy/mod no trans. And range from 1-3 LI. There will be a hunt object example rezzed so yew know what to look for!
We will also be showcasing some of Belli's awesome DJ's, including some new additions!! We haz listed their schedules below!
DATE
TIME
DJ
EVENT
Saturday, 15 October
12:00 – 3:00pm
DJ Hammie
Hammieween III Opening Party!
Sunday, 16 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Fuyuko
Hammieween III Party!
Tuesday, 18 October
1:00 – 3:00pm
DJ Suzen Juel
Hammieween III Party!
Thursday, 20 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Chucky
Hammieween III Party!
Saturday, 22 October
1:00 – 3:00pm
DJ Freddie
Hammieween III Party!
Sunday, 23 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Dulcinea
Hammieween III Party!
Tuesday, 25 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Giselle
Hammieween III Party!
Thursday, 27 October
2:00 – 4:00pm
DJ Matti
Hammieween III Party!
Saturday, 29 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Alex
Hammieween III Party!
Sunday, 30 October
12:00 – 2:00pm
DJ Fuyuko
Hammieween III Party!
Monday, 31 October
12:00 – 3:00pm
DJ Stephanie
Hammieween III Closing Party!
NEW LOCATIONS
As we noted last week, SL has its own Halloween traditions and Hammieween has become one of them. We at the BBB love the Bellisseria Hammies. They've been great supporters of our passport system from the beginning. We're not alone though. Everyone in Bellisseria loves them and their fame has spread so they have fans all over the Grid). They'll be at the Fairgrounds for their famous spookfest – presented by the Bellisseria Animal Sanctuary – for the third year. The event runs from today (October 15th) until the end of the month and you will love it, we promise. Don't forget to collect the super-cute and colourful stamp while you're there. Full details of the programme are in Events & Announcements above.
Also this week, we have a new multi-functional gym in Satori. All fitness levels, muscle types, and avatars are welcome.
As an Englishman, your editor never knew how much Americans love Halloween until he came to SL. They got it from the Irish and Scots who emigrated there, but they've really run with it until it's one of their most-celebrated holidays.
Fortunately, they don't take it very seriously. Indeed they clearly find it fun. SL's Halloween traditions are very much in that weirdly jolly vein.
It's coming up to that time of year again and the grid is already getting spooky. Halloween builds are everywhere and our beloved Moles' contribution to the creepy, eldritch, ominous vibe is already in place at Millbank, which has become a kind of Necrosseria. Why not stop by and give yourself a fright?
Here's an inside tip for you. There's a stamp terminal nearby, which isn't listed in the Gazette Online Travel Guide and doesn't feature on the StaFi HUD. Unless you stumbled upon it by accident, you'll only have it if you've ever taken part in one of our stamp rallies. It won't be easy to find in the stygian gloom of the current lighting at Millbank (the EEP that makes you go "eep!") but it's there.
Whether you collect the elusive stamp or not, there's plenty to see, explore and (not sure if this is the right verb) enjoy. Pick up your free flashlight near the start of the creepy balloon tour and take care out there.
INAUGURATION PARTY AT JEOGEOT EMBASSY
Her Excellency Bel invites you to the Embassy next Tuesday, October 11 for her official inauguration as Honorary Ambassador to Jeogeot. The event begins at 12 noon SLT with the official presentation of the keys to the embassy to the new ambassador, which will be made either by Abnor Mole or Boo Rojyo. A party will follow inside. Bel told the Gazette;
I look forward to introducing the residents of Jeogeot and all their continent has to offer to the residents of Bellisseria (and vice versa). I am excited to be working with the Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy again. It has blossomed into even more than I ever imagined it could. The policy was always to bring SL residents, wherever they live, together. With the development of the Embassies we now have that chance!
We look forward to seeing you and your friends at the event. It will be an excellent opportunity for residents without passports to acquire one. If they live on Jeogeot, they can obtain a local passport at the embassy itself and if they're from private estates or don't have a permanent home they can also get a generic SL Passport from the passport terminals there.
EVENTS AND 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'd 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.
Our very own Amanda, an artist who works on our stamp designs, has two art events this weekend. Today (8th October) she has an exhibition opening at Picara Resort & Spa entitled The Artwork of AmandaT Tamatzui. The party starts at 2pm SLT and music will be provided by Shamrock D. – an excellent singer your Editor highly recommends – and DJ Vivi.
Tomorrow (9th October) the second phase of her massive art installation at the Second Life Endowment for the Arts opens. It's the realisation of a long-cherished vision to allow visitors to walk into (and by taking photographs be part of) her art.
The opening party, with music by DJ Yifu, begins at 12 noon SLT. And of course there are two passport stamps to collect. Amanda being her generous self, there's also a gift hunt. Enjoy!
NEW LOCATIONS
Everyone in SL loves a sandbox. Even if you have your own land, you don't always have the space or prims available to experiment with new builds or check out the contents of the dark depths of your inventory. The owners of the Milehouse Public Sandbox in Corsica have provided 2048 square metres of space for you to play in and have set auto return to three hours to accommodate larger builds. You can now commemorate your creative achievements during your time there by collecting their new stamp.
You can also now collect a stamp when you visit the Snug Harbor estate on the Blake Sea where you can enjoy weekly live performances, a board walk and public parks.
There are more lighthouses in Second Life® than you can shake a broken mast at, but you don't need to be in distress off a lee shore to find a Bellisserian lighthouse helpful. They indicate the location of key boat rez zones and are useful waypoints when navigating. Your Editor likes to circumnavigate Belli every month or so to check out what our beloved Moles have been up to. He programs all the lighthouses into his navigation HUD so he can pause voyages there and resume them by re-rezzing his boat later.
Kuga Lighthouse is an important Bellissarian landmark. It's a good spot to rez a boat or helicopter to visit the SS Galaxy, the historic cruise ship now anchored off our shores. I wonder if that stately craft will one day have its own passport stamp terminal?
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Her Excellency Jezebel Bailey (known to all as Bel) as Honorary Ambassador to the Second Life® Continent of Jeogeot. She takes office immediately.
Bel used to run the offices of the BBB so is well known to many of our readers. Her former colleagues are delighted to see "one of our own" honoured in this way and are happy to have her back among us in her new role.
The Diplomatic List has been updated and the Embassy has been fitted out. Welcome Your Excellency and good luck in all your diplomatic efforts!
BELLISSERIA LICENCE PLATE RENEWALS
The licence plates for SL motor vehicles issued by our Traffic Department (BBBTD) are valid for one calendar year. Please always apply for a new one before year end. We don't want anyone driving illegally and giving Mr. Beeb the chance to call the police! Please apply in good time as BBBTD has only one employee.
We also have big news about the plates. We plan to give them a total new look each year, beginning with 2023. The design has been the same for some time now, using the pretty Bellisseria Citizens Group logo. So we decided on a makeover to provide citizens with the chance to collect a new design every year. The new plates will also feature the name of your home region.
We know some of you love to play Game of Homes so must limit you to a maximum of two plates per year, allowing for one change of address. There is no prison in Bellisseria to which we can outsource the production of licence plates and we don't want to over-work our solo bureaucrat. She is, after all, a volunteer. So choose your region of residence carefully!
You can apply from today for the new 2023 plates. We have adjusted our application forms so you can indicate if you want this year's plate or next. Our one-person production team will make sure all applicants receive their 2023 plates in time. If you don't have your 2022 plate yet, with the original design, then be sure to apply soon. They will no longer be available once the year ends. All plates are sent out as a full perm texture, for your own personal use.
Article and Photograph by Zoo Suki, BBB Traffic Department
BIRTH OF A GROUP GIFT
I lived in Bellisseria almost from the beginning. I had a home there that changed whenever a new theme was released. After a while, I tired of the Game of Homes. I had the crazy idea of building a bigger place on Mainland, with fun things to do for all to enjoy. So, after spending all my land allowance on my ongoing Angel Canyon build, I found myself without a Bellisseria home.
There I was – a respected BBB bureaucrat – homeless in Belli. I moved from one bridge to another when the weather was good and crashed at friends' homes when it was cold outside. I think I was the only BBB official without a Bellisseria home. I had been staying for quite a while at Boo and Fiona's when, early one morning Boo stormed in. He kicked me off their couch and said;
Have you seen the news? Linden Labs released Premium Plus!
He hastily stuffed my scattered personal belongings into my backpack, which he put out on the front porch. He shoved a piece of paper in my hand with the address of an internet café, told me to go see what it was all about, escorted me to my pack and closed the door behind me.
What the @*!% just happened? I stood on the porch, rubbing my sleepy eyes and looking at the paper in my hand. Oh well, I thought, it couldn't hurt to take a look. I was overdue for a cup of coffee anyway so off I went to the internet café.
Pretty soon, steaming hot coffee in hand, I was reading up on the perks of Premium Plus. Upgrading not only meant free uploads for all the stamp textures I make but – yay! – an additional 1024 square metres of land. Not only could I look for the perfect home in the perfect place, I wouldn't have to play Game of Homes. As a Premium Pluser, I could put in a request for the vacant home I wanted!
It would be nice to have a Belli home again and I knew exactly where to start looking! When visiting the Sakura Community Center in the Shobu region to design its passport stamp, I had fallen in love with the Asian theme. The beautiful surroundings, serenity and peacefulness of the regions around Mount Sojisan stole my heart, I began my search there.
After touring a few regions house by house, I began to think that there must be an easier way. I rang North, the BBB's Chief Scripter, to ask if a script could detect vacant parcels in Bellisseria. His positive response and a lot of clever work on his part led to the birth of our lateest BBBug group gift – the HomeFinder HUD (available now at BBB HQ)
With this nifty new gizmo on my screen I went back to my search. In each region I visited, every vacant plot now appeared in my local chat with a SLURL to take me there!
It didn't take long to find a little spot by the canal. With views of Mount Sojisan and surrounded by blossoming sakura trees, it had a boat rez zone in front and a vehicle rez zone behind. It was perfect!
I quickly opened the Linden Lab support ticket system and made a house request. I had to wait a while – hoping that no GoH player would beat me to it – but LL contacted me within 24 hours. The land was put in my name and I'm a Belli resident once again. It's good to be home!
Article and Photographs by Sun (Dark Sunflower)
MT CAMPION RANGER-GUIDED TOUR TODAY (1ST OCTOBER)
Today (October 1st) at 9am SLT there will be a guided tour of Mount Campion National Forest. It will be led by Ranger Hex Shining North Star and other Mt Campion rangers. The tour will begin here and is expected to last about 90 minutes. Please try to arrive 10 minutes early if possible.
This is the park’s Main Tour. It takes you to 50 locations in the park, including serene trails, scenic lakes, streams, waterfalls, etc. It also ventures briefly into Mt Campion’s massive underground cave system. It addition, for BBB and CPCB passport holders, there are two stamps you can collect during this tour. Bring your hiking boots, because you will be doing a lot of walking.
Ranger Hex will provide information in both SL Voice and in local chat. Most people find it easier to listen via SL Voice so they don't have to read local chat as they walk -- but hearing SL Voice is not entirely necessary.
This tour was offered once before, on July 30th, when Honorary Ambassador Dariah Raynier arranged a special tour of Mount Campion National Forest. The Rangers thought her idea was so good that they decided to keep offering this tour. If you are unable to make the scheduled tour time, there is also a self-guided version of the tour that you can do on your own. The self-guided tour starts from the same location as Saturday’s Ranger-guided tour.
Mount Campion National Forest is over 240,000 sq meters of park land connected over seven sims. Mount Campion is the highest mountain in SL. Mount Campanula is the second highest and both are in the park, which has miles of trails, caves, canyons, lakes, streams and waterfalls, and an abundance of beautiful scenery. It is definitely worth coming to it and checking it out.
Article and Photo by Ranger Teresa Firelight
SPECIAL SPELUNKER'S STAMP
Avid readers will remember my announcement in the 17th September edition of the collaborative Spelunker's Map project. This is a simple way of charting the huge cave system beneath Mt. Campion in the Campanula, Spinach, and Highflyer regions.
The idea is crowdsource a map from contributions by adventurers exploring there using the SL coordinate system. The manual for the project is here.
As an incentive for contributors, I created a rare stamp for your passport that is bound to be a much sought-after item. To win it, you'll need to add at least ten new forking points and connecting paths in any one of the four maps. There will be no other way to obtain this very special stamp!
Article and Picture 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'd 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.
If you'd like to promote The Gazette at your venue, you're welcome to ask the Editor for our special newsstand, which takes up just 3LI. Just click on it for a link to the latest edition in your web browser. Here you can see it in the library at SL Vegan HQ.
The Nature Collective's Fall Huntstarts today, October 1st, and will run to the end of the month. We are also hosting a photography contest to run from October 1st-21st, with cash prizes of 5500L, 3500L, and 2000L for First, Second and Third place, respectively.
Winners, and an honorable mention, will be displayed at CK's Corner - Guest Gallery from November through December. Any of the sims in the Fall Hunt are eligible for the contest.
Our website has a wealth of information about our many wonderful member regions, news, and more.
The Nature Collective was created with the goal of cultivating a community around regions, spaces and projects which share a common focus on nature. It is our hope to foster a movement to help people engage and reconnect with the wonder and joy of nature, in the virtual world and beyond.
It is a pleasure to work with you to help spread our message and bring awareness of the importance of preserving Nature in all spaces.
Please feel free to contact me, Kes (Kestrel.Evergarden), should you need any further information.
We've featured several special tours and events at Mount Campion National Park of late. Thanks to Ranger Hex, here are the details of the regular weekly events held there. There's a strong community in the wilds of this park. One of its residents told The Gazette
There's more going on in this natural wilderness than in many small towns!
So check out an event or two and make new friends in one of SL's great natural environments.
We have three relocated stamp terminals this week. The details are below.
Sometimes stamp-issuing locations are closed or terminals removed without the owners notifying us. We can only apologise if you are ever disappointed in your search for a stamp. If it happens, please let our colleague Robert Rhodan know by way of an IM or notecard in-world so that he can update the Gazette Online Travel Guide and the StaFi HUD accordingly. It will spare your fellow passport-holders the same disappointment. Thank you in advance for your help with this.