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Out & About with Liberty: Bike, Drive, Scoot - and Canoe! | Ten Ways to Earn Linden Dollars | Events & Announcements | New Locations

08/31/2024

OUT & ABOUT WITH LIBERTY: BIKE, DRIVE SCOOT - AND CANOE!

On August 27th, 2024, Bellisseria Bike Drive & Scoot! hosted a delightful Canoe Adventure & Party, bringing together a vibrant crowd of Bellisserian residents and enthusiasts. The event kicked off at 12 PM SLT in the picturesque Fantasy Homes region, where participants gathered to embark on a scenic canoe ride.

The ever-helpful Mini Mole warmly greeted everyone, ensuring that even those without a boat were well-equipped for the adventure by offering free mini wearable boats. As we set out into the tranquil waters of the Fantasy regions, the camaraderie was palpable. Conversations and laughter flowed as smoothly as our canoes, creating a wonderful sense of community. Harvey Ryder, one of the attendees, was quick to express his gratitude for the clear directions and the location provided by Mini Mole, ensuring no one missed out on the fun.

The event was not just about the canoeing, though; it was also a chance to explore these stunning regions, which seemed almost tailor-made for such an occasion. The landscapes, with their lush greenery and whimsical architecture, provided the perfect backdrop for our journey. As we paddled through the serene waters, I couldn’t help but appreciate their beauty and the effort put into creating this immersive experience.

As the clock struck 1 PM SLT, the canoes were docked, and we made our way to the Eyrie Community Center, where DJ Gio was ready to keep the energy high with a lively dance party. The place quickly filled with familiar faces, including HRHGata Benelli, Alex Zelin, and Varistentia Varriale, among others. The music was a perfect blend of upbeat tracks that had everyone on their feet, dancing and celebrating the joy of the day.

The sense of community was truly remarkable. It was heartening to see so many residents, from seasoned veterans to newcomers, coming together to share in the fun. Conversations flowed easily, and the dance floor was a lively mix of dancing avatars, each bringing their own style and energy to the party. DJ Gio did a fantastic job keeping the tunes fresh and the atmosphere electric, ensuring that the party was a resounding success.

In the end, the Canoe Adventure & Party was more than just a fun event; it was a reminder of what makes Bellisseria such a special place—a community where everyone is welcome, where friendships are forged, and where there’s always something fun and exciting to do. I’m already looking forward to the next adventure, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Until next time, happy paddling, and see you at the next event!

Article & Photography by Liberty Fairelander

TEN WAYS TO EARN LINDEN DOLLARS

If you've ever found yourself wandering through the bustling streets of a virtual city in Second Life®, marvelling at the meticulously-designed avatars and vibrant creations in every corner, you've likely wondered, How do I get some of those Linden Dollars (L$)?

Well, you're in luck! Earning L$ in SL is as diverse and exciting as the virtual world itself. Whether you’re a seasoned resident or a fresh-faced newbie, there's a wealth of opportunities waiting for you to explore. Let's dive into some of the best ways to start stacking up those L$!

1. Freelancing and Virtual Jobs

One of the most straightforward ways to earn Linden Dollars is by taking up a virtual job. Whether you’re hosting events, spinning tunes as a DJ, or offering stellar customer service, there’s a role for you. Not only do these jobs allow you to earn based on your time and effort, but they also immerse you in the vibrant community of SL. Plus, you might find yourself mingling with some fascinating residents along the way!

2. Content Creation

Got a knack for design, scripting, or building? SL is the perfect place to unleash your creativity. By creating and selling virtual goods—be it clothing, furniture, or even avatars—you can turn your skills into a lucrative business. The Second Life Marketplace is your gateway to a vast audience, and if your creations hit the mark, you might find yourself with a steady stream of income that could even rival a real-life job. Imagine earning L$ while doing what you love—sounds like a dream, right?

3. Real Estate

Investing in virtual real estate is another avenue to explore. Whether you’re buying, developing, or renting out land, real estate in Second Life can be profitable. Some residents go the extra mile by creating themed communities or commercial hubs, attracting renters like bees to honey. With some savvy investment and a bit of creativity, your virtual real estate empire could become a L$ generator.

4. Skill Games and Contests

For those who enjoy a bit of risk and reward, participating in skill-based games or contests can be a fun way to earn L$. From trivia games to more complex ones that mimic casino-style play, there’s a thrill in knowing your next big win could be just around the corner. Of course, remember that where there’s a chance to win, there’s also a chance to lose, so play smart!

5. Surveys and Ads

If you’re looking for a more passive income stream, surveys and ads might be your ticket. While the payouts are typically smaller, the effort required is minimal. By participating in surveys, watching advertisements, or clicking in-world links, you can slowly but surely add to your L$ stash. It’s a great way to earn some extra cash while you’re exploring or chatting with friends.

6. Affiliate Programs

Got a blog, social media presence, or a popular in-world location? Why not leverage that influence through affiliate programs? By promoting products or services from other creators or businesses, you earn a commission on any sales generated through your referrals. It’s a win-win situation—helping others discover great content while earning L$ in the process.

7. Virtual Gigs and Services

Do you have a skill that others might need? Whether it’s virtual photography, landscaping, or personal shopping, offering services in SL can be incredibly rewarding. Many residents seek personalised services to enhance their virtual experience, and if you can provide that, you’ve just carved out your niche market. This is your chance to make a name for yourself while helping others bring their virtual dreams to life.

8. Real Estate Development

If you’re talented in design and urban planning, why not dive deeper into real estate development? This isn’t just about owning land—it’s about transforming it. By developing and either selling or renting out your creations, especially in popular regions, you can command top L$. The demand for well-developed virtual land is always high, and with a bit of flair, you could be sitting on a virtual goldmine.

9. Playing Games

Looking for something more interactive? Engage in in-world games like Gold Hunt or Fish Hunt. These games allow you to search for coins or catch fish, earning L$ as you play. Not only are these games fun and addictive, but they also provide a great way to make money while exploring the nooks and crannies of SL.

10. Investing in Virtual Businesses

Finally, if you prefer a more hands-off approach, investing in other residents' businesses could be your best bet. By funding successful virtual enterprises, you can earn dividends or a share of the profits. This option is perfect for those who want to see their L$ grow without too much day-to-day involvement.

Conclusion

Earning Linden Dollars in Second Life® is a journey as diverse as the virtual world itself. Whether you prefer actively to engage in jobs and content creation or take a more passive approach with investing and surveys, there’s a path for everyone. With a bit of dedication, creativity, and exploration, you can turn your time in SL into a rewarding financial experience. So why wait? Start earning today, and who knows—you might just find yourself rolling in L$ in no time!

Article and photography by Liberty Fairelander

Disclaimer: Some of the ideas above involve risk. Just as in RL, you can lose money more easily than you can make it. If that weren't true, everyone would be rich! The author and The Gazette accept no liability for any losses, injuries or mishaps resulting from your attempts to follow the suggestions offered. Proceed with caution, taking expert advice as necessary, just as you would (or should!) in RL.

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you have one of our stamp terminals and you're having an event or would like to make an 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 and/or photos.

Opening Party for the Exhibition "WOMEN'S VIEW"

You are invited to celebrate the opening of an exhibition, at EXHIBIT F Gallery, of art from the collection of Zoey Rhodan

Friday, the 6th of September 1PM
featuring DJ Khaos Republic from 1-3 PM

Here's your taxi

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Weekly Wishy-Washy Event

Please come to my Wishy-Washy Event in my coffeehouse! You can bath and enjoy cold and hot beverages, served directly to you in the bath or on table. And there's a stamp for your passport too.

Time: Every Wednesday, starting 10:30 - 12:30 SLT to open-end
Follow the landmark

Scout Keysin

NEW LOCATIONS

Exhibit F is an established art gallery location on the continent of Satori, which issues its own permanent stamp. From 6-30 September it will be hosting an exhibition called Women's Views, which features a collection of artworks owned by Zoey Rhodan, highlighting the depth of women's art. The event stamp will be available from the opening date.

The Bellisseria Commissary is back as a place to refresh your tranquility from the chiffonier! (we don't get that either, but it sounds great). It's in a new location in Queen's Gambit in the Newbrooke regions. Yes, of course there's chess. Backgammon, too. And pie! Then there's the Mushroom Room and the Breakup Room where Marge is at your artificially intelligent service (though she'd lost her voice when we visited to take the photo). Don't forget to collect the wonderfully retro stamp.

Still at the same location, there's a special stamp you can award yourself (on the honesty principle) for completing the quest to find the Letter of Transit When you find the LoT scroll you add it to yourself from inventory and hunt for a Diplomatic Pouch - there are several hidden there with gifts.

Finally, there's another event stamp to collect. Keysin's Bar & Coffeehouse is an establishment that first opened its doors in January 2022 on the Heterocera Atoll. It's organising a party at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds on the 5th and 6th of September. Come hang out, meet new people and play a card game. As always the event stamp may not be available until the event begins.

Women's Views ST
Bellisseria Commissary BE
Letter of Transit at Queens Gambit BE
Keysin's Bar and Coffeehouse Bellisseria Party BE Event 5/6 September, 2024

Please feel free to leave comments. We welcome feedback! The comment form asks for an email address but that's entirely optional. Just leave it blank if you prefer.

Posted by Dave at 08:02 AM in Art, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (4)

The SLearning Curve | The Enchanting World of Amandat Tamatzui | Events & Announcements

08/17/2024

THE SLEARNING CURVE

Talk to any long-term SL'er and they'll have a tale of the elder who helped them when they were a newbie. Many of us wouldn't have made it in the long run, if not for that early help. Your editor is still friends with his first SL neighbour who explained the basics to him. He found out later that she was only days ahead at the time, but oh how those days counted!

If you join a big online game, there's a built-in common purpose. The goals may not be easy to achieve, but they're easy to understand. The great SL question is "what is it for?" and SL's great strength (which presents initially as a problem) is that the answer varies according to the user.

For some it's a place to dance, shop and socialise. Others enjoy solitary exploration, with perhaps some photography to record their journeys. Some use SL as a simulator for sailing or motorcycling. Some live to create. Some live to enjoy others' creativity. Others just want to mess about and have fun. Some need to own or rent SL land to express themselves in 3D or just feel at home. Others are virtual Jack Reachers; wandering SL rootlessly having adventures along the way.

The Lab is aware of the issue with onboarding and has worked hard recently to reduce the reputedly high turnover of newbies. Second Life® University is a Linden Lab initiative, as is the Second Life® Community Exhibition. The former helps people figure out how to do Second Life®. The latter helps them work out why to do it. Many newbies fail to see the point on their first visit and just don't return. The ones who stick around are usually those who find their people. After a while we don't log on to marvel at the tech but to hang out with our friends.

There are two mentor teams in-world to help out residents - especially newbies. Our own Liberty Fairelander is on both teams. She told The Gazette;

Linden Lab has really invested in producing a great team of Second Life and Bellisseria mentors. There's a nine region welcome hub where Second Life® mentors can teach new residents how to unpack purchases, rez things, etc. We teach people everything from how to walk in SL to how to dress their avatars, customise them, shop in stores and on the Marketplace, sort and organise inventory and use the search functions to find things that interest them.

There is literally nothing that mentors don't teach - including how to operate personal intimate hardware! It's all handled very professionally. Because there's such a huge learning curve to SL, mentors are key to new resident retention.

There's also a Bellisseria Welcome Hub with two complete regions of Linden display homes, where mentors can help users out. The Bellihub sandbox has rezzers for every type of Linden Home so that content creators can build additions without owning each type of home, or residents can try out furnishings before choosing their type of home. That sandbox has the very nice feature that the rezzers magically assign themselves to the user until s/he leaves so that no one can derez the home they have selected while they are working on it! Linden Lab is also now investing in AI to use at the Welcome Hubs to assist new residents and mentors alike.

If you would like to get involved in mentoring here's a link to the application form. The various Welcome Hub locations are:

BelliHub: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/BelliHub/121/130/21
Bellisseria Sandbox: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sandbox%20Bellisseria/125/125/22
Welcome Hub: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/WelcomeHub/121/80/25
Welcome Hub Sandbox: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/WelcomeHubSandbox/127/98/1234

You don't have to be a mentor to help though. Your editor has a habit of scanning profiles of strangers at events and sending a "Welcome to SL. How is it going for you so far?" IM to anyone with a recent Rez Date. Often this gets ignored or brushed off with a perfunctory reply – and that's fine. He's just trying to let newbies know they're welcome and to "pay forward" the help he got in his noob days.

If the conversation takes off, he may offer a tour; perhaps of his art gallery, his Tardis or the BBB's headquarters. The point is not to sell his own SL, but to give them ideas of how they might find their own interests, hobbies or communities. The newbie may not be a Doctor Who fan like him, but while showing them around his time ship, he'll mention other SL communities or send them over to the SLCE.

Anyone who tries to be a mentor knows that learning is a two way street. Newbies are not babes in arms. They're adult humans with RL skills and experiences. It often becomes clear during these chats that the newbie will go further in SL than your editor ever has! Much depends, of course, on the expectations they bring. SL still has quite a seedy reputation. If your Editor can point out the various fandoms here, or the rich artistic, musical and cultural life, he feels he's done his bit – even if they do still head straight off in search of the adult experiences they've heard about.

After all, It takes all sorts could easily be SL's slogan!

Your editor recently ended up having to apologise for sending a young newbie on a wild goose chase when it turned out the dispensers for generic Citizen of SL passports are no longer at the Bellisserian Embassies – as explained in the FAQs in the sidebar to The Gazette. There's now a single dispenser at BBB HQ. Once again, he learned something by trying to be a teacher. The FAQ has now been duly updated, thanks to helpful (if somewhat exasperated) feedback from a week-old avi! She may also have identified a tech problem with those passports, which we're currently working on fixing.

So please spare a thought for newbies when you meet them. It's easy to forget how bewildering our first days and weeks in SL can be. An encouraging word might be the difference between their turning their backs on our virtual world or becoming an integral part of it.

Who knows? You may make a new friend.

Article by Gazette staff with help from Liberty Fairelander

THE ENCHANTING WORLD OF AMANDAT TAMATZUI: A GLIMPSE INTO A VERSATILE ARTIST’S SOUL

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Artsville Galleries, where AmandaT Tamatzui, a remarkable artist known for her eclectic and deeply personal art, has her featured gallery. Artsville itself is a serene haven for creativity, where qualified artists are generously provided space to showcase their work. As I stepped into Amanda's gallery, I was immediately struck by its elegance—every detail, from the carefully chosen lighting to the tasteful arrangement of her pieces, exuded an aura of sophistication and warmth.

Amanda is also a real-life artist with a heart as big as her talent. Her real-life contributions are inspiring; she has donated her art to raise money to help stop child sex trafficking, a cause that speaks volumes about her compassionate nature. This generosity and her passion for making a difference are reflected in the energy and depth of the art that fills her gallery.

Amanda's Gallery at Artsville

click to enlarge and scroll

As I wandered through, I was amazed by the variety of styles and mediums on display. Amanda's art is truly eclectic, a reflection of her constant search for new inspiration and her love for exploring different forms of artistic expression. From vibrant abstract pieces to thought-provoking portraits and serene landscapes, her work embodies a unique blend of emotions and stories.

One piece that particularly caught my eye was Dance, Sistas, Dance. Amanda shared the story behind this painting, explaining how it was born from the idea that even in our lowest moments, movement—especially dance—can uplift our spirits. The piece exudes a powerful energy, encouraging women to embrace their emotions and find strength through movement and expression. It’s a reminder that we mustn’t let life’s challenges hold us back but instead, use them as a catalyst for growth and joy.

The gallery was filled with such moments of connection—each piece seemed to tell its own story, inviting the viewer to step into Amanda's world, to feel what she felt when she created it. Her work is not only a feast for the eyes but also a source of inspiration, as it encourages us to see the world through her lens, a world where kindness, resilience, and creativity reign supreme.

Amanda herself is a delight to know. She treats everyone she meets with kindness and respect, and her positive energy is infectious. Whether she's helping someone or sharing the stories behind her art, Amanda is always the life of the party, and always ready with an infectious laugh. Her sweetness and unassuming nature make her a beloved figure in the Artsville community and beyond. She is also a valued colleague at the BBB, where (among other things) she designs passport stamps.

As I left the gallery, I couldn’t help but feel inspired, not just by the beautiful art I had seen but by the artist herself. AmandaT Tamatzui is a true testament to the power of art to heal, inspire, and bring people together. Her gallery at Artsville is a must-visit for anyone looking to experience the beauty of creativity and the warmth of a truly good-hearted person.

If you haven’t yet visited Amanda’s gallery at Artsville, I highly recommend it. You’ll not only find stunning art but also feel the essence of a woman who lives and breathes creativity, compassion, and joy.

Article and photographs by Liberty Fairelander

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weekly Wishy-Washy Event

Please come to my Wishy-Washy Event in my coffeehouse! You can bath and enjoy cold and hot beverages, served directly to you in the bath or on table. And there's a stamp for your passport too.

Time: Every Wednesday, starting 10:30 - 12:30 SLT to open-end
Follow the landmark

Scout Keysin

Please feel free to leave comments. We welcome feedback! The comment form asks for an email address but that's entirely optional. Just leave it blank if you prefer.

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (1)

More SL music from Robert | Events & Announcements | New Locations

07/06/2024

MORE SL MUSIC FROM ROBERT

In between making stamps, organising our web-based services and creating amazing interactive maps of SL, our very own Robert Rhodan has created these rock n roll anthems for the Confederation of Democratic Simulators using Suno and ChatGPT. He commented;

It was an exciting check on what could be achieved with AI and a little twisting by a human, and it got me surprised - as a German saying goes: "es fetzt".

This is one of three songs and they all are licence-free and available as MP3s at Robert's YouTube page, where you can also enable a transcript so you can sing along. Rock on, Robert!

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Stilt Decks article at Parade of Homes Review

There's a new article over at our sister publication, Parade of Homes Review. Teresa Firelight has written an interesting piece about the various "wrap-around deck" add-ons available for the ever-popular stilt homes.

The link is here.

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Join the BBB in celebrating SL21B

Your friends at the BBB invite you to enjoy the wonderful singing of Shantu Selene. If you heard him at our B5B celebration, you'll know you don't want to miss this event! Since the venue is our BBB Waterworks, the dress theme is anything to do with water. Maybe you want to come as a plumber, a swimmer, a lifeguard, a sailor or a mermaid? We're sure you have more ideas on your list!

Please keep it PG as we are in a General area. See you there and don't forget to get your passport stamped!

Here's your taxi.

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Emotions at the Black Tulip Gallery
Here's your taxi.

NEW LOCATIONS

Firstly, not a new location but thanks to a redesign at the owners' request, there's a new stamp to be had at an old location at Saint Aubrey Sud on Corsica. The International Spaceflight Museum however, is a new location for us – and a very impressive one too.

The BBB is partying at SL21B to the music of Shantu Selene. There will be not one, but two, special event stamps to commemorate the occasion.

The quest for personal stamps from Lindens, Moles, ambassadors and bureaucrats at SL21B continues. There have been changes to the master list, so be sure to check here to see what's now available.

Saint Aubrey Sud CA (stamp redesign at old location)
IMS International Spaceflight Museum PE
Shantu Sings @ BBB Waterworks SL21B Event 10th July
Shantu Sings @ BBB Waterworks SL21B (2nd stamp) Event 10th July

Please feel free to leave comments. We welcome feedback! The comment form asks for an email address but that's entirely optional. Just leave it blank if you prefer.

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Music, Second Life, SL21B | Permalink | Comments (0)

Belli Heli @ B5B | The Expanded Fairgrounds | Having more Stuff | Events & Announcements | New Locations

04/06/2024

BELLI HELI @ B5B

Would you like to have fun and collect five new/exclusive passport stamps at the same time? In that case, Belli Heli has the perfect trip for you!!! Belli Heli is celebrating Bellisseria’s Fifth Anniversary with a Helicopter Ride to collect Anniversary Passport Stamps. The tour will be offered twice: Sat April 6 (at 10 AM SLT) and Sunday April 14 (at 1 PM SLT).

BelliHeli Stamp Tour Ad Poster Full Perm

The first tour will leave today (April 6) at 10 AM SLT. Meet at the HeliPad and please try to be a few minutes early if possible.

Please be sure to click the sign next to the helipad before you board the helicopter. There is a slight chance that SL could bounce you from the helicopter at one of the region crossings. If this happens, the notecard gives you a LM to each destination, so you can TP there to rejoin the tour and collect the next stamp.

About the Tour:

The tour will visit five Bellisseria locations. Three of them have regular BBB Passport stamps, plus all five of them have a unique limited-edition Fifth Anniversary Belli Heli Tour stamp. The helicopters will fly low enough to see scenery over multiple themes. You may want to have your cameras ready, as some of the scenery will be particularly picture-worthy.

The tour should take somewhere between 75 and 90 minutes, depending on how prompt your tour mates are at getting their stamp and getting back on the helicopter.

About the Stamps:

There are total of eight stamps on this tour, but three of them are not new (and you could possibly already have them). Five of the stamps are brand new, and exclusive to the Bellisseria Fifth Anniversary celebration. These stamps will ONLY be available during the month of April 2024.

Self-Guided Tours:

Hopefully you can make one of the two tours, because the helicopter rides are a LOT of fun. But if your RL schedule prevents that, you can still collect all 5 exclusive stamps by going to the Helipad and clicking the sign for the tour information notecard. That notcard will give you the location where each helicopter lands so you can find/collect each stamp. The stamps will only be out through the end of April, so be sure to collect them before it is too late.

Tour organisation, article and photograph by Teresa Firelight.

THE EXPANDED FAIRGROUNDS

We think that the temporary expansion of the Bellisseria Fairgrounds is a first for Second Life®. Normally, they're two regions. At the moment, they're four. Here's what they look like from the air - and on the world map.

HAVING MORE STUFF

Am I the only person surprised that Linden Lab has not made more fuss about a significant recent upgrade? As announced on the SL community forums, as of 2nd April, the Lab has lowered mesh "Download Weight" by 15% for all of Second Life®! Since much of our content is made of mesh these days, anyone who owns or rents land will now have more Land Impact (LI) available.

Check out the land menu at your home and you may well find you have more space for furniture or landscaping than before. At your Editor's Bellisseria houseboat, it's enough for him to have a bigger boat rezzed out at his dock (or a second small one). At his homestead region art gallery, he has more than 300 extra prims available for new exhibits! Not many companies would make such a big improvement so quietly. The Lab said in the forums;

We’d like to take this opportunity to remind residents that this allowance is being given for no charge and is intended to help offset any additional Land Impact spent on manually rezzed reflection probes and lights, and of course in anticipation of the upcoming Mirrors release.

How can you check if your objects have been affected by the change? Right-click on the object you want to inspect, then click Edit, then click the More info link to see the current Download Weight.

Article by Gazette Staff

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Record High for Stamps Collected / 1000th v3.00 passport issued!

We at the BBB are so happy that you enjoy what we do. We're not a real bureaucracy and have no power or even influence in our virtual world. We're all volunteers, putting in time to entertain you. Our passports, drivers licences, vehicle registration plates etc. are entirely for your amusement.

On the 2nd April we passed the 60,000 mark for stamps collected on V3.00 passports. We'll never know the true total because for years we ran with a passport HUD that only recorded the stamps locally. This remarkable milestone was passed in an enormous rush, with 1,675 stamps being collected in one week, bringing us to a total of 61,659!

To top all this, we've just issued V3.00 passport #1000. The resident carrying this milestone document is Melany Morningstar Danelle. Congratulations Melany!

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The BBB at B5B

The Bellisseria Bureau of Bureaucracy (BBB), Parade of Homes and The Gazette are all represented at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds for B5B. Stop by, say hi and pick up the personal stamps of our staff! Watch out for others carrying SSiD tablets at the fairgrounds to collect their stamps too. Your editor is busy in RL at the moment, but will leave his avi in-world at the B5B Gazette office as much as he can so you can get his stamp.

Here's your taxi.

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BBB Event @B5B

The party has hardly started yet! As we move into the second week of celebrations for Bellisseria's 5th Birthday, the BBB is happy to present two more great events at the B5B Bellisseria Fairgrounds. First DJ Jisoo will play Kpop for us. Secondly Belli's beloved Hamsters (so cute that the continent's official measure of cuteness is a scale of 1-100hm (hammiemetres) will be DJ'ing for us, followed by even more musical wonderment from DJ Dulcinea.

Come along and dance with us! We're more fun than real bureaucrats, honest!!

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More personal stamps available at B5B

Some new personal stamps are available from SSiD (Single Stamp issuing Device) Tablets carried by Moles, Lindens, Bellisserian ambassadors and bureaucrats at B5B. They'll only be available this month so get collecting. The checklist of such stamps is here and will be updated if more are issued. If you don't know what SSiD Tablets look like, here's your editor and stamp designer Amanda in The Gazette office at B5B carrying theirs.

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How to check which B5B SSiD stamps you still haven't collected

Robert Rhodan of the BBB has made a special HUD for B5B that will show you, via a secure webpage available only to you, which personal B5B stamps you haven't collected yet.

Here's how to get and use it.

Tool and video by Robert Rhodan

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CDS Galleries Egg Hunt

The starting point for the hunt is the CDS Museum of Contemporary Art. Just touch the poster to the right of the reception desk there to get a notecard containing all the landmarks. At the same location, you'll find an event stamp for your Bellisseria, CDS, Tambalya, Mainland or SL Global Passports.

Enjoy the hunt!

NEW LOCATIONS

Gianfar Peaks of Pern (a role play sim based on the Dragonriders of Pern series of books by Anne McCaffrey) are having their Spring Gather (party) tomorrow (7th April). All are welcome to join in. There will be dragons.

The nice folks at Bellisseria Bike, Drive & Scoot! – a fun group - have come up with an interesting idea. As well as issuing a B5B event stamp (in preparation and to be released next week) they're also offering a second chance to collect their old event stamps you may have missed. They're calling them "Memorabilia Stamps". You don't often get chance to collect stamps from before you even got your passport! Thanks to Robert Rhodan for making the multi-stamp texture below, showing the five that are available. Click on it to enlarge so you can see what's available.

Teresa Firelight has organised a super "Belli Heli" tour during B5B. To collect the five new event stamps on the route you'll need to take part in the helicopter tour or (if the times don't suit you) do the self-guided version using the notecard available at the start point – the helipad at the B5B Fairgrounds. All the new stamps available are shown below, but the only location shown is the helipad. There are three other existing stamps to collect on the route, but you may of course already have those. These helicopter tours are great fun and very professionally organised. Take one if you can.

Next there's a new event stamp for the ongoing Galleries Egg Hunt Event in the CDS. Tour the CDS art galleries and collect eggs containing gifts at each location – as well as a stamp at the start. Also in the CDS, there will be a viewing of the Eclipse at the Monastery on April 8th. The event stamp for this may not be in place until the day but will remain available until 20th April.

Gianfar Spring Gather (Anne's Gather) PE Event - 7th April
Bellisseria Bike, Drive & Scoot Memorabilia BE Event - B5B to 30th April
Heli Belli Tour Stamps BE Tours during B5B (see article above for details)
CDS Galleries Egg Hunt CDS
Eclipse at CDS CDS

Please feel free to leave comments. We welcome feedback! The comment form asks for an email address but that's entirely optional. Just leave it blank if you prefer.

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (0)

Out & About: The Art Korner HUD | Embassy Opening Report | Events & Announcements | New Locations

09/23/2023

OUT & ABOUT: THE ART KORNER HUD

Interview with Frank Atisso

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

******

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.

Rust – Lofi Road Cafe HE
Mieville Historical Hunts PE
ATG Gallery Planet Tambalya PE Event lasts until Dec 24
Neverland PE Event lasts until Dec 31

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (4)

How to be a Good Belli Neighbour | Events & Announcements | New Locations

09/09/2023

HOW TO BE A GOOD BELLI NEIGHBOUR

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

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.

Realms of Xaandaria BE

Event from 11th - 26th Sep 2023

Mieville 13th Annual Renaissance Hunt PE

Event from 1st to 24th September 2023

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Music, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (3)

Planet Tambalya | Events & Announcements | New Locations

09/02/2023

PLANET TAMBALYA

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

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).

Brevin Cat Island PE
Magical Frog Reading Bog CA
Planet Tambalya PE Sep 3rd to Dec 24th, 2023
Planet Tambalya Grand Opening PE September 3rd and 4th 2023

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (5)

Limoncello News | Meet the Ambassadors | Events & Announcements | New Locations

12/10/2022

LIMONCELLO NEWS

Long-time readers will remember that The Gazette began as a supplement to Limoncello News, the (then) weekly magazine of the Limoncello Art Gallery. The gallery's home base is in Bellisseria – above gallery-owner (and your editor) Dave's houseboat – but it has existed since 2007.

It began on one deck of an airship moored above the region of Nanga in Satori. It was a personal collection open to the public and, in particular, the tenants of the apartment rentals on the ground below, the cabin rentals in the airship itself and the space station above it. Eventually the rental business died, but the gallery, by then numbering hundreds of artworks, lived on.

Despite his sentimental connection to Nanga, Dave has taken the plunge and accepted two of Linden Lab's current offers. They're waiving setup fees for private regions this month and they're offering Premium Plus residents the opportunity to buy a Homestead Region, without first buying a full one. So Dave has bought his own private island – named Nyunanga – and will move his gallery there.

The Satori Post Office will remain at Nanga as Dave is keeping the small plot on which it stands. The recent stamp for his space station will move – with the station itself – to a geostationary orbit over Nyunanga. There will, however, be new stamps for the LG Tower and the Airship Limoncello gallery as both designs feature the Nanga name.

The new stamps will feature in our New Locations section when the move is complete and Nyunanga is open to the public. You might also like to keep an eye on our Events & Announcements section for news of the region-warming party!

Dave is a huge fan of SL Mainland and loves its quirky, anarchic feel. However he's also loving an environment free from sky-clutter! No domes, no sight screens and a bit less lag. If you're a Premium Plus member in particular the current deals are sweet. We recommend you go grab an island of your very own and – of course – place one of our passport terminals there!

MEET THE AMBASSADORS SERIES: AN INTRODUCTION

You probably know that SL has multiple continents, but did you know that most of them have Honorary Ambassadors? They are not Linden Lab employees and nor are they chosen by LL. But they are encouraged as a resident-sponsored community-building activity. The Lab supports the project by providing a small parcel of land for each Embassy and Abnor Mole has regularly participated in grand opening ceremonies; handing the keys of the Embassy to the new Honorary Ambassador.

So what does an Ambassador do once they have been given the keys to their Embassy? That is what this series will explore.

Let me start by giving you a bit of general information about the role of Honorary Ambassador. The Bellisseria Bureau of Bureaucracy (BBB) is responsible for overseeing the seven Embassies, which represent Bellisseria to each of the continents. Ambassadors work with the BBB but are not BBB Staff. The one exception is Fiona Jogiches, who was already on the BBB staff before she became an ambassador.

The Honorary Ambassadors are unpaid volunteers, looking to make SL better for its residents, just like the BBB Staff.

The actual number of mainland continents is open to debate. The Second Life Wiki lists fourteen of them (four of which are old-style Linden Home continents in the slow process of being replaced by Bellisseria; a continent that is still not listed there!) So, for the purposes of this article, I am assuming ten mainland continents, plus Bellisseria.

At present Bellisseria has seven Ambassadors serving eight continents, as Gaeta 1 and Gaeta 5 share the same embassy.

The Ambassadors' jobs are bi-directional. They represent Bellisseria to their continent and their continent to Bellisseria. The way they do it depends on each ambassador's personal style and interests. Some may choose to have party events where music and socializing are the theme. Others may organize outings and tours. Still others may do art or educational activities, etc.

The goal of this series is to interview each of the seven ambassadors and learn about them, their embassies and the continents they represent. We will meet one ambassador a week for the next seven weeks.

Article & Photo by Teresa Firelight

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

... Jolie Jinglepaw's A Room with a View
est. 11/2022 A Christmas feeling

... Stella Carver's Stella's Place
est. 10/2022 My Continental: A little mid-century, a little traditional, all decked out for a cozy christmas.

... Nova Morgan's Linden Home (Fairy Fantasy)
est. 12/2021 Now decorated for christmas.

... Spediye Chrome's JoyFull
est. 12/2022 A Joyful holiday scene for you to enjoy.

... Gemma Cleanslate's Peace Houseboat
est. 12/2022 Now setup for Xmas. My home has been decorated with treasures from over the years of collecting (mostly freebies ).

lll

ASTRONAUTS & ALIENS PARTY

The costume party aboard the Limoncello Space Station on 11th December at noon SLT is now (see article above) also a "farewell to Nanga" party for Dave. We hope you'll join him and Amanda to celebrate before the new station fires its manoeuvring thrusters to relocate. If you don't have them already, you might like to collect the two stamps from his art galleries below before they're replaced with new ones.

Don't forget there's no life support on the dance floor, so if you need to breathe – come equipped!

NEW LOCATIONS

An historic (by SL standards) destination for romance is now issuing passport stamps to its visitors. Hypnotic Romance was established in 2012 and has seen its share of dancing and smooching since then. Collecting a passport stamp on a date may seem odd but – hey – looking for the terminal will fill those awkward moments before the ice is broken, right? There are also beautiful natural surroundings to talk about. Our staff photographer said she struggled to do justice to the beauty of this location.

There's an event stamp too this week; for Amanda & Dave's Astronauts & Aliens costume party (see Events & Announcements above). The event only lasts for an hour or so, but if you miss it the stamp terminal will be in place until the 18th December.

Hypnotic Romance PE

Astronauts & Aliens Party, ST

Event 11-18 Dec

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Limoncello Gallery, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (2)

Amanda at the SLEA | NatureCon 2022 Video Tours | Bearpaw Tour of Mount Campion | A New Gadget for You | New Locations

09/10/2022

AMANDA AT THE SLEA

Our bureaucratic colleague AmandaT Tamatzui is an artist in RL as well as SL. She deploys her artistic talents for us in designing passport stamps but that's merely a sideline!

She has won a Second Life Endowment for the Arts (SLEA) grant to realise in SL a dream she has long held in RL of turning her paintings into a 3D world in which people can move about. Phase One of ATG World opens today (September 10th) with a party at 1pm to 3pm SLT. DJ Jewell (Fallen Aurora) will provide the music.

As Amanda's opening party invitation says;

Each area will reflect back to the paintings. Visit Indonesia in SL, and drive around mountains textured with paintings from some of her Abstract series. There are bicycle and car rezzers for your enjoyment as you whiz around. Take photos of your visit and share them with Amanda on Flickr or Facebook!

Essentially you can make your own photographic works from within Amanda's art and share it with the world. Or you can just enjoy wandering in her colourful wonderland and finding the hidden spots she's made for you to enjoy. The event runs from today (September 10th) until December 31st.

Of course, as you would expect, there is a special event stamp to be collected for your BBB/CPCB passport too. The stamp has been designed by Amanda herself and will be available until the event closes.

We wish Amanda every success in this artistic venture and hope you will visit and enjoy her exuberant art.

NATURECON 2022 VIDEO TOURS

NatureCon was a great success and the BBB was proud to be a small part of it – and to welcome 700-750 visitors to our build. Mr Beeb's beetles are now all safely back at his home.

Our old friend Cranston Yordstorm, who modestly describes himself as "part of the build team" at NatureCon has made two videos touring the site, so that you can have a reminder of how wonderful it all was.

Cranston's builds were in fact a big part of the event and we spent a lot of time in that physical manifestation of his whimsical imagination while the event was live. Thanks Cranston. You are an SL philanthropist and we enjoy all your contributions to making our virtual world more fun.

BEARPAW TOUR OF MOUNT CAMPION NATIONAL FOREST

Today (September 10th) at 9am SLT there will be a guided tour of Mount Campion National Forest with Ranger Teresa Firelight. The tour will begin here and is expected to last for somewhere between 75-90 minutes. Please arrive ten to fifteen minutes early if possible.

The tour will visit several parts of Mount Campion National Forest as it traces the migration of the Bearpaw tribe from the flatlands to the higher elevations. It will tell the story of how and why this tribe migrated and it will take you to a number of breathtakingly beautiful locations in the park. If you are a BBB or Continental Passport holder, there are two passport dispensers along the route where you can collect passport stamps.

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.

A NEW GADGET FOR YOU

Our clever Head Scripter North Crannock has come up with a new gizmo, which will be of particular interest to Premium Plus residents of Bellisseria. One of the Premium Plus benefits is the ability to request a particular vacant Linden Home, thus circumventing that old (and not particularly noble) Bellisserian tradition of Game of Homes. In the happy community of Bellisseria, Game of Homes sadly brings out the dark side; making every new homes release a metaphorical Red Wedding.

Premium Plus residents however don't need to conspire with like-minded friends and deploy legions of alts to bag the best locations when new homes become available. They can request the Linden Home they want by submitting a support ticket here, choosing the issue type Land & Region and the sub-type Linden Homes. It's a nice perk to be able to find your ideal home, in the ideal spot, or perhaps simply close to friends.

How to find those vacant homes though? The new BBB HomeFinder HUD will do that for you. Wear it, stand somewhere you'd like to live in Bellisseria, and click. It will tell you where there's a vacant home and send you a taxi to take you there! Keep it on and move into another region and it will automatically search there too. Just look in 'nearby chat' and click the location co-ordinates to TP to the location.

Your editorial team is to scripting as Shaq O'Neal is to ballet, so it's all witchcraft to us. It's clever stuff though, whatever dark arts may have been deployed. Congratulations, North, on another good idea well scripted and thanks also to Sun and Boo for the design of the HUD and the instruction notecard respectively.

It's available now at BBB HQ as a Group Gift for BBBug members. Enjoy!

NEW STAMP LOCATIONS

You can read all about the event behind our new location stamp this week above in our Amanda at the SLEA article. Enjoy!

ATG World at the SLEA (Sep to Dec 2022)

Posted by Dave at 08:01 AM in Art, Second Life | Permalink | Comments (2)

BBB2B at the Belli Fairgrounds | Sansara Embassy opens | Satori Embassy will open next week | New Locations

01/22/2022

BBB2B – THE SECOND BIRTHDAY OF THE BELLISSERIAN BUREAU OF BUREAUCRACY CELEBRATED AT THE BELLI FAIRGROUNDS!

The BBB2B celebrations begin tomorrow. Work is underway at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds to put in place horse rezzers, bike rezzers and a narrow gauge railway to transport our guests around the events and attractions. There will be a BBB information centre, a special Embassy, a working BBB post office with BBB2B postcards to collect and send, an outdoor art gallery and other delights.

Here is the full final programme for the event, which continues through January 31st.

As you can see, the programme begins with a boat rally led by H.E. Yukiko Yeshto, Hon. Ambassador to Sansara. The starting point will be at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds at 10am SLT tomorrow Sunday January 23rd. Yuki will hand out the navigation HUDs there. They will take you to Springhurst Gulf, where you can Rez your boats and from where the fleet will set sail.

In an exciting innovation for such a boat rally, the Moles have kindly agreed to place temporary stamp terminals in special buoys along the route. You will be able to pick up unique stamps for your passport as you sail by! These buoys will self-delete at the end of BBB2B so don't miss your chance to collect these rarities!

Click to enlarge

Don't worry if you can't make the rally itself. We know that time differences get in the way sometimes. You can pick up a navigation HUD at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds from the Information Centre or the temporary Embassy. You can then sail the route at any time before the buoys self-delete on January 31st when BBB2B ends.

The stamp locations will not appear in the Online Travel Guide, so sailing the route is the only way to obtain them.

Here are a couple of examples of the special stamps by way of a taster.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

During the tour you will learn some interesting facts about the history and background of the places en route as you sail towards the opening party at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds.

Your editor is particularly looking forward to hearing an explanation of the fascinating phenomenon of the Bellisserian drift ice! However many times he sails by, he is always surprised to see it in what seem to be mild weather latitudes.

Another special attraction at BBB2B is an exhibition called The Art of Travel, which features works by well-known SL artists Michiel Bechir, Sisi Biedermann, Melu, Bif Mopp & Amanda Tomasoa (aka AmandaT Tamatzui in SL). The exhibition is curated by AmandaT and your friendly Gazette Editor Dave. It is set in a snowscape so wrap up warm! If you are an SL Time Lord, you'll find that the art of time travel is also possible. Set your Tardis's navigation coordinates to "BBB2B Art Exhibit" to land at the exhibition.

In addition to the scheduled programme there will be "fringe" events popping up from time to time. For example our own dear Teresa Firelight will organise two Send Your Friends a Postcard workshops at the deck next to the BBB2B post office. They will be on Thursday from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM SLT and on Friday from 11 AM - 12 Noon SLT. If you're not yet familiar with the BBB Postal Service, this will be a great opportunity to get to know how it works.

We are excited about all of the events at BBB2B. It's an ambitious programme and we hope to see as many of you there as possible. We plan to party hard to celebrate two years in which we have issued hundreds of passports, licences and registrations and issued visa stamps for 300 SL locations in Bellisseria and beyond. The 300th stamp, in fact, is the one you can collect at BBB2B itself! To be honest, that took some bureaucratic planning to achieve, but it's an index of our success that we originally intended to issue the 200th stamp at the event!

You can also collect stamps from personal passport controls by BBB Bureaucrats and Bellisseria Diplomats at the event. Watch out for us carrying our SSiDs – Single Stamp Issuing Devices – in the form of tablet computers. Click on them while wearing your Passport HUD and we will apply a personal stamp with our own logo and signature. These are ONLY available at BBB2B so be sure to collect them all.

There are nineteen personal stamps to collect from: Boo, Beeb, Dave, Fi, Ghost, Midnight, North, Pru, Sun, Zoe, Yukiko, Freddie, Charley, Sylvalin, Bijoux, Coal, Jack, Teresa and AmandaT. If you're shy, you can click and run, but we hope to get to chat to as many of you as possible. It's nice to get to know the citizens we serve for their fun - and ours!

By the way, if you don't have a Bellisseria Passport, you don't need to miss out on the fun of collecting the special stamps available at BBB2B. A special HUD will be available for you to use.

If you are a Bellisseria resident (or the officially-registered partner of a resident) you can later trade the special HUD in for the real thing. Our staff will transfer the stamps on it to your shiny new passport when your application has been approved!

You can pick up the special HUD from the info centre and embassy notice boards at the Fairgrounds.

SANSARA EMBASSY OPENS

Opening Ceremony

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Bellisseria is finally represented on the old continent, Sansara, where Second Life® began. On Wednesday 19th January at 12 noon SLT Abnor Mole presented the keys of the embassy to Her Excellency Yukiko Yeshto, saying;

Welcome to Sansara.... the cradle of our virtual civilisation. Nearly two decades have passed since shock waves from Da Boom echoed across the grid and we have spent much of that time watching and riding the tsunami it initiated. We've watched the grid grow and evolve and we have grown and evolved with it. Many things have changed since those early days. That's what happens as things evolve. But as much as they change they also stay the same. The lessons of that evolution seem to prove something very important. "Build it and they will come?" Yes... but how will they get there and why will they stay?

We built roads and bridges to connect a continent. We built Bellisseria to connect those continents. And now we build these embassies to connect the communities on those continents. For the truth of the matter is (whether you like it or not) we are all ONE community.... one big, scary, sometimes dysfunctional community. Exploration leads to connections. Connections lead to friendships. Friendships lead to community. No one knows more about the importance of exploring than Yukiko. We wish her the best of luck on her new expedition into the stormy seas and uncharted waters of intercontinental diplomacy.

She is going to need it... for here there be dragons. (no, really... actual dragons). And with that I declare this Embassy open.

Accepting the key from Abnor, the new Honorary Ambassador responded with a speech in which she announced that one of her main focuses will be organising tours to encourage community connections and build friendships.

I am happy to announce that such tour events are not only already planned but actually scheduled. In the context of the grand BBB anniversary festivities, we will host a boat rally tour this Sunday, January 23. Today's Embassy Opening has a special twist. Instead of a ballroom dance, I decided that I wanted to give you a little idea what awaits you in regard of hosted tours. I invite you to follow me over to the entrance to hop on the bus that will bring us to the Snowlands of Sansara. We will also be able to collect some of the recently released stamps. I hope, you didn't forget to bring your passports! -- And as soon as I turn the bus keys, this marks my official declaration that the embassy is opened!

After inviting her guests to add the new Sansara entry visa stamp to their passports, she led them to the bus park outside. Acting as both driver and guide and with two other buses in convoy, she took her passengers to Cape Blanco Truck Stop & Café, the Bridge of Light, Chalet Linden and the Kanin Chairlift – pausing at each for them to stamp their passports! It was a fun, funny and delightfully sociable experience.

Good friend of the BBB – all-round good egg Becca Ordinary – wrote about the trip at her BBB-licensed publication, The SLuggle. Gemma Cleanslate of long-running virtual newspaper the SL Newser published a more comprehensive account, which really gives a good "feel" for what fun it all was!

Sansara Bus Tour

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The tour was a good taste of the many delights the Old Continent has to offer and we look forward to many more in future.

SATORI EMBASSY WILL OPEN DURING BBB2B

Bellissaria's final embassy to Mainland SL will open as part of the Ambassadors Day programme during BBB2B. The formal event will be at 12 noon SLT on Wednesday, January 26th day . Watch out for the official invitation in BBBug, Bellisseria Citizens and our other usual group channels. Alternatively you can pick one up at the temporary embassy building at BBB2B itself.

The key ceremony will be preceded at 11am SLT by a Meet & Greet at the Satori Embassy with H.E. Bijoux Barr. H.E. Yuki will be organising a Bus Tour to arrive at that time. After the Embassy Opening at 12 noon SLT, there will be a short tour around the embassy and then guests will be directed to a teleporter to the Dance Garden at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds for an After-Party featuring a special performance by famed SL composer and musician Bsukmet. If you don't know his music already, you are in for a treat! Your editor is both his friend and his fan.

Her Excellency Bijoux looks forward to welcoming you to her embassy, which completes our diplomatic representation to the rest of SL. Our still-new continent now connects the mainland continents geographically and we at the BBB hope our corps diplomatique can help bring SL together in other ways too.

WELCOME NEW BUREAUCRAT AMANDAT TAMATZUI

The newest member of our staff is artist AmandaT Tamatzui, who will be assisting Sun in the design of future passport stamps and other art/design endeavours. We welcome her to our shiny-trousered, paper-pushing band of virtual apparatchiks! Please make a point of saying "hi" to her if you see her around BBB2B.

NEW STAMP LOCATIONS

There are many new stamps to collect as from tomorrow, but they're not all at locations. They are mobile stamps issued by Bellisseria's diplomats and the BBB's bureaucrats from SSiDs. These are tablet computers we will be carrying during BBB2B at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds that will apply a personal, signed passport control stamp when you click on them.

You can also collect the event stamp from BBB2B, which is the 300th passport stamp we've issued. You can get your entry visa to the Old Continent, Sansara, from our new embassy there.

Finally, there's a wonderful build to explore at No Excuses. Check it out and collect the new stamp.