Shuttle Launch Broadcast in Second Life

On 8:59 PM SL time (11:59 EST) on Friday August 28, the space shuttle Discovery launched into space from Florida.Here in Second Life, the launch was broadcast live via NASA TV from the Imzadi Dry Dock in the Star Trek Museum region. A crowd of about a couple dozen gathered to watch, including Museum Director Wabisabi Matahari. With the liftoff occurring at night, the blastoff was a particularly striking view. One woman was in such a hurry to get over, She had forgotten to dress properly, and it seemed to take forever for her blouse to rez.

The Discovery is on a 13 day mission to the International Space Station. Among the supplies delivered, the C.O.L.B.E.R.T. treadmill named after a noted comedian. This is mission 128 for the space shuttle program with six more shuttle flights before the entire fleet is retired.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the day

By Bixyl Shuftan
Click for full size

NEW COVER CHARGE SYSTEM BEING TESTED FOR MUSIC VENUES

The controversy over music venues utilizing a cover charge has been
ongoing in Second Life for quite a few years. One Second Life
musician, Mankind Tracer, has come up with a Business Model called
CCS (Cover Charge System) for venues and musicians to begin using as a
mandatory cover charge tool to hear your favorite performers.

In an open letter to residents of Second Life, Mankind Tracer
explained how this type of system could be one answer to the
increasing problems of venue closings in-world due to the club owners
not being able to afford to pay their live performers in addition to
the tier costs of running their club. This Cover Charge System would
pay both the musician and the venue owner by an agreed upon percentage
beforehand, freeing the venue-owner from the burden of paying the
musician at all.

HOW IT WORKS--
The musician determines the cover charge amount and both venue and
musician agree beforehand on the percentage the venue will receive for
the show. (Mankind's letter suggests that a $500L cover charge might
be appropriate for his performances, with a 20% split going to the
venue.) The system would be set up prior to the event and once
activated, continually scans the club area for non-paying residents,
as well as logging paying residents into the system.

As residents enter, the CCS sends them a message asking them to pay
the cover charge. If they do not pay, predetermined security
personnel receive notices of avatar names who have not paid. These
security personnel will send the non-paying resident several warning
messages asking them to pay the fee. If they fail to pay after
numerous warnings, the avatar will be ejected from the venue.

CRASHES --
All paying and non-paying avatar names are kept in the system until
the owner clears the list. If an avatar crashes, they can return
without repaying. Likewise, if the sim crashes, they do not have to
repay when they return.

MONIES --
The performer determines the cover charge amount. And the percentage
that the venue would receive would be entirely up to the musician and
venue owner to predetermine. In this sense, the venue owners no
longer have the burden of paying the musician.

FIRST TEST --
At Thursday's first test of the system, Mankind Tracer set the cover
charge for one linden and performed for two hours at his "Sweet Spot"
venue. A considerable crowd was on hand, with several well-known
musicians and managers also in attendance. The crowd asked questions
in IM and on notecards and Mankind addressed each one in between
songs. While the system seemed to work well for this first 1L test
run, the true test would be to actually charge 500 Lindens and see
what the crowd does or doesn't do.

AVAILABILITY/COST
Once the system is tweaked and more test runs are performed
successfully, the system would then be made available. Whether or not
there will be a cost associated with acquiring the actual system
hasn't been determined yet.

RAISING CONCERNS
Several concerns are evident. New residents do not have lindens to
spend, especially for large cover charges. Residents who normally
would frequent several shows in one evening may only be able to attend
one show depending on the cover charge rate. Residents are
less-likely to tip if they are charged the initial fee to get through
the door. Sim owners would need to "parcel-off" their club/venue in
order that the stream isn't broadcasting throughout the entire sim and
also so that the Cover Charge System scans only the club/venue parcel
area. The obvious issues of performers losing their fan base, not
making enough money if people don't choose to attend, and even the
pinch some residents may feel at losing the control over freely
tipping... is of serious concern.

Time will tell how this proposed system will or will not become an
active part of the SL music scene. One thing's certain... people are
sure to make their voices heard on the issue. But that's the great
thing about Second Life, we still have a choice, even with a cover
charge system.

by Mystique Sassoon

“Live ‘n Kickin” - Paisley Beebe Speaks on Her New Music Show in Second Life

On 9 PM Second Life time, Tuesday August 25, a new show opened up in the metaverse: “Live n Kickin.” At “The Pocket.” Pilgrim75 Swashbuckler (Pete Mroz in real life) sang live to the crowd, who danced away to his music. What added to the excitement was that the show was being shown on Treet TV live. Those familiar with SL Media could make out a few familiar names in he audience, in the audience, notably Delinda Dryssen and Paisley Beebe whom with AutumnFoxx Sutherland made the show possible.

“This show was an idea I had from day one when I started in television in Second Life,” Paisley later explained to me, “Being a musician in real-life, it was a no-brainer to do this.” She stated AutumnFoxx Sutherland and Delinda Dyrssen were working with her to get the show up, both “involved in the music scene in SL for years.” But it was Delinda who was producing the show, “I’m paying for it ... which means I have the final say on things, but she is basically doing all the leg work.”

Paisley told me her production role was working with how it would look on Treet, “I’m looking forward to being able to shoot on location, and really get into some great (special) effects and locations.” She went on to say most of Treet’s show’s were “very straight studio-type shoots and events,” not having experimented much with light and filming techniques, “But I want them to go all out, get psychedelic even! To get really funky.”

“The Pocket,” which AutumnFoxx Sutherland and Delinda Dyrssen run, was chosen as their first spot as the place was familiar, “We wanted the first shoot to be easy, cause we didn't know what we would have to really contend with.” But they intend for the show to go to other places besides clubs, “We are not going to be shooting in venues all the time. We are going to be looking for some really way out locations ... underground, in a cave, underwater, in the clouds, in a spaceship, ... I want to do what is not possible in real-life.”

She hoped to involve the audience as well, “we are recording the audience reaction to each song, ... the applause and gestures, and what the musician says to the audience. ... I want our audience to know when they tune into Live n Kickin, they are going to get as near a professional performance as possible, hat it is going to be a really great experience! ... I don't know if you felt it, but the energy and buzz during the filming at Pilgrims show was just fantastic. Just being there in the audience, knowing that it was being filmed. And that Pilgrim was giving his all. He was amazing. I was so exited during the filming, I was dancing around the room. It was such a thrill to showcase such an incredible artist.”

Paisley and Delinda had featured close to a hundred musicians on the “Tonight Live” show on Second Life, “For musicians it’s not just about having a nice vid clip of their work. It’s about doing a gig, for around fifty people in-world. And then getting maximum exposure after that, to probably 3000 people a month in about a month’s time. ... Treet.tv archives are heavily watched over and over. With that sort of exposure, it’s the best way in Second Life for a musician to get to the maximum audience and sell their CD's and Mp3s.”

The show will next appear at Luxor, “We are hoping to bring out all the splendor of the Egyptian theme that Circe Brooms has.” Any musicians interested in getting on the show can contact Delinda Dryssen, “ Delinda is the producer of the show. Poor Del, she has been absolutely inundated, even before our first show was filmed!”

“I want Pilgrim and the other artists we showcase to get to as many avatars as possible, to sell their albums, and to get booked for gigs, both real-life and Second Life, and to get offers and good deals from being exposed on our show. I hope that happens. They deserve it. I can’t stand seeing such amazing talent undiscovered. I just can’t stand it, it breaks my heart. I know how tough it is. I’ve been there, and am still there. I saw it over and over again, and working in radio. Ignored talent. It was so very frustrating. Albums dropped by record companies, buried in basements ... I’m so grateful to help just a little.”

“Live n Kickin” will be weekly, 9 PM SL time every Tuesday, with shows posted on the treet tv website. Eventually, they hope to have videos on iTunes. They have a group for updates, and plan to have a subscribomatic soon.


Bixyl Shuftan

Music News

One venue owner is piloting a new business model beginning this fall. The owner of Rasta Ventures, TributeTim Kwak, has 3 venues, Red Rock Amphitheater (Pop, Country and other genres), Mama's (Blues), and a brand new Urban Alt Rock venue. Also on the sim is Rasta Beach (reggae DJs and one regular live performer a week).

Previously, Red Rock and Mama's have been operated separately from Rasta Beach and sharing staff. Beginning in September, Tim plans on linking the 3 live venues. with the reopening of Red Rock and Mama's and the opening of the new club. These 3 venues have formed a co-op consisting of quite a few live performers.

The concept is that an admission fee of $L200 will be charged. This admission fee will defray the cost of the venue owner of paying the high fees of the performers, as well as supporting the venues for their financial needs. Very often, venue owners are paying money out of their RL pockets to pay tier fees and performers' fees. It is understood that this is an expensive undertaking when one decides to open a live performance venue. As a result, many quality clubs close their doors because they can no longer afford to pay their tiers. planning 15 shows.

The revenue from the co-op will be equally distributed among the co-op members. The venue owner is responsible for coordinating scheduling, supporting venue builds, and providing "professional, well trained hosts," and streams. The objective is to "put on regularly scheduled, high quality performances 4 or 5 nights each week, with each event involving 3 or 4 musicians" "....lasting 3 or 4 hours." The expectation is a 30 avatar attendance, at $L200 a head, for a total revenue of L$90,000 per week in ticket revenues, split between (currently) 8 people, or L$11,250 each per week. At the current conversion rate, that equates to $43.27USD per week for each co-op member. Tim will use his share to pay hosts and managers, and stream fees, etc., but he noted it would not defray all of his costs.

Performers who would be invited to join this co-op would typically be "popular musicians (who) are interested and able to work well with a group of people." The term "popular" might be defined as "an artist with the demonstrated ability to consistently attract at least 30 people to their performances."

This concept is not entirely new. I, as well as others, including performers, have heard of such a thing through the music community grapevine, etc. I have done a small poll of concert goers and performers alike, and some have even said it's been tried before and been unsuccessful. One source explained that another venue owner/performer is also trying a new pay system at his venue.

According to Tim, an ongoing debate has been taking place on the Rasta blog http://rastaliveco-op.blogspot.com. I have collected comments from friends who have been going to live shows in SL for years, a venue owner, and some well know performers here in SL.

The general consensus is that it will not work. Some will go to fewer shows since music has been free from day one. One venue owner fears that if this does become the way music will go in SL, it will make live music "only available to the elite in SL who can afford to pay." This will "reduce the number of SL music fans" and that "one of the few free pleasures available to a new residents is live music." Another comment along those lines was "It won't work as I see it...most people won't wanna be in the 'Elite' group" and "other than groupies and loyal 'gotta catch every show possible' fan," he forsees "a pretty bleak future there." One very popular performer and his manager said they would want no part of it. Others feel it's just plain greed.

Some feel that SL should be an outlet for exposure, as many performers share the website links where RL CDs can be purchased. One comment was on the fact that the fans are never consulted and this is why it has failed in the past.

A big debate was on the "high quality" factor. Many balked at that since who can define high quality? It is a subjective issue, it is not science. Different people see quality in something/ someone that others will not.

On the positive side, some just accept it as the way of the future for music in SL, acknowledging that when venues can no longer afford to stay open, the musicians will have to create their own if they don't already have one, and they will have to charge for admission to cover their expenses, as well as their music.

An interesting point to note is, as many of you may know, often venue owners and musicians encourage fans to get the word out about live music through their blogs, newspapers, other writing avenues, etc. As a reporter covering live music in SL, the price of admission will exceed what I get paid for these articles. How will it then make sense to continue to write about live music as the musicians would like?

Answers to these and other questions remain to be seen. I anxiously await to see how it all plays out. Look for a follow-up piece here as things get underway and the wheels are set in motion.

Shellie Sands

Editors note: Watch for another bright idea to solve this problem tomorrow with Mystique Sassoon

Slapt.Me the alternative to Xstreet?

Since the Lindens bought Xstreet I have heard many whispers and many people unhappy with the monopoly that it has created for the Lindens and now, with the new rules, many more will be looking for that alternative.
Let me introduce Slapt.Me run by residents that have actually listened to what the customers want and tried to create it for you.
Constanza Amsterdam, Lord Sullivan, Kosta Cela and Bykoff Sontse, long term SL residents launched the Xstreet alternative in April and, although still having a few teething troubles when I tried it out, I found it as easy to set up as Xstreet but very different.
Slapt.Me offers featured listings and split profit enhancement, which works on percentage instead of prices. You will also find its own Forums where you can read what others have thought of it and place your own suggestions. There is also a WIKI to help you understand the site although as an XStreet merchant I found it very easy to set up.
You can request a terminal to put on your own land and there is also a place where you can store your first Slapt.me box for free if you do not own any land.
Is this a viable alternative to Xstreet? The speed at which its growing says just maybe it is.
Visit for yourselves and feel free to leave your comments and experience below.
Dana Vanmoer

Nazz Lane under the spotlight...............

Usually you will see Nazz here at SL-Newspaper interviewing various people, one of his specialities, Nazz is a great interviewer.
A few days ago Paisley Beebe turned the tables on Nazz and interviewed him for 'Tonight Live'
Click the image to watch the interview or copy the URL into your browser window:

http://archive.treet.tv/tonight-live-paisley-beebe-23aug09

"The New SecondLife.com" - Linden Labs' Website Gets an Overhaul

Hi all. Callen Linden here. A few months back, we launched the Dashboard Beta and asked for your feedback. Your response was enthusiastic and very constructive. We've implemented a number of your suggestions and more are slated for future releases.

The dashboard was the tip of the iceberg. I'm delighted to say that the rest of the Second Life web site is launching today. We've given our web properties a top-to-bottom overhaul to make your Second Life experiences easier (and more fun) than ever. As always, we'd love your feedback on the redesign.

The magic of Second Life...

The first thing you'll notice is the new look. You got a glimpse of it with the new home page back in December, and now we've extended it to the rest of our web properties. Our aim was to create a visual style that would highlight the magic of Second Life and showcase your artistry. The images that light up the site were selected to reveal the extraordinary range of experiences and emotion that Second Life offers.

Not just a pretty face...

As lovely as it is, the changes are not merely a visual face lift. We sent surveys, held office hours, read your comments on blogs and forums, talked to our support folks and the old timers at Linden Lab. We heard that community, exploration, land and shopping are what Second Life is all about for you, so we mirrored that in our new main menu. We know that Second Life is an amazing palette for creativity and building, so we collected resources for designers, coders, merchants and promoters to help you hit the ground running. We heard you say that while shopping on the web is convenient, shopping in world is wonderful because it is an emotional, social and visual feast, so we made sure to highlight both. We learned that many new users think Orientation Island is all there is to Second Life (!!), so we created a web-based world map and linked it tothe Showcase. And we know that what makes Second Life stick are the relationships you form, so we collected our community resources together to help you connect with other like-minded people.

But perhaps the most important part is what you can't see. To respond to your ideas and suggestions, we are re-architecting our back-end systems so we can improve our current features and performance, and provide an ever-expanding set of tools for discovery, sharing, creativity and customization.

Here's the skinny...

* The Dashboard is the first step on a path to richer web-based social tools for Second Life. On it, we've collected the most popular Second Life web features for easy access to the tools and resources you need to manage your Second Life. In future releases, we'll provide better tools for communication, social networking, customization, personalization and management.

* For new users, we've improved the path into Second Life. Registration has been completely redesigned with a streamlined flow and better messaging for new users. Coming soon, you'll see further improvements in the new user experience with better basic training in world, a new approach to designing starting locations, and of course, the redesign of Viewer 2.0.

* For international visitors, we've made it easier to find non-English language registration options and browse community gateways by language preference. We've also been working on the plumbing to make it easier to offer all of our web properties in more languages, and providing toll free support numbers for non-English language speakers.

* The new web-based Second Life Map harnesses the power of Search and the Showcase to bring a real-world feel to exploring the virtual world. We think it gives new and old Residents alike a great tool for discovering Second Life, making it easier for you to find (and teleport to) the store, concert, club or peaceful beach that suits your mood. The new Map is just one of the milestones on our roadmap for improving Search and Classifieds, and connecting you with the great content and communities of Second Life.

* We've also completely redesigned the Land Store experience to make it easier to use and understand. As part of this redesign we are pleased to announce the launch of Themed Private Regions, where you can purchase a private region in move-in condition. We are starting with Linden designs for a Baronial Castle, Moonbase, Conference Center, and Theater. In the future, the Themed Private Regions option will provide an excellent opportunity for creators to have their content available for sale in our land store. For more information visit our FAQ.

* Shop 'til you drop! Now, from the main menu and throughout the site, we promote the spectacular diversity of stores offering everything from shoes to submarines. As the world's largest virtual goods marketplace, we've now extended our platform to the web, giving Residents new shopping opportunities; and merchants additional visibility with links from secondlife.com.

Thanks!

Sincere thanks to all who contributed to the dashboard beta by providing constructive feedback. Let's continue the conversation after you take a look at the new site. We want to hear what you think, what you need, and what you imagine.

Finally, if you do nothing else, check out the Machinima video in the "What is Second Life?" section of the site. I've seen it 100 times, and it still gets me every time!

Posted by Callen Linden on secondlife.com on Aug 26, 2009

Shannon "Oherlihy" McMahon Live in New Haven, CT

On 15 August, I traveled to New Haven, CT to meet friends and see Shannon live in RL. We were all so excited! Shannon was playing at a local, downtown book shop called Never Ending Books. An unusual venue I thought, but apparently they have local live musicians performing there every 3rd Saturday of the month.

The place was charming and quaint, consisting of two narrow rooms, with two separate entrances. The one room was jam packed with books, every which way on the shelves. The place runs strictly on donations, no real book sales (don't ask me how they do it). There was complimentary wine, beer, soda and water, as well as cheese and crackers and other snacks. I felt like I was joining friends for the evening.

Shannon was the first performance of the evening and took the stage at approximately 7:30 pm. The stage was surrounded by a red skirt (no idea what the stage really was!). The limited seating was in the form of folding metal chairs. The place did NOT have air conditioning, and man was it hot! I don't think anyone cared though.

Shannon looked surprisingly much like her SL avatar and she sounded even more beautiful in RL as she does in SL, if that's even possible. She is very unassuming and you can tell she sings from her heart and enjoys it.

Shannon played her stock SL favorites, including"Emotional Vampire," "Anyway," "The Test," and "Salvation Mailbox," a song for if she ever got to Nashville. She wrapped up her set with "You Never Loved Me."

Save for the members of the band following Shannon and a sprinkling of other folks, five of us were SecondLifers. Shannon explained what she does in SL and about those of us who traveled to see her live.

Following Shannon was another local band called Lonesome Sparrows, 4 seasoned musicians who were very enjoyable and hilarious. We asked Shannon to nudge them into coming to SL where I am sure they would have a following.

All in all, it was a great time and well worth the travel.

Shellie Sands

Cartoon of the day

By Bixyl Shuftan
Click for full size image

“We Gotta Say Goodbye, For the Summer” - Bahama Beach Club Closes

At 6 PM Saturday August 22nd, the Bahama Beach Club at the Goldrush sim held it’s final event. Club owner Rory Langdon was the DJ that night, playing classic rock for a “Back to the ‘60s” beack party, with some guests and staff in their swimming trunks and bikinis. Instead of in the club, the party was held on the beach sands.

Rory Langdon, or Joe Ward in real life, has been playing music for over 30 years, with experience as both a DJ and club manager. Experience he brought with him to Second Life, both DJing and club managing here. In March 2009, he decided to start up a club of his own, buying up some land that already had a nightclub there, “Club 9:30.” As it turned out, there really was a Club 9:30 in real life. So he kept the building for a while, setting up a small beach club next to it, poles holding up a thatched roof, with a danceball overhead with a particle streamer sending down a light show at times, with a picture of a blue parrot behind the DJ stand, which became known as “Flip the bird.”

With his partner Marai McMahon helping to manage things, Rory had planned to run both clubs with events in both every week. But problems in real life cut down on his time in the metaverse, and the prim content limit limited what he could do with both clubs. So they decided to take down the nightclub building, building a a bigger beach club. They also put a little more detail in the beach. adding rocks, a waterfall, palm trees and hammocks, a secret cuddle spot, and more. Some people dropped over between parties just to see the beach scenery and relax. The new bigger club was renamed the Bahama Beach Club, though sometimes simply called the “BBC” as a pun on the famous media company.

Besides himself, Rory had other music-makers performing. Bosco sang at the club for a time. Later on came DJ’s SonicBlu and Boo Gearhead. And throughout the club’s history, there was ScratchMusikatt the “Chaos DJ,” playing for the late at night while he also performed in real life.

The club and it’s grounds took up a quarter sim, but prim limits limited what Rory, Marai, and the staff could do. There was talk about buying up a half sim, or maybe a full sim in the future for things like a staff residence home. Then his old friend and former neighbor Foxyfurman Kumaki who runs the Foxworthy sim offered a deal. Rory and Marai now have a section of the sim there for a club, which will be opened sometime in the near future. This time, it will be a nightclub to go along with Foxy’s casino next to the place. The land on Goldrush will be sold.

So, the Bahama Beach Club comes to a close, at least for now. It’s likely it will come back in some form, but the place at Goldrush will be missed.

As the final party came to a close, virtual champagne was passed around, and toasts were made.

“To this place being good to us, memories made here.”

“To memories old and new, to friends who shall never be forgotten.”

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Lab changes traffic scoring, ignores elephant in the room

In a move reminiscent of 2007, Linden Lab made a change to traffic scoring in order to lighten the workload on its systems. The only problem is that the company failed to address any of the concerns regarding ways to trick the system in order to be drive in more traffic.

Yesterday, LL made its announcement to the way scores are given to land plots. Currently, it is a complex formula that compiles data regarding the number of people who visited, how long they stayed, and how much time they spent at each location.

"Traffic, says LL in its statement, will be the cumulative minutes spent on the parcel by all visitors to the parcel within the previous day. It will be calculated from the total seconds spent on the parcel, divided by 60 and rounded to the nearest whole minute (up or down). It is calculated in real-time, and will be updated every morning at 1am PST for the previous day."

According to the statement, this will change the numbers you see for traffic in the About Land window and the first updated numbers will be available on September 1. But they won't have much of an impact on the rankings of a parcel in search results.

Therefore, LL ignores the elephant in the room since it does not entirely reform the way traffic is used for search results. This leaves the incentive to game the system by letting bots or simple avatars standing around for hours just to rack up the traffic points.

More limits such as counting only unique visitors might have been welcome. Simply separating traffic from search results might have been even smarter to put the focus squarely on relevance. LL only makes a vague promise about this.

This is a sad situation. Even today, despite all of Linden Lab's efforts to create a Showcase area and earlier adoption of Google search technology, finding very relevant results when searching can be a challenge.

Sure, LL wants to reassure by saying "we will be pushing harder to make sure that unfair use of Bots or other means to game Search are stopped."

The only problem is that when tackling this issue, they gave first priority to their resources, not to in-world usability. Only a "customer focus" makes a project viable in the long run.

When will LL stop being self-centered and adopt a customer-based approach?

Duo Appassionato - Izabela Jaworower and Young Zeid

On 13 August, I attended the anniversary concert/summer recital of Duo Appassionato on Muse Isle Northwest at the Muse Isle Ocean Amphitheater. The stage is perched above the water, accessible by a ramp. Seating draped in white lent an elegant atmosphere to the venue.

Izabela is engaging and personable and did most of the speaking. An interesting coupling of violinists, she is Polish and Young is Chinese. Izabela was dressed in a beautiful pink gown and Young in a tux (I felt severely underdressed in my jeans and tank top!).

The first piece they performed was Duet for 2 Violins in G major, composed by Mazas. Mazas was a brilliant pupil of Pierre Baillot at the Paris Conservatoire, from which he received the first prize in 1805. His compositions for violin are, for the most part, studies and duets for young string players of all abilities that constitute methods for both violin and viola.

This was followed by 3 pieces, capriccios, originally written by Henryk Wieniawski, for he and his brother. It is a unique arrangement only available in Poland. The arrangement was compiled by 2 virtuoso concert violinists who wanted to perform together in 2 equal parts. The result of that collaboration is just awesome. Henryk Wieniawski was "unquestionably considered 'a violinist of genius,' an artist of great individuality, intensity of expression, and original technique. The influence of his technique is still evident in the style of some violinists. Izabela actually studied at a school in Lublin, Poland, where Wieniawski was born and lived.

Following that arrangement was Antonio Vivaldi's "Le quattro stagioni," or The Four Seasons. This is his most famous work of 1723 (part of Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione or The Contest between Harmony and Invention). In essence, it resembles an early example of a tone poem, where he attempted to capture all the moods of the four seasons. Born in 1678, Vivaldi worked in a Hospedale, or boarding house,for the illegitimate girls of nobelmen, where they had music of the highest standard. He composed "Le quattro stagioni" for those girls.

Wrapping up their set was Bach's Concerto by 2 violins and their trademark piece, written entitled "Passacaglia" by Handel-Halvorsen. Halvorsen was a Norwegian violinist, composer and conductor. He studied at the Stockholm Conservatory, as well as in Leipzig, Berlin and Leige. He was appointed conductor of the theatre in Bergen in 1892, and served as conductor of the Christiania National Theatre from 1899-1929, where he directed over 25 operas as well as orchestral concerts. Halvorsen's compositions developed from the national romantic tradition of Grieg and Svendson but in a distinctive style marked by brilliant orchestration.

The Passacaglia is taken from Suite #7 in G Minor where it serves as the sixth movement. This work is very demanding on the performers; part of its virtuosity entails having the two instruments simulate the sonority of a string quartet, through the use of double stops (the playing of two or more tones simultaneously on the violin and related string instruments). The Passacaglia is a form of baroque music said to derive from a Spanish dance.

Overall, Duo Appassionato gives a beautiful and lively performance. I was again amazed by their incredible skill and immense talent. They possess a musical harmony and spirit and flair that makes for a refreshing stage presence. Many of the pieces they perform are considered very demanding pieces and yet they do them so well. I had seen Izabela once before as part of another small group, comprised of Clarissima and Kahuna Schumann. This is a must see for the classical music fan.

By Shellie Sands

Great Lakes Machinama Festival in Second Life

By Nazz Lane

On Sunday, the 16^th of August, the first Great Lakes Machinama Festival was held at Memphis Smoke, a well known blues establishment in suburban Detroit. The festival also billed itself as a “mash-up” or “mixed reality” event, as both a real life crowd watched the festivities along with avatars from the virtual world of second life at the Callidora Beach Concert Stage. Making her second life debut was Liz Larin, who took the stage at Memphis Smoke performing an hour set, while her avatar Miz1000 Hirszhorn appeared simultaneously on stage at Callidora. The festival was sponsored by the Stratton Foundation, a private foundation located in Metropolitan Detroit, with “a mission to help students learn, discover and develop successful careers in science and technology”. The event began at 5 pm EDT (2 pm PDT/SLT) and was free in both realities. The foundation used the event as “a benefit to raise funds for scholarships for students studying entertainment arts at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit”.

When I’d first heard about the festival, I had to read the notice twice. I thought, “Wow! A mixed reality event happening in my own back yard” and I knew that I had to be a part of it. I followed a link to the Stratton Foundation web site and uncovered more information about the festival. I also saw that the foundation produced a regular podcast series, one of which had been recorded in SL with Callidora owner Renfew Sperber. The next time in-world, I tracked down avatar Doug Dratman (aka Douglas Stratton) President of the foundation and introduced myself via IM. Doug and I met in second life shortly after that for a brief discussion about the festival and second life. We then made arrangements to meet in real life when the time for the event drew near.

On the day of our meeting as I drove, the thought occurred to me that its right around now in many of the articles where I write, “I ported over to meet ...” However for this article I’m in my car driving north on the freeway to meet with Doug at a local restaurant. We arrived within seconds of each other and shook hands as a waiter escorted us to a table on the patio outside. The day was near perfect and we joked about it being like every day in SL as the sky, with nary a cloud in sight, looked much like a “Linden” sky.

“Tell me, how did you find out about second life Doug?” I asked

“I read an article in the Detroit Free Press. I spent a few months poking around the edges, feeling a bit odd and reluctant to jump in.” He replied.

“What was it that got you and the Stratton Foundation engaged then?”

“I found a guide book about second life, it helped me to understand it a lot better. From there I created an account and logged in, finding myself at Orientation Island. It was a very unusual experience, interacting with other avatars … socializing. We discussed as a board doing more in virtual worlds and it was my son who became engaged with Callidora. We found out about the work there on the cancer fundraising and established a connection with Renfew and her brother msw tomorrow.”

“And that led to doing the Great Lakes Machinama Festival as a mixed reality event?” I asked.

“We had a series of meeting with them to understand and plan this out. It’s been a wonderful experience for us.” He replied and then added, “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited two others people to lunch with us, both have been part of the team working on the technical side of things with both venues.”

We were joined at lunch by Tom Lavigne and Joseph Craig, both from IDEAcore, a Detroit based Technology Company. We exchanged thoughts and commentary on the event, the promise of virtual world technology for entertainment and the arts, along with my experiences in second life. The luncheon over, the three departed to the venue for a test run in preparation for Sunday’s event and I returned home to write up my notes.

In world once again, I contacted Renfew Sperber, owner of the Callidora SIM. She had this to say about the event. “This is a very exciting project and working with the Stratton’s, Liz and the rest of the Detroit team an amazing experience. We are thrilled to be a part of this and honored to host Liz's mash-up debut in Second Life. The opportunity to work with an organization that is fostering art and technology education and to provide further exposure of the positive aspects of Second Life and the potential of the technology is something that I am very passionate about. The Stratton Foundation is creating an important bridge that showcases the way that virtual technology can be used to foster real world projects.”

On the day of the festival, I made the drive to Memphis Smoke, excited at being on the RL side of the screen at a mixed reality event. I wasn’t disappointed. When I arrived it had just begun as Doug introduced the first of fourteen Machinama selected for the event. Taking over as MC for a brief period during the presentation was Scott Bogoniewski from the college, who introduced and provided commentary on the entries created by students of the school. The last one presented to the Memphis Smoke crowd was the Stratton Foundation’s prize winner, “Made of Sound”. The Machinama had been created by Jayna Shropshire, a student at the College for Creative Studies who used the song written and performed by Liz Larin, as the basis for her scholarship winning entry. Ms Larin had won an award in her own right for the song and she accompanied the presentation of the video with a live performance of “Made of Sound”. With the viewing of Ms Shropshire’s entry complete, a short pause occurred as connections were made to second life and then Liz Larin took the stage, virtual and real to perform a one hour set where she rocked both worlds with a range of selections, original and covers.

Da Vinci Lives

I was intrigued when I read about the Feathers Boa in Extra Extra that is being held in Da Vinci sim and went to see.
Feather’s work is always wonderful and I enjoyed looking at her new creations.
Since I had not been in the sim I went wandering. 'Da Vinci' Just the word evokes so many images : Mona Lisa of course, beauty, machines, inventions. And here it is!
The creator has given us a multitude of discoveries. It is amazing.
When I first saw the sim I was impressed by the beauty of the scenery. That is only the tip of the iceberg!
As one begins to explore it is evident there are endless places to enjoy, take a tour, or two or three. You have a your pick.
Under water, ride a seahorse or be a diver, to Mars - take a rocket ship, to see the whole sim, take a boa feather.
Each is delightful. Grab a diver’s suit or two, as you travel. You will find a tp in many places that offer a myriad of choices. I took at least 5 of them but must go back to really check them all out but wanted to share with you first.
One of the most interesting was the Inner Space, here you will have the opportunity to learn about your own body, collect bacteria as you travel the inner veins. If you pick up a bacteria collector you may even earn some money if you follow directions!
I met some avatars riding the seahorses you can find on the island. They were having a great ride while I was trying the diving suit.
As I flew I encountered avatars enjoying the dancing areas.
I do not know where to stop !
Be sure to stop at all the delightful galleries and do not miss Feathers Boa. So much to see.
Experience it yourself!!
You have to begin somewhere ….. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kalepa/200/175/32

By Gemma Cleanslate

The O R I G I N A L S III

On 9 August, live at Menora, POL Arida once again brought together a fabulous grouping of musicians, all performing 30 minute sets of strictly original tunes, for a total show time of 6 hours. A portion of that awesome is are captured here.

Catch up with Shellie in the EXTRA EXTRA section

The “Wingless” Free Avatars

When I first came to Second Life, alongside the newbie human avatars as choices for one’s first look was one nonhuman, the old ringtail avatar Luskwood donated to Linden Labs. I did find a few free furred avatars in my newcomer period, but aside from the purple kitty avie, nothing seemed an improvement until I had the cash to buy a better avatar.

Later, I heard the newbie ringtail had been done away with as an option. So where could a newcomer go to get a furred av, particularly one with a quality look?

It was about that time I found out an answer: the Wingless Avatar package, a collection of quality avatars once sold, now free for the asking.

The Wingless Avatar package is a gift to the residents of SL from the avatar designer Wingless Emoto. He once sold his avatars through a retailer, but a dispute occurred and the business partnership dissolved. Unfortunately for Wingless, the contract signed stated he could not sell the avatars in the deals with him through anyone else. So Wingless decided to make them freely available, people able to grab a package at locations, or transferable from person to person. Some carry them not to wear, but to pass to newcomers to SL or those around for a while curious about furry avatars or wanting a different look. Some locations have individual Wingless avatars up for sale for 10L. But this is against the wishes of Wingless Emoto.

And the package has an impressive variety of avatars. There are many colors, red, white, blue, pink, rainbow, etc., of both wolf and fox-type avatars, both being popular furred av varieties in SL. There are also a few hyena and horse avs in the package. Rezzing the box on a sandbox and unpacking it, one gets a folder filled with each avatar, boxed. One has to rezz and unpack each avatar.

Each of the avatars come in both male and female skins. Modifiable, the avies offer a choice of either plantigrade (walk on the heel like a normal human foot) or digitgrade (walk on the ball on the foot) lower legs. The latter looks more exotic, though sometimes one can see the shadow of the invisiprims, and long pants worn end up looking cut off with a ring of fabric around the ankles. There is an option for small or large hands/paws. For the wolf avs, A Customization HUD gives you the option of showing canine teeth or not, and choosing the color of eyes, paws, claws, and the inside of ears. Another HUD, “Control,” allows for options for twitching ears, wagging tails, blinking eyes, and blushing.

It should be noted one doesn’t *have* to wear the whole avatar. I have seen some kitsune-style nekos who told me their ears and tails came from Wingless avatar parts. As there are several styles of hair that come with the av, this means a few free hairpieces. A good place to look if you need one in a hurry upon getting a av with no hair.

The Wingless Avatar Package can be found in a number of locations, from freebie shops to avatar stores, though in any place in SL with some furs among the residents, it shouldn’t take long to find someone who has it and get a copy.

A truly great package of free avatars.

{edit} A package of Wingless avatars can be found near the front door of Dana Vanmoer's store in Caprona (93, 92, 31). {/edit}



Bixyl Shuftan

Netroots Convention 2009 in Second Life

The Netroots Nation, a yearly convention for politically liberal/progressive bloggers, took place last weekend in Pittsburg from Thursday August 13th to Sunday the 16th. Online, the convention was held here in Second Life as well, with exhibits and events.

At the entry point of the Netroots Nation sim, one got a notecard explaining the event and the schedule. There were also directions for first-time users of Second Life, and a few free avatars. The background music for the sims was National Public Radio. There were a number of sponsorship booths around. The majority were more-or-less in tune with the political theme of the convention, such as an anti-war booth and one endorsing a candidate for the Democratic party in one election in the US. There was one about a non-political cause, getting and sending books for US soldiers in war zones. Virtually Speaking, the liberal talk show in Second Life, also had a booth there.

Humor was a part of a number of displays. Some were mocking conservatives, both leaders and supporters. Others just aimed for a chuckle, not taking serious jabs. A few of the sponsorship booths had next to nothing to do with politics or causes, such as the one for SL real estate sales, and the one for recruitment for a World of Warcraft guild.

There were also a number of events throughout the convention. Most notable was former US President Bill Clinton’s opening keynote address, which was streamed live from the RL convention in Pittsburg. Other events included speakers on subjects from “the challenges and rewards” of nonviolent activism in support of civil rights “particularly in the context of events in Iran,” to how Second Life and other “virtual environments” can help “connect rule, urban, red state, and blue state activists to the greater progressive community,” to “How Hip-Hop Builds Movements.” Many events took place both in Pittsburg and Second Life.

But not all events were debates and lectures. There were parties and dances, a word game, as well as an interfaith religious service. Some corners of the area had scenes with trees and buildings where one could forget politics for a little while.

Listening to discussions and talking to a few, the biggest issue in the convention appeared to be the debate over the government’s role in health care in the United States. There were no shortage of opinions. With the convention being for the left of center, the majority of comments this reporter overheard were in favor of more control by the Federal government, “I'd rather not die because some CEO wanted another Porsche this year.” “How about a for-profit fire department?” But not everyone had such opinions, “Power concentrated in the hands of government, isn’t that what the Magana Carta and the American Revolution were (against)?” “We shouldn't trust too high a concentration of power in any hands, whether its corps or gov.”

Away from the debating, I talked to one Canadian attendee whom wished the United States well in improving it’s health care system, though felt it would be a good idea to see what happened with other countries, “some are mistaken in thinking we came by health care easily up here,” saying Canada had a doctor’s strike after the new system was put in, as well as other problems, “You’re in the (21st Century) now, your battle will be much harder.”

At 2PM Sunday was the Closing Party, with the convention coming to a close at it’s end.

The Netroots SL convention took place on the Netroots Nation and Progressive Island sims.

Bixyl Shuftan

Stories without Borders Quest Workshop at the 2009 SLCC

By Nazz Lane

The 2009 Second Life Community Convention takes place in San Francisco and starts on Thursday the 13th of August, lasting four days it ends on Sunday the 16th. The real life people attending the SLCC, coming out from behind the keyboards of their second life avatars, will convene at the convention in order "to have fun and to learn about the many activities within the metaverse". One such learning activity is a workshop entitled "Stories without Borders Quest". The workshop is scheduled for the second day of the convention, the 14^th of August beginning at 11 am. The workshop will be led by Jenaia Morane (aka Jena Ball) and Marty Snowpaw (aka Marty Keltz) and is centered on "the theme of experiencing and celebrating the lives of those dealing with HIV/AIDS". The SLCC Stories without Borders Quest workshop is being sponsored by The Rezory, a RL / SL entity which bills itself as a “virtual world’s business incubator” whose focus is in healthcare and the life sciences. The workshop will also be filmed and featured as a trailer for a Machinama of the quest. The Machinama is being filmed by Ariella Languish (aka Ariella Furman).

Ms Morane and Mr Snowpaw are well known for their work at “The Virtual Worlds Story Project”, which is located on Storybook Island on the Second Life grid. They have organized multiple quests since bringing the concept of questing into the metaverse, creating in the immersive environment of second life “a catalyst for change, an instrument of healing, and a foundation for building community”. A quest as we know is a journey toward a goal. In a literary sense, quests are a plot device, the protagonist in search of a "something" and their having to overcome many obstacles to obtain it. The folklore of cultures from around the world are filled with stories of quests. Questing in the metaverse allows the human behind the avatar “the opportunity to search for answers, tapping their imagination and creativity in following the prompts and clues provided to create a narrative of their adventure”. The goal achieved is that most human of all things searched for, self-discovery and knowledge.

I’d visited Jenaia at Story Book Island many times and we frequently chat about both her projects and mine. As writers, we’d become good friends these last several months, bouncing ideas off each other. When she’d taken on this latest project she’d asked me to come over for a tour. We met at the starting point and talked while she led me through the site.

“Make sure you get the note card Nazz. Then follow me.” She said.

I did as she suggested and it opened in its own window. I read it quickly and it provided me the directions to begin the quest. I followed her along a rocky path that led through a stand of trees and stopped when we came upon a gated fence. We paused briefly as she opened it and we walked through. A two person boat sitting on the bank of a river awaited us. I looked at the note card and the directions pointed me toward a solitary flower which sat just slightly to the left of the boat. The directions told me to point and click. I did and received another note card, a copy of the poem, "Long Afternoon at the Edge of Little Sister Pond", by Mary Oliver.

“When you get the poem take a seat in the boat. As part of the Machinama that Ariella is filming, we’ll have an actor reading the poem while the boat moves up the river to the next stop. You can read it while we’re in the boat” She said.

We both took seats, Jen at the bow and I in the stern. Once we were seated the boat began to move and I began reading the poem. It began with “As for life / I'm humbled / I'm without words sufficient to say …” I read as the boat moved slowly upstream, past birch trees and rocks on either bank. When finished, my eyes scanned across the screen and I enjoyed the serenity of being in a forest. One could almost feel the gentle rocking of the boat and a forward movement. As it rounded a bend in the river, I spotted the next stop. It was a single story home, modern in style and set alongside the river bank surrounded by large trees. The boat reached its destination and we both stood up and walked the short distance to the set of stairs. Moving up them, we entered through a doorway into the abode.

“When will the quest start?” I asked.

“We’re targeting the first of September. It will be by invitation only at first, for members of the HIV / Aids Community.” She replied.

“How did you come up with the idea for this ‘Stories without Borders’ quest Jen?” I asked as we entered.

“When I was asked to come up with something for SLCC, we decided that the focus would be in helping overcome the stereotypes of people with aids. There’s the stigma and fear associated with the disease … we wanted to put a face on it for people … increase awareness and knowledge.” She replied and then added. “This quest is non linear event … those taking the quest define where they want to go. The clues and prompts will take them to other SIM’s. However it’s up to them as the writer to determine the order they go in … and what they do with it at the end is up to them … write a story … poetry or create a Machinama.”

We stood inside the house now and I scanned around the nicely appointed interior while listening to her reply. She suggested we watch the video and we did. It was a music video, Johnny Cash’s unmistakable voice I noted. And from the video one could see that it had been recorded later in his life. The video presented him as being elderly and then interspersed were images of him as a younger man in his prime. It was a sad song, one in which he expressed regrets over some of the things he’d done in his life and in marking the passing of family and friends. After the video ended, she explained the idea of starting the quest from the house.

“The scene has been designed to help you get to know the owner of the house and take you on a journey of discovery. When you touch some of the objects or zoom in on others … you’ll need to pay attention in the chat window. Also, there are some that will deliver note cards to you or give you landmarks to other SIM’s … places you can explore and learn more about the house and its owner.” She said.

“This all looks wonderful Jen ... Congrats on the build.” I commented as Marty Snowpaw arrived joining us on the front porch of the house. We three chatted for while longer before both Jen and Marty left for their next appointment. I wished them good luck at the SLCC workshop and then departed for my home position.

With the notes from our conversation, I began writing the article. Part of the way through the first paragraph, my mind wandered a bit and I thought of the boat ride and the scenery we had passed through. I recalled similar experiences in real life. It was then that I remembered a section of the poem that read, “Every day I walk out into the world / to be dazzled, then to be reflective …”

It sounded very much as if Ms Oliver had known my thoughts when she’d penned it.

Spotlight On...Zak Claxton

I have had the pleasure of enjoying two of Zak Claxton's shows this summer, one on 20 June at the Broken Rocker at Gorlen Hill and the other on 7 August at Ambrosia Dance Club.

Zak really rocks on the acoustic guitar. He is a bright "musical jester" and an admitted "lazy bastard." He plays the acoustic in world simply because it's easier. Zak performs many covers, including Steely Dan, and the Who ("Behind Blue Eyes"). At one of the shows I attended, he performed, for the first time live, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blue," as well as the awesome Joni Mitchell's "California" (one of my person favorites, anyone remember vinyl?) and Neil Young's "Ohio," which he graciously dedicated to me. At the latest show I attended, he did U2's "One Love," which I have to say he did very well. He also did my favorite Beck song "Loser," and he definitely had me rockin!

Some his originals include "Always Tomorrow," a song about his RL romance with Kat Claxton when they lived 1,000 miles apart--what a love story, "Like a Cloud," and "This Afternoon," a song he says is about "time, space, and the continuum of all stuff."

Evidenced by his covers, some of Zak's musical influences include Neil Young, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell and Pete Townshend. Other influences include Tom Petty and David Bowie--a pretty eclectic grouping of musicians by anyone's estimation.

Zak is a dynamic performer whose personality and great sense of humor clearly early illustrate how much he loves what he does. He sings with a clear, strong and very passionate voice, and he totally embraces the audience. A bit of an egotist, he scours the web for articles and other write ups on himself. He plays to the crowd, often incorporating ava names into his songs when appropriate.

Zak is a singer/songwriter/instrumentalist hailing from Southern California. Originally beginning his musical journey on piano, Zak picked up the guitar by the age of 7 and has added electric guitar, bass and harmonica to his songs. Trained at Berklee College of Music and Musicians Institute, Zak earned his degree in music from California State University. Zak began his current musical endeavors sort of spontaneously. He claims he "woke up one day and had songs in my head. It was a case of great circumstances that aligned at the right time. I had songs; I had access to a great recording facility; I had friends who wanted to help me realize this vision. So I did."

With a loyal, enthusiastic fan following, especially in SL, Zak always jumps at opportunities to performing his songs live. Zak is a performer/musician who exhibits great showmanship and has a very entertaining stage presence. Check him out if you get the opportunity.

By Shellie Sands

Limo to San Francisco please

Poppy Zabelin reports from the real life Second Life Community Convention in San Francisco

What is real and what is virtual? I’m in San Francisco for the Second Life Com rlmunity Convention and sometimes it’s hard to believe I flew halfway round the world. It took me nearly two days to get here from the UK as the flight I was due to take on Monday was cancelled. Why didn’t I just tp here?

Wednesday, August 12 A good friend shows me some of the sights of San Francisco. We buy picnic foods at the Ferry Building and take the ferry out to Sausalito, passing Alcatraz island on the way and getting a fairly clear view of the Golden Gate Bridge, which has always been completely shrouded in fog on previous visits. A magical day, with time to relax and to get used to the time difference.

Thursday, August 13, 9 am. Time to set off for the Westin St Francis Hotel where the convention is being held. When I arrive I follow the noise up to the mezzanine floor. There’s a gathering crowd around what looks like a registration desk, but no badges or programs to be seen. Gradually the story unfolds. The registration materials have failed to rez. Otherwise it’s business as usual, and the sessions are due to start at noon. Aside from the slight inconvenience of not knowing who’s talking at any particular time, no-one seems particularly bothered by the lack of badges and programs. In fact, it acts as an ice-breaker and gets us talking to each other. I meet Frans Charming and Rhiannon Chatnoir who are familiar faces from last year. Somehow I manage to meet up with Bri and Pookie Gufler – one of the volunteers, Glennan Glenerg who like me is from the UK, takes a picture of me on his cell phone to show Bri if he sees him. Now why didn’t I think of that. Bri is the Health Track leader and we have had several meetings in world during the process of putting the track together. Bri introduces me to Pathfinder Linden who will be on a panel on Saturday with Treasure Ballinger, Ricken Flow, and myself. And then, I meet Gentle Heron ...

I recognize Gentle by her voice and fall under her spell. Gentle is someone I have long admired and meeting her in person is a great thrill. She has multiple sclerosis and is unable to stand unaided, and if she has to go very far she uses a wheelchair, but she has turned her disability into a gift and has used her second life to make a difference not only for herself but also for many others. Gentle came into Second Life with several others looking for a community to support people with disabilities and when they didn’t find it they decided to create it. What started as the Heron Sanctuary has evolved into Virtual Ability, Inc., which now helps people with a wide range of disabilities to enter and thrive in Second Life. Earlier this year, Virtual Ability was one of two projects to win the first ever Linden Prize. It’s not hard to understand why. VA is fundamentally changing the way people play and learn in Second Life, and it is bound not to stop there as Gentle is still full of ideas for the future.

Somehow I navigate Gentle’s wheelchair (which was damaged on her flight to San Francisco) and we find a place to sit, and find ourselves talking with Dusan Writer, another person I’ve admired from a distance and who I learn later is Doug Thomson in real life, the CEO of Remedy Communications, and Shirlee Mills, who makes and sells pianos in Second Life. Later, Gentle introduces me to Harper Beresford and we three go off for lunch together, Harper takes over the driving and does a better job of it than me. The conversation sparks so many ideas. Later I look up Harper’s blog, called ‘Harper’s Bizarre’. It’s witty and insightful, just like its writer. There is food for thought in her blog piece about ‘charities in SL’.

In the evening we go to the Linden Lab Luau in the Yerba Buena Garden opposite the Moseum of Modern Art. At the door there are, of course, freebies ... It seems slightly surreal to be surrounded by so many Second Life residents and Lindens wearing brightly colored leis and eating real food. After the party Flash Alcott shows me the memorial to Martin Luther King which is behind a magnificent 50-foot waterfall. We listen to the water falling and read the inscription ‘No, No, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”’

And then on to the ‘Blarney Stone on Tour’ where the Blarney Stone Bar in Second Life has taken over the real life Sellers Market on Market Street for the evening. We listen to Second Life musicians in real life and drink beer. It’s the sign of a good party when the beer starts flowing and this one is no exception ... one glass of beer takes flight and lands on me! So, back to the hotel to wash and brush up...............

Relay for Life Of Second Life Goes to National Summit

Leaders of the Relay For Life of Second Life travelled to Dallas,Texas
this past weekend to participate in the 2009 Relay For Life Nationwide Leadership Summit.
The Summit is an annual activity bringing together Relay staff and
volunteer leadership for 2 days of training to help each Relay
improve and grow. Attendees from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom
and South Africa were joined by Second Life as honored guests. The
summit goers attended various workshops designed to arm them with the
newest innovations and ideas, reinforce basic Relay activities and
share individual ideas and successes.

Relay For Life of Second Life was represented by incoming Event Chair
Tayzia Abattoir, co-chair Nuala Maracas and Trader Whiplash. They
were joined there by Staff Partner Stingray9798 Raymaker.

Reuel Johnson, the American Cancer Society's Vice President for Relay
For Life specifically cited Relay For Life of Second Life during his
opening remarks, noting that the virtual Relay had exceeded its
target, raising more than $274,000, had attracted more than 120 teams,
and had over 750 years of survivorship represented on the track during
its opening lap on July 18th.

The avatar of Trader Whiplash, co-winner of the 2009 Spirit of Relay award in Second Life, presented a 3

minute video to the nearly 500 attendees, as part of the Quality portion of the summit.

A highlight of this year’s conference was the induction of longtime
Society volunteer Jeff Ross of North Carolina into the Relay For Life
Hall of Fame. Jeff is an 8 year Relayer who's passion and dedication
to Relay is overshadowed only by his unending passion for people and
life. He has been called upon to speak at Relays all around the globe
and is affectionately known as the Relay Preacher. He joins Dr. Gordy
Klatt, who in 1985 founded Relay For Life by running around a track in
Tacoma Washington for 24 hours raising $24,000 for the Society. Pat
Flynn known as the Mother of Relay, a friend and patient of Dr Klatt
who helped establish Relay as the Society's signature fundraising
event, the late Terry Zahn, a reporter and anchorman from Hampton
Roads, VA who produced a television series called “My Life With Cancer”
as well as 2 nationally-distributed videos encouraging communities to
hold Relay For Life events, and Dr. Bob Brodell who founded the first
Celebration on the Hill to bring Relay For Life to the Capitol, and
helped integrate the Advocacy role into Relay For Life.

For more information about the National Summit please contact Trader1 Whiplash or Stingray9798 Raymaker in world. To take part in the 2010 Relay for Life of Second Life or to stay informed please join SL's RFL Volunteer group.