Costa Rica

Today I visited Costa Rica! Now, this sim is designed to promote tourism in RL and it does make a trip to this country seem very appealing. However, the sim is not bloated with all kinds of ugly promotional material and the SL experience is highly rewarding. As nature sims go, this is one the best I've seen; very interactive, very seamless.

Costa rica is a beautiful nature sim complete with a variety of exotic birds, deer, panthers, and some other beasts that you may want to be aware of, for they are certainly aware of you.

Hang gliding is a riot! It's free and fast! Definitely try this out if you have the stomach for it. You can fly anywhere in the SIM for as long as you can remain airborn. It's a great way to see Costa Rica.

White water rafting is an essential part of the tour and the best way to enjoy the scenic beauty of the river valley. You will get wet. It is also the most direct route to the beach. 

Be careful as you leave the boat. The pool is closed and some very menacing alligators have taken over.

There is a surf shop at the beach so you can change out of those wet things and do beachy things such as swim, hire a Jetski, surf, or work on your tan. Make sure to visit the volcano and the excellent shops dangerously close to it. There's a lot more to see here but I'll have to be brief. I'm packing my bags tonight. 

I will be actually in RL Costa Rica next week so if you happen to be there as well, keep an eye out for me and say hi!

Enjoy,

--pika

Visit Costa Rica

The Arts in Second Life

Hi! today I'm going to talk about art in Second Life. As much as I love SL, there are days when everything I see is a bad trip to the psychedelic eyesore mall. It is on days like this when I really appreciate the work of great artists in SL. 

Anshe Chung's Dresden Gallery is realistic replica of the Dresden Gallery and home to a brilliant collection of old masters, complete with histories note cards and an audio tour. Remember to pick up the free headphones in the lobby. One of my favorite things to do here is just waltz around the courtyard.

Visit The Dresden Gallery

The Grid Gallery in Idearium was one of the first really good art galleries I was shown in SL and is still around although they have moved the art to a new building across from the original schoolhouse.

Much of  what I was witness to in the past was the work of RL painters but the collection seems to be moving in a New Media direction. Brilliant nonconventional Photography as well. 

Visit The Grid Gallery

The Collective in Gourdneck is home to the real life Leed's College of Art and Design. A lot of what the students have done is tailored to Second Life. These artists are exploring a new frontier for art and we're just seeing what works and what doesn't through the palettes of these art pioneers. The gallery in Gourdneck has a few films to enjoy, as well as paintings and sculpture.

Visit The Collective in Gourdneck

Also managed by this group is the Design for Digital Media Lab. The Collective Region is more of an art studio for the students but I have found they are welcoming to visitors and happy to answer questions or chat. Really worth a look to see what people are working on.

Visit The Collective on Collective Island

Second Louvre in Tompson is neither a replica of the actual building nor is the art in this SIM is reflective of what is showing at the actual Louvre. I have included it in my list because there is some really interesting sculpture in SL and this collection shows some fine examples. In talking about Second Life art, there primarily are two schools: representational and trip out. Second Louvre leans heavily towards the trip out. 

Visit Second Louvre

I just recently discovered Sintetika - the lovely and talented Ginger Eclipse invited me over the other night to see her SIM and I was amazed. The artwork is amazing, poetic and thought provoking.

Two main galleries (Kentro and Hazard - the one with the rocket powered pirate sailing ship crashed in to it) are displaying work now with current exhibitions by by Enki Bilal, Philippe Druillet and Squaz. If you can read Italian, there is a ton of written material on the artists and their work. Sadly, I cannot.

Miss Eclipse is kicking off the SIM with some late night (for me) dance parties. I'm going to try my best to stay up late enough to attend the next of these.

Visit Sintetika

I will be writing a lot more about art in Second Life. Remember, if you have any tips for us, drop us a note to let us know what you would like to see covered. Support the arts!

--Pika

Changes : Tableau

Change comes to Second Life:

When Tracy and I met, I was nearly a year old but had been away from Second Life for many months. I found upon returning that many things had changed drastically.

The first things I noticed were disappearing SIMs or SIMs I had once been fond of changing drastically for the worse, In my opinion. Avalon, once a symbol of utopian futurism and home to Duran Duran had become a trade fair for the usual furniture and AV accessory vendors. Overdrive Island had been one of my favorite places to visit. Again, this SIM had been remade as merely a shopping mall with a futuristic vibe.

I was saddened to hear from a friend that Tableau had been remade in much the same model. I had to see it for myself. I expected the worst but was pleasantly surprised with a truly beautiful SIM, reminiscent of an American southern town lit up for the holidays with Christmas lights shaped like Chile Peppers. The town square is lush and inviting and by the way, the shopping is better than ever. Fashionably Dead (the psychadelic haunted house), Tiny Sea Dog, and the Nylon Outfiitters are just a few of the excellent shops.

A "tunnel of love"-esque swan shaped boat ride commemorates the changeover from the old Tableau with it's Area 51 theme to the current haunted bayou and giant lizard theme.

Across the swamp from the central square, there is a spooky graveyard complete with green fog obscuring the grass and your feet as you tip toe through the graveyard, wary of waking the residents.

A giant Crocodile guards the town from atop a hillside. Don't be afraid to enter his mouth. Inside his belly is Cafe De Croc, a very cozy little club with a fireplace, crystal chandelier and showgirl swings.

If more shopping Sims could take a clue from Tableau, I would very much welcome exploring them and writing stories on this blog. So change doesn't have to be a bad thing. Next time I'm blogging to you about sculpted shoes. Who knew?

Visit Tableau

WhoDoo? You Doo with Voodoo at Temenos

Get your Neko-Voodoo vibes flowing


Your crack reporter has stumbled upon another Second Life shopping gem. As you know, the run of the mill shopping experience is not for my crowd. Not only do we want high quality at low prices, we want an unusual shopping experience while we get fitted out. Temenos Island delivers on all counts.

I ran into Amy Faulkes, a loyal Temenos shopper while on my last research trip to the shop. When I asked her about Temenos she said it’s always been her first choice for neko gear, and she was on her way to sort out some new boots to go with her outfit. I had previously seen a couple pairs of gorgeous boots in the shop, so I’m sure she left a happy customer.


It’s a delight to find a sim owner who can not only design great clothes and send them out the door at a great price, but who knows how to design and build their shop to present a unique face. Zoe Llewelyn has put together a beautifully strange shop, one that grabs your attention and holds it like a spooky movie.

It takes more than just a quirky shop to take this reporter to her paypal account though. Even for a non-neko Temenos has a lot to offer. Great clothes, skins, tattoos and accessories with a twist. For me the hoodies were an excellent deal, and at the time of this writing I’m sitting in some lovely lace delicates purchased at a seemingly insane low price from Zoe.


Ms. Llewelyn doesn’t stop the show at the shop though. Her profile presents a picture of a talented designer, and her first life page makes one both sympathize and feel the voodoo vibes. She lives the role, and leaves room for belief that it’s not just an act. You can find her own net efforts at Boneflower , a beautifully designed blog at Google blogspot.

It’s a master craftswoman who paints such a total picture. One feels as if one is buying not just a great set of clothes, but a great story to go with it. Temenos Island comes highly recommended by this reporter for your shopping and sightseeing pleasure.

Walking the Perimeter

Take a walk with Pika and Traci....


Hold our hands and explore the world of social phenomena, culture, sightseeing and shopping. The Perimeter is the border betweeen light and dark, the place where burning man burns, the line between real and virtual.

Come with us and explore the line. Hold hands with Pika and Traci. We promise an interesting walk....