See the World, Walk for Life

This weekend, Relay for Life participants were treated to a stroll (or run or skate) through beautiful builds representing 17 countries and a variety of climates and cultures.

In China.

Italy

My personal favorite is Australia (I will admit that I am somewhat biased, there are more sheep in real life Australia than there are people). Somewhat off the beaten path, Australia offers an immersive experience with wildlife, billabongs and the bones of stranded travelers.

Eeeee! Snake!

I am not sure how much longer the sims involved in the Relay for Life will be open to the public, so visit while you can! Try to spend some time exploring, many of the most interesting spots and activities are off of the main route.

The Starting Point, Chats (72, 208, 26)

PS I am not especially fond of the new picture taking system.

Postcard from Bora Bora

I was island hopping the other day and stumbled upon a real beauty: Bora Bora Isles. Doesn't everybody look for those lone sims scattered around the world map?

There are demo surf boards in the pool. Very fun!

Mathieu Basiat has modeled his island after the reef formations of real world Bora Bora. For the sake of comparison, a map of actual Bora Bora is located here. The combined elements of tropical scenery, sea life and the crash of Mathieu's waves (showcased to great effect along the coast), create a relaxing and soothing environment.

Bora Bora Isle is a sublime spot, particularly at sunset.

The Wave Lab, Bora Bora Isles (121, 138, 24)

Sim Neighbors

Max Case has developed a device which he has named the Registrator-Tron (now in version .4). This handy gadget attaches as a hud and generates a landmark to a random sim when clicked. Teleporting to the location shown on your map will take you directly to the center of that sim. You might end up in a casino or a lake or a tree, so tp with caution. The device also "registers" sims as you visit, providing database with a continuous supply of fresh information. The website will also tell you who your "sim neighbors" are, that is, the sims that share a server with yours!

My first try took me to a casino in Janus (Janus 127, 127, 66). And I spent a bit of time flying around after that and registered several sims that were new to the database. Woot! Eventually, I ended up in a parcel named Le Cimetiere that listed "vampire sex, goth and punk night club" as areas of interest. What I thought was interesting was that the area was surrounded by a very tall wall textured like the night sky.

The light blue circle at the bottom right is my Register-Tron.

While this looks a little odd when you are flying (and stops your progress when you fly into it), when you are on the ground it does provide the illusion of darkness.

Which is certainly a plus if you are a vampire. There is also a churchyard for those of you who are participating in the Dearly Departed photo competition.

You can get your own personal Register-Tron.4 in Games1. Click the swirly ball thing.

PS Ordinal Malaprop's Slurlchatter (available in the "Items Which are Free" box at Ordinal Enterprises has also proven to be an invaluable! Much like her Slurlbuilder, the Slurlchatter is an in-world tool that creates an on-the-spot slurl when clicked. An excellent resource for Baedeker entries. I have chosen to wear it on my right arm when exploring. It saves a great deal of time by eleminating the viscious cycle of rezzing and deleting.

Ranchos Grande de la Amigos (Games1 48,221,27) - home of the Register-Tron.4
That Casino (Janus 127, 127, 66)
Ordinal Enterprises (Caledon 96,32,0)

Pooh Sticks and the Port

Created by Angrybeth Shortbread, Pooh Sticks is just as lovely a way to relax in SL as it was for the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood.

Port (23, 16, 22)

When you've had enough relaxation, be sure to take a look at the rest of the Port sim. There are a lot of interesting (and bizarre) things going on within the 3D grid.

Pooh Sticks, Port (23, 16, 22)
The Port, Port (233, 69, 26)

Spaceport Alpha

One of the most exciting sims in SL (for me, at least) is Spaceport Alpha. I spent at least an hour at The International Spaceflight Museum during my initial exploration, and still didn't manage to see everything! Even if manned space flight is of no interet to you (You're telling me that the entire time you were growing up you never wanted to be an astronaut?), Spaceport Alpha is still well worth a visit.

For one thing, the rockets are built to scale. A handy height meter is provided to give you a better perspective of the scope of the project.

I'm that little dot to the right of the rocket in the foreground.

In addition to RL photographs, detailed models and live events, there are several interactive exhibits including a "clockwork" model of the solar system (to scale, of course, there are pointers to indicate Pluto), a rocket that blasts off with you inside and a planetarium. All exhibits are accompanied by a wealth of information in notecards and "spoken" presentations.

The individuals involved in the construction and maintenance of the International Spaceflight Museum are too numerous to list here, so take a peek at the group listing for Spaceflight Museum Planning. Officers include Kat Lemieux (founder), Shaun Altman, Chaac Amarula, Gearsawe Stonecutter, Kanker Greenacre, and Troy McLuhan. You have done a magnificent job!

I've saved the best for last! The museum has live NASA TV coverage of shuttle launches! Well, it will be live coverage as soon as a shuttle is actually launched (the last two attempts were scrubbed due to weather). On the original launch date, I and enough people to fill the sim - we removed our shoes and other attachments at one point so that others could squeeze in - turned up to enjoy "t-minus 9 minutes and holding."

Once the shuttle launch was scrubbed, participants indulged in a few fireworks and a rocket launch before the sim crashed.

The next shot at launch is July 4, you can find a description and a handy tp in the events listings.

International Spaceflight Museum, Spaceport Alpha (49, 79, 24)

PS The gift shop has freeze dried ice cream! I love that stuff.