Shameless

For anyone at all interested in machinima or photography, Fox Atomic Island is a treat.

I first became aware of Fox Atomic a couple weeks ago when I heard about the machinima contest.

While you're visiting the website, be sure to give I <3 Mutants a look!

The deadline for contest submissions has passed, winners will be announced Friday and I've started to wonder if the island will be available much longer. So take advantage of this opportunity to see the sites and pick up a free copy of the contest avatars and version 6 of the alt-zoom camera.

You never know when a mutant suit will come in handy.

Movie sets abound - this is no surprise, Fox Atomic is a branch of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Among the many "locations" for filming on the island are a foot ball stadium, a deserted mine, a beach scene with a jungle behind it and a nicely detailed bridge.

Young Ida wondered if she would ever make the team.

If that isn't enough to get your creative juices flowing, Sound Stages 1 and 2 have a number of additional sets: western, sky scene, jungle, suburban streets and green screen.

Everything seems quite enough...

The main building and amphitheater run trailers for the upcoming movies (enable your streaming video in preferences to watch).

All and all it is an intriguing example of real world marketing in a virtual setting. Kudos to Millions of Us and Fox for creating this interesting experience.

Fox Atomic (13, 13, 23) - avatars and camera are to the left
Football Stadium, Fox Atomic (196, 218, 23)
Sound Stage 1, Fox Atomic (119, 77, 22)
Sound Stage 2, Fox Atomic (51 147 22)
Main Building, Fox Atomic (32, 30, 23)

Zephyr Heights

I went to pick up one of Tripper Tapioca's Unicycles (it's for a Vaudeville act) and remembered how much I like Zephyr Heights. I found it very early on in my second life (there's a Boing Fromage) and have returned several times to make use of the fantastic skate park that is to the right of the arrival point.

Wear your helmet!

There is a lot more to this gritty urban sim than skateboards. Tripper has recreated small, rundown town in it's entirety, complete with a variety of bars and other seedy hangouts. There is a Bispa rental kiosk to the immediate right of your landing spot at a bus stop. Simply click to rez a scooter.

As soon as I turn this thing around I am riding off into the sunset.

Need groceries? Zmart is the convenience store.

Free Zershy Bars! Awesome.

To my unending delight - the movie theater shows Rocky Horror.

After the show - stop by Stella Waffles for a piece of pie.

Best pie in SL.

You'll find more ramps in the abandoned building in the northwest corner of the sim. There are roulette tables on the second floor.

Huh. I never did buy that unicylce. Good thing I made SLurls.

Skate Park, Zephyr Heights (97, 185, 24)
ZMart, Zephyr Heights (37, 183, 24)
Zephyr Films, Zephyr Heights (213, 208, 24)
Stella Waffles, Zephyr Heights (168, 216, 24)
Abandoned Building, Zephyr Heights (40, 228, 23)

There is a forced teleport to the bus stop, so it's best to use a combination of SLurls and the map to get around.
There is a residential area toward the south with the same gritty charm (and a psycho's cabin in the woods).

Up to Somethin'

Ever since that whole Volcano Tragedy at Tableau, the amount of sunny boardwalk recreation in my Second Life has been sparse. This changed when I dropped by Mischief Cove.

Not a volcano in site.

The Cove is loaded with cute shops (and a free gift or two) arranged around a nice, long board walk that is perfect for roller-skating.

I totally caught that shark myself.

The outdoor cafe area offers opportunities for lounging in the sun as well as coffee and hot dogs from nearby carts.

Just a tip: don't roller-skate with your coffee cup attached. Ouchy.

And, of course, no waterside build is complete with out sunbathing on the beach.

The shop rental office is in the lifeguard stand.

Miko Omegamu seems to have done most of the building (this observation is based solely on my hovertips), but either she or MissPrint Mahoney may be contacted for rental information. The private residences located on the outer edges of the island are also stunning, well-detailed builds. Be respectful if you choose to take a look around; with or without ban lines, those are people's homes.

As an added attraction, Mischief Cove also offers free classes (search in events for "Mischief") on a floating barge in the center of the cove. I'll be back tomorrow to make a Blingin' Diamond Ring. It's every girl's dream!

Mischief Cove, Mischief (147, 154, 24)
Roller Skates, Skoopf Vendor, Mischief (131, 97, 24)
Skinned Knee (available as a texture), Panjen, Abscence (162, 118, 25)
Beach, Mischief (239, 116, 21)
Chester!, Mischief (186, 118, 3) - Not Pictured

For more information and a compete calendar of Mischief Cove events, visit mischiefisland.com.

Benediction

In the sim of Wildcat, a remote hermitage is nestled into the slope of the land.

The lintel is inscribed with the words "God Alone."

The area is called St. Benedict's Monastery in the land title and St. Theophane's Monastery in the owner's picks. I was unable to get in touch with prioress, Francois Jacques, to confirm the name (it's Update Day). Francois' profile names Eva Virgo as the creator of many of the structures.

The build is well planned and executed, if you follow the walkway up the hill from the first SLurl, you will find yourself outside the Monks' Enclosure.

Individual cells are also located in this complex.

A small cemetery is located further along the path.

The old abbot is buried here.

Turn to the right and climb the several sets of stairs to the chapel and bell tower, where you can in lose yourself in silent meditation and prayer.

chapel

It is easy to imagine the residents going about their accustomed rounds in the seclusion and peace of the abbey.

Front Gate, Wildcat (53, 170, 36)
Monastic Enclosure (do not enter), Wildcat (77, 111, 46)
Cemetary, Wildcat (96, 47, 49)
Chapel, Wildcat (42, 42, 95)

Once again, my thanks to Pinget for the landmark.

An Evening Out

In the already stunning sim of Intemptesta Nox, there is an unfinished build of surpassing grandeur.

The Opera Populaire.

Sue Stonebender has modeled the Opera Populaire after the L'Opera Garnier in Paris (designed by Charles Garnier and constructed between the years 1862-1875) and the set design of the recent film Phantom of the Opera. Though incomplete, the build is hardly unimpressive. The missing walls and gridded building textures do not detract from the finished portions of the build, but rather add to the haunted quality of the area.

The front of the building with its unfinished columns.

The entrance hall.

The view from the stage.

Magnificent view of the sunset through the open wall.

I believe that building is already haunted.

Opera Populaire, Intemptesta Nox (189, 155, 75)

Sue Stonebender is currently out of world due to health issues. When you are finished exploring the opera house, I encourage you to take a look around the beautiful Intemptesta Nox and it's sister sim, Sanctum Sanctorum.

Unnamed

Unexplored. Unpaved. Un-populated.

Unnamed(16,9)

These are sims so new that they aren't even represented as grid squares on the map. It is the wilderness of Second Life.

Maybe I'm the first avatar to set foot in this new land.

Primeval. Raw. And lag free.

Unnamed(14,10)

My Registrator-Tron didn't recognize their existence (version .51 - now with an in-world sim neighbor feature and giftability).

Hurry. Visit before it is too late.

Empty, Unnamed(16,9) (159, 116, 56)
Empty, Unnamed(14,10) (151, 132, 26)
Registrator-Tron .51, Green (190, 170, 22)

They are so new that SLurls don't work. You can get there the old fashioned way: type in the coordinates on the map screen.

Marooned!

I was out and about in my Wee Tiny Tako this morning when I saw smoke on the horizon.

The Wee Tiny Tako seats both big and little people, but why not wear a tiny suit?

I beached my boat and hopped out to have a look around. Harry "Astrohog" Linden seems to have crashed his spaceship on this tiny island.

Anybody got a fire extinguisher?

The wreckage is still smoking, but the island was abandoned. The passengers must have been rescued soon after they set up camp and discovered the therapeutic mud bath. Perhaps they realized that they could fly and simply levitated to safety, abandoning their supplies. When you visit, look around for a Space Chest with fun freebies including a model of the Hog Space Craft.

Hog Spacecraft Crash Site, Mohrr (195, 200, 21)
Wee Tiny Tako, Home of the Flying Tako Sailboat, Gray (35, 162, 21)
Tiny Sheep Suit, ExtroVirtual - Wynx's Whimsical Wonders, Flights of Fantasy! Emit Time (68, 180, 24)

World->Region/Estate brings back the water.

Tributary

The Riverwalk is an open air art and community center, built along the shores of Snake River. Near the arrival point is a guidebook notecard - I strongly suggest you pick one up - the area is sprawling. The guidebook also gives a history of how the area has grown and changed over time. The Cliffhouse, the Riverwalk's original build, was created in the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright: clean lines and an appreciation of the surrounding landscape. The area grew, as builds often do, but it maintains the feeling that the structures are part of the land rather than being built on the land.

The Cliffhouse, like all of Riverwalk, is open to the public.

The Cliffhouse contains a variety of casino games as well as classic board games to play. Down the steps is the Swan Boat Rental Dock where L$5 will buy you 30 minutes of quite time on the water. All proceeds directly support The Riverwalk. For a brief tour of the area, grab a seat in one of the Swan Boats that are meandering along the river.

The Swan Boats are built for two.

Surrounding the Cliffhouse are meandering paths, patios with scenic overlooks and unexpected sculpture gardens. There is also an unusual maze of stone columns to the North. There is art everywhere. Art by RL artists in SL that has been uploaded - photographs, paintings, sketches - as well as prim sculpture is around every corner and leaning against every railing. If you are looking for that special piece to hang on your wall, or maybe a gift for a Valentine, I can almost guarantee you'll find it here.

"Hand Stand" by Starax Statosky. Not for sale.

Have I mentioned the sky diving? No? Buy the Parchute for L$0, hop in the jet propelled Octopus Launcher and you are ready to go. SL was having some inventory issues when I was visiting, so I relied upon my PoppinsUmbrella instead.

Falling from 15,000 meters is a great way to see the world.

I'm going back to enjoy the nightly fireworks as soon as I figure out what time sunset happens. Hope to see you there.

The Riverwalk, Ganymede (25, 227, 25)
The Riverwalk Cliffhouse, Ganymede (124, 241, 31)
Swan Rentals, Ganymede (111, 209, 21)
Maze Entrance, Europa (10, 27, 28)
Sky Diving, Ganymede (70, 175, 25)
PoppinsUmbrella, Mahoroba, Shaka, (110, 219, 25)

Bonus find: Dam across the river by Xenon Linden, Ganymede, (203, 118, 41)

Note: there is a forced landing spot for teleports, look to the red lines/dots that the SLurls create to find the locations.
As always, World->Region/Estate will bring the water back.

The Great Wall

A 50 meter high wall of Linden origin spans the Northern continent (Heterocera Atoll) from Spini to Horisme.

It's an Imposing Structure.

I was unable to contact the creator to ask for more information: Governor Linden did not appear in Search->People. I was able to pull her profile from the land ownership page - this reduced my concern (and the possible impact on SL politics) somewhat.

The Great Wall crosses 13 sims. (The wall is that grey line.)

Each entrance has a staircase that leads to the dimly lit interior. It is possible to walk the length of the wall along a seemingly endless corridor.

That's not the light at the end of the tunnel, it's the end of my draw distance.

Or to run along the top, where the scenery is a little better.

There appear to be caterpillars etched in relief on the outer walls. Could this mean something?

A word of caution if you are inclined to run at breakneck speed along the top of the wall: sim crossings (where everything goes a bit phantom) can be dramatic at that height.

The wall gives the impression of great age. Residents have built shops and homes against its imposing sides. Many of the blocks with which it was made are showing the tell-tale signs of prim drift. Portions of the roof seem to have caved in completely.

The auto-return might also be having issues.

The History Wiki was frustratingly devoid of any information about the purpose of the wall, although Magellan Linden's exhibition notes might prove fascinating. If anyone has more information concerning this historic build, or knows the whereabouts of the Governor, please contact Ida Keen, Amida, Second Life. Leave your comments after the beep.

Ways into The Wall can be found at:
The Northern End, Spini (73, 137, 100)
Jubata (166, 150, 101)
Tyta (226, 238, 114)
The Southern End, Horisme (67, 53, 132)

Giant Max Case Statue (not pictured), Obscure (19, 129, 100)