How to get inside the Moon Base at Mos Ainsley in Second Life

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mos%20Ainsley/160/152/48 (you should arrive in flying mode, just in case.)

Mos Ainsley Moon Base

When I arrived at Mos Ainsley I was able to open the underground hangar.

Hangar, opened.

I was even able to rezz a shuttlecraft and fly it around a little.

Sign on wall of hangar.

Flying the rezzed shuttle -
Note that there are several Void Intersims around Mos Ainsley -
try to navigate over an active region.

But I was frustrated because the round airlocks were all sealed and the only door I could open still  left me outside of the main interior.  Apparently the outside airlocks have been sealed for some time. Some say they are hiding an alien.

This is the only door I could get to open.

I could still cam around inside the structures, but I couldn't get my avatar inside.
I even tried "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." in chat.

Then I remembered an old trick I had learned years ago for going through walls.
Go to your Build menu and rezz a cube.

Rezz a cube

Using your edit tools, push the cube through the door to the inside.

Make sure it is a clear space

Your "Linksets" Window - this is also a good tool to use to make sure you haven't
left anything behind when you are building. (Use the 'take' or 'delete' option then).

Then, in your Build tools, look for "Linksets". Click on the object, then click "Teleport me to it."

Teleported to the cube. My avatar is inside!

Here's another tip - some parts of the interior can be rather dark. You can select the cube and check 'light' to brighten things up a bit. Just attach it to yourself to take it along, and you can make it transparent if you want.

Now go have fun storming the Moon Base. Be sure to get your free spacesuit.

Note: There are other ways to go through walls in Second Life. See http://slresource.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-walk-through-walls.html

Another Machinima - A Visit to the Lilliputian Isles in Second Life

I've made another Machinima. It is actually in two parts starting at https://youtu.be/A_Q_RX_p8Eo. I made it because I read an old post in the Second Life forums where someone wrote that http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danu/190/57/40 was the start of a mini-quest. There were no details.

I went to visit Danu, but it took me a while to figure out that the key to solving the mini-quest was that you had to have a tiny avatar -- if you were a "bigger" you couldn''t see some of the clues, and it wasn't until a few days ago I found that the island chain starting with Danu Sim had been called "The Lilliputian Isles." The only Region that was specifically mentioned was Formidable, but as far as I can determine the sites include:

An island in the Danu Region of the Coastal Waterway below Satori continent.http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danu/159/102/21

Island in Danu Sim. The gate will only open for tinies.

The Lighthouse in Redoubtable and the Tiny Isle of Mist in the Intrepid Region.

The lighthouse in Redoubtable, and the Ruined Tower
 and Tiny Isle of Mist in the background.

My viewer lists the Lighthouse as a "Quest Hub" but I could find no clues there.*

The Fairy Grove in Brillant.http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brillant/90/31/31

Fairy Grove - the YavaPod Tour goes through, but does not stop.

An island in Genereux where there are large pots which are big enough to be houses for some tinies.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Genereux/163/53/22

An island in Generous

A depot for the Moles of the Linden Department of Public Works in Glorieux.

The equipment is just the right size for my tiny avatar,
but all the vehicles were locked.

The large sim of Meauxle Bureau in the sim of the same name which recreates a mole village.

Meauxle Bureaux

The "Mole Village" was originally built by Kayle Matzerath for the 2013 Fantasy Faire. The annual Faire raises money for the American Cancer Society. Usually these builds are taken down at the end of the event, but this one  was acquired by Linden Labs and in November 2014 they moved it to its current location. Now the spaces that held Faire merchants have been furnished to represent the moles' homes. It is full of interesting things to see. Unfortunately, when I visit it takes a while to rezz, but I think it is worth the wait to see.

The last island is an old fort damaged by volcanic activity in Formidable.

The Fort at Formidable. The guns are fun to play with.

If you want to visit you can teleport directly, or you can take a YavaPod tour from Basilisk that goes by most of the islands.

Part of a YavaPod Map.
The small pale blue loop is the route that goes past the islands.

Be aware that the sailable water in this area is very narrow (the light blue bordering the land). The dark blue represents the InterSim Void, or a big area of Nothing which you can't navigate.

There is a Nemo boat dispenser near the dock in Basilisk, but you can also pick up a simple free boat at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Barbarossa/170/20/21

These islands have been furnished with items that are sized for tinies, but they can be visited by larger avatars. The Tiny Isle of Mist is the only one I am aware of that has a mini-quest with clues only visible to a tiny avatar.

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*I do not know whether the "Tiny Isle Quest Hub" at the lighthouse in Redoubtable was ever finished, or if it was finished and then fell out of use. The interior furnishings and a few interactive gadgets look like they would fit in a quest, and there are blank visual display stands in the lighthouse which resemble the 'live' ones in the recreation of Garden Mole's residence in Meauxle Bureaux. Just another mystery which will probably never be solved, as Second Life seems to be steaming ahead to their "new and better" vision of the future.

For now, I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Second Life Cartoons & Other Attempts

I sent a cartoon in to the SLNewser, which they published under "Reader-submitted Cartoons".

A lot of people in Second Life made machinimas about "What Second Life Means to Me" to celebrate Second Life's Twelfth Birthday.  For what it is worth, you can see mine on YouTube at https://youtu.be/BIwM43F9G8g

Screenshot from the machinima. I liked the dinosaur avatar, but it was hard to find clothing for it.

A "Birthday Party" photo I sent to the collection on the SL Forums.

The Art of Moya in Second Life

Today I visited Moyaland in Second Life. Moyaland covers a large area that covers four sims. The large expanse is filled with the work of the French artist Patrick Moya.  The artist is said to be one of the first people to explore digital art. From Wikipedia:

"Moya's maxim has been "to please everybody while remaining avant-garde; to be everywhere without wasting oneself; to touch each medium while staying perfectly recognizable". He credits his time as a nude model for his healthy degree of exhibitionism and narcissism that gets duplicated as his cartoon alter ego. The result is art that crosses generations and genders. His work is often described as positive and jubllant."

 What this boils down to is that much of his art consists of sculptures and images of his last name, "Moya", and cartoon and sculptural self-portraits. 

At first I felt as if the artist was a little full of himself, but after a while I began to understand, and grew to enjoy it. Certainly, if you see four huge three-dimensional letters, an "M", an "O", a "Y", and an "A", it is easy to identify them as the work of the artist "Moya". I found some of the small sculptures, with the four letters intertwined, to be very charming.

Although his art is exhibited in real world galleries, I think this virtual space is a great place for his art. Where can you find a gallery that would hold a five-story statue, or that would pay for the electricity for the myriad lights and animations.

Moya's self-portrait as an angel overlooking part of Moyaland.

Here a giant 'noob' statue is collared by an "O"
while another "Moya" representation looks down.

The works cover an immense space, and so there are vehicles you can borrow or ride to get from one site to another. If you can find the Tourist Information Office, there is even a system of teleports you can use.

If you can find the tourist information center,
they have teleports to take you to all the different installations.

You can borrow this plane, and there are also cars and trolleys
you can use to explore.  

 

A room full of illuminated circuitboards and scrolling displays.

I climbed and climbed to get to the top of this building,
only to find that it is another Moya sculpture.
(See helicopter on shoulder for idea of scale).

Looking down from the neck, you can see some cartoon gears.

If you go still higher, you can see the statue's brains....

 

In another part of Moyaland there is a carnival with a parade.
Notice the Moya's in the audience. The "Moyas" and "The Lambs"
were everywhere.

Map of Moyaland

 

I ended up in an amusement park with a 'haunted house'. I never knew that going to an Art exhibit could be so much fun. It is certainly not like wandering through most art galleries. His work is like nothing else. I hope to visit Moyaland again.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moya/117/116/22 

Here is a link to a nice English-language PDF about Moya

Virtual Traffic

Driving down a Second Life highway today ran into a seven-car crash site. It appears that some residents have riderless vehicles going down the roads, and some of them don't seem to be able to navigate.

You can't see them all, but there are three passenger vehicles, three buses, and a tank truck.

I Have Become A Crazy Cat Lady (In Virtual Life)

I have been trying to blog about serious (or semi-serious) things in Second Life. I should be writing about the wonderful architecture and landscaping, Rockcliffe University's educational game about global warming, events that raise money for real-life charities, or even about the installation that includes a fast-food franchise in Hell.

Instead, I will tell you about my virtual cats. I have pictures. People who don't like cats can leave now.

It started, innocently enough, when I was first wandering around Second Life and one of the newcomer-friendly freebie sites had free cats.  Being a sucker, I took one. I soon learned that there is no such thing as "a free cat."

KittyCats, the major cat breeder in Second Life, has a wonderful business model.  The cost of the first feline may be very modest, but as time goes on you find that there are additional expenses. If your cat or kitten hasn't been fixed (made into a 'Perma Pet') it will need to be fed or it might run away or get sick.  KittyCats sells food, provides vet assistance, and helps locate lost animals. If you want to make the cat a "Perma-pet" so that it doesn't need to be fed, then KittyCats will sell you the elixir to do that.

There are, of course, many related items you can buy -- cat clothes, pillows, scratching posts, and even a small house. I actually lived in the Cattery Cottage for a short while after I accidentally deleted a new 'people' house I had bought. The Cottage is comparable in size* to Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond.

This is one of the more expensive things you can buy for your cats.  (About 50cents, US). 

The first cat I got was Victoria. She was too old to have kittens, so she didn't eat as much as a cat who was still kitten-bearing age (7 to 121 days), but I paid to have her made into a 'Perma Pet'.

Then came Desdemona. I think I bought her so that Victoria would have a friend.

Desdemona

Then came Feliz - he was a free kitten given away to celebrate Second Life's 9th birthday.

Feliz, wearing his party hat. (I took it off after I took the picture).

At some point I was given two kittens still in the birthing boxes, and they were still in my inventory over two years later when I returned to Second Life. I was surprised to see that the kitties were all still 'alive', and even more surprised when, shortly after the two new kittens were 'born' I got a message saying that a new update was available. A few clicks later, and all five felines were up to date, and had learned a few more tricks. (Wish that worked with my computer software.)

Kittens will ride on your shoulder, if they are in the mood.
(The floating text after their names reflects their status.
 You can set it to show all stats, or none.)

Now, KittyCats in Second Life are more than pets, raising them can, with luck and skill, be an income source.  The kittens come with seven genetic traits that can be passed on to their offspring: eye shape, pupil color, whisker shape, body shape, ear shape, shade, and tail type. Careful breeding can suppress 'ordinary' traits, and encourage the 'better' traits in future litters. Breeders keep careful track of their cat pairs (breeding involves nothing naughty, you just have to make sure the future parents get the proper food and care, and are close to each other) and then wait patiently for the female cat to 'drop a box'. Kittens with valuable traits may fetch high prices at auction, and their owners are in high regard in the large community of KittyCats breeders.

Cats are not the only 'breedable' pet you can buy in Second Life. Amaretto horses are very popular, as well as meeros, fennex, dragons (large and small), garden fairies, and many other creatures. For me, the KittyCats are the best because their designers keep adding new features. The Main KittyCats store is also fun to visit, with constantly-changing displays and new breeds of kitties.

In doing research for the blog I picked a random dealer from the 'approved' list published by KittyCats. I went to FelinesKittys, a virtual business which offers space to merchants who sell felines and related merchandise. This was set up like a large street fair, and I was very impressed by the ingenuity of the stalls.

I think this merchant sold software to make it easy to publish your cats' pedigrees.

I had told myself that buying virtual accessories for virtual pets was really frivolous, but I did buy an automatic feeder so that the new kittens wouldn't starve when I was away. 

I find them very amusing. Perhaps I am too easily amused. Certainly they have most of the good traits of real cats, and few of the bad.  Real life cats can cause complications. (Digression to RL now). For example, we are responsible for two semi-feral cats, and have installed a cat door so that the cats can come in at night. This morning my husband found a skunk making itself comfortable in the living room. Fortunately, it seems to have left peacefully. Darn cats!


*Thoreau's house was, I believe, 10 feet by 15 feet. The Cattery in Second Life is larger, but proportional since Second Life avatars need more room to move around.