When culture comes to you

My new favourite (a pink sari)

It was my great pleasure to attend the wedding ceremony of two friends who were united in marriage on Sunday, August 4 at 10:30 pm slt.

I am always happy to attend a wedding because they really are beautiful and so special when two people decide to commit their Second Lives to one another.

This one, however, was very unusual for me. It was the first wedding I have attended in the East Indian tradition. It was very beautiful.
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The Bride and Groom arrive

Wedding Party assemble

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The bride rode an elephant to the wedding party and then was escorted by her groom and surrounded by four bridesmaids into the wedding pergola.

Some of the most special traditions were how the bride and groom's union is witnessed for the gods by an official and how their elders (in this case, grandparents) have a special role to bless the wedding and welcome their new family member.

Bride and Groom

Couple seated with Officiant and Elders

The bride and groom, their elders and the official sat around a warm fire. The wedding party stood behind the bride and groom. Perhaps the most special of all was how the wedding couple walked seven times around a central flame to bless seven separate wishes that the couple hope for in their marriage. [I wish I had had the presence of mind to keep those from local chat.]

Seven Circles of Blessing

The Wedding Officiant

When all was done, the guests (who were sitting on chairs outside of the four sides of the pergola) stood and cheered with congratulations. We were then escorted to witness the bride and groom have a moment of prayer together as their first married act. And when that was done we all went into the reception area and they enjoyed their cake and had a first dance. It was a very joyful time. One I will not forget.

The reason this has made it to the pages of my blog is because this is part of the reason I love Second Life. I know the pixels can't do it justice, but this little glimpse into the traditions of another culture's celebration of love is worth logging in for!

Blessings to you both.

SL10B Spotlight on... Social Service Exhibits

I saved this category for the last of my tours on purpose. Without a doubt, these are the most poignant to me and that's chiefly because it's so impressive how people come into Second Life, not to escape and hide and play... but to give back!

The two I profiled here are just some of the many service providers in Second Life who push us all toward trying to make the virtual world a little bit better.


Exhibit: "Co-Dependents Anonymous Recovery in SL" 
Exhibitor: Aine Bealtaine (abealtaine)

"Is a fellowship of people in SL, whose comon purpose is to develop healthy relationships.  We meet Sundays at 5pm SLT. Please join our group for more information about CoDA and our meeting location.

Our booth presents offical CoDA links and information, and there are SL Group Joiners there.  We also set up a small play park for your inner child and you to enjoy!

Please IM Aine Bealtaine for more information."

Aurie: And have you participate in earlier SL Birthdays?

Aine: This is the first year (to my knowledge) that CoDA has had an exhibit


Aurie: Do you plan to apply again for next year?

Aine: Yes I hope so - as long as the group agrees. Our goal is to raise awareness of our group.


Aurie: What was it that appealed to you about participating in SL10B?

Aine: Well, when I started in SL, two years ago, the first place I visited was SL8B and SL8B made such an impression on me


Aurie: how so?

Aine: It was wonderful to wander around and get a taste of what SL has to offer! Our CoDA group has only been around since last August. So this is the first year for us.


Aurie: Do you feel this event was beneficial to your group? and if so, how?

Aine: Yes due to the additional membership :) I think our participation in SL10B has been very positive, and I hope we will again be involved with SL11B!


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Exhibit: "Acorn2Oak PTSD Community"
Exhibitor: ღ Anya ღ  (anya.ibor)

Fearless Nation’s Virtual World program, Acorn2Oak is a wonderful way to support and assist people with PTSD in recovery. SL’s international, multicultural, and diverse environment helps make a big world small, and is a very good match for PTSD recovery. I hope people will stop by our sim to learn more and spread the word that PTSD is not a scary condition, and that every RL and SL community must do their part to help victims of trauma rejoin society.

If you know someone with PTSD, please honor their pain and loneliness by becoming educated about PTSD. Most of all: Be their friend and try to understand what they are going through.

We have a lot of information on our website too: http://www.fearless-nation.org

Aurie:  Have you participated in any of the SL Birthday events before this year?

Anya: No, this year was the first time—I think probably because the registration announcement to apply was on the login page of my viewer. In years past I was only aware of SL’s Birthday celebrations after they had started. So it was a real honor to be part of the 10th!


Aurie: Do you think you will apply again?

Anya: Yes indeed! It is very important for the public to have access to accurate, factual PTSD information because there is so much stigma, stereotyping and misinformation about it.


Aurie: What was your goal in participating?

Anya: To raise awareness about PTSD: It is Fearless Nation’s 501c3 mission to banish PTSD stigma by educating the public: The unprecedented rate of PTSD-related suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers and veterans is proof that more needs to be done. People with trauma won’t seek help for because of the “Rambo” stereotypes, the stigma and possible loss of a job a boss finds out one has PTSD, and society’s fear that people with PTSD are a danger to others—when nothing could be farther from the truth. PTSD sufferers self-stigmatize: 99.99% will commit suicide before harming anyone else. The current rate of PTSD-related deaths bears this out.


Aurie: Anya, what did you like best about SL10B?

Anya: It was amazing to see the range and depth of the SL population! So many brilliant and creative people in SL for a breath-taking range of reasons, such as art, RP, gaming, content creation, charity and support, national pride, and so much more. The exhibits were all wonderful, but the sheer variety of international interests and creativity shown all in one place is magnificent.

Come visit our permanent location!  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Acorn2Oak/127/126/22

SL10B Spotlight on... Art Exhibits

One of the most amazing parts of Second Life is the wide variety and enormous scale of the artistic talent online. In this virtual world, we have the privelege of seeing so many talented visionaries with a great gift for the arts.

If you haven't seen them at SL10B, don't worry because they are all over Second Life every day of the year!

Here is one of the many amazing pieces...

Exhibit: "The Evan Moonshine Lepidoptera Museum"
Exhibitor: Evan Moonshine

This museum represents only a small fraction of the beauty that exists on this planet. Through many years of RL work, each specimen in his private collection was personally prepared, tagged, framed, then scanned and brought into SL.

His avid collecting of Leps began when he was a child and continues on to this day. He has many rarities in his collection including a pair of Speyeria diana from Virginia now known to be extinct, and a one in a million half male-half female, gynandomorphic papilio glaucus, which are both on display in SL at his Lepidoptera Museum.

This exhibit represents only a third of his extensive real life collection. 15% of these butterflies and moths were collected by him, and the rest by other people from around the globe. A big thanks to all those who actually risked their lives to collect some of these.

Aurie: How long have you been building for the SL Birthday events?

Evan: This is my first time Aurie


Aurie: Do you plan to apply again for next year?

Evan: Oh yes! It was a great experience


Aurie: What do you like best about the event?

Evan: The diversity. Nothing better than personal expression.


Aurie: is there anything else you'd like to mention?

Evan: *smiles* I want to send a special thank you to my wife for her inspiration and support.

SL10B Spotlight on... Individual Exhibitors

Many of the exhibitors are not there with a commercial group, they are just there to express some of their own favourite things, funny things, and lots of other little things about Second Life.

On a whim, I decided to apply this year! I had never been involved in any of the previous SL Birthday events so this was a real leap into the unknown. I invited a group of dear friends to know about the exhibit and to contribute their ideas.

Exhibit: "Connected"
Exhibitors: Aurie Elton, Ginevra Perdide

This exhibit is a rotating Earth with many cables extending in all directions and from a variety of places around the world. Each cable leads to dialogue that is meant to represent how we all come from our own parts of the world and grow to love one another ... all connected through our Second Lives!

Was this your first SL Birthday? Yes


Will you apply again next year?

Yes and I am already thinking of next year's message.


What did you like best about SL10B?

I really loved getting to meet so many people as an Exhibit Assistant and at the events on stages. I also had the privilege of making many new friends over the past two weeks. This event proves that SL is more than all the things that give it a bad reputation. It's about creativity, international collaboration and it allows our life paths to intersect in unexpected ways. Second Life really is about far more than the pixels. It's about being connected to people you might otherwise never know.


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Exhibit: "Forever Dreams"
Exhibitor: AlεXandяεa Tuxing-Barbosa (tintin.tuxing)

"A Japanese garden which I built. It's a very tranquil artistic display with some wonderful textures which I have collected throughout my years in SL and with a love of flowers and gardens."

Aurie: Is this your first SL Birthday?

Alexandra: I've done three so far.

Aurie: Do you think you will apply for SL11B?

Alexandra: Oh yes!

Aurie: What do you like best about the SL10B?


Alexandra: I really like the building. It's a great way to express myself.

Aurie: Yes, building is the great equalizer in some ways :)


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Exhibit: "Sky-View Lounge in SL10B"
Exhibitor:  Ray (ray.weyland)

"This build does not commemorate anything, isn't a model of anything, and doesn't have any special attributes.  It's just something fun I wanted to contribute to Second Life's 10th Birthday Party bash. However, I took some ideas from RL (rotating lounge with a view) and some ideas from past towers I've built and created this, like I said before, just for the fun of it.

Also for the fun of it, I've put out some pictures on the ground level of predecessors of this build."

Aurie: Have you participated in the earlier SLBirthday celebrations?

Ray: I was in SL07 and SL08 .. my "View from the Manor" exhibit about a SL-based book I started.


Aurie: So this year you changed the theme of your exhibit?

Ray: yes .. I figured I wanted something just for fun because I knew I was going to be busy in RL during that week.


Aurie: And do you think you will want to participate again in SL11B?

Ray: I think so .. I love to build.  But, it depends on if inspiration hits during the application process or not :-)


Aurie: What do you like most about the SLB events?

Ray: oh .. man!  Just about everything!  I love seeing all the creativity .. the fun people have .. and just how hard people work to make this happen

SL10B Spotlight on... Commercial Exhibitors

I hope you've all had a chance to visit the 15 sims of exhibits! They are truly amazing. I will be spending the next several posts spotlighting exhibitors. I was fortunate enough to talk with several Exhibitors and, without exception, I have been thrilled to get to know them.

Exhibit: "It Takes a Village to Create a Home"
By: SkyeRyder Varriale
Exhibitor's Web site

Aurie: How long have you been building for the SL Birthday events?

Skye: this was my first year and it was a very pleasant experience

Aurie: Yay! :)   Do you plan to apply again for next year?

Skye: oh yes!


Aurie: What do you like best about the event, Skye?

Skye: I liked seeing what other people are up to in SL.  As a builder with a huge store I don't have the time to always explore as much as I like. Now I have several places I know I want to go see. I was also impressed with all of the grass roots social programs we have here. We hear a lot of negative things about SL but the event put things in a really good light overall.

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Exhibit: "Flight in SL"
By: Spartan Industries
Contact: Public Affairs, Astryl Gunawan (astryl.bing)

Rising from the Dazzle sim; a floating hologram in the shape of a Spartan Helmet marks the "Flight in SL" display of Spartan industries.

Behind the Lynx Wildcat, or other finely crafted helicopter on display rises the IMAX style screen.  On this screen we show films of flight in Second Life and the occasional musical interlude ;o)

Come explore the Civilian or Military helicopter on display (these change daily) or have a seat on the sofa and look at our book of flight while you enjoy a Tim Horton's coffee and donut. Grab a frozen treat from our ice cream cart, or pick some free souvenirs from our gift vendor.

Remember to take your complimentary gift bag from the front of the display. and drop your pictures of SL flight in our mailbox to be displayed!

Enjoy yourself, and Happy Happy Birthday to SL!

* Photos courtesy of Astryl Bing *



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Exhibit: "Breakers: A Great Place to Live"
By: Smilemaker Mathy

A salute to Breakers (New England fishing vilage) past, present, and future.  It features billboards with pictures from the past (tavern), present (Librar/book club corner), and future (house) depicting Breakers as it has been, activiities in the recent past, and future homes for new residents.

Aurie: How long have you been building for the SL Birthday events?

Smilemaker: This was my 2nd event to build. I built for SL8B and SL10B and stage managed for the last three.

Aurie: Do you plan to apply again for next year?

Smilemaker: Yes, definitely next year!

Aurie: What do you like best about the event?

Smilemaker: The variety of exhibits! This is my 3rd birthday celebration and it only gets better each year. Hard to imagine that this year can be better.

SL10B Spotlight on... Bear Island

A charming and indulgent little display of the cute bears that our Linden landlords have created over the years to represent themselves and to acknowledge landmark Second Life events! From what I am told, if you ask a Linden for a bear, they should have one that they built to give to residents just for asking.

If you want them all at once, come get one at SL10B Bear Island quickly! They are all free!

If you're curious about the tradition behind the Linden Bear, take a look here... there is a reasonable display of the bears (although quite a few are missing).

In addition to being a fun way to see a bit of the personality of the person behind the Linden, it's a cute collectible and a fun way to choose a "favourite" for non-standard ways.

So let's see how well you know me...

I chose two bears. Any ideas which two?

Torley Bear

Lino Linden Bear... it's all about the Leaf!

SL10B - The builds behind the tunes

Each of the stages has a crazy atmosphere that is very unique and captured in the creation of it's master builder(s). I have to say that my pilgrimage to the stages was a highlight for sure!

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STAGE 1: CAKE
[built by Donpatchy]

Why is it called the Cake stage? Zoom out! It's the most amazing eco-stimulating cake/treehouse I have ever seen and I have to say, it's a great example of imagination meeting freedom in our virtual empire. I walked all over and saw so many absolutely fascinating little details and even slipped through the floor into a huge mass of icing... if it wasn't a G rated sim that might have been a whole other experience!

While there, a great DJ was entertaining with jazz and her music covered many of my absolute favourites! It was hard to pull myself away and focus again on the imagery. 

Do go and visit the Cake Stage!

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STAGE 2: LAKE

[Built by Kaz]

Lake Stage is a trip down Alice in Wonderland's rabbit hole into a most amazing lost world where you dance and sway the time away on massive interconnected mushrooms. It truly inspires the eye and the mind. CS Lewis would have been pleased to see the imagery fittingly offer music a place to talk to our subconscious.

Layer upon layer of ascending mushroom platforms offer many vantage points and the calendar was an impressive line-up of talented residents.

I enjoyed some pretty outstanding house beats and would have waited for more scheduled DJs had it not been for my looming deadline.

I will be back on the Lake for sure!

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STAGE 3: REACTOR

[built by KT Syakumi]

This stage was totally haunting. With the combination of the colours and the outstanding texturing, the Reactor was an amazing setting for the trance, house and pop deejays who came to bring life back to the charged nuclear hideout!

This controversial setting was the most intense commentary on how life's grim realities can still jump with the life and happiness of people, imagination, friendship and time! For those sensitive to the Reactor's overtones, be advised that it is not in any way belittling to the long and winded human journey into fission.

Every time your loved one has a CT scan or a MRI remember that there have been some important positives as the silver linings on our human-made clouds.

Come and dance and lose yourself while we reclaim life @ the Reactor!

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STAGE 4: TURTLE STAGE

[built by Flea Bussy & Toady Nakumaru]

We are not the form of life that has walked the earth forever. We share this world with others and this stage is an oversized acknowledgement of those we live with. While online we might only connect directly with other online people but each of us, from our own corners of the world, bring with us insights, sensitivtities and deeper awareness of the species we share with.

While at the Turtle Stage I was mesmerized by the interlocking tusks of our elephant sentries. As the live musician played saxophone from some city far from me I was enchanted by the connection of the reed's magic and the visual backdrop of the ivory tusks rendered in a wooden/stone texture.

Long live music and may we have a humility of our global roommate species.

Enjoy the talented musicians (and deejays) who lead your safari at Turtle Stage!

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Although this post was focused on the build talents, kudos must go out to:

# The gifted and generous musicians and deejays who never fail to impress. Thanks for your skill and time!

# The Stage Leads who coordinate their calendars. The builders would not enjoy empty stages so thanks to you guys who made it come alive!

• Cake Stage: Linda Sautereau 
• Lake Stage: Fedora Jones 
• Reactor Stage: Golan Eilde  and  LostSoul Loxely *24/7 calendar* 
• Turtle Stage: Jahman Ochs

  * interviews with the stage leads posted here by DrFran Babcock, an esteemed blog colleague...*

# and shout out to the dozens of Managers who helped to promote and moderate the setting!

SL10B - Ten Years of Second Life

This hidden treasure is maybe one of the best promoted secrets.

SL10B has been my inaugural involvement with the celebration of the Second Life anniversary. This year is the 10th birthday for our virtual universe.

From what I am told, it seems that this is an event entirely organized, coordinated and executed by residents and for residents. Those who are so inclined offer their time as volunteers to assist with the many facets of the event. Most remarkably, there is one person who funded the 20 sims which have been rented for two full months. If you know your math for sim ownership that is many thousands of dollars given to permit our celebration... and if my information is accurate, it is not a Linden.

One of the many exciting activities is the collection of four different stages for concerts. Live and deejay music offer the guests a wide variety of entertainment styles. Tomorrow's post will tour you through the stages... but to fully appreciate them you really will have to go see for yourself.

In my visits to the stages, it was clear that no one is immune to the technical joy of Second Life but the experience of seeing so many strangers all gathered to explore and listen together; well it's a pretty humbling experience. When we log in and see the user traffic count of 50,000+ people inworld it kind of blurs, but at an event like this, when so many people you have never met are there... the user traffic number really comes to life!

I decided that I would get actively involved this year so I was an Exhibit Assistant and mainly focused my efforts on the first few weeks when exhibitors had to claim their parcels and build according to pre-established regulations. I even applied to be an exhibitor and was approved. With the help and nudging of a very dear friend, I created a visual statement about our intertwined relationships online. It's called "Connected" and it symbolizes the emotions, the amazingly wide geographic span; and the universally human emotional connection between us as Second Life residents.

In the coming days I will show you more of the many exciting experiences and sights.

It was a very exciting and rewarding time and I am pleased to have met the many talented, and generous people who I encountered along the way.

Happy Birthday, Second Life.