Cecilia Delacroix gives a poetry reading at the Chilbo Summer Fair 2008.

Yesterday, two exciting events at the Chilbo Summer Fair - Cecilia Delacroix gave a poetry reading of her Seasons Cycle in the Shells plaza, and accepted our invitation to become the official Poet of Chilbo!

Chilbo residents and visitors listen intently to Cecilia’s poetry in the Shells Plaza.

Cecilia has christened two of our public venues with their first ever performances, and donated the beautiful images to the Shrubbery Amphitheatre background, so we are very pleased indeed to have her with us. If any Chilbo resident needs to commission our Poet, please contact Cecilia Delacroix!

Rezago Kokorin leads the Virtual Artists Alliance Workshop in the Chilbo Sandbox.

Later that evening, Rezago Kokorin gave a presentation in the Chilbo Sandbox at the Virtual Artists Alliance Workshop. The premise of these sessions is simple: the host introduces a concept or technique that can be applied to building in Second Life, and the remainder of the session is dedicated to experimentation, using the concept or technique for artistic application.

Chilbo resident Kim Link asks a question while Rezago looks on.

Chilbo residents and guests took the scripts Rezago provided and began practicing the various techniques he discussed, asked questions, and learned about creating prims that are responsive to an avatar’s proximity. Rezago will be leading another workshop next Tuesday in the same place - be sure to join us!

Chilbo Summer Fair!

August 16 - August 31 - in and around Chilbo & neighboring sims

The Chilbo Summer Fair was conceived as an idea to celebrate our community - an excuse for everyone to get together and have fun and invite friends!

Please check the Chilbo Summer Fair Planning Wiki for the possible schedule changes.

Chilbo Summer Fair Scheduled Events!

August 16 - August 31 - in and around Chilbo & neighboring sims

Open throughout the Fair:

Chilbo Fairgrounds: rides and fun!
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Madhupak/15/65/65
Ferris Wheel , Go-Cart Race Track, Boat Ride, Avatar Cannonball, Skydive Ride, Bouncy Castle, The Dormouse’s Tea Party Ride

Exhibits & Builds:

• The Maze - SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Madhupak/16/29/65
• FlowerBall (Douglas Story interactive art) - above the Nature Preserve & Boat Ride - SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Madhupak/202/61/53
• AIDS Memorial Quilt - SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Madhupak/145/80/59

Scheduled events:

Saturday, August 16

11AM SLT - Walking Tour: The History of Chilbo - Fleep Tuque
Location: Starting at the Town Hall
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/112/230/121

Join us for a walking tour of the Chilbo sim! We’ll poke into the nooks and crannies of the community, visit the places and spaces where Chilbo began, and explore the hidden treasures and artifacts of our community’s history!

12 PM SLT - FlowerBall Reception
The tour will finish up at the FlowerBall, an interactive art build that was voted one of the “Ten Best Art Installations of 2007″ by New World Notes. The charming, witty, and extremely attractive co-creators Douglas Story and Desdemona Enfield will be on hand to answer your questions - and hell….maybe musician Aldomanutio Abruzzo if we can get him to come by.
If you do visit, be sure to follow the annoying directions - you’ll get a much better experience if you do. Also - scripters take note: there’s a great deal of complex and interesting scripting involved in the pre-loading of the music clips that makes them play smoothly. Desdemona’s achievement is that you don’t notice all this.
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Madhupak/166/45/68

1pm SLT - Presentation: HIV 101: What is HIV and How Does it Attack the Immune System? - Lizzette Zenovka
Location: SL HIV Education & Prevention Center
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Madhupak/130/80/60

3PM SLT - Go Kart Race - START YOUR ENGINES!!!
Location: Chilbo Fairgrounds
SLurl:

Join us for a smashing good time at the Go Kart racetrack in the fairgrounds! Contestants will compete for the best time around the track, feel free to practice ahead of time, but all scores will be reset before the race! First Prize: $1000L Second Prize: $500L Third Prize: $250L

4PM SLT - Poetry Reading - Cecilia Delacroix
Location: Chilbo Shells Plaza
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/80/100/116

On Tuesday evening, Poet Cecilia Delacroix will perform some of her favorite works in the Chilbo Shells Plaza. Cecilia previously gave a reading centered on a nature/seasonal theme in the Shrubbery Amphitheatre, and is memorialized there for donating the lovely backdrop of images that graces the area behind the stage. Beyond her poetry, Ceclia also enjoys wine, jazz, and running many art galleries in Islandia’s canal district in Second Life. Please join us to celebrate her latest poetry!

6 PM SLT - Virtual Artists Alliance workshop
Location: Chilbo Sandbox
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/197/20/93

Led by Rezago Kokorin, the premise of these sessions is simple: the host introduces a concept or technique that can be applied to building in Second Life, and the remainder of the session is dedicated to experimentation, using the concept or technique for artistic application. Rezago is an accomplished sculptor and photographer in both realities. The workshop sessions are very open and feature a lot of sharing of knowledge among the participants. It’s always interesting to see the variety of creations from a group of people all starting from the same point. Join us for some fun with the prims in the sandbox.

3 PM SLT - Virtual Worlds Day Panel - Fleep Tuque
Location: Shrubbery Amphitheatre
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/167/129/109

This panel will feature a discussion about the current state of virtual worlds and how they may evolve in the future. What do we hope to see? What would be a “bad” outcome? Panelists: Malburns Writer, Tara Yeats, Olando7 DeCosta

Noon SLT - How does reading inspire your virtual life? (about 50 minutes)
Location: Shrubbery Amphitheatre
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/167/129/109

Olando7 Decosta (Roland Legrand) is not a professional philosopher, though he graduated in philosophy, but he still feels the urge to read some philosophers when he tries to make sense of his life as a Second Life resident. Olando7 will present some of his favorite thinkers in this context (Derrida, Deleuze&Guattari, Baudrillard) during 15/max. 20 minutes, and invites the audience to share their favorite philosophers and writers (also fiction!) and how reading throws some light on their virtual experiences.

Time TBD - Second Life Community-Building: What We’ve Learned - Tara Yeats
Location: Shrubbery Amphitheatre
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/167/129/109

This panel will take a look at some lessons learned that can make - or break - communities in Second Life. Potential focus on emerging plans for Mainland zoning and how that may impact existing communities and new ones. Panelists: TBA

6 PM SLT - Virtual Artists Alliance workshop
Location: Chilbo Sandbox
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/197/20/93

Led by Rezago Kokorin, the premise of these sessions is simple: the host introduces a concept or technique that can be applied to building in Second Life, and the remainder of the session is dedicated to experimentation, using the concept or technique for artistic application. Rezago is an accomplished sculptor and photographer in both realities. The workshop sessions are very open and feature a lot of sharing of knowledge among the participants. It’s always interesting to see the variety of creations from a group of people all starting from the same point. Join us for some fun with the prims in the sandbox.

Time TBA - Music in the Shrubbery - Tara Yeats/Leslee McCarey hosting
Location: Shrubbery Amphitheatre
SLurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chilbo/167/129/109

Live performers throughout the day. Schedule to come.

Hello Chilbo!

The past few weeks have been a flurry of activity as we clean up the sim in preparation for the Chilbo Summer Faire. The Faire will take place on July 20th through July 26th, and we hope you’ll help us get ready! But first, news from the sims…

Sidewalk Repaving Completed, New Lamps/TP posts

In order to conserve on the number of prims used for infrastructure in the community, a massive re-paving project was undertaken in the past few weeks. A pleasant brick-like path way was chosen and Scalar Tardis developed a ribbon-like lamp post with an illuminated column to replace the hodge podge of lamps around the sim. The old black and blue Teleport to Town Hall posts were also removed and incorporated into a banner that teleports the user to Town Hall upon left-clicking. Together these efforts saved over 380 prims in the combined sims!

Residents may want to check their plots to see how the sidewalk now connects. Some minor discrepancies may need to be fixed, since megaprims are much less flexible and difficult to work with. Please contact Fleep Tuque or Rachel Corleone if you need minor terraforming or adjustments at your place!

Banking & Exchange Kiosk

Situated just in front of the Town Hall, a new kiosk with terminals for Linden dollar transactions and the popular web-based Second Life shopping exchanges SLExchange and OnRez is now available for our residents’ convenience.

New Information & Events Kiosk Area

A new plaza was created south of the Shrubbery Amphitheatre & Park to display notices and information about live entertainment events in Chilbo or elsewhere. Residents, be sure to use low prim displays!

New Bridges in Madhupak

We’ve taken advantage of megaprims to attempt to connect the sidewalks on either side of the Madhupak road. If anyone can build a better bridge that’s more aesthetically pleasing, Fleep would love to know about it! Have a walk down south and check them out.

Chilbo Summer Faire - Fairgrounds going up!

Planning and development has commenced for the Chilbo Summer Faire, scheduled for July 20 - 26th. The Faire will showcase the many talents of our residents, have live events and performances, as well as games and exhibits. Come join us for a virtual summer faire celebrating community! If you would like to showcase a project or help with the planning, contact Fleep Tuque or Rachel Corleone.

Fleep Tuque dancing with Alanagh Recreant at the island opening of Virtual Africa!  Created by Uthango Social Investments, Virtual Africa works to create a gateway for Africans into virtual worlds, and specifically into Second Life, to advocate for their real world innovative programmes in sustainable development and establish linkages with like-minded pioneers.  See the Virtual Africa blog at http://slafrica.wordpress.com/ and make time to stop by and learn more about their work!  posted by Fleep Tuque on Robben Island using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

The SL HIV Prevention & Education Center and the Chilbo Community Building Project are sponsoring the AIDS Memorial Quilt display through June 2008. Stop by to visit this touching reminder of lost friends and family, and view the prim quilt squares that have been contributed by Second Life residents from around the world. For more information, contact Lizzette Zenovka, Director of the SL HIV Center, or Jase Byrne, Caretaker of the Quilt.
posted by Fleep Tuque on Madhupak using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]


Chilbo Resident Scalar Tardis has filed a bug report on the JIRA - SVC-1905 regarding an issue with the collision tolerance of the new Havok 4 physics engine. Any physics projects that rely on things to be very close together may not move properly, or may not move at all with the new physics engine - so if you have any models or demonstrations with closely aligned moving parts, it’s likely to break when the rollout goes grid wide. Thanks for the report Scalar and if you’re a Second Life resident - go vote to get this fixed!
posted by Fleep Tuque on Chilbo using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Chilbo resident Lizzette Zenovka recently opened the SL HIV Prevention & Education Center in the Madhupak sim area of the Chilbo Community. The center works to promote HIV awareness and provide resources for testing and treatment to Second Life residents. “The Chilbo community lends itself to those who want share their passion and creativity to help the SL community,” said Lizzette. She is available for Risk Reduction Counseling and individual appointments for the Second Life community. Congratulations to Liz and the SL HIV Center! Stop by to say hello and wish her a warm welcome, and visit the new SL HIV Center Blog at http://hivpreventionandeducationcenter.blogspot.com/.
posted by Fleep Tuque on Madhupak using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Longtime resident and original First Lander of Chilbo, Ra Deemster donated 1024m of land to the Chilbo Community Building Project this evening. Adjacent to the newly proposed amphitheatre and park in The Shrubbery, the plot will contribute to the park like nature of the center of the sim. “It’s the least I can do to the community of which I have been part of for a long time,” said Ra. Our great thanks to Ra for his contribution, and his continued involvement with Chilbo! - Fleep
posted by Fleep Tuque on Chilbo using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Visiting the Livingtree sim where there are very cute sweaters for free and sale. I like the map with brochures, and I’m impressed with the welcome area of the sim. When I landed the first thing I noticed was the sound of a whiporwill, something I haven’t heard since childhood. The next thing I noticed was a building that looked awfully like the old school house where I used to catch the bus, and cute squirrels flitted about my feet. The sim evoked my childhood before I knew anything about it, not in a cheesy splashy marketing way, but in a way that feels much more authentic. I wonder if new visitors feel a difference when they cross our borders and come into Chilbo?
posted by Fleep Tuque on Livingtree using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Please welcome new member of the Chilbo Community Building Project, Economic Mip! Eco’s place is just over the border in Mujigae and he’s currently involved in the CSY:NY project here in SL. Stop by and give him a warm welcome!
posted by Fleep Tuque on Mujigae using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Residents of Chilbo now have a cute marketplace to sell their wares! Cosimo and Wainbrave have created a place for residents to set up small shops. Interested in putting a few items out? Contact Cosimo for more information!
posted by Fleep Tuque on Chilbo using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Chilbo resident Cocoa Pebbles opens a new furnture store right over the sim border in Mijugae. Tasteful designs and lovely textures are the hallmark of CoaPec Furnishings, stop by to visit and pick up some new furniture for your next remodeling project!
posted by Fleep Tuque on Mujigae using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

I meant to properly blog this the other day, but hopefully some saw it through a brief tweet.

In this video, an Iowa State University panel of faculty, staff, and administrators consider the implications of using Second Life from an institutional perspective. Both the pros and cons are debated, and I would recommend it not just to educators, but those representing an institution of any sort. When discussing legal liability issues, the focus is necessarily on US law, but the.. ethical and philosophical questions inherent in the presentations really will apply globally.

I’ve been to many panels and presentations and conference sessions about Second Life, but this one gets to some questions that I haven’t seen addressed elsewhere, and despite the fact that most of the participants seems to have done some homework on Second Life, with many having accounts and demonstrating competence in-world, many of the participants are what I’d consider laymen in SL terms. Not newbs, but not residents. And their concerns are ones that I imagine will be shared by many of our bosses and administrators and legal departments and HR departments.

Worth the time investment to watch the whole panel, the Q&A can be skipped.

View the Iowa State University Second Life Panel video here.

Veteran Second Life Educators Share Virtual World Vision at National Distance Learning Week Event


“Distance Education on the ‘MUVE’ : A place to go to learn together without leaving home” is scheduled for Wednedsay, November 14th at 6:00 pm SLT/PST at ISTE Island Auditorium in Second Life.


SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/201/46/23.


ISTE Island, Second Life (PRWEB) November 8, 2007 — Think virtual worlds are just for fun, games and whimsical escapism? Think again. Innovative educators are developing sophisticated educational environments and conducting serious academic research into the use of virtual worlds in K-20 education. They are “making a difference at a distance.” The International Society for Technology in Education is proud to host a Second Life panel presentation highlighting the work, vision and achievements of three talented educators:


Peggy Sheehy (SL: Maggie Marat) is an ITF/Media Specialist at Suffern Middle School in Suffern, NY. Very active in the district’s teacher technology training program, she is a fierce advocate for the meaningful infusion of technology in education and in 2006 established the first public middle school educational presence in Teen Second Life: Ramapo Islands. After great success with the first group of 400 eighth grade students, Ramapo will serve 1,200 students in 2007. She has presented her work at NECC, EdNet, Tech Expo, NYSCATE, and Tech Forum and will be presenting this July at the Building Learning Communities Conference ‘08.


Sarah Robbins (SL: Intellagirl Tully) is a PhD candidate in Rhetoric at Ball State University, the Director of Emerging Technologies for Media Sauce Inc., and the coauthor of Second Life for Dummies. Sarah has been teaching university courses in Second Life for two years. Her research centers on communication mechanics in virtual environments and has been featured in the New York Times, USAToday, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.


Lindy McKeown (SL: Decka Mah) has been developing online learning communities for professional development and curriculum projects for schools across the world since 1994. She specializes in the application of online technologies for professional learning and uses Action Learning extensively in both face-to-face and online settings. Lindy is currently completing a Ph.D. at the University of Southern Queensland where she is conducting research into 3D online virtual environments for use in professional development. She is the recipient of a Queensland Government ‘Growing the Smart State’ PhD Grant. Her work has been recognized via numerous awards from organizations like the Australian Council for Computers in Education (ACCE), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Queensland Society for Information Technology (QSITE).


This event will be moderated by Chris Collins (SL: Fleep Tuque), Second Life Ambassador for the Ohio Learning Network and IT Analyst at the University of Cincinnati, and begin with a welcome from Jennifer Ragan-Fore (SL: Kittygloom Cassady), Director, General Membership Program, ISTE. Speakers will each give a brief presentation using voice chat which will be followed by a general Q&A session, concluding with a more personal “meet the presenter” campfire chat (using text) at the beach area adjacent to the ISTE Island auditorium.


For additional information about the event, contact:


RavenPhoenix Zenovka (SL)
ISTE Island Co-Manager


Kittygloom Cassady (SL)
Director, General Membership Program, ISTE


KJ Hax (SL)
ISTE Second Life Docent Program Co-Manager

posted by Fleep Tuque on ISTE Island using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]

Happy rezday to Kat!
posted by Fleep Tuque on caLLiefornia using a blogHUD : [blogHUD permalink]