2009 August « Metaverse Guide – Know where to go in Second Life

Black Taj & White Taj

August 30, 2009 — barbarellanoel

http://slurl.com/secondlife/White%20Taj/124/223/52

When you arrive, you’ll be facing the White Taj which is based on the Taj Mahal. The Black Taj is a creation of imagination. Both are architectural wonders. The palaces are vast and there are many rooms to be explored and hidden places to be found. Each palace has a dance hall, so grab a date and select a location – or try them both! Take an airship tour of the sim, or a relaxing rowboat ride. And don’t forget to explore the forest…there are some beautiful places that you’ll want relax in.

Posted in Ambient, Clothing, Dancing, Fun interactive sims, Scenic sims, Shopping. Tags: second life. Leave a Comment »

Zaara

August 29, 2009 — barbarellanoel

“Wondrous things!”

This is what Howard Carter said to Lord Carnarvon when asked what he saw as he peered into the tomb of King Tut. And this is what I say to you as I peer into the shop, Zaara.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zaara/201/132/27

I’ve found a new weakness. Another amazing and irresistible store that will wring more than a few lindens out of my hands, despite the more than reasonable prices here. Its just that it is IMPOSSIBLE to resist buying the amazingly rich and beautiful creations at Zaara Kohime’s store, and I have to confess that I ended up buying more than a few impossible-to-refuse outfits.

I was out exploring the other day and found myself at a middleastern sim and wandered into a shop with some eye-catching colors and textures. They were saris. I honestly have no occasions that I can think of that I would need to wear a sari…so you’d think that I’d keep walking. But no, the beautiful satiny, rich textures of the saris proved to be irresistible and so I indulged and bought one. I also bought a fat pack of the jewelry to accessorize for a total effect. When I put them on I was more than pleased. Not only was the design flattering and attractive, colors beautiful and appealing, but the craftsmanship was beyond impressive. I knew I had to find this creator’s main store.

When I arrived and rezzed, I scanned the area with my experienced eye and immediately knew that my visit to this store would yield a few treasures. And I wasn’t wrong! Not only does Zaara have gorgeous saris, but she offers contemporary casual wear for both men and women, dresses, and the gorgeous traditional Indian formal wear for both men and women. Lovely scarves, wraps and jewelry can be found here as well.

A variety of looks can be found at Zaara’s

See more of Zaara’s items here: http://zaarakohime.blogspot.com/

Posted in Clothing, Jewelry, Menswear, Shopping. Tags: second life. Leave a Comment »

Black Spot

August 26, 2009 — barbarellanoel

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Black%20Spot/149/164/24

Got a little Captain in you?

Black Spot is a pirate lover’s dream. Gorgeous and intricately made ships can be found here for purchase as well as other sundries. But as usual, I prefer sims that don’t overtly hawk items and Black Spot is one of those sims. It offers some amazing vistas and beautiful water. Lots of dramatic scenes and mood to be found here. It begs for exploration, and you will be rewarded if you do. There are interactive rides and hidden passages leading to…..? You should find out! I’m once again awed by another’s creative talents…this time by Lia Woodget, creator of Black Spot. I really can’t say enough about her amazing creation…other than its on my MUST SEE list! Hmmm…I fully expect to see Johnnie Depp in full pirate gear any minute now. Not that that’s a bad thing

TIP: I don’t use photoshop in my pics…mainly because I want you all to see the images as I see them. But also because I’m photoshop illiterate! (Anybody wanna school me?) But I did play with the windlight settings as seen in the pics above. I was afraid to do this, but I’m over it now. It won’t mess up your settings! You can always go back to default. But if you click world tab on the top of the screen, then environment settings then environment editor, then advanced sky (whew), then at the top in that box find sky presets…just click any or all of those for some amazing tweaks to your screen shots. It’s lots of fun! And can really create a mood – spooky, sunny, alien…whatever look you want, you can create it. Try it and have some fun!

***Note: It appears that the 100 or so sky presets are only available with the Emerald viewer. The Linden Lab viewer has presets too, but only about 15 or so. I gotta say, I’m loving the Emerald viewer. Lots of fun options and I don’t see any downsides so far. Here’s the link to download the Emerald viewer if you’d like to try it:

http://modularsystems.sl/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=sections&Itemid=5

There are two parts to download:

1. GreenLife_Proprietary_Pack_Voice-Support-FPS-Boost.exe

2. GreenLifeSetup_1-23-673(Optimized).exe

This was a very painless and problem free download for me. Best of luck!

***I just found that you can have hundreds of sky presets with the LL viewer. Just download them from the LL website via Torley’s post: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/WindLight_settings

Posted in Fun interactive sims, Furniture, Scenic sims, Shopping, Tips. Tags: second life. Leave a Comment »

Immersiva by Bryn Oh

August 17, 2009 — barbarellanoel

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Immersiva/44/101/21

As I walked closer I read the note

Willow

We hid in the tree at night

Or crouch in the foaming brine

Not thinking of the rust

That will mar our metallic shine

As the hunters drew close

You left our shelter and drew

The spotlight to your flight

So all they would see is you

Caught and dismantled today

I look at your remnants in sorrow

I will curl up in your remaining parts

And turn myself off tomorrow

~Bryn Oh

Immersiva gives me the feeling that I’m only half awake, sleepwalking through a dream. It is filled with wonderfully created and arranged artistic displays, conjuring sorrow, love, hope, despair, sweetness and melancholy all at once. Upon arrival, pick up the notecard explaining the settings to best view the sim, and about the Rabbicorn Story. Bryn Oh has made a world from her heart, expressing a sort of bittersweet tale…leaving me wanting more. It isn’t the sort of place to rush through. It isn’t a place to stumble around in with your giggling friends. It’s a place to go with a contemplative mind, a curious mind, and with your senses heightened to soak it all in. There are items meant to be interacted with. Do look at things closely, do have your sounds turned up, and do click when you see your cursor become the pointing hand. And without a doubt, do go to this sim and immerse yourself…it is a MUST SEE destination.

Learn more about Bryn Oh’s projects here: http://brynoh.blogspot.com/

Posted in Art, Fun interactive sims, Scenic sims, Shopping. Tags: second life. Leave a Comment »

Barcelona Plaza Real

August 12, 2009 — barbarellanoel

Greetings from Barcelona. Having a great time – wish you were here!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tumotiko%20East/69/136/0

I’ve not been to the real Barcelona, so I can’t say if this sim is similar to the real deal or not, but I can tell you that it’s gorgeous, very well designed, appealing to the eye, and a great place to hang out in general and meet folks. It’s good if you know a bit of Spanish as there are many Spanish-speaking people around. It offers a cozy cafe to share a latte with friends or to have a dance. There are assorted shops and art galleries. And in addition to the city feel, the edges are beach covered and offer sights to see, boating interactive activities, and more hang out spaces. The music is a soothing Latin station, good for chatting with friends or dancing.

Here’s a tip…do visit sims that have a majority of non-English speaking residents. Don’t be afraid! It’s a wonderful way to experience another culture without a passport or even leaving your home. There are translation devices easily found in SL, many of them free. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it’s well worth it. Its a terrific way to learn a foreign language or practice your rusty skills in a language you are semi-literate in. I’ve had many non-English speaking friends do this very thing in order to practice their English and I’ve seen them become remarkably proficient by the exercise and rather quickly too! Overall, it’s a great way to expand your world and your skills while having a great time.

Posted in Art, Clothing, Dancing, Fun interactive sims, Furniture, Hair, Jewelry, Rock n' Roll, Salsa, Scenic sims, Shoes, Shopping, Swing/Jazz/Ballroom, Tattoos, Tips. Tags: second life. 2 Comments »

Tableau

August 9, 2009 — barbarellanoel

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tableau/166/149/133

When you arrive, you will find yourself in a simple blue-walled house with several vendors of interesting objects. Do take a look. But whatever you do, do not fail to walk outside the door. Once you exit, turn around to admire the unique design of the store Rootbeer then, continue to explore the entire sim. This sim is one of the most unique and fantastic sims I’ve come across in some time. I can’t simply name shops for you to explore, there are too many whimsical and wonderful things spread throughout the sim in various stores, things so imaginative, silly, creative, and most importantly, fun! I bought the most useless gadgets here and I love them! In the pic above I somehow wound up at Club Luna wearing the always chic Extreme Cat Eye Shades from Paper Couture and the RACHELBREAKER SPLOOGEGUN that shoots gobs of pink goo. Very well made items, not just frilly props…and great for laughs! After the club, I found an interesting hair shop called Clawtooth by Clawtooth. I bought a demo hair for Kitten with a Whip at the shop and proceeded to try it on. But I was confused…stunned. Something….wasn’t…quite right…

WHY THE HELL AM I SQUATTING ON THE FLOOR??? AND WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING A MOUSTACHE??? AND WTF IS THIS LADY DOING TO ME???!!!

I cam out a bit to soak it all in…

And I roll into a hearty laugh! The surprise of it, the absurdity, the irreverence….I love it!!! Check out the cow in the background wearing the tiara. If the lady didn’t have a drawn on goatee, I’d be kinda ticked…but as it is…I get the joke. A surprising and eclectic riff on the standard DEMO boxes on other demo hairs by creator Bubbles Clawtooth. Pretty funny! Well, as you can see, Tableau is full of surprises and silliness, not to mention one-of-a-kind items that you really should check out. A lot of laughs with your friends can be had on this exploration. I ended up buying the hair which inspired me to whip out my other recently purchased Carved Flower Cat Eye Glasses by Paper Couture and my Poppies dress by Icing and go totally retro!

Posted in Ambient, Art, Clothing, Dancing, Fun interactive sims, Hair, Jewelry, Scenic sims, Shopping, Trance/Techno/House. Tags: second life. Leave a Comment »

7 Seas Fishing

August 2, 2009 — barbarellanoel

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flotsam%20Beach/31/111/22

Another MUST DO activity is the 7 Seas Fishing game. You will find many places inworld that have this set up, you just want to find the best places – low lag, beautiful scenery, and friendly people. The Botanical @ Straylight sim is a great place for scenery and interesting people. Once while fishing there, I saw a fascinating avatar using some gadget that had a small image in a holographic form. I asked him what it was and he said it was a tool designed to help find the fish he had yet to catch, while displaying ones he already had. It was gorgeous with great prim details and was made by finding different parts until the entire gadget could be built.

Fishing is a great conversation starter because like in rl fishing, you can show off your best catches by displaying them proudly. Not only fish, but gadget parts and clothing can be caught. In the pic above I’m wearing my black bikini set which I “caught”. Ok, I caught bits and pieces…a pink bottom, blue top, black bottom, and friends gave me their duplicates or items they didn’t need so I have all 3 full sets of bikinis. Also in the pic above I’m wearing my ultra rare fish hook earrings and ultra rare scuba girl and color changing jelly fish. The details are so wonderful on the caught items! I also caught a pair of boots (separately). I’ve heard of and seen some very rare items from others…and hope to be so lucky to catch them one day, such as the cute little “cat fish” which is a cat that swims on his back around you while wearing it. Also, my friend Jody caught a golden fishing hat! The fish hooks and details are just amazing!

The much envied golden fishing hat

Fishing boots – each caught separately

My rare and ultra rare fishies

And finally, you can purchase the package to have your own fishing area on your own property. I did this and not only does it create a fun environment for you and your friends, it saves the time it takes to find a location to fish at. I can fish in the comfort and beauty of my own design. These creations, like the rest, have wonderful prim objects and textures to choose from to match your particular style. There are also competitions and other events, so its useful to join group and to check the website! To learn more go here: http://www.7seasfishing.com/

Posted in Fun interactive sims. Tags: second life. Leave a Comment »