A "2" in Mare Secundus

The Mare Secudnus is a strange sea buried partly inside the Sansara continent of Second Life. Among the glowing moon rocks (seen here) and lovely diving spots (such as Gali-Gali at SLurl) is the now famous (formerly secret) LDPW rocket launch facilities in Okinu (SLurl) described in an earlier post here. What is not readily apparent if one sails around Okinu, though, is that it is part of a unique chain of small islands paired with those in the Zolezzi region to the north. Yes, unique in all Second Life as seen in this exclusive (until someone else does it) aerial view:

The Arabic numeral two is clearly seen from the right perspective. Unidentified speculators state with assumed authority that this is how the waters got the name Mare Secudus ... the Second Sea. Others, including this reporter, feel that this explanation is a bit too pat considering the placement of the rocket launch and the ancient ruins on the islands and around them on the seabed.

The ruins resemble many found in the Blake Sea and the Nautilus regions, but are clearly tied to other such ruins elsewhere in Mare Secundus (see here) indicating a vast former civilization.

For now only flamingoes rule the island of Oehler (SLurl), part of the giant "2" in the archipelago in lieu of the ancient fort that once ruled from these islands. 

Reporters for The Poultry Report have been notified to watch for similar formations as they travel Our World and will file any such sightings as warranted.

Secret Linden Moon Base

New documents released by Linden Lab pursuant to court order under the Wewannakno Act of 1869 give evidence that The Lab does indeed have a secret space program has been confirmed.

Somewhere below the regolith in the Linden Lab secret lunar base, some of the Lab’s top minds have been tackling performance issues in Second Life. The areas of focus range from infrastructure improvements to server-side texture compositing to object caching (Project Shining document).

As part of the settlement that released the documents this reporter was given an opportunity to visit the moon base (and is waiting for a return rocket, but that's another story) over the weekend. The facilities fill a large crater with an extensive variety of labs, operations rooms, and even includes a moon shuttle hangar.

An overview of Mos Ainsley, the no-longer secret Linden Lab moon base (SLurl). Notice the three moon shuttles and the complete lack of a Earth return rocket.

A bit closer view as I jump from one building to another. The facilities are strangely empty and many of the air locks no longer work. There are few signs of recent habitation.

The greenhouse still has tomato plants but these are the only indications that the base has even been occupied.

The Command-and-Control center, designed and built by the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW) is still active but nothing I've seen makes any sense.

Efforts to confirm that the program is based on reverse-engineered alien technology are underway despite the complete lack of evidence found on this base. The investigation will continue if when this reporter returns to Earth.

Mole Day!

Where? The Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel (SLurl).

One Billion Rising in Second Life

COME AND DANCE: ONE BILLION RISING IN SECOND LIFE 

SECOND LIFE® RESIDENTS JOIN GLOBAL CAMPAIGN “ONE BILLION RISING” TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

February 14, 2013 to be V-Day’s Largest Day of Action Ever 

On February 14, 2013, for 24 hours starting at midnight Pacific Standard Time, Second Life residents will join with activists around the world in a spectacular 24-hour dance event for ONE BILLION RISING, the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.

ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Walk, Dance, and Rise as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.

The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing to donate.

One Billion Rising in Second Life is sponsored by: Alchemy Immortalis; Bits and Bobs Animations; Cheeky Pea; The Domineaux Effect; Dutchie; Galland Homes; Garden of Dreams; Gos Boutique; Gwen Carillon Designs/Serenite; Heart Garden Centre; Kaerri; MadPea; Maven Homes; Meshworx; Prime; and Spargel and Shine. In-kind sponsors are: CaLLie CLine; Fruit Islands; Home and Garden Market; KittyCatS!; and Prim Perfect Publications.

For more information:
Our blog: http://onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com/ 
Our Webpage at One Billion Rising: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/startarising/wd8
Our Second Life Group: One Billion Rising
Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Billion-Rising/493344827375934?ref=hl
Our Twitter Stream: https://twitter.com/OBRinSL
Our Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2169739@N23/

About One Billion Rising
One in three women on the planet is raped or beaten in her lifetime. That is ONE BILLION WOMEN violated. One billion daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, lovers and friends. On February 14, 2013, V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men to dance across every country. For more information go to http://www.onebillionrising.org/.

# # # 

Editor's Note: I am involved with this organization's efforts in Second Life as a Greeter Lead, helping wrangle the staff that will greet visitors at the one day event.

In Honor of Honour

If you aren't familiar with the blog of Honour McMillan (here, but keep reading first) then you are missing out on something special. She weaves wonderfully written and rather erudite essays through the warp and weft of some fabulous photography to show us her unique perspective on Our World.

Beguile (SLurl)

Her pictures primarily feature art exhibitions in Second Life, certainly one of the best reasons to explore Our World, but she also photographs lovely landscapes and notable sights. How she finds them all, I don't know. Certainly she knows a lot of people who recommend places for her to visit (I'm guilty of a few of those myself), but it is clear she gets around, too.

Beguile (SLurl)

Her writings vary from eloquent expositions on the subject she's photographed to deep and meaningful essays on the human condition yet each is done with skill and humor (or is that humour?) and all are entertaining. Translation: She writes good.

Beguile (SLurl)

So when I visited Beguile, the subject of my photographs, I thought of her. "How would Honour photograph this place? What insights would she take from this experience to wrap up in a wonderful, homespun homily?"

Beguile (SLurl)

Then I said "F#ck It!" and played with lots of Windlight settings, finally coming up with the combination of [TOR] Coral Reef Water and Orange Incubus Windlight along with some patience, playing with angles, and deciding whether or not to use all the fancy graphics options or not.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and that they encourage you to play in Second Life. With any luck you enjoy reading my blog sometimes, too. But you should really check out Honour's blog and her pictures.

The Ancient Lesbian Empire

As you sail the Coastal Waterway in Second Life you'll find many interesting islands but there is one that really stands out, The Sandcastle in Valenza (SLurl), what appears to be the seat of a lesbian empire in Second Life.

Turn on your Gaydar and visit this lovely build. Everyone is welcome!

Lesbian empire? Why yes! Both of these are Queen's thrones. Really. Inspect them and you'll see the truth!!

Further confirmation? The jewelry in the treasure chests is for women.

And if you look under the pearls in the giant oysters you'll find more women's jewelry.

Seriously, it's just a fun build. I'm sure both thrones are for Queens simply because one was created via Shift-Click'n'drag during the build. Yes. all the jewelry is for women, but that is not unusual for gifts one finds in the lovely Mole builds that dot Our World. Big kudos to Naughty Mole the Linden Department of Public works for another fine build.

Blake Sea & Coastal Waterway

I've been doing a lot of exploring in the Blake Sea and the Coastal Waterway today and posting pictures on the MySL feed. Here's a sampling:

My friend Hexapoda strikes again! She found another glowing rock to join the others now confirmed to be from outerspace. They have the consistency of moon rock, but the glow is disoncerting, let alone the mutated fishes (SLurl).

Lots and lots of hippo statues in SL and a considerable number of them are in the sea(SLurl).

One of my favorite spots to dive is Siren's Isle (SLurl).

What did you do today?

Guest Post: CC Columbo "Another Funeral"

Another funeral today. Odd how you never seem to see those in Second Life, but Real Life is full of them. Except instead of burying an uncle today, I watched snow bury my town and keep us at home instead of risking my mother's health by taking her to the cemetery to see her brother one last time. My cousin joked "Dad went to great lengths to keep attendance low by making sure we had a snow storm" when I spoke with her early in the morning to express our regrets that we couldn't attend. Five hours later and I think my uncle might have over done it as the snow is still falling.

I don't feel sad for him. I feel sad for those who never knew him. He lived nearly 93 years – his birthday is next week – and filled the time with several children, two wives (both pre-deceasing him) and a "late December" romance with a remarkable woman (it was cute to look in the living room window before knocking on the front door only to see these 80-something year-olds fast asleep and holding hands). After leaving the Navy he still worked at the shipyard helping to make the tools that aided in keeping our nation safe. He was so respected as an elder in his church that even the pastors deferred to him to keep the small congregation thriving. I suspect that the Angels are now listening to my uncle with the same deference. He was that kind of guy and he died with dignity.

Countless (at least by me) grandchildren and great-grandchildren helped light his life in later, very active years. I used to cringe as I watched him fight his Parkinson's Disease symptoms whenever he insisted on walking across the busy street from his home to ours for visits, but it was hard to say No to anything he wanted or to disbelieve in his abilities. "Tough old bird" was a characteristic that he inherited from his parents that I hope I can find in me if I'm as long-lived.

This is rambling, but I don't deal with death well since burying my 2-year old daughter so long ago yet far too recently. What is the value in grief? There are times I can espouse many logical-sounding answers. Not today. I'm not dealing well with another funeral today.

A Trip to India!

Spending a bit of time in Real Life today so I've been following the MySL feeds and was pleased to see my friend Xandah found the Taj Mahal (or Taaj Mahal as they have it spelled in About Land) in Second Life in Lucky (SLurl). I asked her to take a few pictures for me and tell me more about it.

The structure seems pretty faithful to the original (see here) but she tells me it is very plain inside and far smaller than life-size, of course. I imagine the original would take more than a full region just for the building, let alone the magnificent grounds.

Despite using only about a quarter of the region (I should have asked if it was a Homestead or a full region), the build looks very impressive. Xandah told me that some men were there making a cushioned seating area for some planned live singers to entertain. Sorry I don't have more details, but I plan on stopping in myself sometime. Until then and just based on these pictures I recommend that anyone who likes architecture and/or Indian culture try to visit, too.

Five Questions for Magellan Linden

Last night I was jolted out of that near-asleep state I really enjoy just before becoming One with my blankie and pillow when I pictured myself stuck on a Second Life Ban Line right on a region crossing on a river. Worse was that I fought and fought and couldn't get free then while I was contemplating a relog I noticed in chat that my Magellan Linden Detector Ring had announced The Great Man was online. I looked down into the river and there he was! Sailing by and shouting up "Fair winds, Grid Explorer!" as he sailed out of shout range. And I was still stuck.

The Elderglen Pub.

Almost a nightmare (I have many worse in a regular week, I assure you) but it got me thinking: What would I ask Magellan if he took me up on my offer to stand him some drinks in the pub of his choice as fair exchange for an interview? Needless to say I was awake for a while, an arm's-length away from my iPad upon which I could have written my ideas had I not been a lazy kitteh. Now it is some 12 hours later and I only somewhat remember the brilliant questions that occurred to me so now I have to try reconstructing them.

ONE: Much of the Grid has assumed that you've been lost and needed assistance. So just what, in detail, have you been up to during the time since you appeared in Piranha in The Wilderness (SLurl)?

Magellan's Camp in Capybara, the Wilderness.

TWO: You have considerable supplies on the docks in The Wilderness and a small camp up high on the temple (SLurl). What can you tell us about this adventure?

Site of the Temporal Teleportation Experiment in Rodeo.

THREE: Related to your disappearance, well-known resident Salazar Jack famously disappeared during a temporal teleportation experiment in the Forest of Kahruvel (SLurl). This is eerily reminicent of your similar accident in Elderglen (SLurl). Is there any information you can provide that can enlighten us and perhaps help us find Salazar?

FOUR: Obviously you have some extraordinary abilities and influences as a Linden, but just how do you manage to get the Moles and the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW) to assist you as they clearly are doing yet keep a level of secrecy that would be the envy of any government? These probably not new discoveries of the Moles using reverse-engineered alien technologies (here) demonstrates how closed-snouted they can be.

Magellan Linden has survived many a disaster (and many an empty bottle) so I have every confidence that he's still hale and hearty somewhere out there. This crash in Columbia (SLurl) is as bad as they get and he walked away from it.

FIVE: An explorer such as yourself is always on the move – adventure waits for no one, after all – yet we have little information about what you are up to at any given time despite immense interest. It is my opinion that if the Residents were made more aware of where you are exploring and what you are finding then a sense of excitement could be rekindled among the populace and a new Golden Age would befall Our World. Residents would have renewed zeal to explore and learn all that Second Life offers rather than, as it seems, simply crowd around InfoHubs, SafeHubs, and Welcome Areas, grumbling about how there is nothing to do and how much "this game" really "sucks" (yet they persist, making me wonder how bad their Real Life is in comparison). Would you please make an effort to bring back the spirit of your adventures by resuming an active blog? There is just so much that those such as myself can do.

Right. In the light of day these questions pale in comparison to what I vaguely remember "writing" last night, but likely I have time to revise and extend before a chance to pose my questions to The Great Man of the Grid ever occurs. I think better in the shower or when I'm half asleep. Maybe I should try this again some other time.

LDPW Alien Tech Examined

With no comments from official sources at Linden Lab or the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW), investigations into the use by the LDPW of reverse-engineered alien technology have slowed but this reporter has breached a secret construction site and photographed space craft module in the process of construction. It appears that the main engines have yet to be attached and several lame leaps to peek through the window showed that the cabin was bare.

After quickly being discovered, however, this reporter had to depart the construction site as an un-identified Mole spotted her and inquired about her credentials – "Hey, you! Did you bring the sandwiches? Wait! Where are you going? Where's my lunch?!?"

Additional leads are coming into The Poultry Report offices and additional posts will follow as this story develops.

Caturday's End

World Reacts to LDPW/Alien Tech News

World reaction to the news that the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW) is using reverse-engineered alien technology has been swift, rising from the ground roots and spreading even to leading newspaper editorial pages. Here's a sampling of images sent to this reporter from several tens of sources.

Jason "Binks" Harthrowb has given up his usual "The End is Nigh" sign to join the call for full disclosure from the LDPW about their activities.

Normally crackpot-oriented newspapers are garnering new credibility by reprinting the original story without proper and due attribution. Readers claim the hyperlinks in these treeware editions don't work and speculate about LDPW interference.

Information is even being secreted into lunches delivered to Poultry Report Headquarters.

Major newspapers are so anxious to make deadlines that they have been splashing the news across broad headlines over unrelated stories.

Major Technologists are being outed by underpaid Human Resources Directors.
Pictured here is a young Bill Gates during his Pre-Microsoft internship at the LDPW.

Indications of cover ups at LDPW facilities are being found.

Protests have spread like melted butter even in small towns like Dixville Notch, New Hampshire where the normally 12-person population swelled eleventy-fold over night. Crowd sizes have shown no sign of stabilizing but growth has  slowed to a warm maple syrup pace. Officials hope a molasses in winter pace occurs soon or they may have to think about a committee to discuss possible reaction, perhaps over breakfast or a late brunch.

LDPW USES CAPTURED ALIEN TECH

This reporter has learned that the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW) has found a crashed extra-terrestrial space craft crashed in Gaigano (SLurl) and has subsequently reverse-engineered the alien technology to create their own space program. Governor Linden's office has been contacted about these events, but as of of press time has not responded. Efforts to contact Michael Linden, "King of the Moles" and leader of the LDPW, have met with with similar silence. Whether this is simply stonewalling or that the Lindens get to sleep three hours longer than I do has yet to be determined.

Remember this crashed alien spacecraft from yesterday's report here?

Upon further exploration of Gaigano just north of the wreck (approximately at SLurl – I think it moves) is a secret LDPW sea lab. Every time I tried to approach the structure, an exceptionally large catfish-like creature would dart at me and drive me back. But I was able to take some photos to confirm that the Moles do work at the lab.

This leaking LDPW barrel was just one bit of discarded trash that led me to the sea lab from the crash site. Actually, I could see one from the other, but I didn't notice that til late.

Outside the lab with my robo-cam. Little did I know the mutant catfish was behind me.

As long as I didn't move closer the guard fish didn't disturb my robo-cam so I was able to get this shot. The armed (with a pickaxe) Mole suspected nothing.

The lab has an experimental section, seen here, living quarters, and a dive pod with moon pool.

Working on a tip from someone high up in the FIC I then traveled to Mare Secundus (SLurl). What appears at first to be a simple educational outpost with a really nice planetarium is actually a secret LDPW rocket launch center hidden in plain sight. After determining that the craft was fictional probably functional, I had an astronaut friend flown in for her opinion. She suited up right away and jumped in without heed and only a little push.

Usra "Mousra" Ostrich is a true Second Life hero. You may remember she was the base commander at Mos Ainsley (SLurl) during the big crisis there. I'm proud to call her my alt friend.

The spacecraft must use some sort of hypertranswarp drive because within what seemed like only a brief couple minutes to me but less than a few minutes for her, she landed on an alien planetoid some hundreds of meters (Ed note: Meters? You really meant light-years, right?) away and found critters that closely resembled the mutant jellyfish in Giagano and reminded me of the mutant sea horse I found in Imona (SLurl). You can see some in her pictures many of which I was able work up through my iPad to make a comprehensive panoramic image (click it for a larger version).

A really big version of this panorama can be seen on my Flickr stream here.

This huge alien looked very familiar to me. It shouldn't, of course, but there was a time ...

I hope Mousra is alright. She reports no ill effects, but I haven't heard from her since she returned from the planet.

While looking at Mousra's pictures and many from the series that I took yesterday, a persistent sense of Déjà vu nagged at me. Researching through past posts on this blog revealed the answer ... Oak Bay.

The Oak Bay Aquarium (SLurl) is a wonderful place to visit, but the MerMole (native to waters around Bay City) on public view is only a hint to the strangeness you'll find if you can get into the high security building on site.

Outside the high security building is a relic of the Nautilus regions, a place with even more Mole mysteries. A fellow reporter with an overly developed sense of the dramatic used a telescope to check out the building. I don't have the heart to tell her you can just walk up to it as you tour the aquarium. It's a fun trip. you should visit.

Nor do I want to break it to her that she went well out of her way to get this security camera still when she could have waited until someone forget to lock the door (as often happens). In the middle there? A "baby" version of the giant that Mousra found on the planet. On the left? A giant sea horse. The other habitats have additional specimens from the planet. You can feed them with little buttons on each habitat.

I've long believed that the Moles of the LDPW are an amazing collection of talented, kind, and generous mammals, but this investigation has made me question certain motives they may have. Perhaps not all the Moles are involved. This could be a sub-group – an internal Fetid Inner Core, you might say – that have aims not necessarily congruent with ...

Or I could have merely missed that all these places are more or less public and that if I explored as often as I push others to do so I'd have made these connections long ago and either dismissed them or been trundled off by the Moles to Cloud Party so I wouldn't bother SL any more. Still, I wonder. It is all a bit too interconnected.

The Best Places No One Visits

Apparently Real Life is a game ("You'll Win Christmas with this gift!" or "I'm now the Mayor of Farduck's Coffee!" or the like) so it is no wonder there is almost constant talk about Second Life being a game or that it needs to be a game or there needs to be more game-like elements. What many of these people miss as they lag the Welcome Areas, however, is seeing the whole forest while complaining about the lack of trees.

The Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW) provides a near limitless variety of entertainments for us Residents ... it's called Landscaping! If people would leave the Free Sex areas and the (not so) Safe Hubs and stop simply teleporting from party to party, they might notice that places like the Coastal Waterway exist. This series of sea-themed regions connect to form a whole-cloth of knit-together stories yet are just some of "The Best Places No One Visits" in Second Life.

A delightful sculpture garden can be found in Leximus (SLurl). Explore as a scuba diver and be amused at the inside jokes or visit with friends and create a story of adventure! It is OUR world, folks. Use some imagination. This is just one of many undersea attractions you won't see if you spend your time simply bumping high-speed boats against sim crossings.

Just under the Imona Rezz Zone (SLurl) is a plethora of sea life, some of which has been domesticated, like Giganticus Mare Equis, commonly known as That Seahorse You Can Ride. The LDPW moles are a clever lot with wicked senses of humor – They saddled a seahorse. You can also try riding some of the other animals (and taking copies for your own waterscapes), but be careful as some will eat you alive. Done "horsing around"? Then rez your boat topside and visit another site.

Maybe the Perugia Rezz Zone (SLurl), home to one of many, many sea power generation projects in Second Life and a great example of how the LDPW is weaving a life story in Our World. If you coordinate such places on the world map you'll see that they supply power to various facilities such as the Prim Drilling Rig in ANWR (SLurl). It is there that all the prims you rezz in-world are found (there's an abandoned prim mine that Zyx reported about on this blog here). The Lab is providing everything Residents need to get out and PLAY but so few folks do it. I especially love the explorers that do and I give special hat tips to Kennylex Luckless and Hexapoda Resident for joyfully sharing their adventures on the MySL feeds.

I was exploring a few areas I saw on Hexa's feed when I investigated a strange green glow in the waters of Gaigano (SLurl). The cove seemed to have been very unnaturally formed (work with me here ... I know all these places are totally fictional, but this is how I have fun in SL) so I dove in and found –

What appears to be a crashed alien space ship worthy of Area 51 and mutated jellyfish!!

The craft is huge. If you risk going into the interior you'll see that nothing on this planet could have made it. I suspect alien moles. Big alien moles.

The propulsion source is totally baffling but still seems to have an active power source. I worry about radiation and excessive particle exposure (particles, BTW, don't lag a sim, rather they lag your viewer and make it seem like the whole sim is slowing).

LIke any crash, though, I can't look away. The long skid path from where it slid along the sea floor shows tremendous energies were let loose as the sands were fused into glass and rock. I bet if I followed the path's apparent trajectory I'd find more damage on the seabed. This must be one of the most Best Places No One Visits or the LDPW is amazing at keeping secrets (well, they are ... since it was confirmed they know where Magellan Linden is but aren''t talking).

See what I mean? I spent a good hour exploring around and seeing things I'd never come across before despite the extensive amount of time I've previously spent in the Coastal Waterway. And I know there is more. I've popped from place to place with only enough time to make landmarks so I could have more relaxed visits later. I can't wait to get to a "tiny" island and try the adventure the moles have set up.

Just another example of how Mainland rocks, really. Each continent and themed community (such as Nautilus, the sailing sims, Bay City, and more) all have an infrastructure and a back story that makes exploring them a ton of fun. Taken as a whole they have a history worthy of a whole planet. Yet people sit in Welcome Areas and complain that SL needs to be more like a game. Maybe I should be glad they don't explore. Then I can keep this little mermaid house all to myself.

No, I'm not telling you where this is, but I will say "start at the alien spaceship wreck and look about for it and a snazzy sea lab structure that is also near by ... watch the wildlife, though and always look for Magellan Linden.