Barney's Bay

Zyx Flux was bugging me again to give her a travel writing assignment, so I sent her off to Barney's Bay (two regions, really; SLurl to the main region), a Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW) build that I found in the official Linden Parks and Recreation Directory. Its the tourist-centric remnants of a quaint old sea-side fishing village and a beautiful place to visit. Here is Zyx's report:

The square at Barney's Bay is a lovely spot and I imagine it is even more beautiful on a sunny day. 

Barney's Bay, established in the mid- to late-1800s by most accounts, is a very quiet place, perhaps because I visited on a very overcast day, the sky just begging to be allowed to let it's pent up rain loose below. Seagulls circled overhead waiting to pounce on treats dropped by absent tourists while shop signs squeakily swung in the light ocean breeze. Occasionally a fog horn sounded from the island's light house, adding to the lonely feeling that permeates the village. The Holiday homes around the perimeter are empty but freshly painted and well-maintained, awaiting the trourist season to begin. I'm sure that on sunny days in warmer weather the shops and square are busier and people head out into the docks for some sailing (in a nice rezzable Linden sailboat) or fishing (7Seas compatible, but bring your own gear and bait).

The beach is small but it is likely festooned with umbrellas and chairs and towels in warmer months.

Surely at its peak Barney's Bay was a thriving fishing village with a considerable population. Today the main square is bordered by shops for tourists including one for souvenirs, one for flowers, several shops for sweets such as ice cream and cakes, a coffee shop, the Mole & Mole Travel Agency, and the Hog's Head Tavern, where you can quaff a pint of Sweaty Old Mole and other select lagers.

The sea was calm today, a portent that the heavy weather would soon grow worse. Two different sailboats are available, including one that uses the region winds (and thus actual skill) for movement. The superbly made fishing trawler at the edge of the region is worth a look and should be a good place from which to cast your fishing line.

From the statue's plaque:
Bernard "The Navibator" McShnott
Captain of the HMS Besott when it ran aground at
Barney's rock. He was locked in his cabin at the time
after confiscating a sailor's "periodical" when he
earned his nickname.

A truly excellent Mole-made village bicycle is yours for the taking, just click for a copy. Then rez it from your Inventory — yes, anyone can rez any prims they want here — and take a ride around the village.

The central water well must be purely decorative and a later addition, however, as any well deep enough to draw water on an island such as this would pull up brackish water, at best, and even seawater under the right conditions. Still, it is beautiful and really enhances the quaintness of the village.

Inside the sweet shop you can get a free lollypop with a click, but the other candies are securely locked up. The jars hold a couple dozen varieties including two kinds of gobstoppers, Barney's Squishy Bottoms, and Barney's Aniseed Mole Balls. Click everywhere in the other shops for some freebies, but be ready for disappointment. Only t-shirts are available in the souvenir shop despite a plethora of wonderful collectables set out on display.

The Mole & Mole Travel Agency is a warm spot on a cold day (fireplace not pictured) and you can can click the nearly two dozen "brochures" for landmarks to other wonderful LDPW builds.

Even in the off season Barney's Bay is a fun place and I was glad to spend most of the day there today. I don't keep many landmarks, but I'm certainly saving one for this location. My congratulations to all the Moles and the entire LDPW for another fine build.

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Exterior Pictures: Windlight set to Lost; Water set to [TOR] Impure
The region standard seems to be typical for Mainland, but an occasional fog would fill the docks area for simulated weather.

Interior Pictures: Windlight set to Default Noon

The Lindens SUCK!

Its ironic that this prim in Fujin (SLurl) is called a road support.

Friends Online

If Second Life really wants to get into the Social Networking game, I suggest they look a bit more closely at the Google+ model of using Circles to help Residents keep track of our Friends list. I don't use Google+, mind you, as what few people I do associate with in Real Life really aren't computer users. Most don't even have mobile phones. And try to get any doctor's office to use email for anything — you might as well pound your head on a wall.

But at any given time there are about 20 people of about 170 from my Friends list in Second Life online at any given time. The word "Friends" is a euphemism, of course, for "People I need to keep in contact with for one reason or another." Like anyone, I guess, some people really are friends, others are more like family, and the rest filter into other mentally organized groups. But looking at my Friends list, there are only two groups: Online and Offline.

What I'd like to see first is to rename the list as "Contacts." Then some organization, if not like the Google+ Circles, is at least some way to group my contacts by type.

Blogging a Profile Feed

Another busy day in Real Life meant very little time in Second Life. For quick blogging on days like today, the Post to My Profile Feed button in the Snapshot pane is very handy. I just wish there was a way to publish that feed here on the Blogger platform. I don't know if Wordpress or other services can do that, but I've not found any reliable way to do that here.

And then peeking at the feed as it is, I wonder how the Adult Verification system affects feeds. For example, can a G-rated noobie see explicit pictures in other people's profiles? My pictures there are borderline since no bits are showing, but someone would likely see this as an issue. Oh, my goodness .... what about my child avatar friends? *blush*

A quick comb through of the Terms of Service and the Community Standards don't have any specific information about maturity ratings and Profile Feeds that I can find, but I think that one picture just might be a bit too personal.

*/me looks at the Delete Snapshot option in the feed*

The Riverwalk at Caledon Ahavah is No More

On April 4th I posted "Caledon Ahavah River Walk" with several pictures from one of the most beautiful builds ever in Second Life and today I'm very sad to report that the build is gone. My brother had his alt out to run the Caledon Quest and arrived to find a big empty. The region is still there, but all that I fell in love with had been removed.

Click here to see "the past glory." CC's Alt hovers in the foreground as he IMs the Quest people to find out what he should do for the rest of the hunt (Word is things will be patched up in a day or so).

A new structure has been erected and a clever memorial lies inland from the river. The railroad and airship infrastructure remains. A lone synagogue sits trackside and a shop anchors one end of the region on the opposite side.

The Riverwalk is gone. Alas, the build owner, Yenta Bernheim, has to spend an extended time in Real Life soon and cleared the build so the region owner could rent to a new tenant. My brother spoke with her (I was sitting with him to help him with the Quest) about the circumstances and of course, Real Life comes first. The region will be completely cleared on or before May 1st to make way for something new.

Wishing you all the Best, Yenta, and a swift return to Second Life to share more of your visions, please.