Safari goes Silent

 The final Safari of this first season of 2022, and we ended on a high note indeed! Two completely different, yet equally interesting destinations this week, as we visited the vast space installation by Ferd Frederix and Joe Builder, and then called in to see HG goddess Diva Canto, aka Crista Lopes. This is Part One, and deals with our visit to Outworldz. For information about our trip to Crista's grid, see the post 'Closing at Crista's'

Our host Ferd joined us at the Clubhouse in robot form yesterday, and brought a nice gift - it's a little

Francogrid : The Musical

 FrancoGrid, one of the oldest grids in Opensim, is down. That is sad news, indeed, for anyone who over the past 15+ years has enjoyed this grid as a visitor or resident.

FrancoGrid has always been known for the beauty of the builds - whether hyper realistic or abstract, it has celebrated literature, music, art and culture for the best part of twenty years, through events famous across the Metaverse, like Fest'Avi, to less flamboyant but equally intricate celebrations of art on dozens of lovely sims. So what is next? Is this the end? Or the end of the beginning...

Books and the Bayou: a Cultural Safari

 Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of grim news in the world today that we all ought to be aware of, but it's good for mental health to take a short break from worrying about it. And what better way than by taking in a nice 2 hours of culture, friendship, and beauty.  

But before we get to the eye candy, (supplied in this gif by Kith Whitehawk, scroll down for even more Wyldwood Bayou gorgeousness) there's an important new cultural hub on Craft Grid, that we visited as our first destination. Hosted on regions curated by Roxelo Babenco aka Rosanna Galvani whose Museo del Metaverso  has been a beacon of art in virtual worlds over 15 years. HG Addresses are, as always, at the end of this post.

Safari Jukes it Out

Unadecal Masala: personally, I am a sucker for wrists 

The Jukebox was invented by Louis Glass, and the first commercial use of this iconic music maker was in 1889, in the city of San Francisco.  An intriguing and beautiful invention, it brought together technology and art in one magical box, very much like the two builds we visited this week, in two completely different styles, but both pretty mindblowing!

Aphra Hendrix at Jukebox

 We visited Coopersville on Kitely, the enormous Edwardian region owned by Koshari Mahana, where you can enjoy a wide range of activities, from ballooning to old time movies to bumper cars, all in a perfect historical setting. Before that, we jumped over to Cherry Manga's brand new Jukebox installation, on CopyKat grid.
Complete hypergrid addresses are, as always, at the end of this post.

Corn-o-graphy

 This week is Cornflakes Week, a festival of fun that is exclusively OpenSim. Only a handful of grids are  participating this year (we were up to 11 grids back in 2017) but maybe Cornflakes 2023 can prove to be BIG for original OpenSim silliness, if the world doesn't end up a cinder before then, 

Put it in your calendar just in case, February 22-28, 2023.

The idea of Cornflakes Week? It's not morbidly focused on one late lamented person. Goodness knows, so many dear companions, fine artists, and generous friends have left this virtual life and we miss them all. No, the idea of the week is that it's an open ended festival, in the sense that you can have your own home grown Corny party, it can be adapted to the style of any grid or region, it's not affiliated with the weather or time of day, or the local religious, cultural, social, or political goings on of any one corner of the planet. What the world needs now is more gentle silliness, more than ever, and Cornflakes Week is all about that in a uniquely OpenSim way. 

Just to show that the concept can be modded, brought forward from the aughts to the twenties, and from pure prim to magnificent mesh, Cherry Manga took a journey through the creations of Cornflakes and came up with her own take on gentle fun. The build is still visitable in the sky above our clubhouse on OSgrid, and guitarman Whirli Placebo agreed to sing for us. But before that, we popped over to see fireworks conjurer Wordofthe Wise, who kindly invited us to see a copy of the region where all the Corn fun began. 

As always, the addresses of the destinations are at the end of the post.

Vintage Portage

Our second destination this week is a special place because it bridges the gap between the virtual and the real and shows what a wonderful tool Opensim can be for academics and professionals. Located on the Science Circle Grid, it is reconstruction of Portage, an archeological site in Pennsylvania, built by Nova Saunders. 

At the side of a tranquil canal, Nova and fellow Science Circle member Quaezar Agnomen  were waiting for us, to explain the build and share the experience. You can read about the first part of this week's Safari in the post called 'The Folly of Phaedra'. As always the address of the destination is at the end of the post.

Nova and Quaesar welcome us to Portage

          The settlement of Portage, PA was established in 1830's during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, at a time when the United States was pushing Westwards with a passion. It was an era of fast moving technological revolution.           Portage is located about 70 miles due west of Pittsburgh, and while there is a town in the area, the original settlement is all but gone from the landscape.

           In the 60 years preceding the heyday of Portage, canal technology had been considered, especially in Europe,  the best way to move heavy and bulky goods from place to place. However, by 1820, a newfangled means of transport was beginning to be talked about, invested in, and dreamed of, first in England and then further afield - trains. So Portage found itself on the cusp of transition between the older, more organic form of transport, by water, and the bold and speedy new one - the steam train.

The Folly of Phaedra

Jeff Kelley:   how many avatars have we lost ?

Ernest Moncrieff:  I'm always lost

Nara Nook: thanks ... little bit lost

Ernest Moncrieff: are we in a Wormhole?

George Equus: I am still in one piece, even hat came along for the ride

This week's visits are split across two posts, because reasons. Why folly? Because if you don't go to see Phaedra for yourself you're nuts. Or maybe it's the folly of the Safari, thinking we could see more than a tiny part of this extraordinary build. 

It looks a bit like a folly, constructed in the form of a composite tower or Parnassus. Phaedra rises from the Ocean of Ignis Fatuus grid like a mountain surrounded by a solar wind. 

The first thing I heard on arriving on Phaedra with the group was Kelso, warning us about piranhas.  There had been a strange lag on the Safari clubhouse sim all day, so it seemed quite believable that around this strange towering installation, another brilliant creation by Max Hill, owner of Ignis Fatuus Grid, there might well be avatar eating fish.

It was going to be an epic Safari. This is part one of two great destinations and, as always, the addresses are at the end of this post.

It's Time to Fest Up...

OpensimFest 2022 is heading our way, and confess it, you're curious. 

The overall theme is 'Medieval/Fantasy' and the whole thing will be happening in July, but just what's going on and how can you take part? 

 I asked IMA guru Shelenn Ayres about it, from the origins of the event to the practical details, well, as many as are available at this early stage. 

But first up, what in the virtual world inspired her to take on this crazy project?

Fatal Attraction

Frank Gresham: Yay for opensim 

There is crazy good and crazy bad. We all know that. Second Life has been, for many of us, crazy Good, in its way. It was thus for Safari regular Loru Destiny and the three friends who, together with her, form the heart and soul of ArtDestiny grid, our first destination this week. It's a very attractive combination of so much art and beauty that for us to visit, it has to be fate. Addresses, as always, at the end of the post.

          

             We teleported over and arrived in a large, airy art gallery, everyone rezzing pretty quickly considering how many we were, and that it was not a great night for the internet. The whole visit was so well organized, it was pure pleasure to meet our hosts and take a tour around Spooky City.

A Packed Safari

 Safari people can fit a lot into a small space, whether it's time - a bare ninety minutes - or the narrow tunnels of the unusual Andron Rae build, 'The Caves', on Neverworld, our second destination this week.  But before the spelunking, there was the great leap forward, in terms of bag and baggage, as imagined by Ai Austin, who you may have come across on VUE grid, or (as happened to us) encountered him on Space Camp, a Gerry Anderson inspired region on OSGrid. 

Ai Austin at Venus' beach house on Space City

But before we went anywhere, everyone came to the Clubhouse, which is such a delight, as familiar faces and old friends and new pals all show up. Community organizer  Valibrarian Gregg joined us, I think for the first time, and Prax and Alexina, who were Safari regulars back in the early days came along, as did musician Whirli Placebo, who has played for the Safari many a time, and was this time in off-duty mode.   For the address of the places we visited, look at the end of this post, as usual.

Safari Glows

 It's all a question of perspective. Prims have been somewhat overlooked of late so it was a treat to revisit the medium, a sort of historical trip. But with plenty of fantasy thrown in. You learn something every time on Safari, about what works and what doesn't and sometimes something literary. Case in point: Beth Ghostraven found some chandeliers all green and glowy, like cavorite. I didn't even know what that was, but our host Cyberglo Cyberstar was immediately on her wavelength. It's that kind of a place.

The place?   We were visiting LoveGlo castle, a sort of poetic throwback to the beauty of building with prims. Cyberglo constructed the whole place in a day and filled it with legal freebies, hidden passages, caves, and all kinds of surprises. The proper address of the region is at the end of the post, as always.

Dream Trip

Virtual Discovery organizer, Vladimir Djannovic

 Every Tuesday, there is a hypergrid adventure with the Virtual Discovery group run by Vladimir Djannovic out of his grid, Virtual Dream. (Yes, there is a VD theme going on, you're not mistaken.) Show up on the Welcome region of VD, and join in the fun. For details about upcoming trips, the best thing is to look on opensimworld, or follow Vlad on Facebook, where he gives the heads up a couple of days before each trip.  This week, for the first time, I was lucky enough to join them for a little while. It's the best fun!  

This week the excursion was to the Zoo on Serenity Grid, the address at the end of the post.

Best Practices in Jumping

 Anyone can leap about in opensim, exploring regions by themselves or maybe with a friend. We've all done it, often finding pleasure in the big empty spaces of the hypergrid. But it is also fun to grid jump  with a crowd, to meet the grid owner, or sim builder, and spend some time laughing and dancing and learning more about the infinite variety of opensim. 

But traveling in a pack can create its own unique problems. So what makes for a successful hypergrid trip en masse? Our group is called Safari, because there's a good chance you won't survive to the end, and there are dangers lurking! I asked a bunch of Safari regulars who have joined our trips many times to give their advice for a successful and enjoyable trip around the metaverse.

Still Standing

The dance floor at HG safari clubhouse

Kelso Uxlay: Good idea to warm up safari goers before going.

          Dancing really does do it. This week, two animated destinations, a big crowd of avatars, and a roaring success for our hosts, Dorena Verne and Anachron Young on Dorena's World, and Karima Hoisan and the scriptastic Dale Innes on Kitely. 

Addresses of the destinations, as always, at the end of the post. 

It really helps if you come to the clubhouse on HG Safari, OSGrid and get the LMs before we depart at the top of the hour, and thanks to everyone who showed up, including Lux, Dabici and Kelso who entertained us by dancing so well. A good omen...

Open Season

 The first real Safari after a pause of over three years, and about thirty people showed up! Would we survive to the end? And not just because the first destination promised death by dinosaur - would lag or confusion defeat us? 

The answer was a resounding No! Thanks to all those who showed up for this Hunting and Fishing Safari, where we played, stepped in dino dodo, fished, got squashed, fished, crashed boats... and, most of all, thanks to Ange Menges and Royale Mobian, the hosts of the two hours of the Safari. As always, the addresses of the two destinations are at the end of the post.

Counter Tops

 Havoc Rau is an unmissable figure. Tall, with dark good looks and impeccable manners. He has his own city, and knows about mesh, heck, he makes the stuff (free for us opensimmers, for money to those unenlightennd types in SL who don't know about the Free Worlds). He is, to me, a hypergrid hero, a man who spans the gap between complicated role playing and HG Tourism. 

A couple of weeks back he came to save me from the Zombies on OSGrid, as you may have read in an earlier post. This week, he offered to show me his etchings, I mean his tarns, on CounterEarth. What could a girl say, except for 'yes please'?

CounterEarth, if you didn't know, is an amazingly beautiful grid that takes its theme from the novels by John Norman, who began writing them in the 1960s. (The grid address is at the end of this post.)Here is a pretty unbiased review of the first novel to give you an idea of what it is all about. The grid, on the other hand, has to be seen to be believed, and believe me, it's the tops.

Post Pre Safari Safari

 Just as a test, and to make sure we are all on the same page, we had a meet up on the new HG Safari region on Wednesday. The event was advertised in Facebook and Mewe and in the OGgrid and Craft HG Safari inworld groups. Thanks to all who attended, and those who IM'd saying they saw the event even if they couldn't make it this time.

It was a chance to catch up with old friends and to meet new Safari fans. Also, a learning opportunity for those unfamiliar with what '12 noon Grid time' (which is Pacific time, just like back in Second Life) calculates to where they live. Anyway, about 25 of us managed to navigate the time zones, and  cope with the fact that the Safari's main base is on OSGrid now. Oh, and there is a space between HG and Safari in the name of the new sim. Which is quite a lot to take in, if you think about it.

Ball Park

We all have our foibles, even you. Well, OK, especially you, don't imagine for a moment the rest of us haven't noticed. Anyway, mine include not being able to resist clicking on a free raccoon, and being the world's worst Hunt player. You can guarantee that in any Hunt game, not only will I not find any of the prizes, but I may actually break the mechanism.  Imagine, then, with what trepidation I went to the Tangle Grid Christmas Ball Hunt, which ends on January 15. Would there be raccoons? I had to know.

Total Annihilation

          Today, Ubit killed me. He has probably been wanting to do that for years.  Unfortunately for him, it didn't take, and here are the photos to prove it.

Ubit's Revenge

          You probably remember sim Outbreak on OSgrid. The zombie game was set in a lovely European town, with trees and squares and alleys and a big old church in the middle. The textures were, if I remember correctly, by Michelle Theiss, but the heart of the matter, the scripting, was by that Queen of Code, Total 'call me Louise' Sorbet. I had the great pleasure of catching up with her the other day and hearing her news. 

Metrodämmerung

 It started with Maria Korolov, during one of her OSCC presentations, when she was talking about grid statistics.

Anyone who knows me knows that I spend most of the OpenSim Community Conference gossiping and flirting with whoever will put up with me, especially during the more arty or bookish parts. But I sat still and attended during Maria's bit (and also that brilliant Graham Mills lecture, with the ship. That was awesome.) 

Graham Mills' Liverpool history project is on Kitely

Anyway, Maria was talking grid stats and there was a slide showing traffic on the hg and so on, and somehow Metropolis got mentioned, and a voice from the audience, in what I can only describe as a contemptuous font, said something along the lines of 'Oh you can't hg to Metropolis.'