Virtual Spain in OSGrid

Some great news for anyone whose first language is Spanish. 

We all know that people new to Opensim -and not so new - struggle with finding resources, resolving bugs, and finding congenial company. But if English is not your first language, it's all way harder. So how to cope? Well generally speaking, people flock to a grid where a good percentage of the residents speak their language, that's why you find 'German' and 'French' grids all over the place - it's not racism, it's just that at the end of a long day when you are being frustrated by the vagaries of Opensim, you want to talk to someone who knows what you're on about, without struggling in another tongue.

Of course, we have opensim legends who are Spanish speakers, like Victoria Logan and Tina Bey, Plastichansa Bade and Zonja Capalini, Xirana Oximoxi and the lovely singer Nazirah - just to name a few. But there is room for growth in community support for anyone who wants to take the plunge and whose first language is Spanish.  Spanish worlds in Opensim are something of a rarity. Well, not a rarity, but let's say the best known Spanish-friendly grid has a fairly dramatic reputation, which is not to everyone's taste. So what happens when someone who speaks only Spanish comes to Opensim?  

Evan Belmond and friends have decided to try to fill that need with a brand new sim called Virtual Spain, on OSGrid. The idea is to create a central place where Spanish speakers who love Opensim can come and get advice, find freebies, and make friends without having to fight with the Yandex translator every five minutes. 

The Soul of Hypergridding

 Perhaps you remember Spike Sol's hypergrid destination hub, on grid Soloton. For many years, it was a valuable resource for anyone looking for an interesting destination in opensim. Not only as a tool for explorers, the  sim was a link between likeminded builders, a way to measure your work with that of your peers, and a sort of library of places worth visiting that might have slipped your mind. From very early days of hypergridding, the Weltraumbahnhof was a beacon in a confusing ocean of destinations, and when foolish people would say, there's nothing to see in Opensim, you had to merely point them at Spike's masterpiece to put them straight.

Spike's Weltraumbahnhof during a Safari visit in 2017

Soloton grid has been offline for a while now, although don't imagine that Spike isn't active - apart from having a regular Sunday slot on the German-language Radio ArtDestiny, Spike will be compering the upcoming fashion show by Loru Destiny. (Here's a sneak peek of Loru's fashion.)

Arriving on Soul Grid's Weltraumbahnhof, 2022

Earlier this year, the owners of Soul Grid, Rudi and Nasti Backerly, opened a new build.

Rudi Backerly: It is a sequel and homage on Spike Sols Weltraumbahnhof. We created it in memory of his great work, which he continued for years with difficulty. Before we started, we asked Spike if he is okay with it, that we continue his work. He agreed and I remember that he liked it as he visited the new Weltraumbahnhof some weeks before.

Soirees Franco

 As the new season of Safari begins, it's worth remembering ours is not the only hypergridding group out there. If you understand French, or want to immerse yourself in the language and culture, there's an excellent monthly opportunity for you.

At 9pm Paris time, on the first Thursday evening of each month, the Frenchies will be gathering on Eden Cat's grid to have a chat, exchange news and views, and tour some interesting regions. You may remember that for about 3 years, Vladimir of Virtual Dream Grid organized trips - when his grid went offline this spring, it left a big gap in the francophone community. But now things are getting going again!

Trips are a bit different from the Safari tour. The Frenchies make full use of Voice, so if your French is not great, be ready for a bit of  linguistic tsunami. Events are usually filmed by Prodyck and published on his Twitch channel. They focus on visiting francophone destinations, based quite often in Belgium, Canada, and France, and go to just one place per trip. There are loads of lovely grids based in these countries, so plenty to see - try it out! The next trip will be on October 6.

Soirees Franco

WHERE Meeting at http://chez-eden.venez.fr:8002/

WHEN The first Thursday of each month

CONTACT Join the SV3D Discord channel to keep in touch with the group
https://discord.gg/K5WgSJrcbt

Noise Ploys with Lorin Tone

How many dimensions, would you say, are there in virtual worlds? If your answer is three, then maybe think again. For a virtual environment to really be immersive, there is another dimension that will lift, color, enhance and amplify your build, whether it be a sci fi paradise or a woodland tableau. That is sound.

Sound is one of the hardest things to get right in virtual worlds. Too many noises, or noises repeated too often, can spoil a sim, while if your audio is too sparing, visitors may not notice it at all. But how can you create the perfect aural environment?  Consult the Sorcerer of Sound, of course.

Lorin Tone: Sometimes sound effects can be used as a major component in build or environments. For most environmental soundscapes, the sound should not be featured, but more "felt" than noticeably heard. At other times, you can bash people over the head with sounds that enhance the most important elements of a build. 

Lorin Tone

Lorin presents a fascinating course on using Sounds in virtual worlds. The class lasts about an hour, and is held twice a month on Sundays, at 10am Pacific Time, on his region Soundscapes, within the Koryphon

'Tis (almost) the Season!

 Two weeks until Safari returns!
The third and final season of Safari trips for 2022 begins on September 14 and ends on November 16.

Safari trips are on Wednesdays  at 12 noon Pacific time, that's 3 pm for those on Eastern Time, and 9pm for most Europeans. That's our departure time, the time at which we are expected at the first stop on the trip, so if you can, do show up at the clubhouse a bit before. This way, you can get the latest news of what's going on, and you can friend other safari goers. This is more than a polite gesture - if you friend us, we may be able to tp you if you get lost (or even better, you can tp us if we get lost!) 

Each expedition involves two destinations, each for about an hour - some of you may remember our three hour Safaris, with anything up to five destinations, back in the day when long crashes and highly unstable grids (and, if we're being honest, quite a few highly unreliable hosts) made it sensible to have plenty of time and plenty of options. 

These days there are a lot fewer last minute cancellations, and that is thanks to the hard work of the Opensim Devs, and some really magnificent grid owners who go the extra mile in making our visits possible and delightful. The quality of builds in opensim continues to amaze us all, and the enthusiasm of our hosts is heartwarming - thank you all so much!

VWs - Distraction, or Inspiration? By Xirana Oximoxi

 This is a guest post by Xirana Oximoxi, aka the Catalan artist Núria Vives. She writes and illustrates children's books, including the delightful Amanda and the Snowman - presented in voice to the HG Safari group, back in 2016. Her books have a truly international feel, available in a variety of languages, making them ideal teaching tools as well as entertainment.  Xirana has shared her adorable art across both OpenSim and SL, as well of course in the real world too. Follow her blog to keep up with her latest creations and exhibitions.

Xirana Oximoxi - Núria Vives

The inspiration or stimuli we receive to enhance our creativity comes from the effect that the world and the people around us have on us, either in real life or in the virtual worlds in which we also relate with people who, behind the figure of their avatar, are very real. Music, Literature, Art and everything that happens in virtual worlds continues to be an experience that influences us.

Cherry Manga 1: The Early Years

There was a poetry to old school SL names. 

Their two-partedness and their permanence spoke of  a level of self expression that leaves the dumbed down display name and single moniker in the dust.  To make a name for oneself - that brush with destiny: the first name chosen from within, the second name chosen from a world-imposed list. Together they formed a double-edged identity card, showing a piece of yourself as an individual and where you place yourself within the wider world. Perhaps that's why so many SL names persist in opensim.

Cherry Manga is a case in point. Manga, and the mind flies to the unreal figures of the comics, to the culture of Japan, to romance and theatrical gestures, to space and cyborgs and superpowers, to lovely elemental battles. And Cherry? Thoughts, perhaps, of sakura, or of chérie, or of red and ready fruit, tasting sometimes sweet, sometimes a little sharp, fated to be popped. It's all in there, one way or another. 

Cherry Manga: Japan always fascinated me, it's so far from my own culture, it's delicate, precise, perfectionist. It's like I am related to Japan even if I never put a foot there. I would say first inspiration would be surrealism though, all mysterious, dark, and mostly everything I make is autobiographical. I build my feelings, my dreams, my pain.

This Midjourney AI artwork, made in 2022, glimpses the future of Cherry's art. But first, let's go back to the beginning.