You better watch out…

November 30, 2008

santagarth

Sung to the tune of… oh, you can figure it out.

You better watch out
You better not fight
Or under your tree you’ll find a buttlight
Santa Garth is coming to town!

He’s making a list
He knows all your faults
He knows if you’ve been bad with your alts
Santa Garth is coming to town!

He sees you when you’re rezzing
He knows when RL calls
He knows if you’ve been naughty
With the naughtiest poseballs!

With little prim toys
That you can attach
Don’t get any ideas
It’s just a prim cat
Santa Garth is coming to town!

The boys and girls in SL
Will be totally wowed
That is until they’re banned
Because ageplay is not allowed!

Oh, you better watch out
You better not fight
Or under your tree you’ll find a buttlight
Santa Garth is coming to town!

Thanks to Robin and Misty, who didn’t know they were the Santa Garth Dancers.

2 Comments | silly | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Time for a new security system

November 25, 2008

vogue1

Dear Bot Farmer,

The “eject” function on the security system with which you are trying to hide your bots isn’t working too well. Pwned!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vogue/135/138/696

3 Comments | silly | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

The fine line between weird and disturbing

November 23, 2008

vooner1

I’ve come to expect a lot of strangeness from Japanese stores, but these faces staring at me all over the place in Vooner kind of freaked me out.

vooner2

Without the faces the store seems pretty normal. You almost wouldn’t know it’s Japanese. Frankly, this isn’t the usual type of Japanese weirdness, either, it’s just… well, it crosses theline over to Disturbing. For a while I’d almost thought the faces were the work of a griefer, but I checked the prim owner and their legit.

vooner3

My, what big eyes you have…

vooner4

One of the clues about this being a Japanese area are a few choice Engrish selections. I guess “sheep” didn’t come up in their Japanese-English dictionary. Nor did “poop.”

vooner5

Garrows Tree! With Hunging Anime!

vooner6

Help! I’m being Hunged!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vooner/58/149/106

Leave a Comment » | international, retail, sick | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

A matter of perspective

November 22, 2008

hikkoshi1

What an odd little lake. Strange looking hills behind me, too.

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Come to think of, the whole landscape is a little… odd.

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Oh, it’s a panda-shaped lake. Of course, why didn’t I think of that?

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A panda-shape lake… on a truck-shaped island. That makes perfect sense!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/hikkoshi/110/132/39

1 Comment | cute, international, silly | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Scary above, scary below

November 18, 2008

steeltopia1

I was wandering through the Steeltopia steampunk region when I came upon this twisted little carnival. The man attraction is the Wheel of Misfortune, which will spin you around at stomach-lurching speeds if you’re daring enough. My only disappointment was that when I jumped off it didn’t send my flying across the region. That would have fun.

steeltopia2

This disturbing fellow peppers the chat with jokes and riddles as you wander around the rides and games. The carnival s largely intended as a way to sell the attractions. They’re free to use, but they really want you to buy them for your own steampunk parcel.

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The shooting gallery is challenging, yet forgiving of near misses. Those animals are fast, though.

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The Cavorite Repulsion Chamber is electrifying, bouncy fun. I should have paid more attention to the instructions on how to get out, though. I was stuck in there for a while. Hey, you try clicking the door button while you’re bouncing around. I think I sprained my mouse finger.

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Nearby is this fun little abandoned mine that is full of surprises. I won’t post more than this one picture since I don’t want to spoil it for you. In this one, I’m deciding whether I should walk straight into the portal to Hell or do the other way. Decisions, decisions…

Carnival: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steeltopia/175/47/26

Mine: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steeltopia/107/58/26

Leave a Comment » | cute, games, scary, sick | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Sandstorms and dragons

November 14, 2008

chinawest1

China West is.. well, I don’t know what it is, but it looks pretty cool. It looks like a windy desert area in which there’s an archaeological dig going on. It seems to be a work in progress. Since II took these pictures a few weeks ago more structures, such as a giant dam, have been added.

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One of the most interesting elements is the off-and-on sandstorm. It truly adds to the atmosphere. It makes you want to put on those desert robes and play Lawrence of Arabia. I know, it’s China. Work with me here.

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I’m not sure if China West is intended to be a role-play area, a representation of a real place, or what. There’s no information to be had, but whoever built it paid a lot of attention to detail.

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The China region next door is home to a large, detailed boat full of little details to explore.

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I’m musical! Who knew?

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Poke around and you’ll find stuff you didn’t expect, like a cubby hole with an interesting picture book. Or you might find this strange padded cell, where you can get squashed into this water tank. It was not comfortable.

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Next to the boat is this dragon, which is just pretty damned cool.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/China%20West/58/190/44

2 Comments | builds, international | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Build it and they will shop: HappyMood

November 12, 2008

happymood1

In my Build It And They Will Shop series, I looked at stores with entertaining shopping environments unlike anything in real life. The products and the environment are different things, though they’re sometimes thematically linked. HappyMood is something different. The environment is largely made up of the product.

happymood2

Now, you could say that about any place that sells trees, but they tend to be pretty sterile places — well tended gardens, if you will. Not so with HappyMood. It’s a storybook-like dome where reality has been shifted a few degrees toward the cute. The only way I can describe it is that everything gives you the feeling of being in a softly painted illustration from a classic children’s story. Wind in the Willows, or… nothing else comes to mind at the moment.

happymood3

Most of the products are there for you to see and touch and try, like these beautifully detailed rocking horses. As befits a place like this, they also sell a version for tines.

happymood4

Wander around a bit and you’ll find some freebie t-shirts. There’s no sign telling you about them, you just run into them. They’re just part of the woodwork, as it were, like the beautiful interior surface of the dome. It gives you the impression of being in a glowing sunrise, all the time. The scroll-work and stars in the sky just add to the effect.

happymood5

Pictures don’t quite do the giant rabbits justice. The ears wiggle, the eyes blink, the noses sniff. I just hope that a giant doesn’t get the idea to use them for a pregnancy test.

happymood6

The top of the dome really shows off the trees (but you can see them better in the sky garden). Mainly, though, it’s a great place to wander.

happymood7

At the top of the dome you’ll find a welcoming little area to hang out. I’ve often found people here, just sitting and chatting and enjoying the view. Once I ran into a couple getting, ummm… amorous, but they quickly shifted to IM. I left them to their fun. It’s a lovely environment, but I’m not so sure I find it romantic.

happymood8

Sometimes you’ll find surprising little details. This little island seems to serve no purpose except to look cute (and have these little rabbits peek out of you). That’s the essence of the Build It And They Will Shop experience. So, of course, I had to buy one of those rocking horses…

http://slurl.com/secondlife/HappyMood/84/155/31

1 Comment | builds, commercial, cute, retail | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Suicidal cats and other whimsies

November 9, 2008

tokyopenninsula1

When I saw the cats and watermelons jumping like lemmings from the sky platform in Tokyo Peninsula, I knew that I had found a keeper. The whole thing looks like a scripting and Havok 4 physics playground, with a kind of feline tiny theme going on.

tokyopenninsula2

Click or approach or touch everything, because you ever know what will happen. Something will meow, or move, or explode, or do something surprising. Trust me, I’m not covering the half of it here. Some of it is incomplete, like this giant domino set. I’m able to make the pink rocket shoot into the sky, but it doesn’t quite reach it’s destination and the sequence ends.

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Standing on this weight causes a rectangular prim to run down the tube. When it hits the chamber at the other end, smoke pours out and something circular bounces out. Why? Who knows?

tokyopenninsula4

Hmmm, what will happen if you push these snow cats? I’ll let you find out.

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Now, you’re probably wondering what happens to the cats when they hit ground zero. Well, they splash down in the ocean. Luckily they can swim. Okay, I lied, they can’t swim, but they can float, sometimes with their heads up. Heh.

tokyopenninsula6

The ground is full of more stuff to see and touch, like these fans. They sell a tiny avatar version nearby. I had to buy one, of course, because it’s so awesomely odd. There’s also a refrigerator avatar with a very fresh fish flopping around inside.

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Here’s a different use of particles. Paint a face on the giant tiny! Giant tiny. There’s an oxymoron for you.

tokyopenninsula8

Some of what you’ll find is just cute, like this moon on which you can relax. On the other end of the region there’s a sun. You can’t lay on the sun, though. Of course not, you’d burn up.

tokyopenninsula9

Here’s a wide angle of the land so you can get a sense of what I’m talking about here. It’s endlessly whimsical and interactive. At one point there were violent explosions all over the island, but I’m not sure if I caused them or if it’s a regular event. Like I said, click everything.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/TokyoPeninsula/53/93/601

4 Comments | commercial, cute, retail, silly | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

Very amused

November 5, 2008

kawasanland1

Ora Pera dropped me a notecard with a landmark for the Kawasan Land amusement park. Now, let me warn you that this is not a pretty place. The build is, shall we say, downright functional. But what it lacks in aesthetics it more than makes up for in the ride experience. Check out this roller coaster ride:

That’s as close to a real-life roller coaster ride as I’ve ever seen in Second Life. Okay, so the car you ride in is a single plain rectangular prim. Who cares? You can’t see the car in mouselook, anyway.

kawasanland2

Because this is a Japanese area, you often have to puzzle out how to do things, but it isn’t that difficult. For example, pressing a colored button on a box in the ground transported me to the top of this inner tube ride in the sky.

kawasanland3

This train circles the parcel. At first it looks like a pretty boring ride — until the track runs out and you end up taking an extended journey through the sky.

kawasanland41

The balloon ride is slow, but you’ll get the lay of the land. Maybe these rides are Havok 4 physics experiments (which would explain why how they look doesn’t seem to matter much). The simplicity cuts down on lag, anyway. These rides are smooth! 

kawasanland5

Here’s another kind of roller coaster. It’s much faster than the other one, but much shorter, too.

kawasanland6

Yes, you can go bowling, too. I haven’t quite mastered how to aim, yet.

There are more rides, all interesting. Just click stuff and you’ll figure them out.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/kawasan%20Land/164/201/21

2 Comments | builds, games, wow | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

It’s hard to describe

November 4, 2008

theliontree1

The thing I think I’ll remember most about my visit to the Lion Tree is the penis commando still-life. It’s one of those visuals that kind of sticks with you and won’t go away, no matter how hard you try to excise it from your mind. Penis commando. Remember those words next time you think that nothing in Second Life can surprise you anymore.

theliontree2

I’m not sure what the Lion Tree is. It’s a jumble of bizarre and fascinating stuff. Much of it is animated, more is just weird… which, of course, makes it a blast to explore. There’s no apparent purpose or arrangement, or even a single theme. For all I know this is someones sandbox, or a representation of a dream they once had.

If it’s a dream, I have some advice for the creator. The meds aren’t working.

theliontree3

I couldn’t possibly cover everything I saw in the region and have this be a reasonably short posting. However, there are a few highlights you should note, like the polka-dot tube. It looks deceptively simple from the outside, but once you get going, it’s easy to get disoriented. It took me a while to find my way out.

theliontree4

The animated hammers are interesting. What seems to happen is when a hammer hits one of those little flesh-tone balls, the ball turns into a little person. Kind of like a Lego person, only sad and full of despair.

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Some objects react to your presence. This glowing blue skull faded to a red haze whenever I approached it. There are also objects that fade into existence when you get near them. It’s a nice effect, if kind of creepy.

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Much of what you’ll find is just cute. The floating pig, these balancing robots, the giant pink chainsaw. I haven’t even covered the half of it. If you’re bored, just take a look at this place. You’ll be un-bored in no time.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Lion%20Tree/186/47/57

1 Comment | cute, sick, silly | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Garth Goode

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