My God, it’s full of stars!

December 26, 2008

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This isn’t the best planetarium I’ve seen, but it does have the advantage of being a) big and b) in three dimensions.  There’s no information about whether the stars are in their true relative positions or if this is just pretty.  You sit in seats up among the stars, which makes for a nice effect.

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Alas, the planetarium equipment on the floor is merely cosmetic. It doesn’t do anything except look like planetarium equipment.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tokai03/225/150/22


Happy Holidays

December 21, 2008

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I’m taking a few days off for the holiday. I’ll be back soon with fresh explorations, so keep checking back. Cheers!


Santa Claus should watch his cholesterol

December 19, 2008

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We had a holiday building contest down at the Shelter (build something in a Christmas theme in an hour). I won third place with my “Santa Coronary.” I’ve cleaned him up a bit (hey, you can do only so much in an hour) and stuck him outside the store as another freebie for you. Becuase if you like flagpole licking and dead reindeer, you’re just twisted enough to want one of these, too.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vigdorova/152/180/84


Too many Santas

December 19, 2008

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Just in case you haven’t had enough nightmares this month…


When you stare enough to give the very best

December 18, 2008

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I happened to get a picture of these folks shopping for the (in)famous Buttlight in my store, when I thought of the perfect bit of ad copy:

You know, there’s no Hallmark card that says to the one you love, “You’ve got a fine ass and the world should see more of it.” For that, you need a Buttlight.

This is just one of the many reasons why the world is lucky I haven’t persued a career in advertising.


The year of blogging dangerously

December 17, 2008

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It was a year ago today (okay, give or take a couple of days) that I first landed in Saliva Skin.  It struck me as so… odd (and sticky) that I decided to start a blog about all the odd (though not necessarily sticky) things I’d seen in Second Life. Well, “odd” turned out to be a little limiting, and pretty soon I was writing about the good, the bad, the silly, and the sick. Pick your adjective. You’ll find something that fits it in Second Life.

Saliva Skin and has come and gone (though apparently you can still buy your very own Saliva Skin online) but I’m glad to say I’m still here. Exploring is a joy in itself, but I honestly appreciate you reading and commenting on these missives from the virtual world. It gives me all the more reason to keep at it.  As a wise person once said:

Saliva comes to want it by going out
There is a skin of the enchantment that
stimulates your desire. Please note it.

Words to live by.


Lick the flagpole

December 15, 2008

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Here’s another little freebie I made for you… a lickable flagpole, a la “A Christmas Story.” Just don’t get stuck. Grab a copy right outside the entrance to the store.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vigdorova/152/180/84


Tales by the fire

December 14, 2008

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Many roleplay areas I encounter are rather bleak, so when I landed in Black Dove Heartland it was refreshing. It’s an old English village, populated by friendly and engaging folk. As I dropped in I could overhear (I mean read) some roleplay conversation, and I quickly changed out of my winter garb into something more appropriate, and attached the Observer tag above my head.

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If you don’t have appropriate clothes there are some freebies at the rez point. Whenever you’re exploring a roleplay area, be sure to blend in, respect the rules, act in character if you can, and wear the Observer tag.

The village is pretty, but  quickly wandered south to Black Dove Wilds, where I encountered some of the nicest rolling hills I have ever seen in Second Life. It made me want to explore more (but there are some private residences in the Wild, so be careful where you poke around).

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My presence was quickly noted and I was soon invited to join some of the residents around the fire to tell stories (in my guise as a traveler). The glowing mists around us and shooting stars overhead made for a perfect storytelling atmosphere. My tale of pushing undead “bots” out of a castle in the sky was met with the appropriate amount of incredulity. An adorable hobbit/dinosaurdragon hybrid alchemist then arrived and told us her tale (which somehow seemed not as as strange as mine).

The region is lovely, but the people are what make it work. If you’d like to play this type of role, Black Dove is definitely worth a stop.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Black%20Dove%20Heartland/46/152/27


Withdrawal symptoms

December 13, 2008

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Santa Cthulhu…. eating the souls of bad little boys and girls since 1,000,000 BCE.

I’m back from a 24-hour power (and heat, and water) outage due to an ice storm. Needless to say, I was distraught when the Internet connection didn’t come back with the lights. But it’s back now and I’m all right. I managed to get in-world for a few minutes before taking a shower (priorities! Okay, my wife got first dibs on the shower) and the twitching has nearly stopped.


Free parking

December 10, 2008

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When the Japanese decide to build something that isn’t weird, or tacky, or unintentionally funny, they end up making some really lovely stuff. The park on Kenroku is meant to show off the trees for sale in the nearby store, and to great effect. Their claim to fame is that the trees change with the seasons, giving you a reason to come back every few weeks.

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The park comes off as The Most Stunningly Well-Tended Park You’ve Ever Seen. There’s nothing out of place, and yet the paths are twisty and hilly enough to keep it from being boring. Climb a bit and you get a great view of the nearby fort.

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Like I said, it’s like a model park. I wonder if real-life Japanese parks are this clean?

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The fort is impressive from the outside, but turns out to be unexciting from the inside. There’s a few empty buildings and not much more.

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Senroku, the region next door, is dedicated to a set of massive bridges that will take you to Sengoku (which will be looked at i another post).

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There’s a free boat ride on the beach in Senroku that needs a little debugging. Luckily, it’s short enough that if you hold your breath you should survive until you resurface. I think.

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Back on Kenroku, take a look at the bus out on the street. You can’t drive it, but it’s an interesting piece, meant to promote the bus company. The door slides open realistically, seats swivel, the DVD player comes down. It’s a nice piece of work.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kenroku/112/69/52