Breakfast in Babbage - Fairy Stories

Another two hours of "What's in Mr. Pearse's wax cylinder collection?" for our enjoyment. This time the Clarendon in New Babbage was transformed into a meadow suitable to lure the fae to come dance. Mr. Pearse himself was magically transformed into a troll as he spun his Victrola.

Rapunzel was there, along with Prince Charming, Red Riding Hood, pirates, maidens, and a clutch of fae.

For many more pictures, I direct your attention to Miss Bookworm Hienrichs' collection on the Flickrs.

Radio Days

May 20 saw the opening of an exhibit: Radio Days: An Homage to AM Radio. The exhibit, inspired by Mr. Radio's decision to remove his pieces from Second Life, features pieces by Mr. PJ Trenton, Mr. Stephen Venkman, Miss Rowan Derryth, and Mr. Raven Haalan.

The artists' pictures were all inspired by AM Radio's exhibits, such as The Far Away, The Refuge and the Expansion, and The Red and the Wild.

In addition to the gallery pieces, the exhibit also contains a replica of one of Mr. Radio's houses (with additional pictures inside)...

...and his iconic windmill and rusted locomotive.

A lovely tribute to an artist with a singular vision.

A Very Special Episode

[N.B. on the title, for those who didn't grow up watching television in the 70s and 80s. Once upon a time, in the 1980s, I believe, when advertisements for television shows had a different character than they do today, it was fashionable to generate interest in a long-running series with A Very Special Episode of [fill in the show - Blossom seemed to enjoy this trope a great deal]. This was usually the episode that dealt with Important Subject Matter: death, jail time, first period. Sometimes the lazy producers took the opportunity to make a clips show. I don't miss that trope. Much. Welcome to our clips show. - RJ]

In one of life's little coincidences, I noticed that the thousandth entry into this little Aetheric Journal more or less coincided with its third anniversary. Of course, that means it's time for a Very Special Episode, including a somewhat random walk down memory lane.

I no longer recall the (doubtless faulty) decision-making process that induced me to start this Journal in the first place. One likely motivation was that all the cool kids were doing it, which is, of course, the worst possible reason to do something. Ego was surely another motivation, and, again, not the best one. However, I suspect that the main reason I did it was to chronicle for my own amusement, and that of anyone who cared to read it, my ongoing explorations of Places I Visited and Things I Did in our corner of the grid.

My rez day was in early February 2008. I picked up some needed skills along the way - I have nightmares about the noob duck walk to this day - and stumbled across the Steamlands, in the form of Caledon, not terribly long thereafter. I lurked for a bit, but eventually persuaded myself that I needed a permanent home, and sent a note to the Guvnah asking him to place me on the land waiting list - a feature of the strong state of Second Life in general and Caledon in particular. I resigned myself to a fairly lengthy wait, but Guvnah Shang responded in fairly short order that he was opening a new area of Caledon relatively soon - Caledon Downs - and I was able to buy one of the first parcels there as soon as the engineers had tamed the once-wild area.

This was also around the time that the Caledon and Winterfell mushrooms began appearing. In my obsessive way, I started collecting the various types, eventually ending up with a complete set, but acquiring many copies of the more common varieties along the way (along with a few repetitive strain problems). Thus, the Journal started with this entry, complete with a typo in the title. Sheesh.

June 10, 2008: Eating mushrooms indiscriminately does not pay

Caledon had a substantial entry at SLB5, Second Life's birthday party for itself. Despite my nervousness, I visited. (I assumed correctly that the build would be filled with Caledonians, so I could hardly do my usual lurking. Of course, nearly everyone in the Steamlands is polite to a fault, even to - or perhaps especially to - the clueless newcomer - but that was of little comfort to my nervous self.) Among other things, I learned how important Relay for Life was to the Guvnah and thus to Caledon.

June 24, 2008: Caledon at SLB5, Part 2

Speaking of Relay for Life, the 2008 relay took place in July. I had no idea what to expect, other than lots of lag, but I went anyway. I am amazed at the dedicated people who battle the lag for hours on end to run. I have low tolerance for lag and a short attention span, and I certainly don't have the energy to be awake and online for that many hours!

July 22, 2008: Relay for Life 2008

I don't know whose idea it was to create a volcanic island filled with clues to hidden sites, a Ceiling Cat and a Basement Cat, and a multitude of lethal things. The cats sound like the Guvnah, the murderous turkeys and such are the brainchild of Mr. Denver Hax, and the combination was the short-lived Caledon colony of Mondserrat. All I can say is that it's a good thing death is not permanent on the grid. As I later came to expect with Caledon, the island came to an explosive end one day, though any number of people seemed willing to keep dancing through it all.

January 24, 2009: Return to Mondserrat

Caledon wasn't the only Steampunk game in town, of course. Steelhead and New Babbage were there and, later, Steeltopia. Other Steampunk sims came and went. Some had a purer role playing focus - something I never managed to get into, largely because I'm too lazy to be in character all the time and partly because I had too many other places to see. At any rate, Rivet Town was one of the best: two sims of a dark Steampunk build with an interesting back story that created "haves" and "have nots" pitted against one another. Alas, it didn't last.

February 24, 2009: Beneath Rivet Town

My older sister Kathy eventually joined me in Caledon and in writing this Journal. I also rekindled my love of writing fiction, and placed several short stories in the stream (something I've neglected of late and, for better or worse, intend to return to). One can't help but hear of Gor and the various Gorean sims in Second Life. I couldn't believe that so many people were willing to role play a horribly misogynistic fantasy world, but I also naively thought that, as with so many adaptations of (particularly science fiction) books, surely the John Norman novels describe a more subtle and palatable version of this universe. I bought the first book in the series, a wretchedly-written, cringe-inducing screed, and realized how wrong I was. Ah well. That experience inspired this little adventure.

March 24, 2009: Jamesons of Gor

One of the things noobies have trouble with is the degree to which Second Life residents take their virtual private property seriously. I can't stand ban lines (which, fortunately, the major Steamlands sims prohibit), but I'll respect a "private property" sign and would never dream of walking into someone's occupied house. Sometimes it's less clear when something is intended to be a private area. Outside of Second Life, no one would consider walking into a laboratory, even if the door happened to be unlocked. Within Second Life, and especially within the Steamlands, a laboratory looks like the sort of thing that lends itself to exploration. Kathy thought so, at least. This led to an amusing set of comments.

April 28, 2009: I Venture into Mason Labs

Speaking of Kathy and Steelhead...

May 20, 2009: Dr. Alter Receives a Package

Kathy also ventured to New Babbage to cover the coup - an ingenious bit of role playing to cover real life exigencies - and the underground movement to oust the new overlord.

June 26, 2009: Obolenskidonia, or New Babbage Changes Hands

Another event for a good cause is the now-annual Boobie Ball, raising money for breast cancer research. (The group tag is the delightful "Saving Second Base," although those outside the U.S. may not have that idiom in their vocabularies.) What's not to love? Dancing, socialization, a good cause, and public nudity! (The link below contains only shots with everyone appropriately clad. I did a follow-up "after dark" that was most definitely not safe for work, assuming that one's workplace considers virtual nudity equivalent to the real thing.)

October 4, 2009: Boobie Ball - The Family-Friendly Edition

I don't recall how I came to know of the Aether Salon, but once I started attending I have made every effort to attend the monthly salons. The organizers - Miss Viv Trafalgar, Miss Sera Puchkina, Miss Jed Dagger, and Mr. Jasper Kiergarten (I hope I didn't inadvertently slight anyone) - get a guest speaker to spend 45 minutes to an hour holding forth on a topic of interest to the Victorian/Steampunk community, and take questions from the sometimes rowdy audience. The organizers have lured an impressive array of luminaries from the Steamlands and elsewhere to give us their thoughts on subjects such as effective use of language in role-playing, submersibles, weapons, and furnishings. The example below involved Mr. Edward Pearse holding forth on the topic of men's clothing in Victorian times. The Salon is steaming toward its third year with no signs of slowing down.

February 22, 2010: Aether Salon: Haberdashery!

One of the things that Second Life brings to the table, or so it seems to me, is that ability to create interactive role-playing scenarios. Each person brings a backstory that is generally consistent with the mythos of a particular area, such as the Steamlands, and the players jointly develop a story line. This has worked very well on occasion: Hotspur O'Toole had a lengthy adventure story that intersected with a number of other storylines - some tangentially, some intimately - and Ryne Beck/Headburro Antfarm set his "Steal Head" story in Steelhead Shanghai, interacting with many regular Steelhead role players, and especially Dr. Mason and his unusual clan. The problem with this approach is that it takes a great deal of coordination, which takes time. My alternative was to make reference to two ongoing story lines: Dr. Beck in Steelhead Shanghai and Dr. Mason hiding out in New Babbage as "The Scientist."

March 29, 2010: The Scientist, Part 1

One of Caledon's most impressive builds is its Steam Sky City, which has long been in the care of Mr. and Mrs. Vivito Volare, well before the happy couple was, in fact, the happy couple. One creation of their inventive minds was the Mad Scientist Convention, now in its third year. For the past two years, part of the convention involved the Manifesto Contest, in which bold Misunderstood Geniuses would step on a soapbox to deliver their proposed agendas as our overlords, should any of their plans for world domination actually succeed.

May 4, 2010: Manifesto Contest

Another favorite activity is Mr. Pearse's more-or-less-monthly Breakfast in Babbage, in which Mr. Pearse spins platters from his eclectic and apparently boundless music collection, organized around a particular theme. For example, in the link below, the theme was Money, a topic of many a song.

August 16, 2010: Breakfast in Babbage - Money

During a lull in the Steal Head story, I wanted to do my part to maintain interest in it, so I inserted myself into the story in a minor way.

October 10, 2010: In Search of Steal Head

A belatedly-discovered pleasure was the annual New Babbage mystery orchestrated by Master Loki. He lays out clues that, if properly followed, lead one to the solution of a crime. They require a fair amount of knowledge of New Babbage and some clever thinking, though occasionally one might find some assistance from Babbagers. I participated in the last two, and look forward to this year's episode.

December 20, 2010: The Adventure of the Black Heart, Part 1

One of the things this Journal has chronicled over the past three years has been the tremendous changes that take place within Second Life and particularly within the Steamlands. As the saying goes, the only constant is change. I miss old friends who have moved on; I've made new friends; I miss some of the wonderful builds that have disappeared; I continue to marvel at new ones. Perhaps I've lost some of the wonder I had when I was new (and so was the world), but I still look forward to my (ever-shrinking) time inworld because it's inherently a place of optimism. Unlike this first life of ours, here each controls her own destiny. I thank you all for reading these scribblings, Dear Readers, and for sharing some of my journey with me.

Songs About the Swampland

The title refers to Alabama, but could easily refer to the state of Florida as well. My typist spent a week in the sultry weather not too long ago, apparently bringing it back to the mid-Atlantic states on a return flight.

When in the vicinity of central Florida, it is mandatory to pay homage to the Mouse. Below, a picture of EPCOT's iconic globe. (Inside, Siemens tells visitors how wonderful life will be in the future, thanks to lots of Siemens technology.)

By far the best attraction at EPCOT is Soarin', which takes riders into the air in a darkened room and projects aerial images to create the illusion of traveling across California by air. One has a bird's eye view of people rafting on a river, skiers, hang-gliders, a group of fighter jets, the California desert, an orange grove (complete with the aroma of oranges sprayed into the theater!), the San Diego naval base, and, finally, Disneyland. It's so popular that those in the know move as quickly as possible to that ride as the park opens.

(The next-best ride is the GM-sponsored Fast Track, wherein the last two minutes or so involves whizzing along an open track, roller-coaster style, in a vehicle designed to look like an automobile. It's cheaper than renting a convertible, but much of the sensation of driving over bumpy roads and dodging traffic is all-too familiar to adults.)

I'm also partial to the England section of the World Showcase, in large part because of the availability of Guinness at the pub. (They also have a nice selection of whisky, which always struck me as a difficult sell when the outdoor temperature is 95 degrees.) Since my last visit, the park canned the guys playing Beatles tunes - and doing a passable job looking like the Beatles - in favor of a band that plays a broader selection of songs from British (and at least one Australian) bands. They play well, even if they look like something out of Spinal Tap.


The odd thing about the World Showcase is that the countries never change. There's Canada, England, France, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Japan, China, Norway, and Mexico, if memory serves. (The staff for each country comes from that country and dresses in some version of traditional garb, which is a great deal more comfortable for people from warm-weather nations.) One would think that the Disney people would find it worthwhile to rotate in some new people - Russia, perhaps, or a South American country, or a country from central or southern Africa.

The remainder of the trip was spent on the west coast of Florida, south of Sarasota, which was slightly cooler and had the advantage of the occasional coastal breeze. There was also ample wildlife, from raccoons and opossums that came to the back door and begged for food (a hugely successful effort, I might add, despite my protestations that this wasn't really healthy for any person or animal), to a lazy house cat...

...to more dangerous creatures. (That picture was taken a few days before I arrived, but served to reinforce my notion that one should watch where one steps.)

The local news reported a cat - not the one pictured above, fortunately - had become the meal of a coyote. All of this left me wondering if I wasn't better off in the more metaphorical jungle of Washington.

I had to make an unusual shopping trip while I was there: the liquor store. Oddly, none of my usual DC-area spots carry either absinthe or Bauchant, an orange-flavored, Cognac-based liqueur much like Cointreau. The latter, I am told, is essential for a perfect margarita, splashed in at the last moment. Well, we'll see. The need for the former is obvious. Brindley's Liquor, in Venice, Florida, carries both. I'm told that favorite pastimes of retirees include golf and drinking, which might explain things. (If I played golf, I would no doubt drink more.) Both bottles survived the Southwest baggage handling process. Plenty of wrapping and being swathed in dirty clothing does wonders. (The dirt molecules provide an addition cushion, you see.)

Travel always reminds me that traveling is unpleasant. While I enjoy seeing other places, I'm not a big fan of the process to get there. Flying is particularly bad: one has to get to the airport inconveniently early, suffer through the latest humiliations of the TSA - including the infamous nekkie machine now used to go through security - wait for the plane, queue up to get on (grumble, grumble Southwest Airlines), have a fully-loaded flight, including people who take the most enormous carry-on bags into the cabin and then wonder why they can't find overhead bin space, wait to take off, stop in inconvenient spots (the return flight from Tampa had a stop in West Palm Beach - really, guys?), wait for the luggage, find a shuttle bus back to the parking garage and, finally, when one is quite exhausted from all of the above, drive back home.

At least that process creates appropriate expectations for going back to work.

An Early Summer Day in Mayfair

[One of the things that limits the typist's time in Second Life is an increasing inability to sit at the keyboard for lengthy stretches. Some days are better than others. Some days it's not physically possible to have a grand adventure; on those days, a simple walk, usually in Caledon, is what both body and soul need. Victorian-inspired architecture, manicured gardens, and a restorative sit in a park are often what the doctor ordered. - RJ]

Mayfair, one of Caledon's finest neighborhoods. Here are a few sights from a recent walk.

First, the Autism National Committee headquarters in SL:

The gazebo and swing set can be shared with that special someone. Out of the picture to the right are several iron chairs in the shape of butterflies. It's a relaxing spot.

The Mayfair branch of the Caledon Library system (named for Mme. Marie Curie) also provide a place for patrons to sit and read a book in the warm summer air.

This church near the maze (to the far left in the picture) provides an opportunity for quiet reflection.

And where else but the Steamlands can one look at a church and see a floating residence in the background?

Baby It's Hot Outside

Dr. Garth Goode has provided ample entertainment in Caledon Burroughs, from a Laboratory in the Sky, to the Caledon Museum of Unnatural History, to a Laboratory Under the Sea, to moving pictures. He now turns his attention inward, to the warmest spot yet: the Outpost at the Center of the Earth.

See how the molten magma in the earth's core runs down the outside of the laboratory. One hesitates to travel so far into the earth, lest something go wrong.

But Dr. Goode has thought of everything, including a state-of-the-art cooling system:

Liberty Cove

Another hat tip to the Steampunk Tribune (something that seems to happen often these days): Mr. Sextan Shepherd's latest build, Liberty Cove.

The quaint town contains a few shops:

The sign on the window of the shop on the right, above, reads "Relics of Nemo," so you too, dear reader, can own pieces of Mr. Shepherd's famed underwater Steampunk build.

Another shop contains improbable Steampunk airships. (Perhaps "improbable" is redundant when it modifies "Steampunk.")

Hovering over the town, as though picking up a toy set, is this giant clank:

A close-up picture of the creature's arms:

Elsewhere on the island is the Oracle:

This timepiece opens...

...and unfurls:

The observatory:

This build clearly revisits a number of Mr. Sextan's earlier pieces - not a bad thing, mind you! - and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Angeleno Heights - Los Angeles in the Victorian Age

This seems to be the week that the Jameson sisters borrow ideas from Dr. Fabre. Just as Rhianon recently profiled the Clockwork Kingdom based on a piece in the Steampunk Tribune, another article in the Tribune had me packing to visit today's destination, Angeleno Heights.

The sim is designed to be turn-of-the-century (that phrase seems to need another modifier these past 11 years, no?) Los Angeles - "Victorian," but not Steampunk.

The pier holds the carnival rides and a gathering spot called the Dafthouse.

The gazebo is a lovely spot for a daytime cup of tea - or a peep through the spyglass at activity on the beach!

The old asylum on the hill is a foreboding place. It has a commanding view of the area, including the luxurious opera house.

Vagabonds is a cozy watering hole in the far northeast of the area. It's possible I had one too many.

Charming Victorian houses and shop space are available for rent as well. Although Victorian-era sims are plentiful, U.S. - especially West Coast U.S. - ones are not, so Angeleno Heights provides something a little different for lovers of the era.

The Curse Claims Another Victim

Some days ago, Mr. Mako Magellan observed (via the Steamlander) that the Curse of Rothesay has struck again, this time taking Elrik Merlin, Laird Brideswell, with it.

The Laird was one of the original residents of Rothesay (itself arising from the ashes of the openspace sim debacle that claimed several duchies) and has long been the sole surviving original owner. This Journal has chronicled many of the moves into and out of the area (starting perhaps here).

I hoped Mr. Magellan was mistaken, but when I hastened to the site of Brideswell Manor, I saw instead this building, still under construction:

The future home of the Caledon Museum of Steam

Museums are, of course, lovely things, and a museum of steam should be quite interesting and fitting for Caledon. According to the land records, the property is held by Her Grace Carntaigh, who already owns a quarter of Rothesay. If Mr. Merlin has indeed departed the shores of Caledon, I wish him well.

The rest of Rothesay appeared unchanged. Mr. Blake Panache's Blakefield Manor still rises over the trees...

...looking out at the brownstone town houses across the way.

Lady Savannah Blindside resides at the elegant house below:

The Gordon Memorial anchors the center of the area (and dates from the time when Lord and Lady Primbroke lived in a nearby manor, complete with secret tunnels).

Lady Gabrielle Riel, Duchess of Carntaigh, still resides at stately Carntaigh Manor:

The Clockwork Kingdom

Via Dr. Rafael Fabre and the Steampunk Tribune: the Clockwork Kingdom, a creation of Mr. Nightshade Sixpence, a Steampunk fantasy floating in space!

The sim has a number of finely-textured details.

Of course, floating in space has its own hazards, such as asteroids and other debris to avoid.

The Bot Factory even has a production line for clanks!

Mr. Sixpence has not forgotten more terrestrial parts of the Steamlands: teleportation devices to both New Babbage and Cala Mondrego are ready to whisk the weary traveler back to more familiar environs.