Interview with Tealcie Annibles (Tealcie Resident) of SL Regional Search and Rescue.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Recently, Gemma Cleanslate wrote about an exercise of the Second Life Regional Search And Rescue group. They are led by Tealcie Annibles (Tealcie Resident). I recently met up with her at their headquarters in Euryalus. Of the radio stream, besides music there were occasional "weather reports" describing sim lag and other glitches.

I asked Tealcie about how she first found out about Second Life. She told me, "Back in about 2006ish, I heard the buzz and came to have a look.   I had a terrible connection and ancient computer and of the nine or so days I was involved I spent maybe 45 minutes in world and the rest trying to get in.  It was horrid. I forgot all about it until December of 2017. I was in a store doing some Christmas shopping and two young ladies were in the checkout ahead of me and one said 'I don't know how you do it I still can't even find my left shoe.'  And the other laughed and replied, 'Well That's Second Life.'" That got me interested and I came for round two, fell in love and stayed." She had come back because of a casual conversation about it in real life.

"I spent the first week figuring things out," Tealcie continued, "rented a quarter region and learned terraforming and such and then bought a private region. That became too limiting. So I dumped the adult region and came mainland. Here, the story gets good.   I was naive to the ways of this world and immediately albeit inadvertently, ticked off a bunch of people. I ran afoul of my own ambition.  I quickly bought land and built thirteen bases all around the world. My meteoric rise from unknown to omnipresent, combined with some really ugly builds , (laughter) , seemed to get under peoples skin. My error finally dawned on me. So I dumped back down to one base for awhile. I survived a griefing that even Linden Governance called 'epic' , and I stayed low for awhile after that. Then apparently not having learned my lesson I began to build again."

I asked about what could a griefer do that would get attention of the Lindens. She answered, "Oh it was a really cool grief. Imagine your most used item, In this case my logo with white background.  It was everywhere: signs, flags, etc. This grief intercepted the UUID and changed the image to one of the griefers choosing and it only affected me.   Everyone else saw the logo. I saw a woman flipping me off. Linden Lab said it was impossible until I proved it to them by forcing them to enter my account and do some photographic work real time. After that, I have no idea what they did. But within three weeks it was over. I named my mystery griefer The Gaslight Griefer    and I'm somewhat honored to have drawn out such an epic attack."

Tealcie went back to the Search and Rescue group, "All this time since coming mainland the SLR-SAR group has floated along.  It's just a few people having fun." She had founded the group herself, "I just wanted a way to enjoy the things I love with other people   flying, boating, climbing, exploring. I figured create a group and hopefully attract like-minded folks." Since the group's start, "We have hovered around thirty members with varied participation. I try to create fun events and time them so everyone around the real-life globe can attend at a decent hour. I usually bite the bullet with the 2 AM SLT slot  on Sunday morning which works out to about 8 PM down under.  So everyone around the clock can attend and still get to bed for work Monday. It really depends on the scale of the diasater being staged."

I brought up Gemma's article of the train wreck, and asked about other examples. Tealcie listed a few more, "We crashed a 757 into an oil platform out on Gaeta V, punched a DC-9 into a hillside in central Sansara, another harbor fire on Corsica, various ship sinkings around the Blake (Sea). This next weekend should be a hoot.  I'm using the rental region Iridium again but no spoilers on the actual disaster. I have found first responders like the real time call for mutual aid with no heads up. All our events are set to public rez so first responders from any agency have no trouble getting their equipment out."

I asked which exercise was the most challenging to set up. She answered, "Most challenging?  The 757 had (an) airliner, oil platform, and underwater elements.  It was fairly intense in detail. This last build, I had great help from Lale who rocked the train tracks and tunnels and did a great job dangling the cars. This upcoming disaster will be pretty intense as well."

I asked how long does it take to plan an exercise and set one up? Tealcie answered, "Planning is usually just a five minute brainstorming.  Dasha came up with the train wreck we saw last month and it was penciled out in minutes. The build has to be done in two days as the regions are a three day rental. I generally terraform and rough it out Friday evening then do the build Saturday night after work.  We encourage the public to attend and I think one of the best ways to watch the event is to jump into a victim position and cam around while hamming it up awaiting rescue.  Watch, Participate and have fun."

And where does Tealcie and the group get their ideas for their drills? She responded, "Well, the ideas come from lots of people and places.  I take the ideas, mix in some pure evil like booby traps, landslides, explosions and just have a blast, pun intended. I try to give the first responder community a challenging, but winnable fight. These events are really about the community not SLR-SAR.  We put them on for everyone to come together and represent their home groups and work together doing what they love. The more different tags I see the happier I am." I asked if any of the ideas came from movies and television. She answered, "More from the real lives of people who have witnessed tragedies.  The commuter train wreck was something close to home for Dasha.  And yes some media stories of disasters ignite ideas as well. I try to tailor the events to our community strengths too.  The SLIAFF member agencies are all well equipped for fires fought from air, land and sea so there is always a fire element. My people enjoy technical rescues and heavy extraction situations. SAREMSUK group are extreme flying and airborne specialists and frankly Sophie and her SAR EMS UK group are the bar we wish to reach someday. There is a vibrant first responder community here in SL and I'm the new kid on the block just trying to do my part for that community."

Recalling some people can be stickers for realism, I asked how difficult were the helicopters to fly. Tealcie answered,  "Well, there are three basic levels of helicopters in Second Life. The first level are extremely simple to fly. The middle level are a little more difficult and offer a bit of realism. Then there are the SA helicopters. Kelly Shergood and her team construct very realistic expert level helicopters. I lack the skill required to fly the SA helis into rescues yet, but there are many who would not fly anything else.  SAREMSUK for instance use the SA built Sikorsky 92  to great effect." How much practice do those need? Tealcle told me quite a bit, "Practice, patience, and possibly even expert instruction.  They are the pinnacle of Second Life Helicopters. Several of my members have the requisite skills.  Lia and Alma both totally rock the SA helis. As for learning SL Helicopters I start people on the middle tier and can generally have a student flying in 10-15 minutes. I do it that way so people don't give up by being defeated by the expert level helis. Get the basics down, then move up a step.

"And there is so much to learn along the way that doesn't involve flying. The EMS gear in Second Life is phenomenal. Also you need to swim, climb, be injured, scuba, drive, and operate equipment. First responding is one of the more intense pursuits in SL. Fortunately we are blessed with creators who 'get it' and build amazing gear and vehicles. ... I have several builders I contract with and I am slowly bringing responder gear to the community filling niches where gear is needed.   That's not at all easy since there is already so much here.  But as I find things missing, I get my builders working on the items. Like our operational Jaws of life-esque cutter and pry tools. They are designed to aid in roleplay at extraction scenes."

As the interview drew to a close, I asked Tealcie what else she had to say. She answered, "I'd like to see the community grow.  And I hope my no tag required events promoting pride in whatever group you represent, helps along those lines.   There are still some groups who demand you belong to no other groups to belong to theirs.  It seems exclusionary.   I say I don't care what group or groups you belong to you don't have to join mine to play.  Jump right in.  Represent whoever and have fun. I got that philosophy from SLIAFF and the way they run their mutual aid responses.   Numerous agencies respond and work with a common purpose.  I am trying to spread that wisdom across the entire first responder community. I wish I could take credit for the idealism but I'm just repeating what I have learned here from people with double-digit SL ages who learned themselves through trial and error.

"I'd like to add that SLR-SAR is an open group and free to join.  You do not have to leave your current group to join us and you are free to leave and return to your hearts content.  But the main thing is you don't have to join the group at all to participate so be sure to watch your frequencies Sunday the 22nd for that mutual aid call and come have some fun."

And with that, the interview came to a close. A few days later on Sunday September 22, the SL Regional Search And Rescue was one of the two groups that took part in a large exercise in Iridium. And this was a disaster of epic scale, an ocean liner that collided with an oil rig resulting in fires and the potential of a massive explosion. Tealcie tool part as one of the injured. But the rescuers were well equipped. Despite a mishap or two due to lag, the exercise went well. Cleanup was soon after, so what was left were screenshots and memories to talk about with one another and friends. And of course they would soon be planning for the next disaster.

Bixyl Shuftan

Interview With Umber (Vermillia Urnestone)

By Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident)

Umber (also known as Vermillia Urnestone) is a talented Second Life mod maker. She makes mods for multiple avatars, many of which are based on popular characters from series such as Pokemon and Digimon. I’ve known her since she first started her store in Fox Haven so I had to take the opportunity to interview her for the Second Life Newser.

Q: What got you started in creating things for Second Life?

A: I think the first thing I ever actually made in Second Life was a mod of my fursona on the Curious Felis avatar. It wasn't pretty! But it got me interested in working with textures. Then when I started taking 3D animation classes in college, I started experimenting with mesh. I figured, "Why not sell these things?" And MOOPA Inc. was born. We started as a little hole-in-the-wall store back when Fox Haven was still around, and I never expected to go this far with it.

Q: What have been the challenges of getting started and creating mods in Second Life?

A: The first time you ever look at a texture map for mesh, the first thing that comes to mind is "What am I looking at???" and that was my exact reaction. My first mods were very messy and minimal in what I actually did with them. Over time, though, it gets easier to understand how textures and UVs work.

Q: Is there any advice that you would give to new or experienced mod makers?

A: I've found that the most efficient way to texture for mesh is through trial and error and being able to preview your changes as you work. The Edit menu has an option for "local" textures - absolutely use it! This will save you a LOT of L$. I can't tell you how many times I have to test the seams of texture maps to understand exactly where they match up. That's just part of being a texture artist.

Q: You mention in your profile that you have social anxiety, which I do too. For those who may also suffer from this, do you have any suggestions for how to deal with it and still run a store or otherwise have a public image?

A: I think the idea of seeing customers so happy and satisfied with my work is a big part of what helps me work past that social anxiety. Do I still get anxious when I get a PM from someone who's mad or someone who found a major issue with a product and needs help? Sure I do, but those are few and far between and the idea that my brand is recognizable and loved by so many people helps me keep going! I guess my advice is to consider your limits when it comes to anxiety and not push yourself too hard. Put your stuff out there, but if you need some time away, then do it. Take a deep breath and take your time responding to messages.

Q: What are the inspirations for your work?

A: As can be seen in my current selection of mods, I've been really inspired by franchises like Pokemon and Digimon. I've seen it as a fun challenge to try to recreate these things using a premade avatar and my own (limited) mesh skills. Sometimes I just have a vision in my head and say "Yeah, I need to make that real." When it comes to clothing, it's just a matter of "I want this kind of outfit for my kobold avatar, let's make it."

Q: What have been you favorite mods to work on?

A: I think my favorite one that I made so far was the dinosaur mod for kobold. I love dinosaurs, man. That was also the first mod that I actually used specular maps for, after learning how to make them for a set of clothing me and my rigging partner had finished.

Q: How did you come up with the name for your store?

A: It's based on a really, really stupid inside joke started by a coworker at a club I used to host at quite a few years ago. My avatar glitched while changing outfits and I was a mix between a koopa and a cow. My nickname for the remainder of my time working there was "Moopa.” Fast forward to making my store. I needed to think of a name on the dot, and, inspired by the store DERP, I came up with the goofy store name of MOOPA Inc. and now I'm stuck with it! Hahaha!

Q: Are you currently working on any new products?

A: Right now, the only projects in progress are for the upcoming Gacha Guild Halloween event. Unfortunately, production of new clothing and mods has slowed dramatically since I graduated college. I've been busy with a part time job as well as commission work. I absolutely want to create more, and plan on releasing more mods in the near future. However, the future of our clothing line is currently unsure, as my rigging partner may no longer be able to keep working with us. I myself am unable to rig.

Q: What has been your favorite aspects of mod making and being part of the Second Life community?

A: My favorite part of mod making is just bringing my ideas to life and then watching others take that creation and make even more diverse and amazing things out of it with outfits and shapes and other moddable parts. As for the community itself, I just love how it feels like home. It's comforting and allows for and inspires so much creativity. I love seeing what other people do with all the possibilities on here.

Thanks for having me be a part of this. I hope anything I've said here has helped anyone even a little bit. Hahaha!


--
-Cyfir

Interview With Sugar Paw / Casio Microline (Casio2000)

By Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident)

Casio Microline (also known as Sugar Paw) has been part of the Second Life community for over eight years. In that time, she’s been a valuable asset to the scripting and building scene and served as an admin and sim owner. Ever generous and kind, she helps communities, stores, and other creators with her skills. It’s no wonder that she’s well known and respected throughout the Second Life community. I had a chance to interview her this weekend and pick her brain for the Second Life Newser.

Q: What got you started in scripting and building for Second Life?

A: I got into Linden World in 2002 and was so fascinated with how this virtual world works with it’s physics which were more than the simple interaction you get from most of the other games that are limited and not simulating a world but rather just being an action point of interest. I found it interesting till Linden Labs had announced a new and improved product called Second Life. I had joined Second Life in 2003 after the announcement of L$ but as I continued in it's community on through 2005-2006 new features were introduced with more options and tools for building during that time. There were places that we were able to learn basic scripting and builds, and from then on, I have seen lots of users building art and homes with just basic prims. From my experiences of being in the community for so long, it gave me the idea and impression that this world can improve more with it’s contents and it would be my favorite playground. I had been inspired to continue building and scripting as part of showing my ways of arts and fun to the community as they also share their experiences of their own. Therefore, as a builder, it would always be inspiring to build and continue pushing the limits of quality and creating more for the community.

Q: How did you come up with the name for your store?

A: In 2012, I had created a club sponsored by a few friends called Mirco Heaven. After that, in 2013, I had made my own club called "Toxic-Illusion.” After that same year, we had continued on and merged both clubs to be one and named it "Toxic-X Club and Lounge.” When I started building mods and put them to the test on marketplace in October of 2013, I just thought that having the product brand as the club would be easy to remember. My first product was an animated tattoo mod for the VRPS Sergals.

Q: What resources did you use/currently use to build up your scripting/building skills?

A: In 2009 I found a book called "Scripting Your World: The Official Guide to Second Life® Scripting By Dana” The book was used by me as a guild to understand more about scripting. The programs I use to create textures and plan are GIMP, Photoshop, and Blender. I also use tools and plug-ins supported from Second Life Wiki pages. For most updates and future knowledge, I read up and ask in the Second Life Community Forum.

Q: Sandboxes are a valuable resource for creators in Second Life and you seem to frequent many of them. Can you suggest any good sandboxes for those just starting out?

A: I would think of in-world sandbox as a place to present some ideas including taking notes of ideas that others saw as you progress. Some of the sandboxes are peaceful and quite empty and some could be crowded with users and can be annoying. It depends on what you are working on or if you are just hanging out. Each sandbox has a different community type. I would choose a few for different concepts depending on what you are looking to do. Most of the time I would build on my private parcel/sim or at my home. The best way to look up a sandbox is to just use the search and the "Places" tab and type "Sandbox.” If I was looking for a place that welcomes furries, I would search for "Furry" also. It also depends on the rating of the sandbox which content (General, Moderated and Adult) is allowed. Also, I would recommend reading the rules and guides of that region. There are six sandboxs I hang around or work in currently and those are Sudden Stop Sandbox, Sandbox Mirificatio (Premium), Fluffy Sandbox, MAGE Sandbox, Aldora Sandbox, and Pixel Hills Sandbox.

Q: What do you think brings success in the creative world of Second Life?

A: Having lots of friends and getting random ideas leads to knowing what needs to be produced. Some of my ideas are just for fun and some might be interesting to put on the market. Most success from creators in Second Life come from builders who mostly follow their dreams and enjoy creative builds. The phrase I would always tell myself when it comes to building and being creative is "Keep on moving and never give up!" because the failing of a build gives me the knowledge of the mistakes I made. I would continue on building to avoid and improve from the mistakes I made.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for those who want to learn how to script or build but may feel intimidated in learning to do so?

A: The first suggestion is to have fun with the build and be creative. Find resources like books or the Second Life Wiki where there are references of the tools, samples, and functions. If you’re stuck with any builds and can't find a solution, it would be best to try asking around places like sandboxes or friends that has experiences with builds. If all this fails, there are in-world learning centers which anyone can apply to at Builders Brewery.

Q: What have been your favorite projects to script and build for?

A: Mostly I would love building random things just for fun. Some of the items can be funny or cute and some may be useful in roleplay and effects. Most of the common builds I enjoy is making random fun toys, attachments, and decorative objects as long as others enjoy the creative ideas.

Q: Can you talk about what else you've done besides scripting and building in Second Life, such as admin work?

A: The most common things I would do aside from building is just hanging out with friends and family. Other than that I sim-hop (explore the world) and find random people to talk to. Some random conversations are interesting and some places can be fun to explore. Mostly, in the end, I like making more friends. Aside from this, I would volunteer by moderating groups and advise region club administrators or managers.

Q: Can you talk about any projects that you're currently working on?

A: There are a few. The main projects are creating HUDs, a roleplay system, tools for Ravenlock Pokemon sim, and other project commissions for a few creators as part of their tools for their products.

Q: Are you open to any scripting or building work for those who might be interested?

A: I am open to new ideas and new challenges to build or script for. I mostly do simple scripts just for fun but any scripts or works that take time would have a cost. Any projects involving weapons and violence would be a no.

Q: What keeps you scripting and building and being so generous and helping the Second Life community?

A: Enjoying making examples of creative possibilities in Second Life experiences. I would always enjoy seeing others having a good time as I enjoy watching them. I don't believe that being harsh or rude to any simple question solves anything so ask away and I will respond as much as I can.

Cyfir

Putri Second Life Indonesia 2019 Pageant

By Marcel Mosswood

As more and more Indonesians become Second Life residents, they feel the need to hold an event that can unite Indonesians to get to know each other through the Putri SLI 2019 event. This event is a beauty pageant involving avatars of Indonesian women. How is this event held? Next is my interview with Maia (Maya Sharpshire) as one of the Putri SLI 2019 committee.

Q: What is the main purpose of the Putri SLI (Second Life Indonesia) 2019 pageant?

Maia: So that Indonesian women become an inspiration and role model because of their beauty, brain, and behavior.

Q: How did you come up with the idea to hold the Putri SLI 2019?

Maia: We've got the idea from a friend, particularly after our Indonesian friend, Dara Quinn became Miss SL Winner, and SLI never held such a pageant before. So I and several friends decided to organize the Putri SLI 2019 pageant.

Q: Is it only for Indonesians?

Maia: Yes, it is only for Indonesia women.

Q: How will you know for sure that the registrants are Indonesian? What if she is not Indonesian but fluent in Bahasa Indonesia?

Maia: In my opinion, in SL it is more possible for participants to be more diverse than in RL. We expect and believe that the participants are sincere and honest in their personality.

Q: What is the personality of Putri SLI that you would like to established from this pageant?

Maia: A woman who can be the inspiration and role model for fellow woman. And can be the representative of Indonesia in the international events which will make Indonesian culture more known to the world.

Here is the schedule of the Putri SLI 2019 pageant:

Monday, 29 July 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

Coaching with Maia & Tymon (Mr. Virtual World 2012)

Tuesday 30 July 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

Coaching with Maia & Tymon

Friday 1 August 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

GR with Maia, Tymon & Brina (Host)

Sunday 4 August 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

Elimination & Challenge I

1. Styling Casual Look Red-White (freestyle)

2. Quiz

3. The Announcement of Semifinal

Friday 5 August 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

GR with Maia, Tymon & Brina (Host)

Sunday 8 August 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

Semifinal & Challenge II

1. Styling Gown

2. Quiz

3. The Announcement of The Grand Final

Friday 15 August 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

GR with Maia, Tymon & Brina (Host)

Sunday 18 August 2019 - 06:00 AM SLT

Grand Final & The Coronation

1. All contestants will wearing gown from the sponsor

2. Quiz

3. The Coronation

Interesting to watch? Click here for the details: https://www.facebook.com/events/504907680051805/?event_time_id=504907683385138

Marcel Mosswood

Interview with Hangars Liquides Creator: Djehan Kidd

By Bixyl Shuftan

It recently made the news that Hangar Liquides, an urban science-fiction themed area high above five sims, was in serious danger of being closed after twelve years online. The place was designed, created, and owned by Djehan Kidd. Wanting to know about how the sims came to be, and how they got into this predictament, I asked Djehan about an interview, and we met up at one of the apartments in the city. Djehan spoke fluent English in voice, but with her accent prefered the interview be done in text.

Djehan had found out about Second Life, "Long ago, in 2006, it was gaining popularity and was in the news on the TV, I thought it was a great idea, so I decided to try and never left. I forgot the name the first time I heard it on the news. That's why I only joined in 2007, when I heard the name again. I remember spending a year trying to remember because I really wanted to try."

Of her first days here, "I went to a French hub, a sort of noob place where they gave information on what you could do on SL. I thought I wanted to script and also build. Then I quickly got myself land, at Hina, and I started to build my first project which was (a) MOCA, museum of contemporary art, and then I started to texture and build and make installations in it. My first installation was called 'The Mother of All' on SL. Oh it was a lot of fun, I still have the moca group. Some people were coming over, including my SL neighbors that I still have in my friend list. Haha! It was nothing very social for me, it was really already about building stricto sensu. But I could use the tools of SL, so I had the group and made some announcements, and it was simple and fun and creative.

"After this, I first logged in during February 2007, in June 2007 I got the first sim to build a city on, and then started Hangars Liquides. I wanted to build Hangars Liquides after I saw Nexus Prime, I was always going there, hanging out with builders Slade Onizuka and Ash Garden. Slade built on HL the first months too, before he had to go out of being deployed to Iraq. HL started four months after I first logged in. ... It was smaller, only one sim. It already had a lot of convolutions in the architectural style. I tried to extend it first by rezzing a 'megaprim' sphere all around on which I stuck photos of the city on the sim arranged as a panorama. So the sphere was extending, or giving the illusion to extend because with the center of the megaprim inside the sim, the actual surfaces were far away from sim limits.

"It never looked the same over time. It has been a constant mutation all the time. For instance, now it has mesh. So it looks like it does today since mesh arrived more or less. And then I constantly tweak it and change it, I imagine real life cities are always evolving, you see cranes here and there. So I figured it was just the same here. Many towers come and go too. I think they are still the highests in the grid, in a city."

I asked about when the British newspaper, The Guardian, took a look at Hangars (video link). Djehan smiled, "Yes. It was presented as the largest cyberpunk city in the world. The city was already on 5 sims back then." When I asked if interest in the city picked up afterwards, she responded, "I don't know, I'm not sure the SLers are following the Guardian enough maybe.Haha! But it sure was good for the city to be featured there. I guess it is now part of the guardian's archives."

I then asked about roleplay groups in the city. Djehan answered,"Over time, I always saw many RPers from different roleplays come and go. Sometimes they exploded the traffic at insane numbers, well for a cyberpunk city. Sometimes it is a small team who does it privately, all sorts. I don't want to forbid any outfit or anyone, so you could get elves, aliens, furries, humans, robots, all sorts of roleplay happened like this. Sometimes some wanted me to organize, sometimes they were independent, I prefer independent projects of course, because I have to focus on building and I take no artistic direction or requests at HL. So they use the city as it is." She paused for a moment to think over her words, "I mean 'I take no artistic direction' from others, (laughter) I practice my own here, I mean. So roleplayers who need this or that, they couldn't ask me to build for them, if they wanted they commission me to build their sim."

I then brought up the real life nonprofit group Hangars Liquides. Djehan responded, "That's a very long story, Hangars Liquides is older than Second Life in fact. It started out as a record label in 1998, within the European underground hardcore electronic music scene, and it got big right away in all the illegal raves throughout the world. Hangars Liquides was producing records and signing artists from European Union and also the US. It's a grassroots landmark of underground techno culture now. I joined them in 2001, but we only started the non profit to be able to get an island on SL in 2007."

I asked if that's how the sims had been funded. "At first yes," she answered, " We went with the founder La Peste (The plague) aka Laurent Mialon, a cult composer. He coined and created Flashcore music with HL. We went to meet with many politicians and elected people delegated to the cultural affairs to pledge for the new technology that was Second Life and also for music of course. They gave us a government grant so I could pay for the installation of the first region. And also delegates to technologies, sorry I forgot to mention."

I then brought up when Linden Lab had ended the discount for nonprofits in October 2010. Djehan told me, "Yes they did this. Then I thought it was an emergency that I start a marketplace shop in order to be able to pay. I paid upfront what they asked for, and then HL was kept, and I started my MP store. Also, I sent a ticket to LL to ask them if I could rent to residents, in the city, to fundraise to pay the tier, Linden Lab told me that I was allowed to. So I also rented places." On her Marketplace page, she sells, "environments, mostly cyberpunk and dystopian with exclusive architecture. Lately I started to add a few furniture too. But I sell mostly environments like the Space Cocoon, the Cyberpunk Apartment. And right now I am about to release a new dystopian slightly futuristic one too (smile). I am finishing to paint the textures."

In 2013, Linden Lab restored it's discount for nonprofits. So all was well for a while. Then the Lab contacted her, saying the rules about qualifying for the discount had changed, "Sometime during 2017 or 2016, someone from Linden Lab contacted me inworld telling me that the TOS for non profits just got updated, and that I couldn't keep the rentals, or my shop or anything. So I stopped all these activities on the non profit sims. Then they came to verify that everything had been removed and from then on I just continued working as usual..And I always paid a lot from my own pocket anyways."

So when was the future of the sims looking doubtful? Djehan answered, "Before April, I had to pay big invoices. Nonprofits don't pay by the month, we have different payment plans through different systems. And because I was late, one of the regions got down, so I paid and everything went back up. But from that day, I realized that my work was in danger if one day I couldn't pay anymore. Like, if I was a painter, I was one before, I would rent a studio to paint in. And the day I can't pay for the rent , I couldn't take my paintings with me. And as an artist I never thought I would ever have to lose my work, because I wouldn't afford the space to host it. It is very strange.  I have all the textures and assets in my inventory. What is at stake is the composition of it all on the five regions all together linked into this giant knot that is the city."

I asked her what she was doing to make sure the five sims could stay up. She told me, "I work, I'm a professional artist and all I know is work. I need to make the money to keep up, so I work ten hours a day. I work the weekend, I handpaint, I manipulate vertex, all I know is to make 3D to sell it, and hopefully make enough money to keep the city up. Sometimes for commissions, like when I did Thinis, I worked up to 18 hours a day seven days a week, for a very little pay, I was glad Linden Lab featured me with a very nice text on their front page. But looking back it was impressive. In five weeks, I built three sims all from scratch, all handpainted textures. Some of my clients dubbed me 'the machine' when I was commissioned to build New Seattle for the Shadowrunners. All I know is work."



She then showed me a video of the Thinis sim, "after eight days of work, by the way. ... People liked it, I put all my heart in this one too. I love the post apocalyptic worlds too. Oh, and this is a video of the type of stuff I sell on MP, but filmed in VR back when SL was available with HMD. I think it is a shame LL stopped suport for the VR with HMD. Second Life in VR is so cool."



I then asked about offers of help coming in. Djehan thought some before answering, "Yes well people are kind and offer help yes. But they don't know that it is to be paid all at once. It costs around 3K USD, plus the cost of the two extra sims monthly, which are not non profit, Cell and China, around $240 USD monthly. You know I live in France, Here the median income is 1700 Euros per month, which means jhalf the population of the country lives below this. This is very far from anything in California, let alone the Bay Area. It has become too anxiogene to have to pay this.

"So right now, I really don't know what is going to happen. And since I can't have a backup to save the city on my HDD, I had an offer to get it displayed at the Fluxus Museum in Spain for instance. But they didn't want it hosted on Linden Lab's servers, so I am stuck on Second Life. And it is not for nothing that Linden Lab offers the possibility of preservation. It is exactly for this, and we are in touch with LL to preserve the city since a month, and I am just awaiting their answer. So a Linden is submitting the city to the SLPP (Second Life Preservation Program) and I am waiting. I've also been in touch with the Linden in charge of that program, and apparently a committee will come visit the city too."

I asked if there was any chance the Lab would allow her to rent out apartments and still qualify for the nonprofit discount. Djehan answered, "I don't think they can make an exception. I asked twice, and I think that Linden Lab is very monitored in their activities. Remember the casinos? Even at one time you could exchange Linden dollars with Bitcoin. I think that they get this imposed on them. I might be wrong but this is my opinion. I think that if they could allow me to rent they would of course allow me.

So when would the commitee drop by? He wasn't sure, "I am waiting for the answers with the tickets and by email, so far I didn't get a no or a yes, all I know is that a commitee will visit and decide."

I then asked what would she be doing after it was known whether Hangars would be saved or not. DJehan answered, "I will continue to work no matter what. If having it preserved allows me to keep updating it I will. If not I wont. The most important is not to destroy the art work. But then I will just go deploy on Sansar , High Fidelity, continue to release environments on the MP, work in Augmented Reality in Italy, also in VR for the Venice Biennale. I have many projects and ongoing projects. I work on many things. But yes of course preserving my work from destruction too is a big priority."

I asked about her VR work in Venice, if it was her largest current project. She answered, "In terms of organisation behind the scenes yes, the Venice biennale requires that you are represented by an institution, the city of Venice was supporting me, surrounded by my Italian Team, first of which my Curator, the urbanist in chief of the city of Venice, the UNESCO, the sponsors. My work on SL in my permanent exhibition, my portfolio, it is a very large piece , a composition. The last Venice Biennale in which I was selected in 2013 was for Augmented Reality.

" All in all, it is all very big projects. The Venice one like I described it, and on Second Life it is simply a big project because it is the largest cyberpunk city on the grid. It was accepted by the direction of the Biennale after being  personally selected by the curator in chief of that edition of the Biennale. For the 2021 Biennale, I will work on Virtual Reality. It is much simpler for me than Augmented Reality, because I know the subject very well. And Augmented Reality tech, based on GPS is still not really - how can I say, AR still requires much research for it to work smoothly, with GPS. Because the elements tend to shiver when displayed on devices due to the constant update of the position of the devices in real space. The GPS constantly updates the position of a moving human that is watching the content, and it is not ready. But there are other ways to display AR, without having it shiver (smile)."

At one point, she talked a little about being able to express herself as an artist, "You know, being able for every citizen, in my country France, but also the USA, is a constitutionnal right. It gives us the right to associate in between people, with another aim than making money. Because we humans are an intelligent species. We create arts, we also organize charities, and all this falls within the nonprofit organizations. And it is essential to protect this. It is not a constitutionnal right for nothing. It is extremely important. Well humans, intelligent in our own particular way, let's say, because I love all species. But humans have their own particular traits. We make arts for instance. When we were living in caves, one of us started to paint the walls, in Lascaux grotto (smile) ..  And we wonder why we started to draw like this, because it has no purpose. Experts even today are having troubles to explain why. Contemplation? Or maybe because they were locked in it and they missed watching outside? We don't know."

We chatted a little more before we eventually parted. A few days after the interview, Djehan had announced that she was going with a crowdfunding campaign to try to save Hangars Liquides. "I launched a crowndfunding thing," she would tell someone over the HR group, "That's the only way, instead of rental boxes. Then everyone who gave can come and stay around basically." When someone asked about the 6000 Euros/$6743 dollars, she answered, "That's the cost for the five sims. And non profits don't pay monthly, we have to pay yearly. So next due invoice is August1st. So hence the deadline for the fundraiser."

Hopefully Djehan Kidd succeeds in saving her cyberpunk city that's been in Second Life of twelve years. But even if she doesn't, she has no plans on stopping what she does.

Bixyl Shuftan

Spanish with Eugenia

By Bixyl Shuftan

While at the Second Life Birthday, I ran into one lady at her exhibit: Eugenia Calderon. She was the teacher of a class with the name "Spanish With Eigenia," which consisted of several towers. "This is about my educational project," she told me, "I teach Spanish for foreigners." She explained she also teaches in real life.

"My exhibit is a copy of the Satelite Towers in the Mexico City," she told of her build, "(the) towers were built in 1958. It's a monument of the modern architecture in Mexico at that time." A notecard included the following information:

The Satélite Towers are a sculptural set of five triangular prisms of different colors and sizes, arranged in an esplanade located to the north of Mexico City, in Ciudad Satélite, on the main avenue Anillo Periférico on its northern stretch. They are the work of the sculptor Mathias Goeritz and the architect Luis Barragán -winner of the Pritzker Prize-, with the collaboration of the painter "Chucho" Reyes Ferreira. Originally designed as a large fountain at the entrance to the nascent city, the towers have become a distinctive symbol of the area known as Satélite, located in the municipality of Naucalpan de Juárez, in the State of Mexico.

The planning of the towers, one of the first large urban sculptures in Mexico, began in 1957. They were inaugurated on March 1958. The set is considered a pioneer of the Mexican modernist style of the fifties.

The Satélite Towers were declared like artistic patrimony of Mexico in 2012, by the government of the then president Felipe Calderón.

More about the Satelite Towers, or Torres de Satélite, can be read on Wikipedia: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_de_Sat%C3%A9lite

Eugenia told me her class has been in Second Life for about eight years, "I have classes from the introductory course to advanced level, and also from basic conversation to advanced." When I asked how long the classes take, she explained, "For introduction, the course is for seven classes. Basic is for 40 classes. Intermediate 20 and advanced 20." She stated she had more lessons for those advanced students who wanted them, "I have an advanced group who has taken more or less 40 classes."

She did say she can handle only so many students at one time, "Well, just four is the limit for one class, I mean,  more, is not good to the class." She would say two or three is what she often has taking her introduction course.

While classes aren't always exciting, Eugenia told me there have been a number of interesting moments, "Well, something funny in the classes are the pronunciation of specific words, haha. I mean, some student´s pronunciation could sound sound like bad words in Spanish, or rude words, or slang. ... The idiomatic phrases are also hard to describe and understand. If we try to translate that, phrases are weird."

"And something interesting is the cultural differences," she went on, "For example, we in Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead, and for some students that is weird an scary." And some in North America might confuse it with Halloween. But the Day of the Dead isn't just for fun, it's also a day to remember departed friends and family.

"There are few Latin residents in Second Life," she commented, "and most of us have to know English to communicate with other residents in SL. But, that is good to us, we can practice our English. ha ha! ... About the classes, I´m here in SL because this world is a good tool to teach. I mean, for language classes immersion is very important and SL give that immersion. We have the avatars, the different worlds, places to visit and play role play. We have animations and gestures and I use all of them.  And I can create my own scenarios also."

We eventually parted ways as she had others asking her questions about the group, and there was more of the SLB to explore. Those interested in the class can message Eugenia Calderon for more.

Bixyl Shuftan

Resident Spotlight - Albright

By Cyfir (Cyfiremmerich Resident)

Albright (username Nihilisticloupe) is a talented digital artist whom has a large plateful of responsibilities in Second Life for both TWI (Timber Wilds Industries) and Furry Fashion. Her titles include Beta Tester and Sim Moderator for TWI and the General Sim Manager for Furry Fashion where she overlooks every department for the sim. Since she’s so instrumental in both sims, I thought that it would be a good idea to interview her and give her a chance to talk about her art, what she’s currently working on in Second Life, and how it all started for her.

For starters, I asked her how she got started as an artist and what her inspirations were. Albright answered, “I started making art when I was five years old. There was an old PBS (Public Broadcasting System) show that I used to watch that was basically a kids' version of Bob Ross. You'd draw along with the Host. And that's how I discovered my love for it. I always loved drawing animals primarily. When I was 19 I discovered the Furry Fandom and that really got me inspired. I started creating my fursona, taking requests, and eventually commissions. By observing other artists, studying figure poses, and challenging myself with different styles and perspectives, my art really took off and evolved into what it is now.

"A lot of my inspiration comes from several different sources. They include music, nature, movies, dreams, and real life situations. I always found myself turning to drawing or creating to vent strong emotions. I would put my feelings and thoughts down on canvas. It's sort of like I'd take all the negative energy that I'd be experiencing and transfer that to the piece that I was working on.”

When asked if she was currently open for art commissions, she told me that she currently takes them on a situational basis. She is currently open for small pieces such as headshots and busts as well as Second Life texture skin work.

I then asked her how she got started in Second Life. Albright told, “I discovered Second Life through the circle of friends that I had made through the DeviantART chat rooms about ten years ago. We were all very close and they eventually migrated from the chatrooms to Second Life. I decided to join and see what it was all about. I picked up on how to use it pretty quickly, and my curiosity developed into something that is now a big part of my life.”

I knew that she had discovered the TWI sim before she was a part of Furry Fashion, so I asked her how she got started there and what was currently going on there. Albright responded, “I have been part of the Timber Wilds team since its conception around 2008 or 2009. I met Rand when I was part of a roleplay sim run by Lost Ferals. I became friends with him and the rest of his team as they were starting up and we've been good friends ever since. I am their Beta Tester [for their avatars] and Sim Moderator. We currently have a large Sky Mall that is open for rentals for anyone that sells TWI or feral mods or accessories, a sandbox, and the entire ground level is a beautiful roleplay area built by Bird-E's Birds (Raven Seraph). RP is pretty free-form and there's a lot of fun secrets and landscapes to explore! Currently, we are working on our next Feral Avatar that will be released sometime this year.”

When asked for more information about the new feral avatar being worked on by TWI, she had the following to say. “TWI's next Avatar is going to be a Feral Deer. It'll come with all the usual quality that people have come to expect from our products. It will have full customization capabilities, tons of animations and sounds, as well as a few fun secret things that many of our past avatars have (But many people don't discover!). It is not yet in Beta Testing, but we expect to have it finished soon.”

I then focused my questions on Furry Fashion and how she discovered the sim and what she is currently doing there now. Albright answered, “I actually discovered Furry Fashion because of TWI! We had the Release party for the initial launch of the TWI Mesh Fox and I was in attendance. I really vibed with the staff and enjoyed the atmosphere so I decided to apply for Security. I ended up being hired and here I am, three years later. I am now a General Sim Manager. I overlook all departments of the sim as well as co-run our bi-annual hunt, that being Quest Fur Cover. I also manage our extensive Mall, Avatar Den, and Artist's Alley. I'm a jack of all trades you could say.”

I asked her to explain in more detail what QFC, the Furry Fashion Mall, Avatar Den, and Artist’s Alley were. Albright told, “Quest For Cover, or QFC, is Furry Fashion's bi-annual hunt that includes many Furry creators from all over the grid. All you do is hunt for the hidden icons!  We have one in the Spring and one around Halloween. We are currently over-hauling some aspects of the hunt and even trying to implement a HUD system to benefit both hunters and merchants. The build for Halloween 2019's QFC is currently in progress.

"The Avatar Den is where we feature some of the community's best furry and creature Avatars, all in one spot for patrons to shop for that new look! Spots in the Avatar Den are 100% free. Creators can just drop me a message! We offer free Release parties and advertisement for those in the Avatar Den!

"The Artist's Alley is meant to be a free space for artists of the community to show-case their Art and advertise their commission business! Spots in the Artist's Alley are all totally free and those that are interested need only to contact me! Artists of any skill and style are welcome!

"And now to the Furry Fashion Mall! Our mall boasts a large selection of some of the best Furry creators on the grid! Spots in the mall vary by price and are actually very popular. I'm afraid the Mall is 100% full at the moment, but I do have a waiting list for those interested in nabbing a spot as they become available! Being a mall merchant has many benefits. Not only do merchants get a spot on a sim with high traffic, but they are also free to use the many services we offer, such as advertising new releases in the FF group and Discord server. They also can take advantage of release parties, automatic approval for future FF events and Hunts, and so much more!”

In closing, Albright had the following to say, “I'd like to add that Furry Fashion is also currently hiring staff! We are hiring for Hosts, Models, and Security! We are a fun bunch, and we offer training, wages, and free Staff Homes!

"I'm very happy being part of the wonderful Furry community in Second Life. I feel like I fit in marvelously and we all look out for each other and share knowledge and talents to make a fun, creative experience for everyone! I hope to keep being a part of it, and if you ever find yourself at Furry Fashion or TWI, don't be afraid to say hello!”

Cyfir

Interview With Aby Teamo-Hastings (AbyGail Hastings)

By Bixyl Shuftan

I recently interviewed Aby Teamo-Hastings (AbyGail Hastings), a singer whom makes frequent appearances in Second Life, and will be among those at the upcoming Second Life Sixteenth Birthday. She invited me to her island, Kupendwa, in the Caracas sim, "This is my home. I terraformed it to a chill out spot for all in my group." Once there,
she invited me to take a seat.

Aby told me she had been singing since long before coming to Second Life, "I sang for a living in real life from the age of 21, started singing on stage at the age of six. But at 21 my father died and I sang so to keep my family." Her singing online started in IMVU, "A man that I knew there made jewelry so I used to sing love songs and he would add them to rings or rooms. It was all for romance. He sold his products and I got a percentage of the revenue." But eventually came trouble, "The rules changed, and they stopped all songs in items in fear of copyrights."

No longer able to sing in IMVU, she headed to another place online she had heard about: Second Life, "I came here when the rules changed. I didn't know there was a music community here. ... Second life had a bad reputation in the UK for being very sexual. I came in here to experience the virtual worlds, see what places looked like. I think everyone who comes to SL has a need for it, something in their life (is) missing that Second Life can fill. Mine was I had just separated from my marriage.

Once here, "I bought an island and I rented it out. ... a small plot and put a house on it." She described her first days here as, "Scary. It was all so realistic. I could walk, fly, and yet I knew nothing about it and knew nobody here. I was unsure I would stay for the first few weeks. ... Second Life was new exciting. I learnt a lot terraforming and I loved it." Her home was in "a community type sim. I met a number of people there, so it was a great experience."

But eventually, the idea came for her to sing in this virtual world, "After I bought the private island I had a man help me to develop the sim. I was working on the terraforming and I was singing away to myself. He over heard me and asked if I wanted to sing in SL. He was running a Make-A-Wish foundation three-day festival, and asked if I would sing for it. I agreed. I did the festival and got a number of offers of jobs. But I wanted to focus on the island as I was still singing inreal life. So I did not start to sing here full time until about five years ago. I sang for two years, and then my job in real life took me out of Second Life for three years. I came back in 2017.  I have been singing since then. Now I sing everyday here."

Aby smiled, "I love it. Singing is my life. I love to create fun and smiles. I do both romantic songs and upbeat, mostly I do upbeat shows.  I love the fun that can be created." When asked how often she sings, she smiled and answered, "Everyday at the moment. I used to have a day off but now it is everyday. Ville De Coeur was the first place that gave me a spot, and now I sing for Rainbow Painters, Cafe Musique, Key West and many others." She still sings for charity events, "... when I get asked I do all charities. I find that 'Relay for Life' is the big one now here, or 'Feed a Smile.' ... Recently I sang for RFL three times at different venues, 'Feed a Smile' I have done many times too. 'Make-A-Wish' is one I have not seen in a while, but if I did I would offer a show. In real life I used to make a charity, or an old folks home, every fourth show. In SL it is not so easy to organize that way."

Aby was one of the singers at last year's Second Life Birthday celebration, "I wasn't aware of it before. So when I was told about it, I auditioned and was sooo excited to get in last year. It is a big event and I loved it. Last year I sang twice, and one of those (was) on the main stage, which was stunning." She's also appearing in this year's SL16B, "I am on Festival stage on Thursday (the) 27th at 3PM."

The land around was a pretty landscape of islands, with beautiful scenery and things to do. The audio stream was on a love songs station. Aby told of the place, "I got it and set it out so my fans could come and relax or play the games, or surf on the waves, my way of giving back to them. There is a bit of something for everyone" she smiled, "I get a lot of support from my fans, they deserve something back from me." The place is named Kupendwa, "It is my past, I was raised in South Africa, the name is Swahili for 'Oh to be loved.'"

Aby had come to the interview wearing a hat with purplish pants, bracelets, and a dark top. Asking about her clothes, she answered it was for her performance earlier in the day, "the show was an 80's show, so I dressed as if 80's. My dress changes according to the show.  I have a few sets where I sing with a dance troop. That dress is made by the lady who makes our dances and so on.

When asked about her future plans, she responded, "I think most singers in here aim to places like Key West. I am happy with all and if it carries on with the same fun. I am here long term. (smile) I wish I could get to Sansar as I would like to perform there too. Alas, I am on a Mac.  I was asked to go and sing there at Easter. Alas, I could not access it, which was sad."

Aby's final words for the interview were, "All I want is smiles and fun truly.  I know a lot of people need fun and I want to give it to them in music. It has been lovely to meet you, and hey, thank you sooo much for asking me."
It was about then we parted ways. Once again, Aby will be appearing at the SL16B on Thursday June 27 at 3PM SL time.

Bixyl Shuftan

RFL: MamaP's "Poo Chat"

By Bixyl Shuftan

One of the fun things about the Relay for Life Volunteers group is the chatter. It's fun, lighthearted, and sometimes you get comedy gold. Stingray Raymaker's been the subject of it twice with his "pink pantyhose challenge" in 2011, and his "pinky dinky" avatar challenge in 2015. But recently, MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum), found herself the center of a storm of chuckles thanks to a typo.

*  *  *  *  *

[18:33] Selene (selene Jashan): Group Notice Sent by: selene Jashan
5 Days of Relay
Kudos to Head Hunters for such a successful Jail & Bid today at 5 Days of Relay .   For this Jail and bid they raised 164250 total tonight!!   Right now just the Rally has raised 509538.   This Community is totally committed to kicking cancers ass!!!

WTG MC Community!!!
[18:34] V I X X Y (Vixxy Shackleton): Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooot
[18:34] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): Way to gooopooo, That is amazing!!
[18:34] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): gooopooo?????
[18:34] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): HAHAHAH
[18:34] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): GOOOOOOOOO
[18:34] Dianna Wycliffe: LMAO Mama!!
[18:34] Selene (selene Jashan): LOL
[18:35] Dianna Wycliffe: I love your typo's
[18:35] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): as Vixxy knows, I am old HAHAHAH
[18:35] Selene (selene Jashan): and for those that dont know Mama is one of those drivers that has rage issues LOL
[18:35] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): I do!
[18:35] V I X X Y (Vixxy Shackleton): HAHAHAHA Mama
[18:35] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): guilty!
[18:35] Trager Alter: welcome to my world - lol
[18:35] Aryon Dagger: OMG!!! Mama!!!
[18:36] Random Darrow (Random Padar): LOL Trager
[18:36] Nikki Mathieson: hahahahaha  I get back just in time to read mama's HILARIOUS typo
[18:36] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): too funny!
[18:37] Trader Whiplash-Ballinger (Trader1 Whiplash): wahts wrogn wiht mamas typign?
[18:37] Bixyl Shuftan chuckles
[18:37] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): [18:34] MamaP Alter: Way to gooopooo, That is amazing!!
[18:37] Trader Whiplash-Ballinger (Trader1 Whiplash): and nikki JUST Got back after it?
[18:37] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): go poo????
[18:38] Nikki Mathieson: perfect timing...  I mean...
[18:38] Melina Firehawk: Sounds like someone had a brown out
[18:38] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): MamaP Beacon Teaches Typing
[18:38] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): focus on the amazing part, over 150,000L raised at a Jail and Bid today, at Relay Goes MC, lots of people in jail!
[18:38] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): ok.. who gave Mama xlax
[18:38] Melina Firehawk: CODE BROWN!!!
[18:38] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): OMG Lizzy!
[18:38] Selene (selene Jashan): <-----gets a="" big="" br="" ol="" out="" pen="" red="">[18:38] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): LMAO Selene!
[18:38] Trager Alter: props to our 5 day lead , selene, and her team for unifying the MC community - they are closing in on $6,000 as a community and still 3 more days to go
[18:38] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): well  narcan won't fix that
[18:39] Melina Firehawk: Let's hope that was a Baby Ruth
[18:39] Trader Whiplash-Ballinger (Trader1 Whiplash): damn too bad we dont have you on at midnight this year
[18:39] Aryon Dagger shuffles off
[18:39] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): it is amazing hoe we all love a good poo joke
[18:39] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): I bet you Mama's face is brighter than tomato red
[18:39] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): Hey Aryon
[18:39] Selene (selene Jashan): "how" LOL
[18:39] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): It is amazing what?
[18:39] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): OMG now I did hoe for how HAHAHAHAH
[18:39] Nikki Mathieson: who you callin a hoe
[18:40] Nikki Mathieson: you might need to rest
[18:40] Melina Firehawk: I used to work at an outdoor pool.  We had other ways of saying poop in the pool!
[18:40] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): I am going to stop typing, LOL
[18:40] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): Yep. Confirmed: MamaP Beacon Teaches Typing will be released this summer
[18:40] Selene (selene Jashan): waves the red pen and grins LOL
[18:40] Nikki Mathieson: LMAO
[18:40] Bixyl Shuftan: garden equipment now? :-)
[18:40] Random Darrow (Random Padar): Melina lol
[18:40] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): That should be an even bigger hit than Beavis Macon Teaches Typing
[18:40] Melina Firehawk: I kid you not, Random!  My boss learned it at a convention for pool managers
[18:40] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): I ain't scared of no PoPo. Call the PoPo hoe. CALL THE POPO HOE!
[18:40] Selene (selene Jashan): Ok Nikki here ya go,  you get the honor next typo LOL
[18:40] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): madonna HAHAH
[18:41] Melina Firehawk: We should probably be careful or she'll give us the royal flush :-P
[18:41] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): ok Nikki you need to take control here
[18:41] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): change the subject HAHAH
[18:41] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): hugs mama
[18:41] Nikki Mathieson: hahaha I think you're doing GREAT
[18:41] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): HUGS!
[18:41] Aryon Dagger: Well on the same theme ... Trump is in England
[18:41] OldeSoul Eldemar (OldeSoul Resident): and stop the entertainment?
[18:41] Melina Firehawk: Don't you just love toilet humor?
[18:42] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): so what about those sims!!
[18:42] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): have you ever read the tweets the Scotish made about Trump
[18:42] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): oh my god
[18:42] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): are they looking amazing or what??
[18:42] OldeSoul Eldemar (OldeSoul Resident): In the shire here is no p in the ool
[18:42] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena) sees the toilet talk, starts polishing up her gasmask
[18:42] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): I think discussing Mama's typing skills is a safer topic.. BARELY.
[18:43] MamaP Alter (MamaP Beerbaum): LOL
[18:43] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): well  youd thin as lon as we been here
[18:43] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): we shoud know typonese
[18:43] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): Yes, but, the two that Mama graced us with in the last few minutes are just priceless
[18:44] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): lol true  true
[18:45] Kitty Gumbo (Prettykitty Gumbo): Mama is priceless
[18:45] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): Yes she is. Even more priceless than her typos
[18:45] Melina Firehawk: Gotta love it when something happens and the chat runs rampant with puns
[18:45] Melina Firehawk: The longest I've seen it happen is actually about 2 hours
[18:46] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident) sets a tray of tortilla chips and guacamole  and avocado verde dips
[18:46] Kitty Gumbo (Prettykitty Gumbo): Holy Cow.. the MC 5 Day Jail and Bail just raised 162, 149
[18:46] Kitty Gumbo (Prettykitty Gumbo): woooooooooo
[18:46] Madonna Daehlie (Madonna Milena): Yay
[18:48] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): question
[18:48] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): why do mice hate water?
[18:50] OldeSoul Eldemar (OldeSoul Resident): warning - those typos are contagious
[18:55] Eclair (Eclair Martinek): lizzy - why do mice hate water??
[18:56] Xyza Armistice: they cant swim ?
[18:56] Eclair (Eclair Martinek): maybe she's asking b/c she doesn't know??!
[18:56] Eclair (Eclair Martinek): poor little mices
[18:56] Xyza Armistice: lol
[18:56] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): cat fish
[18:57] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): sorry  i got destracted
[18:57] Eclair (Eclair Martinek): cat fish hate water?   or hate mice?
[18:57] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): it's Catfish... mice hate water because of catfish
[18:57] Eclair (Eclair Martinek): okk
[18:58] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): i know
[18:58] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): it wson an exterminator's commercial here
[18:58] Eclair (Eclair Martinek): (I don't get it)
[18:58] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): *was on
[18:58] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): that's worse than a dad joke
[18:59] Eclair (Eclair Martinek): hahahahahhaahhaha
[18:59] Bixyl Shuftan: ha ha
[18:59] Xyza Armistice: rofl
[19:00] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): and trust me
[19:00] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): my dad can tell some groaners
[19:00] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): lol
[19:00] Kitty Gumbo (Prettykitty Gumbo): LOL
[19:00] Kitty Gumbo (Prettykitty Gumbo): I can never remember the joke.
[19:00] Kitty Gumbo (Prettykitty Gumbo): I can remember the punchline.
[19:00] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): I remember seeing a joke Larry Dixon tweeted
[19:01] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): and the first thing I thought was... omg my dad would tell that joke....
[19:01] Melina Firehawk: I still have some of the jokes my dad shared with me
[19:02] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): So I tweeted back that... and he said he's been telling 'dad jokes' since he was 10 and that he has a set of values and refuses to rise above them
[19:03] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): I think some men just love telling groners
[19:06] Bixyl Shuftan: Well, once men's wives have kids, they have to watch it with the dirty jokes. But there's always groaners.
[19:06] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): yup
[19:08] ? LIL LIZZY-ROO KRADITZIO ? (KumaguroBunnyBear Resident): when my step mom's friend and her husband would go on road trips with us, my dad and him would be in the front seat  acting out  Monty Python and Strange Brew.

*  *  *  *  *

After that, things finally began to settle down, more or less. There would be more wisecracks over the rest of the Relay season. But the "Poo Chat" stood out as one of the longer lasting chuckles this year.

Bixyl Shuftan