A Tea and a Tour

Taking President's Day week off with my daughter for her winter recess, I tried to find some activities to keep her occupied.  Our library's Children's Room always has some notices posted about local events for kids, and I found one about a children's tea and a tour of Walt Whitman's birthplace in West Hills.  I was able to make a reservation for Holly and her friend, and the two girls met there Monday where they had tea (actually apple juice) in a delightful setting with a bunch of other registered girls.  Afterwards, they were taken on a tour of the historic home.

Although the famous poet's birthplace consists of two floors of a few small rooms, the girls found the tour guide's information abou the time period very absorbing.  Holly was so impressed that, after we got home, she pretended to light fireplaces and get water out of a well.  I read her a children's biography of Walt Whitman I had taken out of the library, and she learned of his involvement with the Civil War and listened to some of his poems.

It turned out to be a fun and educational experience for both girls.

Introducing Dulcie's Destinations

I recently started a new blog called "Dulcie's Destinations" that will feature articles about a variety of travel and entertatinment places in Second Life.  This blog will not replace "Rainbow Notes."  I hope to keep both blogs up on a regular basis and also increase their readership. 

In "Rainbow Notes," I will continue to write about my rl and sl pursuits including my writing, reading, library activities, and other activities that I  hope will be of interest to readers.  However, all Second Life travel-related articles will be on the new blog (along with some previous articles I've reprinted from "Rainbow Notes," "Eye on the Grind," and "RezLibris Magazine."

But exploring a virtual world or even taking a trip in real life is not the only way one can travel.  Reading is a wonderful journey in itself.  Lately, as I've been exploring the ebook offerings from our library's Overdrive service, I've read a great new author, Ernest Cline, whose "Ready Player One" just happens to be about a virtual world.  I won't give away any of the plot, but I would highly recommend this book to any SL resident or anyone else interested in virtual worlds, the 80's, or just wants a good read.  Don't look for any x-rated scenes in this book, though.  There is a romance, but the book is mostly an adventure and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you travel with Wade Watts through the OASIS to find the "Easter Egg" hidden inside its virtual world that can bring great fortune but also death to those who seek it. I also found that many of Wade's observations about virtual relationships are right on target. 

My next ebook is already lined up (actually I've been waiting on a long list for it).  It is also by a new author, Deborah Harkness, and deals with witches and vampires instead of avatars, and it is also the first book of a trilogy.  I might review "Discovery of Witches" in my next column, but, in either case, I think I will enjoy the journey.

Exploring Virtually



On top of the world, Venice @ Prada

A Second Life friend of mine found a beautiful sim and invited me to join him to explore it.  The sim is Venice @ Prada http://secondlife.com/destination/venice-prada.  The scenery here is lovely and is enhanced in sunset setting.  From the waterfront to the quaint village shops and buildings, there is lots to see and do here with an emphasis on "see", as the appeal of this place is truly visual.

Of course, any virtual rendering of Venice would be incomplete without a Gondola ride, and my friend proved to be a good Gondolier aside from getting stuck in some dead ends.  The full moon over the water and the sim's music stream added to a delightful and relaxing ride.

Before and during exploring the village, we stopped and chatted at the numerous waterside cafe tables. I felt like an Italian tourist and had tried to dress the part with my white Stole and designer SL jeans but made a quick change into a dress for dancing. 

The TP sign by the dock took us to the New York Jazz Club (yes, even in Italy, I could feel at home).  The warm wood textures and varnished floors of this dance venue along with its wonderful skyline windows were charming and atmospheric.  The only drawback was that the return TP to Venice was either missing or well hidden, so keep the LM handy if you want to continue your exploration.

All in all, virtually exploring Prada @ Venice was fun and immersive.  I felt like I'd traveled to Italy for a few hours with no jet lag to recover from.

Kindle Fire Hot in the New Year

Okay, so one of  my New Year's resolutions was to write more often for this blog, so I'm trying to catch up.  I hope everyone reading had nice holidays.  Most years, I don't get many gifts that I really use, but this year I received a Kindle Fire.  I wasn't so sure I would use it much either because I like print books.  But, as a librarian, I realize that one must keep up with new trends, so I put the Kindle Fire at the top of my Wish List for Santa.  It seems a lot of other people did, too, as the Fire was one of the most popular gifts this season http://androinica.com/2011/12/2011-holidays-the-best-ever-for-amazon-as-the-kindle-fire-continues-to-be-their-top-seller/. 

I like the size of the Fire because it is very portable, fitting into a large purse or carry case.  The screen is quite readable (although I haven't tried it in bright sunshine yet).  As an Android device, it has some of the familiar options (I also upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy phone recently).  Still, there is a learning curve, as there is with any technical gadget.  The user guide is adequate.  My main goal was to download ebooks.  A nice benefit of being an Amazon prime member is that many ebooks (and also videos and other downloads) are available free.  You are allowed to download one ebook per month if you are a prime member, but not every ebook is eligible under this option.

The Kindle Lending Library at Amazon is quite easy to navigate, but I found Overdrive's Digital Library Collection harder to use.  Consulting both the Overdrive online help screens and our own library's FAQ sheets created by our computer tech, I managed to download my first Overdrive library book.  Since then, I've managed to check out, return, and even place several ebooks on my request list.  Some of this, I discovered through trial and error.  For instance, I thought it would be fine to just delete an Overdrive title from my library, but I later learned that if you don't return it to the collection (using the Manage my Kindle option in at the Amazon website), you might be holding it up from someone who is currently on the reserve list. 

How do I like ebook reading?  Well, I've managed to read over 50 % of the novel I selected, and I still have another 5 days to finish it.  Overdrive loans are two weeks in duration.  Compare that to the library print books I've had to renew several times before finishing them (Overdrive books can't be renewed but can be rerequested).  It seems I can find a little more time to get to read from my Kindle, although maybe it's the novelty for now.  Some other cool options include automatic bookmarks and access to a dictionary for any unfamiliar words I come across in the text.

I would recommend the Kindle Fire to anyone who didn't get it as a gift and doesn't currently have one.  There are many others out there and more being designed, but I would say to try them and see if you like them.  You may be pleasantly surprised.  I was, but it doesn't mean I won't ever check out another print book.  It just means I am getting on the tech bandwagon and having some fun, too.  My library is also purchasing its own Kindle Fire and a Nook for training and demonstration purposes (with possible loaning options in the future). 

CVL Travelogue #3 Roleplays in 1920's Berlin

CVL Travelogue members and guests met their tour leader at the Teleportplatz

As I've written in two other articles, the CVL Travelogue group continues its tours with #3 on September 18 to 1920's Berlin.  The 1920's Berlin Project tour was conducted by Rosemary Thyme who met our group and visitors at the Berlin Teleportplatz where freebie period clothing was available for those who needed them.  Although we were told that the Berlin Project is not a strict role-play sim, it's best to look and act the part as much as possible. 

The train ride into Berlin was fast.

The group's favorite spot, the library

Outside the Club Eldorado

From the Teleportplatz, we took the train into Berlin.  After disembarking, Rosemary gave us the history of the sim and some interesting tidbits of information as we visited such places as Der Keller (a backstreet where you can dance and listen to 1920's music); Alexanderplatz (where the municipal building, stores, and residential areas are found); Club Eldorado (open every Saturday for Cabaret/burlesque shows and concerts); Magdalenenkirche (the church where services are held each week); the library (our favorite spot); the museum (which is closed now but offers exhibits occasionally); the Odeon theater (that features concerts and performances regularly); the Unter den Linden (famous square in Berlin); Adlon (a luxury hotel that is almost always booked to capacity and where the second anniversary ball recently took place); the school Hindenburg schule (the only place on the sim that allows voice chatting and where language classes are given); the police station; and the final stop, the night club der Keller, where Rosemary told us there is a "happy hour" every night.

The Church

 

The luxurious Adlon Hotel

 

The language school

 

The Unter den Linden with blimp above

Second CVL Travelogue Tour Visits the Past

In a previous blog, I wrote about the fun and entertainment sims that the CVL Travelogue featured on their first tour. On July 17, the CVL Travelolgue group conducted a second tour of historical sims. The places visited included the First World War Poetry Digital Archive, Virtual Harlem, and Virtual Montmarte. The First Wold War Poetry Digital Archive tour was led by Csteph Submariner and the Virtual Harlem and Virtual Montmarte tours were led by Bryan Mnemonic.

The CVL Travelogue Group and guests at the
 WWI Poetry Digital Archives

Touring the Trenches

The first stop on the historical tour was the World War I Poetry Digital Archive where the group and guests, led by Csteph Submariner (Christopher Stephens in RL) of the University of Oxford, visited the camp and trenches.  Since time was limited and there is a vast amount of very detailed historical information to see and learn about, it was suggested that participants visit again on their own.  A free HUD is available to teleport between sites.  Videos and notecards highlight the immersive historical experience.  At the campsite, there are realistic illustrations of wartime living conditions on the front down to scary, animated rats. The group and visitors agreed that this is an important and very well-created build.  We later learned that funding for this project was discontinued in 2009 and that Submarinar is in need of keeping it going.  He wrote an email to the head of the CVL Travelogue group asking her help in sending an email in support of the WWI Poetry Arachive to

stuart....@oucs.ox.ac.uk -- Director: computing Services
katharine.lind...@oucs.ox.ac.uk -- Project manager: WWI Poetry Digital
Archive

CVL Travelogue tour group at the Cotton Club

The Virtual Harlem tour led by Bryan Mnemonic (Bryan Carter in RL), Associate Professor of  English at the University of Central Missouri, began at the Dark Tower mansion, the office of Dr. Menemonic.  After a brief introduction, Menemonic gave a tour of several sites in 1920's Virtual Harlem, the famous Cotton Club jazz club and two locations that featured student art exhibits.  Afterwards, he led everyone across the bridge to France where we visited Virtual Montmarte, a very authentic-looking French village with some nice shops and sites. 

Virtual Montmarte

A slightly larger number of people joined us for the history tour, and we hope that more will come to the next one which may possibly focus on roleplay sims.  There are so many places to visit in SL, and the CVL Travelogue is a great way to learn of them and become introduced to the different location themes.  The group is always in need of volunteers and has its own Google as well as SL group to communicate its meetings and events.

Pets are the Best Friends in RL and SL

I am amazed at the number and variety of Second Life pets. After purchasing two Amaretto horses last year, I recently picked up two Kittycats that were being given away free in honor of SL8B.  As a cat lover in RL and one who even created a SL pet memorial center (Rainbow Gardens Pet Memorial Center) when my own cat died last year, I found that one can really form an attachment to virtual pets.  I nearly lost my boy cat, Magic, to a SL inventory glitch but was relieved when the great folks at Kittycats were able to retrieve him for me in less than 24 hours.

I found a cute milk carton house for my kitties and then added some other virtual pets -- a bunny, free Fourth of July Biobreeds Beagle, a blue jay (I keep in a cage), and an aquarium.  Not all of these pets need to be fed and most are relatively low prim, but, as in real life, there is still a cost to keeping them (but no vet bills except the fee for some medicine if they do get sick).  The best thing, of course, is that they don't die.  However, Amarettos can be sent to "Horse Haven," and Kittycats can go to "Happily Forever," if you don't want to sell them or keep them for some reason. 

I have to say I enjoy my SL pets, and they are somewhat easier to care for than RL pets.  I'm glad SL offers this option for pet lovers.