My Resignation from SLFD Effective Immediately

All good things must come to an end.

An explorer can never be staying at one place for too long, because then exploration becomes routine, routine leads to boredom.

I really enjoyed my time at SLFD, but I must now move on. I have also achieved my self-imposed goal of getting 25,000 points from fighting fire, so I figure it's a good milestone and it's time to move on.

I will miss friends I've made at SLFD: Neelix, Truck, Kershaw101, Janette, Keiyana, Hoss, etc. Good luck fellows. May be we will bump into each other some day in Second Life.

Mingle with Linguals

English may be the lingua franca of Second Life, but other languages are flourishing as well. If you want a trully cross-language adventure without leaving the comfort of your own chair, but you don't know foreign language well enough, there is hope. Drop by to get a copy of Babbler at Phreak Isle and pick it up, it's free!

What does Babbler do? It allows you to pick your spoken language and the desired language to translate to (for example, I speak English, but I want to translate to French), also, it allows you to pick an avatar to choose the language to translate from (for example, Eliza speaks French and I want to hear English).

The language translation quality can be very good, or it can go horribly wrong. I suggest using simple language constructs instead of elaborate languages. Hopefully, babbler can close the gap between language barrier just a little bit for you.

United Federation Starfleet

There are many starfleet organizations in SecondLife - StarFleet Command SecondLife Quadrant, Raven Fleet, but the one I like most is United Federation StarFleet.

UF Starfleet, located at Starfleet Sector001, consists of a single-island SIM with modern buildings, scenic relaxation areas and memorials, a volcano, a 19-th century merchant boat, and last but not least, multiple space stations high up in the sky.

The organization offers a variety of activities - very professionally presented educational classes, role-playing, partying, or just general socializing. Unlike the SFCSLQ which has a concentration of power, UF Starfleet trully has many officers holding many different ranks and responsibilities.

I recently took some pictures of the SIM and created a youtube video.

Let's see what's out there in space and in virtual world

Pirate Themed Amusement Park

Now you can relive your childhood fun at the Amusement Park without having to leave the comfort of your own house by visiting the Gateway Night Club - Mall - Amusement Park - it trully beats waiting the hours of driving and hours of waiting in line just to enjoy minutes of physical thrills.

At the park, you can ride the waterlog roller coaster, you can ride the rocking pirate boat, you can joy the race track, you can do many many many things.

Some rides are free, others have a nominal charge of a few $L, but hey, this is a lot cheaper than a ticket to a real amusement park, and you don't have to wait in line, so it is all worth it.

When you get tired from your virtual exertion, be sure to drop by the refreshment stand to give your virtual body a much needed rest.

But why have all the fun by yourself alone? Bring your virtual date to the park for a great time! Double the people, double the fun.

It's time for Treasure Hunting

Ever dreamed of being a treasure hunter when you were little? Now, your dream can come true!

The last 10 days of every month brings together a group of diverse people with different backgrounds but a common goal - to find the hidden treasures placed in over 30 different locations all over the world of Second Life.

Everyone starts at location #1 with the first clue. With luck and persistence, you will find the first treasure, along with a landmark to location #2 and a clue. This adventure then repeats itself until you find all the treasures and the clues.

Along your treasure quest you are bound to run into other treasure hunters to share your joy or misery. You can choose to help each other out, or you can just make this your own personal demon to occur and work on your own. However, sooner or later even the best of the treasure hunters may need help - a friendly shout for help in the Treasure Quest group will gladly be answered by those who have already solved the puzzle.

The November 2007 Treasure Quest just started and will last till end of November. To be part of this exciting adventure, go to Bunyip 108,556,446.

Tower Inferno - Fire Department in Second Life

Most people will not choose a life full of danger with little reward, but at the SecondLife Fire Department (SLFD), you will find the exact opposite - people love to risk their lives fighting dangerous fires.

The SLFD, located in the city of Bodhisena, is a role-play organization specialized in fighting various types of fires - high rise building, sewer, restaurant, etc. Not only the location varies, the type of fire also varies - there is class A fire extinguishable by water, and class B fire extinguishable only by foam. Use water on class B will quickly spread the fire.

But fighting fire is just not simply spraying into the fire, you also need to water your body temperature, watch your oxygen, and watch where you step. Ignoring any one of these can get you kill very quickly.

New comers can join SLFD and start at the Probie level. After taking classes at the SLFD Academy to learn how to fight fires and to operate the equipments, they will then graduate to become a qualified fire fighter.

If you love role-playing, SLFD is not a place to miss.

CNN has come to Second Life!

CNN has finally come to SecondLife!

The CNN iReport HUB is located in the Future Sim, part of the millions of us umbrella island. The millions of us organization is dedicated in bringing real-life entities to secondlife.

The CNN iReport HUB consists of an interview room, a stadium, an iReport info hub, and plenty of open space to foster socializing.

But CNN is more than just a place, it also has a public group called "SL iReporters" that anyone can join. iReporters can file report on SecondLife news to slireport@cnn.com. For more information about being an iReporter, check out the information hub.

So, what is CNN doing in SecondLife? According to this news article, CNN wants to find out more about virtual world. As an iReporter, you can help.

Who knows? May be CNN will one day do an interview in SL at their interview room. Hopefully, it won't be like the CNET diasterous interview with Anshe Chung.

Halloween Party!

Halloween party in Second Life can be as wild if not more wild than a real life Halloween party. People typically dress in the most imaginative costume possible and have a great time dancing, chatting, and making friends. As Halloween gets nearer, there are plenty of places offering prizes to the best looking costume.

I recently had the pleasure to stop by October County to witness a trully fantastic Halloween dance party. Check out some of the outrageous costumes there.

For the complete set of photos, you can find it at my flickr account here.

The October County Halloween party can be found at October County, 164, 223, 21

Around the world in 60 seconds - Info International Island

No time to travel around the world to see the various cultures? Now, you can do it here on SecondLife at the Info International Island. The island is part of the bigger Info island group, where you can learn about all kinds of things on your own and get help from the friendly librarian staff, but I am disgressing.

The island is full of beautiful builds representative of different countries. Come visit the Chinese cafe, or taste the Italian beer, or enjoy the Spanish salsa dancing. Each place has been meticulously researched by the staff and built to the finest details. Furthermore, it is fully integrated to external web to provide for a true multi-media experience.

Too young to get excited by learning new stuff? No problem. Info International island also offers fun games. Try the game for scavenger hunt where you track down answers to the list of questions. Or try the picture game where you guess at where various pictures were taken.

The Info International island can be found at Info International 123, 239, 34

Kayliwulf Kingdom - Amazing Land of Latex Fashion

Kayliwulf Kingdom is not your ordinary fashion shop, it is the grandiest and catchiest fashion shop specializing in all aspects of latex, to both women and men. Unlike other shops where you can only imagine what the finished products may look like, KK employs real models to show off the actual wears.

Run by Daphne Goodnight and her husband Lazarus Luan, the multi-level mall is not just an ordinary mall, but a multi-media shopping experience. For example, youtube showcases some of their very professionally looking videos on KK.

But the actual island itself is 100x better than the video. The store is huge with hundreds of latex products from outfits to footwear to underwear to jewelry to fetish gear. You name it, they have it. There is also a fashion walkway where periodically beautiful looking staff models will do a fashion show.

If you are a latex fetishist, this is not a place to miss. The Kayliwulf Kingdom can be found at Kaliwulf East 58, 126, 35

Sphynx Jazz Club - Egyptian Elegance

The Sphynx Jazz Club is an Egyptian theme based dance club catering to the well dressed gentlemen and ladies. It may not be as crowded as other dance clubs like Phat Cat but that's actually a benefit for those interested in a quiet evening without having to squeeze through the crowd.

Arriving at the front entrance and you will immediately recognize the elegance of the club, from its fluid fountains down to the details of the Guardian.

After climbing the stairs, you will immediately be treated to a Persian red carpet treatment. Mingle or dance with the guests around you. People are generally friendly and eager to dance.

But there is more to do than just dancing and having a good time. Enjoy the rest of the architectural elegance - walk towards the north end of the dance floor. You will see the Pyramid and a Sphynx statue giving this Jazz club its appropriate name.

Have a great time at the Sphynx Jazz Club, it can be found at 2nd Avenue, 203, 31, 21