Toxic Garden

I’d still argue that the Greenies Build by Rezzable is the most impressive SL presence I’ve seen. I’d read about some other Rezzable builds like The Cannery (SL Artwork from a number of artists) but hadn’t checked any out. When I TP’d to The Cannery I went to the Map View and noticed the enourmous array of sims that Rezzable own.

One that caught my eye was Toxic Garden. It’s very different to the Greenies build but contains its own fascinations. I won’t wreck the spontaneity of exploring Toxic Garden by giving too much away, but do ensure you pick up the anti-toxin armband at the entrance.

Toxic Garden is in beta and there are opportunities to give feedback to Rezzable.

Check it out in-world

Popularity: 6% [?]

Facing the harm

The SL Herald has run an article entitled ‘What’s the Harm?’, mirroring the name of the exhibit covered by that and this story. The exhibition is essentially an onslaught of images depicting sexual ageplay and some extreme fetishes within Second Life, most sourced from the SL search feature.

It’s powerful and has already engendered a lot of discussion. We’ve covered the ageplay issue previously and made the point it’s a murky moral area with wider societal implications. One of the more admirable aspects of the exhibition is the ability to provide your comments, which are then posted as part of the exhibit if you consent to do so.

Check it out in-world (You’ll need to walk across the bridge and click on the ‘What’s The Harm’ sign to teleport to the exhibit.)

Popularity: 7% [?]

Virtual Africa

Many years ago a group of musicians got together and in the name of social justice, put on a world-wide concert called Live Aid. It was aimed at alleviating famine in Ethiopia.

Sadly, little has changed on the continent of Africa when it comes to the tribulations that befall it. There’s a very real attempt to create an SL presence that has as one of its primary goals, the linking between a South African based social justice organsiation and the virtual world.

Uthango Social Investments has created an offshoot blog site called Africa’s 2nd Life, our Virtual Reality, which is the information and news centre for Virtual Africa.

A look at the Uthango website shows this endeavour is aimed at developing projects that “are dynamic and innovative and focus on bridging the digital divide, micro-enterprise development, intercultural dialogue, crime prevention, community mental health and most importantly, infrastructure development.”

The SL Africa is a work in progress and it will be revealing to see how it can be used to help develop solutions to the problems and challenges being faced by the many countries that make up that continent.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The Neil Young Archives

Zak Claxton’s Neil Young Archives is a compact but effective tour of the artist’s work. You can listen to some of Young’s work whilst browsing the visual discography or replicas of Young’s favorite instruments.

Zak Claxton’s take on it all:

“Neil Young is a personal favorite musician and songwriter of mine, as well as someone who has embraced change and technological advancement throughout his long career. After about eight months as an SL resident, acquiring some building skills and so on, I decided that building a tribute of sorts to an artist for whom I have the utmost respect would be a good use of my time in SL. Plus, I felt that other residents of SL who happen to be fans of Neil Young would really enjoy visiting and learning more about him.

BUT WAIT. THERE’S MORE.

I’ve named the area “Zak Claxton’s SL Neil Young Archives” for a rather tongue-in-cheek reason. In case you’re unaware, Neil and his team have been working on a massive project called the Neil Young Archives for many years, beginning back in 1991 I believe. The latest incarnation of the Archvies is a 2-DVD, 8-CD set of music and media collected over Neil’s career, with over 40 years worth of rare and unreleased material included. Unfortunately, the project has been delayed for over a decade while Neil tinkers with it. It was actually just daleyed yet again, with the most recent date being early 2008 on Reprise Records.

In any case, my SL Neil Young Archives was built as a true labor of love. I don’t intend on selling anything there through which I could profit, even on the microscopic scale of Second Life. It’s my goal to merely give SL residents a place to enjoy Neil, his music, and explore the mystique around one of music’s most enigmatic icons. It was built with the highest level of respect.

Lastly, while I’ve just begun announcing the SL Archives’ existence, I don’t feel it’s anywhere near complete. It’s a slow process for me (I have things like a job and a family to take care of while I’m not playing around in world), but I will be continuing to add to and build on the SL Neil Young Archives for quite some time. I hope people really dig it. If I do it right, even those who aren’t fans of Neil should find the environment a nice spot to hang out in SL”.

There’s also a machinima tour of the exhibit:

(Disclosure: Zak Claxton is part of SL Coyote that advertises at times on SLOz)

Check it out in-world

Popularity: 100% [?]

The Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays

The Great Barrier Reef in Second Life is part of a wider group of islands including the Whitsundays. Australian SL resident Sebastian Oxide summarises his aims with the islands:

“I hope to offer fair land deals for Aussies but also for all SL residents who seek a nice, “no-drama” regions. I am also working on an Environmental Project where I hope to raise awareness on the issues facing the Great Barrier Reef and to educate people about this important spot on our globe. By simulating the effects of global warming, pollution and fishing on the reef you will be able to visit the reef in Second Life and see the effects that might take 50 years in the real world under a week. In a way, this is why I joined Second Life”.

There’s a website devoted to the environmental project and it’s follows another worthy environmental project we’ve covered previously.

Check it out in-world

Popularity: 6% [?]

Greenies are good enough

The Greenies House is one of those builds that comes from nowhere and just astounds you with its originality, attention to detail and pure whimsy. We don’t want to take too much away from experiencing it yourself, but the pictures say it all:

Builds like this define the opportunities virtual worlds provide. Thanks to SL Insider for the heads-up

Check it out in-world

Popularity: 11% [?]

Garden for the Missing

The Garden for the Missing is a simple but powerful presence on the mainland Remora sim. Motivated by the tragic end of a missing persons case in her neighbourhood, owner Ronnie Rhode set up her presence. She states she’s been passionate about the missing persons issue since 2002 but only recently joined Second Life.

The pictures of missing persons are sourced from a range of US-based organisations including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, BeyondMissing and Project Jason. Ronnie is hoping to move to a larger location and has a donation wishing well to help her achieve that aim. While we were there another SL resident was donating assorted flowers etc to help decorate the area.

As Ronnie herself said when we had a brief chat, the more people that see the faces of the missing the more likely they are to be found. It doesn’t get much more worthwhile than that.

Thanks to Aussie SL’er Rails Bailey for suggesting the story.

Check it out in-world

Popularity: 5% [?]

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