I’ve included a few pictures I took last night and early this morning of a few of the builds at Relay for Life of Second Life (“RFL of SL”) 2012 this year. The actual relay run took place this past weekend; July 14th to July 15th 2012, however the 35 sims used to hold this years event in Second Life are up until Friday July 20th. The various builds at RFL of SL started to come down today. My time, was limited to really explore the large & diverse variety of digital builds at RFL of SL 2012. I really wish I had more time. The pictures I did get to snap off hopefully gives you a little idea of what really is a magical event held each year in the virtual world of Second Life. Can’t wait till RFL of SL 2013 starts now! Go Relay Go! Fighting cancer, helping others and being a part of the “Great Good” that’s what it’s all about!
The last weekend events for the 2012 Relay for Life of Second Life (“RFL of SL”) season takes place this weekend from July 14th to July 15th 2012. One of the main web sites for the RFL in SL 2012 campaign can be accessed via the following link Relay for Life of Second Life There are lots of good information at the RFL of SL website that will given the reader both current and background information about the organization and events taking place this weekend. The Second Life Wiki on RFL of SL can be accessed by the following link that also has lots of great background information, especially as it relates to historical information and the growth of this real life charity event that is held within the metaverse Second Life Wiki The key event that takes place at RFL of SL is the walking of the track that will cover 35 separate sims! The massive effort of the many talented builders, coders, organizers, writers, teams and committee members is mind-blowing when one first arrives at the sims for RFL of SL.
Relay for Life (“RFL”) in the United States of America website is at the following link, Relay For Life RFL is one of the key fund-raising methods for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Societies main web site can be accessed at the following link American Cancer Society While the RFL of SL is closely related to the American Cancer Society it is an International event that has people from counties from all over the world take part in (over eighty countries last year)! Likewise, funds raised by RFL of SL, benefits member countries, roughly nineteen in total, who are part of the Relay for Life structure. As such RFL of SL is truly an International organization that knows no boundaries! As a Canadian DJ, with friends and family all over the world, I’m really happy to take part in this International event in the fight against cancer!
This is my fourth year in a row now that I will one of the DJ at the last weekend event for RFL of SL. I’m deeply honoured and privileged to help out, in my small way, an organization, and be part of a volunteer group of people who I strongly believe showcase the positive and powerful ways that a three-dimensional virtual world can be used to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer. This year I will be a guest DJ with T1Radio. T1Radio is one of the largest classic rock radio stations in Second Life, who has been the official radio station for RFL of SL since 2006. Trader1 Whiplash, who is one of the owners of T1Radio, along with Nuala Maracas, is a dedication person who uses his knowledge and experience as one of the leading voices for the RFL of SL organization in the fight against cancer. A good DJ friend, and someone who in her own right has also been very involved with RFL in SL Shayla Juran was kind enough to introduce me to Trader1, and by way of her assistance, has helped me again to see how one can be a part of the larger Second Life community in a very positive way. Bridging the Virtual World with the Real World in the fight against cancer!
My DJ set time with T1Radio is from 1:00 am to 2:00 am Second Life Time (“SLT”) and for those of you who might not known SLT = Pacific Standard Time! T1Radio coverages is for 35 sims being used for the RFL of SL events this weekend so please take a bit of time out of your virtual world travels to check out the RFL sims! If you’re not able be in Second Life this weekend you can always keep up-to-date to the events happening at RFL of SL by listening in directly via the radio player at the T1Radio web site that goes 24/7!
A busy week of DJ, & being a stage hand too I might add, is coming up for me on the Second Life “grid”. First up, and near and dear to my heart, is my DJ event for the Burn2 organization at the Centre (Canadian spelling) Camp; or as we burners like to call it the “La Playa”. For those not aware one of the key nutritional elements that helped to spur on the growth of the creative seed that was in the early stages of developing in Philip Rosedale’s minds eye while he was putting together the Second Life program, over 10 years ago, was a faithful trip he took to take part in the Burning Man festivities in the Black Rock desert region of Nevada. The creative & communal energy that Philip was able to take part in while at the Burning Man festival was a pivotal point that helped to spur on Second Life, to a large degree, to be the child of wonder it is today. The Burn2 organization is a group within Second Life that helps to promote and keep alive, that unique creative energy that Philip experienced at the Burning Man Festival. For more details on the Burn2 organization within Second Life, please check out the web page: Burn2 Web Site.
My DJ gig for the Burn2 SL9B event will take place on Wednesday, June 20th from 10pm to Midnight (pacific standard time which just so happens to be second life time “SLT”). So if your out and about on the grid on Wednesday June 20th please drop by the Centre Camp for a lively time of music and participating with an artistic and eclectic group of people who embrace the ideals of the real life Burning Man festival!
I’ll be DJthis evening from 10pm to Midnight PST on my internet radio stream. For the uninitiated, Second Life is one of the largest and most successful three-dimension virtual world on the internet. Getting an account for Second Life is free and you can get information at the following link: Second Life. If you have virtually (no pun intended) no experience on the internet with virtual worlds you may want to do a bit of research first before joining. I suggest the following web sites to help you out before you take the leap:
The four noted web-sites all have valuable information at them and you should spend a bit of time checking each one out as they will help you greatly if you decided to join Second Life.
My gigs are always lively, fast paced and interactive between myself and with the patrons/listeners who come out to relax and enjoy themselves. At any one particular time I’ll have more than fifty (50) avatars (i.e. the virtual representation of a real person) in the club and over the course of my two (2) hour set I might have one hundred to one hundred and fifty avatars come in and out. As such people from all over the globe can get access to Second Life and do so, which as a DJ is really cool and fun to be able to share my love of music with.
So if you are a member of Second Life, please drop by the hear me DJ this evening! If you haven’t joined Second Life yet, take the leap; virtual worlds are becoming more and more acceptable and part of the leading edge of the digital revolution that we are all a part of! I hope to see you soon in the avatar form of your choice!
I recently moved over to using the Viewer3 which is the official viewer for Second Life. Linden Labs has introduced mesh textures to Second Life over the last several months. I’m no expert in this area but my understanding is that mesh textures are similar in style to those used in the computer gaming industry (i.e games for XBox, Play Station, etc.) and give for a richer and more detailed visual experience. Mesh textures need lots of computer speed and graphic speed (i.e. think CPU, Graphic Card size, amount of RAM, etc.). I needed to rework my graphic card drivers to get my system up and running correctly for Viewer3, but now that I’ve accomplished that task, I’m very please with my first week using Viewer3.
I took a few new pictures of Splash this morning to test out the visual look of Viewer3. Take a look at my most recent pictures and let me know what you think? I’m far from the most gifted photographer in Second Life. All pictures were taken directly from Second Life and have not been further edited via Photoshop or any other form of photo editing software.
I’ll be DJ on the net this evening & streaming live via the 3D Second Life virtual platform. My gig time is 10pm PST to Midnight.
I’ll be spinning an up-tempo dance/club type of mix. Each set I play from week to week is unique, different, well thought-out before hand, but always with lots of room in my mix for spontaneity to allow for song requests and my “read” of the people in the club listening to me.
If you haven’t already fallen down the virtual rabbit hole know as Second Life, and you’re the adventures type, please check out the Second Life website Second Life Home Page. Membership with Second Life is free and once you’ve download the viewer and created an account you’ll be able to take part within this very unique and 3D virtual environment. If you do join and make it on the grid, once you figure out how to travel on the grid, send me a message so I can tp you to my DJ gig.
I have not been spending much time recently in Second Life, for a variety of reason, other than my regular DJ gig that I do on Thursday nights each week. As such when I recently got a notice via the BURN2 Performers group that I’m a member of, that they were holding a community event on December 17th called “SantaCon” and needed live performers and/or live DJ’s for, I jumped at the chance and send a message off to the organizers that I was interested. I ended up getting booked to DJ from 9pm to 11pm, which was perfect as it fit nicely into my demanding real life schedule of events.
I’ve had the pleasure to have been able to perform as a DJ on several different occasions now for the BURN2 community in Second Life over the last couple of years. Each occasion has been an important step for me, as both a DJ, and as a community member of Second Life, on learning more about what it means to be a volunteer within this unique metaverse environment. BURN2, for me at least, has become one of those center points in Second Life that helps to keep bringing me back to Second Life and believing still in the creative aspect of what can be accomplished within a digital virtual world structure. Life to me, be it “real” or “second”, at its basic structural components, is this constantly evolving “work in progress”, where goal setting, reaching for goals and achieving goals, is important, but not as important as being in the moment of life’s constant stream of activities that makes one realize that all aspects of our life’s are a “work in progress”.
So DJ for the SantaCon event this last Saturday night, was a time for me to be in the “moment” and allowing myself to enjoy this never-ending “work in progress”!
I typically don’t publish my set list of the songs I play from my DJ gigs, not because I don’t want to share them, but more out of the fact that I don’t have the time to rewrite them down again! I will however share one of the songs I played last night, that is a favorite of mine now; “What the Water Gave Me” by Florence and the Machine from their 2011 album “Ceremonials”. It’s just such a powerful song and Florence is at her Celtic best as she pours her feminine emotions into the delivery of this song. I hope your enjoy it as much as I do!
I’ll share a couple of pictures I snapped quickly too from the end part of my gig at SantaCon last night. I’m not much of a photographer, but I still like to record a few memories now and then for post reflections!
I’ll be spinning a combination of Dance Club, Vocal House and Hip Hop tunes this evening.
For those of you reading this blog post and going “what the heck is Second Life; I’ve added in a direct link to the Second Life web page for you so you can get up to speed with respect to what three-dimensional virtual worlds are all about: Second Life So if you’re not up to speed on Second Life and virtual worlds, please check out the web page and give is a full read over. The creation of a Second Life account is entirely free and the possibilities on what you can do via an avatar within a virtual environment is endless!
If you’re an existing member of Second Life, and on the “grid” this evening when I’m DJ, please drop on by and check out my DJ gig. My gig’s are high energy, a great choice of dance club type tunes, the songs are always mixed in key and I typically keep my bpm’s at 128! House music type of structure baby at it’s very best!
DJ Splash Kidd's Blog 