Great Second Life Destinations: It's a New Dawn - Silvermoon Fairey’s Latest Masterpiece

Silvermoon Fairey’s Dawn of Radiance regions were some of the most photographed and appreciated island builds in Second Life. I personally photographed Dawn of Radiance four times over the past two years -- I show links to my blog reviews further down in this post. Silvermoon's approach to landscape design was always full of delight and surprises -- designs were never repeated, and cliche design was avoided.  The best way I can describe Silvermoon's builds is to picture yourself in some memorable novel or movie set, or in some past memory, and have almost a deja vu sense when visiting. Her builds are really that good!

Silvermoon's latest build -  It's a New Dawn - is a worth successor to Dawn of Radiance. The landscaping and vistas are particularly good, as is the natural and proportional landscaping. Silvermoon avoids the common trap of putting to many trees and other items out -- I found myself not having to "derender" items to get perfect shots. This is a charming and photogenic region, and highly recommended for a visit. Make sure to bring your cameras as some gorgeous shots await professional and amateur photographers alike.


Your taxi:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lemon%20Beach/14/192/22

For more blog coverage and excellent photography:

Inara Pey
http://modemworld.me/2015/11/14/its-a-new-dawn-in-second-life/

Ziki Questi:
http://zikiquesti.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/its-new-dawn.html

Links:

Dawn of Radiance Flickr Pool:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/2348713@N25/pool/

To see my coverage of great destinations to visit in Second Life (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Second%20Life%20Destinations

Check out Scoop It Second Life Destinations for current coverage of more great destinations to visit:
http://www.scoop.it/t/second-life-destinations

To see my earlier photography from Silvermoon Fairey’s Dawn of Radiance:

February 2015:
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/02/great-second-life-destinations-dawn-of.html

July 2014:
http://eddihaskell.blogspot.com/2014/07/great-second-life-destatinations-dawn.html

April 2014:
http://eddihaskell.blogspot.com/2014/04/great-second-life-destinations-dawn-of.html

December 2013 (winter snows):
http://eddihaskell.blogspot.com/2013/12/great-second-life-destinations-for_7828.html

Great Second Life Destinations: Blue Sky Watercolors from St. Pete City

Neva Crystall is one of my favorite builders and interior designers in Second Life  Her attention to detail and realism are unsurpassed. Neva's latest build, Saint. Pete City, is as pleasant and attractive a destination as should be expected. Saint Pete reminds me of a historic New England coast town - Portsmouth New Hampshire comes to mind -- that has preserved its period architecture and now finds itself highly fashionable. I am enchanted by brick-lined streetscapes and gorgeously furnished interiors of this gorgeous island build.

To visit this highly recommended destination:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Saint%20Pete%20City/105/134/22


To see my full review of St. Pete City from October 2015:
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/10/great-second-life-destinations-neva.html

To see more of my coverage of great destinations to visit in Second Life (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Second%20Life%20Destinations


Check out Scoop It Second Life Destinations forr more great destinations to visit:
http://www.scoop.it/t/second-life-destinations

To see my past blog coverage and photography from more of Neva's builds:

Baby's Ear Homestead
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/07/gorgeous-second-life-destinations-visit.html

Neva Sky Villi:
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2014/09/gorgeous-second-life-destinations.html

These images with a watercolor painting effect were made using free Fotosketcher software. To find out how I did this:
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2014/11/how-to-do-gorgeous-watercolor.html

Great Second Life Destination:: Dusk Descends Over Eclectica 2

Maddy Electica's rugged homage to virtual landscape design, Eclectica, is now joined by a sister sim, Eclectica II. While a hilly island setting provides a standard setting for many Second Life Destinations, the Eclectica sims stands out simply because they are so charming. Varied attractions including waterfalls, a sunken galleon, a chinese gazebo, and the aurora borealis (northern lights) make these s great destinations to explore and photograph, either alone or with a romantic interest. Electica II has a sandy beach with a soft rolling surf and sand dunes to explore, and is well inspired in realism. I highly recommend a visit.

SLurl to Eclectica 2:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Private%20Idyll/93/31/23

To see my more of my photography from Electica (from October 2015):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/10/great-second-life-destinations.html

All photographs were taken with Windlight Sky Setting "TOR" Dusk Fairytale Glow which comes standard in Firestorm and other viewers.

Links:

Eclectica Web Site:
http://www.eclecticasim.com/

Eclectica Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/eclectica/

To see my coverage of great destinations to visit in Second Life (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Second%20Life%20Destinations

Check out Scoop It Second Life Destinations for current coverage of more great destinations;
http://www.scoop.it/t/second-life-destinations

Today is Our Birthday! Eddi and Ryce Photograph Second Life Celebrates Seven Years of Publishing

Animation by Ana Lenabem

Eddi and Ryce's Photograph Second Life celebrates our 7th birthday today.

I started this blog on November 27,2008. I was a Second Life resident for almost two years, having joined in January 2007. I wanted a place to record my experiences in Second Life, a diary that I could share with others. I had not yet discovered my passion for virtual photography then -- this blog has since changed primarily into a forum for my to share my work with others.

I publish another blog for Ryce Skytower,  my Second Life alternative account, and my prime identity inworld these days  --  as Eddi Haskell is the formal "official" side of me.You can find Ryce's blog here.

http://ryceskytower.blogspot.com/

In 7 years this blog has published over 7,600 posts - which works out to about three per day.  I have decreased the number of posts to about 1 per day in the past several months but should go back to an increased publishing schedule soon.

This blog has over 2.3 million unique page views -- including those from our first year of publishing which are not counted by the Google view counter you can find on this page. This works out to a bit over 300 views per post which I think is pretty good -  knowing that I have readers that enjoy my work makes this all worthwhile in the end.

I have has one rule -   I will never say anything negative, or provide information that should not be shared, about any Second Life resident for any reason, with no exceptions.  Blogging should be fun, and I never want anyone worrying about what is written here.

I gave up counting the number of nations where readers were located several years ago. Our readership according to statcounter reached just about every country in the world, including Greenland, Cuba, and much to my delight and surprise, Vatican City.  About 60% of our readership comes from outside the United States.

Thank you for reading, and it has been a pleasure blogging!

Eddi Haskell (and Ryce Skytower)

Eddi's Hot Computing Tip: Forget Black Friday -- I Could Find No Real Deals Online for Gaming Desktops

If you are looking for online deals for a new gaming desktop this weekend, you might have problems finding any real buys.

I checked the following web sites today for any real deals:

• Amazon
• New Egg
• Tiger Direct
• Lenovo
• Dell (including Alienware)

I could not find any special deal that was not happening at other times this month.

You need to watch Black Friday or Cyber Monday (next Monday) deals offered by retailers. Make sure they are actually offering recent processor and graphic sets - and not last years models that are going to be cut in price at the end of the year anyway.

You may have better luck than me, but my advice is to look carefully and not be sold on slick marketing for a "deal" you can get at any other time.

One important note:  I did not spend much time looking at laptop computers because I feel that laptops are poor choices for gaming (including Second Life).  If you are looking for a laptop. you might have better luck.

For more of my computing tips (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Eddi%27s%20Hot%20Computing%20Tip

Happy Thanksgiving! Also 150 Years of Alice in Wonderland

 Pilgrim Ryce Skytower Photographed at The Mayflower and Plymouth Colony

Thanksgiving Day, which occurs on the fourth Thursday of November, or on November 26 this year, is one of the most important annual holidays in the United States. Millions of Americans will get together with family and friends and share a big meal centered on a roast Turkey, and for dessert a delicious pumpkin pie --  a dish that puzzles most people outside of North America. More importantly, even for people who do not believe in a supreme being or religion at all, thanks will be given for all the bounty and blessings that have been given to you and your loved ones for the year.

The Mayflower

An attractive and educational virtualization of The Mayflower and Plymouth Colony, site of the first Thanksgiving Feast in 1621, can be visited through early December.  Lora Chadbourne has created an authentic virtualization of each based on original research-- original illustrations and paintings of both were never made, or are no longer in existence.  This is a very impressive work that I highly recommend you visit.

Irving the Thanksgiving Turkey

The Mayflower and Plymouth Colony can be visited at the following location. My friend Sherrie Shepherd is hosting the builds on her home sim:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zundra/221/62/22

You can see more photography and my full review of the The Mayflower and Plymouth Colony here:

http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/11/great-second-life-destinations.html

Although the roasting of Pilgrims instead of turkeys on Thanksgiving day is not part of the usual menu, it is part of the 1993 classic dark comedy Adams Family Values.  This is what happens when summer camp counselors lose control of their inmates. I show a video of this scene below:





To all who celebrate the holiday, please have a wonderful time with your friends and family!

______________________________________________

Today is also the 150 anniversary of one of the most famous children's books ever written, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (better known as Alice in Wonderland). The novel, telling of the fantastic adventures of a girl named Alice who fell down a rabbit hole, was written by Author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, and released in 1865. You can find our more here:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland

Romantic Second Life Destinations: Benja and Ryce at Loch Noble

Loch Noble sets a new standard for realistic real-world destinations in Second Life. It is simply stunning and spectacular, and a joy to walk though and photograph. The landscape is scenic Scotland in late summer -- with spacious skies and the wonderful clarity of light that artists the world over in many genres have commented upon through the ages.  The bench above located in the town center is just one of several romantic destinations for lovers and  photographers.


To visit this highly recommended destination (note: SLurl will take you to the town center)
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pinewinds/43/218/23

To see my full reviews more of my photography from Loch Noble (note: 2 blog posts):

The Countryside:
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/11/great-second-life-destinations-scotland.html


The Town Center:
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/11/great-second-life-destinations-scotland_5.html

To see other blog posts from my coverage of great Second Life destinations (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Second%20Life%20Destinations


You can find current listings of blog posts from Second Life landscape photographers and destination bloggers here:
http://www.scoop.it/t/second-life-destinations

The drawings on this pace were processed with a pencil effect (#3) over at Fotosketcher.  You can download free Fotosketcher (version 3.2) software at www.fotosketecher.com and try these effects for your own photographs.


The following animated GIFs was made from about 20 individual frames each over at gifmaker.me.

Great Second Life Destinations: Open House - Cougar Sangria's Lost Horizon Through December 19

Cougar Sangria's newly renovated estate, Lost Horizon, is open to the public through December 19. The classic porticoed exteriors and warm country interiors are very well done - and in my favorite colours, shades of green and terracotta.  Everything is to scale and just about perfect. This is one of the prettiest estates on the grid and definitely worth a visit. I particularly like how the white trim serves as a unifying design element on the walls, columns, frames, and other objects. The one disconcerting thing I found here were cougars who were stalking sheep, but everything is in good fun, and lamb chops are not on the Second Life mountain lion menu.  The cougars will come up and sit on your lap if you ask them to by touching them politely.

To visit this highly recommended destination through December 19. 2015:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Azumi/217/20/22


For More Information:  Check out Cougar Sangria's Blog "Classic Cougar Style:"
http://classiccougarstyle.com/2015/11/22/open-house/

To see my coverage of great destinations to visit in Second Life (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Second%20Life%20Destinations


Check out Scoop It Second Life Destinations for current coverage of more great destinations to visit:
http://www.scoop.it/t/second-life-destinations

Great Second Life Destinations: Evergreen Nook

Despite it's name, the pretty island of Evergreen Nook is primarily populated by deciduous hardwood trees -- which were in their autumn glory when I took these images. There are several "evergreen nooks" throughout, including one that contains a very good replica of Stonehenge.  I particularly liked the rocky point of land with the crashing surf which I show as a GIF in this last image here. This is a very pretty destination, and highly recommended for a visit.

SLurl:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elderflower/208/50/29

Links:

Evergreen Nook Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/evergreennook/

To see my coverage of great destinations to visit in Second Life (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Second%20Life%20Destinations

Check out Scoop It Second Life Destinations for current coverage of more great destinations to visit:
http://www.scoop.it/t/second-life-destinations

See these other blogs for excellent destination write-ups and  photography:

Ziki Questi:
http://zikiquesti.blogspot.com/2015/10/evergreen-nook.html

PurpleButterfly Lykin
https://secondimagination.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/travel-52-challenge-postcard-12-evergreen-nook/

Goodnight Photography:
http://goodnight-photography.com/2015/10/03/evergreen-nook/

Great Second Life Destinations: Glass and Light Breakwave, by Frankx Lefavre

Glass and Light Breakwave by accomplished Second Life multimedia artist Frankx Lefavre pulsates with animated light energy. The largest shape at the center of the exhibit, which I show as the first animated GIF, reminded me of breaking ocean waves- and tidal flows. Color elements in the installation -- I show one in the lower GIF animation as the last photograph in this post -- stand out but do not overwhelm in the black space and white shapes that predominate. This is a particularly beautiful art installation that I highly recommend to anyone who appreciates good art in Second Life.

Enable advanced lighting to get the most out of the art installation.  I found that the electronic music that was playing on the parcel to be very complimentary and enhanced my viewing experience.

To visit this through the end of December 2015:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/LEA6/156/94/26

Links:

Matty Gynold has very good photography and an  excellent review of Glass and Life Breakwave over at his blog:
http://echtvirtuell.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/lea-6-glass-and-light-breakwave-von.html

To find out more about LEA (The Linden Endowment for the Arts):
http://lindenarts.blogspot.com/

To see my coverage of great destinations to visit in Second Life (scroll down):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/search/label/Second%20Life%20Destinations

Check out Scoop It Second Life Destinations for current coverage of more great destinations to visit:
http://www.scoop.it/t/second-life-destinations

To see my recent reviews of LEA art installations that can be visited as part of the LEA Artist-in-Resident Program through December:

The Blasted Heath at LEA 16
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/11/great-second-life-destinationsthe.html

The Transformative Journey of Metamorfaces at LEA 10
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/10/great-second-life-destinations_3.html

Watercolors in the Rain, The Second Life Experience at LEA 29
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/09/great-second-life-destinations_23.html

Recursion Pulsates with Life at LEA 27:
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/09/great-second-life-destinations_19.html

To see my earlier reviews of Frankx Lefavre's LEA installations:

Cocytus-  The Ninth Circle of Hell (May 2015):
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2015/05/great-second-life-art-installations_12.html

Qualia (December 2014)
http://www.eddihaskell.com/2014/12/great-second-life-art-installation.html