How to discover amazing places in Second Life

Beyond the excellent Second Life Destination, there are other ways to discover amazing places in Second Life (and hopefully soon other virtual worlds). Indee, many Metaverse members are using the Koinup Places Directory to discover new sims in Second Life.

The Koinup Places Directory is the Koinup section where you can find all the maps and locations daily posted by Koinup members.

The places are sorted in the Koinup directory "by just discovered and coolest places". The "Just Discovered" features the most recent sims discovered and posted on Koinup members, while the "coolest places" tab display the most coolest places posted on Koinup.

How we measure the "coolest" and how do we assign "the coolest" attribute to a location posted on Koinup? We use a social ranking algorithm. Basically if a location is shared and posted on Koinup by many people, then it will enter the coolest tab.

Thousands of people are daily using the Koinup Places Directory to find exciting and wonderful places to visit in Second Life. We added recently a Twitter feed to follow the most recent places added to the directory while on Twitter (so you have only to follow @Koinup on Twitter to stay updated)

Start Exploring Now!

(above a photo by photo by DagashiHoratio of one of the coolest places of the directory: Forgotten City)

Discovering amazing Metaverse locations

There are at least two ways to discover amazing Second Life (and OpenSims) destinations. The first one is about subscribing to the well know Second life places directories as the Koinup Places or the Linden Lab Destination Guide. The other way is to follow amazing and prolific photo reporters. One of them is Rocapc.

Rocapc is a Koinup member since 2009 and in about one year he posted on his profile more than 2000 pics. All the images include slurls and complete information to visit the featured places.

Unlike other photographers, Rocapc uses to explore both Second Life and the Open Sims. So you can find valuable his stream, even if you're thinking to start exploring the most interesting areas of the OpenSims clusters.

Add Rocapc stream to your bookmars and/or add him to your friends on Koinup

Meet Me in the Metaverse - Verdigris

This week on Meet Me in the Metaverse I'm taking you to the sim of Verdigris. This is a unique sim in both design and shopping. It's got a bit of duality to it with the east side having a bit of an old west feeling and the west side being a old time vintage village. A deep gorge with a beautiful river divides these two halves and giant walking bridge connects them.

The landing point brings you to the east side where you can find a handful of really neat shops, and some great tables and chairs to just sit, think, and enjoy the view. Climb down the many many stairs and under the big bridge there is a really fabulous grungy old dock where you can fish with 7Seas system, take a row boat out for a spin, or just relax in the chairs provided. Cross over the the west side of the sim to find things like an open air ampitheater and then fly up to the shops area that really catches the eye of most the shutterbugs...the vintage village on a train bridge to nowhere. Fabulously exectuted and wildly photogenic!

Photo by: bark

Bark did a fantastic job of capturing this sim. What a jaw dropper! If this doesn't make you want to visit I don't know what will.

Photo by: fiona_haworth

I took this photo to show off the really fabulous build on the east side of the sim. It is the main shop for Dirty Rat and also a few smaller satellite shops. I really enjoyed just hanging out up top and enjoying the fab vistas.

Photo by: Shoji

Shoji's fantastic shot here shows you what a picturesque place the fishing area really is. I really love how Shoji captured the sunlight on the water as well as the all the reflections. Nice job Shoji!

I really want to credit n0th1ng Ackland and Oriolus Oliva for making a wonderful sim to both shop and enjoy as well as a great landscape for taking some fab photos!

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

The Art of Burning Life .. Part Five

OK, so here are a few things I have seen at BL09 that you might like to check out.
These are a mixture of great pieces and pure fun, so I hope it will save you lots of laggy flying around and bungie walking over sim boundaries.....




Now, some of your humans may be old enough to remember the Mouse Trap game, and Nawlins Streeter has faithfully reproduced it here for your amusement...





for those of you unfamiliar with the game its a Heath Robinson type construction produced for the general amusement of kids in the 60’s or 70’s...somewhere around that time, back in the mists of antiquity....

You might need Nawlins to reset the green man to get the full effect....stand under the cage as it descends.






and the DMV is well worth a visit, right next to the mousetrap game.
Poid has a well written interview with the madman (well.....genius/madman) that made it all....here..
You can drive a spaceship, a fairy cake, an office chair....etc out into the desert....






Mr Bones .. here....is the sort of person that always leaves you with a wry smile..... I love most everything he builds. Tongue-in-cheek is a great starting point to design....






Poid has written a great interview with Selavy Oh ...here... and If you want a bit of fun, I can definitely recommend a visit....go smash some geometry.



If you haven’t yet been to see The Tower...well...you should, I think. It's built by Frigg Ragu and Alpha Auer.
Alpha Auer is a very talented builder and has provided free, high-class avis for you to play around in. Frigg has forgotten more about animations than I will ever know.


If you fancy doing NOTHING....then go see nothing by Naxos L.
I did enjoy doing the bunny hop, but then, as I have said before, I’m easily amused....







And, last but not least two builds I would have in my backyard... firstly, madcow cosmos.
here
Enjoy it just for the quality of the build, it is better than any monument or archeological site you could ever find on the atomic planet...






and....a person I don’t know much about, Marcus Inkpen and a great build....here...


Then.....happening more or less NOW.....(that's Wednesday......21st Oct. .)
Party....

“It's time to light up the playa night again!
Come and join the Lamplighters as we walk north, from Lamplighter Village, to Center Camp, The Man and The Temple, lighting roadside lamps along the way.
After the procession we will dance and drum at The Temple, and illuminate the night with fire, from SL sunset to sunrise. That's 7:30 to 8:30 PM SLT.
FREE drums and gifts at Lamplighter Village. Drums available at The Temple too. Come PARTY with us! :-)))”



Now, if that doesn’t keep you amused...there’s no hope for you.
.......that should be enough for a few hours......

:))

sorornishi@mac.com

The Art of Burning Life .. Part Three

Now Burning life has had around a thousand people participate this year and for many it was their first time doing so, Burning Virgins.
I thought it might be nice, as a lot of press will be given to the more famous and accomplished builders, to show a few shots of people I have been to see, or encouraged to show this year.

Everyone has to start somewhere and if I can encourage someone to think of doing their first show next year then that would be excellent.

Here are 4 new Burners.

Firstly a girl called Trill Zapatero, who hasn’t reached her first rezzday yet, amused me (I am easily amused) with her ladders, I climbed up through the clouds effortlessly...





....to this little hide-away which I enjoyed high above the madness below it felt very safe and secret. I thought this was a great place to hang out for a while.






There is the option below to take a balloon ride too, her slurl is... here






There is also the option of joining a group and building with others.

Two other new builders are both members of A Freak of Nature, a group I set up for people who either build or enjoy strange flora, so they have the same slurl.. here

In no particular order...... Pixi Cosmos, maker of this fine pink tree and various waterlillies on the site, has only recently started building and has shown some plants here for the first time... Pixi has a garden where she works and reworks her landscaping ideas in Carrick.... check out her profile, I’m sure you would be made welcome.






Snowy Hoobinoo is a creator of strange alien plant forms which are unlike the flora anyone else creates in SL and worth exploring further. He has a shop called EPIstems... check out his profile for details.







Then, Betony Greggan, also a newcomer to Burning Life created this classic little campsite ......here
.... with all the sorts of details I would want in RL, including the walrus...:))

It’s nice to pop in and see these places, it sort of makes it more likely that you might build a camp next year if you have never done so before. It doesn't have to be earth shattering to give you an immense feeling of achievement, and the feedback you get is a great morale boost. The encouragement is vital, I think, to us all...old Burners and new.

So....if you haven't 'burnt' yet, talk to some of the new people on smaller camps and find out more....I'm sure you won't regret it...


:))
sorornishi@mac.com

Meet Me in the Metaverse - Burning Life

Yesterday marked the opening of the Burning Life sims, and already we've had a number of really fabulous photos submitted to the Places collections. There are 34 sims with over 400 installations to visit. It's quite a sight to behold.

If you've not attended Burning Life before there are a few greeter stations available near the main gate of http://slurl.com/secondlife/Burning%20Life-%20Hualapai/253/3/24 or http://slurl.com/secondlife/Burning%20Life-%20Deep%20Hole/4/3/24.

Machinima by: Poid_Mahovlich

Our own Poid Mahovlich claimed a bit of virtual land on Burning Life - Rabbithole. She used some inspiration from the RL Burning Man and produced a lovely installation called Cabaret of Flames. It is full of fire, drums, and dance. Watch this lovely bit of machinima shot at the installation and then go experience it for yourself. Additionally, you can read more about Poid's inspiration at her website: http://cabaretofflames.blogspot.com/

Photo by: RAFTWETJewell

This snap from RAFTWETJewell was taken at the Radiant Bliss Music Project installation located at Burning Life - High Rock. It's both psychedelic and a really fun place to party. They have events on Monday all day and Wednesday all day so try to stop on out and catch it.

Photo by: bark

As a huge fan of Gulliver's Travels I just had to include this installation by Ub Yifu. bark's photo of this installation on Burning Life -3 Mile is really wonderful. All the small people on Gulliver are about avatar sized and there are some poseballs for you to play on and takes some photos of yourself participating in the capture. Really wonderful work!

Burning Life only runs until Oct 25th so make sure you get over there and check out what our residents have created just for this special event. And stay tuned to Koinup's blog as we all bring you our own perceptions of such a fabulous event.

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

The Art of Burning Life, ....Part One

Over the next while Koinup will be helping you find your way around the huge area that is Burning Life 2009.

We, Poid, Fiona and I will be pointing out some of the artists who's work we like. Some are famous, some less so, but we hope to give you a few "pointers"; some interviews, some pictures, some reviews and background info.




The first one I have been to see is "Bringing Water to the Desert" it's a joint build by Alizarin Goldflake and Rezago Kokorin.
(SLurl at the end of this post.)

Both are artists who have been working for quite a while in SL....here's a bit of background info...

Alizarin Goldflake has been creating immersive art in Second Life since 2006. She specializes in hand-drawn textures (Corel Painter) and the creation of builds with strong moods. She shows widely in SL, including Angelgate, Ars Simulacra, the UTSA Imagine Festival, and the Crescent Museum.

Alizarin has done most of the textures and structure of the build, Rezago has done the "critters" being a skilled scripter amongst other things....




Rezago Kokorin is an accomplished Second Life builder and a founding member of the Virtual Artist Alliance. Before his recent sabbatical from SL, he ran the weekly Haiku Speed Build and an extensive series of classes on script modification. Many of SL's best artists got jumpstarted by Rezago. He also, along with Sunn Thunders, created the popular and informative build called "The Abyss."

It's great to see Rezago back, I learned a fair bit at his scripting classes but the timezone got me in the end....




Watch out....I got my foot bitten by the clam....... well....you can click on almost anything in this build and you'll get a ride.... or an animation of some kind...

“With everything in flames in the hot, dry desert, we thought it might be handy to have a great big tank of water at Burning Life, so we are contributing an aquarium. Come on in and take a cool, freshing swim with one of the pose balls. Right click on the giant fish to go for a ride. Look for the mysterious vanishing blue jelly fish. Sit on the rocks and relax as the diatoms drift down around you and the seaweed gently waves.”

Like all of Alizarin's builds you get inside the piece and feel you are there, underwater in this case, and the outside just fades away. Relaxing, amusing and well made, this one is well worth a visit, and both the builders are very pleasant people to chat to.

OK....so the SLurl is here...


:))

sorornishi@mac.com

Meet Me in the Metaverse - Black Taj & White Taj

One of the things I like best about SL is the opportunity to explore places I've been or I've wanted to go in RL. I really enjoy seeing how creators recreate RL places as well as expound on them and make them into something completely different. Today in Meet in the Metaverse I want to take you to just such a place. White Taj is modeled after the RL Taj Mahal. It's neighboring sim Black Taj is a product of the creator's imagination building on top of this already amazing structure.

These two sims are just amazing to explore and they connect via an impressive black and white bridge. Visit the dance hall, the shops, fountains, forest, and courtyards. Make sure you take the zeppelin ride fantastic tour among the grounds or grab couples rowboat if you like a bit more work. Lastly don't miss the sky garden at high above the white taj. Both sims were built by the ever talented Jenne Dibou of JD Mechanical Toy Factory and a version of the Taj Mahal is on sale at her shop.

Photo by: mizuki

White Taji by Mizuki really rocks. The illusion of 3D really brings an element of being there. As you can see both structures are contained within as well as the zeppelin coming off the page. Additionally, the colors on this work are just amazing. Well done Mizuki!

Photo by: HarperGanesvoort

Harper does a really fantastic job of capturing both the White and Black Tajs in this piece. As you can see they are not identical and that the black is a lovely derivitive into fantasy.

Photo by: Sebcaen

The White Taj by Sebcaen is a really great stylized piece. It reminds me of drawings done of the RL structure.

If you are interested in having your sim featured on Meet Me in the Metaverse, please feel free to contact me in game or via the PM feature within Koinup.

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Meet Me in the Metaverse - Zarbi

This week on Meet Me in the Metaverse, I present a sim still in progress - Zarbi. While taking you all to unfinished sims isn't my typical modus operandi, I was pretty floored by what Jimmer Gabe has already created. Zarbi is a homestead sim where Jimmer's goal was to see what he could create in a space that only has 3500 prims. Currently, the sim consists of the Cathederal, caves, forest, treehouses, a summer villa, and Aquapolis. Apparently, he's only used about 2200 prims thus far.

Photo by: toxicmenges

Upon landing in Zarbi, you can easily see the impressive gothic cathedral. It sits high on the mountain side prominently featured simwide. Jimmer's real talent lies in the custom sculpts he's made for it: flying buttresses, lancet arched windows, vaulted ceiling, multi-faceted columns, and stunning spires. The stained glass windows really set this build off.

Photo by: toxicmenges

Don't stop exploring at the cathedral though. Jimmer has a whole world below on several different levels. Matter of fact it's wildly easy to get lost in his genius. I was lucky enough to have him as a guide. Take the spiral staircase from the cathedral and explore the caves and the forest. And make sure you get out to the cypress laned summer villa while not as finished as the cathedral it's worth the trip out there.

Photo by: fiona_haworth

Lastly, go to the bottom floor of the summer villa and jump in the pool between the stairs......you'll land far below in a special place Jimmer's made for the merfolk -The Aquapolis. Complete with an amphitheatre, temple, stoa, and merhotel. The channels all connect so the merfolk have plenty of room to swim about.

Photo by: toxicmenges

If you are interested in having your sim featured on Meet Me in the Metaverse, please feel free to contact me in game or via the PM feature within Koinup.

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Meet Me in the Metaverse - Isla Mallorca

This week's Meet Me in the Metaverse - Isla Mallorca came to me in a notecard in game so thanks so much for that! Isla Mallorca is a bit of split personality sim in that it has a big top circus on one side, some grungy housing, and if you take the teleporter you land on mars I think.

That being said, it's a fun place to take some wacky photos. The up top landscaping is minimalist, black ground and mountains make it a great place to mess with windlight and not get an odd looking nature. My first stop was the big top. I've always thought it would be fun to walk the high wire or be a trapeze artist so this was my big break. I wandered around top side click off photos of all there was to see then I took the teleporter and ended up on another planet altogether. The eyes have it below. It's a surreal space environment with tons of eyeballs staring at you.

Koinup's Isla Mallorca collection just has a few pics in it but it's worth the visit!

Photo by: fiona_haworth

This was my foray into being a trapeze artist. Thank god I'm not afraid of heights. The big top has tons of sunshine rays as seen here so those of you not good with photo-editing you still can get some great effects.

Photo by: jmanhoo

Jmanhoo's snapshot is of the lovely carousel. This beauty is rideable and has some really interesting poses that are fun for photos of self. And as you can see it lends itself really well to some more artistic undertakings as well.


Photo by: lontralatzo

Lontralatzo's An Awesome Planet is a great shot of the world below. I really liked the comments about it: "Can eyes of God see people everywhere and all the time?" Seems they can here anyway. ;-)

Thanks again to whomever sent me the notecard and my apologies for not giving you credit for the find. I lost the notecard prior to getting out to write this. Please comment below. If you are interested in having your sim featured on Meet Me in the Metaverse, please feel free to contact me in game or via the PM feature within Koinup (notecards in game work as well).

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Meet Me in the Metaverse - AngelGate

This week on Meet Me in the Metaverse I'm taking you to a small set of sims called AngelGate, Dark Moon, and AngelGate Celestial. The sims are advertised as a place for non profit for creative arts, therapeutic and spiritual exploration in a stunning setting. And wow they weren't kidding. The sims contain art installations, a castle, a labyrinth, galleries and just spots to ponder the universe. And it will certainly inspire you to take some really fab photos.

The universal labyrinth isn't of the traditional high wall maze type. It's designed as rather a path to reflect and if you cam up I felt it had a little bit of celtic influence. The teleports within are not to be missed.

The AG3 Gallery is a lovely place to see art from all over the grid. Additionally they host talks with these artists. These are wonderful events where you can hear things like process or what inspires the artist. Sometimes it's all in group chat and other times it's in voice so be prepared for either.

More information on AngelGate and the happenings can be found here: http://angelgatelive.com/

Photo by: Shoji

This piece by Shoji really spoke to me about the real theme of AngelGate.....quiet reflection and inspiration. Shoji's pic just hit the nail on the head.

Photo by: BluraySpyker

BluraySpyker's Dark Moon Islands piece is a really lovely aerial shot of the sim. As you can see there are small separations of space each giving a bit different experience to the explorer. To the bottom left is the labyrinth I wrote about eariler.

Photo by: Ravenelle Zugzwang

Ravenelle's picture is of just one of the many different spaces in AngelGate. Here the flowers and butterflies glow just a bit giving it an ethereal feeling.

As you can see from the three pictures I've chosen is there is a lot of variety here at the AngelGate sims, so there is something for everyone. As always, if you are interested in having your sim featured on Meet Me in the Metaverse, please feel free to contact me in game or via the PM feature within Koinup.

PS....late breaking news there is a presentation on Starax's wand at 10am SLT today!!

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Meet Me in the Metaverse - Fat Tuesday

This week's Meet Me in the Metaverse features a sim called Fat Tuesday. For those of you not familiar with Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday seem like an odd sim name. However it's a literal translation (Mardi Gras = Fat Tuesday). In SL, Fat Tuesday is an amazing recreation of New Orleans' French Quarter which is where the United States biggest Mardi Gras celebration is held yearly in February.

Fat Tuesday is really well done contains builds like the St. Louis Cathedral, Louisiana State University, and a fun spin off of Cafe du Monde called Cafe du Gos. I even took a few photos I know I have in RL of the Big Easy.

Koinup's collection is a little weak in photos of Fat Tuesday so I'm hoping you readers will use your extraordinary photographer's eye and fill in some more photos of a place SL is lucky to have around. It’s a fun backdrop for fab pictures, a lovely place to hang out, and for those of you looking to get a bit of retail therapy, Bourbon Street has a few shops.

Photo by: fiona_haworth

Here is a fun picture of Bourbon Street. I snapped this one as the trolley went by. As you can see the sim creators did a marvelous job capturing the essense of the French Quarter. Complete with colorful walls, hanging plants, and wrought iron balconies.

Photo by: AmiBeattie

AmiBeattie's photograph of St. Louis Cathedral just blew me away. I love the reflection on the water and the mood she's given it with the color tones she chose for the piece.

Photo by: fiona_haworth

So I just had to include this one. I have a pic of me in real life at this famous cafe - Cafe du Monde with the plate of beignets almost gone and powered sugar fallen on my black t-shirt. MMMMM....my mouth waters just thinking about it. Big thanks to Gospel Voom for letting me relive this memory in SL!

As always, if you are interested in having your sim featured on Meet Me in the Metaverse, please feel free to contact me in game or via the PM feature within Koinup.

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Top Second Life sims of the week recommended by Koinup community

This week the community of people active on Koinup shared a lot of fantastic places to visit in Second Life. So let us suggest you the most popular and clicked-trought.

Your travel could start with a journey in the wheat field environment of Dark Sin. The nature is one of the most hard challenges for sim developers in Second Life. But the guys at Dark Sin, perfectly convey the atmosphere of a disturbing and desolate field on which just one build stands



Still the nature is prominently featured at Sphinx. But this sim has a more fantasy and mytology appeal. Its a not a realistic nature but a mysterious and fantasy like environement that you can explore in Sphinx. Below you can view a splendid photo taken on there by Sebcaen



Your travel next stop is Cesaire. On Cesaire, you can explore surreal builds and installations. The environment is quite artsy and exploring Cesaire looks like e journey in a contemporary art museum. If you're looking for some cool place to take photos with great subjects, you can't really miss this awesome place

Meet Me in the Metaverse - Macbeth

This week's Meet Me in the Metaverse is Macbeth. It is a sim inspired by the bard himself, Shakespeare. It is a place to explore or role play or just learn more about the play. Scattered among the grounds are textbooks that contain notecards to help learn more about this drama. For those of you unfamiliar with Shakespeare's Macbeth it is a dark play about disorder, murder, power seeking, and sorcery. The visuals are in line with that darkness that brooding rainy feeling. Expect no sunshine as this place is set at midnight.

Macbeth is funded by the Literature Board of the Australian Council for the Arts and sponsored by the New Media Consortium. Not only a place rich in imagery, but full of sounds as well so make sure you’ve turned up the volume on your soundcard. At the landing point you’ll see scrolling lines of text from the play and small icons that to teleport you to the different areas of island. This sim has a lot to offer if you are in the mood to explore it properly. There are a few hidden gems like the chamber of blood, the maze and the cube of nothingness.

Photo by: Ivus

Ivus' Macbeth, Gallery appears beautiful close up....but look a bit deeper. The flowers begin to fade. Look even deeper can you see the hands? This is the Path of Temptation. As you traverse this path things get darker and lines of text scroll about on the floor like snakes.

Photo by: zoevisonti

Zoevisonti's Macbeth sim shows the nest of the raven. Everything about this picture symbolizes death which is of course the point.

Photo by: HarleyRose

HarleyRose's Trapped Spirits is taken inside the maze. The maze symbolizes the very end of Macbeth where there is confusion about the prophesies of the witches and the way to escape his impending death.

For more info about Macbeth the sim, check out this wiki. There is a lot of good info about the design of the sim and how to find the hidden sections with ease. If you are interested in having your sim featured on Meet Me in the Metaverse, please feel free to contact me in game or via the PM feature within Koinup.

Fiona Haworth
Guest Author - Koinup.com
Staff Blogger - Phantom’s Republic
Co-Owner - Prim Pads
Twitter - Fiona_Haworth

Top Second Life sims of the month recommended by Koinup members

If you're back from vacation probably you should take the time to visit some of the new awesome places that are getting popular (and hot) in Second Life, these weeks. If you're looking for highly scenografic environments with bridges and victorian atmosphere, probably you can't miss Lordshore (image below by Toxicmenges)



If you instead are looking for a cool, urban-like place to shop and accessorize your avatar, probably the best destination is Boudoir City (image below by Torley)



More artistic tastes can be nourished at CHIGASAKI, where the shopping experience can be an artistic enjoynment moving yourself between installations and art pieces.....


The full list of the top Second Life sites of this month (august) can be found, here