STEAM 7 – Halfway Home!

If some animals are good at hunting and others are suitable for hunting, then the Gods must clearly smile on hunting.

Aristotle          

STEAM 7 is now past the halfway mark.  After the blast of a kick-off party for the event, I thought I’d check in on Perry Peterson’s, the organizer’s, Steampunk Hunt and see how things were going.  Not to my surprise, things are going better than expected. 

          Just a quick recap, STEAM 7, a steampunk themed Second Life (SL) hunt runs from September 1^st to 30^th inworld.  As usual the Hunt has a subtheme to main steampunk one.  This time it’s “Time & Space” honoring H. G. Wells.  Participating merchants are incorporating this concept into their gifts to the hunters.   

          Checking in with Perryn and a few participants, a few themes are becoming clear.  First, everyone feels that this is the best Hunt ever.  This has been a recurring theme over the last several years and reflects on Perryn and his team’s organizational skills and commitment.  Gifts are better than ever and only two shops dropped out at the last minute, a new record for low losses. 

          Knowledge Tomorrow, Curator of the Joy of Steampunk Museum, is participating for the first time as both a hunter and a merchant.  She believes the community is stronger now and the hunters are more social. 

          Noddington Schmooz of Land of Nodd says that the STEAM Hunts always seem to be a cut above and apart from the rest.   The gifts are consistently of good quality, and there is such a spirit of camaraderie among the hunters and the merchants. 

          One of the principle differences from past Hunts is hunters who are starting the Hunt at the end and working backwards.  This may also contribute to Perryn’s observation that the number of hunters is exceeding expectations especially for shops towards the end of the Hunt.  Sounds like hunters are developing strategies to beat the crowds.  Could STEAM: The Hunt for Dummies be in the offing?

          Traffic from STEAM 7 is up from previous Hunts.  Knowledge reports that traffic is “way, way up” for the Museum.  Noddington says that, happily for him, both sales and revenues are up.  Marcel ghostraven (no relation) has run off to a different sim and left his shop on auto pilot for the duration of the Hunt to pursue other building projects.  (One of the many wonderful things about SL!)  He believes his sales and traffic may be up.  Interestingly, Marcel is the only respondent who thought traffic might be off on this Hunt.  Kyris Upshaw says he has slight increases in sales and traffic.  Janeel Kharg of Ankh Morpork reports traffic up but not sales.  She’s not worried because she’s in the Hunt to raise the awareness of her sim.  

          As for the gifts in STEAM 7, a whole new level seems to have been achieved (and will be difficult to surpass in future Hunts but somehow I think Perryn and the merchants will figure out how).  What follows is a partial list which hopefully will encourage those of my readers who haven’t visited STEAM 7 yet will. 

          Knowledge was kind enough to send me a list of the mini-Hunt’s gifts and their creators.  Included are a personal hot air balloon (Noddington Schmooz), steampunk wall clock (Shigeko Tachikawa), NS6 Dusk Banshee (Nightshade Sixpence), Copper Sea Mine House (Albus Weka), Red Sea Mine House (Albus Weka), steampunk rocket (Lexx Bondar), steampunk bathysphere (Albus Weka), Visionary Quotes – Mechanical Eyes that Speak (Ceejay Writer), Black Sea Mine House (Albus Weka), gas discharge tube (Shigeko Tachikawa), steampunk submarine (Rebecca Bashly), steampunk chopper (Rebecca Bashly), and escargot-a-vapeur (Sextan Shepherd). 

          Marcel has created Inside the Machine, a representation of our Solar System; When the Land Masses Appealed, a volcano in the box; Is This Roswell?, a do-it-yourself alien sighting kit; a steampunk rocket station; a lunar styles steampunk space station; ST3000, a futuristic space shuttle with working weapons; and TM1, a time machine.  Kyris has built a “steampunky” fan that blows physical objects about.  Noddington, in addition to the above, has also fabricated a mesh version of H.G. Well’s time machine and a sculpted grandfather clock.  Janeel also based her gifts on Well’s time machine, as well as male and female Eloi avatars, jewelry based on 30 Million AD, and a versatile circular building. 

          Overall, I’d say that everyone has been very busy! 

          Finally, I’ve heard that hunters are getting better dressed every year and the Hunt may need its own photographer soon!  I met one hunter who was dressed rather appropriately to my mind as Sherlock Holmes.  Maybe STEAM: The Hunt could become an event like Mardi Gras or the Halloween parade held in NYC’s Greenwich Village.  Something else for Perryn to think about! 

          Merchants tell me that hunters have been overwhelmingly friendly and courteous.  Merchants and hunters appear to be forming a tighter community.  I wonder what this might portend for the future?  Some of the hunters seem to try rushing through to be the “first” to complete the Hunt.  Some worry if they really enjoy the Hunt when they do that and if they can really visit all the merchants. Maybe going slow and enjoying the Hunt might be good advice to hunters.  There is no prize for being first! 

          Also, some merchants have not taken the time as requested by Perryn to wrap and mark their gifts appropriately.  The gifts are still marvelous but a little packaging can go a long way!

I want to thank Perryn for his time and assistance. I look forward to visiting with the hunters and merchants during the remainder of the Hunt.  I would also like to thank Knowledge Tomorrow, Marcel ghostraven, Kyris Upshaw, Noddington Schmooz, and Janeel Kharg for taking the time to reply to my queries.  I would also like to thank Knowledge for her permission to use the pictures indicated below.

So, remember!  There’s only two weeks left in STEAM 7.  Please go and see the beautiful work prepared for it by the creators, meet the merchants and other hunters, and see all the work and effort that Perryn and his team have put into this spectacular and one of a kind event!

As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.

Below are a few pictures of some of the communities I’ve visited inworld, which at the time seemed a little humorous.  I hope you find them that way too! 

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1 STEAM 7: The Hunt Poster (with credit to Tattoo Lane)

Photo No. 2 Perryn Peterson 

Photo No. 3 Joy of Steampunk Museum Landing Zone 

Photo No. 4 Three Sea Mine Mer Homes (with the permission of the Joy of Steampunk Museum)

Photo No. 5 Personal Hot Air Balloon (with the permission of the Joy of Steampunk Museum)

Photo No. 6 NS6 Dusk Banshee (with the permission of the Joy of Steampunk Museum)

Photo No. 7 Steampunk Wall Clock (with the permission of the Joy of Steampunk Museum)

Photo No. 8 Visionary Quotes – Eyes that Speak (with the permission of the Joy of Steampunk Museum)

Photo No. 9 Escargot-a-Vapeur (with the permission of the Joy of Steampunk Museum)

Photo No. 10 Gas Discharge Tube (with the permission of the Joy of Steampunk Museum)

 

 

 

Twenty-four Hours in Second Life – Hour III

As you’re all probably aware by now, my intention of blogging every hour has fallen apart.  However, I am enjoying myself and accomplishing my goals of meeting with old friends, meeting new ones, and going to new places.  I will continue to blog over the course of today so fear not in that regard. 

After my last set of adventures (Which can be read here.  I moved on to meet with another friend, Farwolf Armastus, invited me to join him and a group of his friends at a bar called Muddy’s Music Café.  

The place was jumping when I arrived. Dozens were dancing and a DJ kept the music going.  I met Farwolf and was soon dancing out on the floor myself.  The owner, WilliamD Bracken, surveyed the dance floor from his perch at the bar.  Holiday decorations livened the place up and everyone was in good spirits. 

While I was boogying away, Perryn Peterson, IM’d asking if I could join him because he would be away for a while in RL.  Due to some serious lag problems, I had some difficulty in extricating myself and responding to his TP.  I crash landed in mid-boogy at Perryn’s feel in Mieville – Chinatown.  Lag was still killing me when the region was taken down for service (Don’t you just hate it when that happens?) not long afterwards and I only got a brief glimpse of what Perryn wanted to show me.  Hopefully, later this evening, I’ll be able to reconnect with him and see what promises to be another interesting journey to another one of Perryn’s sims. 

By now, I had to shut down my computer and restart.  This had been my longest uninterrupted session in SL since I joined and am noticing that the longer I stay on, the more likely I am to experience response problems. Especially, if I’m with crowds or have multiple IM’s going.  Which is what today is all about for me.

Returning to SL, I meet with another old friend, Jan Kharg, from Ankh-Morpork.  I meet her in its suburbs which are in their winter finest and are decorated for the Christmas Holidays.  She makes me feel good right off the bat when she asks if I’ve been noticing considerable lag in chat and other activities today.  I share my theory that I think many more people are on the grid today because of the Holiday season and its impacting system response time. So much for the pleasantries! 

Jan tells me about the recent difficulties she’s had with Linden Lab (LL) concerning the loss of four years’ worth of shoes and other objects created by her when a folder disappeared.  LL has been unable to assist her and she is, rightly in my opinion, very frustrated about the matter.  We talk about SL’s long term prospects.  While both of us are SL enthusiasts, we sometimes wonder if LL feels the same way. Jan and I then talk about how SL has helped, and continues to help, people who are either shut-ins for one reason or another and whose only access to the wider world is SL.  Topics like that make some of the LL issues seem trite by comparison.

Taking my leave of Jan, I go to see Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova, whom I first met in 1920’s Berlin  several months ago.  We meet at her home in Taro and we decide to visit the Tiny community of Raglan together.  Another friend, Sisson,  had recommended this as a fun place to visit. 

We TP over and arrive high in a tree which is obviously inhabited by Tinies.  Christmas decorations, the size of houses, hang from its branches.  We take an acorn elevator down to the lowest levels and fly down to the ground after that.

As before, the local environment is snow covered and decorated for Christmas.  Rosemary and I come across a group of snowmen recreating an automobile accident. 

We walk along a street looking in at the shops. Few Tinies are about, the few that are direct us to shops where we could present as Tinies if we wish.  Only planning to stay for a short while, we decline.  While we walk, Rosemary and I talk about the structure and meaning of SL families.  (I promise a story about relationships in SL for next year.) 

Then one of those moments occurred that when they happen in Real Life (RL), we take it for granted.  However, in SL, it’s really something.  Out of nowhere, Spec Belfire, a friend of mine, asks via IM how I’m doing and where am I in my quest.  I reply and he says he’s in the neighborhood.  He walks over to join us and I introduce him to Rosemary. This is the first time I have ever run into a friend in SL away from our usual haunts and the first time that I’ve introduced friends of mine to each other.  Either SL is getting smaller or I’m getting more friends. 

After talking together for a while, we go our separate ways.  I felt good about this.  (Not sure how Rosemary and Spec felt, but, hopefully, they have similar feelings.)  I grab some RL lunch and come back to finish this post. 

I’m really excited about this day in SL.  I’m meeting with old friends and seeing new things with them.  I’m even running into people by chance.  The diversity and camaraderie of SL are at their best as far as I’m concerned. Maybe it’s because I’m still in the Holiday spirit but I think something else is here. 

Hourly stories are hopelessly gone.  I did not allow for the human interaction and the spontaneity of SL.  I hope my readers are not disappointed but I am trying to give a full and faithful account of my day in SL.    

I want to thank Farwolf Armastus, Perryn Peterson, Jan Kharg, Rosemary Thyme Chesnokova, and my unannounced guest, Spec Belfire, for coming out to meet with me during my twenty-four hours in SL.  I also am grateful to all of them for helping me along the way! 

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1: Muddy’s Music Café Dance Floor

Photo No. 2: Ankh-Morpork Winter Scene

Photo No. 3: Snowmen Auto Accident