Burnal Equinox

 

 By Gemma Cleanslate

 

 

Burn2’s Burnal Equinox opens this Friday at 5:00 pm slt. This annual spring event is so interesting this year since it mixes two seemingly opposing themes into one as you can see in the Poster above. Creators have done a wonderful job of mixing. The whole weekend gives you a chance to experience these builds as well as the parties taking place daily leading up to the 12:00 burning of the effigy on Sunday. Don’t miss it! Fortunately this weekend is also the European change of time and we will all be back together.

In the town of Gerlach, at the edge of the Playa, all is in place. Information about the Principles of Burning Man of which Burn2 is a regional. They are in many languages. There is clothing and help for new residents of SL available there too. Many donated gifts of all sorts are ready for all the visitors so be sure to stop and pick them up. Lots of fire attachments are in some of the boxes. I love the Walk with me Hud so friends can walk together through the streets and roads of the event.

As you walk through the Horseshoe gate a small into a small western town you have the opportunity to rezz a horse to ride through the entire playa or you will also find a variety of art cars designed for the event. They are lots of fun and are created by members of the Burn2 group. Clockwork is evident in the buildings and in the sky. I even found Mesas never seem before on the Playa.

I climbed up onto the Mesa and found SHINY (Shiny Starchild) putting finishing touches on his installation of a steampunk western distillery waiting for customers. Get up there to see it and the others nearby. As I was leaving I found Little Suzi (LittleSuzi98 in her Saloon. She was also getting the drinks and games and stage ready for Friday. Stop by when you come in through the gate.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/147/29/24

Gemma Cleanslate

 

The VWBPE Grounds

 

 By Gemma Cleanslate

I made a visit to the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) Monday just to let you get a glimpse of what a visit there will look like. The programs look wonderful with great presenters as usual. The Press  Release contains the information.

The venue is quite different from the past years.  Last year it was in space This year it is solidly on the ground. It is titled’ Uncommon Realities’. You will have a wonderful Hud to guide you to the sites for presentations and social event .When you arrive at the Gateway, grab the Swag Bag that contains the hud and other items that will help you on the vast area.

Various Biomes await you from desert to forest.  I looked up a definition of Biome just to be sure , it is”  a biome is a community made of all the habitats in a given region and climate. Different organisms inhabit different types of biomes. “As you travel from one biome to another you will find an explanation of each.

 I was taken especially by The Wetlands. It is expansive and lovely. The building there contains lots of information about wetlands . There will be a guided tour there one day. Check the program for the time and day.

The auditorium where the Keynote speeches will be held as well as some other large events is delightful and there is plenty of room in different sections.

The place of remembering those who have gone from life is the Lest We Forget. I stopped there. Ebbe Linden’s plaque was prominent at the entry way. Take a walk to see the others remembered. Here is the full program for you to peruse. Some of the presentations may peak your interest. https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe23-program?mc_cid=b72656b04f&mc_eid=aafed12562
 

Scattered among the biomes along the roads  you will find structures such as this . Inside it a wealth of information about The University of New Mexico. There are many in each biome. Walk around and check everything. Look for some nice gifts as you go along. Look through the events clicking on the picture and see what you like. The social events are always fun and all are welcome . Freebies will be found in the social area. I picked up an outfit, some  sneakers and other items. . Here is the gateway. https://www.vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe23-program?mc_cid=b72656b04f&mc_eid=aafed12562vw
 

I will be a host Ranger at the event for the 5th year I think .  I found my outfit and this is how to recognize me. Say Hi!

Gemma Cleanslate

 

The Renegade Burn

 

 By Bixyl Shuftan

Every October, fans of Burning Man, a huge real-life art and music event that takes place every late summer in Black Rock Nevada, gather at a number of sims in Second Life to hold the virtual equivalent. For the virtual world's first few years, it was sponsored by Linden Lab and known as Burning Life. After the Lab discontinued it's sponsorship, the fans reorganized themselves and the event became known as Burn2. In recent years, there have been two noteable Burning Man inspired events. In 2020 and 2021, due to the Pandemic the real-life event was canceled and moved online. So people in Second Life could attend both what was the official event and a few weeks later it's traditional virtual equivalent, or "Octoburn." 

 

In 2022, once again there were two Burning Man inspired events close together. But the cause was not a pandemic, but a human one. As usual, the Burn2 event took place in early to mid October. But there was a second Burner event, the "Renegade Burn." It was organized by the Burn ONe group, who got attention in summer for their beach sim in July which turned into a Waterworld tribute in August. 

 

The event got it's name from the real-life events that took place in Black Rock Nevada during the Pandemic. While Burning Man was officially moved online, some people went to the area anyway, in both 2020 and 2021. 

This year, there was some trouble among the Burners, which got worse when the Deep Hole sim was temporarily closed this summer. There's been an effort to change and add to Burn2's policies. Over the months, a number of people either were dismissed or resigned, many of whom joined Burn ONe. When one of Burn2 spoke in a Q & A article for the Newser, she explained they've been trying to cool things down and be reasonable and trying to improve things for everyone. The comments were full of people stating what they experienced was very much to the contrary of the official word. 

The event took place in the Capri sim.

It ran from Saturday October 15 to Saturday October 29.

 

There were both a number of exhibits around. 

 

 While there were a few displays of anger at the Burn2 leadership, notably the words "F**k Your Burn" near the entrance, for the most part people simply wanted to have fun and show off their art and music. A number of the BurnONe group have been reserved and diplomatic, preferring to be voices of reason.

 

There were also some music events.

Some people took part in both Burn2 and the Renegade Burn. 

 

Grease Coakes had few performances there. 

 

One of the displays was interactive: a boat ride to the Underworld.

There was also a game in which you got points for smashing pumpkins.

On Sunday October 23 was one special event.

This was when the Renegade Man Burn took place.

The figure was a simpler version of "The Man," with the word "RENEGADE" over it.

Which soon burned and crumbled to the ground.

In the end, the Burners in the Renegade event congratulated themselves for a job well done. 

So what does the future hold? At the moment one can only guess. But unless there's some kind of reconciliation, as long as Burn ONe can find places to hold an event, it's safe to assume the Renegade Burn events will continue. And for some of us, that means twice the fun.

 

Addition: In the few days since this went up, I was approached with a couple details. Someone from Burn2 had asked that in future articles that it be more clear that Burn ONe has no connection to either Burn2 or the Burning Man organization. 

The second was that I was approached by one of Burn ONe who stated that the expression "F**k Your Burn" wasn't meant to be an expression of anger, but "another way that burners say welcome home - Welcome Home! or F**k your Burn!"

Bixyl Shuftan

At the SL19B

 
By Gemma Cleanslate

 
I enjoy the Second Life birthdays so much. I have been active as a volunteer since 2009. First I was a greeter, then an exhibitor assistant. The Moles took over that job along with their building of the infrastructure and so much more so I became a greeter again. 

The greeters all got together with Alotta Mole, Itsa Mole and Squeaky Mole at an orientation in the gallery before the opening to orient ourselves and take a tour.

The stages are outstanding as are the surroundings. There will be live performers and djs for your enjoyment throughout the event which lasts until July 5. Check this list and scroll down for more information. More will be added as the week goes on. https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/11022-sl19b-music-fest-lineup-calendar-of-events/

I love visiting the installations of the exhibitors. There are so many to see. Try the pod tour that takes you along the road and tells you what is nearby and you can hop off to visit what you want. Some of the exhibitors also place gifts at their sites so look around when you get there. I will be taking photos during the week and will post them. Here are some of the stops I made so far.

The gift area is outstanding. All the gifts are in one spot this year and I like it. Get there to get the many gifts left by the exhibitors. They are in the center of the Tapestry of Time building. It is my opinion that this exhibit should be somewhere in a region permanently. It would take a whole week just to read all about the past back to the very beginning , the first anniversary 2004 which has become the slbirthday celebration.

Some of the exhibits are spellbinding when you look at them from a distance. I was entranced by that of Yobex Resident.

I stopped off at the colorful installation of the Yobe Gallery. Lots to examine there.

I did get some time to attend part of the live piano performance of Tia Rungray which was delightful and restful. The Vernian Rotunda is a perfect place for such an event It is large and open and many avatars can attend the events there. 

I cannot stress enough how much great work the Moles did putting in the magnificent infrastructure in many regions. There is so much to do and see before July 5. Get here! Come to the Welcome area and get the official hat in the gift giver. Grab the hunt hud to get your prizes there too.  
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Beguile/135/202/47

Gemma Cleanslate
 

Burnal Equinox : Time Travel

By Gemma Cleanslate

 This weekend I spent another roaming about. I usually am a Ranger at Burn2 events but skipped it this time. Over the weekend they held a fun event called “Burn2 Burnal Equinox :Time Travel.“ I went over as a visitor and viewed some of the awesome builds that occupied Deep Hole. The charming Angelicus Boys Choir was performing on their stage. Their voices are always appreciated at the events and it was well attended.

DJ Puddles was on her stage after that. She also does a wonderful job of live videoing the activities going on all over the playa during the events now.

Here are some of the creations of the future and past that were gracing the playa. Though the event is over you may like to go check out the installations and pick up some of the new gifts at the gift center near the entrance. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/206/34/25

My next visit was to my campsite at Yosemite to check on the rental. I will be telling you about Yosemite in a future article but this is a great place to have a camp where I can escape and think and write and relax. The many activities there are well worth the visits.

I did a little shopping and also took a dash around the Linden Realms for some lindens to use for donations to the Relay for Life… (another article followup on the Reams coming...)

Gemma Cleanslate