November 2009

Get to know the man behind

this fascinating voice

Real Second Life Artists

Discover -Discovery Island

Second Life Pets

Step - Up to Content Theft

Octoberfest Gothic Fair

and more!

Real Life Business in Second Life

Virtual Living

Magazine Personnel Owner:

Editor & Chief

Marketing & Content Manager:

Graphic Designers:

Writers:

Charlenecc Charisma

Flynt Eberhardt

Synthetyc Summers

Synthetyc Summers

Sierra Weames

Synthetyc Summers

Charlenecc Charisma

Avvy Barzane

Tess Yuhara

Maylo Lillehook

Dreadlecta Ceriano

Virtual Living

Magazine Personnel

Letter from the Publisher Tis the season… Halloween is but a „ghost‟ of a memory. Now we move on to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays!! Gobble gobble! SL definitely has its fair share of turkeys, but Thanksgiving is for what the name implies, giving thanks! I have a list that‟s a proverbial mile long of all that I am thankful and blessed to have received. The first thing that I‟m thankful for is that I found a job that I love doing. It is prolific and keeps me busy while bringing in precious linden. I‟m thankful that a SL old timer has taken me under her wing and continues to mentor my avi-girl in the ways of SL. I‟m appreciative of the opportunity to start this magazine, which to date, has been well received! But Thanksgiving in RL is so much more important. Without being thankful for what we have in RL there is no success in SL! In my life, I‟ve gained some valuable truths that are hard for me to express in words that I hope readers could under-stand. Don‟t sweat the small stuff or even the potential growing mound of manure that seems to pile up faster than you can shovel. I‟m not saying to let stuff pile up until you can‟t breathe, but chose your battles/issues wisely. The small things DO take care of themselves and for those of us with faith in a higher power; we know who takes care of us ultimately. Another precious truth I‟ve learned is to appreciate the smallest of gifts.

If we don‟t take time to be thankful for, or even notice the smallest of gifts, we can‟t begin to fathom, let alone show appreciation for the true miracles that occur in our lives. Are you thankful for the roof over your head, or even the carpet that needs vacuuming? How about the husband, or significant other that keeps the children out of your hair while you‟re in world? When was the last time you told your mom „thank you‟? Don‟t dare ask: For what? Our mothers went through nine months of anticipation, carrying us, full of love and hope for our fu-tures. On our birthdays, they went though hours of pain and anguish to bring our happy butts into this world. Mothers usually only tell their children what a delight it was to finally see them for the first time. For that reason alone, we should never stop showing appreciation. Take just a moment out of your busy day and seriously think about what you have to be grateful for!! Others have heard me say this, and now here it is for you, “ I‟m the kind of person that if you show me a room full of horse manure, I‟m going to ask for shovel to dig for the pony.” The moral of this little story is this: Every issue, problem, disaster, or hair pulling incident, you can find something to be thankful for. As we gather together this Thanksgiving holiday, with family and friends, leave the guns and attitudes outside. Remember why you are there, to give thanks!!! Charlenecc Charisma, Owner of Virtual Living Magazine

Thanksgiving Wishes

Many of us log off from Second Life for Thanksgiving,

to spend precious time with our families during the

holiday. We stuff our bellies from the feast and reminisce

with our loved ones of days gone by. This year promises

to be especially difficult for many families across the

nation because of our declining economy. It is with this

short note that I ask you to take a few moments this

month to donate either your time, or any money that you

can spare to charity, your church‟s food pantry, or any

other altruistic organization to help families in need this

Thanksgiving. I know that in my vicinity, there are many

organizations that help deliver food and other necessities

to families that are struggling. Please help in any way

possible; let‟s give everyone great cause to be thankful

this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone

Flynt Eberhardt

Letter from the editor

The horror stories of the

wedding planner being a no

show is the biggest complaint

we hear.

Choose a reliable professional

source! Don‟t waste your hard

earned lindens on a wedding that

doesn't WOW you!

Contact Synthetyc Summers to

help you create the wedding of

your dreams. We cater to ALL wedding styles

Live Tribute Concerts

Commercial and Residential

Land Sales and Rentals

Property Available Now

Affordable and Reliable

Real Estate Services

Contact:

Chuckie Boozehound

DISCOVERY ISLAND

DISCOVERY ISLAND

DISCOVERY ISLAND The perfect place to relax, unwind and

enjoy fantastic live entertainment with dancing and so much more.

Rental Homes & More

DISCOVERY ISLAND

Fun filled days and nights with events 6-8 times per week. Live disk jockeys, live performers, sailing lessons and Seven Seas Fishing Contests in this beautiful island setting.

Owned and operated by: Nicholas Charlesworth

Beautiful Rentals: 4096 with 937 prims at the most affordable rates.

Enjoy the island views with an

entertainment near by.

DISCOVERY ISLAND

The Gothic Fair Opens with a BANG!

SLM - Red hot Chili peppers!

Octoberfest

Simplicity

Gothic Fair

In Full Swing

Now here is

something to take a

peek at!

On October 23rd, this years Gothic Fair opened with much

anticipation, hard work and long hours of planning, building

and scheduling of events!! The very first Gothic Fair hosted

by Synthetyc Summers was so well received; she began

receiving numerous requests to produce a second fair.

Synthetyc Summers and her real life husband Flynt Eberhardt,

started building a new improved convention center that can

only be described as the best layout, functionality but also the

most innovative design yet!

Opening day started a little after midnight on Friday,

October 23rd. There are building classes, raffles, drawings,

and even a roving booth party DJ‟d by Synthetyc herself,

which has become a daily and nightly event in itself with

trivia questions and prizes. Performers, entertainers, tribute

concerts, movies and comedians are scheduled for two weeks.

Its not too late to stop by the Gothic Fair, the event runs until

|November 6th. Tell them Virtual Living Magazine sent you.

Evanescence Concert was a BANG

An Uplifting Experience! WOW

An Explosive Show!

Simplicity Productions

It’s Not Too Late to Come By

Concerts EVERYDAY!

The Gothic Fair Runs Till Nov. 6th

Evanescence Concert Photos

Provided BY:

Lexie Vaher & Brad Mactavish

SR Taboo offers live interactive events with

strippers, dancing and live disk jockeys.

We also provide live entertainers and concerts featuring

some of the hottest bands ever.

Feel free to send Shane Radmussen a message

or add him to your friends list.

He also has rental shops and photography.

If you need to know anymore just come by the club.

IM Alexis Bergan or Shane Radmussen for more info.

SR Taboo, NEW YORK HARBOR (20, 189, 22)

PINK RIBBON BALL

CHARITY BALL FOR

BREAST CANCER

AWARENESS

October 24, 2009

October is Breast Awareness

Month!

Come to Bella Vida for an

ALL DAY

EXTRAVAGANZA!

We have performers all day and night to bring this important is-

sue to you and help those who need it. All donations will be ac-

cepted and given to charity, The Cancer Society. Bella Vida is

here to help and looking for all you VIP‟s to come and enjoy,

pick up a pink ribbon and show your support.

MAKE A DONATION TO SUPPORT!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bella%20Vida/193/129/26

Pink Ribbon Ball

The man behind the music

Many people would say that the live entertainers in Second Life

are nothing more than a bunch of karaoke singers behind a car-

toony avatar. This may be true for many of the performers in

Second Life, however, you occasionally come across singers

and/or performers that make you melt like ice on a hot summer

day. This is exactly the sensation that I got when I heard solo

artist Avvy Barzane perform.

It was by pure accident that I heard him. I didn‟t receive a group

notice, landmark, or anything,

I just happened to hear him

performing over a live feed

from another venue during

the Global Peace Day event

last month. Within the first

minutes that I heard him, I

stopped everything that I was

doing; I even left eight

messages waiting for replies

in my instant message box. I

wanted to know where this outstanding sound was

coming from and who it was. I listened to his passion in each bar

that he sang. I was truly amazed. There are many shows that

I‟ve attended in Second Life to hear live entertainers, consistently

left me unimpressed. It seemed to me that most of the “artists”

were nothing more than typical people like you and I, trying very

hard to sing their favorite songs in the right key. What I heard

from Avvy impressed me, I had to contact him.

I took a few moments to write a note card to tell him how his

music affected me that chaotic morning and that he moved me

with each song that he sang. I was taken aback; his singing has

passion and conviction in each word. In the four years that I

have been in Second Life, I quite simply had not ever

experienced a talent like his.

Some of you might say, “Well

Synthetyc, you must not get

around much.” Maybe that‟s true,

I may have missed some other

great performers in Second Life,

but that does not change the talent

and passion that Avvy Barzane has

for music. Being a performer,

singer and songwriter is more than

just entertaining a group of people.

You can tell that Avvy loves to

sing and perform. You can sense

that he‟s smiling through every

song.

He surprised me when after his performance he sent a message

to thank me for the note card. I had the pleasure of sitting

down with Avvy to discuss his music in Second Life and to

find out what he hopes the future holds for him, with his

talents.

While talking with him, I quickly learned that he is very light-

hearted and has a great sense of humor. Avvy Barzane, know in

real life as Ed Barber, came to Second Life when he saw Slim

Warrior, discussing Second Life on a talk show called "Richard

and Judy." He considered the whole concept really innovative.

This virtual community could give him a chance to expand his

audience globally, from the comfort of his own home.

When he arrived in Second Life he was amazed, as are we all, at

the talent that surrounds this virtual world. He remembers

hearing Jules and Freestar Tammas, as well as Funky Rang and

was impressed by their vocal abilities.

I listened as Avvy talked about his first performance; Dermot

Barnes, whom owned the Sapphire Region, gave him his first

opportunity to perform in Second Life. When he began, he didn‟t

have the full registered version of Nicecast. After 20 minutes, it

would start hissing, so he would have to download it again.

What surprised him was that people waited patiently as he made

adjustments to make the software work correctly before he could

continue. Since his first performance in Second Life, he has

made friends of that first audience, with whom he communicates

with regularly. He has boldly grown and developed since that

first performance and openly admits that he is still growing and

learning.

AVVY BARZANE

Avvy has been singing and writing music since he was seven

years old. He was a creative child, interested in art, as he grew

older, his passion for music developed. He played the

keyboard until he was fourteen, when he received his first

guitar. He learned to play the guitar with help from a few

friends. Since that time, he has been writing music and

singing. The first full song that he played on guitar was a tune

by R.E.M., Man on the Moon.

While attending college, he wrote most of the material that you

hear him perform in real life and in Second Life. The first

song he wrote was about an eagle in Texas. He told me about

watching a documentary about eagles. He liked it so much that

he decided to write about it in song. It was fundamental he

said, but added that it was more about melody than the lyrics.

He remembers performing this first song at a school show. He

later attended college for musical theatre and modern music.

His family has been supportive of his musical career in both

real life and Second Life. Some of his family is part of the

Second Life community as well. His brother is a techno-

internet jockey in Second Life and mixes his own music.

While we were chatting, I was anxious to know what it was

like for him when he started singing. Was it difficult getting a

fan base started and what he thinks makes him stand out from

the others that are live performers in Second Life? He is one

of the youngest performers in this virtual world. He shared

with me that back when he started performing, there wasn‟t as

much competition, compared to the way things are now. There

are many artists performing on a regular basis. In addition,

since Second Life players have a twenty-five group limit, it

makes it even more difficult. Nevertheless, his raw emotion

and talent surpasses that and I can certainly agree with him.

Avvy is modest when he speaks of his talents and holds high

regards for the other entertainers in Second Life.

We discussed his enthusiasm to perform in Second Life. It‟s

exciting because he can get a wider fan-base and it‟s easier to

gain feedback from his fans and audience. When he performs

in real life, venues are too crowded and busy to get to interact

with many of the guests; he only gets the opportunity to talk

with just a few, including his friends.

Watch him perform live on the internet at www.justin.tv . He

really enjoys performing with Justin TV. The site also has

interactive chat, where you can participate during the show. I

found it be an extraordinarily entertaining experience.

You can see him smiling brightly while he sings and interacts

with the crowd. He sings viewers names and incorporates

conversations from the chat into his shows.

Other favorite performances of Avvy‟s are for charities in

Second Life. He truly enjoyed performing at Global Peace

Day, as well as the many other charitable events that he has

been involved with.

As much as Avvy enjoys his Second Life performances, he

wants to perform more in real life and get back into the music

scene. He is currently in the Regional Finals for the nation-

wide Open Mic Contest in the UK. The final performances

will occur October 10th, 2009. There are twenty-five contest-

ants in the finals. If he wins, he will receive a record and man-

agement contract and £20,000, roughly $30,000 U.S.

He is exceedingly

excited to have made it

this far, and is still trying

to decide on the perfect

song for his final

performance. We are

definitely cheering for

you from a distance

Avvy!

Avvy has some great goals for Second Life as well as real life

when it comes to his musical abilities. He is working toward

getting a collection together to record and sell in Second Life

and real life. He spent some time in studio, working on re-

cording, but was not pleased with the outcome, insisting

that it be a perfect product before releasing anything. It is a

costly business decision, but he is performing as often as

possible to help fund his goals for a recording and is reaching

more of the public in Second Life.

For those of you wondering what he

does when he is not performing,

Avvy recently opened Studio

Nirvana. He created this free studio

for the musical artisans of Second

Life, to give them a place to practice

new songs and to gain constructive

criticism in a relaxed, laid-back

environment. Many artists have no

place to play unless they are booked.

This is a great place to pop a steam

and play at no cost. Avvy also

mentioned the possibility of song writing workshops that those

interested can attend as well. Anyone can join the Studio

Nirvana group by sending Avvy Barzane a message to request

an invitation.

Avvy is always working to improve by writing new songs. He

shared with me that when he is inspired, he writes lyrics and tries

to improve his music. When I asked him about real life artists

that inspire him, he stated that his top three artists are Paolo

Nutini, Cat Stevens and Damien Rice; other major inspirations

are John Mayor, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, and John Legend.

Now, you may inquire how you

can become a fan. Join his group

Avvy Barzane aka Ed Barber, he

advertises his performances in this

group. You can also see him on

www.justintv.com as well as http://

edbarbermusic.webs.com/.

He also has a Facebook page,

Avvy Barzane.

It was an awesome experience to

sit with Avvy, to learn about his

music and hear where he‟s heading in real life, along with Second

Life. I think many times, we tend to forget that there are some

fascinating real people behind these characters that we play in

Second Life. You never know whom you may meet each time

you login. I urge you to find Mr. Barzane and catch one of his

performances. I am certain that you will fall in love with his

heart-felt tone and enjoy his music as much as I do.

Until next time, I am Synthetyc Summers, and marketing director

for Virtual Living Magazine in Second Life.

Step Up Against Content Theft

Step UP! is a campaign centered on a special day of action that

everyone can become involved with, and that can empower and

inform people about the problem of content theft, and what they

can do about it..

We are aiming for a day that draws together action, education

and celebration. We want a focus that empowers people and al-

lows them to express their own creativity in a variety of ways. It

also draws attention to the strength of feeling that there is here

on the grid.

Step UP! Day will be November 5th – Guy Fawkes Day or

Bonfire Night in the UK.

Action:

a) On this day – no-one uploads textures to the grid. This should

show the economic power of people acting together, without

harming content creators. We want Linden Lab to see the power

of the feeling about the problem of content theft – and to discuss

urgently strategies for tackling it.

b) As many people as possible wear an orange ribbon as a sign

of support for creators.

Celebration:

The day ends with parties. Bonfire parties. That means that all

around the grid, people have parties.

We're encouraging every club to hold a Step Up! party. We

encourage every musician to play Step UP! events. Everyone on

the grid has a part to play. Everyone can take part.

On the Designing Worlds shows we‟ve talked again and again

about the need for a social shift – so that people see content theft

as socially and morally unacceptable. So … let‟s go for it!

The concept originates with a small group – Angie Mornington,

Gabrielle Riel, Gwen Carillon and Saffia Widdershins. But more

and more people are now becoming involved. And you can too:

Follow the Blog!

http://stepupsl.wordpress.com/

We'll be sharing news from the campaign - and give you more

fun ideas as to how you can be part of the Step UP!

Do you want to help the campaign?

Come to our Ning and sign up - we need people who are willing

to help make Step UP! the most fantastic community event that

Second Life has ever seen!

http://step-up-sl.ning.com/

Virtual Living Magazine has the

Step Up Information boxed in our

office for you to pick up FREE and

pass to all your friends and business

owners.

Astonishing Duo, Naga and Putri Written by: Avvy Barzane

It was by chance that I happened to meet this remarkable

singing duo in Second Life, Naga Lionheart and Putri Solo. It

was early evening when I received a group IM from Naga

Lionheart, mentioning how he was looking for venues to per-

form. Having recently

opened one myself, I was

keen to hear him and so I

teleported to his land, where

he and his wife had set up

their equipment. At first

glance, I thought that I was

at a venue, but later I discov-

ered that this was merely the

equipment they had bought

for their live shows. A for-

eign, exotic accent was heard over the audio stream which I

couldn't quite place; warm and welcoming as Putri Spoke. The

music began to play and my jaw dropped as she began to sing.

What a powerful, pure voice with clear diction, I thought to

myself. When Naga joined her in song, I realized that I had

stumbled across a remarkable duo; I immediately teleported my

friends to share my discovery.

Naga Lionheart and Putri Solo are no ordinary duo, they are a

married couple and they are the only Second Life musicians

from Indonesia that I know of. They live in the largest city and

capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, with their two daughters. "The

Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and

Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands and has an

estimated population of around 237 million people. It is the

world's fourth most populous country, and has the largest Mus-

lim population in the world." (ref. Wikipedia.com) They met in

real life when Putri auditioned to be in Naga's band. Their ro-

mance blossomed while dating for 3 years before they married in

1995. Their first daughter was born in 2001 and then the

youngest, in 2006.

In addition to being musically brilliant, what I adore most

about them is their love for one another. They speak very fondly

of each other, and all of these feelings and emotions come across

in their songs. It is a wonderful experience, and you‟re left at

the end of their shows with a rush of giddiness at the amazing

music and their love that fills the venues that they play. Being a

young bachelor, I inquired as to what advice they would give to

newly married couples. The main message they gave was that

the husband should be responsible, ready to work hard to

provide for his family and have a clear direction in life; the wife

should love and sustain her husband. These are clearly ethics

that they live by. After just a short time with them, it is obvious

to see how happy they are together and that they are very proud

of their two daughters. They are devout Muslims and it is

evident in their performances and in their principles.

I asked them to name 3 things about each other that they loved

the most, which, by knowing the kind of people they are, I

knew that they would find it difficult to pick only three things

because there are so many. Naga loves Putri's faithfulness; he

loves and appreciates her dedication as a wife and mother, and

how committed she is to her religion. Putri loves his kind heart,

his wonderful personality, and she says with a grin that he is a

wonderful lover.

After performing for many years together in clubs, they heard

about Second Life in a newspaper. The idea of performing from

their home to a world-wide audience appealed to them, so they

decided to join Second Life together. When they perform, they

feel like they are on the radio. They share one computer, but

they perform in their very own sound proof studio at all hours

of the day. It was already 3am for them at the time of this inter-

view and they were preparing to do a show immediately after

we finished. They are a very committed duo, with a great pas-

sion for music! Music is a big part of their lives and it is won-

derful that they share this passion. Both being wonderful vocal-

ists, Naga plays drums, piano and guitar, Putri also plays guitar,

all of which they taught themselves. Naga was once an art di-

rector and is experienced in animation. He is hoping to use all

of his talents to become a professional in all of these areas of

Second Life.

They cover a wide range of musical genres in their sets, from

beautiful ballads to fast rock songs; performed confidently and

beautifully and with this in mind, I asked who their musical in-

spirations were. Celine Dion, is Putri's favorite, she loves her

powerful voice, beautiful songs and her outlook in life.

Naga's favorite rock band is Mr.

Big, and his favorite drummer is

Dave Weckl from Chick Corea‟s

band because of his amazing drum

skills.

Naga and Putri are currently work-

ing on getting a website together,

but for now you can see them perform live in Second Life at a

number of different venues. To be sure of catching their shows,

join their group "Putri and Naga Friends." To book them, con-

tact Naga Lionheart.

They are a great couple, with amazing talent. Their music and

love for on another will make you grin from ear to ear.

Avvy Barzane, Virtual Living Magazine

A new, innovative Second Life television network, Altern-A-

Life Productions has arrived! Owners, Brad Mactavish and

Clover Rosecastle are excited to introduce this new addition to

our virtual community. You may not be aware that television net-

works exist here, which cover Second Life proceedings and real

life news. They offer programs for your entertainment as well.

If you have not had an opportunity to view any of the networks,

they are fun to watch and informative, with reference to events

in real life and second life.

Altern-A-Life productions came into fruition while Brad and

Clover were in production of a brand new series, “Into Mid-

night,” premiering on both Metaverse and Altern-A-Life net-

works.

I had an opportunity to catch up with Brad, to learn more about

his new venture in Second Life, and he was happy to share with

me his story about “Into Midnight”. Brad found inspiration to

write “Into Midnight” after experiencing Twilight and the nu-

merous other vampire movies and television shows that are pop-

ping up all over. The gothic and vampire communities are a

large part of the second life grid and growing; as a result, Brad

put his creative intellect to work, and began to write,

“Into Midnight”.

It did not take him long to write the first season of the show, two

weeks to be exact. After writing the episodes, he began to search

for a network to pick it up. Metaverse agreed to sponsor the

program. The first episodes will air October 30th. In addition,

you can see the premiere live at the Gothic Fair, in the Aura

region on October, 30th. Directly after the debut episode, there

will be a Q&A session where you can meet the cast of the new

series. The show will air each week with a new episode, so be

sure to watch Metaverse and Altern-A-Life networks so you don‟t

miss a single minute of this original, and extraordinary new

series!

Along with the Into Midnight series, Altern-A-Life Productions

has other great programs. One of my personal favorites is Wake

Up SL. This is a daily show, hosted by Brad Mactivish and

Clover Roecastle, covering

real life news, second life

news, celebrity gossip, as

well as hosting a special

guests each day. Viewers

will also want to check out

Pixel Pop Star, the newest

singing competition in

Second Life. Auditions are

being held currently. Thirty

contestants have already

auditioned, you should be the next! The winner of the show re-

ceives 50,000 lindens, a recording contract, and a music video!

Contact Brad or Clover for more information.

http://www.alternalifeproductions.webs.com/

Coming soon will be “Up Late with Brad Mactavish,” the

hottest in late night television on Altern-A-Life; featuring

second life entertainers, comedians, and performers with a

late night twist!

Another new series “Noob,” a documentary on the life of a

noobie in Second Life is coming in January, 2010. Check the

website for Altern-A-Life to learn more on this great new

series!

Brad and Clover have

really outdone them-

selves with the new

shows and series they

are producing with

Altern-A-Life. Their

innovative ideas are

coming to life on

screen. They are

together looking forward to new studio plans, including the

new music company that they will be releasing to Second

Life. Being vigorous supporters of the other networks in

Second Life, they are certain that with their campaign, they

will bring diversity and spontaneity to their own network.

With the shows and series, they also produce and record

commercial advertising to offer to all Second Life business

owners. Get your company in Altern-A-Life Productions and

let your profits soar with inexpensive advertising costs.

Contact Brad or Clover for more information on how they

can help your Second Life business.

Join the Altern-A-Life productions group so you can find out all the

news and happenings surrounding this new television network in

Second Life. Viewers are also welcomed to be present, as

spectators, at their show‟s live recordings as well!

As their new website and content are currently being updated, they

are looking for a new logo design! Brad shared with me the new

contest, which is amazingly innovative!

Here are the rules: Create and submit via email, your logo design

for Altern-A-Life Productions. The winner will be announced on

Wake Up SL and will be given 10,000 lindens and given

acknowledgment on their website as well.

What features must the logo have?

The logo theme is television, production company style, with a

modern, sleek, and striking look. It must contain the name

Altern-A-Life, and it must have a transparent background.

To participate, email your submission to

alternalifeproduction@gmail.com.

Please title the email Altern-A-Life Logo Contest.

On Friday, November 13, 2009, they will announce the winner! The

winner must provide the graphic via email in .psd or .psp format, if

sent in any other format, submission will automatically be

disqualified.

Penny’s Dogs, Pets

& Wildlife

Second Life is occupied by some of the most fascinatingly

creative designers and it‟s probably impossible to make your

way around the entire grid to see everything, but I had the

pleasure to sit and talk with one of the first creators of virtual

pets here. PennyWhistle Cameron, owner of Penny‟s Dogs,

Pets & Wildlife, has a massive selection of pets; from cats,

dogs, birds, snakes, ferrets and many more! An amazing

experience it is, to see all of the ingenious creations that she

has at her store.

Penny‟s Pets is celebrating their three-year anniversary this

month. I wanted to know how Penny came up with this idea

of virtual pets so long ago and she was happy to share her first

creation experience with me. She told me that when she

entered Second Life, she immediately wanted to have a pet in

game. She began searching for her favorite breed of dog, a

Golden Retriever, but unfortunately couldn‟t find one. Pets

were limited in Second Life at that time, so she set out to create

her own Golden Retriever.

She had a decent start, finding an excellent scripter who set

her up with a simple „follow‟ script for her animals. Her first

vending location was in a little mall. Not long after, Mash

Mandala of Depoz, asked her to setup shop and be a part of

the Depoz Sim. Her sales really began to take off, the best

seller being the toy Poodle.

Since those first creations, Penny has redone the animals

several times. In addition to „follow‟ they now „sit‟, „lie

down‟, „sleep‟, „speak‟, „play dead‟, offer a paw as if to

shake , and several other natural movements as well. They

have a broad menu system that is very easy to use. Owners

can also set control of the pets to include friends. Penny‟s

personal favorites are the Golden Retriever and the Toucan;

they are lots of fun.

Penny’s Dogs, Pets & Wildlife

What I noticed about Penny‟s Pets was the large variety.

Any breed, color, or species you could imagine is already

there! Penny wants readers to know that she has well over

100 AKC breeds, also, if buyers want a mix breed and can

supply a clear photograph, she can create it at no additional

cost. That‟s remarkable!

Penny and I talked in depth about customer service and the

developmental process of businesses in Second Life. Many

business owners tend to forget what being a consumer is

like. Penny prides herself in offering personalized services

and is willing to assist all customers that have inquiries or

concerns with any of her products. She strives to make each

customer happy by offering unrivaled customer service.

More of that is needed everywhere, including Second Life!

A friend of Penny‟s told her that she is a Velocity Girl, ex-

plaining that “In the gaming community, there are people

who play the game, and then there are those that make the

game better for others.” She is indeed a Velocity Girl!

We walked around her store and I was amazed at the diverse

selection she has. She shared with me that she loves the

sounds they make and that finding the accurate sounds for

each animal was very enjoyable.

With their anniversary coming up, Penny is anxious to start

making improvements to the inventory as well as creating

new pets and other novelties for the Holidays.

You can visit Penny‟s Pets location in the region of Papercut

(34,66,24), as well as viewing her creations on Xstreet . All

of Penny‟s animals are transferrable and she also offers gift-

wrapping. A great gift idea! Be sure to stop by and tell

Penny that you read about her in Virtual Living Magazine.

Written By: Synthetyc Summers, Virtual Magazine

In honor of World AIDS Day

2009 , Teann Bellic, Caspian

Inglewood invite you to participate

in a two day concert event to raise

money for Maitri Compassionate

Care, a 24 hour hospice care center for men and women with

AIDS ( http://www.maitrisf.org ) and The Stephen Lewis Founda-

tion who supports community-based organizations in Africa and

provides care to women and children who are living with

HIV/AIDS.

( http://www.stephenlewisfoundation.org).

http://stephenlewisfoundation.akaraisin.com/p/WADnSLevent.aspx

The event will be held November 27 & 28, 2009 at

Kannonji Zen Retreat from 12 pm SLT to 12 am

SLT.

According to international AIDS charity Avert's website an

estimated 33 million people in the world are living with HIV or

AIDS with over 2 million being children under the age of 15.

These statistics are shocking and saddening, this is truly a world

epidemic.

We hope to not only raise money for two amazing

organizations but to also raise awareness. We've agreed to host

this event in SL the weekend prior to World AIDS Day which is

officially December 1, 2009 in the hopes to do just that, raise

more awareness.

Teann Bellic, Caspian Inglewood & The WAD event crew

Authentic Business in Second Life

Permit me to introduce namsssab1nad Piers and his Real Life

business, Trendway! Since February of this year, „Nams,‟ as his

friends call him, is utilizing Second Life as a springboard for his

real life business, Fenwick Business Solutions, Inc.

The Trendway showroom is located on the Aura sim, at

Simplicity Designs, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Aura/78/230/22.

Trendway has been in business for 40 years and is leading the

industry in workplace design, dependability and functionality. Their

portfolio of products, are tailored to the needs of healthcare, govern-

ment, and commercial office environments, with proven, guaranteed

products to outfit complete workplaces and assist in streamlining the

constantly changing facility management. Among their vast product

lines are included but not limited to; office systems, architectural

walls, filing and storage, and seating. All designed with utmost

functionality and elegance in mind. (http://www.trendway.com).

Namssab1nad Piers started working with Trendway 6 years ago. It

was only good business sense to bring his RL work into SL. In his

showroom, he has built some of the products offered by Trendway; i.e.

desks, office cubicles, conference table, all are textured to give a

realistic visual of Trendway‟s product line. Nams will have RL

customers log in to SL, visit his showroom and not only see, but can

get a full description of his products through note cards. Most of the

office systems include the ability to incorporate cabling for electrical,

data outlets and phones. Billing is simple; it comes directly from the

Trendway factory with one invoice for the product(s) and one for the

installation. Nams also does installation upon request, following all

required civil codes.

The builds in his showroom use actual fabrics and textures that

Nams had made by taking a 2 dimensional photo/texture, then

converting it to 3D with the help of Google sketch-up

(http://sketchup.google.com). Namssab1nad Piers shared that in build-

ing furniture in-world, he had to take into account avatar height ratios.

For instance, this writer‟s avatar is over 7ft tall, if equated to RL

height. Hence, in building his furniture it is not a simple

conversion process, but is more time consuming and takes additional

effort to make certain each creation on display is just right!

Even though this is primarily a RL business, he does also sell his

products for in-world offices that are looking for desks, chairs, confer-

ence tables, partitions, etc. Nams recently hired someone to assist

with customer service to assure anyone stopping in to shop, or visit

will be assisted with any questions and potential purchases! Be sure to

stop by and check out Trendway and say “hello” to Nams. He‟s

looking forward to meeting you and showing you his superb products;

tell him that Charlene sent you.

FENWICK BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC.

FENWICK BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, INC.

The horror stories of the

wedding planner being a no

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