Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One – The Hipster Fair

By DrFran Babcock

Thank you all for your kind response to the first Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One feature in SL Newser. Thanks to your response Desirée is motivated to find you more great ways to look super for less Lindens.

The Hipster Fair

That said, let’s waste no time talking about The Hipster Fair, located on the sim of Wonderful Cove (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wonderful%20Cove/172/202/25 ) is a celebration of creativity for residents and creators alike. In much the same way as the Hair Fair, there are gifts in almost every one of the over 100 shops. The gifts are either free or one Linden, and run the gamut from jewelry to clothing to shoes. If you can tolerate the lag, you can get some really worthy additions to your inventory.

The one drawback at these events is the lag. Most of the attendees are the bloggers and the fashionistas in Second Life™, therefore some planning is required. If you are determined to conquer the fair early on—it opened on January 22^nd—you need to do a few simple things.

First, the best time to visit is during the hours that are too late for the west coast of the USA, and too early for Europe, or about 2 AM SL. Unfortunately, you will still have competition from folks in Asia, but it’s the time when the least amount of residents are on.

Second, you are advised to decrease your own level of lag by wearing few scripts, few clothes, and few HUDs.  As noted above, the fashionistas are in heavy attendance at these events, and most of them would rather die than go without their intricate outfits and multiple attachments. Desirée is not as concerned, and usually goes to high-attendance events dressed simply. Some events (e.g. The Seasons Story) go as far as banning residents whose rendering costs (how much lag they cause) are too high. That is not the case at The Hipster Fair.

So, what goodies lie in store? All of the gifts below can be found in the small shops in The Hipster Fair, at the SLurl given above. Here is a small sampling. All of the items below are from The Hipster Fair and are one Linden or Free.

 As always, Desirée tries to pose in places that may be of interest, or are featured in the Second Life™ Destination Guide when she can (http://secondlife.com/destinations ):

Picture 1: Taken at Jasmine’s Hollow, a wonderfully romantic build with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fender/39/133/25/ )

BOOTS: noName Viola boots

DRESS: Sassy! Vintage Dress

NECKLACE: ArisAria – AA8 Pebbles Necklace, Earringscomes with a HUD to change to gold or silver, and change the color of the gem as well

EARRINGS: “DEW” – Hipster

STOCKINGS: Suicide Girls – Lily Socks Purple

BACKPACK: FreshFace – Sweet Candy Backpack

LIPSTICK: Mystic Canvas. This is a fat pack of over twenty lipsticks, most of which are very, very bright. This watermelon coloring is dedicated to Torley Linden.

POSE: ATELIER – Female Model

HAIR: (not from the Hipster Fair, but featured in the last article from the Lucky Board at D!VA (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CalanDiva/148/157/24/)

Picture 2: Taken at Floating Islands – Raft , an Eupalinos Ugajin Linden Endowment for the Arts build. This is an intricate and fun build to explore. (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA20/26/18/48/)

BODYSUIT: 1Hundred Breathless Bodysuit in Blue

SHORTS: “=AnDreChi+” Shorts

MUFFLER:J&A Hipster Scarf in Mesh, with male and female versions

STOCKINGS: Again, Suicide Girls – Lily Socks, but in black this time

Picture 3: 

This is a bunch of items, all of which are from Shanti Bohemian. The quality is only medium, but I like the Ganeesha statue. Everything you see: Ganeesha, Om symbol, carpet and mesh dress are in the gift.

Picture 4:

What would Second Life™ be without the presence of the Grumpy Cat? If you say “nothing,” then you will adore this cute top emblazoned with the curmudgeon of feline fame. You can get it in The Hipster Fair shop from SSW – a store whose full name can’t be printed here.

So, that’s the Hipster Fair freebie and dollarbie selection. The sim also has gacha machines and you can buy plenty of items from the stores. This event does not get Desirée’s highest recommendation, but it’s definitely worth it to come take a look. Also, the two sims mentioned  are most certainly meant for exploration.

DrFran Babcock

New Feature – Be a Noob, Just Don’t Look Like One

By DrFran Babcock

Welcome to this new feature, that will contain short blasts about freebies, group gifts, one Linden items, and lucky board prizes. Desirée is really excited to show you hints and tips so you can look like an oldbie even if you have only been on the grid a few months. Also, you don’t really have to be a noob to take advantage of some of these good buys.

There are a few simple things you can do to change your look from flat to fabulous. If you find a good skin alone, that will go a long way to improving your look.

Skin

Nothing identifies a noob more than a poor skin. The skins that come in the Linden Lab library, while better than they have ever been, are still a far cry from acceptable. You can join the Al Vulo group for free, and be treated to a monthly gift skin. The skin for January is just about the best I have ever seen, rivaling skins that cost 1000L or more. The Al Vulo kinder red brow fairy is a delightfully innocent skin, with a dazzling sprinkling of freckles. Visit Al Vulo here: (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ReMix%20Yo%20LIfe/128/128/2  ) and join the group. Touch the sign right at the landing point.

Eyes

The second thing that identifies a noob is eyes. There are a lot of ways to get nice eyes for free, but this time I will tell you about the wonderful HUD and free mesh eyes from KMADD (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kmadd%20Enterprise/72/107/5 ). You can change the eyes to about 35 different colors, and Desirée looks just perfect in the pale green version.

Hair

The third noob tip-off is how one’s hair looks. D!va  (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CalanDiva/148/157/25  ) always has free hair in their shop, and it’s always a keeper. The hair on the lucky board now is Kalli (Type B) in the delightful Ruby shade that is a trademark D!va color, delicately combining pink and red hair.

Makeup

OK, DrFran is not a big fan of makeup, but her girlfriends all agree that it really can change the look of an avatar. The lipstick on Desirée is a good example, It’s just subtle enough to change the lips without taking over the look of the face.  These Candy Lips are the Watermelon and Peach version. A whole bunch of soft colors is a group gift from CCM Cotton Candy Monster: (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//104/229/22 ). You have to join the group to get the gift, but it is a free join.

Clothes

There are more free clothes on the grid than anything else, but there is a lot of junk through which to sort. Desirée hopes to help you with this, understanding that everyone has their own taste, so mileage may vary.

A good place to start to look for free clothes is the FabFree Headquarters located at The Wash: (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Wash/81/145/25 ). The items displayed in the photo are just a small sampling of what is available:

Pants: Connors Knit Pants Winter Marine

Top: [AB] Mesh Denise Top Je t’aime

Necklace: Bliensen + MaiTai November Necklace

Shoes: Bliensen + MaiTai Slow Waltz Shoes

Conclusion

This freebie/newbie column could become very regular, because Desirée knows that folks are always looking for good things that don’t cost too much. Please show her some comment love, and the column will become a regular feature of the greatest SL journal on the grid. Peace out.

DrFran Babcock

The "Oh What The Future Holds" Hunt

By DrFran Babcock

The past year was a trying one for DrFran…unlucky in love, strapped with some financial woes, and destined to be another year older. The only break is the chance to go out and do a short little hunt or two to break the monotony of work, sleep, work, sleep. Of course, being too tired to hunt is a reality that means Desirée is going to be sent out for the task.

The Oh, What the Future Holds Hunt (OWTFH) is small enough to be completed in a short time, and the prizes are free. You are looking for a flat prim with a clock face on it, representing the passage of time and the future. The title of the hunt did not always match up with the prizes, but that’s of little consequence, because it’s really about the prizes. There was a nice mix of objects and clothes in this little hunt, and some stores that were different from the usual suspects.

Desirée not only hunted for the prizes, but set up her pictures at a few of the more interesting places in Second Life™. Here is what Desirée found: (SLurls will be provided this time, as they were available on the website.

Picture One – Taken at F R O S T (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Metropolis/135/221/24 )

Outfit: LC Designs (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Animus%20Dream/31/120/999  ) Gemini Suit – comes with jacket, skirt, and nice mesh boots.

Ear Jewelry: Tres Belle (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/JayJays%20Fantasy%20Land/31/178/3496 ) – What the future holds ear jewelry. These elaborate attachments come with a color change HUD to modify the beads on the ear.

Hair: A&A Nadira Hair Sunset (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wonderland%20Beach/160/113/24)

Picture Two – Taken at Rebecca Bashly’s Metales (http://metalesperformance.blogspot.com/)

Sweater with Shirt: Costarlos (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mortgage%20East/33/32/29 )

Picture Three – Taken at Amhas Cairn Gor (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Amhas%20Cairn/147/137/233 )

Dress: Rozymyndi’s (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rouse/111/229/37  ) OWTFH Dress – this is a very old school type dress without any mesh, but it has a nice ethereal look to it. Desirée did not venture into the Gor Role Play area, but the grounds around it were very pretty.

Picture Four: an assortment of objects from the hunt.

1.     Fireplace (no poses) eXplicite Desgins (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gigli%20Virtuosos/99/84/22 )
2.     Mini 3D Tardis and saying for your wall – Dahlywood (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dementor%20Isle/236/43/23 )
3.     Freeview TV (streams content into SL) : Rainbow Gallery (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Boreal/15/210/118 )

4.     Think Positive Animated Pictures – SANNA Science and Art (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/HalluciNation/111/127/3000 ) If you have never been to this store, I won’t spoil the surprise…just go.

Picture Five:

This is a really useful prize. This Stitches Creations (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bramptom%20Island/38/221/24 ) Texture Change Snowy scene is very versatile. You can adjust both the picture in the frame and the type of wood from which the frame is made. Desirée chose the Tompkins Square Park scene, because she’s a New Yorker.

Picture Six:

The last item in the hunt is a gigantic fun ride created by Kerhop Seattle of KerhopsInnovations (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Tustin/28/135/21). Kerhop is an old acquaintance of DrFran’s and their paths have crossed many times, most recently at Blender Classes at Ditko University (more about that another time). This prize is an awesome demonstration of the things that cam be accomplished in Second Life™. Perhaps it is best to let Kerhop describe the ride, in his own words, from the notecard packaged with the prize:

This single lap roller coaster features perfectly vertical climbs with swooping tilting where the visitor is flipped both upside-down and back right-side-up all with appropriate rolling-wheel and lift-hill sound effects. Inspired by first life "Screaming Squirrel" attractions featured around the world riders will smoothly move along the side-mounted track via non-Physics low impact scripts created with Vehicle Movement System V2 Low land impact vehicle created with both mesh and prims It has very minimal script impact, both when in use and not in use Images.

So, that’s the Oh, What the Future Holds Hunt—short, manageable, and with a nice assortment of prizes. The hunt runs until the 31^st of January.  For more information, and hints for the prizes: http://inkantationhunts.blogspot.com/p/owtfh-hint-and-slurl-list.html

See you on the hunt trail!

DrFran Babcock