Unveiling, II

UNVEILING, II
As said previously, we will only give the bare minimum, as an outline or index of the
book. To this end, we will use a notation system as follows.
*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*
[1] Numbers in brackets reference page numbers in the book.

 Chapter One Titles in bold text are the same as in the book.

[Rev 1:4] Where Bible quotes are used in the book, we give only book, chapter:verse,
in brackets

APOKALUPSIS Words in blue, italic, caps are from the original, Greek version of the
Bible, followed by JJ's translation.

Ed: Note Notes, in red text, are not from the book. They are my own input and
will be used sparingly, if at all.

"The Unveiling" and other books by J J Dewey can be purchased at
www.freeread.com
That said, let us begin our synopsis of the book
*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*
[4]
PART I
Chapter One
Unveiling the Christ
[Rev 1:1-3] We begin with the opening verses and their meaning.
Revelation, from the Greek APOKALUPSIS, "revelation, be revealed, to lighten,
manifestation,coming and appearing.
It is derived from APOKALUPTO, "to take off the cover".
The real purpose  is to unveil Jesus Christ and such will bring a blessing, not a curse.

The Creative Seven
[Rev 1:4]
Church, EKKLESIA, "called or gathered out"
Asia, ASU, "sunrise or light"

"...John is writing to the groups gathered out from darkness with an eye toward a
greater light."

Used 59 times, seven seems to be John's favorite number.

"Each of the seven churches is under the influence of one of the seven creative rays."
Seven stars, candlesticks, spirits before the thrown, colors in the rainbow and notes in
the musical scale. [5] The seven rays are as follows.

Ray One:
The ray of power, associated with God the Father, divided into Will, Power and
Purpose. Those who gravitate to government, leadership and positions of power are
often under the influence of this ray.

Ray Two:
The teaching ray, Son of the Father, ray of Love-Wisdom. Christ represents the
highest under this ray.

Ray Three:
Third member of the Godhead, called the Ray of Active Intelligence. Intellectuals,
abstract thinkers, philosophers and mathematician are influenced by this ray.

Ray Four:
The Ray of Harmony through Conflict, stimulates creative energies in us.

Ray Five:
The Ray of Science or Concrete Knowledge, influences people to search for solid
provable answers to their questions.

Ray Six:
The Ray of Devotion or Idealism, has been the dominate ray amoung humanity over
the past two thousand years and is ruled by Pisces. These people devote
themselves to an ideal and are often religious, but not always.

Ray Seven:
This ray governs ceremonial law and order, or organizations. This governs the Age of
Aquarius that we are now entering. These people take interest in ceremony, not just
religious, but family and various organizations.

[7]
The Hidden Christ
[Rev 1:7]
This verse mentions that those that pierced Him will see Him, when he returns. Since
it's been 2000 years, the only way for that to happen is by reincarnation, so the Bible
supports that teaching.

[Rev 1:9]
John calls himself our "companion".
The Greek word SUGKOINONOS, accurately translated is "joint participant".
Don't just read the book and be scared by it. Hear, keep and serve the Word and you
will be on the blessed team.

[8] John is writing from Patmos, meaning solid rock (Christ), above waters (emotions).
He hears a voice from behind (internal), not in front (external)
coming from One Like the Son of Man
John is not talking with Jesus. It is one like, HOMOIOS, "resembling or corresponding
to. John is one with higher mind, so he speaks God's words.
[9] describes what the divine being looks like, using symbols which are explained
here.
The Sword of God describes the two edged sword as the word of God. It cuts to
the heart all who receive it.
Ed:The first sentence JJ ever wrote to me, had that effect 

[10] [Rev 1:17-18] this explains falling to the ground, as dead, and how action (labor)
overcomes fear.

The Seven
[Rev 1:20]
Setting up to review the messages to the seven churches, we first define;
Angel, from the Greek AGGELOS, "messenger"
and
Church, from EKKLESIA, "called or gathered out"
We'll get into the messages in the next installment.

to be continued....

Unveiling, I

UNVEILING, I 

This is the start of a series of blogs which will serve as a synopsis of the book, "The
Unveiling", by J.J.Dewey. It is not intended to duplicate the book. We will only give the
bare minimum, as an outline or index of the book, in the hope that readers will
become interested in Mr. Dewey's writings, purchase and read his books and perhaps
join his online classroom at http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Keysters/info .

PREFACE TO THE PREFACE
Before starting to write this series, I kept asking myself why was I trying to undertake
such a project. I was already spending much of my time writing articles for SL Newser
and was planning to utilize my developing writing skills to promote public interest in
Pneumatic Crystal Lattice construction, a technique for building floating cities, which I
have been experimenting with for most of my adult life. My plate already seemed
pretty full, so why did I want to attempt to explain JJ's book, which attempts to explain
St. John's book, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ"?

I wrote JJ to get permission to reproduce portions of the book, which is Copyright
2012. After receiving his permission, I read the preface again, for the third time. This
time, however, there was a profound difference. It was like a bright light was now
shining on the page.

Joseph Dewey and I became friends a little over 15 years ago, when I read his book,
"The Immortal" and asked if I could start an internet classroom, wherein he could
teach the group. He gave permission and said it should be called "The Keys of
Knowledge". The group is still going strong and in 15 years he has written enough to
fill a bookshelf. His first post was on the topic of the Teacher/Student relationship.
Using me as an example, he said that, in our relationship, he was the teacher and I the
student, but sometimes we switched roles. Oddly enough, I have often sensed,
intuitively, that we have been team mates in previous lives. The feeling was
reinforced, as I read the preface and discovered we have both had a profound
interest in the book of Revelations, for the same 40 years.

The Revelation, or unveiling, is divided into three sections.
1) Chapters 1-3 contain instructions to those who have experienced the birth of the
Christ within and seek to become sons of God, disciples and initiates.
2) Chapters 4-13 are instructions to the disciple or initiate who has been successful in
holding the mind steady in the light to the extent that he is dedicated to becoming like
his Master, the Christ.
3) Chapters 14-22 tells what happens after the initiate becomes as his Master.

To be continued....

Unveiling project, invites musicians

A work in progress :)

PXL based seasteading

PXL raft weighing 236lb., supports 17 tons

PXL in a bubble - self portrait

Ocean farm community, perspective view

Farm, top view

Open water areas allow sunlight to water

Solo residence, showing mixed elements

Building hot air balloon

New series promo

I like this book and will challenge myself to present the material, using Second Life avatars and scenery

The Unveiling - The Path of the Disciple

The real meaning of the Book of Revelation is nothing like students have been taught
but contains teachings in symbolic code disguised as an end of the world scenario to
insure it would be included in the canon as we now have it. These teachings,
previously hidden from view, tell the aspiring disciple how to tread the path that the
Master has outlined. This is why the book was called the “Unveiling of Jesus Christ,”
commonly mistranslated as “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” - or in short “The Book
of Revelation.”

Christmas Message 2013

This was from my old friend J.J. and I just wanted to share it
++++++++++++++++++++

DECEMBER 25, 2013 BY JOSEPH DEWEY

The Hands of God
Don had been a believer in God and accepted Jesus as his Son. He had always tried to speak positive of living the good Christian life, which would lead to peace and happiness in this world and the next.

Now, for the first time in his life he doubted everything. He was on the verge of totally rejecting God, Christ, sacrifice, salvation, love – the whole works – anything associated with all that he embraced in the past.

Here it was Christmas eve and he was all alone reflecting on the terrible year it had been. January was a shock because he didn’t get the promotion that he deserved. Then in April when he was expecting a raise he received a cut in salary, In June he had a car accident that laid him in the hospital with the insurance only paying part of the expenses. In September he realized he was hooked on pain killers. In November his wife had an affair and when confronted she asked for a divorce. It didn’t help that she pointed out that she had now found a real man.

Now to top it all off, on this day, Christmas eve, he was fired from his job where he had been a faithful employee for 20 years. Yes, reflecting on this terrible year filled him with unspeakable rage. He felt like cursing God with such language that would make hell itself shutter. He raised his fist, looked to the sky and was about to lash out at God for being so unloving, uncaring and basically one mean SOB for not giving a damn about him. He was thinking that since God couldn’t possibly be this negligent that he must not exist at all.

Just as he was about to utter the most destructive words of his life he hesitated and could not bring himself to curse his Lord. Instead, he fell to the floor crying like a baby with great sorrow speaking these desperate words:

“Oh, Lord my God! Are you really there? Are you the God of love or just a tormentor laughing at my misery? If you love me, then where is it, because I feel nothing.”

Don just lay on the floor sobbing and feeling sorry for himself until it seemed that he fell asleep. In that place of twilight where he was not sure if he was asleep or awake he heard a gentle voice speaking his name. He looked up and to his amazement his Lord stood in front of him. This beautiful being grabbed Don’s hand and said, “Arise,” as he lifted him up. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

“For starters, you an answer some questions. How can God be looked upon as loving or even good when He allows so much suffering? My life over the past year has been a living hell and even though I have prayed regularly God has done nothing for me. I’ve felt completely abandoned.”

“Come let me show you something,” said the Master. He waved his hand in the direction of the wall and suddenly an image appeared. Don looked and saw a child in a hospital bed awaiting surgery to save his life. He was terrified. Then his mother entered the room and caressed him with love only a mother can give while speaking comforting words. The child was then at peace as he entered the operating room.

The physician looked at the child before him and thought that this could be his own in different circumstances and proceeded with all diligence and skill to save him. The child recovered to live a full life.

“Look again,” he said.

This time he saw a soldier in Afghanistan who had just survived a deadly firefight. He was wounded and dying with thoughts of meeting his Lord when villagers who didn’t even speak English came to assist him and saved his life at great peril to their own.

“One more time,” said the Master.

This time Don saw a man at the end of his rope on the edge of a bridge preparing to jump. He was given an insight into his life and Don had to admit that his life was in worse shape than his own. Just as he was about to jump he heard the soft voice of a young lady who approached him.

“Please don’t do this my friend. Life is good and there is much to live for.”
“I have nothing to live for. My life is horrible and no one cares.”
The lady reached out her hand, looked him in the eye and said, “I care. Now take my hand and come with me.”

The words, “I care,” touched the man’s soul and he realized that he could not jump. He took her hand and began life anew.

The Master looked at Don and spoke, what do these three accounts have in common?

Don replied, “They are all examples of the neglect of God. If humans hadn’t come to assist, the three people would have died.”

“Listen and learn the truth,” said the Master. “Humans are in the image of God and as reflections of Him they are his hands and vessels of love upon the earth. It is the responsibility of the Sons and Daughters of God to manifest the love of God on the earth. When the mother lovingly comforted her child, I was there. When the surgeon saved his life I was guiding his hands. When the villagers saved the soldier, I was in their hearts and when the lady stretched out her caring hand, I was stretching mine also.

“The Love of God cannot be comprehended except through caring and kindness from other humans who are instruments in the hands of God.”

“Well, the hands of God didn’t do much for me.”

“They did more than you realize,” said the Master. “Look again.”

Don looked and he saw a review of his life over the past year. He saw that when he was denied the promotion that his friend Jim reached out to him and spent time with him to lift his spirits.

When he didn’t get the promotion he was in a terrible mood and his wife did her best to comfort and assure him. Instead of appreciating it he lashed out and complained about everything. This led her to seek comfort from another man.

When Don had the accident he saw that he was operated on by the hands of a caring physician who saved his life. When he got hooked on painkillers friends and family counseled him. Then when his wife left him his friend Jim was there for him again.

The Master spoke, “The Love of God has been with you through the whole year, but you saw it not, neither did you understand.”

“I see your point,” said Don, “and am ready to change my attitude. The problem is that I am feeling terrible over losing my job, on top of everything else, and there is no one to cheer me up. Are you going to send me one of the helping hands?”

“I will send a helping hand,” said the Master. “Take one more look.”

The image of a young man caught Don’s attention. As he looked closely he realized it was his own son, lying in bed staring at the ceiling with tears in his eyes. Somehow Don understood his feelings. During this whole terrible year his son did his best to comfort his father and sought to spend time with him. Don was always too busy or preoccupied. He had heard that his Dad lost his job and was contemplating visiting him but was afraid Don would be drowning in sorrow and anger and brush him off.

Don saw that his son was thinking of happier times and was wishing he could share some happiness with his Dad again just one more time.

As the image faded Don spoke, “I didn’t realize the void my own child feels because of a lack of love and that this love must come from me. I must be the helping hand that you will send.”

“Correct,” said the Master. “It is now your turn to be the hands, head and heart of God. Go to your son and fill his heart with joy. Heal your son and you will heal yourself and once more you will believe in the reality of the love of God.”

Don went to his son and they embraced, shared old stories and touched each other’s hearts. Both were healed. Don began to take attention off himself and sought to bring comfort to others. As he did this he realized that he was one of the hands of God and the servants of God are continually nourished with the love of God.

Oh, and it wasn’t long before someone who he helped, assisted him in return and gave him a lead that led to a good jobwhich also led to finding a wonderful woman as a companion.

Their happy home has this message stuck on their refrigerator: “We are the hands and the heart of God, seeking to manifest the Love of God.”

 

Copyright by J J Dewey 2013

Tudor Rose

Tudor Rose, land of Elizabeth I

secondlife://ROSEMONT/100/194/23

We found this sim to be very captivating, for three main reasons. The first thing that got our attention was the incredibly detailed architecture. We made many return trips here, with the excuse that there was one more building to be seen, or more of the interior of one we had. Even as we write this article, there is need to pause and return for added detail and inspiration.

The other reason for needing so many visits is another of the items that made this place so captivating. In four years of exploring Second life, this sim broke the record, for having the lowest frames per second of any sim we have been to. The rate varied, but on one visit our meter read .08FPS. Needless to say, I had to log off and try again later. On our last visit, the viewer went crazy and we could only escape by pulling the plug on the computer and doing a complete restart.

When Sha began SL, she would dance at Escort Oasis, most nights. There were up to 50 people in the club. She could listen to the music stream, had voice and could watch media, all without any lag. Why is it, with four more years of developing technology, are we now reduced to rubbing two sticks together, to get a fire?

The third thing that made this exploration interesting has to do with history. This sim represents the late 16th century, London, England. The shops and homes are all two story, Tudor style buildings. Towering over them, like twin mountains, are the cathedral and castle. It is clear that, in this time period, a very few ruled over the population and controled their lives and resources. Over and over, we found ourselves thinking, this would not have been a time or place that we would want to live in. This inspired an internet search on the life and times of Queen Elizabeth, which proved to be as entertaining as the visits to the sim.

Elizabeth Tudor  9/7/1522-3/24/1603
Contrary to popular belief, the idea of hell and what it is like was developed by early Christians and reached it's peak in the dark ages of Europe. Introducing these ideas created fears, which helped win converts and give leaders more authority over the ignorant masses. These ideas did not come from scripture. They reached their peak through poets, like Dante, with his book, "The Inferno". With fear pushed to the limit, mankind revolted and protestantism and the Renaissance were the result. When Elizabeth was queen, in the mid-renaissance, Europe was still a fearful place. Countries feared each other and Protestants and Cathilics treatment of  contrary beliefs was anything but Christian. That a single woman could not only survive, but also rule her country and guide it on a relatively middle path is as miraculous as modern history gets.

A guru once told us that individuals that cause us the most grief are the source of our greatest growth. Will this laggy sim be as inspiring to you as it was to us? There's only one way to find out. Visit Tudor Rose, land of Elizabeth I.

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
from your friend,
Sha

Steamed Custard

Steamed Custard

secondlife://CUSTARD%2520DEVELOPMENTS/197/202/2000

While he was still dressed for the part, we sent Josh to yet another Steampunk location. Starting 2000 meters up, in the middle of a tangled nexus, where map and compass are useless, you might think our explorer would require some time to get his bearings. Not so. Like some kind of Dr. Who, he made a bee line for the most unusual feature on the sim, breadable penquins. Really? Have we now seen everything? Perhaps not. Turning about, shaking his head, with a big grin, Josh spots a shop with clothing and vehicles and heads for it. True to the period, the vendor display pictures are all in sepia tones. It will be a hard sell, for one accustomed to HD colored ads, but Josh needs a wardrobe and loves unusual vehicles, so scrolls through the entire catalog. The clothing didn't measure up to Blak Opal's, but they had some great vehicles, two of which were only $1 each, so guess who added to his garage.

At the next area, a female robot, carrying a tray of drinks, offered refreshments and conversation. He had read that there were robots here, so this seemed quite natural. Shortly thereafter, he found a shop that sells that model and a host of others, either avatar or autonomous styles, including classics like R2D2, Buck Roger's "Twiki" (bidibidibidi) and the one from Space Family Robinson (danger Will Robinson...). There were also some nice park areas and a multi-level freebie shop. All of this, so far, was in the sky, on interconnected floating platforms. Having seen a sign announcing land for rent, Josh jumped off to go have a look at ground level.

Joshua's new $1 Gaslit Runner

Back on terra firma, we find the land office, some homes and more breadable penquin areas. Having seen everything, Josh returns home to Sunweaver Bay to open and test drive his new rides. Since Josh and Sha do most of their exploring late at night, they seldom meet residents, so can't say much about the social scene. We can say; there was no lag and there were lots of new, unique, interesting things to see. It is an enjoyable, entertaining adventure. We give it thumbs up and recomend it to our readers.

$1 Cloud Rider, pulling up along side H.M.A.S. Little Dove

LPPneo

LPP neo

secondlife://LPP%2520NEO/183/88/22

This location seems to be a real paradox. On the one hand, it is one of the newest sims around, and yet it looks like a civilization, left in ruin by waves of rising sea levels. The Destination Guide gives only a brief description.

"From the fallen lighthouse to the marooned submarine and flooded railway, this house of steampunk style survives amidst a drowned region that is well worth exploring."

At first sight, our eyes tell us that almost all of the three connected sims are covered in water, leaving little else to be seen. Soon, our sixth sense begins to draw us in deeper. Perhaps the water is telling us that there is a great mystery to be found and solved, hidden from our eyes, just beneath the surface. We will need to focus our eyes and look for subtle clues.

A picture is worth a thousand words. This article has been richly illustrated, to assist your preparations in your quest for the truth.

When given a map view, in Destination Guide, we see only the three sims of LPP, Studio4D and Club Zain. When we spot this local map, titled "Water Lost World Project", we have to ask where the lost sim is. Calling the phantom real estate "Endless" doesn't fit either. Endless implies always was, always will be. What premature pralaya has removed all but the idea of this, so called, Endless sim?

When we arrived, on a dock in LPP, there was a submarine moored before us. Before it could be examined, it sank beneath the water. Our original plan included using a boat or sub, to explore the area, but further research revealed this U-boat occupies the only channel, deep enough for a ship, and it is blocked at both ends and too narrow to turn around in. It is truly marooned, but still has some life left to it. 

Near by, we find the remains of a fallen light house. It's beacon still shines and rotates, telling us to look around, to learn more of the story. The scene hints at how the land became covered by water. Only a fool would blame this on global warming. Melting ice caps would take years to cover the island with water and allow residents time to build higher. A tsunami could destroy buildings, but the ground water would all drain off in a day. If real life geology can be applied to SL, we must conclude that this sim has been the victim of an earthquake, which has lowered the land (subducted), perhaps by 10 meters, leaving only the hill tops.

If you keep to the paths, between the sparse attractions on these sims, you'll keep your powder dry. Stray a bit and you'll wish you had worn hip boots or a wet suit. There are almost no shopping places here. The main shop has clothing for women and a black ops suit or two for men, but the prices are high, so even Sha would avoid going there. This shop, for Cyber Dolls, has some unique and well textured outfits. It's worth a look, even if you don't buy.

We head North from LPP, along the flooded railway, to Studio4D. The sim is almost entirely covered with a shop that sells dance animations. We tried a few, but at more than twice the price of most, quickly headed for the last sim in the group. The largest structure on the Club Zain sim is called the Main Floor and seems to be built, on stilts, to accomodate for the water. Inside, it's like a mix of dance club and TV studio. It reminds one of the sort of place where shows like "Soul Train" or "American Band Stand" would be recorded.

Just North of the Main Floor building, there is another postdiluvian structure, called the Stadium. It has a large dance floor, made of clear glass, flanked by enough bleacher seating to accomodate all the people that have visited this site, since it's beginning. Music is provided by a state of the art DJ booth, with a crate of vinyl albums and more CD titles than Walmarts stocks. In the center of the dance floor, there is a group of blue and green prims, which, at first seem to be a senseless clutter. As we pan our camera around, we begin to see that there is some planning involved in their placement.

A Puzzle

Moving the camera up, for a birds-eye view, we can see these prims have been arranged to form a symbol which is communicating some kind of message. The prims are placed on three levels, which we can study, in an attempt to decipher the symbol. At ground level, 15 blue triangles, all pointing the same direction, are arranged into a large triangle, broken up by progressively smaller ones, all pointed in the same direction. We don't know, yet, which of three directions our attention is being pointed in. About one meter above the floor, three green triangles sit above the blue ones on the floor. This way of "highlighting" tells us to look in the direction of the DJ booth. Higher still, we find 12 green bullets, arranged in a circle, all pointed to it's center. Had they been spaced equally around the circle, they might suggest a clock face or time. These bullets have left a gap from 10:30 to 12:00, which could mean either the time has not arrived or has been cut short. We are being given a message about this DJ, or perhaps DJs in general. Either their time has yet to come or it has been cut short. We will need more clues, to get the whole story.

The thing is, everywhere you go, there are odd things, found strewn about, that could be another clue. In writing this article, we returned many times to see things that we had passed before, thinking them odd but unimportant, but now that the puzzle was being pieced together, they began to fit and fill in more detail. The return visits also turned up new things that hadn't been seen before. In SL, when you click on a door, it opens. We found two doors, one on the ground and the other on the base of the abandoned bridge. They should not have opened to anything, but when clicked gave the message that we were not allowed to enter. Knowing that there were no others on the sims, we used the cam to pan around to the backside of the doors and find a chair or pose ball to sit on and poof, we were inside forbiden areas and finding more clues. At the base of the bridge, this technique got us into the "Stray Sheep Diner". This is one of the most developed spots yet. It is very detailed and full of possible clues. It is difficult to understand why the doors are locked. We can only hope that entering doesn't get us banned.

We could tell you much more about this adventure, but our goal is to tempt readers into having adventures of their own. Test your Sherlock Holmes skills and solve the mystery of TPP neo.

Discovery

Discovery
Secondlife://pangea/242/147/22
This area of the Pangea sim is a theme park, with six attractions, dealing with, so called, areas of scientific interest. The attractions and approximate times are, Orbitron - 2 min., Space Mountain - 2 min., Journey to the Center of the Earth - 2 min., Time Keeper - 20-25 min., Voyage of the Nautilus - 10 min. and the Hyperion Cafe - 20-30 min.

It is uncertain how we found this location. Going to the Destination Guide, for more information, turned up nothing, even when using the SLURL, used to TP there.


Orbitron

This attraction, in the center of the theme park, is a merry-go-round, with multi-seat rockets, instead of horses. Sitting in it, a menu pops up, allowing ascending and descending options.

Space Mountain

Proceed to the boarding platform, click the blue box to rez a rail car and sit in it. It switches you to mouse-view and moves the car to firing position. Turns out, your car is the bullet, in a cannon, pointed at the moon.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Here, we board a rail car that seats six passengers. It automatically puts you in mouse-view, to give a real life feel to the ride. For the next 2 minutes, the car makes it's way through the twists and turns of a long tunnel, but we did not see any other features, as one would expect to find. It was a bit of a disappointment, but on the bright side, at least it was free.

Time Keeper

This attraction begins with entering a waiting room, with paintings on the walls and signs, informing you to turn media on and push start. This made us apprehensive, given that our limited computer usually warns of media plugin failure at this point. We were pleasantly surprised when a video began to play on the screen. We are introduced to our guide, Nine Eyes, a time traveling robot, with panoramic head cameras, who seemed nervous about the reliability of the time machine. The shows play every half hour and you have to wait for the doors to open. Inside the theater, there are rows of rails, instead of seats. We are surrounded by video screens, providing Nine Eye's panoramic view. The video was well produced and entertaining. You can tell, it was made professionally. At the end of the show, the doors opened and we headed for the next attraction.

Voyage of the Nautilus

For this one, you go down the stairs into a Nautilus submarine simulation. Beyond Captain Nemo's pipe organ, stools line the walls, each with it's own large port hole, to view the show outside.

Hyperion Cafe

There are no signs in front of this attraction, announcing what it is. You won't see a ticket booth or even an entry door. above what looks like an alley, the front end of a steampunk zeppelin protrudes. Passing under, we are in what appears to be the lobby of a movie theater. To the left, there's a snack bar, big enough to serve a crowd, with coffee and snacks for sale. The signs say, we are in `Cafe Hyperion'. There are old movie posters on the walls and signs, reminding you to turn on and start media. Facing the main screen, there are rows of traditional seats and, in the balcony, there are cafe tables and chairs. The video was spectacular and confirmed the suspicion that this sim has a Disney connection. A Las Vegas style fountain serves as a projection screen for Christmas light show and songs, by characters from the new Disney movie, `Frozen'.

Returning home, with a Cheshire cat smile and both thumbs up, we report, Discovery is a `must see' and be sure to bring the mate and cubbies to this wonderful Christmas spectacular.

Neo Victoria

Neo Victoria

secondlife://NEOVICTORIA/18/129/700

In recent months, the Newser has had some great articles on Steampunk communities, like Caledon and Steelhead. Reviewing the Destination Guide, Josh discovered a collection of other Steampunk communities, ranging in size from two to thirteen sims. Names and addresses were gathered into a notecard and he began exploring each of them.

After touring the first four, beleaguered by lag and yearning to yawn, it began to look like his report would be titled "adventures in adversity". While it was true, he had noted a point or two of interest at each location, there are only so many ways to say, it was beautifully, ornately textured, but beyond my meager budget to buy. Such a list would not be something he, or Sha, would be willing to sign their name to.

Thank gods and faies, our next stop proved to be an adventure, worthy of a story of it's own. Landing in Neo Victoria, we find ourselves in the visitors center, where me must prepare for what lies below.

By it's own definition, Neo Victoria is, "Dark roleplay, Steampunk style - A small community of gifted artists, working together to bring their stories out of Second Life, into the world of the real".
Avatars of all types and species are permitted, as long as they are not "cartooney"; Cayote is OK, Wile E. Cayote is not. Orientation and shopping is in the sky. The two, ground level sims serve as home for members and a film lot for Machinima videos. If you are not a member, or out of character, you can visit ground level, but must get and wear the OOC (out of character) tag. To engage in roleplay, one must conform to the local story line. No cross story lines are allowed. As a means of learning the lifestyle, notecards are given as you walk down the dark halls that lead to the TP to ground level. Alternatively, there is a web site, giving more details and samples of their videos at www.NeoVictoria.net . They also have a web site for members only, which has community news and personal pages for each member.

Other factors that made Neo Victoria a great place to explore were, no doubt, the bi-product of using the sims for making videos. There are fewer mesh scenery objects, making it almost lag free. They also allow you to rez things there, with auto-return after 15 minutes. Using this, I rezzed my airship, for a birds eye view and saw the entire place, in far greater detail than was possible at other places visited.

Sunweaver Bay Time Travel

Sunweaver Bay Time Travel

Sunweaver Bay's newest resident, Joshua Xavier, stands atop Sha Hill, surveying the many changes that have been added, since Becky Shamen first moved there, as one of it's first and longest residents. Like the Bay, Josh has evolved. His creation started as an experiment of Sha's, to prove that SL males could do as well as it's females, finding Love and Lindens Dollars. Like Sha, he is, alternately, human and furry. Having recently become his own man, with a seperate SL account, he will continue to share Sha's home and duties, as an explorer and writer for the Newser. While touring the Steampunk collective of Mieville, he found a shop called "Who's Who", on the Wells sim, and bought the multicolored scarf, worn by the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker. The making of this photo, to show off his new lion avi and outfit, served as the inspiration for writing about the evolution of Sunweaver Bay.

At one time, Sha had a castle on Sunweaver Air sim, connected to the West side of Sunweaver Space, within sight of Club Cutlass. After retiring from exotic dance and hearing rumors of the sim going away, she moved to low rent areas elsewhere, to cut down on expenses. With the creation of Sunweaver Bay, she returned to rent a lot and had her choice of locations. At that time, there was very little there, so she chose the hilltop at the west end of the bay, for it's panaroramic view. Then, as now, there were few neighbors, but the view has evolved considerably, to attract more renters.

Looking East from Sha's Place, we get a good sample of the scenic additions that have become a part of the sim, in the short time we have been a resident. On the right we see, at 11 floors and 88 meters tall, The Sunweaver Bay Apartments. Speaking of taking up lots of air space, check out H.M.A.S. Little Dove, which nearly cuts the sim in half, at the same altitude as the top of the apartments. Adding to the skyline, we see a Tesla tower and a lighthouse. At ground level, there are a variety of trees, bushes and flowers, and waterfalls in every direction. The bay now serves as a harbor for seagoing vessels, suggesting that this sim is the starting point for adventure. Now under construction, a monorail system will soon connect all the sims in Sunweaver Estates.

All of the improvements have indeed made Sunweaver Bay a very desireable place to live, but, for Sha and Josh, there was an unexpected draw back. Having a computer and router, which we are told is the minimum of what is needed for Second Life, made the sim too laggy for us. To resolve the conflict, without moving from her beloved home, Sha built a platform, 1000 meters above her lot and moved her house and furniture up, to enjoy lag-free living. Alas, at that altitude, she no longer had the beautiful scenic view from her windows. To compensate for the loss, she surrounded the platform with walls, with mountain scenery texture. That improved the view, but, explorer that she is, it gave her claustrophobia. Meanwhile, Josh was shopping on Marketplace for a free airship to explore with and found a zeppelin skybox, that would fit Sha's lot, for a mere L$5. The new abode provided an unexpected plus. The external view was replaced with an interior, that even Captain Nemo would approve of. Upon seeing it, the fire chief pronounced it the coolest home he had ever seen in SL. What's more, the new arrangement used less of Sha's prim allowance. With the previous house, there were only 10 prims left. Now she has 30 in reserve.

Josh, on his own

This is the new member of my avatar family. His name is Joshua Xavier, but it didn't start out that way. He began as an alternative costume for Sha, after hearing from males that it was so much easier for females in Second Life. Like wearing a furry, she would wear him and go about experiencing the flip side. The problem was, the disguise had one flaw, in that, even when attempting a made up name tag, people could still see the real name of Becky. To get around this, a second account was opened, using the gender-free name, Bach Shamen.. Bach made a great start as a man and even attracted some girl friends, As Sha's younger brother, he lacked a mission of his own and was caught up in fulfilling the dreams of other males, making money and finding love. After proving that SL men could make money and date pretty women, he returned to the nest, so to speak, by becoming Sha's sister, almost a twin, save a darker shade of hair. For a while, they worked at the same club, on alternate nights. Since the computer could only handle one at a time and there was little difference between them, Bach soon fell out of use.

When Sha became a news reporter and adopting characters to fit the sims  and lifestyles of the places being explored, it began to make sense that some stories are best told from a female perspective, while others from the male's. Sha's male avatar was dusted off and used in two stories, as a narrator for topics that required no exploration to write and were suited for a more authoritative speaker. By using trick photography, the two could even seem to be two separate people. He was given the name Joshua Xavier, to give maximum polarity from his progenitor. 

When a new account was opened, Sha donated L$3000, to let him shop for macho clothing, like airship captain, knight in shining armor, and leather jackets. Perhaps there will even be a motorcycle in his future. As yet, there is no sharp line between what stories will be taken by Sha and Josh, but in general he will gravitate to the science/philosophy, mental end of the spectrum, while Sha shops the feelings, desires, heart side of the street. It will be an educational experience for their player/writer (moi), developing the flip sides of the coin.

Other Cyclops on the net

Having told of being inspired my a book, called "Eternal Words", by J.J. Dewey [ISBN 0-9665053-4-4], I tried my hand at making a cyclops and it even inspired a contest, with a L$3,000 prize. I began to wonder if I was the only person that ever tried to create an attractive cyclops, so I Googled it and found quite a few images. None, so far are avatars, but here are a few that impressed me.

bigcman321-turanga-leela

This artist did an upgrade on Leela, from Futurerama.

Cyclops-Baby-34602

Awww, who doesn't think babys are cute?

bob-staake-cyclops-kitten

A children's book for 25 cents. How old is that?

Mother-Child-Cyclops-34612

Makes me wonder, do cyclops babies cry half as much?

cyclops-girl-2

I guess they grow up just as fast.

Cyclops (1)

Would you be her friend, on Facebook?

dan-hillier-cyclops

He looks horny

Roy-Orbison-34589

I like his music. Never knew he was a cyclops.

Tom-Cruise-Cyclops-34629

Oh great! What next, Angelina Jolie?

Angelina-Jolie-Cyclops-69614

Me and my big mouth.

Cyclops-Toys-in-Toy Story

To infinity and beyond? I think that's a good place to stop.

Happiness vs/ Joy

Although often used interchangeably, happiness and joy are not the same thing. We get happiness when some measure of our desires have been satiated. In a way, this is much like an addiction to drugs. There is no end to the things we can desire, hence full happiness is always out of our reach.

Joy, on the other hand, comes when we perceive that great, eternal force, which is at the heart of everything that exists in in the universe. To experience joy, we need only look within ourselves, others or anything else that matters to us. Happiness, like a carrot on a stick, might always be just out of reach, but the source of joy is always with us and can never be taken away.

In our previous story, about harmony through conflict, being unhappy was robbing my attention to the point that only the joy of being a resident kept me from all out war. If I had fought to keep things that made me happy, it would have soon erroded my ability to find inner joy. Neither fight or flight (moving to another sim) was the joyful answer, so I looked for a solution, within.

I knew, at higher elevations and other places on the sim, there was less lag, but also the view out my windows would be lost. I built a platform, 1000 meters above my house and found it to be lag free. To provide a view, I walled it with scenic prims, which I could put any picture I wanted on. They are transparent from outside and scenic inside. Next, I moved my house and all of the furniture to the new location. I even added a gazebo, with a campfire and comfy chairs.

Now, I have the same home, with a view that is even better than what I had on the ground and much less lag. On the ground, I get an average of 0.7 FPS (frames per second), which is like watching a slide show. Now my FPS is between 10 to 20 times faster. That's better than any other place I've seen in SL. So now, I still live in the same house, on the same lot, but without the things that took away from happiness and joy.

To help remind me of this solution, I have added two prims behind my desk. Outside the window, a prim has the texture of a castle, built on higher ground, overlooking a beautiful view. To the left, there is a photo of the leaning tower, which was made straight by hanging the frame tilted. These two symbols will always remind me that, when things aren't going in a happy direction, the answer lies within me.

Joy and happiness restored, having solved my conflict, I wanted to share my joy with my neighbors below. Instead of leaving my hilltop lot bare, I planted a grove of palm trees. I placed two chairs, overlooking the best view on the sim. The cross is a double symbol. It is a tombstone, marking the death of conflict and a reminder that joy is found by looking within to the eternal great powers that even the smallest bit of dirt contains.

Harmony through Conflict

I have been a student/teacher of ancient wisdom for 40 years. Wherever possible, I try to share a bit of what I have learned with others, in ways that are easier to understand than the books I have read. In the Newser, reporters are limited to writing about Second Life events, but I do what I can to get a nugget of truth in, here and there. There are few chances to devote an article to esoteric matters as the main topic. All that changed when SL Slapped me right in the face with a story, while I wasn't even looking for one. I'll give a brief idea of the direction we're going with a bit of esoterica, before we get to the way it played out in world.

It is written that, like the rainbow, the energy from which the universe is made comes in seven main colors, also known as rays. They are usually given in the same order and have Sanskrit names, which don't convey much meaning to modern, English speaking, people. They can best be defined as; Ray 1 Will or Power, Ray 2 Love-Wisdom, Ray 3 Active Creative Intelligence, Ray 4 Harmony through Conflict, Ray 5 Concrete Science or Knowledge, Ray 6 Idealism or Devotion and Ray 7 Order or Ceremonial Magic. We'll stop and leave you scratching your heads as to more details. We will be looking at how Ray 4 had a dramatic effect on life in the sim I call home.

I have, on several occasions, written about my home on the beautiful Sunweaver Bay sim. It is part of a group of sims, called Sunweaver Estates and I have made many dear friends there. One day, I saw a dear friend who also is a reporter for Newser, Kitacella, talking to the sim owner, Rita Mariner. I could tell, from a distance, that they were talking about renting a lot. Imagine my shock, to learn the next day that she had rented 16 lots and was filling them with large mesh scenery, that was seemingly causing unbearable amounts of lag. It had become impossible for me to even walk. Clicking the arrow key to move forward, it would take 10 seconds before I would move and then my av would go into weird movements, like running in place or turning in circles.

 In a panic, I sent an IM to Kitacella, asking her to cease her activity and remove the offending objects. My panic was mistaken as hostility and I was promptly banned from setting foot on her land. This only made the problem worse, because, in addition to lag, her land crossed the road that led to the fire station and home of my friend. What was a short walk, now involved flying to the other end of the sim, going across to the next sim flying back and crossing back into the home sim, or else doing a TP of just 100 meters. 

I sent an IM to the owner, explaining the problem, but got no response. Knowing, from experience, that help doesn't come until we have done all we can on our own, I began trying to contact the other residents on the sim. With the exception of myself and Albert, a.k.a. Bob, there is rarely more than 2 people on the sim at the same time. After talking to Bob, I walked around clicking on homes to find the owner's name and sending them IMs, asking if they had also been effected and wished to join in petitioning for a remedy. I had lost my serenity and the stress was getting to me in RL and SL. I worried that I would soon need to move to an isolated skybox, with no friends or neighbors near by, a fate worse than death. I was loosing sleep and skipping parties.

 I thought shopping might cheer me up, so I resolved to find and buy a unique new avatar. Money was no object. I would spend any amount to find peace. When I found a white alligator, my intuition told me there would be magic in it. I bought it and raced home to put it on. As soon as I had it on, the lack of sleep caught up with me and I resolved to get some rest and, when refreshed, buy a new outfit for it and go to the 80's theme party and show it off (and eat the competition).

Revived and recafeinated, I began by editing a photo of the alligators chest, for use with my Tango implants, then headed for the Marketplace to buy a new dress. Mission complete, I logged back into SL, to add implants and clothing to my new alligator. Little did I know, the rest of the day would be a rapid fire of related events. As I was admiring my avatar mods, I received an IM from Erik Mouse, one of the residents I had written. I flew over to his burrow, made friends and we chatted about the effects the lag was having on his land. He was concerned that a move, for him would be difficult, because he required 18 connected lots, which would be hard to find elsewhere. Before our conversation was finished, I received IMs from Bixyl, for whom both Kitacella and I worked and Nydia, one of the property managers of the sim. Nydia asked if I was free to come meet with her at Mouse Manner. I knew what the topic would be. I explained, to Erik, that she was on the other line and he said she was also talking with him. We agreed that, if needed, he would be available to join us and I TPed to the Manor. Arriving in her conference room, I found Bixyl was also there and Erik soon joined us. The four of us discussed the situation on the sim and what could be done to restore peace. I learned of the things that had caused Kitacella's reactions and that she was planning on making changes to reduce her impact on the sim. After a lengthy meeting, everyone agreed on the desire for peace and that each would do all they could to restore it. The meeting ended and each returned home, to prepare for the evening's events.

I attended the 80's theme party, at Cutlass, and shared many puns about being "a reptile dysfunction". During the event, Kitacella sent me an IM, saying she had removed the ban and would be making some changes at her property, after she got off work. At our earlier meeting, Nydia had asked if I would be online later in the evening, because I would be needed. Knowing this, as the party drew to a closing, I hurried back home, to see what would happen next. Arriving home, I could see on my mini-map that I had the sim to myself, so I tried on a few more outfits, to see what would look good on a busty alligator. Midway through a costume change, I received an IM from ODELL Avon, another of the residents I had sent messages to. Since we had not met before, I invited her to my house and we talked about the roles each of us played in SL. She explained that her dome, on the south side of the sim, was a gateway to her gaming sim that was being developed. She said that she was looking for ways to advertise it, so I told her of doing articles for the Newser, which included links that increased traffic to the sims written about. I gave her the URL to the Newser blog and, not being a gamer myself, checked and found Bix was online, so sent an IM, inviting him to join us. Getting no response, I explained that he was a busy fox and was likely AFK, so gave her his e-mail address, so that she could contact him on her own. ODELL went on to explain that she was also in need of hosts, to work at her sim. Knowing that Kitacella was a good host and under-employed, I suggested her as a candidate for the job. ODELL said Kitacella was now on the sim, so I sent her an IM, inviting her to come meet her neighbor and learn of the job she had to offer.

The three of us and Odell's pets met on the road that crossed Kit's land. Kit and ODELL had instant rapport with each other, fueled by their love of those little pet, which, to me, made as much sense as pet rocks. Upon learning that the job would pay a generous hourly rate, instead of tips, and that she could set her own hours, Kit was eager to apply for the position. ODELL gave her a folder, containing information about the gaming sim and an ap for the job. It looked like I had just made a perfect match, but at that point I crashed and had to relog. By the time I got back, I was alone again on the sim. At that point, I received a response to the IM, I had sent to Bix. I told him of all the events that had happened, since our meeting. We were both happy that the conflict had not only ended with harmony, it had also enriched the lives of all concerned. I told him, it looks like I had another story to tell, about the joys of living in Second Life.

 I hope my readers have enjoyed this story. In retrospect, it is hard to claim authorship of it. It seem more like a play, written by an invisible hand, in which I and the other actors entered, on que, spoke our lines flawlessly, and took our bows as the curtain closed.