The Follet Chronicle

My Heart Skiped A Beat

2011-09-14T18:54:00.008+01:00

Heart Skips a Beat by Olly Murs featuring Rizzle Kicks

Video shot at Mile End Skate Park in East London, watch out for the awesome Hula Hooping :-))

Hula Girl

Skinny Love

2011-09-13T17:35:00.005+01:00

Skinny Love - Birdie

One Big Family

2011-07-11T15:45:00.007+01:00

One Big Family sung by Templecloud

Happy Birthday Canada

2011-06-30T18:35:00.000+01:00

Canada on Stage at Canada Day in London 2011 by Canadian Blast

The Beauty Of Maps

2011-06-26T19:39:00.003+01:00

A Chat With The 50 Foot Woman

2011-05-29T15:35:00.002+01:00

Playing Guitar With Shasta

2011-05-16T16:09:00.007+01:00

Last night Ed performed on guitar with other SL musicians as the backing band for popular singer Shasta Soulstar. The concert at the Beacon Hotel Ballroom was being recorded by Up4Rux Productions (Up4 Dawes & Rux Anatra). Watch this space for the completed machinima but as a taste here is a previous Up4Rux/Shasta video.

Oh England My Lionheart

2011-04-23T10:17:00.004+01:00

Kate Bush - Oh England My Lionheart

The song is about a spitfire pilot thinking about his country and all the things he loves about it, while he hurtles to the ground in flames.

Candy

2011-03-24T20:35:00.009Z

Candy

Darling, I'll bathe your skin, I'll even wash your clothes
Just give me some candy before I go
Oh darling, I'll kiss your eyes and lay you down on your rug

Just give me some candy after my hug, oh

Oh, and I'll be there waiting for you

Oh, I'll be there waiting for you

All the angels and their halos

All they do is keep me waiting and waiting

Paolo Nutini

Best Rockstar

2011-02-15T23:31:00.001Z

Valentine's Ball

2011-02-13T01:59:00.025Z

The New West End Club was fantastically transformed by Clive last night into a magnificent Ice Palace for this year's Valentine's Ball. Thanks also to DJ Janis and Host Cute and all the beautifully attired ladies (and gentlemen) for a most wonderful and enjoyable event.

Janis played this strangely haunting song at the Ball, it was used in a Volkswagen TV ad in 2002 and later in the film 'Wicker Park' (2004). I found this longer Live version of the song by Matt Hales (Aqualung) on YouTube.

Someone Like You

2011-02-04T13:20:00.011Z

Adele Live

Sometimes it lasts in love...

but sometimes it hurts instead :-(

You Tube here

Can Can at the New West End Club in SL

2011-01-16T01:40:00.002Z

Shaken... Not Stirred!

2010-10-28T19:00:00.001+01:00

Don't Let Go....

2010-09-30T21:12:00.008+01:00

Not such a 'Wonderful Life'

Princess of pop Kylie's beautiful but haunting version of the hit by Hurts.

Tally Ho!

2010-09-15T19:41:00.006+01:00

I have decided to repost this picture because it is actually today that we celebrate as Battle of Britain day, recognising the heroism and sacrifice of the young pilots referred to by Winston Churchill as the 'Few'. The 15th September is considered to have been the turning point in the great aerial battles of the summer of 1940, after which the Luftwaffe could no longer be expected to gain the air superiority over southern England that it needed for a successful invasion. But it was not the end of the bloody campaign which officially ran on until the 31st of October, however from the German viewpoint the end didn't come until the spring of 1941 with Hitler's invasion of Russia and the transfer of his forces to the Eastern front. The intervening period became known as the night 'Blitz' when the Nazi's attempted to bomb Britain into submission by targeting its cities and their civilian populations.

Isobel at 'After Bits'

2010-09-06T21:22:00.001+01:00

Last Pictures of Ambrose

2010-09-06T21:15:00.001+01:00

Farewell to Ambrose

2010-08-26T17:35:00.000+01:00

Testing Ed's New Camera - Hibiscus at the NWEC

2010-08-22T02:15:00.002+01:00

Waiting

2010-08-08T11:27:00.001+01:00

Been away from home for such a long time...

2010-07-13T19:18:00.012+01:00

I guess when you have been listening to music for as long as I have, it might be difficult to pick out an all time favourite song ... but for me that's easy! - it's always going to be this one :-)

Little River Band - It's a Long Way There

An awesome live performance - God Bless YouTube :-))

The full version with Stephen Housden's fantastic guitar solo is here (8 1/2 minutes)

For a heavy dose of 70s nostalgia (and poster art) watch this video

LRB - From the country that brought you Kylie, Fosters and Edna Everage!

Groovin' at Janis's 'Hangout'

2010-07-13T00:17:00.006+01:00

Left click on pictures to enlarge

Better Than Love?

2010-07-03T03:27:00.009+01:00

(Trailer for...)

Better Than Love by Hurts

Video of Ed's favourite tune of the moment has a very Second Life feel about it... surreal I guess

(Awesome Electro dance LightsoverLA remix)

This an amazing Piano version

UK National Armed Forces Day - 26 June 2010

2010-06-26T10:55:00.008+01:00

Armed Forces' Day
(formerly Veterans' Day) in the United Kingdom is an annual event celebrated in June to commemorate the service of men and women in the British Armed Services. Unlike the US Veterans day it is not a public holiday.

The date of 26 June is chosen because it is the anniversary of the first investiture of the Victoria Cross, in Hyde Park, London, on 26 June 1857. As of 2009 the name was changed to raise additional awareness and appreciation for those currently on active service in Afghanistan.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2010-06-21T02:09:00.008+01:00

The occurrence of Midsummer is celebrated in most countries of the Northern Hemisphere. It can be either on the solstice like the pagan sunrise ceremony at Stonehenge, or the Christianised holiday a few days later at the year quarter celebrating the nativity of St John the Baptist (born 6 months before Jesus Christ).

Some people say fairies dance at midnight on Midsummers eve. While Ed and Isobel were at Stonehenge in sl a fairy did appear miraculously.

Ooohh.... That's a nice picture

2010-06-19T02:30:00.009+01:00

Lady Ga Ga plays the beach Club at Tropical Harmony.

Girl band Burning Bush on stage at the New London Village sim.

Ed and friend jamming in the Union Jack pub, Tropical Harmony.

An Invitation to DJ Janis's Hang Out Club

2010-05-30T20:22:00.005+01:00

DJ Janis Short has opened a fantastic new London themed club which Ed is very excited about.The club which is at The Hangout @ Butler's Wharf has a very unique and atmospheric feel to it and is sure to become a favourite venue for Ed and his friends. Butlers Wharf exists in real life London and was built in the late 1800s, at that time it was the largest tea warehouse in the world. After it fell in to disuse in the 1970s it became an important venue for early UK performance and video artists. Today it has been redeveloped into an area famous for its restaurants and leisure facilities. Ed wrote an article about the club for Virtually London (lite).

Coming Home

2010-05-23T15:57:00.014+01:00

Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling

Ed was wandering round a shopping mall when he heard this on the radio. The lyrics struck a chord with Ed and using the magic of SL he soon found the track on YouTube. This animation is amazing, although it's not SL it should be possible to achieve something similar with Machinima or better even!

The last Apollo mission to the moon blasted off on 7th December 1972. Today Shuttle launches have become routine but the sheer spectacle and excitement of the mighty Saturn 5 rocket rising from the pad is something that will not be forgotten by those who witnessed it.

Across the stratosphere... a final message,

"give my wife my love"... then nothing more.

Far beneath the ship... the world is mourning,

they don't realize... he's alive.

No one understands... but Major Tom sees,

now the life commands... this is my home.

I'm coming home.

There is an electronica version by Shiney Toy Guns here.

Doctor Who What You Gonna Do?

2010-05-18T17:28:00.002+01:00

Doctor Who - Parry Gripp

World Expo 2010 Machinima

2010-05-07T20:46:00.009+01:00

Lady Carmagnolle from Bryn Oh 5:10 minutes

A character from Bryn Oh's SL sim Immersiva

with a wonderful piano backing track and a Limerick!

Lady Carmagnolle was a lonely soul,

who drew faces on rocks... and things.

She murmured soothing words...

pretending they were birds,

who had somehow lost their wings.

When the acid rain...

would wash away the stain...

of the faces upon her rocks,

she would gaze to the sky ...

happy tears in her eyes...

dreaming they had found a place..

in a flock. - Bryn Oh

Guess What?

2010-05-02T17:57:00.003+01:00

'I Am Not A Robot' by Marina & The Diamonds

Music is important in Ed's second Life and he likes this video by a lovely girl singer who reminds him a lot of Kate Bush. There are some great lines in the song... 'better to be hated than loved for something you are not'?

Queen Plays Tropical Drift

2010-05-02T03:01:00.002+01:00

The Queen Tribute band played on the beach at Tropical Drift sim last night. It was the best concert yet that Ed has attended in SL, a proper show that brought to life the magic of the finest rock band in the world.

Sexy Genes!!

2010-05-01T02:14:00.008+01:00

It was Friday evening and the end of another working week with a bank holiday weekend ahead. Ed made his way over to Tropical Harmony in search of some fun. He started off by meeting friends in the Union Jack pub where there was a DJ playing and a trivia quiz going on. Then on to the New West End Club (NWEC), a competition with the theme 'Sexy Jeans' was under way. Ed ripped the sleeves of his denim shirt, bared his chest and donned tattoos... sexy enough for you? Isobel obviously thought so because after another quick change into formal attire they moved on again to the Aragon ballroom and carried on danced until the sun came up.

Electro House

2010-04-29T22:13:00.004+01:00

Ed has discovered Electro House Music

Pendulum's ' Watercolour'.... Awesome!!

Trilogy Formation Dance Team

2010-04-25T07:02:00.017+01:00

One evening Ed arrived at the new West End Club (WEC) to find a real 'shindig' going on. Dance balls had been placed in lines and country-western music was being played

Ed dug out some cowboy duds from his inventory and was soon joined on the line by Hibs in a very fetching outfit. Janey and Drax also arrived (out of shot) with their dancing horses, however 'dressage' it was not!

Another opportunity to display nifty footwork arose at last nights latin evening and the team met the challenge. It didn't stay this co-ordinated for long, luckily Ed's boots have steel toe caps!

Nemo Rises

2010-04-21T21:22:00.007+01:00

Nemo is Sextan Shepherd's project of a Steampunk Submarine City

Click here for SLURL to visit in Second Life

From The Ashes... The New West End Club!

2010-04-06T02:34:00.007+01:00

The West End club is Brie and Seany's new venture on the Tropical Drift sim. Most of the old UGC DJs and Hosts have also relocated to the new venue, which along with a pub, ballroom and beach club will provide entertainment for a new community. There will be plenty of shopping facilities too, no need for Ed to go far to spend those L$ won from competitions or the 'sploder'.

Continuing a UGC custom and celebrating the opening, the West End Girls (and boys) took out their guitars and rocked the doors off, led by DJ Gen on drums.

The End of the UGC

2010-04-03T20:20:00.006+01:00

The UGC is no more. This picture was taken by Ed shortly before the club vanished, as things in SL are very apt to do. In the picture are most of the UGC staff of DJs and Hostesses.

Ed's First Rezday

2010-03-16T03:05:00.010Z

To-day Ed celebrated his first rez-day, 12 months since his avatar rendered for the very first time at the London Gateway in the Hyde Park sim. His good friends at the UGC kindly decorated the club and provided a huge cake, Ed particularly thanks Brie and Seany but also DJ Janis and host Nahiram for a mega party.

Most of Ed's friends dropped by to join the fun, Isobel was wearing a cute outfit for a 'Best in Blue' competition. Ed thanks everyone for their cards, presents and good wishes.

After the UGC closed the party moved on to another club, BG’s Bistro on the Port Jefferson sim. Here Ed's friend DJ Gen was also celebrating a rezday, her second. This party had a 70's Disco theme and was an amazing riot of colour.

As Ed finally flopped into bed he remembered all of the lovely people who have made his first year in SL such a wonderful experience, none more so than his reporter chums Janey and Hibiscus. Thank you to everybody, this was without doubt the best day of Ed’s Second Life so far.

2010 Formula 1 Grand Prix Bahrain

2010-03-13T12:34:00.004Z

Ed congratulates Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) on qualifying for pole position at tomorrows race.

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

2010-03-09T12:49:00.005Z

Ed found this video (a primative form of machinima) on the SL blog and thinks the idea of humans pretending to be avatars is highly amusing, lol. They will never be handsome enough and just look at those puny underdeveloped bodies!

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

Gamesmanship In Second Life

2010-02-28T02:35:00.013Z

A photographic competition is being held in the Knightsbridge sim, as reported by Janey Bracken for Virtually London (lite). The first prize is a generous L$5000, equivalent to $20 US at current SL rates of exchange. It is also about six months wages or one months rent for Ed ??? That's why he has to sell his body, err... I mean he has to enter the themed competitions in the UGC, lol. Naturally Ed took a nice snapshot and posted his entry with the others in the Knightsbridge Gallery.

Ed dropped by the gallery on a couple of occasions to see how many votes he had received, the current totals are displayed on the boards next to the pictures. Each time there was a crowd of avatars milling around the boards but not voting or in any apparent hurry to leave. Ed decided to hang around and see what was occurring. A discussion was going on and one of the avs, who was also the photographer with the highest number of votes, was explaining that he had sent a note-card to his whole friends list offering to TP them there in order to vote for him. Not strictly against the rules, the major political parties do a similar thing in elections when desperate for votes. However Ed feels this is very unsporting and not at all British, but then why should he expect it to be? An example of gamesmanship in SL, Ed thinks that everyone reading this should protest. And they can do so simply by dropping into the Knightsbridge Gallery and clicking on a picture, preferably the one above the name Ed Follet, ha ha .

Wot! No UGC?

2010-02-23T00:15:00.006Z

Ed met with major disappointment to-night, for the first time that he could remember the UGC was closed all night. Occasionally in the past DJ's have not been able to get in for their individual 2-hour stints, but Ed can't recall the last time when none of the scheduled DJs have turned up.

Ed has been sorting his photos and came across this image, which has helped cheer him up. It was taken towards the end of one of DJ Gens sets, when as often happens, an amusing object or gesture is pulled from someone’s inventory and shared around. The object in this case was a Kangaroo, which was 'worn' and gave the appearance of being ridden. Added to this was a bouncing dance gesture with UGC beanie hats and the result - an hilarious antipodean scene, the only thing missing being the corks swinging from the hats, rotfl!!!

Love Songs and Bad Hair

2010-01-28T02:21:00.003Z

DJ Janis's set on Wednesday nights at the UGC is known as 'Love Songs', an excuse for everyone to dress up and look 'glam'. Lovely Nahiram was hosting this week and wearing the most gorgeous dress (in Eds humble opinion).

Ed has a nice tux and wishes he could wear it more often. He danced the evening away with Sarah and Isobel and other regular visitors at the Underground club.

The previous evening a competition for 'Best Demo Hair' was run during DJ Genevieve's set. Gen had a swan nesting in her bouffant style hair.

Ed was pleased he had kept hold of some demo beards but couldn't match them with the ginger centre parted style he chose as the 'best' worst hair in his inventory.

Bee Gees and Under the Sea

2010-01-25T18:41:00.002Z

Recreations

2010-01-22T01:41:00.003Z

Pillow Fight with Am at UGC Pyjama Party

In Isobel's Rickshaw

Meditating at Tempura Island Sim

Ambrose Island

2010-01-14T12:43:00.024Z

Ed's home is on the beautiful island sim called Ambrose. The land he rents covers about a quarter of the eastern shore (about 1/16th of the sim overall) and he has lived there for about 4 months now. The sim owner is a lovely female avatar called Vbinnia Radek, Ed has become good friends with 'Vb' and her close companion Melody who both also have homes on Ambrose.

One of Ed's joys is riding around the the Ambrose fore-shore, either on a motorcycle or his faithful old steed Dobbin. There is amazingly variety of terrain, vegetation and buildings on different parts of the island, reflecting the diversity of the tenants and their ideas of the perfect home or retreat. A network of paths and waterways intersect the various parcels of land ensuring free movement and preventing adjacent builds from encroaching on each other.

Although Ambrose has no specific theme, Vb herself follows the SL style of ‘Victorian Steampunk’. This is a sub-culture best described as a meeting of technology and romance, and is set in a world where steam power is still widely used. It is full of fantastic inventions like those found in the books of HG Wells and Jules Verne, Vb is also an aviatrix and shares Ed's fondness for flying. Having declared Ambrose an aviator friendly sim, her home in 'the Quarry' resembles an airship hangar. Vb's own Ambrose information pages can be viewed here.

Melody's mansion covers a large area in the south western corner of the island and seems to be continually evolving. The most recent additions being an archaeological dig in a newly discovered amphitheatre and the Victorian glasshouse complex. Read about Melody's home in her own words here.

Next to the quarry is Ambrose Mountain, an area provided by Vb for the enjoyment of everyone including visitors. The stiff climb to the top is well worth the effort for the stunning panoramas at the viewing points of all parts of the sim. It's Ed's favourite place in SL when he is looking for a little solitude, especially at sunrise or sunset. Ed considers that he was very fortunate to have been invited to make his home on Ambrose, because it is probably the best residential sim on the grid.

Swimming with Seals (and a Mermaid!)

2010-01-11T00:46:00.023Z

Ed was taking it easy to-day after the frolics of the previous night. His friend Amourette is building a new house and Ed paid a visit to see how she was getting on. They arranged to meet later for a swim at the Haven of Rogues sim, which is actually one of an estate of four aquatically themed regions.

Ed dusted off his Scuba gear which until now has n't seen a lot of use, and Am donned her Mermaids tail. There were a few wrecks to explore and the usual shoals of fish, but by using pose-balls you are able to swim with a family of seals. There is lots more to see and plenty of fun to be had, so Ed will probably be returning before long.

After a break Ed called up his friend Hibiscus and invited himself over to her place in the Victoriana sim. In the picturesque harbour area, Hibs has opened a gallery selling art with an office and rooms above. Ed admired the delightful period furniture and other lovely objects which Hibs has acquired. Ed could n't resist bashing out Chopsticks on the old Joanna, lol.

Returning to the Underground Club, Ed socialised awhile with his friends until it closed. Just as his thoughts were turning towards bed, he received a note saying a Metallica concert was about to start. Ed reluctantly (oh yeh!) TP'd over to the Extasia (adult) sim. So what Ed thought was going to be dull time, turned out to be an enjoyable and fun packed day. Thanks to all of his Second Life friends.

1970s Retro Night

2010-01-10T03:28:00.009Z

There was a very 70s feel about SL London last night as an ABBA tribute concert was performed in the Kensington Building. Ed dug out a paisley shirt and matching kipper tie from a folder lurking at the bottom of his inventory. Thanks to Brie and Seany for a terrific show.

Hibiscus at the Abba tribute concert in SL Kensington

After the concert the fun moved to a street party just round the corner outside the Greyhound pub. DJ Gen, assisted by Hostess Cute played a set consisting entirely of 70's records. Absolutely Fab, was the only thing Ed could say.

A Night To Remember

2010-01-08T02:32:00.014Z

After the previous disappointment Ed didn't hold out much hope of success in another UGC competition, but entered last nights 'Best in winter clothes' event anyway. To his great surprise and not a little embarrassment, he won! For the second night running Ed received a vampire bite request from a female, blonds obviously do have more fun it seems.

Earlier Ed had visited the Titanic sim. The 100th anniversary of the disaster will occur during April 2012. This static Titanic has mostly a shopping theme although there is a small museum on board, also a very nice club and a swimming pool. Overall it seems an accurate representation of the famous ship, the 4th dummy funnel correctly absent of smoke. Many visiting avatars will recreate the famous pose from the 1997 film at the bows of the ship.

Blond Moment

2010-01-07T12:38:00.020Z

Ed decided to enter the 'Best in Blond' competition at the UGC last night but unwisely didn't read the instructions on the hair dye bottle, well he is a 'typical male' avatar. Now it looks like he is stuck with his new blonde locks. To add insult to injury he didn't get even a single vote!

The Second Life grid was unaccessible for a period to day due to maintenance. Ed has been wanting to create jet engine flames for his aircraft for a while, so he used the time to watch a SL tutorial about 'Particle Effects'. He then TP'd over to the Particle Lab sim to pick up the necessary scripts, and after a few adjustments to the parameters he was pleased with the results.

The Primstar

More Machinima, a tale with a Christmas theme about Second Life builders... it contains a tutorial about making 5 pointed stars with prims and sculpties. Compliments of the Second Life blog, Enjoy!

Second Life's Tallest

2010-01-05T08:11:00.022Z

The new tallest building in the RL world was officially opened yesterday 4^th Jan 2010. The Burj Khalifa Hotel in Dubai rises to 828 meters (2,717 ft or just over 1/2 mile) and has 168 floors. It is an amazing 319 meters taller than the old record holder, the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan.

Ed decided to find and visit the tallest building or structure in Second Life. Although search reveals there is no Burj Khalifa (Burj is Arabic for tower), there is the Burj Al Arab, another luxury hotel. Famous in RL for having the world's most expensive hotel rooms, it is also in Dubai and is known as the ‘Arab Sail’ because of it's shape.

Ed had a quick look round the hotel, riding the lift to the 10th floor, but at 260 meters tall, this 'Burj' is unlikely to be tallest building in SL. There was an interesting looking club on a boat called 'White Eagle' moored next door and Ed will be back some point to investigate that.

So what is the highest object in SL? The answer was as simple as typing 'tallest' into search which quickly pointed to The Tallest Structure In SL

Ed was there in a flash to find himself in a sandbox on the Second Life Campus sim, and this impressive edifice in front of him. Having scrambled to the top, Ed glanced at his dashboard to find out his altitude. Ed thinks he knows the answer, but what was the question?

More Machinima

2010-01-04T15:00:00.006Z

Love of Lothlorien

Machinima is not something you come across much day to day in Second Life which is a pity. Almost anyone can make their own films because all the tools you need are there. Here is another example, not by SL professionals this time, but equally brilliant.

Apologies to anyone who has already found this link. Other great films from the National University of Singapore can be accessed from the right hand panel in You Tube.

Inspiration

2010-01-04T01:22:00.011Z

Trilogy Group members 2010: Ed Follet, Janey Bracken, Hibiscus Hastings (Boye Jervil & Pixi Piers not shown)

Impressions (Right click and open in new window to play on You Tube)

A favourite example of Machinima - the ultimate imaginative and creative art in Second Life

Out With the Old, In With ....?

2010-01-01T11:14:00.030Z

Ed was up bright and early this first morning taking what will probably be his last look round the London sims for a while. There's virtually no ' lag' at this time of day and Ed quite enjoyed himself flying at pavement level around the deserted streets. It reminded him of his carefree days as a young av when that dreaded word was rarely spoken in the capital. But then, as with second life in general you tend only to remember the good times.

Ed was partying hard last night, first with his friends at the UGC where he saw in the New Year, then moving on to the Coach and Horses pub for their fireworks display before returning to the UGC until it closed. However, Ed wasn't ready for bed quite yet. Opening his map to look for other likely places to continue the revelry, he settled on a familiar one, the Blarney pub in SL Dublin where an 'all-niter ' was under way.

Sadly Ed didn't get a single hug or kiss over the entire festive season. He did however, get some wonderful gifts and had a joyful time in the company of his friends, so he doesn't feel unloved. The year's end is usually a time not only to reflect, but also to look ahead. Ed has resolved to spend less 'unproductive time' in world. He really wants to get back to being creative and learning new SL skills. Although he will continue writing and is grateful for all the help he has received, Ed has felt for a while now that his second life is getting a bit too repetitive. So to-day he repacks his inventory and moves on.

And there's a hand my trusty fiere,

And gie's a hand o thine

And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang sine.

The Seven Wonders in Second Life

2009-12-18T00:12:00.033Z

Ed has decided that he would like to see the Seven Wonders of the World. That's not possible in the real life now of course, but is it possible in Second Life?

There are two or more different list of Wonders of the World to consider, one is the seven wonders of the ancient world, and another the seven wonders of the medieval world. The first thing to decide is whether to use just one of the lists, or a combination of locations from both.

While Ed was thinking about that PBK started searching SL and found a full scale representation of Stonehenge , an ancient monument sure enough and one that is on the medieval wonders list. By a coincidence, Monday December 21st was the Winter Solstice in the real world. Ed grabbed his camera and TP'd over for a look.

The Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. The Solstice was also known as the‘Yule’ and this is the origin of many customs and traditions of Christmas.

In real life the winter solstice this year occurred at 5:12pm local time, after the sun had gone down. Ed was able to use SL's magic to create a sunset to photograph, he also reported the solstice for 'Our virtual Trilogy', have a read for more information.

Remembering

2009-12-16T12:19:00.009Z

Ed had a solumn duty to perform to-day. PBK wanted to spend some quiet time reflecting and remembering, so they returned to Ed's home on Ambrose. There Ed has been building a model to serve as a memorial to 5 young lives lost on this day 30 years ago. The model is of a 24 pounder muzzle loading gun, mounted on a Koehler depression carriage. This was a weapon used by British artillery batteries during the Great Siege of Gibraltar from 1779 -83, it has a special meaning to PBK.

Keith, Alan, William (Paddy), Simon and Peter Grundy

Ordinary guys who did an extraordinary job.

To-day Is The First Day ...

2009-12-15T02:03:00.022Z

Today is the first day of the rest of your life', a famous wall poster used to proclaim. Ed was 'hanging out' at the UGC Cafe as had become a habit of late. He was feeling a little bit sorry for himself and thinking he had become a rather sad avatar. He seemed to be spending all of his second life within the 5 London sims, an area of little more than a quarter of a square kilometer. This wasn't what Ed was about, this isn't what Second Life is about. Ed needed to get out more.

Ed selected a location at random from the Showcase menu and TP'd there straight away. It was called Artic Greenhouse and what a lucky and inspiring choice. Ed had never before seen the Aurora, the incredible celestial display of moving streamers and bands of coloured lights, greens, reds, blues and violets. These are caused by particles of the solar winds striking the gravity fields in the Ionosphere high above the Earth. This was the kind of unnatural beauty that Ed knew existed in Second Life, but he had been looking in the wrong place.

The greenhouse at the centre of the sim also contains beauty of a smaller, more exquisite type. It is a retail outlet selling flowers, each one an genuine original work of art. Also available are green plants in pots for both inside and outdoors use. The creator of this wonderful place is SL resident Logan Bauer.

Today had indeed turned out to be the first day of the rest of Ed Follet's life.

Big Musical Weekend

2009-12-13T07:32:00.013Z

With the final countdown to Christmas under way, all the stops are being pulled out in the London sims to provide quality entertainment for visitors. On Friday night Ed went along to the first of the seasons parties being held in the new Westminister sim. The venue was a club called 'Comptons' and musical performances were from an all UK line up which varied from blues guitar to jazz saxophone.

The Underground Clubs new cafe was officially opened on Saturday evening with a gig in the club from singer/guitarist Maximillion Kleene. Max has played London before and is obviously very popular with his distinctive voice. This was followed by the weekends main event, a Bon Jovi tribute from SL’s Bad Ampitude virtual rock band. The venue was a stage rezed 500 metres above the UGC in the Knightsbridge sim.

Bad Ampitude are a group of friends in SL, some are RL musicians, who act out live performances in tribute to a number of RL bands. They have already performed a Queen tribute in SL London back in October and will be doing a Beatles tribute next weekend. Ed reported on the Bon Jovi gig for Virtually London (lite).

One Sunday in Second Life

2009-11-30T17:48:00.057Z

On Sunday morning Ed received a SL London Group notice which said that a soapbox was being placed at ‘Speakers Corner’ in the Hyde Park sim. There was an invitation for residents with something to say to make use of it. In RL for more than 150 years, on any Sunday morning, people gather in small groups near the Marble Arch. There are those with opinions to air, those that want to listen and those who are just plain curious! Here you can see grassroots democracy in action. Previous patrons of Speakers Corner have included Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell, William Morris and many politicians.

Ed headed over and mounting the soapbox immediately became very animated (as you would expect!). He started off with a grumble about the holes in the roads at sim boundries, then went into a full rant about the 'tier' has to pay Governor Linden on his property, a stealth tax on prims he calls it.

Besides reporting SL London news on Virtually London (lite), Ed is also a contributor to the Our Virtual Trilogy blog. Having posted his first article about the Desired Dreams Air Museum, he decided to follow this up with an item about the largest airship in SL, The Pegasus Zepplin, and went to have a look on Sunday afternoon.

It's billed as a residential and vacation airship, offering a mature and sophisticated environment for relaxation and a romantic get away. Though visually impressive, it consists largely of accommodation and there was not a lot going on, most of the action happening inside the cabins no doubt. The designer/builder is SL legend Bill Stirling who is also responsible for the fabulous SS Galaxy cruise liner which Ed also plans to visit soon.

On Sunday evening Ed, Hibs and Janey went to the re-opening of the Greyhound Pub in SL Kensington, just a stones throw from the VL(l) office. The new host/landlady is Cutewillow Carlberg, a popular hostess from the Underground Club. Also along to offer support were UGC regulars Nils and Hotstuff, and Wiccy and Evie from the Coach & Horses pub in the Mayfair sim. Seany the Kensington sim manager, got everyone into the mood by giving away free samples of the entire cocktail menu. Amid much falling about even Janey ended up flat on her face, lol. Eventually guitars were produced, and Ed joined Hotsey and Wiccy jamming to the streamed rock music with Nils on the mic. Great fun and the first of many good nights hopefully to come at the 'Dog'. Best wishes and Good Luck to Cute and thanks to Janey for letting me use her photo below.

The Life of a Reporter In SL London

2009-11-24T23:15:00.030Z

Ed returned to the SL London sims on Friday after an absence of just over a week. He insists that there's no truth in rumours circulating that he was banned from Hyde Park for wearing a loud shirt or 'banged up' for fishing off Chelsea Bridge without a license. Actually Ed has been having connection problems, so you could say that he's been imprisoned in cyberspace. In fact it is possible for avatars to do porridge in SL. A quick SL search revealed 'The Terminal Island Correctional Facility', described as being ‘immersive prison role play in the ultimate setting of an island prison for women’. Ed is a long time fan of ‘Cell Block H’ and he's wondering if they need any extra staff. It could be a new twist to the story of the ‘Bird Man of Alcatraz’ lol. Ed reported on the Nickelback Tribute Concert on Saturday night for Virtually London (lite) . He was joined at the venue in SL London's Knightsbridge sim by his friends Janey and Hibiscus (also VL(l) reporters). Virtual pop concerts are becoming a big feature of SL London. So far Ed has seen Guns’n’Roses, Def Leppard (twice), Queen (briefly due to problems) and now Nickelback. More concerts are planned for the near future including the tribute bands of The Beatles, Abba, the Bee Gees and a return gig for Guns'n'Roses.

After a hard day chasing stories in SL London, with occasional forays to more distant sims, Ed likes to ‘chill’ at the ‘Underground Club’ (UGC) in SL Knightsbridge . The club is open every night, usually from 8 pm till 2 am, with 3 DJs each playing a 2 hour set. The club is very popular, with a regular crowd that Ed feels part of and everyone there, both staff and patrons are friendly and welcoming. Visitors are constantly popping in to see what's happening and then moving on, some returning later. You will hear a lot more about the UGC because it’s very much at the centre of Ed’s social life. He was in the club last night with Janey and Hibs, admiring the talent when a party of ‘Bunny Girls’ teleported in. Poor Ed's computer crashed in the mad scramble to get good snapshots, lol. Just one of the perils of being a news reporter in SL London.

This is Ed Follet

2009-11-04T00:35:00.018Z

This is the journal of Ed Follet, an avatar in the virtual world called Second Life (SL). Ed has been a member or 'resident' of SL since March 2009 and spends much of his time in the London regions (simulations known as sims). This is where his avatar was first rendered as a 3D object - 'rezed' in the SL vernacular. Ed has made friends in London and has found employment as a reporter for Virtual London (lite) - a news blog.

Like all SL avatars, Ed has only artificial intelligence. He is guided in the things he does by an anonymous benefactor who ensures Ed has enough Linden dollars (L$), the SL currency, to spend on the things he likes. The benefactor is known to Ed as PBK and has also provided him with a 'parcel' of virtual land and a house to call his home. Here, and on a second parcel of rented virtual land, Ed can pursue his interests.

Almost every object in the SL virtual world has been created by its residents using tools available to them all. This content creation or 'building' is considered very important by Linden Labs (LL) the owners of SL. Ed is a creative avatar and aspires to become a competant builder. He is particularly interested in vehicles, especially aeroplanes and motorbikes.

Ed also has an eye for art and is grateful for the beautiful objects that abound in SL. He thinks nothing of traveling from one end of 'the grid' (the SL world) to the other in order to capture them with 'snapshots' or simply to appreciate and enjoy.

Ed is generally a quiet, thoughtful and observant type of avatar, unlike many of his male peers, who he says are overdeveloped extroverts. He spends much time pondering the meaning of his second life but can also be humourous and enjoys music and dancing, good discussion and banter with his friends.

In this journal, PBK will be recounting Ed's experiences and adventures with some of his observations and ideas. He hopes the reader will find them perhaps thought provoking and maybe amusing but certainly entertaining. He welcomes your comments.