Yes, Things Went Wrong (were you expecting they possibly wouldn’t?)

3/29/12  at 11:38 AM
Fans of Mr Biggins will be delighted to learn that Designing Worlds' latest visit to New Babbage is available on the web and yes, once again the hapless Biggins is caught up in another adventure as Saffia and Elrik try once again to make a Designing Worlds show about the beauties of the steampunk city of New Babbage!


 
This week we paid another visit to New Babbage, in the heart of Second Life's Steamlands, to take a tour of a most impressive build - at Piermont Landing, in the company of noted society host Mrs Breezy Carver Fabre. She told us about some forthcoming events and showed us around this fascinating building, which has a number of rather special features. We also hoped to have an opportunity to view the fabulous Carver Diamonds. And, of course, as this was New Babbage, we fully believed that nothing could possibly go wrong...

Piermont Landing in Wheatstone Waterways, New Babbage - photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Have you seen our other Babbage shows? There was that unpleasant business in the tunnels under the old Asylum. And, of course, there was that murder at the Burlesque – two murders, actually. And we shouldn’t forget our encounter with the Dark Mer in the waters off New Babbage. Or what happened when Elrik was mistaken for Sherlock Holmes. And, of course, most recently, how we were fortunately on hand to try to prevent the attempt to steal the New Babbage Christmas presents

Designing Worlds pays a visit to New Babbage – what could possibly go wrong?

3/26/12  at 2:59 AM
Designing Worlds poster for the New Babbage Show
Join us today, Monday 26th March at 2pm SLT in our beautiful studio in Garden of Dreams when we will be showing an exciting show to mark our return to New Babbage.

Of course, in the past there have been problems when we visited New Babbage. There was that unpleasant business in the tunnels under the old Asylum. And, of course, there was that murder at the Burlesque - two murders, actually. And we shouldn't forget our encounter with the Dark Mer in the waters off New Babbage. Or what happened when Elrik was mistaken for Sherlock Holmes. And, of course, most recently, how we were fortunately on hand to prevent the attempt to steal the New Babbage Christmas presents ... admittedly it was a little unfortunate that we allowed the urchins to steal them instead ...

But this time we are sure that nothing could possibly go wrong!

Piermont Landing in Wheatstone Waterways, New Babbage, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

 We'll be visiting Mrs Breezy Carver Fabre as she prepares for one of her fabulous Balls in the gorgeous Piermont Landing. We'll be exploring this great build and hearing some of the stories that lie behind it.

And, if we're very lucky, perhaps we'll be so fortunate as to see the fabulous Carver diamonds too!

The rooftop ballroom at Piermont Landing, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

It makes for a fascinating show – so do come and join us there at 2pm! And we are asking our guests to dress appropriately - Victorian or steampunk clothing if you can!

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show on http://treet.tv/live – where you can now chat with other audience members and even some of the participants during the show – or catch it later in the week on our shows page on the Treet.tv web site at http://treet.tv/shows/designingworlds – our very own version of the iPlayer!

A View of New Babbage, photograph by Wildstar Beaumont

Designing Worlds Returns to New Babbage Monday March 26th 2pmSLT

3/24/12  at 8:54 PM
Monday March 26th At  2pm SLT
Join  Designing Worlds  at Their Spectacular  Studio
Don't Miss this Wonderful Show and Unforgettable Episode

The Steamfitters Industrial Golden Ball

  at 9:09 AM
Piermont Landing Proudly Presents
The Steamfitters Industrial Golden Ball
All are Invited
To Night 
 


This Sunday! The Virtuous and the Playful

3/16/12  at 10:53 AM

Two intriguing events are offered this coming Sunday, March 18th - and if you are wishing to spend the day in well-rounded diversity, I believe these two events might bookend your day nicely.

Firstly, at 2pm the grand tradition of the Aether Salon continues. If you have never attended Salon, I encourage you to do so. Held once a month on the third Sunday, topics can range from the sublime to the absurd. You will find yourself both enlightened and entertained. Oh, and there's cake!

This month - Virtuosity! Steadman Kondor will be discussing artistic photography and its presentation in Second Life, and reflect on his personal journey as an artist without formal training.

The salon straddles two sims in order to accomodate a large crowd. Please join us at:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Academy%20of%20Industry/2/56/106
or
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Babbage%20Palisade/254/60/106

Later Sunday night from 8-9pm slt, put on those Prohibition era glad rags and skeedaddle over to the Java Jive in the decidedly Dieselpunk sim of Seraph City for a reunion of sorts! Many of you will remember the New Champagne Rooms with it's evening burlesque performances (always a 'tasteful tease'). The New Champagne Rooms were closed down by the local law enforcers for various violations (she says smiling, knowing this was all in the spirit of storytelling, and allowing for Ahnyanka Delphin to have some leisure, after many years of running the club.) Ahnya is now a co-partner at the Java Jive - a Jazz venue in Seraph City. But lately, she's been feeling the urge to get together a show, New Champagne Rooms style.

If you have never enjoyed seeing the Champagne Ladies on stage, do swing by! Everyone is welcome (well, perhaps not the kids!), but let me assure you, if you are, perhaps, a single woman who's ready to dismiss this event - don't. Every guest is special and will be treated as such! I think you'll have a fine time with these classy, sassy, fun ladies!

Æther Salon - Virtuosity!

3/15/12  at 5:28 AM
Steadman Kondor will be discussing artistic photography and its presentation in Second Life, and reflecting on his personal journey as an artist without formal training.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Academy%20of%20Industry/2/56/106
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Babbage%20Palisade/254/60/106

Start Date:
March 18, 2012 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm

New Babbage Invites You to the 2012 Oiling Festival

3/10/12  at 12:19 AM

Welcome to the 4th Annual New Babbage Oiling Festival! We hope you will have time to visit and build!

A message from Clockwinder Mosseveno Tenk, Mayor of New Babbage:

The Oiling Festival is a steampunk answer to spring cleaning, when we halt the factories to clean out the grit and grime of the previous year and perform our annual maintenance. All good citizens and visiting steamlanders are encouraged to roll up their sleeves, show their national pride, and participate! The original Oiling Festival was held in 2009 to add needed items to the city inventory and invite the greater steamlands to experience the Babbage way of life for a week. The drawbridges in Wheatstone Waterways, the city tartans, naval jack, the Sea Gate, and the palettes of bricks that appear at every build site and the crates of goods on the piers are all artifacts of previous Oiling Festivals.

Festival Opens at noon, Friday, March 9th. Building stops Saturday evening, March 24th, so we all have time to clean up for the Steamfitter's Industrial Gold Themed Ball at Piermont Landing.

You may use any building techinique at your disposal, including mesh. I encourage building in place to encourage sharing information and techniques, it helps everyone become a better builder.

Judging and walk around to admire the results will take place on Sunday, March 25th.

(To get a feel for what the Oiling Festival is all about, please enjoy this video of last year's festivities and a right nice photograph of a Big Honking Machine!)

YouTube: The Third New Babbage Oiling Festival

This years categories are:

CURRENCY
Sponsor: The First Security Bank of New Babbage
Land impact: 0
Prizes: eternal glory.

The Quatloo has been a topic of much discussion lately, as it is the coin of choice for which to make a wager. But did you know that the Quatloo is actually an archaic Imperial unit that is not in actually minted in the post-imperial New Babbage? Yes, its true, a quatloo is worth about... about....

And there's the problem. What is our currency called? The new? The old? What does it look like? Tell me a tall tale, it just might be true. The best elements presented will find thier way into an official wiki article in the Archives and become part of city lore.

Post your responses here

HAND TOOLS
Sponsor: Coffin Makers and Joiners Co-Operative Society
Land impact: 20
Prizes: 2000/1500/1000

This is New Babbage. Do I really need to explain this one? Tools should be ready-to-wear.

Place on central table in Tomonah Hall

HONKING BIG MACHINE
Sponsor: Mosseveno Tenk
Land impact 100
Prizes: L$ 3000/2000/1000

There's a certain sense of awe one gets when watching a monumental engine go through its paces - whether it's the massive pistons of an ocean liner's engine room or the elegant, massive power of a beam engine pumping water. So build one - it does't matter what it does, but it should move, be noisy, and be huge. An HBM will fit on a 25x25 meter platform, have a land impact of no more than 100, and must include operating instructions. Entry limited to platforms available. One entry per person. Build only on city provided platform, rez prim on platform to claim. IM Mosseveno Tenk if you need more platforms.

GROUP 1 - Academy of Industry, Builder's Square. 3 platforms

GROUP 2 - Port Babbage waterfront. 4 platforms

GROUP 3 - Clockhaven Harbor. 3 platforms

HOUSEBOATS
Sponsor: Consolate of Europa Wulfenbach
Land impact: 117
Prizes: L$3000/2000/1000

There is a serious lack of comfortable live-aboard boats and airships that are appropriate to the Steamlands. Build a houseboat with a land impact of 117 or less. Your boat must fit inside a 16x32 or 12x32 berth. Build only in marked berths. Claim your spot by rezzing a prim. There are phantom guides under the water to help you find your perimeter. DO NOT MAKE YOUR VESSEL A DRIVEABLE VEHICLE, there have been numerous object return accidents around town with people driving high prim airships over private parcels.

At the end of the festival. the berths with the vessels on them will be auctioned off for RFL. Two week of tier will go with the berths. It is entirely up to the builder on whether or not the vessel will be transfered to the winners of the auctions.

Montrutiol Marina, Vernian Sea

IMPERIAL FLAG & SYMBOLS (REDUX)
Sponsor: The Church of the Builder
Land impact: 1
Limit: 5 per person
Prizes: L$ 2000/1000/500

As we dig into our past, we learn more and more of the Old Empire. While Babbage was not the capitol city, the Imperial era, which ended over 150 years ago, left an indelible mark on our culture. But what did the flag of the Old Empire look like? We know the primary colors were gold and red, but that is all anyone can remember. Design a flag that represents the Imperial Past, and hang it on the wall at Tomahna Hall. 1 prim. You may include a notecarder in your entry to describe your choices.

Note: this category was offered last year, but the results were mixed. Since this is such a looming component in the created backstory that has been developing over the past 5 years, I decided to postpone it to give the finalists a second shot at it, then one of them lost his harddrive. There was heavy use of the double-headed eagle in some of last years entries, which a lot of people did not like because the symbol is too closely associated with real world countries and empires. Let's have another go at it, I'm sure someone is going to hit it this time.

Place on central table in Tomonah Hall

IMPORTS/EXPORTS
Sponsor: Mosseveno Tenk
Land impact: 5
Prizes: L$ 2000/1000/500

What does the city of industry export? What do we import from the other Steamlands? Whatever it is, it should be stacked in crates and pallets along the waterfront and on the freight platforms. Make a crate or other object of export. Limit 5 prims per object. Limit 5 entries per person. Entries will be full perm and may be added to City inventory, and placed in the Engineer's freebie object giver at the close of the festival.

Place entries on the upper quaywall in front of The Porthead Tavern and Shops

LIBATIONS
Sponsor: Ahab's Bane Tavern

Land impact: 8
Prizes: 1000/500/250

Building is thirsty work, standing up on that platform all night with your best bud, pushing that prim around in circles. And where better to slip in for a drink but Ahabs? Everyone will know you've been there by the lingering odor that will get in your clothes.

Create a drink to help give Ahab's that special atmospheric touch, be it related to whaling or a specialty drink. Limit 3 entries per person.

Ahab's Bane Tavern

P-MAIL TERMINALS
Sponsor: Scottie "Baron" Melnik

Land impact: 3 or less.
Prizes: L$ 1000/500

This one is for the sculptors. We need some very low prim pneumatic delivery system terminals so people will use them. Anything that gives people an excuse to run pipes through the living room can't be a bad thing.

New Babbage Pneumatic Delivery Central Station

PARK BENCHES
Sponsor: The New Babbage Ladies' Society For The Appreciation Of All That Is Proper
Land impact: 10
Prizes: L$ 2000/1500/1000

Because everyone deserves an elegant place to sit after a long day of admiring the Oiling Festival. Entries will be judged on appearance, animations, and script time.

Rutherford Park, Academy of Industry

PERIODICALS
Sponsor: Jedburgh30 Dagger
Land impact: 2
Prizes: 2000/1000/500

What do we buy at the newstand? What professional journals do Babbagers subscribe to? In short, what is sitting on our nightstands waiting to be read? Surely we have something better to peruse than the Canal Street Snitch!

Create a cover for a book, magazine, newspaper, or other periodical. Display your 2D creation as a poster so it is easily seen. You may also rez a 3D version of the periodical nearby to show it as a realistic object.

Place on central table in Tomonah Hall

PORTRAIT: HEROIC VALVE TURNERS
Sponsor: Piermont Landing
Land impact: 6
Prizes: L$1000/700/500

This year's portrait contest is HEROIC VALVE TURNERS, which you can interpret any way you want. Mount your portrait in a fancy frame (that's why I threw in a few more prims) and put it on one of the easels on the deck at Piermont Landing.

STATUE FOR A BREWERY
Sponsor: Rookswood Brewery & Bottling Company
Land impact: 100
Max dimesions: 10x10x10
Prizes: L$1000/750/500

The brewery is based of a real one that used to reside in Baltimore MD. (http://baltimorehistorybits.blogspot.com/2011/10/john-f-weissner-sons-brewery-aka.html ). The statue that used to reside on it was one of King Gambrinus, the Patron Saint of Beer (as seen in further pictures in the link provided).

The idea for Babbage is to create a statue that represents Babbage and Beer in the same sense King Gambrinus does. Many have suggested that we create a statue of Emperor Crumb, but I am not going to even limit it to him as long as it represents what is stated above.

Winning entry will become a permanent fixture of the Brewery.

Rookwood Brewery and Bottling.

STREET SIGNS
Sponsor: Mosseveno Tenk
Land impact: 1
Limit: 5 per person
Prize: 1000/750/500

Want to know why there is no street signs? Because Mr. Tenk got tired of making them. Make a street sign, you can use any name (real or wishful) you like in your example. There are still unnamed streets here and there, so wishful signs could be noticed by the powers that be.

Mr. Tenk will pick one sample and award a contract to make new street signs. If picked, you will recieve 10,000 lindens plus upload fees.

Place on central table in Tomonah Hall

TOWERS
Sponsor: Mosseveno Tenk
Land impact: 100
Prizes: L$2000/1000/500

During the North Fells sandbox week, elegant towers appeared in the lonely expanses north of the city. Build a tower. It should probably do something, but it doesn't have to.

North Fells Build Point

WHALE OIL
Sponsor: Ahab's Revenge Whale Oil Company
Land impact: 5
Prizes: L$1000/500/250

What is an Oiling Festival without oil? Build an object related to whale oil. Whale oil, the natural resource that needs no expensive and polluting factory refining or processing. Exploit it while you can, or someone else will.

Ahab's Revenge Whale Oil Company

Bay City Fashion Week

3/7/12  at 6:11 AM

BAY CITY TO HOST FIRST FASHION WEEK
Aims to bring together mid-century designers

BAY CITY, SL (6th March, 2012) - This April, Bay City is hoping to bring together the best of Second Life's ™ vintage mid-century fashion designers in one place, where they can wow us with the designs that best typify Bay City's theme: the American urban experience, between 1940 and 1965, perhaps best typified by Chicago circa 1950 and marked by a distinct deco influence.


Established designers will be provided with a space in the Bay City Fairgrounds, in the North Channel region, from April 14-22 to present the best in mid-century modern fashions for all Second Life avatars. Runway space and other amenities will be provided to help them highlight their designs. There may also be a few other related events and goodies to announce as time goes on.

While designers are not required to do so, they are asked to consider this a prime spot to unveil new, mid-century designs, rather than only pull from existing stock. They are also encouraged, but by no means required, to consider providing a free or low cost item for visitors to the event that they may give out at their stall.

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab ™ and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life™ and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest Bay city group, and home to most Residents of Bay City.

For more information, contact:
Marianne McCann
Bay City Alliance
marianne.mccann@gmail.com