Goodbye Uccie

This April, less then a week ago, Uccie replaced the real world for the Big Grid in the sky.

I can not imagine the pain and hurt that her partner, her family and her closest friends are feeling. My thoughts, our thoughts, are with them.

Events went very fast. As a pixie, she suddenly appeared, sending out messages, just before she went to hospital, where she passed away. All within a week. The day before she passed away she wrote a message for us all. "There's so much I haven't done. Go out and do it for me."

Uccie used several alts, or characters, as she corrected me. Most of us know her as Uccello Poultry, she also used the characters Xandah and Zyx Flux. Probably more, I don't know.

We know her as cheerful, enthusiastic, open, energetic. Immediately you would feel at ease with her. You know you could trust her.

Without much hesitation she would speak about her real life and the difficult moments she has encountered. A wise spirit in a young body.

How she would show up was unpredictable. Mostly human, but also a cat, a dog, a mouse, a crazy chicken, a mime, a dragon, a hand or a mermaid. Lately, she was blue.

She was here to do things, from the day she rezzed, she was always busy with something. Uccie is on a mission doing things for the Teen Second Life® grid, the Isle of Lesbos, and the Second Life Birthday. For Bay City she took care of the Marina, cleaned cars during the Hot Bay City Nights, and represented Bay City as Miss Bay City 2014.

As a reporter for the Bay City Post she did interviews and teased us with hiding at unexpected places.

Her love for moles also helped very much during the annual Mole Day in Bay City.

Many times she protested the "no mimes" policy at The Pen. She did this, silent, outside the club when events took place. Even when she joined the police, as a mime, she was not able to change that policy.

She loved taking images, for the feed, her blog and for Flickr. A bit shy, she posted her first "topless tuesday" picture -- but her shyness was soon overcome. Though of course, walking all day in the open remained a challenge, specially during meetings on G rated land!

There was a sudden departure more then a year ago. Uccie had vanished and gave no reply. Not long after came a statement from her on the feed on why, and then it became silent again. We had to live without Uccie knowing she was busy in Real Life. Secret and cunning ways (HAM radio?) were used to keep some of us informed. I was out of that loop, but knew it was there.

Then COVID-19 rudely took her life. In her fight for life, she disabled our Second Life. Login was impossible, as she snapped an Internet cable when she went. That's the way to go Uccie!

In a way, she was lucky. While most have died (will die) alone by this horrible and unfair virus, her brother and guardian could be with her. She was not alone.

She is loved by many. Proof is on the Second Life profile feed, Twitter and in the comments on her last article in the Bay City Post. I am sure she has read it all.

I am feeling a bit helpless towards her partner and her brother. I wish I could do something but no idea what. Except perhaps write this, from the heart.

Read her last Bay City Post article and remember what she wants us to do. "There's so much I haven't done. Go out and do it for me."

-Vick 

Missing you.

Edit. Uccie her blog was closed at the moment of publication. The blog has now opened. I have included the link.

200426

Message From Uccie

Friends and Family in Second Life,

An October weekend filled with Guinness and Jameson's led to my birth in Galway, Ireland nine months later on June 16, 1988, or so I'm told. My father was on assignment there for the US Navy when he met (and presumably, had s*x with) my birth mother. As things go, he didn't know that until she travelled to America to present him with me and an ultimatum: Take the girl child as a baby cramped her style. His wife was less than thrilled, but the literal red-headed step-child was brought into the home.

Most people, including me, did not know I wasn't her child as we both had carrot-red hair, freckles, and a fierce attitude. When my father died I was nearly 10 years old and she told me of my bastardy and her youngest son that I was his to raise. Spoiler alert: We later reconciled and I was her care giver for the last 12 years of her life. But not being able to see that future led me to do stupid things and also to the first time I died.

Some of you know the long story, but what's important is that this brother saved my life, though at the cost of me being able to speak and an inability to cope with a number of instantly blooming phobias. He damaged his teaching career by moving up in grade each year so I was always in his classroom at least once a day to be my safety net. He was my knight in shining armour, keeping me safe and loved.

In my Senior year, my shrink introduced me to Second Life. My fear of people, especially men, and a fear of leaving the house needed to be fixed. She felt that I could socialize virtually, picking up some personal and life skills. The Teen Grid also let me work out .... let's just say there's a reason I fled on my 18th birthday and started a fresh account on the Main Grid. CC Columbo, my Real Life brother who raised me and joined SL the month before, met me at Waterhead and took me to his land in Nangrim. There he gave me $L100, 16 square meters of land to call my own, and then took me to the Isle of Lesbos. The rest, as the trite say, is history.

At Lesbos I met my soon-to-be sister, Threshin. She helped me become a strong (if wilful) and confident woman over the subsequent years. Always encouraging and loving, I learned that I didn't need to cling to my brother. I also met my wife, Angela, there. Marriages in SL are real, if you let them be so.

I'm also proud to say I was a citizen of Bay City, the BEST community in Second Life. So many close friends, especially Marianne, Pygar, Rachel, Roc, and the eternal Ever Dreamscape. This was truly the life I did not have growing up. And grow up I did. The strength I gained from being accepted into the city and becoming a contributor (the year I was Miss Bay City was the best year in any of my lives) led to me becoming a productive citizen in Real Life. Getting a job, paying taxes, and becoming responsible for others. Just like a real person!

It wasn't easy, but learning from my Bay City friends and people like Kennylex, my darling sistress Zen, Crap, Anthony & Mo, Vick, KinZiki, Torley, Michael (King of the Moles!), Kaelin, Doc, Loki, all the Moles & Lindens, Claudia222, Cubey, Elvira, Draxtor, Gammy, Kaikou, Honour, Fenix, Shep, GoSpeed, Iris, Miss Jane, Shaman, Parker, Serenity, Owl, Nikokito, Sylvia, Washu, Mr & Mrs Hooker ... cripes, I wish I could remember everyone right now ... helped make me into the person I am now.

Then there was the addiction. A surgery that CC almost didn't survive made me snap. I had trouble separating Real Life from Second Life. I wanted to escape, not knowing I'd survive without him. All my passwords were changed. My blog, Flickr, and any ties I had to the virtual world ... a real world unto itself, mind you, had to be cut. Every non-essential app was taken off my phone and parental controls activated. Back on the heavy meds and into therapy again. But got strong again and found that there are many things one can do in Meatspace. I even got to be CC's boss at the (not so secret) government facility we work at!

Then there was the B-side. Most likely it was from someone at work that CC, his girlfriend, I picked up the COVID-19 virus (along with who knows how many others), learning of this only after we were told to stay home (with pay!) and to wash our hands. Fever, cough, no sense of taste or smell ... I was tested. A few days later I'm here in the hospital with an iPad and a teddy bear and I don't think this is going to be good.

If this doesn't get sent out, you will never know. If you are reading this, please help CC cope. He's had enough loss. His father (mine, too), his daughter, and his grandparents all died the same year I first died. He's had enough. We had a good 20 or so years after that, sure, but ...

/me hands you an impossibly large box.

Take my Love. I have plenty for all of you. Perhaps I'll see you all on the Big Grid and we can swap stories. I hear there's no Grid goo and the Feed there works. Until then, there's so much I haven't done. Go out and do it for me.

Caitlin (AKA: Uccie, Zyx, and Xandah)

20 April 2020

(editor) In hospital Caitlin passed away Tuesday evening April 21 2020 with her brother by her side. (CC was also diagnosed with Covid-19 without showing symptoms therefore he could be with her)

Writer Uccie Blue Galway

Editor Vick Forcella

Images Uccie Blue Galway

200424

Bay City Post, Edition 86

Welcome to the eightysixth edition of the Bay City Post!

Keeping you updated on the best city on the grid!

Your reporters have risked life and limb to make this edition of the Bay City Post. Many others have contributed with making pictures and granting us the privilege to use them. Thank you!

This month here was one special publication,

EversNight! Be Prepared!

In this edition we have for you,

Our Chief of Police, Thomas Hooker, had a busy month and you can find out why in the

Police and Fire Blotter

It's something in the water, sometimes has a deeper meaning,

Saint Patrick's Day In BayCity

Explorer Dakota Schwade is mesmerized,

Bay City Cruis'n

A for-noob-special to answer,

Where Is Everybody?

The one that knows more then anyone, Qie Niangao, rides with the

Fair Winds

Historian Marianne McCann presents,

The Road To Bay City

(open the link)

Did you smell the charred prims? Here is why,

Bay City Impressions:Ever's Night

The explorer Dakota Schwade answers one question and poses a new one,

Where Could Dakota Be?

A repost of an emotional article to give an incomplete answer to an easy question, Who is Ever Dreamscape? (This post is made for future reference) (Skip it if you fear it will draw tears, it will)

About: Ever Dreamscape

Epilogue

Previous edition is available here. 

Last month Dakota Schwade visited Ukiyo. You can find a subway there.

The owner of that place, Joji BlueBird, has requested to give landmarks of interesting places where the subway can go to so that it can become a hub for visitors.

Give the subway a trial and give Joji your landmarks and description.

One of the places I discovered from riding the subway in Ukiyo is the BayCity Space Program. I never knew we had that. Read all about it on the community forum. JonathonSpires is the science person behind the space program. One day soon Bay City will fly to the moon and claim ownership.

Last month we reported that Torley no longer works for Linden Lab. Our investigations have revealed that our inspirational inspirer is now (again) working for Sansar that has been taken over by Wookey Projects Inc. We wish him all the very best and hope, no, expect that he remains a supporter of our Fine City. We will remain confident that Sansar will fulfill it's promise.

Due to the reported mesh leakage, that is wreaking havoc around the world, the Eurovision song contest will not go through this year. Despite that, Iceland would have had our votes! Thank you Torley for your prediction.

The Bellisseria Community (now in hibernation) has reported a new website and initiative to cater for the Bellisserian community. It's name Bellisseria Life. Give it a visit.

It has come to the attention of Emperor Michael that a lot of community efforts of Bellisseria appear to fail after a short while. He expresses his support to all community initiatives to unite Bellisserians so they can party just as wild as the residents of our Fine City. He also requests sewers and public shelters for him to (hide) reside at.

Perhaps Bellisseria is just too big to unite everyone, perhaps people should unite by region or build type. The campers, the boaters, the Edwardians, the loggers etc.

Editor Vick Forcella

200406

(advertising)

Got Junk?

Got Fires?

Police and Fire Blotter

March 16th

A local resident's pet dog caught a Mole hiding in the bushes near their property. After being checked out by paramedics from the Bay City Fire Department, the Mole was given a clean bill of health, a box of Mole Snax, and sent on his way. No citations were given as the Mole declined to press charges, however, the Bay City Police K9 unit was seen having words with the suspect dog.

March 17th

The Bay City Coast Guard was spotted performing operations in Daley Bay after the Bay suddenly turned green. Local authorities could not be reached for comment, though some nearby residents claimed the colour to be proof of toxic spill-off from the water treatment plant.

March 29th

Panic started to ensue over the fuel shortage caused by people stockpiling fuel for Ever's Night. Residents were lined up for blocks to fuel up. The Bay City Police eventually stationed officers at the gas stations after an altercation involving thrown poultry.

March 29th

Sconset was blockaded this evening as the Bay City Space Program launched a space flight. Bystanders attempted to line the canal to watch, but were turned away by the Bay City Coast Guard. The Bay City Fire Department was on standby, though was not needed as the craft returned to the launching pad safely.

March 30th

Route 66 was shut down for a short time as the Bay City Police Department escorted a convoy of fuel trucks into the city. One resident noted that the lead truck had a Bay City Fire Department livery and disappeared somewhere along the route near the fire station.

March 31st

As festivities began across the city for Ever's Night, Bay City Police and Bay City Firefighters were seen securing several properties in preparation. Sansaran armed forces were seen setting up in Nova Albion to ensure the local celebration did not move out into the rest of the continent.

Chief Greybeard and Captain Olrich preparing for Evers Night

Reporter Thomas Hooker

Images Thomas Hooker, Vick Forcella

200406

Saint Patrick's Day In Bay City

For many years now our Fine City celebrates Saint Patric's Day. It does this by throwing dye into Daley Bay on March the 17th turning it green.

The colour green is associated with Ireland, and Saint Patrick, how this came to happen is best explained in this Time article. (hint, it used to be blue)

Following our Fine City other places are also turning their water green. Most notably the city of Chicago, Illinois that is dyeing the Chicago River on Saint Patrick's Day using the same super secret mix of dye that we in Bay City use. We call it leprechaun dust, and some might suspect it's orange before it's being diluted into the bay.

From this water the Bay City Brewery makes the annual mysterious Paddy Brew, with limited availability. It also makes you glow in the dark. 

Something that is extremely odd, the Bay City Police Department, after all those years, still doesn't know how the water turns green and always begins investigating the water treatment plant, ending into investigating the Bay City Brewery.

We don't have many Irish residents in our Fine City. We like parties and Saint Patrick is as good a reason to party as any other.

Reporter Vick Forcella

200406

Bay City Cruis'n

Left, right, left, right, right. What am I doing? Opening a safe? Anyway, I found myself at the end of a road. OK, so I was more off the road than on a road. The point is I found something interesting to investigate. Open the car door ... I've got to oil that ...

Who: Garden Mole

What: Farpoint Park

Where: Bay City - Molesworth

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bay%20City%20-%20Molesworth/214/200/25

Follow Park Place road northeast, to where it makes the final easterly turn heading towards the Bay City Fairgrounds. At that bend in the road is a path leading off to the left. Take that path and you'll find a nicely landscaped park complete with benches, a fountain and telescopes that give you a view of the nearby water.

After being mesmerized, for who knows how long, by the glowing thingey that is part of the water feature I finally noticed a nearby structure.

Who: Tee Tulip

What: Molesworth Pointe

Where: Bay City - Molesworth

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bay%20City%20-%20Molesworth/219/243/25

This is a fine example of the citizens of Bay City seeing a need and responding. Without this beacon in the dark, the mariners of our waters would otherwise be in peril of shipwreck.

That's it for this cruise through Bay City.

I hope to see you on the road. Happy motoring!

Reporter Dakota Schwade

200406

Where Is Everybody?

Your second day in Second Life, you walk around, see houses, clubs, roads, waterways and you see nobody!

Even when you turn on the mini-map you find yourself in an empty area.

You discover some green dots, you search very hard to find them, in the sea, and they do not respond to anything. Not to chat, not to IM's, they appear being dead.

WHAT IS GOING ON???

At any given time there are about 50,000 avatars on-line. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

An unknown portion of those are the ocean dwellers, the semi dead green dots in the water. My guesstimate is that those pollute the numbers about 50%. So, take it from me, 25,000 avatars are hanging around somewhere, one of those is you (if you are on-line that is).

The ocean dwellers are avatars that serve no real purpose except to pollute the oceans. Forget about them. The more experienced people have opinions about them and these are not very positive.

Before I (try to) help with finding people let me explain why everything is empty.

It's no glitch, not a failure or a fault, that everything is empty.

This is Second Life, not meat life.

We are just hanging around and are having fun! 

That is the true purpose of Second Life.

Life is good to us.

The houses and clubs, parked boats and cars, are not real.

We don't sleep in a bed, eat bread and milk when we wake up, we don't travel to work, we don't have to work long hours in the prim mines to bring home some L$.

The houses don't serve a purpose at all!

Ok, it serves a few purposes. It's nice to log-in at a place that looks familiar, it's nice to have a bed that has various functions that don't include sleeping. But that's about it.

It's decoration!

It's like your Facebook page that you make look good so that you look good. Nice profile picture, interesting CD collection, interesting pictures, amazing interests. The same is with that house you see in Second Life. It reflects something about the owner, it's character, desires, loves and hates.

Most houses (visible from the ground) are free to enter because most like to show how nice they can decorate. When the owner arrives, apologize for being there and compliment about the decorations.

Same goes with the parked cars and boats. Decoration, but it does tell something about the owner.

The clubs, with flashing lights and disco floors, you can find all over the place are most often also just decoration, though sometimes the owners throws a party and invites friends over. The empty bars, same.

It all is decoration, because we like to be surrounded by things we like and love. Also a car costs less then high quality shoes. (yes ladies, good shoes are expensive. A wig cost less then a full furnished house) In this world we can own a house that is impossible to afford in the real world and call it home.

Nobody is there but it all tells a story about the owners.
It's a big profile page you can walk through.

Once you figure it all out you will understand, and you will purchase a plot of land and decorate it to your liking so that everybody can see what a nice person you are, because you are.

I have already explained where half the population is, those are the ocean dwellers (feel free to hate them). But where is the rest??

Well... Second Life is BIG! It's HUUUGE! It's gigantuously BIG!

If you zoom out the map to the max it still doesn't fit the screen.

So the 25,000 avatars are scattered around there somewhere.

To find them, use Search. One place to look is the Destination Guide, not a guarantee to meet people though but you'll find nicely decorated places and things to do.

Another place to Search is Events. Live Music is a great way to meet people.

Once you figure it out, you can always find people you will like. Trust me.

Reporter Vick Forcella

200406

Fair Winds

Second Life sailors will have noticed that boats move according to wind patterns that vary over time and across the continents. That's possible because the Second Life simulation includes wind. In a recent Forums thread, https://community.secondlife.com/forums/topic/451524-sl-wind-variance-between-sims , we explored a bit more about how that wind simulation behaves.

Although all regions have wind that varies over time, it seems that some have wind that also varies over the region at any instant -- and some don't. The thread shows a few scripters figuring why some regions have wind that varies across the region, and it's a good example of loose but effective teamwork investigating the phenomenon. (It turns out that isolated island regions, surrounded by void, do not get the spatially-varied wind, and the ones that do are seeing patterns that propagate across region borders, covering whole continents of connected regions.)

There are several little scripts in the thread showing approaches to quick-and-dirty data collection, interspersed with digging into dusty scrolls in the Forums archive, the jira, the wiki, and old release notes.

It's not exactly Indiana Jones or a Dan Brown novel, but it kinda makes me want to dress my avatar as Holmes -- or maybe Watson.

Besides sailboats and the beautiful particle effect that introduced the thread, SL wind also affects ambient sound in the viewer, flexiprim movement, and scripted things like windsocks and weather vanes. It used to be an option to see Linden trees moving according to wind conditions but we found that was removed in early 2012 to reduce viewer lag. I've also used wind as a sort of whimsical "switch" for a space heater that turns on when it's "windy" -- the SL "weather" simulation doesn't include temperature... or anything else except wind.

There could be an opportunity here if anybody can think of a product that could benefit from a semi-randomly fluctuating property that varies over time and space.

Reporter Qie Niangao

200406

Bay City Impressions: Ever's Night

It was expected, despite all the warnings, the precautions and the Bay City Fire Department, Ever's Night passed through our Fine City as a tornado of raging fires leaving a trail of destruction and breath taking smoke.

Only people that are insured can try and get a refund from their agent (be insured!). The rest have to rebuild prim by prim.

Following impressions from Ever's Night. We had to hand-pick from the many many pictures that were submitted to the editor of this Fine Newspaper. Thank you all for your contributions!

Image Solo Anatra Freelance Photographer preparing

Image Roc Plutonian. Everfool (leg) captured on film

Image Roc Plutonian. Everfool (leg) captured on film, zoomed

Image Lucien Greybeard. BCFD preparing

Image Thomas Hooker. BCPD on fire and the car!

Image Solo Anatra @Docklands

Image Vick Forcella @Daley Bay, Community Centre

Image Thomas Hooker @Moloch

Image Vick Forcella @Mashpee, The Pen

Image Vick Forcella @Villareal

Image Vick Forcella @Sandwich

Image by CC Columbo @Dennis

Image Solo Anatra @Truro. Safety Girl taking off

Image Solo Anatra @Dennis View from helicopter

Image Solo Anatra @Bay City Marina - New Port

Image Solo Anatra @Tisbury

Image Solo Anatra @Dennis

Image Solo Anatra @Brewster

Image Solo Anatra @Harwich

Image Solo Anatra @Weston

Image Thomas Hooker BCPD making sure nobody parks here

Image Lucien Greybeard, BCFD at work

Image Lucien Greybeard BSFD at work

Image Vick Forcella @Alua

Image by Dakota Schwade @Molesworth

Image Lucien Greybeard BCFD resting after work

Image Kinnaid Fiachra, Meeting of the Secret Cult of EverFools

Image Kinnaird Fiachra (half eaten) @ Ever Island

Reporter Vick Forcella

Images CC Columbo, Dakota Schwade, Kinnaird Fiachra, Lucien Greybeard, Roc Plutonian, Solo Anatra, Thomas Hooker, Vick Forcella

200406