Classic SF as it might have been done 100 years ago by Georges Méliès
Thursday, 31 May 2007
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Aaarrggghhh (and other pirate clichés)
Caledon's Duchy of Carntaigh saw a return of all the pirates and smugglers we had managed to drive out of the Cay.
But it did answer the age old question about what is to be done with inebriated maratime travellers:
They have a large party!
The HGS Skurvy Dog perhaps
Hello Kitty Pirate? Of Course!
Roger the Cabin Boy
A pirate's chest
Phantoms or cheap drink?
Able seaman Lightfoot
Me with polly
Even had Daleks turning up to the thing! After which there were many salvos fired to get rid of them.
Pirates in Lurve
And we finished the evening off in Steelhead at the Masquerade with piracy of a slightly different kind.
And by that stage I was actually ready for some time off for the week.
But it did answer the age old question about what is to be done with inebriated maratime travellers:
They have a large party!
The HGS Skurvy Dog perhaps
Hello Kitty Pirate? Of Course!
Roger the Cabin Boy
A pirate's chest
Phantoms or cheap drink?
Able seaman Lightfoot
Me with polly
Even had Daleks turning up to the thing! After which there were many salvos fired to get rid of them.
Pirates in Lurve
And we finished the evening off in Steelhead at the Masquerade with piracy of a slightly different kind.
And by that stage I was actually ready for some time off for the week.
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Happy Rez Day to Eva!
Saturday saw Caledon's favourite Loch Avie Duchess see in her 1 year anniversary of Second Life. Many of the usual suspects were invited, others came anyway :-)
Lady Amber and 98 get down
Miss Betty Doyle looking like she could give lessons to Dita Von Tease and Mr. Aldo Stern looking impressive as well.
A sandwich with Two Duchesses and a Countess. Is that a Cheese Royal?
Funky
Hotspur O'Toole shakes his thang
JJ Drinkwater pimps his suit out. Or is that a pimp suit? I'm not sure
Miss Lapin Paris giving the lie to her sweet and innocent image
Miss Mitsu Figaro grooving to the beat
Miss Virrginia Tombola and Miss Lavender Beaumont enjoying her night.
There have been persistent rumours of a demon summoning. I don't know they're talking about personally
Lady Amber and 98 get down
Miss Betty Doyle looking like she could give lessons to Dita Von Tease and Mr. Aldo Stern looking impressive as well.
A sandwich with Two Duchesses and a Countess. Is that a Cheese Royal?
Funky
Hotspur O'Toole shakes his thang
JJ Drinkwater pimps his suit out. Or is that a pimp suit? I'm not sure
Miss Lapin Paris giving the lie to her sweet and innocent image
Miss Mitsu Figaro grooving to the beat
Miss Virrginia Tombola and Miss Lavender Beaumont enjoying her night.
There have been persistent rumours of a demon summoning. I don't know they're talking about personally
Sunday, 27 May 2007
Monochrome Steelhead
Friday night's dance at Steelhead saw the place less than it's usual colourful self. The theme of Black & White saw some interesting outfits.
Yours truly in one of Professor Avalanche's B&W Space hero outfits, with Miss Lumina to my right and Miss McAllister to my left.
Miss Pennyfeather's little black number
Miss Emilly's B&W checked outfit. Emilly also did a marvelous job of hosting the evening.
Finn & Addison's Black & White outfits
Fawkes inside his own B&W telly.
Miss Picnic and other assorted revellers
Yours truly in one of Professor Avalanche's B&W Space hero outfits, with Miss Lumina to my right and Miss McAllister to my left.
Miss Pennyfeather's little black number
Miss Emilly's B&W checked outfit. Emilly also did a marvelous job of hosting the evening.
Finn & Addison's Black & White outfits
Fawkes inside his own B&W telly.
Miss Picnic and other assorted revellers
Saturday, 26 May 2007
Queen Victoria's Birthday
Last evening a few of Caledon's Anglophiles and Commonwealth Expatriots got together to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday.
It was also the first official gathering Miss McAllister and I have held at Davaar, our home in Caledon Cay.
Miss McAllister's efforts at bringing the garden to life were much appreciated.
Miss Nicholas and myself
The Duchess of Loch Avie and Sir Red Caliber (I think)
Gathered in the rear garden.
Mrs. Peterman and myself enoy a dance.
Thank you to Her Grace of Carntaigh and Sir Red for providing music for the evening and thank you to all our friends who attended.
It was also the first official gathering Miss McAllister and I have held at Davaar, our home in Caledon Cay.
Miss McAllister's efforts at bringing the garden to life were much appreciated.
Miss Nicholas and myself
The Duchess of Loch Avie and Sir Red Caliber (I think)
Gathered in the rear garden.
Mrs. Peterman and myself enoy a dance.
Thank you to Her Grace of Carntaigh and Sir Red for providing music for the evening and thank you to all our friends who attended.
Simple pose tool
Special thanks to Ordinal Malaprop for pointing out a nifty little programme called QAvimator.
It's a relatively simple tool designed specifically for SecondLife and is apprently good for doing simple poses or actions. I haven't tried it myself but it might be handy for for budding vehicle and furniture builders who are wanting something other than the default pose for their drivers/pilots/sitters.
It's a relatively simple tool designed specifically for SecondLife and is apprently good for doing simple poses or actions. I haven't tried it myself but it might be handy for for budding vehicle and furniture builders who are wanting something other than the default pose for their drivers/pilots/sitters.
Thursday, 24 May 2007
Gizmo! Documentary
Howard Smith's 1977 documentary about the weird and bizarre inventions of the early 20th century may not be strictly Steampunk or Victorian but it does go a long way to proving many inventors are a few sandwiches short of a picnic.
It's 1 hour and 20 minutes long. So you may want to download it for later perusal. Some of the sections on flight are unbelievable in their naivete
It's 1 hour and 20 minutes long. So you may want to download it for later perusal. Some of the sections on flight are unbelievable in their naivete
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Update of sorts
I've been so busy procrastinating it's a wonder I've had time to do anything.
While out and about earlier in the week I had bumped into a rather diminutive Professor Avalanche who seemed to have forgotten the rules about putting natural fibres into hot water.
Shrank in the wash
Friday saw The Duchess of Loch Avie hosting a Tournament in conjunction with the Torvaldland sim.
There had been a kissing booth set up as a further part of the ubiquitous RFL charity. While Miss Paris's ability to raise L$40,000 for a single kiss was impressive, Professor Avalanche's efforts with Mr. Margulis were the funniest.
Alfonso and Erasmus snog
Later that evening the Torvaldlanders put on an arena combat display.
Seated Guests. (photo by Gabrielle Riel)
The Tournament begins (photo by Gabrielle Riel)
There was supposed to be an open entry for the Battle Royale finale, but sadly axes for the non-Torvaldlanders had been forgotten.
From there Miss McAllister and I headed off to the Steelhead dance where they were having a Monty Python theme. It's still funny no matter how often you hear it :-)
Saturday morning the Militia was in attendance for the briefing on the invasion of Neualtenburg
Briefing the Troops
The cunning strategy revealed
The Caledon Air Corps get their orders
Saturday saw the final Caledon Ball for the season. And it had been almost a month since the last one had been cut so tragically short.
Dressed for the Ball
This night was the SL DJ debut of Red Caliber who did an excellent job. He ended up confirming what has now been decided as a requirement for Radio Riel DJs by having the sim crash. We're looking at working out how to crash the sim for Miss Figaro's debut :-)
Sunday I managed to get Miss Tombola aside and we took some pictures of our Girl Genius inspired AVs.
Agatha Heterodyne: Girl Genius
Krosp I, Emperor of Cats
Krosp and his Loyal Subject Agatha (well she feeds him)
I was quite happy with the photos. Well have to get a few more people to do AVs and do a whole cast shot. Lord Bardhaven would make a great stand in for Klaus :-)
And lastly I'd like to mention the work by Madcow Cosmos. I first encountered this talented gentleman over a month ago and since then we've discussed Avatar building on a couple of occasions.
Giant mechanical dragon.
Steampunk Godzilla thing
Bone dragon AV
While out and about earlier in the week I had bumped into a rather diminutive Professor Avalanche who seemed to have forgotten the rules about putting natural fibres into hot water.
Shrank in the wash
Friday saw The Duchess of Loch Avie hosting a Tournament in conjunction with the Torvaldland sim.
There had been a kissing booth set up as a further part of the ubiquitous RFL charity. While Miss Paris's ability to raise L$40,000 for a single kiss was impressive, Professor Avalanche's efforts with Mr. Margulis were the funniest.
Alfonso and Erasmus snog
Later that evening the Torvaldlanders put on an arena combat display.
Seated Guests. (photo by Gabrielle Riel)
The Tournament begins (photo by Gabrielle Riel)
There was supposed to be an open entry for the Battle Royale finale, but sadly axes for the non-Torvaldlanders had been forgotten.
From there Miss McAllister and I headed off to the Steelhead dance where they were having a Monty Python theme. It's still funny no matter how often you hear it :-)
Saturday morning the Militia was in attendance for the briefing on the invasion of Neualtenburg
Briefing the Troops
The cunning strategy revealed
The Caledon Air Corps get their orders
Saturday saw the final Caledon Ball for the season. And it had been almost a month since the last one had been cut so tragically short.
Dressed for the Ball
This night was the SL DJ debut of Red Caliber who did an excellent job. He ended up confirming what has now been decided as a requirement for Radio Riel DJs by having the sim crash. We're looking at working out how to crash the sim for Miss Figaro's debut :-)
Sunday I managed to get Miss Tombola aside and we took some pictures of our Girl Genius inspired AVs.
Agatha Heterodyne: Girl Genius
Krosp I, Emperor of Cats
Krosp and his Loyal Subject Agatha (well she feeds him)
I was quite happy with the photos. Well have to get a few more people to do AVs and do a whole cast shot. Lord Bardhaven would make a great stand in for Klaus :-)
And lastly I'd like to mention the work by Madcow Cosmos. I first encountered this talented gentleman over a month ago and since then we've discussed Avatar building on a couple of occasions.
Giant mechanical dragon.
Steampunk Godzilla thing
Bone dragon AV
Friday, 18 May 2007
The Battle of Victoria City
Further to the heartwrenching pictures here about the vicious attack on Victoria City, special intelligence have obtained footage of the attack.
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
Assassination attempt on the Guvnah!
Thankfully the Caledon Militia tinies (or the GunBunnies) are vigilant in their watch.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
Etiquette for the uninitiated
Styles and Titles. First in a series
Living in a 19th century world such as Caledon comes with a mix of blessings and hazards all their own. In what I hope will be a series of ongoing entries, I am going to spend some time looking at a variety of etiquette questions.
My first foray into the subject is forms of address or "styles". Most people, assuming you can tell the sex of the addressee from their name or their physical characteristics (and it's not always easy, especially with tinies), can work out the basic forms of Mister (Mr.) and what seems to have become the default address for the fairer sex of Miss. On occasion there are those who will let you know that they are in fact a Missus (Mrs.).
It's when we move on to other styles of address that things start to become less clear for many. I will stay away from the intricacies of courtesy titles and members of religious orders and just look at the broader usage.
Recently there were three new initiates into the rank of Knight, which again raised the issue of how they should properly be addressed. Knights are addressed as "Sir" (or in the case of a lady "Dame") followed by their first name. They should never be addressed using their last name unless it is used in addition to the first name. For example the proper mode of address would be Sir Telamachus or Sir Telamachus Dean, NOT Sir Dean.
"Lady" is always a difficult one for use of either first or last name as the style depends on the reason for the title. A Marchioness, Countess, Viscountess or Baroness should properly be addressed as "Lady" followed by the Placename (e.g. Baroness Bardhaven should properly be addressed as Lady Bardhaven rather than Lady Collingwood). The wife of a Knight or a Baronet would be addressed with "Lady" followed by the surname of her husband. Whereas if the lady is the daughter of a noble then the style of "Lady" followed by her first name should be used, with a "The" added for the eldest daughter (eg. The Lady Sarah).
"Lord" is another style that covers a multitude of titles: Marquess (or Marquis for French and American readers, or Margrave for Germans), Earl (the equivalent of a Count), Viscount and Baron are all addressed as "Lord [placename]". Baronets are addressed as Sir as, even though the title is hereditary, they're not considered a peer.
Dukes and Duchesses should be addressed as "Your Grace" if you aren't a peer yourself, or as "Duke [placename]" if you are a peer. The placename can also help distinguishwhich end of the sandwich which of the Duchesses or Dukes you are referring to if there is more than one present at the time.
Another Title to be aware of around Caledon is Vicereine. A Vicereine is the female form of a Viceroy and a representative of the ruler (usually a King, though in our case the Guvnah). A Viceroy should be addressed as Your Excellency.
Recent interaction with Neualtenburg has raised the question the form of address for the Kaiserin. Suggestions of Teutonic Hussy and Pointy Hatted Goblin aside, she should formally be referred to as "Your Imperial Majesty" though I am still awaiting confirmation on this. Oddly my letters not been responded to. Perhaps she's tied up with other things.
Oh and lastly, The Guvnah of Caledon should properly be addressed as Des (or Desmond) though he will usually reply with "Gah! IM storm!" or something of the equivalent.
Living in a 19th century world such as Caledon comes with a mix of blessings and hazards all their own. In what I hope will be a series of ongoing entries, I am going to spend some time looking at a variety of etiquette questions.
My first foray into the subject is forms of address or "styles". Most people, assuming you can tell the sex of the addressee from their name or their physical characteristics (and it's not always easy, especially with tinies), can work out the basic forms of Mister (Mr.) and what seems to have become the default address for the fairer sex of Miss. On occasion there are those who will let you know that they are in fact a Missus (Mrs.).
It's when we move on to other styles of address that things start to become less clear for many. I will stay away from the intricacies of courtesy titles and members of religious orders and just look at the broader usage.
Recently there were three new initiates into the rank of Knight, which again raised the issue of how they should properly be addressed. Knights are addressed as "Sir" (or in the case of a lady "Dame") followed by their first name. They should never be addressed using their last name unless it is used in addition to the first name. For example the proper mode of address would be Sir Telamachus or Sir Telamachus Dean, NOT Sir Dean.
"Lady" is always a difficult one for use of either first or last name as the style depends on the reason for the title. A Marchioness, Countess, Viscountess or Baroness should properly be addressed as "Lady" followed by the Placename (e.g. Baroness Bardhaven should properly be addressed as Lady Bardhaven rather than Lady Collingwood). The wife of a Knight or a Baronet would be addressed with "Lady" followed by the surname of her husband. Whereas if the lady is the daughter of a noble then the style of "Lady" followed by her first name should be used, with a "The" added for the eldest daughter (eg. The Lady Sarah).
"Lord" is another style that covers a multitude of titles: Marquess (or Marquis for French and American readers, or Margrave for Germans), Earl (the equivalent of a Count), Viscount and Baron are all addressed as "Lord [placename]". Baronets are addressed as Sir as, even though the title is hereditary, they're not considered a peer.
Dukes and Duchesses should be addressed as "Your Grace" if you aren't a peer yourself, or as "Duke [placename]" if you are a peer. The placename can also help distinguish
Another Title to be aware of around Caledon is Vicereine. A Vicereine is the female form of a Viceroy and a representative of the ruler (usually a King, though in our case the Guvnah). A Viceroy should be addressed as Your Excellency.
Recent interaction with Neualtenburg has raised the question the form of address for the Kaiserin. Suggestions of Teutonic Hussy and Pointy Hatted Goblin aside, she should formally be referred to as "Your Imperial Majesty" though I am still awaiting confirmation on this. Oddly my letters not been responded to. Perhaps she's tied up with other things.
Oh and lastly, The Guvnah of Caledon should properly be addressed as Des (or Desmond) though he will usually reply with "Gah! IM storm!" or something of the equivalent.
Monday, 7 May 2007
Sunday, 6 May 2007
War on our Doorstep!
It finally happened!
Unable to stand the loss of their Kaiserin no longer, and having been led to believe that she was kidnapped in the name of the Guvnah himself, Neualtenburg invaded Caledon!
The Guvnah and one of the members of the Tiny Company (known as the gun bunnies) assigned as his bodyguard.
Myself and Colour Sergeant Smashcan discuss the defence capabilities of the newly opened Steam Sky City with the Guvnah. Sadly recent events have rendered my left arm requiring a clockwork replacment.
Flying high overhead the SMS Brunhilde rained devastation on the Guvnah's Mansion.
Miss Tombola's impressive acrobatic skills.
The Caledon Air Corp respond to the menace.
From bad to worse: the Neualtenburg Hussar regiment follow up.
The Caledon Militia arrive to defend the Mansion.
And open fire at the enemy.
The chaos of battle
The Guvnah is ushered away from the battle.
But is followed relentlessly by the horrible sausage eaters (this one about to have his ankles savaged by one of the gun bunnies)
The Guvnah protests his innocence in the involvement with the Kaiserin's arrest.
Miss Garmes is grievously wounded in the fray, throwing herself in front of a bullet aimed at the Guvnah
Colour Sergeant Smashcan has the wind knocked out of his sails.
So what did they achieve? The Pointy Helmeted Goblins have besmirched the honour of Caledon, invading our sovereign territory and causing injury and destruction to her people and her Guvnah.
We can not let this go unanswered! Anyone could see that the Guvnah was not behind the kidnap. The ransom demand for lindens and chilled red wine was enough to prove that. But still Neualtenburg invades. If every little mouse of a country tries to invade Caledon where will that leave us? They must be taught a lesson!
Unable to stand the loss of their Kaiserin no longer, and having been led to believe that she was kidnapped in the name of the Guvnah himself, Neualtenburg invaded Caledon!
The Guvnah and one of the members of the Tiny Company (known as the gun bunnies) assigned as his bodyguard.
Myself and Colour Sergeant Smashcan discuss the defence capabilities of the newly opened Steam Sky City with the Guvnah. Sadly recent events have rendered my left arm requiring a clockwork replacment.
Flying high overhead the SMS Brunhilde rained devastation on the Guvnah's Mansion.
Miss Tombola's impressive acrobatic skills.
The Caledon Air Corp respond to the menace.
From bad to worse: the Neualtenburg Hussar regiment follow up.
The Caledon Militia arrive to defend the Mansion.
And open fire at the enemy.
The chaos of battle
The Guvnah is ushered away from the battle.
But is followed relentlessly by the horrible sausage eaters (this one about to have his ankles savaged by one of the gun bunnies)
The Guvnah protests his innocence in the involvement with the Kaiserin's arrest.
Miss Garmes is grievously wounded in the fray, throwing herself in front of a bullet aimed at the Guvnah
Colour Sergeant Smashcan has the wind knocked out of his sails.
So what did they achieve? The Pointy Helmeted Goblins have besmirched the honour of Caledon, invading our sovereign territory and causing injury and destruction to her people and her Guvnah.
We can not let this go unanswered! Anyone could see that the Guvnah was not behind the kidnap. The ransom demand for lindens and chilled red wine was enough to prove that. But still Neualtenburg invades. If every little mouse of a country tries to invade Caledon where will that leave us? They must be taught a lesson!
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