Happy 8th Anniversary Caledon

Congratulations to Desmond Shang and the many, many, many people who have called Caledon home over the years. I arrived in Second Life specifically after hearing "Caledon" had landed a new sim. Having only the vaguest idea what Second Life was and only that Caledon was a Steampunk/Victorian community I arrived about 8 months after Caledon started. By then the sixth sim had just arrived (Caledon Cay) and within a few weeks I had paid a deposit on my very first virtual land -  the south-west corner of Caledon Victoria City.

While I moved away from Caledon many years ago it holds a special place for me as the reason I decided to give Second Life a go in the first place. It also allowed me to meet a great many wonderful people including the most special of them all, my dearest Christine.

Caledon's 8th Anniversary Ball

While Caledon has lost a little weight since its heyday (like much of the rest of SL) it is a testament to the hard work of Desmond and the Caledon community that it is still strong eight years later.

Caledon: 19th Century Victorian Steampunk?

I try not to be too critical of other people's builds. Sure I'll discuss it with my friends but I'm not going to log into group chat and tell you your build sucks. But sometimes there are limits.

Earlier this month the Guvnah of Caledon sent out the following message to all Caledon residents:

..most of us love Caledon dearly, BUUUUT... would love to just tweak the theme ever so little to make it our own!

As you all know, I'm very easy going. But the difference between Caledon and mainland, in no small part, is our common vision. Please, everyone take a look at your builds... I love whimsy, I love daring builds... but ask yourselves... am I helping our theme, or not helping quite so much?

Gently,

Des

It's good to see that some residents of Victoria City are taking close heed of such requests...


Because glowing blue grass and sparkling mushrooms are now Victorian Steampunk.

Seriously people, if you want to live in an elven forest, move to Avilion, or at the very least Tanglewood. But not in the capital city of Caledon.

Pictures of the Grand Tour

The ever busy event photographer, Miss Bookworm Heinrichs, snapped some of the attendees at the Seraph Club leg of the Steamlands Grand Tour recently.



Full set can be found here.

Caledon also celebrated its 5th Birthday on the SL grid.

Fireworks and dancing were the order of the day.

Nicholas Courtney 1929-2011

The end of February's Doctor Who Podshock Meetup also became a Brigadier Tribute with the sad passing of Nicholas Courtney, who's Brigadier character is probably the most well know of all the Doctor's allies.

The End of an Era

Shortly after I arrived in Second Life in 2006 I reserved a corner plot on the upcoming sim of Caledon Victoria City.

It held my first home, my first shop, a subterranean house when I expanded the shop in its second incarnation, and then tunnels linked to the sewer system when the shop hit it's third incarnation.

Sadly, like so many others, I'm finding that things need to be consolidated and I've made the reluctant decision to part with the plot.



Pearse'd & Cut is relocating to Caledon SouthEnd but I cannot help but feel sad at passing with a spot that holds many memories.

Building persuits.

My first build was my first shop in Caledon Victoria City. I was just starting out with very little understanding of Photoshop and two NCI build classes. Yet even then I'd wanted to try and build something that had the right flavour of the period.


The only picture I have of my first shop. November 2006 in Victoria City.

I took photos of surviving shop fronts in my local city, made them into textures and built things like the recessed shop door into the front of the building.

Since then my building skill and my Photoshop knowledge have grown considerably. But I'm still an experimental builder. I build by feel, looking at a range of textures, putting pieces in, taking them out again until it clicks into place and feels "right".

I've built things for other people since then, notably the Radio Riel Head Office or the The Clarendon in New Babbage or my replacement shops for Victoria City and New Babbage. Friends will tell you your buildings are great because friends usually like your stuff anyway. But when someone you barely know approaches you with a building commission because they like what you've done it does boost the ego somewhat.

The Primgraph Press now has offices in Caledon Glengarry. My first official commission for something I wasn't directly involved with (well OK I've written for the Primgraph but I'm not a staff writer or anything).


The layout is based on the Oxford Press at the University of Oxford


The Courtyard sans shrubberies.


Rows of offices for the staff. Though I should probably install rabbit hutches and stack them in in shelves rather than individual offices.


It's a little spartan at the moment but once the staff move in it will look a lot more lived in. They might even get an actual printing press installed :-)

When Air Kraken attack!

Yes this could be one of those sordid Reality Kinoscopes, but no!

High above Lovelace, lurking in the cloudbank is a colony of Air Kraken just waiting to trap the unwary pilot.


With the Parsival at the bottom of the screen.


When they attack they spray horrible ink everywhere.


Best way to deal with the buggers is take them on! Sadly even the old Vickers didn't seem to make much of an impact.

Just be careful when flying in the southern climes.

Belated Happy Easter

I meant to put this up over the weekend.

Slack.

Caledon Battenbburg. Yes Please!

My dear wife has created a little something to help sate the sweet tooth of Caledonians or as the perfect accompaniment to your Cup of Brown Joy.



Visit Rosehaven Recipes and avail yourself of your very own cake.

Secrets Under Caledon

Caledon has many secrets. Some of which you can explore and discover for yourself. As with any changing and fluid thing there are places that can no longer be found: The lair under the ruins of Fort Caledon, the underwater tunnels of Argylle, or the mysterious body in the tunnels under the Port Caledon Theatre.

Some are still around if you go looking.


Sometimes you just have to find the right entrance.


Though not all are obvious.


Some are rather new.


Leading to hidden rooms.


Or choices in direction


And can require a balanced approach.


Deep insights can been uncovered.


Some require to immerse yourself to fully experience them.


Subterranean places can shed light on the history of Caledon, but may make for disturbing realisations.


Others tell tails of Caledon's more recent past and its dealings with smugglers


Some hidden places can be sources of entertainment


Some are home to nefarious individuals


And Things Man Was Not Meant To Know.


There are places that are a delight to travel


Others are not so cheery


And some require you to get into the inner workings of their power to find them.

Caledon's newest

With the demise of the Mondserrat Colony (and I'd put off updating the map again) its tectonic instability has caused a small landmass to appear off the North of Caledon.



Caledon Perenelle is the newest sim to join the ranks of our beloved nation taking us to a total of 45 sims. Caledon Cavendish remains the most northerly spot of Caledon but land reclamation in Perenelle may change that.

Australia Day Party!

Even though with time zone differences, Australia Day has already finished in its home country, the 26th of January still has a long way to go in SLT.

Tonight from 7pm SLT till sometime after 9pm SLT (or maybe longer, who knows) Edward Pearse will be playing assorted Australian music. Rock, blues, comedy and a little bit of country.

Come along to Gordon Square in Rothesay and enjoy the party

Help yourself to a beer and your free cork hat and feel free to put a snag on the barbie. Just watch out for the drop bears, mate.

The Mysterious Island

There are many islands littering the seas that hold strange and dangerous perils for explorers and travellers alike. From the dangerous beasts of Skull Island, the dangerous master of Vulcania or the rumours stories of the island of R'lyeh it seems even Caledon has it's own perils.

Many remember the disaster of the Saint Kitt Islands but the newly discovered Mondserrat may prove more sinister still.


Stranded after your submersible becomes defective, visitors to Mondserrat are already starting from behind.


When you realise you are the most recent in a history of shipwreck survivors.


Strange iconography abounds on the island.


You soon discover that even going in heavily armed does not mean the odds are even.


Because you could get attacked by killer bees


Or exploding teddy bears


Or aliens


Or n00b zombies ("Grr Argh!")


Or prize chairs


And that's all without one of your fellow explorers PUSHING THE BUTTON!


Though it seems to involve the eternal battle for our hearts and souls between Basement Cat


And Ceiling Cat

Can you haz cheezburger?

A list of collectable items has been compiled here for those wishing to explore the islands fully.

Appropriateness

There have been growing rumblings about "appropriateness" in the Independent State of Caledon, more specifically in group chat.

To be fair these rumblings have been there for a considerable amount of time. Nearly two years ago Khashai Steinbeck, Caledon's very first Steward, stormed out in a temper about how Caledon was being ruined. My own comments to him privately in IM after probably didn't help but we have since made up. Yet he has not returned to Caledon.

Others have left Caledon only to return with childish half truths about their supposed victimisation, bringing up issues that were buried more than a year ago. All people bring us happiness - some as they arrive, others as they leave.

When I first arrived in Caledon in 2006 ISC was not used for chat. It was used for posting group notices, events, and for asking advice. Even then the group members numbered less than 400. Aimless chatter was not allowed.

Miss Emilly started the most recent round of concerns here. Her initial post wasn't so much concerned about group chat and general civility as change in Caledon and whether this change was for better or worse, the comments did prompt a follow up post here concerning appropriate behaviour.

Membership of the Independent State of Caledon group today runs over 1000. This doesn't include those who have chosen to pursue their SL elsewhere.

Miss Laval made some excellent points about appropriateness in group chats. Admittedly not all 1000 people of ISC are online at the same time, but I know I don't want to hear all the "gee it's quiet in here" comments. If you're that desperate for someone to talk to, pop over to Info Island.

Miss Jameson followed up Miss Emilly's post with one stressing politeness and asking one of the fundamental questions I often wonder myself: If you're not interested in a Victorian setting or even a quasi-Victorian setting, why are you here? I disagree with her final conclusion though. Yes we are 21st century people, but if you came to a Victorian sim wanting to be a 21st century person I think you've made the wrong decision. Like wanting to be in a post apocalypse sim but dressing and acting like you're at a Paris fashion show. Or living in a gorean sim and dressing in a space suit all the time. I know of a few others in other steampunk themed sims who loudly proclaim their dislike of Victoriana. No I've never understood why they've stayed either.

There are different levels of immersion, Caledon being defined as "polite Victorian roleplay". Miss Emilly makes a further post here after this evening's debacle on ISC. I think those branding her a chat-nazi need to get out of their skyboxes more often.

Miss Emilly's concentration on politeness may grate to the modern ear. But we haven't come here to be modern. If you have a chip on your shoulder about calling people Lord or Lady muckamuk, don't do it. You can still call them Mr. or Miss at the very least. Perhaps some of that courtesy will rub off and make you stop and think before you post about what you're doing or worse still, who you're doing.

Miss Snook and I have been discussing running some etiquette lessons for Victorians of all stripe (be they Caledon or not). Perhaps these lessons are long overdue.

Exploring Caledon

There are times when it pays not to get out of the car.

Another surprise sim

Congratulations to Their Graces Cornelia Rothschild and Karsten Rutledge on the opening of the Duchy of Caledon Teslace.

The Guvnah keeps sneaking in new sims it seems.


Caledon Teslace, west of the coast of Kittiwickshire and now officially the most western point of Caledon (until Atlantis changes it's name).

Caledon the Musical!

Another quality product from the people at Caledon Studios.

And possibly the first time the Guvnah has had a change of outfit since Christmas :-)

Caledon Cavendish

Newest and penultimate sim for the Independent State of Caledon arrived yesterday with limited fanfare it seems.

A split void, the Marquesates of Cavendish (though I don't know whether they're East/West or what yet)

The back yard off Argylle is getting awfully crowded.



Congratulations to the Marchionesses Edwina Heron and Elizabeth Morgenrote