Designing Worlds explores the dark side of fantasy in Winterfell

Winterfell - Picture by Mr PJ Trenton

Don your best Dark Victorian or Dark Fantasy gear and join us in our Northpoint studio at 2pm SLT today, Monday 28th February for today’s show, as we take a trip to mysterious, beautiful Winterfell.

We’ll be exploring the region on foot and by water as we take the Winterfell ferry, which was recently voted the Most Romantic Place to be in the Steamlands in the Valentine’s issue of The Primgraph magazine.

Winterfell - Picture by Mr PJ Trenton

For the show we’ll be joined by the Senschelf herself, Serra Anansi, the owner of Winterfell, and by Captain Wildstar Beaumont, long term resident and supporter of Winterfell, and a seasoned sea-goer (let’s hope he can steer us through those rough sim crossings!).

We’ll be seeing some beautiful estates and open areas, and learning all about the very special community that is Winterfell.

Winterfell - Picture by Mr PJ Trenton

The Designing Worlds show starts at 2pm SLT, but you should be in our Northpoint studios by 1.30pm at the very latest to make sure of getting a seat.

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show – 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.

Winterfell - Picture by Mr PJ Trenton

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Designing Worlds visits Cupids 400

In this episode of Designing Worlds, we discover a historic 1612 re-creation of early settlers to Newfoundland with creators Andrew Mercer and Marlene Brooks. Hosts Saffia & Elrik find out about the educational project and how artificial intelligence characters help teach visitors about the settlement.

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Designing Worlds visits Cupids 400, posted with vodpod

The settlement  was established in 1610, the first official British settlement in Canada, at Cupids in Newfoundland and Labrador, right on the very eastern tip of Canada. The Second Life project was originally established in conjunction with the celebrations of the 400th anniversary.   Indeed, the Legacy Centre in the sky, where the tours and explorations start, is modelled on the real Legacy Centre in Cupids Cove.

And for exploration we were joined by Andrew Mercer, who’s a specialist in Distance Learning with the Ministry of Education in this maritime Province, and part of the Distance Education and Learning Technologies department at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and by Marlene Brooks, who is Senior Instructional Designer and Virtual Technology Project Lead at Memorial University in St John’s, Newfoundland.

Marlene has been responsible for the realisation of Cupid’s in Second Life, and she and Andrew showed us not only the builds, but also some of the learning strategies that they have developed, including interactive tours, the use of sound and bots, as well as some fascination animations that allow you to see how life was lived in the original settlement.

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Designing Worlds explores an early British settlement in Canada!

We’re going back to the earliest days of European settlement in Canada for this week’s show. so you may want to slip into pioneering gear and join us in our Northpoint studio at 2pm SLT today, Monday 21st February.

 

Cupids: The Settlement

We’re going to be looking at a fascinating project that recreates life in the first official British settlement in Canada, at Cupids in Newfoundland and Labrador, right on the very eastern tip of Canada. We’ll be joined by Andrew Mercer, who’s a specialist in Distance Learning with the Ministry of Education in this maritime Province, and part of the Distance Education and Learning Technologies department at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and by Marlene Brooks, who is Senior Instructional Designer and Virtual Technology Project Lead at Memorial University in St John’s, Newfoundland.

Cupids: Legacy Centre

Marlene has been responsible for the realisation of Cupid’s in Second Life, and she and Andrew will be showing not only the builds, but also some of the learning strategies that they have developed, including interactive tours, the use of sound and bots, as well as some fascination animations that allow you to see how life was lived in the original settlement.

Cupids: The Cove

The Designing Worlds show starts at 2pm SLT, but you should be in our Northpoint studios by 1.30pm at the very latest to make sure of getting a seat.

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show – 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.

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See Calas Galadhon, our Secret Valentine location, on Designing Worlds

We promised you a visit to one of the most romantic locations in Second Life and, judging by the number of you who have contacted us since, asking for landmarks and more information, people do seem to be agreeing with our choice.

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See Calas Galadhon, our Secret Valentine location…, posted with vodpod

Our destination was Calas Galadhon,a nbreathtakingly beautiful nine sim estate – a park for Second Life with no commercial outlets and just peace to explore the caverns, gardens, woodlands, lajkes, rivers and seas, with farmland, a wild and lovely salt marsh … a classical glass pavilion serving as ballroom in the sky … in fact, we were only able to show you a small portion of this really gorgeous space, but would would definitely urge you to go and visit and learn its beauties for yourself.

Calas Galadhon - Designing Worlds's secret Valentine location! Photographed by PJ Trenton

We were guided around by Tymus Tenk who is, with Truck Meredith, owner of Calas Galadhon, and he was a wealth of information about the region and how it has developed.  We also had the opportunity to meet Lizzette Zenovka of the Bronx AIDS Services/HIV/AIDS Learning Center, who has a base for her organisation on Calas Galadhon, who told Elrik about her work.

Calas Galadhon - Designing Worlds's secret Valentine location! Photographed by PJ Trenton

If you would like to visit Calas Galadhon, you can visit the main location on Calas itself here – and from her you can teleport to visit any of the other sims (take a return landmark – we all managed to get lost exploring the Misty Mountains – and Ty tells us he has done that too!). And here’s a link to the beautiful caverns in Mirrormere and the boat that you can row through them.

So do go soon – and enjoy!

Calas Galadhon - Designing Worlds's secret Valentine location! Photographed by PJ Trenton

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Designing Worlds Celebrates Valentine’s Day with a Beautiful Surprise

Change into your most romantic outfit and join us in our Northpoint studio at 2pm SLT today, Monday 14th February as we celebrate Valentine’s Day by paying a visit to what we believe to be one of the most beautiful – and most romantic locations in Second Life.

Designing Worlds's secret location for Valentine's Day! Photograph by PJ Trenton

But … we’re not going to tell you where it is!

Instead we’re going to tease you with pictures like this …

Designing Worlds's secret location for Valentine's Day! Photograph by PJ Trenton

and like this …

Designing Worlds's secret location for Valentine's Day! Photograph by PJ Trenton

and promise you that you will be enormously impressed by the sheer beauty of the very special region we’ll be exploring.  Of course, some of you will have recognised this lovely place.  But please keep the secret till the show starts – Valentine’s Day is all about romantic surprises!

Designing Worlds's secret location for Valentine's Day! Photograph by PJ Trenton

The Designing Worlds show starts at 2pm SLT, but you should be in our Northpoint studios by 1.30pm at the very latest to make sure of getting a seat. And this is a show that you really will want to come to in person, because there will be champagne, strawberries, and the chance to join us afterwards in a really beautiful pavilion, where you can meet the guests from the show – and also enjoy a Valentine dance!

(Although it will be a swift dance from Saffia as she will be appearing on The Dating Casino at 4pm today – so do come and support her on that if you can!)

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show – 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.

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Linden Homes: Designing Worlds Revisits One Year Later

Last year, Designing Worlds looked at the early days of the Linden Home Programme. Now, nearly a year after it was launched, we returned to look at some of the ways in which Linden Homes are being used.

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Linden Homes One Year Later: Designing Worlds r…, posted with vodpod

Our first visit took us to a very special Linden Home indeed.  You may recall that at the end of last year, Samantha Hellmann won the Second Spaces Home Hotshot contest. Part of her prize was the chance to create a Linden Home design for Prim Perfect magazine – and she appeared on the show to tell us all about the Home she created – and the contest, too!  And Elle Kirshner of Second Spaces was also on the show to tell us about the contest – and the Linden Home that SHE designed!

Then we’ll be visiting two designer Linden Homes created by Froukje Hoorenbeek of Dutchie and by Dellybean North of True North Designs, and talked to the resident owner Varz Tairov about that.

There were also be images from homes designed by Elle Kirshner, by Colleen Desmoulins of  The Loft, by Ponsonby Low of P Low Low P Studio (who has done some astonishing things with the Wizard’s Retreat), and from Jolie Serendipity and Xyrah Xue, both of who showed what residents can make of a Linden Home – in very different ways!

Finally, we talked to Cain Maven of Maven Homes and Quantum Destiny Luxury Homes who explained his ideas for some of the ways in which the Linden Home Initiative can be moved forward – will Linden Lab meet his challenge?

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Linden Homes – one year on! Designing Worlds pays a visit

Join us in our Northpoint studio at 2pm SLT today, Monday 7th February as we re-visit the Linden Home programme, nearly one year after its inception in February 2010. And this time we’ll be looking at it from the perspective of designers who are creating for Linden Homes – and also looking at some of the ways residents have chosen to furnish their Homes, too.  One thing we can promise you – none of the homes we visit with have what Saffia laments as bad Linden Home style: a sofa, a flat screen TV, a cuddle rug, a sex bed and a potted plant!

Samantha’s Linden Home, designed for Prim Perfect magazine

Our first visit takes us to a very special Linden Home indeed.  You may recall that at the end of last year, Samantha Hellmann won the Second Spaces Home Hotshot contest. Part of her prize was the chance to create a Linden Home design for Prim Perfect magazine – and she will be appearing on the show to tell us all about the Home she has created – and the contest, too!  And Elle Kirshner of Second Spaces will also be on the show to tell us about the contest – and the Linden Home that SHE designed!

Mountainview Meadowbrook Linden Home, designed by Froukje Hoorenbeek

Then we’ll be visiting two designer Linden Homes.  Froukje Hoorenbeek of Dutchie maintains hers as a showhome, and we’ll be paying a visit to that. Then we’ll be visiting a home furnished by Dellybean North of True North Designs, and talking to the resident owner about that.

There will also be images from homes designed by Elle Kirshner, by Colleen Desmoulins of  The Loft, by Ponsonby Low of P Low Low P Studio (who has done some astonishing things with the Wizard’s Retreat), and from Jolie Serendipity and Xyrah Xue, both of who show what residents can make of a Linden Home – in very different ways!

Finally, we’ll be talking to Cain Maven of Maven Homes and Quantum Destiny Luxury Homes who will be talking to us about his ideas for some of the ways in which the Linden Home Initiative can be moved forward.

Plumtree Meadowbrook Linden Home, designed by Dellybean North

The Designing Worlds show starts at 2pm SLT, but you should be in our Northpoint studios by 1.30pm at the very latest to make sure of getting a seat. And this is a show that you really will want to come to in person, because there will be beautiful gifts from some of the designers appearing on today’s show – including a beautiful home!  And there will be a chance to talk to the people you will be seeing on the show when we all come back to the studio.

Or – if you can’t attend in person – tune in at 2pm SLT on Monday for the live show – 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.

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