Railway community partnership?

Linden Lab recently announced: “a Community Partnership Program, a new  initiative focused on expanding Linden Lab's relationship with large,  inworld communities.”   There is already one such effort, the Blake Sea project, a sailing community.  Now the Second Life Railway Consortium, led by Moundsa Mayo, is developing a proposal for a railway community project.   I have joined that group to work with them on this project. 

The mission of the Second Life Railway Consortium:   “Railway oriented groups and residents dedicated to the expansion of railway Rights Of Way, traffic, and railway resource sharing in SL.  Cooperating to standardize track design, signaling and switching, ROW access, and inter-service railway connections throughout the grid.”

The name will soon change to avoid trademark issues with Linden Labs.  The mission will expand to encompass the growth of the community around SL Railroads and other issues of concern to the Community Partnership Program. 

Resources for SL Railway Projects

Second Life Railway Consortium

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Operating railroads in SL (trains by Kitto Flora)

Purple – Mocha Line

Wengen – Smither’s Bluff  Line

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Steam Locomotive Preservation Museum

This museum is in Calleta, just up the road a bit from TulipTree.  It displays a number of historical and modern trains.  It also houses a replica of the Istanbul Train Station, famous as the destination of the Orient Express.  (Do you remember Agatha Christie?)

Hobo Junction Group (formerly known as SecondLife Hobos)

This group, along with affiliated groups, has long been active as a social service organization in our virtual village.  We are now in collaboration with Rockcliffe University Consortium on the Community Gateway.  We are also extensively connected with the entertainment, theatrical, and literary communities through Thinkerer Studios. 

The hobos do a lot of technical things, but we never lose track of what is really important.  People in community.  And remember – call the reality virtual if you want to.  But the people are real.

How would we use railroad in SL?

Sightseeing is high on the list.  Like when I first came into Second Life.  Back in ’05.  They had the trains running then.  That’s how I found out about Hobo Village.  I caught the train somewhere north of Calleta and was riding just to see the sights.  Turned a corner and saw Hobo Village.  I was so impressed I did a video about it. 

And who would be most interested in sight seeing in Second Life?   My first thought would be those new people coming into Second Life.  So we will pay attention to how we can promote Second Live Railways at the Community Gateways and the Infohubs.  The Hobo Railway Infohub I well connected for that.  The Linden-owned Second Life Rail Road runs right by it.  The GLSR  track runs from Hobo Village to the ferry point on the Cecropia coast.  And the Rail Museum is right next door, 

Aside from sightseeing, the Railway Community Partnership will provide an inviting opportunity for railroad enthuaists to pursue their hobby without messing up the house. 

The Railway community, I am guessing would include rail enthusiasts and merchants along the right of way.  A regular sightseeing railroad going by your store or entertainment venue should increase your traffic, sales, and property values. 

Groups we hope to work with on this project

• Okemo, Nakiska, and Southern Railroad
• Switchback Railroad
• Greater Second Life Railroad
• UnderGrid Herald
• Hobo Reservation
• Others TBD

Prospective services and events

• Rail Rally 2010
• Train Treasure Hunt
• Rolling Stock Building Tutorials
• Rolling Stock Scripting Tutorials
• Train Talkers (Docents for rail museums)
• Maps --  Tracks and nearby sights
• Travel Kiosks
• Translations to multiple languages
• Development of standards
• Comprehensive SL travel service to include islands

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We’ll miss your blog, Bettina

But we are glad NPIRL will still be around.  The blog has done a lot to publicize art in Second Life.  But Bettina thinks the time is ripe for her to move on.  The University of Delaware has been presenting talks in Second Life about “Outsider art.”  So maybe, having walked out a path for that subject, Bettina is turning over the job to the artists of academia.  Before long, it won’t even be outsider art any more.  Just art for your living room. 

Meanwhile, Bettina will be on Twitter, so we can follow her there.
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Second Life Arts Parks

“SL ArtsParks links places of Music, Literature, Painting, Sculpture, and  Theater in Second Life.”    See the coverage of activities on Cookie by Thirza Ember.
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Heritage Key, the web site

My Google reader is subscribed to this website..  Now I am getting archaeological reports much like what I would expect to find in the National Geographic or Scientific American.   For example;

• Archaeologists exploring the lost Maya city of El Mirador
• The Ancient History of Fireworks
• Digging in the Nile - Underwater Archaeology in Egypt
• History and Hermits - The Desert Fathers of Egypt

A new kind of magazine?  A magazine you really explore.   A new kind of Museum?  Coming to a computer near you.
I’ll be reporting on developments in Heritage Key in later weeks.  Meanwhile, I recommend that you use your Google reader to subscribe to these reports. 

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More outworlding by Avatar Repertory Theater: Official Channel

The Howard Barker show is now up now on the channel.  I hope it will stay.
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Voyage of Second Life Enterprise

Dusan Writer reports on the new Enterprise (behind the firewall) version of SL.