Lacie Beningborough and The Catalyst of Fantasy™

Sun 04/25/10


The Catalyst of Fantasy (COF) isn't just a modeling agency, or a modeling school, or a fashion sim.
COF is all of the above.
The founder of this amazing, multi-faceted institution is Lacie Beningborough, a former model and now a successful businesswoman.


Lacie Beningborough

I had the good fortune to meet with Lacie on the beautiful grounds of the COF Academy.
We settled ourselves on comfy chairs shaped like lovely stiletto shoes and had a fun chat that included gestures, amusing stories, and some serious points about Second Life®'s ever-changing fashion industry.

She is lovely and has a bubbly personality that made me feel right at home.
And I have to say the shoe chairs set the tone for a classroom atmosphere that would make learning a joy.
Her objective from the very beginning has been to make fashion fun.

Lacie started COF in August of 2009 with the goal of being different.
She achieved that and more.
As much as she has enjoyed running COF over the past few months, recent events in her personal life have prompted her to sell.
The sale is currently pending.



COF Classroom


Lacie on Stiletto Chair

"This past winter my son was in a terrible accident and I had to take time off SL to go and be with him," Lacie told me.
"It was the darkest time in my life I suspect.
Fortunately, he has made a wonderful recovery and is well."

And now that he has recovered, Lacie is involved in a major move that's putting her within a five-hour drive from the city.
"We have a lovely little cottage on a lake and I am not entirely sure of the internet connection."
However, she's sure she can figure out a way to get it, even if she has to hook it up herself.

I asked her if she planned to continue her involvement with COF and she said, "Yes. I have been asked to stay on as COO and I have said yes.
I still love to create the shows, but this way my time is still mine."

Lacie's fashion shows are unique and entertaining.
"I have an RL background in fashion and fashion shows.
In RL, fashion shows are extreme," she told me.
"They have coined a term about my shows.
They call them 'Fashion Theater.'
I think they should be entertaining so that everyone on the grid, regardless of interest, would enjoy them."

Now that her business has sold, she's hoping she'll have more time to fully experience more of what SL has to offer the fashion industry.
"I have my head buried so deeply here working that I never get the chance to get out there and see what others are doing."

I've noticed with most of the fashion shows I've attended that lag is always a major issue, so I asked how she deals with it.
"We reduce draw distance... remove all prims from the screen so we look bald and darn near naked to ourselves, but to others we are fully dressed," she explained.
"But sometimes it cannot be avoided."


Lacie, close up

"We did a show once where the dresses alone had an ARC of over 18 K.
The models rocked it, purposely bald this time, with no jewelry or shoes, but awesome skins."
It was the precise look the show needed to reflect the style of the designs.
Grinning, she admitted no one knew it wasn't planned.
"The models here are true pros and they work around (lag) every time.
They performed the show like this because they couldn't move any other way."
She said it was a riot, but it worked.

"You gotta laugh, right?" Lacie said.
"That is the philosophy I built COF on.
This is, after all, a game, yes?
Games should be fun.
If you are not having fun then you need to re-think why you are here."

I asked her what her most unique and unusual show has been and she said, "Phantom of the Opera was awesome.
We worked with a creator of a couples animator to custom-make the walk the models used.
We rented a sim for the audience.
Sky Galaxy came in and performed the Phantom of the Opera theme."

When I asked Lacie how she comes up with her show ideas, she jokingly told me, "I stop taking my anti-psychotic medication and they just come to me."
I love her sense of humor!
But honestly, she says the designers inspire her.
"I get a feel for what they are trying to portray and then I just go with that."

"I mean, you can't put formal wear in a biker theme, can you?"
A few seconds later, she said, "Well, dang, yes you can!
This is SL, where you can do anything.
The whole idea is to have fun, enjoy yourself and have a good time."

"Modeling has changed since COF came around," Lacie said.
"You see a lot more funky skins and hairs in shows now.
I don't know if that is because of COF or if we just came in on the start of change, but if you ask me I will say it is because of COF."

Then she told me she loved my ears, as I am an elf, an example of the alternate styles and fashion that exist in SL.
"They are adorable," she said, making me blush.
"That is what SL is all about.
Why be normal?
We are normal in RL.
Well, some of us are anyway."
And then she smiled.
I asked what she advises models do to create a unique style.
"The deal is to not be afraid.
Don't worry about what your buddy is going to think or say, just have FUN, experiment.
Try new things."

Like wearing work boots with a formal gown? I asked her.

"YES!" she said.
"Why not?
Hollywood does.
The key for me is, why conform?
And if you are conforming… who are you conforming to and why?"
She went on to add, "When I started modeling eons ago, it was ALL about conforming, blending in, not standing out, and frankly it ticked me off big time.
Because it really is all about sticking out and not blending in."

So this prompted me to ask about shapes.
I wanted to know how, and why, a model chose a specific kind of shape because I've never had any shape other than the noob av SL first gave me.
I just sculpted it to fit how I wanted it to look.
"Ooh! You have done very well then.
Include a pic of yourself in the article because that is impressive.
You have proven the original can be tweaked... shapemakers beware, the secret is out!"
However, she actually advises anyone looking for a good shape to seek out a custom shapemaker and have one designed just for you.
"If you want to be yourself, you need a good shapemaker, or buy an off-the-rack one and modify it.
But never, never, never buy a no-mod shape."
A custom shape can cost anywhere from 5k to 15k.

I asked Lacie if she was the main teacher at the COF Academy, and she said, "No, that would be Glitter Bolissima."
She gave me the academy's class outline and its 3 tiered structure: Beginner Class, Advanced Class, and Advanced Elite Class.
The Elite class offers photography, choreography, creating your own poses, staging and more.
Advanced Elite classes are only offered once a week.
Lacie created Elite because she feels the less you need to rely on others, the better off you'll be, and this class teaches a model to be prepared for just about anything.

Regarding the COF Agency, Lacie is very firm about not allowing inflated egos into the fold.
"I tell all new model hires that I am the ONLY diva at COF.
If you need special attention or pull a tude.... I am certain other agencies are hiring.
Feel free to go there."
What a great policy.

Not only does Lacie run a successful agency and modeling school, she also represents a couple of SL musical artists, Bruce Scrabblebrat and Blue4U Nowicka.
I'm overwhelmed by how multitalented she is.

Even though Lacie no longer owns COF, rest assured she will remain at the helm and continue to produce wonderful fashion theater and help introduce new models to SL™'s fashion world.
Thank you, Lacie, for being such a delightful interview and putting a smile on my face.
And thank you, dear readers, for your continued support of the Oi Magazine blog.

Chalice Piers,reporting for Oi Magazine blog

Meet & Greet with top model Candylicious Forster !

Mo 04/19/10



Candylicious Forster portrait 1

Greetings, fellow Fashionistas and those interested or fascinated by the immensely popular fashion world, get ready to learn a lot about the industry by the insight of one of Second Life®'s top fashion models in the business, Candylicious Forster.

Candy granted me an interview and invited me to her beautiful home, where we had a friendly chat that revealed her beauty goes beyond skin deep.

When I arrived at Candy's home in the early afternoon, I rezzed within an elegantly decorated living room with large windows that revealed a manicured landscape.
I sat in a luxuriant white armchair near an aquarium filled with tropical fish, and Candy seated herself in the twin chair beside me.
As a reporter I was also naturally eager to hear about her life as a model and about the industry she'd enthusiastically become a part of.


Candy portrait 2

Candy came into SL™ on May 5, 2008, having come previously from another virtual world called redlightcenter™
She wasn't in SL long before she was approached by the co-owners and CEO's of Classic W/Style™, a high-end modeling agency.
They invited her to compete in the Miss Hawaii 2009 Pageant™, where she was awarded second runner up.
Not bad for her first time.^^
She attended the Classic W/Style Academy and graduated in December 2009.


Chalice Piers,Oi reporter with Candylicious Forster

"In my first life, I'm a 23-year-old law student," Candy told me.
"My family are all lawyers and I am an only child.
My RL goal is to become a business lawyer specialized in copyright law."

So when Candy first started in Second Life, modeling was the last thing on her mind. But that changed after her Miss Hawaii Pageant experience.
Since then, she has participated in over 12 fashion shows, was 2nd runner up to Ms Show Girl 2009™, was Ms Photogenic™ in Ms Show Girl 2009, was Ms. Too Sexy 2010 Cover Girl™, and a variety of other accolades too numerous to mention in the limited space of this blog.
However, you can view a list of Candy's accomplishments on her website http://www.wix.com/candyliciousForster/candy



Candy in bikini photoshoot

I expressed concern over her busy schedule of juggling law school and her SL modeling career.
She assured me it isn't a problem. "It's extremely organized in SL, so if you know this (fashion) industry in RL , it's identical to what we have here in SL."

Candy said, "I have visited some campuses in SL in the fashion industry that truly impressed me.
The creativity of the designers comes from every part of the world and imposes on this industry to be professional."

Though Candy manages her time well, she has no social life. "I rarely go dancing or have a date in SL because my focus is modeling and success," she said. "Modeling is not just a pose or motion we do on the run way. It's a dedication to the love and passion of fashion and style."

There is extensive training involved in becoming a SL model. "We do a fashion show at least once a week, mainly Saturdays, and sometimes we have Thursday shows too," Candy told me.
"Our CEO, Ms Anrol Anthony, is one of the most creative cat walk designers in formation that I know. Every week, every fashion show, she changes formations, changes the runway place, and she keeps all models on their toes.
A good model will practice on her own too so that she can memorize formations and what is needed."

Candy is now attending Avenue Academy™ for the additional knowledge she'll gain of the fashion and modeling industry. She said, "I want to learn from the best."

For the interest of blog readers, I asked about the costs involved in training to be a model.
Candy told me the tuition for a good SL modeling school has a broad range so she advises the schools be contacted directly for a quote.
Scholarships exist for those who are serious about pursuing a modeling career but who lack the funds to pay for it themselves.

"Modeling is not about making money," Candy said. "Not in SL at least. Not even for the designers, who don't make much money either."

Candy said running a modeling academy is extremely hard work as she often sees her school's CEOs online round the clock. "They do it for the passion and their ambition of fulfilling their dreams."

While talking about SL designers, Candy said, "I swear I know some of the most famous designers in SL, and if you knew what type of work they do in RL you would be shocked. Having the creativity but not the means to create is what brings them to SL where they can make their dreams a reality."

Candy told me about a recent styling contest she was in that had a Neko theme. "That day I said I didn't want to look like the normal Neko outfits all over SL, I want to be different. So I went to a place that makes shapes and skin of Neko. When I tried the demo I looked like a midget and that is a no-no in the industry." So she worked with the maker to create a shape and skin that was modifiable so it would fit model requirements. But in spite of her efforts and expense, she did not win.
Perfection is the name of the game in these competitions, and Candy lost because one of her eyelashes was inside her eye. That's how close the judges look for imperfections.

If someone is interested in getting into modeling, how should they start?


Candy in gown photoshoot

Candy had this to say: "First they must truly love fashion and understand the styling concepts.
They must have a friendly attitude and be able to spend at least four hours a day of extensive training.
They can either attend a modeling college or an academy." Then she added, "Recomendations are important as is socializing with everyone in the industry. Learn from everything around you because we can't let ignorance rule our minds or expect to be the best because there will always be someone better."

But it doesn’t stop there. "Get involved in blogging, Facebook™, Moolto™, Pixilook™, and read all these magazines we have all over SL about fashion.
They give a lot of insight into this industry.
In fact, modeling agencies don't depend on magazines only. There are Youtube™ videos on the net from SL and a lot of the designers have their own websites."

Candy has her own videos, too. You can view them at http://www.youtube.com/user/ClassicwithStyle#p/u/0/YPYFMD-8GVo and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHd7Qt5bNmA

Candy's favorite designers are Jador Fashion™, Joy Fellini™, Violator™, Utopia Fashion™, 24 Shoo Shoes™, Red passion™, Bliss Couture™, and Versace™.
She usually gets paid for modeling by being allowed to keep the outfits she models.

Candy would like to pass on a quote to our readers: "People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."
This is a quote taken from Elizabeth Kübler-Ross.

Thank you, Candy, for such a delightful interview! And thank you, readers, and like to thank our guest as well for this interview , top fashion model Candylicious Forster

My name is Chalice Piers,reporting for Oi Magazine blog

Jay Hurikan, Portrait of The CisumWebzine™ CEO

Mon 04/12/10
Written by Liza Veliz







Long time ago I was searching for RL Musicians inside SL and found ZenMag™, a stage for them.
None was around that time, but when I took the landmark half a year later someone was there.
Not the ava I was searching for, but the ava Jay Hurikan.
It turned out it was the man I was looking for anyway. The man behind (Jérémy Vallauri in Real World) is the former owner of ZenMag and now the CEO of CisumWebzine and their stage for RL Musicians inside SecondLife™.

Since am a curious creature I of course have to ask Jay how come..

Jay tells me; “I decided to make a new avatar when started up the new business with CisumWebzine. ZenMag never worked as an idea so I gave it up.
Now at CisumWebzine I do it all for pleasure instead of hoping for money.”


Me and Jay Hurikan (L) sitting on stage

“I went into this business with mine old employer Jénzine Magazine, an RL webzine that was coming inworld to check for artists.
My job was to search for musicians inworld.
When Jénzine Webzine more or less went off SL I got the idea I would create a webzine myself.”

His passion for music began at the age of 8th, when he was given an album of Guns n´ Roses™ from his cousin. In Real Life he likes metal, nu hard metal, and his favourite bands besides them are Silverschair™, Pantera™ and Bumblefoot™.
And he likes English pubs!

So there goes mine idea of him as a hip hop man in RL to the sky. **Liza is laughing**
NO rap in them ears of Jérémy, he tells me. Nono.

Jay Hurikan relaxes by playing drums in Real Life.
He has been a drummer since he bought his first one at the age of 19.
A 30 year old drum of ASAMA it was, he remembers^^ But his favourite drums are Pearl™.
“I have not been at stage before an audience ever, still a rookie on drums. Have played in several bands but never hit the stage. I tried to bring mine drums inside SL™, but it was too hard to stream them. Didn’t sound good enough, so I won´t. “
He also likes spending time with his friends and goes listen gigs.
And if he wants to feel really relaxed he sometimes takes some Temesta to relax.
That’s a medicine against anxiety.
“I don’t get that anymore, I used too few years ago though, but I still use the pills sometimes.”

“I try to be humble and respectful towards people, but sometimes it gets me into situations as the one a few weeks ago when I was proposed to by a man to come and rent land at his sim that was supposed to become a showcase sim in April.
I paid several thousand lindens in rent and then the guy banned me from the sim one week later when we were just set up and I didn’t get a refund.
I reported this to Linden’s but I don’t know what happened after this.
It’s a shame people like that are around. But I don’t think much upon it now.
I have laid it aside and moved forward.
The music venue and the webzine are working even better after this relapse so I don’t care anymore.”


Me in front of the Inworld HQ location of Cisum Webzine

Jay, or should I say Jérémy maybe, is facing same thing as the rest of us SL people are out there in RL, friends don’t understand why we are in this world.
His RL friends don’t come in world, they think of this as a computer game.

“When I get the RL Association it will be as any other company of RL and then maybe the attitude will change against CisumWebzine”.

It is RL as well as SL, that’s for sure.
Some of them musicians that have been on the stage are now signed up to real world labels. CisumWebzine always provide real musicians, there are people creating the sound behind their computers at every performance, no one streams a record and perform.
As Jay Hurikan loves real, this is an of course fact.

And he is not anyone else in his avatar either, its same guy both worlds always.
“I hate role-play and don’t like fake people.”


Jay on the run


SO what does he do in Second Life for relaxing in world then?
“I am far to busy with Cisum Magazine to do anything else in world.
This is what I find fun to do.
I used to DJ for a month or so to bring in some cash to the magazine, but to be awake till 7 for just to play some records and hardly even get tipped wasn’t worth it. It is fun to dj though.
I also worked as club manager for a month or so with a club, but the owner demanded too much and was asking for too much and fired me even if I was doing a good job.
I also started a mall, JLC Live Event, with some friends, that’s were CisumWebzine started, but since am not at all interested in fashion I broke free from one day to another.
This I do now is what I want to do. I don’t want to waste money or energy on things that doesn’t give me inner satisfaction.

“CisumWebzine I don’t mind spending between 200-400 Euros a month doing, and mine hope is that more sponsors wants to invest a little by little.
We do have DX Exchange™ sponsoring by paying the musicians of two events a month and promoting us on the SL grid, event is announced through 350 ads boards and we are considered as official partner on their website.
And we have other we work with as partners such as Moolto™ and Oi Magazine, but of course I hope for more investors. Till then I pay and it is fun and satisfaction for me to do this, so I don’t mind.”

Even if Jay doesn’t look too much at what other music webzines do in world he is surely checked out by them.
Last week a big one came to him and made some suggestions about cooperation.
But Jay won’t let anyone in on his webzine. “It’s my baby” as he puts it.

Jay prefers musicians from America or Australia or England more then French musicians but he have favored some good ones he found; Fran6 Parkin, oldwolf Criss, Lazy Mistwood, Cedric Morigi, Scofi Robson and Ofely Bluebird.


Us At the interview table

“We have about 50 musicians a week at our stage, and altogether there have been 70 different ones working with us since the start of CisumWebzine.”
Jay, or Jérémy, lives in south of France and he assists me when I sometimes make interviews for CisumWebzine on French artists by translating.
Now I get the explanation.
His master plan was to become a translator when he first went to University.

“I was planning to become a translator and I took classes in Spanish and English and History, but then I spent more time at the University Club then at mine books so now am doing this instead. Fixing events and running the magazine”.
“If I would describe myself with a few words it would be dedicated to music from very young age and very energetic into mine project CisumWebzine.”

Visit Cisum Webzine online at this URL:
http://www.cisumwebzine.com/

Visit Cisum Webzine inworld at this SLURL :
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Select%20Complex/149/226/22

Liza Veliz, reporting for Oi Magazine blog

Magenta Plutonian Wins Oi's First Paparazzi Contest!

Mon 04/12/10


We'd like to congratulate Magenta Plutonian, Oi's first Paparazzi Contest winner! We had some fabulous entries, and her photos were judged to be the best. The competition was tough, and we're looking forward to future contests that highlight some of the best photography talent in Second Life.®

I had an opportunity to interview Magenta after her win and she was gracious to answer my questions. Here's what she had to say:

Where are you from and how long have you been in Second Life?
MP (Magenta Plutonian): I am from, and still live in, Cornwall (I have traced my Cornish family tree back to the 1600's and it would seem I am Cornish to the bone).
Cornwall is the bottom tip of the UK, surrounded by beautiful beaches.
I have been in SL™ since November 2008 and was introduced to it by my RL partner.
I had no interest in this world to start with, but slowly it has absorbed me more and more.


Magenta Plutonian, Top Paparazzi Photographer, also now herself a celebrity


Are you a photographer or artist in your first life?
MP: When I left school, I was accepted into Art College, which I studied for two years and found that I had a flair for colour.
Funnily enough it has not followed me in my career as I work with teenagers in care.

What an awesome and noble vocation! What made you decide to enter Oi's Paparazzi Contest?
MP: I have entered a few competitions before and found quickly that I did not enjoy the popularity-type voting as I hate nagging my friends to vote and they end up paying L$5-10 for their trouble.
This contest had a little more interest to it, not just making it a picture-taking contest, but an endurance one.
*laughs* I know Adianna and myself both made some sacrifices to be online at the given time slots.
I think the new easier rules will open it up to many more entries.

(Oi Magazine management would like to add that voters were never charged for voting in our contest,always completely free as we have sponsors like PurpleMoon Creations and more, supplying winners like Magenta their winning prize of 10,000 Lindens! for their efforts)

What did you enjoy most about the Paparazzi Contest?
MP: The contestants, Poulet and Persia, were amazing fun and they made the competition.
I had myself a lot of giggles in some of the shoots.
Also my fellow 'pappers' were a giggle to be with.
I know it was a competition, but I feel like I made some friends, which is always a bonus.


Absolutely, both Poulet and Persia were great subjects and a lot of fun to work with. What do you like about photography in Second life?
MP: Making a pixelated avatar come to life in a picture.
It's always a great feeling when someone really appreciates a picture you've taken of them.


One of the 2 paparazzi pictures that gave Magenta her win! Celebrity journalist Persia Bravin is displayed here



Other winning paparazzi picture, Fashion icon Poulet Koenkamp is displayed here

I couldn't agree more. Is SL photography more than a hobby for you?
MP: I don't think I will ever give up my day job. *smiles* But I think I use it to relax and as a little escapism from RL. It's nice to get creative

That's very true. SL offers many opportunities for creativity, and Oi's Paparazzi Contest added some whimsy as well. What kinds of photos do you enjoy taking?
MP: Dramatic portraits that reflect an individual's personality.


(Chalice Piers,Oi Magazine reporter *Nods Yes* and asks)
Can you offer some SL photography tips?
MP: Just play around, be experimental and have fun.
PhotoLife 3 Studio is not only the best photographic studio in SL, but the group support is truly awesome.
It does not matter what timezone you are in, there is always someone to help out if you need it. (But it costs a fortune so may not be suited for the dabbling photographer.)

Do you use any specific windlight settings for your photos?
MP: Any photographer worth their lindens will use the windlight settings.
You don't drive a car in first gear only do you?

LOL! No, but I do have favorite windlight settings I prefer over the default. What do you put your graphics settings on before taking photos?
MP: For taking pictures I always set graphics to ultra, but you need a really good graphics card for this.
You must remember after taking your pictures to set it lower again, or you will be wondering why SL has gone super laggy.


Oh, yes. I've done that myself. What software do you use to edit your photos?
MP: I use Photoshop to clean up the edges.

Same here, and for special effects. What are some of your favorite photo editing techniques?
MP: I am always playing around in Photoshop, but to be honest I am a noobie at Photoshop, so am still learning the basics.
I just do what I feel is right for the picture and to be honest it's not always the same and sometimes a happy mistake.


I hear you. Photoshop is the best and I use it daily in my RL job.
So, Magenta, would you recommend the Oi Paparazzi contest to others?
MP: For sure! The organizer's were awesome, always helpful with queries.
The prize money is great and most of all its lots of fun!

Thank you so much for your time, Magenta. You're a talented photographer and we hope to see more entries from you in future Oi photography contests.

Thanks for reading, everyone! And I hope you decide to enter the next Oi Paparazzi Contest. It's loads of fun, you get to express your creativity, and you have a chance to win some lindens! I look forward to seeing your photos.

Chalice Piers, reporting for Oi Magazine blog

New York HealthScape Interacts with Patients In Second Life®

Tue 04/06/10

(NY) New York HealthScape, a project of Southern Tier HealthLink (STHL) in Second Life®, encourages residents to participate in online activities to educate them about the importance of health information being shared between various health organizations.
The project is spread across eighteen sims that accurately represent many of the New York State locations where the real life medical facilities are located.

Second Life is the ideal environment for patients—meaning you, me and everyone we know--to interact with virtual healthcare facilities and see how the exchange of medical information works.
I was privileged to get a guided tour from Panacea Luminos (Christina Galanis in RL), executive director for STHL, that let me experience this amazing program from the patient's point of view.

Eighteen sims covers a lot of virtual ground and the project is arranged in a way that's fun and interesting for visitors. Not only are healthcare facilities represented, but there are parks, shops, villages, townhomes, and houses as well.
This project is of personal interest to On Innovations (OI) Magazine Publisher Carmichael Caudron, who has two homes in the area.
The project just had its official roll-out of outside promotion yesterday on Monday, April 5th 2010.


NY HealthScape owner Panacea Luminos

So what is there to do in NY HealthScape? Plenty.
The primary purpose, of course, is to create your own Personal Health Record in the private and secure environment created there.
You get to watch how that record is incorporated in the Electronic Medical Records system as you move from one island station to the next.
This is done by interacting with a variety of scenarios designed to both educate and entertain.
As you play the games and experience each scenario, you learn about privacy issues while setting security and sharing limitations on your medical info the same as you would in real life.

My tour started in Battery Park, where I got to ride the Sea Crystal Carousel, a very relaxing experience with the calming instrumental music composed by Kyle Beltran. Then can catch a cab through the city to where you'll hear the story of Uncle D, a character who lived in New York as an HIV-positive member of a Brooklyn neighborhood.
This scenario educates through storytelling and visitors can add details or creative elements that enhance the story of Uncle D’s life.



You'll also visit a clinic in Brooklyn, and possibly attend a music or art event along the way.
Live music is often played at Healthy Grounds Coffee Shop.
When you arrive at the Hamptons Village, which is one of several backgrounds for the health challenge, you'll see a few lovely vintage homes on the shore, some of which are available to rent.
And don't forget to redeem the points you earned while playing HealthScape's interactive games to buy clothing and other virtual goods at local merchants.

Some of HealthScape's activities include “Doctor’s Visit,” a series of medical scenarios from labwork to surgeries that demonstrate how patients and providers benefit from shared medical information.
The “Learning Journey” is an informational tour that demonstrates the Health Information Exchange through everyday activities like shopping, eating, and exercising.

When you visit the Wilson Medical Center, which is a replica of the actual hospital in New York, you can experience "A Day of Adventure" that includes what emergency services are like as they relate to the Health Information Exchange.
A scenario has been scripted for a ski accident that requires emergency transportation and immediate medical attention.

The Exposition Learning Center has five learning areas that include movies, audio productions, powerpoint presentations and other media that educate on the importance and benefits of the Health Information Exchange.
The only reason the center sits in the air above the city is because the high-tech aesthetics clash with the project's more urban theme.

At the Health Center Village, a location inspired by village-like malls of the Midwest, you can take the health challenge for diabetes.
Rez the basket and collect apples for points you can redeem for treasure. Walk along the streets of this friendly neighborhood, where in real life you might visit a clinic at the same time you run your daily errands.

The Autism Awareness Center is inside a lovely two-story home in the Health Center Village.
You'll learn about the history of autism's discovery, the myths and facts, the spectrums of the syndrome, and symptoms for its detection and diagnosis.
Then you'll visit the inside of a room that has the sights and sounds of what an autistic child or adult may experience.
It was a real eye-opener for me.



Panacea told me about a Second Life high school class of residents in teen and child avatars who took a field trip to the Autism Awareness Center.
While there, one of the students realized he hadn't been bad or stupid as a kid in school, but actually had a form of autism. His experience at the Center changed his life.
Panacea also brought to my attention that Torley Linden, who does a lot of Second Life photography and creates SL's video tutorials, is autistic.

It's a joy to travel from sim to sim when you can ride a replica of the vintage Phoebe Snow Train to all ten stations located on various sims throughout the project.
It's a scenic trip that takes you through urban and country terrain, and even a tunnel through a mountain.

Give yourself a couple of hours to explore this amazing project from Southern Tier HealthLink. It's fun and valuable, plus you get to play games and win points for prizes. Visit http://archive.treet.tv/node/3792 to see a taped interview with some of the people involved. The following are slurls for a few of the NY HealthScape locations mentioned in this article.



The Sea Crystal Carousel
http://slurl.com/secondlife/WaterWay%20New%20York/190/180/22

HealthLink New York Orientation Presentation
http://slurl.com/secondlife/HealthLink%20New%20York/140/140/25

Healing Grounds Coffee Shop
http://slurl.com/secondlife/TriBorough%20New%20York/192/122/23

Brooklyn Clinic
http://slurl.com/secondlife/TriBorough%20New%20York/222/136/23

Wilson Medical Center
http://slurl.com/secondlife/HealthLink%20New%20York/201/119/25

Uncle D's Story Quest in Brooklyn ( HIV/AIDS)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/TriBorough%20New%20York/111/81/23

Autism Awareness Center
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Western%20New%20York/107/27/26

Diabetes Challenge
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Western%20New%20York/53/32/27

As always, thank you for reading and out thanks to Panacea Luminos for her time for the interview.
I hope you enjoy your tour of NY HealthLink. I know I did. Have fun !


Chalice Piers, reporting for Oi Magazine blog

Scottius Polke's Lunamaruna

Sat 04/03/10

When I read the article in the last issue of our magazine about Scottius Polke and his Mushroom trip I couldn’t hold my self. I had to go and see with me own pixels and eyes.

It was so cool the mushroom trip, sitting on his desk at the Project Z gallery in the room where we feel so small made me think I wouldn’t mind being a muse sitting next to the drawer’s pen as this at all.
The feeling of being inside the room of Van Gogh at Ariel was there too.
Only thing I didn’t get was his trip with socks... smelly socks… knitted ones, so had to ask him in an IM.


Scottius showing me around

Scottius Polke IM's me back the following; “Hi Liza...when I created the room, I wanted it to have a somewhat messy feel. And what messy bedroom is complete without smelly socks lying around everywhere? :) The Van Gogh comparison refers to the style... using lots of lines and in some case a warped perspective, as well as the obvious reference to his own room.”

Then he sent me a note card of the next exhibition of his art!

His new project is an aquarium town up in space^^ There I was really inside of his paintings. YEAH.


Strange fish came to look at me !


Yeeaaa,well I invited that fish for dinner ^^

Sitting by the fish fountain dipping me feet in the water, relaxing a bit listening the café music made by the radio chosen by the sim…. Ah ok... can not tell you who made the music but it sounds like café music in Berlin :)

Zachh Cale (project Z curator) really curates this fellow well!

At any moment I'm so glad I never tried mushrooms or any other drug.
To me this is pure fairy tail feeling, but I could so understand all potheads of Second Life® that maybe goes giggling through all this fire of colours and wrong, but still so right, perspectives of images.

And all the fish swimming around in the air blowing up to be bigger and bigger as they come closer to you… and that music….. All this makes you in really meditative mode…

The exhibition is said to be for meditation on the signs too…


Erotical by Scottius

And pure meditative it is... for sure…

I met up with Scottius a few days later at Lunamaruna and we spent a really nice afternoon in this fish town up in the space and he explained to me about this new trip of his^^
He told me me; “In builds like this and mushroom I am attempting to recapture the mood of my sketches, fishes just became the theme just like amoebas and moulds became the theme of the last one, however, where we are and what it means, I would like the viewer to interpret on their own.”

When I insist he tells me his own feeling ;

“To me this one is a mystery, something occurred here, and it is unclear what. As you wander around you find disturbances.
The control room, for an example, it is trashed, and there are bones.
Looking at the village from afar, it almost looks idyllic, but as you inspect closer things aren’t as they seem.
Basically I wanted the viewer to feel like they had stepped into another world, both in space and style, to be able to walk through an illustration.
Also want them to feel part of it, to be able to sit, jump, kick the cans, and ride the creatures.”

Which part of this exhibition is Scottius' favourite, I then wondered.
Scottius Polke went like; “hmmmm let me think.”
Then he walks me over to the store beside the fountain where a big fish is sitting on a rocking chair and continues; “I like "Grumpy McGil" on the rocking chair!”
BTW the whole exhibition is bit influenced by Dr Seuss. Did I need to mention that? **Liza smiles**

As it is right now Scottius cannot ride his creature himself but soon he will make pose balls for tiny ones too.
He has made tiny t-shirts though for the exhibition and he shows me one wearing it himself and with his bubble pipe. Then we danced to the cool music!


Dancing with amoubas

As we were having fun Zachh came, and I get the story about them two!
Zachh and Scottius have known each others since 2008. They met at an opening for an exhibition of someone else and were joking together for an evening.
Then Zachh went to one of Scottius' exhibitions and became hooked on to his art!
That was the start of their friendship! Good start!
Ever since then they have been working together inside Second Life with exhibitions of Scottius' art.
This one made Show Case this week!
Visit Scottius' Lunamaruna at this SLURL http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lennox%20Hill/111/170/3795


Liza Veliz, reporting for Oi Magazine blog