Welcome to the August Edition of the Caledon Oxbridge Gazette. Our first edition has received over 400 unique visitors and 2200 visits since its launch just over a month ago. From our gazette team and fellow deans, a big thank you! We look forward to delivering more interesting and relevant material for this and the next editions.
Picture Perfect Caledon Oxbridge – with pose and camera by Kees Veranes
Our Activity Sheet has been a winner in popularity of site visits. We applaud those of you who attempted any of the ‘homework’ to help you build on your skills in Second Life. One gazette reader Kees Veranes has surprised us by completing all activities to a high standard. Some of his completed items are on display at the Oxbridge Gazette bureau. Please visit to look at his work, if you would like to see excellent solutions for the June activity sheet. For his efforts, Mr Veranes was awarded 500L and 2 gift items of his choice from our prize store.
Pretty in Purple by Cindy Resident
Another prizewinner to announce is Miss Cindy Resident who has a winning entry for the Purple theme photo contest that was run during preparation of the first edition of this gazette. Well done Cindy! You can see more Miss Cindy’s work this edition under Page 3 Girls.
This month we have a new activity sheet for you, based on the theme of fashion. We hope you enjoy working on the challenges we have devised for you!
In the August Edition
In this edition, we have an article from Miss Larky, Avatars Reload, a guide on how to swap between the current mesh Linden default avatar and another from the ‘classic’ range. She also write about how you can experiment with the variety of clothing and body parts (eyes, skin, hair) available in your account Library.
Miss Stereo Nacht offers an article on Steampunk Fashion, a useful guide for newcomers looking forward to join the steampunk community in Caledon or other realms in the Steamlands.
Page 3 Girls is a gallery with contributions from talented members of our Photo Salon, addressing a idea provided by one of our class sponsor, the Caledon Vicerine Kamilah Hauptmann.
In “Don’t Peek At My Avatar”, I reflect on the concepts of nudity and modesty in the virtual world, as a sort of opposite to fashion.
State of the Avatar: The Female Feet 1.0, by Lady Fauve Aeon, is the first in a series of articles about the challenges of styling for Second Life avatars.
In “Hall-elujah!” I interview Dean Ravelli Ormstein about his work on the new mesh builds on campus, and also give readers a sneak peak of our new Lecture Hall.
We hope you enjoy the second monthly edition of the gazette!
Class Updates
If you don’t mess with mesh, maybe you think that “land impact” means “number of prims”, but the reality is far more complicated! Our popular instructor Samm Florian has introduced a new class, where you will learn what land impact means, how it’s calculated, and the benefits and pitfalls of switching prim-only builds into the “new accounting system”. Samm will be teaching this class for the first time on August 1st, and after that, about once a month.
Miss Renee Caxton will be introducing a new class at the Photo Salon on August 2nd. She will review the characteristics that make for great pictures: light, composition, and an interesting subject, and she will go through two examples where she selects one best image from an actual photo shoot. She will also talk about ways to make a final decision when two or three very similar pictures make the final cut. Imagine how very useful this new skill would be, when you are entering competitions, or submitting them for publication, or preparing a portfolio of your work for business! We hope you make it to this class. If not, stay tuned for the next time it is re-taught.
Miss Larkylouz’s introductory class Second Life Photography will have a special Euro-friendly time of 12 noon SLT on August 8th.
Oxbridge’s resident Animation Professor has introduced a third session to complement his two classes on avatar animation. The Animation office hour runs at 3PM SLT on Wednesdays. It’s a weekly opportunity for students and scholars to consult Professor Red on your personal animation projects. Troubleshooting, and procedural advice will be provided and the Professor may have an extra or two assignments tucked up his sleeve to help you with your learning.
See our class schedule for more information.