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Best Nail Salons Near Me Open Now: Things to Consider Before You Go
The following content provides you the top nail salons near me service that can preferably use for Pedicure, Spa, Manicure, in the USA.
Secrets To Maintain Healthy Nails:There are absolutely no secret to anything for being healthy, but the matter of fact is that regular and timely care is the ideal road for maintaining health, and more specifically to maintain healthy nails.
Having beautiful nails, perfect body and a charming attitude are the ready-made tools to envy others. Everyone is equally gifted, and it is unto oneself to maintain these gifts for the lifetime. Therefore, following the below-given tips and visiting the nearest nail salons using the nail salons near me service shall help you maintain those healthy nails.
● Make use of hand-gloves while cleaning your house or washing your dishes.
● Maintaining your nails also include the nails that of your feet. It requires double attention as they are usually hard in nature and attracts dirt and dryness quickly. Make use of clean socks while wearing shoes. Also, scrub them gently during the bath.
● Moisturizing your nails with ready-made solutions such as body cream, sunscreen cream, etc. must be applied.
● Nails can be temperature/climate sensitive. Therefore, taking care of your nails accordingly becomes quite important.
● Experts recommend to drink a lot of water and maintain a healthy diet that supplements keratin growth to maintain a glow on your nails.
● Nourishing with Almond oil overnight is known to retain the glow of your nails.
● Regular use of nail polish shall protect your nails against wear and tear. But enough care must be taken to ensure that the polish which you are using is of the highest standard.
● Above all, complementing these steps by making use of nail salons near me service and paying a regular visit to the nearest nail salons is a must.
Things To Remember Before Selecting A Nail Salon Near Me Service
There may be several nail salons nearby you and not necessarily every nail salon near you must be the perfect. Therefore, it becomes quite important to indulge yourself in below procedure before selecting the best nail salon near me service.
#1. Look for the affordability factor. Before visiting the nail salon, make sure to check their Service menu for price list. Typically an ideal salon will never charge hefty amount from its customers. But special services come at a high price. Therefore fix your budget accordingly before fixing an appointment with the nail salon. Alternatively, you may refer to the standard price list given in the last section of this article. The prices for various services in salons may slightly deviate from this standard list.
#2. After visiting the salon, make sure to observe its cleanliness and skill level of the staff silently. There is just no reason to hesitate to leave the salon if the place is not up to your standards of cleanliness and professionalism. See how they treat you as a customer for manicure pedicure.
Top Nail Salons Near Me Services In United States
While a simple search on Google or any other search engine, it shall give only the nail salons near me service. Here a collection of the top and best nail salons near me services in the whole of United States is mentioned. The chances are high that you may be located nearby to at least one or more nail salons mentioned below.
Read: Nail Salon Near in San Antonio
Read: Nail Salon Near in San Antonio
1. Tenoverten- https://tenoverten.com/
Tenverton has carved a name for itself in the Nail salon service industry. Based in New York, USA, it offers a range of services that includes manicure, pedicure deals, spa and much more. Nail art service is one of its specialties.
Financial District
121 Fulton St
New York, NY 10038
Phone number: (212) 619-1010.
2. Nail Project
Another New York-based nail salon, Nail project offers a plethora of nail beauty related services. While other beauty services are also offered, people prefer the salon for nail beauty services. It is also a pioneer in Nail look and shape style services.
Park Slope
138 7th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone number: (917) 909-0142
3. Glorious Nail
New York seems to be a hub of best nail salons and another such salon on the list is Glorious Nai. It is famous for Nail beauty product and nail art services.
313 Avenue X
Brooklyn, NY 11223
Phone number: (929) 223-6081
4. Blue Bell Nails
Upcoming on the top nail salons near me services is a Washington, USA based nail salon- Blue Bell Nails. It is one of the most famous salons in Washington and offers a wide range of nail beauty services. The location of this saloon deserves a special mention.
700 O St NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone number: (202) 387-9057
5. Charming Nails
Charming Nails is a Washington, USA based nail salon offering regular nail beauty and nail cleaning services. This salon is based on the European style of nail beauty and rightly deserves mention on our list of top nail salon near me.
1355 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone Number: (202) 333-7556
6. PINKY Nail Boutique
The name says it all- PINKY Nail Boutique is a much happening nail salons in Washington, USA. Many customers have reviewed the salon positively and are much satisfied its services.
Adams Morgan
2479 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone Number: (202) 667-4659
7. Nail salon
Another Washington based nail salon is aptly named- Nail salon. The services provided by the center is satisfying and has a set of loyal customers who regularly pay a timely visit to this salon.
Logan Circle, Downtown
1508 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20005
Phone number: (202) 299-0095
8. Akiko Nails
Moving back to New York, USA, Akiko Nails is another famous nail salon in the city. The customers have recommended its nail art service to be the best and valuable.
483 Broadway
New York, NY 10013
Phone number: (646) 972-6576
9. Ruchki da Nozhki
A nail salon so fancily named had to Ruchki da Nozhki in the New York City of United States. The services offered by this salon are plenty, and each service is valuable, positively reviewed by the customers.
Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn
381 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone number: (917) 909-0481
10. Casa Polish Nail Studio
New York, USA is a hub of nail art salons, and Casa Polish Nail Studio is one such salon featuring on the list of top nail salons near me. You can choose to scrub your nails, ask for nail-art or have a general consultant service to maintain healthy nails; almost all the nail beauty services are available in this salon.
297 Wyckoff Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11237
Phone number: (718) 483-8315
11. Stylish Nail & spa
Stylish Nail & Spa is a multiservice salon located in the New York City of United States. A lost have been heard from its satisfied customers about the quality and valuable services it provides. The nail center and not restricted itself only to nail beauty services but also offers other beauty services as per customer's preference.
Park Slope
202 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone Number: (718) 722-1111
12. Lilac Spa
Simple and to the point service, Lilac Spa is one of the famous nail salons located in New York. The services offered by Lilac Spa is multiple as it does not restricts itself only to nail beauty services.
East Village
91 1st Ave
New York, NY 10003
Phone number: (646) 756-5307
13. DC nail Spa
Famously known as DC Nail Spa, it is a famous Nail salon in Washington, United States. Customers come here for consultancy regarding maintaining their nails. Apart from this, in-house services offered for nail beauty is also quite famous.
Dupont Circle
1715 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone number: (202) 629-4818
14. MIMOSA SALON Adams Morgan
MIMOSA Salon Adams Morgan has a chain of Nail salons throughout the United States. It is primarily based out of Washington and has slowly expanded out mainly because of the trust the customers have on the salon. The services offered by the salon are valuable.
Adams Morgan
2305 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone number: (202) 290-1880
Another major chain of nail salons is BISOU that is based out of New York. It deserves mention on our list due to several positive reviews by customers.
6 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
Phone number: (347) 330-3477
16. European Wax Centre
A uniquely styled nail salon is this European wax Centre that is based in New York, United States. The service menu is quite interesting, and the customers have rated it to be of premium quality. It is quite famous for its nail art services.
Flatiron, Gramercy
289 Park Ave S
New York, NY 10010
Phone number (646) 517-8796
17. DuPont Nails & Spa
A twin of DC nail salons is DuPont Nails & Spa that offers multi-beauty services apart from nail beauty services. The multiplicity of services offered have resulted in more customers going out satisfactorily after the purchase of those services.
Dupont Circle
1718 20th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone number: (202) 232-6473
18. The Gel Bar
The Gel Bar is one of the famous nail salons that have a chain of franchise-based branches throughout the United States. It offers standard nail beauty services, and the customers are quite satisfied with it.
Midtown West
11W 30th St
New York, NY 10001
Phone Number: (212) 695-5985
19. Oriental Oasis Nails and Spa
Oriental Oasis Nails and Spa is a traditional nail beauty salon. It offers traditional and ancient nail beauty services that were once the part of the East. This salon is the best and valuable place to indulge in traditional beauty services of the East.
1090 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20005
Phone number: (202) 312-5533
Alternatively, you may make use of Google Maps to use its nail salons near me service and get your nails pampered regularly.
Types Of Nail Shapes
It is important to know different types of nail shapes to take an informed and wise decision while undergoing nail art service or its like. Refer to the below-given details for knowing the different types of nail shapes.
1. Oval Nails: One looking at an oval-shaped nail will be awestruck. To get such a shape, the nails are filed down on the sides in addition to the tips. Getting the oval curvature more complex that one may thing. Hence the help of Nail salon professionals is a must. Such a design looks amazing as it encompasses the features of Square, Rounded and Almond nail shapes.
2. Square Nails: The square shaped nails look fancy and to attain such a shape, the filing has to be on the top with straight, sharp corners.
3. Squoval Nails: The preferred nail shape is Squoval nails. Such a design is got by flattening the edges of the square. There should not be any sharp corners. Such a design looks pretty and goes well with daily-look wear.
4. Almond Nails: Almond nails are fancy to wear. They may look on certain dress type and may go flat on other dress wears. To get such a nail design, nails are filled along sides. Also, the mere filing will not suffice to attain Almond shape. Since the natural nails are weak, they need to be reinforced with gel or acrylic.
5. Lipsticks Nails: Most suited on party-wear, Lipstick nail design resembles that of an actual lipstick.
6. Round Nails: Such a design is a classic shape and is preferred by many. While our natural nails may grow in such a design, the main difference is that in a saloon made Round design, the nails with straight sides round the curve at the edges and then takes the natural shape of the fingertip.
7. Flare Nails: The most unusual design would be a Flare nail. Such a design is duckbill-shaped.
Standard Price List For Various Nail Services
As already mentioned, it is always a good practice to check the price of services beforehand. Here is a quick guide to the price list of various nail services offered in nail salons across the United States. In general, prices may slightly deviate from the below-prescribed list, but you may get a general idea of what you about pay for nail service beforehand.
Manicure / Pedicure: Prices from $10
Various types of Manicure services include:
Manicure $25
Deluxe Manicure $30
Buff, Shape & Polish $15
Various types of Pedicure services include:
Pedicure $35
Spa Pedicure $40
Deluxe Pedicure $45
Buff, Shape & Polish $20
Hot Rock Massage Extra $10
Royal Pedicure $55
Polish nails price list: Prices starting from $30
Various types of Polish nail services include:
Take off Shellac-Gelish & Buff Shape $15
Hands Buff & Shape Shellac $30
Toes Buff & Shape Shellac $35
Take off Shellac extra $5
Add Shellac to any hand service $10
Add Shellac to any toes service $15
Nail design/art and artificial strengthening services: Prices starting from $15
Natural Clear $40
Full Set French $50
Full Set Colour $60
Full Set White & Pink $60
Refill Colour or French $50
Refill (clear) $40
Full Set Party Tips $30
Overlay $40
Full Set White/Clear Tips $45
Full Set White & Pink $55
Refill Acrylic $35
Soak Off & Polish $20
Full Set Gels $50
Full Set Glitters $55
Full Set Colour Tips $55
Full Set Design Tips $65
Full Set Seashell $65
Refill Glitters Tip $50
Refill Gel $40
Repair (ea) $5
Permanent Gloss $5
Full Set Toe Nails $60
Refill Toe Nails Gloss $45
We hope you liked this article on best nail salons near me open now.
Thanks for Reading!


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Follow the link below to read about the ceremony and a list of the winners announced yesterday.
Inworldz Dreamz & Visionz Festival Award Ceremony
Congrats to all who participated and especially the winners!
Monday, November 21, 2011
IWz Dreamz & Visionz Festival Award Ceremony
Saturday, November 19, 2011
A Conversation with Ballet Pixelle Artistic Director Inarra Saarinen
|Ballet Pixelle Artistic Director Inarra Saarinen
A decent sized crowd had arrived before I did at the site of Ballet Pixelle's performance of "Immortal Waltz". It was a Sunday evening and this was the second in a series of several performances planned by the troupe. I pointed, clicked, sat and was presented with a both a playbill for the performance and instructions on the environment set up. It took me moments to complete the latter and I decided to save the former for a review at a later time. I scanned the chat lines which were fairly steady and found the conversation to be both amiable and anticipatory in nature. With a glance at the clock I realized that the time neared for the curtain to rise and I suddenly had an expectation of lights flickering and the soft tone of chimes to let me know that the performance was about to begin. Instead it was a chat line from the master of ceremonies which appeared in the lower left corner of my screen.
MC: Now, it is my great honor to introduce Ballet Pixelle's artistic director, Ms. Inarra Saarinen.
A round of textual applause came from the assembled audience and Ms Sarrinen took center stage.
Inarra Saarinen: My sincere greetings and welcome to our view of the immortal dance of life. Please enjoy. Sit back, relax, and ponder. And enjoy … or else!
With her brief opening complete, she ported out and the master of ceremonies proceeded with an introduction to the "Immortal Waltz."
MC: What is life? Isn't it movement? A constant cycle of movement, no movement, movement … through the ages. Dance to dance! In Act 1 we see an old lady sitting in a graveyard type watching herself lying in a grave. Suddenly, the dead lady vanishes and the living one begins moving. Then other dead people begin to appear and move bringing themselves to life.
The curtain had risen and I'd restarted the music stream as the MC had instructed the audience to do after the introduction. I did and then settled back in both my virtual and real chairs to enjoy the performance. There were four acts to the "Immortal Waltz" and the MC introduced each along with instructions to re-start the stream. There were no scene changes and I found the set well designed, the musical selection delightful and the choreographed movement of the dancers a joy to view. The performance lasted roughly forty-five minutes and the audience showed their appreciation at the end of each act and the finale with a steady flow of textual applause. It had been a few years since the last time I had seen the troupe perform and as then I enjoyed this evening's performance. With the last curtain call, the MC invited us all to; "Please stay for a Question and Answer session with the cast and crew." I did briefly and before my departure I message Inarra and we made arrangements to meet. With her schedule and mine, though we weren't able connect until a few weeks later.
Her instant message and a TP offer arrived at nearly the same time and I took the offered ride over for our meeting. After a brief tussle with bann lines, I arrived in the office to find her seated at an informal conference area. I took a chair next to her and we began.
Nazz Lane: I'm glad we finally had the chance to meet. I've been a fan of Ballet Pixelle for some time. If you're ready to start we can begin.
Inarra Saarinen: That's wonderful to hear. Yes, I'm ready.
Nazz Lane: How was it that you found your way into second life?
Inarra Saarinen: I heard about furries and this world … that it actually had an economy, back in 2006. Within a short time after I had logged in, I realized I could move, and I built an outdoor theatre … flowers gave out the programs.
Nazz Lane: Are you in the entertainment field in your first life then?
Inarra Saarinen: Yes. I have been a dancer and choreographer my whole life … along with a few other careers -- mostly in technology.
Nazz Lane: So your experiences here are a combination of both dance and choreography along with technology?
Inarra Saarinen: Yes, a perfect blend. So it lends itself to my goal … to explore and investigate the interaction and intersection of physical and virtual dance and blended realities.
Nazz Lane: When was the first scheduled performance by the troupe?
Inarra Saarinen: February 7th in 2007. The company was formed and rehearsing in 2006.
Nazz Lane: Did you find it easy to fill out the members of the troupe?
Inarra Saarinen: It was harder at first than it is now. There are a lot of demands on being a dancer or crew member in Ballet Pixelle. But with our success has come education and expectation ... and we have learned so much. Now we are overwhelmed with requests to audition.
Nazz Lane: What would be the most important lesson learned?
Inarra Saarinen: Emphasize commitment and time required … this is a professional company in Second Life and real life. We work to the utmost of our capacities. That does not come easily. Dancers and crew often work up to 20 hours per week. It takes 4 months to create a show. I do this full time.
Nazz Lane: Four month to pull together a production. Is that from concept to the first performance?
Inarra Saarinen: Yes, although I have a lot of ideas always waiting, that is four months from having the idea chosen and conceptualized.
Nazz Lane: Is that comparable to doing something similar in real life?
Inarra Saarinen: Yes it is, although of course that depends on the kind of show and its extent.
Nazz Lane: That would be understandable. What would you characterize as the most challenging aspect of producing a show?
Inarra Saarinen: That's a tough one. Because I am both the choreographer/artistic director, and director/producer. I have a freighter that I am trying to keep on course. We work with professional composers and set designers now. So the creative team is now composed of professionals collaborating. The fact that everyone is not doing this full-time can be tough … and of course, now that the dancers are educated to the facts of life … of change … that the creation moves and changes as the concept changes and solidifies in my mind.
Nazz Lane: So as the concept evolves with the first sequences developed along with sets and music, things change and routines are added and or scrapped?
Inarra Saarinen: Yes. I am always telling a story and what I am communicating sometimes is not clear to me at the beginning. Then I come to terms with what I am really trying to say. Then on the more pragmatic level, some steps don't work or are awkward or do not transition or do not add to the story … and the same with the music and the sets and the costumes.
Nazz Lane: What kind of things provide the inspiration for your ideas?
Inarra Saarinen: Travels! I am constantly travelling and love cultures and languages. I love trying to communicate with people of different lands and to understand their beliefs and structures. I am also spiritually involved in many countries. Those stories, and how they are "seen" by me, are often found in my ballets. "Living Goddess" is about a real child living goddess who is worshipped in Nepal who I met while in Kathmandu, for example. "Shuzenji" is a real place in Japan but the story was one I created; I live in Tokyo and Hawai'i.
Nazz Lane: What about the current show, "Immortal Waltz" was it a place that inspired it?
Inarra Saarinen: That was one of the few where I think the idea came first, but the set reminds me of some of the fascination with places and feelings I had as a young girl.
Nazz Lane: When you had told me the name of the production, I immediately thought of Vienna. I was surprised at first by the opening in a cemetery.
Inarra Saarinen: Aah … well surprise is good.
Nazz Lane: Yes it can be and I did enjoy the performance.
Inarra Saarinen: Thank you. We are very glad you did! We do it for our audience.
Nazz Lane: I know that IBM has reduced their Second Life presence, is this still an IBM SIM?
Inarra Saarinen: No, this has always been our space. The theatre that was sponsored by IBM that we had was IBM 9 and IBM 10 SIM's. So this is our home theatre. At one point we had the two locations, now we are back at this one. We have auxiliary storage space and a creative development space in another SIM as well.
Nazz Lane: It was most gracious of IBM to support the arts in Second Life and in particular the ballet. Are there other real life companies who've provided support now or in the past?
Inarra Saarinen: No, not now. IBM was our big sponsor and we are very grateful to them. We worked very well together. Now we depend on a few anonymous donors ... very few.
Nazz Lane: After Immortal Waltz, what comes next for the troupe?
Inarra Saarinen: We will be doing our famous "The Nut" for the holidays starting at the end of November. It is the only ballet we do that is not completely original with original music … we pride ourselves on always presenting original ballets. We call it "The Nut" because it contains only the essence, the dancing, of the Nutcracker Ballet … and while the dancers are rehearsing and performing that I am working on the next new ballet. You'll have to join the group or subscription list to get the news on that one.
Nazz Lane: Have you explored doing this in any other virtual world?
Inarra Saarinen: A little. At one point we looked at other virtual worlds, however, they really did not have the sophistication of Second Life. One of the reasons why we renamed the Company Ballet Pixelle … it was Second Life Ballet … was to allow the change to other worlds. It was also when Linden Labs was concerned with branding, but we wanted to broaden our name and image. Also, as I think you know, we do not use "poseballs" or "HUDs" or synchronizing scripts or any artificial devices. The dancers truly dance with each other and the music. That is difficult to get in other worlds as I know it now … but let me know if you know any!
Nazz Lane: I recall hearing that the dancers create their own animations ... and I will if I see any virtual worlds that would be capable of supporting and sustaining something as you have here.
Inarra Saarinen: I create all of the animations for Ballet Pixelle. I use various software packages outside of Second Life, import them, and then choreograph using them as "words" into "sentences" … those are "gestures" in Second Life-speak. Then the dancers have a taxonomy system for labeling them and dance with each other and the music.
Nazz Lane: So the creating the animations is the essence … the combination of your experience as a dancer and choreographer with the "technologist"?
Inarra Saarinen: Exactly … one of the reasons our animations are so correct is that I spent years learning and teaching classical ballet. So they are technically correct. Or that is the aim … also, Second Life allows me to work past limits of gravity and of body joints so I am able to turn limbs in different directions than they are capable of … or to keep turns spinning endlessly. Those are some of the things that I am exploring -- but all to tell a story
Nazz Lane: And artistically presented in the performances I've seen.
Inarra Saarinen: Thank you … you'll see heads that rotate and arms that twist to give an eerily non-human appearance in "Immortal Waltz" for example. I often sound more confident than I feel when developing a work. I go through a lot of sleepless nights believe it or not.
Nazz Lane: I can understand that ... the spell one succumbs to when creating.
Inarra Saarinen: Exactly! And these voices in my head! They just drone on and on...
Nazz Lane: I know it's getting late for you. Do you have any closing comments or thoughts you'd like to share with my readers?
Inarra Saarinen: I hope that everyone can come to see us … We have a Euro-friendly performance time now, Wednesdays at 2pm and Sundays at 5pm … and remember, if you have the chance to sit it out or dance … Dance! Dance with us into the digital future ... we really do it all for you, so join us in some magic.
Posted by Nazz Lane at 9:30 AM No comments:
Labels: Art, Ballet Pixelle, Performance, Second Life
Friday, November 18, 2011
"1000 Avatars" Reaches a New Milestone with Second Volume to be Published
Are You Your Avatar?
2000 avatar portraits explore identity in online environments
The largest ever documentation of Second Life® avatars has reached another milestone.
Gracie Kendal, Los Angeles artist, Kristine Schomaker, in real life, has photographed her 2000th avatar and she has declared the project finished, at least for now.
Begun in October 2010, the 1000 Avatars Project is part of Gracie's ongoing examination of online identity and anonymity. Her inworld exhibition space on Coyote is stunning and humbling with its complexity of portraits of avatars from all corners of Second Life.
"In the portraits, I explore the representation of the avatar as a construct, distinct from any traditional notion of the self," says Gracie. "I examine the sitter's identity and probe below the avatar surface to reveal and comment upon their character, personality and their diversity."
In June of this year, Gracie released a fine art book of the first thousand avatar portraits. 1000 Avatars Volume 1 was well received by the Second Life community and now Gracie is preparing to release the second and final volume of the series.
In volume 1, avatars are shown from the back, the way we view our own avatar in most situations, but also expressing the desire for anonymity in our virtual environment. In volume 2, however, Gracie has shown avatars in the traditional front view.
It was after the publication of 1000 Avatars Volume 1, that the Google corporation inadvertently set off a battle for online anonymity, the so-called "nym wars", with the release of Google+. Both Facebook and Google+ were cancelling "fake" accounts of persons choosing to use avatar representations of themselves online.
"I realized I needed to show these people as strong, brave souls who are proud of their online identity," Gracie says. "I felt showing each avatar in full front portraits was a way to stand up to these big online companies who are trying to take away our privacy."
1000 Avatars Volume 2 includes essays by virtual reality researcher, Garrett Cobarr, and Point Park University photography professor, Patrick Millard, who place the project in social and art history context.
For more informationon the project or to purchase your copy of 1000 Avatars, visit Gracie's blog.
Posted by Nazz Lane at 7:00 AM No comments:
Labels: Gracie Kendal, Press Release, Second Life
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Inworldz Dreamz & Visionz Festival Update
By all accounts the Inworldz Dreamz & Visionz Festival which has been underway all of this week has been a huge success. I spoke briefly with Jeri Rajha and Quadrapop Tree, the festival organizers who are pleased with how the festival has unfolded with 30 plus teams of artists vying for one of four top prizes. The judges have begun their judging and the participants are awaiting the decision which could come as early as this Sunday. Along with the art on display, there is also entertainment galore arranged by the magic of Sunbeam Magic. Both Jeri and Quad are pleased with Ms Magic's efforts in coordinating the calendar of events and in picking up the reins after her predecessor had left the team unexpectedly. The details on the entertainment can be found on the festival site.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Peoples Choice Vote: GRAND FINALE UWA 3D Open Art Challenge
The announcement below came to me via JJ at UWA and I'm passing it along in the event you hadn't heard about it yet. This marks the end of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge and give you the art patrons of Second Life the opportunity to participate in the event by making your selections known. After reviewing the list along with a stop at the site to see many of the pieces, I can guarantee that it won't be an easy task. But it will be a fun one and the chance to see the work of some of Second Life's finest artists.
We've come to the end of the MONTHLY rounds of the UWA 3D Open Art Challenge and now we're looking for the People's Choice Grand Finale winners!!!!
To have your say in who you think should win, all you have to do is choose between the art pieces listed below.
There are two categories to be decided;
*Overall Winner
* Best Non Scripted Artwork
3 Lucky voters will win for themselves L$5,000, L$3,000 & L$2,000 respectively + Special RL UWA packages posted out to you!
(Full Prize List at Bottom of NC)
To make your vote count, we ask that you:
* Submit a notecard entitled 'People's Choice Vote UWA (YOUR NAME)'
* List your top 10 preferences for EACH category IN ORDER.
* Send your entry to both Jayjay Zifanwe and FreeWee Ling by the 30th of November 2011.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED FROM 6AM SLT, SUNDAY 11th of December.
1) Everyone can vote (with some qualification - see next item)
2) If you, your alts or your partners work is part of the Grand Finale, you will still be allowed to vote, but you cannot list your own work or that of your partner in your top 10
FINALISTS FOR UWA 3D OPEN ART CHALLENGE (Please give me a Top 10)
The 59 finalists for UWA 3D Open Art Challenge. A list of the works in the running:
1. FLY WITH THE WIND by Josina Burgess
2. FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE by Miso Susanowa
3. THE GLOWING SERPENT by Ginger Alsop
4. LAZER BALLS by Betty Tureaud
5. DREAM OF THE COLD SLEEPER by Typote Beck
6. IL PLEUT SUR MON COEUR COMME IL PLEUT SUR LA VILLE ("It's raining in my heart, as it's raining in the town") by Cherry Manga
7. TRAVEL IN THE SHADOW OF TECHNOLOGY by Anley Piers
8. PARANORMAL FROTTAGE by Misprint Thursday
9. THE ILLUSIONIST by Gleman Jun
10. LIGHT TOWER by Betty Tureaud
11. TURNING THE TIDE by Nish Mip
12. CHOOSE YOUR BLOSSOM by Suzanne Graves
13. SYMPHONY IN THE BARREL OF A GUN by Arrow Inglewood
14. PLANET CENSORED by Anley Piers
15. STRANGE PLANT...UGLYNESS & BEAUTY by Claudia222 Jewel
16. THE RHYTHM OF MOOD - Lea Supermarine & Jarapanda Snook
17. DIGITAL GLOVE by Misprint Thursday
18. THE WILD WILD WORLD OF ILLUSION by RazorZ & Olga Soulstar
19. THE MINOTAUR OF CARTON by Typote Beck
20. ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Cherry Manga
21. SHATTERED by Ginger Alsop
22. THE FRAGILITY OF THE SOUL IS NOT A DEFECT by Gleman Jun
23. SPANISH BULL by Silene Christen
24. TROIS PETITS TOURS ET PUIS S'EN VA (Three little turns and it goes away) by Josiane Sorciere
25. JUNGLE CHALLENGE by Dusty Canning
26. THE DOCK SPIRIT by Scottius Polke
27. ULTRA VIOLET by quadrapop Lane
28. THEATRE OF WAR by Miso Susanowa
29. VENUSTRAP by Claudia222 Jewell
30. ONE AND FOUR TIMEBOARDS by L1Aura Loire
31. UNE HORDE DE CORDES by Aristide Despres
32. 5x8 COMPUND CUBE by Wizard Gynoid
33. TIME AS A HELIX OF SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES by Miso Susanowa
34. THE HUMANICAL FROG by Lollito Larkham
35. HERE COMES THE SUN by Sledge Roffo
36. TV MORNING EXERCISES by Dusty Canning
37. PIUME DI PAVONE by Nino Vichan
38. DANGLING NARROW CHAIN DEMONSTRATOR by Emilin Nakamori
39. HARMONIES IN C GREAT (+) by Artistide Despres
40. NOT EVERYTHING IS PLAIN BLACK & WHITE by Fuschia Nightfire
41. LIVING FRACTAL by June Clavenham
42. THE MATTER OF IDEAS by Gleman Jun
43. THE SUPERHEROES BREAKFAST by Typote Beck
44. DOWN ON THE DATA FARM by Miso Susanowa
45. PETITE ETUDE SUR OLIVIER MESSIAEN by Artistide Despres
46. OMNIPOTENT by Pixels Sideways
47. THE CHASM by Oberon Onmura
48. EXCERPTS FROM REALITIES by Glyph Graves
49. THE ABANDONED DAUGHTER by Eliza Wierwight
50. YOU CAN'T TOUCH HEAVEN by paleIllusion
51. AUTUMN by nexuno Thespian
52. THE CROSSING by Nish Mip
53. FANTASIA EN LA SOMBRA by Romy Nayar
54. PRIMSCAPE DREAM by Sledge Roffo
55. 99% by Harter Fall
56. BLACK SHIRT by Misprint Thursday
57. IN DREAMS by Blue Tsuki
58. SWALLOWED UP BY THE CROWD by Fuschia Nightfire
59. L'IMPATIENCE by Josiane Sorciere
FINALISTS FOR THE NON-SCRIPTED (Please Give me a Top 10)
The 24 finalists for the Non-Scripted Imagine Challenge are located at the above LM. Here is a list of the works in the running:
1. THE COPPER BEECH by soror Nishi
2. LOSS by Gingered Alsop
3. MISS N by Suzanne Graves
4. DAUGHTER OF THE WIND by Fae Varriale
5. GECKO ON THE GEKKO by Yooma Mayo
6. SHATTERED by Ginger Alsop
7. THE FRAGILITY OF THE SOUL IS NOT A DEFECT by Gleman Jun
8. TRIBUTE TO GOYA by Silene Christen
9. MARIONETTE by Haveit Neox
10. HISTORY IN CREAM by Haveit Neox
11. FATA DANZANTE by Daco Monday
12. SPATIAL by Sledge Roffo
13. SPRING BOX by Cherry Manga
14. TRUST by spirit Radikal
15. TUNNEL WITH LIGHT AT THE END OF IT by RazorZ
16. HURDLE by Corcosman Voom
17. BEHIND COLUMNS by Harter Fall
18. BIRDSONG by Cherry Manga
19. YOU CAN'T TOUCH HEAVEN by paleIllusion
20. STILL LIFE by soror Nishi
21. 99% by Harter Fall
22. THE REVOLT OF THE MANNEQUINS by Silene Christen
23. USED PIECES by Secret Rage
24. SMALL PIECE OF HELL, The Suicide Forest Infested by Harpias by Rebeca Bashly
3 Lucky voters will win for themselves L$5,000, L$3,000 & L$2,000 respectively
Overall 1st Prize: L$100,000, L$75,000 (2nd), L$50,000 (3rd), L$20,000 (4th), L$10,000 (5th) and L$5,000 each for 6th - 10th.
Non-Scripted 1st Prize L$15,000, L$10,000 (2nd), L$5,000 (3rd), L$3,000 (4th), L$2,000 (5th) and L$1,000 each for 6th - 10th.
People's Choice 1st Prize (Overall): L$15,000, $8,000 (2nd), $5,000 (3rd)
People's Choice 1st Prize (Non-Scripted): L$8,000, L$5,000 (2nd), L$3,000 (3rd)
* With thanks to our sponsors, MidnightRain Glas, Philip Vought, Patch Thibaud, Aino Baar and TheDove Rhode
Posted by Nazz Lane at 6:20 PM No comments:
Labels: Art, Contest, Events, Second Life, UWA
Friday, November 11, 2011
The Avatar Repertory Theater Presents "Through the Looking Glass" in Second Life
|The cast and crew of Through the Looking Glass
It had been a quiet evening and while I prudently pruned away at a bloated inventory a little blue box in the upper left corner blinked on and told me that an inventory offer had arrived. Momentarily distracted at its arrival and gratefully that it had, as inventory clean-up is one of my least favorite activities, I clicked on it to accept. I waited while it loaded in the open window and noted the sender's name, AvaJean Westland. When it finally did load the first sentence caught my attention;
"Curiouser and curiouser, through the looking-glass, where things look the same, only the things go the other way. . . ."
The Avatar Repertory Theater (ART) presents "Through the Looking Glass" and it opens on Saturday, November 12th at 3 pm. The notecard went on to explain that, "Alice finds herself moving through a large chessboard, where the Red Queen gives her lessons in royalty, Tweedledum and Tweedledee battle and rattle, Humpty Dumpty sits on a wall, and the Red and White Knight try to fight for her." I like to think that a fair number of us who've experienced life in a virtual world, I can empathize with Alice after she had crawled through the looking glass and explored the virtual reality created by the author, Lewis Carroll. AvaJean and I chatted that evening and I expressed an interest in meeting the cast and crew. She graciously agreed to make the necessary arrangements and we set a time and date.
I'd met several members of the Avatar Repertory Theater on a previous assignment where I'd interviewed Ada Radius, the founder of New Media Arts, Inc. prior to their performance of Howard Barker's "13 Objects". The article had appeared in Avenue Magazine. ART is a non-profit group and a project of New Media Arts Inc. Since its inception in 2008, the group has thrilled Second Life audiences with productions like; Alice in WonderSLand, The Real Christmas Story and recently the Greek Classic, Oedipus Rex. Their stated mission is "to develop graphical, theatrical, literary, library, and other fine and practical arts in online and virtual reality platforms". Their web site contains a wealth of information on the group, the cast, crew, past productions and links to videos of several of them. As they are a non-profit, there is also a mechanism for those so inclined to make a donation.
I arrived at the set of the looking glass after accepting a teleport request from the plays director, MadameThespian Underhill. While I waited for the sight to come into view, I engaged in conversation via chat with the several members present. After I connected my headset and turned voice on, our chat turned into live talk. I did note that the text chat seemed to continue nearly unabated the whole time I was there. Some of it was in character, other times not and it was all good natured. It was obvious they knew one another well and were comfortable in their working together. I asked if all were ready and told them I would be recording the conversation.
"If you each would take the opportunity to introduce yourselves one at a time, tell me a little bit about yourselves and your Second Life. Let's begin with MadamThespian." I suggested.
"Hi, I'm MadameThespian Underhill. I was an original beta tester with Second Life, I started in 2002. Previous to that I was a beta tester for other 3-D worlds, so coming into Second Life was a natural step for me. I was mainly a builder when I first came here because building had been a thing that had always attracted me to virtual worlds. But I am an actor and director in real life. I did act professionally years ago and was a union actor in Chicago. I thought when I was getting involved in virtual worlds like this that theater wasn't possible. We didn't have voice at the beginning and for those of us who were kind of interested in theater we were miffed trying to figure out how we could do it with without voice. And then all of a sudden voice came in and we can now do theater … so it had sparked my interest after that and building went to the wayside after I joined the Avatar Repertory Theater … but it's been fun." She said.
"Ada, would you like to go next?" I asked, swinging the camera view to my left.
"I'm Ada Radius and I've been in Second Life since 2006. I originally trained as an opera singer and sang in a professional chorus for about 15 years and I then lost my voice for medical reasons and eventually found my way into Second Life. Not that the two were related. I'd also been doing work in real life as an artist and when I discovered Photoshop, texturing and building in here that'd been wonderful. A year or so later voice came around and I found I could get back into theater and do it for my home. We started the theater troupe in 2008, Sodovan Torok and I, because after doing theater production in other groups we came to the conclusion that a successful metaverse theater company needed to be highly technical. We realized that we must have people with big-time tech skills. You just can't do it … you also need wonderful actors of course, but in order for the actors to have a place … you need audio support, wonderful costumes and sets along with using SIM resources effectively ... Without it's not going to happen. This is the most technical of the productions we've done so far … the sets the animations, the props everything you see has been designed by somebody in the company with very few exceptions." She said in her introduction.
"I recall the conversation we had prior to the production of Barkers '13 Objects'. It's good to see you again Ada." I commented and then asked Kayden to go next.
"Kayden Oconnell here, I've been involved with theater in Minnesota for number of years ... directing and producing. I was attracted to these crazy people with the idea of just doing theater here. This is much like doing real-life theater … we still have to hit marks and move around. It's an amazing experience … people doing a production from all over the world. I've only been in Second Life since 2007 so I'm kind of a newcomer. I'm an assistant producer helping MadameThespian and I'm also playing the part of Tweedle dee." He said.
Before I could ask the gentleman to the left of Kayden to begin, the resonant voice of Thundergas came through my speakers.
"Thundergas Menges here, I have a background in video and audio and a strong technology background. I came in Second Life looking to do machinima but it seems I first got roped into DJ'ing. It was easy to do and then somehow I met up with his gang of folks and started putting on these live productions which is not quite what I was thinking when I got into Second Life for … but it's been very enjoyable. Part of the thing is that I'm teaching everybody about sound because I think it's one of the most important components … but it has been some of the worst aspects to the live theater I've seen Second Life. The sound is just usually been miserable. So my mission is to make it vibrant and happy. I've been teaching Ada how to do audio editing." He said and I then suggested Rowan should go next.
"I'm Rowan Shamroy and I live in Australia as you can probably tell by my voice. I've been in second life since the end of 2006 and am one of the early members of the group. My background is that I make costumes and props for theater and so it was a natural transition for me in doing it here ... So I do props, costumes and animations. I've been in Second Life for a while now and this group … it has given me a real sense of community … and also the regular patrons who come to our performances. There is really a great sense of community." She said.
"Judging from your costume, can I assume you are you the red Queen?" I asked.
"She has a voice for the queen that's why I cast her as the Queen for both productions." MadameThespian interjected.
"I think they've type cast you." I commented which drew a round of laughter from the cast. After it died down I added, "Alice, would you introduce yourself?"
"Hello, Pipsqueak Albatros and I'm from the UK. I have been Second Life since 2008. I joined the theater after doing an audition for Through the Looking Glass … this is my first performance with the troupe, although I've been with them … in the audience week after week … I've been enthralled with what they can do … that they can make animations and sounds is just amazing. They started me in a small role as you can see … Alice has been an incredible learning experience for me. Before I joined them I'd done two seasons with the SL Globe Theater … 'Twelfth Night' and with the Rochester University Theater. Every minute I've been with these guys has been a learning experience for me and it's been great. You must tell people to come and see … the show is incredible." She said.
"I will do that and am looking forward to seeing it myself." I replied.
"Would you like to see some of the sets Nazz? If you just stay seated we can cycle through them for you." Ms Underhill asked.
"The audience will stay in their seats the whole time … it's automatic that people will go into their camera view." Kaydan said, by way of clarification.
"The first set is the parlor in the real world. It begins here and you can see that the fireplace has its back to us. You'll be able to see Alice climb right through the mirror there. Alice can you get up there and show him? We have a green room up above where the actors stage from, they'll port down to the set at various times." She explained to me as the set rezzed into place. After Alice had gotten herself into position on the set, MadameThespian continued her commentary; "Now Alice gets up from a chair here and then she decides she's going to crawl through the looking glass. By the way that animation was created by Rowan."
As the automatic camera control wasn't functioning at this time for this particular set, I zoomed in with my camera and watched as the diminutive figure of Alice climbed through the looking glass. The movements in the animation were highly articulated and shortly, Alice was through and on the other side. With the animation complete, MadameThespian mentioned there would be several small chess pieces moving across the bottom of this set during this scene.
"Ada worked on teeny tiny little avatar chess pieces that run around and around." She further explained.
"They are absolutely incredible ...they are fantastic I love them! I want to take them all and keep them in a little cage on my desk." Rowan interjected.
"We'll go to the railroad car ... Don't stand up but you'll want to go into mouse view probably and then turn your head around. There's a whole scene in the car here and then we go to the tweedle's. A sign appears at one point in the scene and that's when we see Tweedledum and Tweedledee. And then a toy store scene comes into view. Oh, there's also a garden after the parlor … there's a beautiful garden scene. And then there is a scene in the toy shop … Evie Fairchild created this one by the way. Then all of a sudden in this toyshop a boat appears and they go off for a ride … Alice with the white queen who was turned into a sheep … and then the boat starts rowing and then goes away. After that we have all of a sudden an egg appear on the desk and then trees come into view ... and so the egg transforms into the egg man and humpty dumpty appears." MadameThespian explained as the several scenes appeared and then disappeared in a smooth succession.
"Are you using a HUD control for running the sets?" I asked impressed at the smoothness of the transitions.
"Actually we're using this simple rezzer system ... This is one that can switch out a whole room ... It's a simple rezzer program and you can nest objects within each other. But someone has to keep track of what's what and where it's at ... The controls are in those chess pieces you see off to the side." Ada replied.
"The ability to change scenes appears to be dynamic. It makes the special effects easier to do." I commented.
"The special effects here they're still tricky to do but they can be done faster and cheaper than in real life. Obviously the flying for example … having someone hovering off the ground in a real life production of Peter Pan or Spiderman would be … instead of installing an incredibly expensive pulley system in the theater." MadameThespian said.
"But here it's still a headache … you have to do a lot of work in Photoshop and 3-D programs and animation software … all of the graphical assets have to be built to put this together." Ada interjected.
"I read in the press release that the scenes and the characters were based on the drawings of Sir John Tenniel. How did the drawings influence the design?" I asked.
"What we wanted to do was have Tenniel influence the design. It wasn't so much that we're trying to get in exactly a photocopy of Tenniel drawings but the Tenniel influence and the costumes. Ada, show him some of your costumes." MadameThespian said.
As the cast begin to shift into their character costumes, the good-natured back-and-forth between them continued and it was obvious that they comfortable and worked well together. Somewhere in the middle of the change and I didn't catch who said it or a view of the character. One of the two gentlemen present said in a very deep voice. "I am not a Petunia I am a daisy". This brought a round of near hysterical laughter from all of us present and lasted for quite some time.
"The tweedle's costumes are a combination of the collaboration between Ada and Rowan. They've been working together for 3-4 years now." MadameThespian commented as the laughter trailed off.
"It's hard to tell where ones work starts and the other ones stops. But for a lot of them we're literally handing Photoshop files off between each other via e-mails or building together." Ada said and then added. "Oh the Knights were so much fun and a collaboration between several of us … it's such a team effort it's hard to separate where one begins and another one starts. We know what each other is good at. We've had several brilliant people working with us over the years and for some of them it was a difficult concept ... to wrap their heads around ... that someone might change your work."
"With all the sets and the changes of costumes, has lag been an issue in the past and do you expect it to be so for this production?" I asked.
"It's always been an issue. SIM resource management is most important and because of the rezzers we can limit the number of primitives that are out at any one time and I keep a close eye and that. And the texture sizes … pretty much before every show I will have gone through each of the textures and counted all of the pixels making sure that were using as few as possible. We have some gadgets that shove textures onto the viewer side that helps things load a little bit faster. By the time we get 40 audience members each of whom is wearing elaborate costumes … we know how everyone loves to dress up for the theater … we will have problems we can count on it." Ada replied.
"And don't forget about griefers or forget that we have crash backups if someone is having problems with lag or crashes … someone is right there to step in to take over." Kayden interjected.
"How do you deal with griefers?" I asked and was greeted with a chorus of 'Eject … Eject … Eject.'
"We have a house manager for the show and she's very good at it. One person who is not in the show they're out herding avatars. They simply sit in the audience watch the audience, help people with problems, get their sound adjusted or if they've a new kind of trouble with the interface. They also keep their eye for griefers or for people who accidentally leave their microphones on … which is very disruptive. She's very effective at doing so, she politely IMs and then ejects someone who will not comply at being an appropriate audience member." Ada replied.
"When did the production of 'Through the Looking Glass' begin?" I asked.
"A year ago, our first production meeting was last May, although Ada had done the adaptation way before that in December and I started costumes last December." MadameThespian replied.
"So is been in the making for nearly a year now?" I asked
"It took us two months to get Alice figured out because we didn't want to do Disney and we didn't want to do what we had done before. It was a wonderful idea but we didn't want it for this show, we were working off detailed drawings and then I came across an edition of Alice in Wonderland. An edition that was in color from about 1875 and that's where we found out that the original concept was that Alice was red haired and wore a yellow dress. That's what drove the set of decisions. One day we spent three hours just working on the shape of the face. It's hard to do children. It is very difficult to do children with the character rigging Linden labs uses for avatars at this point. Eventually we'll have mesh rigging and be able to do it but were not quite there yet." Ada said in reply
"Are you using any mesh for any the sets or the costumes?" I asked.
"No, we were afraid that not everyone would be able to see it." Ada said and then added. "So much has to be taken into consideration when you're building new sets … all the different viewers out there and what people can see. We always have to take the lowest common denominator in building and texturing making sure that we're thrifty with our texturing … using the smallest texture that we can get away with that looks good on the object. Lots of thought has to go into it."
"Over the years I've been to a fair number of productions … plays, musical performances, fashion shows and dance. It seems that larger venues have at minimum two SIMs, one for the audience and one for the stage. I noticed that there is only one here, how come?" I asked.
"It's better for voice to do it one SIM. Once you start splitting it up it gets kind of funny." Thundergas replied.
"Every single member of the troupe who is in the show is going to be expected sing a little." Ada said which drew chuckles from several of the members. She then added, "It's not a musical, don't get us wrong its transition music and in some cases setting the environment for some of the scenes. There is a dance that the Tweedle's do … they do a version of Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush."
"You do your own animations for the shows right?" I asked
"Rowan is responsible for all of the animations." MadameThespian replied.
"There are a few walks and stands that I didn't do and I think I counted it … we're up to about 60 animations." Rowan said.
"If you look up and over and back using your camera move around the green room. There's a costume board there with all the boxes for the avatars, so the people in the company can go into their costumes. There's about 50 or 60 boxes and each of them is filled either costume elements or prop elements for character. Most of us are playing more than one part in the show." Ada said.
"The technique of acting in Second Life is very unique. It's a combination of voice acting and being able to manipulate your avatar, which is a puppet. You have to be a really good puppeteer and do voice acting at the same time and this is something that is not easy to do. There is also the other thing we have to factor in, because of the voice lag as you are probably aware that when I'm speaking you're not really hearing it until about a couple of seconds later. In theater when an actor is speaking, another actor has to come in right on top of them or even cut them off. You have to jump in ahead further in time then in real life. It's very counterintuitive for an actor to do this … it's a very difficult skill that a lot of us have taken a number of years to learn. When you're speaking your lines you actually have to come in and say it on the last two or three words of the previous line of the character who is talking so it sounds right when the audience hears it. If you do actually come immediately afterwards you get … line … pause … line … pause … line … pause." MadameThespian said.
"As MT said, you're also moving your avatar … you're hitting your marks and animations and triggering things that keeps you busy. In particular when I'm running sound, I have four windows open and I have two monitors on my primary system … I have my media player, my sound effects into a playlist and Win Amp. I have my script and a sheet with sound cues so that I can follow along with what's going on in for the sound effects as they are needed. I have a physical mixer where I can run all the sounds and I do stuff like this …" Thundergas said and then demonstrated via a drumroll.
"Second Life acting in real-time is very hard to do and look good. Machinima is a little different because they can plug-in the edits later … sound and all that but this is all happening at the same time real life and you just got to go with it." Ada added.
"All that sounds incredibly complicated and this is a general question for each of you. At the end of the performance are you tired?" I asked, of which generated a good deal of laughter and then phrases like … I'm hungry and I'm thirsty and I'm tired popped up from the cast.
"All of this is experimental and no one else is doing it the way we are." Ada commented
"I like to consider myself a well-traveled man in the metaverse and I don't think I've seen anything like this before … other than perhaps Virtual Shakespeare. I can't think of anything comparable." I commented.
"Thank you Nazz. This has been a really hard-working amazing group of people and it's been a great experience. On the whole this is such a nice and diverse group of people and some of us have been together for three years now and it's been a great experience for me." MadameThespian said.
"Has there been any thought to take this into any of the other virtual worlds that are popping up?" I asked, which elicited a chorus of yeses.
"I think our eventual goal is to be able to take all of the sets and pack them into something like a second inventory and then take the show on the road as it were. I think that's our eventual goal." Kayden replied.
"It was something that this set was built for in mind of the permission system here, it is so difficult but a lot of it I'll be able save to XML files the prim structures … certainly not the scripts … won't be able to take them to the other places." Ada commented and then added, "I don't know about the animations, we may have to upload them … and we have all the textures on somebody's hard drive. One of my jobs next week will be to save XML files. Of the worlds that we've explored each one of them has a deal breaker … like they're not doing voice or they don't allow XML imports which would mean having to rebuild from scratch which were not committed to do. So eventually there will be a way of doing it so that we can store something on our hard drives bring it up and within a couple of hours have something going in another virtual world in but it's not there yet … but were building everything with that in mind at this point."
"What's next after student looking glass?" I asked.
"A break!" They all replied in near harmony and then after the laughter trailed off, Ada said. "We'll continue doing our Friday shows … it's kind of experimental … we do everything from old radio shows to Shakespeare. We've talked about next year but have not nailed anything down … possibly more Shakespeare … everyone loves to do Shakespeare and we'll probably do Antigone because we already have the sets and costumes from Oedipus. A couple of other book adaptations that we've talked about and everyone wants to do original stuff which is very hard to develop or get original material we can use and most of us want to do a little bit more machinima … mostly because it's so much work to do a live production and will probably shift our focus especially now that we have Evie Fairchild who is primarily a machinima producer."
"Can I get you all to circle around the table and get a picture of the entire cast for the article?" I asked after I'd noted we'd been together for slightly over an hour by this point in time.
They each begin to move their avatars away from the audience seating area to find a spot at the table. Then MadameThespian suggested that they get into their costumes which took a little time. As they did the teasing and good-natured ribbing continued and I was impressed at how well they really knew each other … this diverse group of avatars from the US, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. When I finally got them settled into their seats, I zoomed in with my camera controls to snap a picture. Then someone suddenly yelled "food fight" and before I knew it there were prims being tossed about along with peals of laughter. I had to assert an almost parental like control by admonishing them with … BEHAVE … before I joined in with the laughter.
Posted by Nazz Lane at 5:00 AM 2 comments:
Labels: Avatar Repertory Theater, Events, Second Life
Thursday, November 10, 2011
IMAGINE PeaceFest 2011!!!
Festival 11-13 November 2011
You're Invited!
IMAGINE PeaceFest is about people working together across international boundaries, using virtual and real-world venues to promote the amazing work of real-world organizations. We work together for a better world, with a focus on peace, human rights and justice for all.
As in years past with PeaceFest, all donations will go to three non-profit organizations that the team has selected:
- The RevolutionaryAssociation of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA);
RAWA works to address human rights abuses against women in Afghanistan, and have been doing so since the 1970's. This is a well-established organization that was established by women to tell the difficult, brutal stories of abuses, and to work for political and social change. More about RAWA:
- The Rural Economic and Agricultural Development Agency (READA) in Cambodia; This group of 15 people are working to address the needs of the poorest people in rural Cambodia. Education, sustainable farming techniques, hygiene and methods to secure clean water are all part of their effort to empower people to escape poverty.
- the One Laptop per Child initiative, providing key hardware and software to provide education to those who need it most! Their mission is to empower the world's poorest children through education, and they have a very interesting program of providing low-cost, low-power laptops with learning games and content to communities around the world.
This event is brought to you by The IMAGINE Network and the Peace Train Charitable Trust (a 501 c 3 public charity in the U.S.)
Use this link to get the latest information on the IMAGINE PeaceFest 2011!!! Schedule
Posted by Nazz Lane at 5:45 PM No comments:
Labels: Events, Press Release, Second Life
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
1000 Avatars and an Interview with Gracie Kendal
The book had arrived in the mail and I eagerly slid the sharp edge of a knife into one corner of the large brown envelope. It opened easily and I retrieved the paper bound book from inside and opened it immediately to flip through the pages. As I did, I realized that it had been a while since I'd spoken with Gracie Kendal (aka Kristine Shomaker) and I made a mental note to look for her the next chance I was in world. I then continued my exploration of "1000 Avatars". I was pleased with what I saw of the book and doubly so that I had been able to participate. I scanned the list of names and saw many friends and numerous acquaintances. I found the virtual me in the last third of the book and recalled the good natured banter the day she'd snapped the picture.
The next time I logged in, I did reach out to her and we set a date and time to meet. On that day after I'd just logged in Second Life, a message appeared from her and a teleport request soon followed. We exchanged pleasantries when I arrived at her Second Life home. She offered to give me a tour which I accepted and when complete, we found a spot outside to sit and chat.
"When I got the book and after I read what you'd written as you'd autographed it, I had a big smile on my face ... thank you for the kind words." I said.
"Awwww cool, I'm so glad." She said and then smiled.
"Then I searched for Nazz's backside." I commented.
She laughed and said, "I hope you found it."
"I opened the book again the other day and paged through it ... the diversity of avatars astounded me. One thousand av's and not two looked alike." I commented.
"Yeah ... which is interesting considering so many people shop at the same stores ... like Truth etc." She said in reply.
"It did seem that most of the male avi's wore jeans."
"True ... well what else would they wear? I guess just like real life." She said with a grin.
"Yup." I said and then added, "Then the women ... from the girl next door to ... the purely sultry and exotic looks."
"Yeah and everything in between." She said with a laugh.
"Have you gotten much feedback from the first 1000?" I asked her.
"Hmmm ... well I hear from people all the time how much they like the project. I have actually done about 1580 so far ... or do you mean the book?" She asked.
"On the book, yes." I replied.
"Yeah, everyone who has received it has really loved it, which is a huge relief. There was literally a lot of blood sweat and tears put into it." She said.
"I bet ... so you've started back up with taking pictures?" I asked.
"Not yet ... I just moved in real life a week ago, so settling in, but planning to start shooting again in a couple weeks."
"I saw in Facebook that you'd moved recently." I commented.
"Yeah ... to a place called "The Brewery" it's an old beer brewery built into artists' lofts."
"Speaking of Facebook, do you have a page there for the book or any of your projects?" I asked.
"Hmm, no not really. I have Wordpress blogs for the 1000 Avatars project and the My Life as an Avatar project but that is it. I didn't really want to make separate pages for those." She replied.
"When we last spoke, which was shortly before the book release, you'd mentioned two projects that were near to starting. The 'Body Project' was the first mentioned. Has that begun?" I asked.
"No, that one has kind of been put on the back burner for now." She replied.
"The other was called 'Open House'. Did you start that one up?" I asked.
"Now that one has actually changed and that is one of my next big projects actually. I was accepted for a solo show in a gallery here in LA. The title of the show I proposed is, 'And one man in his time plays many parts'. It is going to be a mixed reality installation with an opening night performance and using portraits from the 1000 avatars project. It is going to be a simultaneous opening in real life and second life ... the video feed will go both ways." She said.
"When is it scheduled?" I asked.
"The opening is May 5th." She replied and then added, "So luckily I have plenty of time to get it together."
"Open house was also going to be a mixed reality event ... where you were going to spend 2 days in a gallery ...sort of an open house in both virtual and non-virtual. Has the concept changed?" I asked.
"Well, for this show yes ... and maybe open house will come back eventually... but for now it is also on the back burner. I don't really want to give too much away for the new show ... I always do that ... I'm trying to keep it more hush hush until it gets closer." She replied.
"How have the book sales gone?" I asked
"They have been great. I have sold about 72 so far … in fact I have 7 left in my own inventory to sell." She said and then added with a laugh, "I mean my real life inventory. "
"It's available on demand though, so if someone wishes to buy it they can right?"
"Oh yeah, it is published through Blurb so anyone can go and buy it anytime. Once I finish the next 1000 avi portraits I'll be publishing volume 2 … and who knows how I'm feeling, maybe I'll go for volume 3." She replied.
"What has been the one thing about the project and book that has made the biggest impression in your mind?" I asked her.
"Oh gosh ... hmmmmmm … Although there are several things ... I'd have to say how genuine everyone seems. For a medium where anyone can be anything they want, roleplaying various roles whether female or male ... with everyone I have met, I still get the sense of each person. If that makes sense or maybe it's just me being naive." She said in reply.
"A sense of who he or she is in real life?"
"Well ... not 'who' they are necessarily ... but." She said and paused.
"Their personality perhaps?" I asked.
"No, I guess just that each person has been themselves to me. Even though the project is about anonymity ... In a way I have seen each and every person for who they really are. You can hide all you want here, but your true spirit and yes personality are still there." She replied.
"I've always had the idea that one's personality is harder to hide in second life then in real life. We all wear masks in real life ... be it at our jobs, or school or at home with spouses and or significant others … in here the anonymity seems to draw out the core of us sooner." I commented.
"Oh yeah, absolutely … in a way it removes the mask. That is how we learn who we really are." She said and then after a slight pause added, "I know I have. Or I'm still learning."
"One of the other thing we'd talked about last time was you were going to do a talk on 'My Lifeas an Avatar: The Gracie Kendal Project' in real life, as you've done several times in Second Life. Have you and how has that been received?"
"In real life it hasn't been received as well as in second life of course. The identity politics of the project are easily understood, but at first viewing, avatars are part of games, and gaming still carries negative stereotypes that people still carry or people still consider. I have had some of the portraits in a couple of shows and I do get asked about them occasionally ... but they are harder to understand. That is something I am working on, trying to make the portraits and my projects more accessible to a wider real life audience."
"That's a good idea, I've spoken to few artists and photographers around here about second life and I get the blankest of looks." I said.
"Yeah exactly, I do think though, that it is getting there, just slowly."
"Going back to the idea of a mixed reality event, what characteristics of a mixed reality will you strive for?" I asked.
"Well, duplicating the real and virtual space is one idea and just bringing people together from all over the world. I love that … to be able to have a room full of people communicate with people online from different parts of the world is so fulfilling … and makes the world seem less small. I believe in the Universal. That is what I love about second life."
"It is one thing that is difficult to replicate outside a virtual world. Have you attended a mixed reality event on both sides?"
"Actually no, I haven't had the opportunity to yet, so will be interesting to do it for this project." She replied.
"I know you'd used the micro finance site, Kickstarter recently in an attempt to fund your project ideas, how was that experience?" I asked.
"Well, it didn't go through. I didn't devote enough time to it and should have planned it different. Plus, I realized I am just not a saleswoman ... I am not the type to go asking people for money. I hate that. So decided I just couldn't do it. I had a really hard time with that." She replied.
"Besides Facebook, what other social media do you use?"
"Well I started Google+ but not really on it much, and twitter, but also not on it much. I mostly use Facebook and Plurk, which is mostly second life people."
"Do you have any second life exhibits planned?" I asked.
"Not at the moment. Not for myself anyway. I am working with California State University Long Beach... one of their classes, Art 110 is doing a project using second life. They are creating galleries in second life and curating the galleries with different real life and second life artists. Some of my friends and fellow artists are involved, Trill, Miso, Douglas, Desdemona and Alizarin. It is going to be a lot of fun working with fresh young minds and molding them." She replied.
With that last question asked and answered we chatted briefly and she then took her leave to have dinner. I ported back to my booth on Book Island and flew up to park the virtual me on the roof. After I'd moved my notes onto a notecard and saved it, I reached for my copy of the book. While thumbing through it this time I came across a quote from Sabrinaa Nightfire. She had her picture taken for the book, but unfortunately had passed away before the book published. Her quote read;
Life is short.
Break the rules.
Forgive quickly.
Kiss slowly.
Love truly.
Laugh uncontrollably.
And never regret anything that made you smile.
Thank you Sabrinaa for the sound advice … and thank you Gracie for showing us who we are.
Posted by Nazz Lane at 7:00 AM 1 comment:
Labels: 1000 Avatars, Art, Gracie Kendal, Second Life
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subset: commoncrawl


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Getting a First
Although the final grades are not out, the preliminary marks lead me to believe I will achieve a First Class Honours Degree from Napier University for my BMus studies. While the reaction from all those around me are praise and hearty congratulations, I am feeling a bit lost with marking it as anything extraordinary.
I do not want to put down the education I have received. I do not want to make little of my accomplishments over the past four years. What I am trying to say is, I do not think what I did was extraordinary for me. I do not feel, particularly in this last year, that anything I did was much of a stretch for me. I really wish I had done more, gone farther and done better. Yes, I (potentially) have First Class Honours Degree and it doesn't get any better than that. I guess it's just that I expect more of myself.
Does this sound egotistical? I don't mean it to.
Achievements this year:
- Finished writing and conducted my first symphony
Yes, I am very proud of that.
- Wrote 30 minutes of a opera that has real potential (IMHO)
Yes, I am proud of that
- Wrote a complete string quartet (not just a short 5-6 minute string piece)
that is being professionally performed (not just as a vanity project)
Yes, I am proud of that
Things I didn't achieve:
- Better understanding of what makes some composers music so intriguing.
- I'd like to study Mahler, (John) Williams, Corigliano indepth. I did study Holst,
Brittan, Ferneyhough and Maxwell-Davis (and others), but there are so many more
that I should also have gotten to and just didn't.
- Better handle on the tricks in orchestrating for symphony orchestras.
- I am woefully lacking in knowing the tricks of master orchestrators. My first
symphony does a number of interesting things - but there are still more out
there (there must be) and I don't know them. It's like I am a painter who learned
a couple of techniques, but then look at Monet and realise I have no business
attempting water lilies at this stage in my development - and that's frustrating!
- Better handle on sound mixing.
I don't want to be a sound engineer, but so much of film music is done though
computer generated sounds. I am not getting the clarity of sound I know can
be achieved (even with generated sounds) so my works do not sound as good as
they should.
- Better understanding of Popular music
I took a Dance Music class, but still just failed to grasp what it is that makes
modern pop, hip hop, rock, drum&bass, club, house
. Music tick. I didn't
take a pop degree, but it is so much of what is part of the musicscape of today
that I feel inadequate in my knowledge.
The list goes on Hopefully this provides some understanding as to why I'm not necessarily celebrating my achievement. Maybe I have just walked up a large hill (maybe even a mountain) but there so many more mountains left to climb. Taking time to celebrate climbing this one doesn't seem appropriate.


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The official website for Saab is SaabCars.com. Saab went bankrupt in 2011 and its assets were purchased by National Electric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS, in 2012. NEVS continued to sell the prebankruptcy Saab 9-3 until 2015, when the company began retooling to produce its newly designed vehicles.
Saab is Swedish car manufacturer owned by NEVS. Originally, Saab was part of Saab AB, a Swedish aerospace company. As the popularity of its vehicles increased, Saab left Saab AB and merged with another Swedish car manufacturer, Scania-Vabis AB.
In 1989, General Motors and Investor AB took control of the Saab division. After its own financial troubles in 2008, General Motors put the Saab brand up for sale. Spyker purchased Saab from General Motors prior to filing for bankruptcy.


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Personalize your iPhone with Mophie Juice Pack Helium's New Colors
iPhone 5 users may have been able to pick up one of Mophie's Juice Pack Helium battery cases to extend their device's battery life for some time, but there hasn't been any real way to express their personality with a particular color or hue. Until now.
Essentially this is the same Mophie Juice Pack Helium for the iPhone 5 that GottaBeMobile reviewed earlier this year. As a battery-case, the $79.95 Mophie Juice Pack Helium wraps around the edges and rear of the user's iPhone 5, protecting it from scrapes and other trauma while adding the ability to boost the iPhone 5's battery life by as much as 80%.
While the original device shipped in a staid black, users can choose between the editions of the accessory in black, blue, pink, green, silver and purple. There's also the option to buy the device in Red with a percentage of the proceeds from that color going to the Product (RED) foundation.
During our review, we found that the Juice Pack Helium was incredibly useful in between charge cycles during a long day. The battery pack's relatively thin footprint and tasteful design also impressed us, even if we weren't too thrilled about having to use a headphone port extender for some of our favorite headsets.
Read: Review – Mophie Juice Pack Helium
Although extended battery packs have a reputation for only really being useful for power users who have above average battery life demands, the Mophie Juice Pack Helium's new color options make it a great choice for anyone looking to add a bit of personality to their iPhone 5 with a case.
Unfortunately, those who are looking to upgrade from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 5S and might want to hold off on grabbing the Juice Pack Helium. As the battery case is specifically tailored for the iPhone 5, any design changes introduced with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C could render the device incompatible. Since color options for both of those devices have been all but officially confirmed, those looking to add a little color to their iPhone experiences with the updated iPhone line won't need a case to do so. There has been no word on what kind of battery life users can expect when upgrading to these devices though, if Apple is able to significantly boost battery life that would also make the Mophie Juice Pack Helium less of a necessity for some users.
Users can buy the Mophie Juice Pack Helium in each of its colors from the company's website now.
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4 Reasons Not to Install macOS Mojave & 10 Reasons You Should Install 10.14.1
The macOS Mojave update could completely change how you use your Mac. Many users will want to install the free update...
How to Take an ECG on the Apple Watch
This guide will show you how to take an ECG with the Apple Watch 4. This is a new feature...


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A twenty foot shipping container when loaded has a tare weight of about 2.5 tonnes and cargo weight of 25 tonnes give or take. The combined effects of being waterlogged and damage to their structural strength has resulted in many of the boxes simply folding when they are pulled out of the Rena's holds by Smit Borneo.
The sequence below is the contents of a container carrying Mitavite Breeda as it is drawn out of the submerged cargo hold.
The Salvors were reduced to slitting open the bags of the waterlogged and decomposing horse feed, recovering the plastic wrappers and giving the fish a free lunch.
That's all the news today from Astrolabe Reef.
The Antipodean Mariner


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Our "BEAUTIFUL" bird cage arrived yesterday. We were in awe of the wonderful craftmanship. Much of our experience ordering online items in the past has been a bit disappointing to say the least. This was a very refreshing experience by far. The bird cage photos on your website are wonderful but the bird cage up close and personal is absolutely amazing! Thank you for all your help and the excellent shipping/ packing to make sure the cage arrived completely intact.
-Debra & Zane H - Myrtle Beach SC - May 30, 2013 [ read more testimonials
Your Amazon parrot, cockatiel or canary is magnificent, so shouldn't your pet's bird cage be magnificent, too? Welcome to Designer Aviaries, where image is important--but it definitely isn't everything. With our lovely designer bird cages, the first thing you'll see is a solid oak or cherry frame and stand that look like they came from a fine furniture dealer. Seeing a striking bird habitat for the first time is quite an experience.
If you're looking for a showpiece for your home, office or public space, this is it. Our pet bird cages are intricately designed and crafted to produce an artful furnishing that is also a warm and functional environment for your bird. Choose from white-washed or natural oak, natural cherry or red mahogany, or light or dark walnut stain. Each piece is meticulously finished and polished to a shine to complement your home.
Medium DesignerMedium Classic
We offer a range of sizes and models for your pet. Every cage collection includes the following:
We ship for free to your door in the contiguous United States. Your bird's new home and accessories will be packed tight as a drum and arrive on time, ready to go. Give your special pet the stylish showcase that it deserves. Contact us to order your bird cage from Designer Aviaries at firstname.lastname@example.com today.
"For your protection we take all Credit Card orders over the phone. Just send us an e-mail with your phone number and the best time for us to call in your time zone, and we will be happy to call you at your convenience"


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Rajendra Agricultural University Recruitment
Rajendra Agricultural University has instructed a career advertisement as Rajendra Agricultural University Recruitment. University is going to conduct walk-in interview for filling up the various Consultant posts. Willing aspirants, who are fascinated to join this university, may apply for Rajendra Agricultural University Recruitment 2016. Jobs finders may apply by attending the interview on scheduled date and venue that is shaped below on this page. Applicants are requested to stay on this page for getting all relevant details regarding this notification.
|Posts Name
|Walk-In Interview Date
|21st April 2016
To acquire entire details about Rajendra Agricultural University Recruitment such as qualification requirement, experiences, salary prospectus, steps to apply, etc please check the entire page which is created by team of recruitmentresult.com and apply through proper channel.
Rajendra Agricultural University Recruitment
Rajendra Agricultural University Qualification and Salary Details:
|Post Name
|Qualification Required
|Pay Scale
|Consultant home science (PROPAN recipes)
|M.Sc. home science in food and nutrition.
|Consultant agriculture (kitchen garden)
|M.Sc. agriculture in horticulture.
|Block consultant (Jalalgarh)- Agriculture
|B.Sc. agriculture in horticulture.
|Admin and finance consultant
Age Limitations:
Age criteria for all category appliers will be decided as per organization norms.
Mode of Selection:
Selection of aspirants will be based on their performance in walk-in interview which will be conducted by reputed organization for appointment of candidates for above said posts.
How to apply for Rajendra Agricultural University Recruitment?
- Desirous and eligible job seekers may apply by attending walk-in interview on specified date and time along with original documents along with a set of attested copy and a copy of latest bio-data.
- Bio data must be prepared by furnishing the details like applicant's name, caste, details of academic qualification etc.
- The interested eligible candidates are required to appear for walk-in-interview before the Selection Committee on the date as specified below and sharp by the stipulated time as mentioned and moreover bring all the original testimonials along with photocopies of all the testimonials at the below indicated venue.
- No TA / DA will be paid for attending the aforesaid interview.
Walk-In Venue:
Directorate of Research,
Rajendra Agriculture University, Bihar,
Pusa (Samastipur) – 848 125
Important Date:
- Walk-In Interview will be held on: 21st April 2016
- Reporting Time: 11:00 A.M
Candidatyes may check this Official Notification for getting further information related to Rajendra Agricultural University Recruitment 2016. Aspirant is advised to keep visiting this web page time to time and don't miss any latest updates regarding same.
Something That You Should Put An Eye On


text:
Read this: Volkswagen to fit DAB radio as standard : Radio Today
Summary: Vauxhall have also committed to the same timescale, with Ford saying the majority of new vehicles will include DAB by the end of 2013. People love listening to the radio in their cars and fitting digital means drivers and passengers will be able to enjoy the great range of stations on offer. VW, together with Ford and Vauxall, they represent 35 of annual new vehicles sold. The vehicle industry has been asked by Government to prepare for a transition to digital radio, and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has said it expects its members to include digital radio as standard in most vehicles by the end of 2013. - radiotoday.co.ukRead full article: Volkswagen to fit DAB radio as standard …
Lots more recommendations to read at Trends - ukfree.tv.
Summaries are done by Clipped-Your articles and documents summarized.
CommentsYour comment please


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Fun Facts About the Planet Jupiter
Are you interested in planets, and would like to learn some fun facts about Jupiter?
Jupiter is the fifth planet away from the Sun in our Solar System. Humans have been observing Jupiter since the ancient times.
The planet was frequently associated with mythology, and Jupiter, King of the Roman Gods. However, a common mistake is that the god was named after the planet. The planet was actually named after the Roman God. Learn more fun facts about Jupiter!
- Jupiter is not primarily composed of solid matter like Earth or Mercury. Rather, Jupiter is one of the four gas giants of planets. It is actually the largest planet in our Solar System.
- At the equator of the planet, Jupiter has a diameter of one hundred and forty two thousand, nine hundred and eighty four kilometers. The diameter of Jupiter is about eleven times as great as the diameter of Earth.
- The volume of Jupiter is over a thousand times greater than Earth. It is located lower in the sky than any of the planets that are made of solid matter. Jupiter is more than twice the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined.
- Jupiter is usually the fourth brightest object in the sky at night. The three objects that are brighter than Jupiter are the Sun, the Moon, and Venus. Occasionally, Mars sometimes appears brighter than Jupiter.
- The composition of Jupiter's upper atmosphere is primarily hydrogen. Approximately ninety percent of the upper atmosphere is hydrogen, and approximately ten percent of the upper atmosphere is helium.
- The inner atmosphere is also composed primarily of hydrogen, but a smaller percentage of hydrogen. Approximately seventy percent of the inner atmosphere is hydrogen, approximately twenty-five percent is helium, and approximately five percent is composed of a multitude of other elements.
Did You Know?
In the outer layer of the atmosphere, crystals of frozen ammonia have been found. The gas giant with the closest composition to Jupiter is Saturn.
The Great Red Spot
Another amazing feature of the planet Jupiter is the planet's Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is a continual anticyclonic storm. It's located twenty two degrees south of the equator. The storm alone is actually larger than the planet Earth, or the planet Mercury. According to astronomers, there is evidence that the storm existed on the planet at least since 1831.
The storm may have even existed since 1665. The hypothesis of some scientists is that the storm is actually stable, and thus might never cease. The storm is so large that it can be seen from Earth using telescopes. The storm rotates clockwise, and it takes approximately six days for the Great Red Spot to complete one rotation.
The Great Red Spot is not the only storm on Jupiter. There are a number of other unnamed storms on the planet, including some of the white spots and brown spots that can be seen in pictures. In fact, since 2000, another storm has formed, and this storm has been nicknamed "Red Spot Junior."
Rings and Moons
Saturn is not the only planet with rings, and in fact, Jupiter has a planetary ring system as well as moons that orbit the planet. The three segments of the ring system are the halo, a bright middle ring, and then an outer gossamer ring.
Unlike Saturn's ice ring, the rings of Jupiter appear to be composed of dust. It appears that one of the rings of Jupiter was formed from material that was ejected from two satellites, Adrastea and Metis.
As of 2010, Jupiter has 63 confirmed moons that orbit the planet. Jupiter, thus, has the largest amount of moons in the Solar System. The largest moons are referred to as the four Galilean moons. They are named because Galileo Galilee discovered the moons in 1610.
While these are some fun facts about Jupiter, there are many more. Continue to research this amazing planet on your own!


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The Noise Source Identification Tool, right, is a specialty tool that can be used in conjunction with the Aachen Head to identify the source of unwanted sounds in a vehicle.
Click here to download related images.
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 17, 2009 – Ford Motor Company is using a new technology that allows engineers to actually see unwanted sounds and eliminate them during vehicle development to ensure new vehicles have the quietest interior cabins.
Ford is the first automaker in North America to use the new "Noise Vision" tool, which is part of Ford's drive to lead the industry in top vehicle quality and customer satisfaction. Customers connect an ultra-quiet cabin with overall product quality and satisfaction, and quietness is one of the top reasons to buy a vehicle, according to third-party customer satisfaction studies.
"The key to world-class interior quietness is to pinpoint the source and location of every unwanted sound, no matter how subtle it is," said Bill Gulker, Ford's leader of Wind Noise Engineering. "Noise Vision already is paying off for Ford, with the new 2010 Taurus, Fusion, Flex and F-150 achieving the quietest interiors in their class."
Noise Vision is a small sphere that is placed inside the vehicle cabin. It is equipped with more than 30 highly sensitive microphones and 12 special cameras. Powerful software reads data from Noise Vision and creates a computerized image showing interior noise "hot spots," including wind noise, a squeak or rattle, or unwanted feedback from the engine or the road.
Ford began using Noise Vision – formally known as the Noise Source Identification Tool – to develop new vehicles for the 2010 model year. The high-tech tool's thermal imaging is similar to the kind used for military work and medical research.
In the past, Ford engineers worked long and hard to identify unwanted rattles, squeaks or knocks. Finding an unwanted sound often was a process of elimination, which could take days or weeks.
Noise Vision streamlines the process to hours, and it's saving money, too. In the past year alone, the technology has allowed Ford's North American NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) engineers to reduce 200 hours of wind tunnel testing time a year – saving more than $300,000 in testing costs.
"We used to rely on trial and error to make a vehicle quieter," said Gulker. "It was a process of elimination that often led us to mask the issue with thicker glass or more sound insulation. Noise Vision literally shows us where the noise is and allows us to eliminate it once and for all."
Quietness and quality leadership
Today, Ford's initial vehicle quality is equal to Toyota and Honda. Ford vehicle interior quietness also rivals many luxury brands, including Lexus, according to third-party consumer research.
In fact, Ford has the fewest wind noise, squeak and rattle issues of any full-line vehicle manufacturer, according to the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study. Ford brands also have higher interior quietness customer satisfaction scores than their Asian counterparts, according to the RDA Group's Global Quality Research System. Ford's U.S. vehicle leadership includes:
- The Ford F-150 is the top model in its segment for quietness, according to the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study. F-150 also is No. 1 in quietness customer satisfaction, according to the RDA Group.
- Flex owners are significantly more satisfied with interior quietness than the majority of owners of competing crossovers, according to J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study.
- The Lincoln MKZ beats the current Lexus ES350 in key interior quietness attributes, such as road noise at 30 mph and wind noise at 80 mph, according to the RDA Group.
- Ford Escape is tied with the Honda CRV for first place in the small utility segment for interior quietness customer satisfaction, according to the RDA Group.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 200,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.


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NEW Dell 750W Platinum 9PXCV 5NF18 Power Supply
Condition: New
Manufacturer: Dell
Ships in: 2-3
Warranty: 12 Months
For Dell Servers:
T320 T420 R520 R620 T620 R720 R720xd R820
Part is sold on a non-return basis.
Parts availability is advised based on known stock quantities at the time the order is placed and could change without notice.
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text: Royalty Free Vectors Skull Vectors Ram skull vector image LicenseLearn More Standard For Print, Advertising, Design Expanded For Resale & Reproduction The license type determines how you can use this image. Std. Exp. Print / Editorial Graphic Design Web Design Social Media Edit & Modify Multi-user Resale Items Unlimited Runs Ways to BuyCompare Single Image $14.99 Credits $3.00 Subscription $0.69 There are three ways to pay for Standard licenses. Prices are $US. Pay with Image Price Single Image $14.99 One-time payment Pay-As-You-Go Credits $3 Download images on-demand (1 credit = $1). Minimum purchase of 30. Subscription Plan From 69c Choose a monthly plan. Unused downloads automatically roll into following month. Ways to BuyCompare Single Image $29.99 Credits $30.00 There are two ways to pay for Expanded licenses. Prices are $US. Pay with Cost per Image Single Image $29.99 One-off payment, no signup needed. Credits $30 Download images on-demand (1 credit = $1). Download Image Ai, EPS, PDF & JPG files Download File/s: ZIP Archive ZIP Archive High-res JPG (300 DPI+) High-res PNG (300 DPI+) Adobe Illustrator (v10+) Vector EPS (v8+) Vector PDF Download ZIP Share on Pinterest Facebook Twitter Download JPG Preview Image Image ID300508 Artist pixeltechFollow Add to Cart 300508 https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/ram-skull-vector-300508 2010-11-23 Ram skull Vector Image Tattoo styled ram skull. Download a Free Preview or High Quality Adobe Illustrator Ai, EPS, PDF and High Resolution JPEG versions. https://cdn4.vectorstock.com/i/1000x1000/05/08/ram-skull-vector-300508.jpg 0.69 USD Similar Images More Skull Images…More More by pixeltech Related Searches Skull Ram Tattoo Flower Goat Banner Scroll Rose