SpinSpace Gallery welcomes Lionel Bret, IAAA artist, Jan 2009

Here’s Lionel’s show in the IAAA Wing.  A picture set is at flickr here.

four illustrations of Humans' Machines in space by Lionel Bret

His website astronomy art page is here. 

IAAA artist Lionel Bret exhibits at SpinSpace, the Spindrift Space Gallery on Spindrift island in the SciLands science continent, Second Life.

Six by Lionel Bret

About SpinSpace Gallery and artists’ show schedules

If you already have a Second Life avatar or want to create one, here is the direct link to the SpinSpace Gallery showroom http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spindrift/45/60/24

How About a Game of Thermonuc-, er, Tic-Tac-Toe!

Spindrift’s latest game addition is Treasure Box’s implementation of 3D Tic-Tac-Toe, or as she calls it, 3D3T, three-dee-three-tee.  :) 

Paradox Olbers staring at all 64 positions in an effort to see the 76 winning lines ...

But be warned!  This isn’t the trivial 3×3x3 first-player-always-wins version; *this* is the non-trivial 4×4x4 grid, with 3 selectable sizes of blocks for better viewing ease, and a sixty-second timer on each player’s moves.

Pondering my new 4x4x4 3d Tic-Tac-Toe set

To start a game, have one of the 2 players click on the overhead “3D Tic-Tac-Toe” sign, then select the sphere or the pyramid for their playing pieces.  Now the one-minute timer starts!  This insures a fast game.

You can get your own copy at the SkyWheels Gallery for the Holiday pricing of L$3500 at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Amberaldus/170/115/696

A 64 position playing field ...

For strategy tips, try this page http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~andyb/NC3D/

Drop by anytime and try out this set! No fees – free to play. It’s been strongly proven that the first player can always win.  Can you?

An additional four pictures are up at my flickr site.

A Martian Named Frank & Lord Rosse’s Telescopes

Birr Castle, Parsonstown, County Offaly, Ireland;

alternate 1847CE timeline

Lord Rosse Exhibition temporary islet

The day begain normally – I had arrived at the official opening of the “Lord Rosse’s Leviathans” historical telescopes display that Troy McLuhan had commissioned from Avatrian and then added his riding tour to.  Judging from the clothing styles of the audience members from Desmond Shang’s Victorian Independent State of Caladon continent, we were in 1847, when William Parsons put his world’s-largest 1.8m (72 inch) ‘Leviathan’ into service.

Festive opening day crowd for Rosse Exhibition

Troy wrote about the opening day speeches and events here,  and the blogosphere’s initial reactions to the exhibit/ride in this followup post.

But Troy had left out some details and was wholly unawares of what plans were being drew by intellects vast and cool …

I was sitting in the audience of two dozen avatars, marvelling still at Lord Rosse’s achievements with them, astronomers, builders, Caladonians, and others.   The noonhour arrived, heralded by the nearby tower bells.

The sharp-headed metal tripod approaches

As the tolling bells ended, we suddenly heard splashing noises – water running off of wet metal onto more metal, and hollow, at that.  I turned to look and saw a dark shiny metallic sharp-edged something raising slowly and massively from the island’s bay, dripping seawater from its bulk.  The machine, or creature, for it moved deliberately and with purpose, had five hooded glaring eyes or lanterns set into the forward jagged edges of its conical body.  It had a pair of tentacles underneath, slashing back and fro swiftly, then still, then writhing again … 

SpinSpace Gallery welcomes IAAA astro artist Steve Hobbs!

Here’s what Steve Hobbs’ art looked like during October. 

Seven paintings by Steven Hobbs – IAAA Artist

8 astronomical paintings by Steve Hobbs

(We had to forgo promoting Steve’s show while downloading issues were resolved to his satisfaction, and he will get another full display show early next year. :) )

Paradox Olbers rearranging SpinSpace Gallery

Paradox Olbers rearranging the IAAA room 

All 15 paintings by Steve Hobbs glowing at midnight

The IAAA is the International Association of Astronomical Artists.  Learn more about them at their website.   … and more about Steve’s art at his website.

Learn more about SpinSpace, the Spindrift Space Gallery and about SpinSpace artists’ show schedules. If you already have a Second Life avatar or want to create one, here is the direct link to the SpinSpace Gallery showroom http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spindrift/45/60/24

SciEye scopes the 1st MICA “Ask An Astronomer!” meeting

SPNN NEWS – Kira Cafe, Baikun Island, Second Life.

Kira Cafe is at http://slurl.com/secondlife/BaikUn/247/96/251

Ask An Astronomer! at Kira Cafe

MICA stands for Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics, a professional scientific and educational, non-profit organization based in virtual worlds.  The new MICA Director, Prof. George Djorgovski of CalTech [SL: Curious George], who has just taken over from founder Piet Hut of IAS, Princeton [SL: Pema Pera] took questions for over an hour from a crowd of 17 avatars at the first “Ask An Astronomer!” session.  The 11 am PDT/SLT public astronomy hour will be every two weeks.

A dozen & a half avatars Asking an Astronomer

Much of the hour was spent on the shape of the universe, regions beyond observability, dark matter, and other large-scale issues.  George tried to get questions rephrased if he couldn’t clearly see what the questioner had in mind, and, although he’d reserved the right to say “I don’t know!” he usually had an at least partial answer for most of the inquiries once vocabularies had been translated from non-astronomer to practicing astronomer/astrophysicist and vice-versa.

Prof. George Djorgovski of CalTech (SL: Curious George)

SciEye Espies the Naked Scientists

Pavillion outside the Naked Scientists mansion at SciLands island

SciEye has previously visited the Science Friday NPR radio show.  The other great science radio show in the SciLands is the UK’s The Naked Scientists.  Every Sunday at 10 AM SLTime, the show takes questions from its real-life audience and its Second Life audience during one segment.  My personal favorite is their Kitchen Science feature; this last Sunday, they implosively crushed a soda can by heating water in it to boiling, then immersing it in water.  *>!CRUSH!<*

To visit the Second Life studio audience location directly, use this “slurl” http://slurl.com/secondlife/SciLands/98/124/25

 

Some misunderstood the nature of the naked scientists meeting

The Naked Scientists phrase refers to having a Eureka! moment like Archimedes, who leapt out of his bath and down the street in his excitement in solving a vixing problem.  Not everyone is clear on that …  :)

naked scientists show logo

The longer you look at this hilarious takeoff on Michaelangelo’s orginal concept, the more you start to laugh …

Auctions ended Tues noon! Sponsor the Saturn V at International Spaceflight Museum!

SPNN News, Spaceport Bravo, the SciLands, Second Life – ISM is again auctioning off half-year sponsorship rights to the most noticeable and famed rocket in both Spaceports.  Also being auctioned separately on eBay are the crawler-transporter that took the 4500-ton gantry & stack out to the launch pad, and the gantry tower that cradled the 3000 ton 369 foot tall moon rocket.  [Update - Amazingly, U$82 captured all three auction items! Six months from now, the next winner isn't going to grab such a foresighted bargain at this low a winning bid.  Congratulations!  To ISM member Neit Tackleberry, as it turned out at the Wednesday ISM Planners meeting.]

Looking up at the underside of the gantry tower’s platform that the crawler carried out the pad.  The swirling disc around my head?  I’d just been at a MICA star simulations planning meeting, and was still wearing my slowly spinning Milky Way Galaxy.  :)

SciEye welcomes Phoenix lander to Mars!

Phoenix arriving!

Explorer isle, SPNN(SPindriftNewsNet), SciLands, Second Life – The rl [real life] earthlings got to watch Phoenix in parachuted descent after entry and from its camera after landing; we NASA JPL, Ames, & CoLab worker avatars, plus the independents of the ISM [International Space Museum] got a better view as we watched Phoenix arrive and land on Martian terrain at Explorer Island. 

Lander heatshield starts glowing red from entry heat

 A Phoenix explaining the Phoenix landing photo to me …  Since this is a still image, I have to add that Helios Eusebio’s burning feathers shimmer and glow as they renew.  :)

 

Jet’s narration is interrupted by one of the ever-present dust devils!

Here’s Ron Miller’s portrayal of dust devils and dust storm from the Spindrift Space Gallery:

 

 Visit the Phoenix exhibit at NASA-JPL’s Explorer Island in Second Life with this Landmark http://slurl.com/secondlife/Explorer%20Island/131/100/39

 The Phoenix lander team site for new pictures and science from northern Mars.

 In the interest of avoiding panic, SPNN wishes to clearly state that this following image from the surface of Mars has *not* been identified as a Martian tripod fighting machine!

Premiere show of “Second Question!” Thurs 7pm SLT – SpinDome

SPNN Entertainment & News, Spindrift, SciLands, Second Life.
“The Second Question is a fast paced science themed show with people who have real scientific expertise & experience on SL & beyond.

A show with rapid fire questions, quizzes, audience participation and prizes. Really a chance to learn, and also learn about the person behind the scientist.

Original performances open & close – as well as The Slews. We don’t slant our news, we *SLew* it!

Panelists are kept on their toes & have a chance to respond to each other as well as answer for themselves in this funny hour long weekly event.

At the SpinDome! In Scilands
every Thursday night at 7PM SL time
First show is the 10th of April and every Thursday same time same place henceforth

If you have an answer- we have a question!
Host Pooky Amsterdam
Co-Host Hydra Shaftoe
First Panel
Troy McLuhan
Clowey Greenwood
Perplexity Peccable
Lehnerd Euler
& more
See you there!”
-Pooky Amsterdam

SciEye meets Jules Verne at ISM’s ATV display

SPNN News, Spaceport Alpha, the SciLands, Second Life

Automated Transfer Vehicle, ISS, & Shuttle

The soft “ping!” of an incoming ISM group notice distracted me momentarily from the discussion at this Thursday’s SciLands Senate meeting.  Afterwards, I eventally got some time to go to Spaceport Alpha’s Low Earth Observation platform and celebrate the arrival of the real ATV – the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Automated Transfer Vehicle – named “Jules Verne,” by looking at modeller Gamel Goodfellow’s version approaching ISM’s ISS [International Space Station].

High above the world (well, 200 meters is high!), I got different views of the robot cargo ship.  Another timely display from -altogether now, “ISM’s not NASA!” – the International Spaceflight Museum.