VIRTUAL TIKI - take a peek at my new 3-D CG online Tiki Lounge!! - General Tiki

K KreepyTiki Member Joined: Mar 18, 2007 Posts: 217	K KreepyTiki Posted posted on Sun, Jun 19, 2011 3:59 AM Aloha, Tiki Ohana!! I may seem to have been out of the Tiki Loop for a while, but actually I just went underground. Or, I SHOULD say, into Cyber-Space, where a whole new Tiki Territory has begun to open up. What the heck am I talkin' about, you ask? Well, allow me to explain... There is a hugely popular online community called Second Life which perhaps some of you may have heard of. Most simply put, SL is a user-created, fully explorable, interactive virtual world nearly as vast as the real world and with hundreds of thousands of members world-wide. And with very sophisticated graphics and many thousands of talented CG builders and scripters at work, if you can imagine it, at this point, someone has probably created it in Second Life by now. And, yes, there IS Tiki to be found in SL. And, in some respects, it's a natural fit. And that's because the countless worlds within SL -- known as sims -- are each represented as an island surrounded by sparkling blue ocean. And what fits better with all those islands and beaches and azure seas than tropical scenery and -- wait for it -- Tiki? Yet, though tikis and tiki iconography per se are not in short supply in SL, TRUE tiki culture (as in Polynesian Pop) is only in it's infancy. And I can only IMAGINE what can be done in SL once people like YOU folks get hold of it! And as for Yours Truly... Well, ol' Castaway Clemens has gotten himself a homestead on a place known as Castaway Isle (actually, it was already named that). And that aforementioned domicile happens to include a bunch o tiki-related stuff surrounding it, all of which I installed myself. But the piece de resistance is Club Tiki, my own lounge/bar/night-club located in the basement grotto of my house. And, folks, here's one of the coolest aspects of SL... In real life (referred to as RL by us SL "veterans" lol) you'd have to have a fair chunk-o-change to open your own tiki bar/club/restaurant. But in SL, the Dollar-to-Linden (Linden's are the currency of SL) exchange rate is so good that for just over 8 bucks you can buy yourself TWO THOUSAND Lindens! (Yep -- not too shabby!) And so I quickly -- and very happily -- discovered that while not exactly Bill Gates in RL, in Second Life I could at least be a minor-league Donald Trump! (Only with better HAIR!) And how better to put my new found prosperity to work that to create in SL what I could only dream of creating in RL?! And so I soon set to work on a major project -- the creation of my dream tiki lounge, Club Tiki! And, many months later (and quite a few Lindens poorer), I am here to unveil the fruits of my labor to my OTHER favorite online community, the Tiki Central Ohana! So, without any further ado, please join me on a personally guided tour of all the tikiness to be currently found on Castaway Isle! And, to begin, let's take a look at my "front yard"... Yes, folks, all that IS actually in front of my SL home, which, weirdly enough, is actually a Victorian mansion called Nevermore Manor (don't ask -- it's a long story!). And, in the basement of that aforementioned house is an honest-to-Gods grotto complete with waterfalls which I have since transformed into... CLUB TIKI!!! And that's not even the main entrance -- that's "only" the rear of the place. The actual entryway is right here... Yep -- you really do enter the club THROUGH a waterfall! But the advantage of doing that in cyber-space is that you don't actually get WET! :) And, once inside the joint, THIS is what you'll see... Well, if you TURN AROUND, that's what you'll see -- the waterfall entrance you just came through. And then, straight ahead from there, is the requisite BAR! And, of course, ON that bar tropical refreshments and libations await the thirsty guest! But wait -- I forgot! -- these are only VIRTUAL libations. (Awwwww MAN!!) So I'm afraid you'll just have to BYOB while tiki bar crawling in SL! (hee hee) :wink: Also, the lighting in Club Tiki is quite variable, as this darker-ambiance pic illustrates. (This was also pre-rattan-carpet, as you'll notice)... But let's continue the tour and see the REST of the place (and there's LOTS to see!)... No -- you're not seeing things -- those are real moving FISH swimming by just behind that rattan peacock chair! Only on SL! (OR in a James Bond villain's underground lair!) And there's the matter of avi's... Say WHAT, you ask? Well, in Second Life you naturally enough don't have a physical body, you have an AVATAR. (And yes, there are now SEVERAL versions of planet Pandora in SL! And you, too, can be a tall, blue, long-tailed alien!) And here is MY avatar (who goes by the SL name of Poe Weatherwax) in Club Tiki... And, last but not least, here's a close SL friend of mine -- Phoenix Foxfire -- dancing a mean hula in Club Tiki (And NO, fellas, I will NOT give you her phone number!)... Well, I hope this glimpse into my own lil' corner of Second Life has whetted your appetite for the rich possibilities inherent in the brave and wicki wacki wild new world of virtual tiki. And I have future tiki plans in Second Life as well, including the creation of an elaborate haunted tiki-themed dark-ride. Finally, you should all know up front that it costs absolutely NOTHING to join Second Life! Yep -- just go to http://www.secondlife.com and get yourself a free avatar, take a few SL tutorials in how to use the various movement controls, etc. and you'll be ready to start exploring and virtual partying! And take a tip from me and download the (also free) Phoenix Viewer with which to explore SL, as it's a much more user-friendly and intuitively designed viwer than the current SL equivalent. And for all you musicans and artists out there, you should also know that SL is a HUGE venue for live music performance and the sale of artwork, etc. Yes, there is REAL money to be made out there in cyberspace, and Second Life is crawling with entrepeneurs and artisans of every kind. Basically, if you can imagine it, you can find it, create it, and LIVE it in SL. To quote Rocky Horror, "Don't dream it -- BE it"! And please feel free to contact me personally if you have SL-related questions. I'll be happy to help if I can. Cheers and Mahalos! :tiki: :drink: [ Edited by: KreepyTiki 2011-06-19 04:01 ] [ Edited by: KreepyTiki 2011-06-19 04:03 ] [ Edited by: KreepyTiki 2011-06-22 09:32 ]

Aloha, Tiki Ohana!!

I may seem to have been out of the Tiki Loop for a while, but actually I just went underground. Or, I SHOULD say, into Cyber-Space, where a whole new Tiki Territory has begun to open up. What the heck am I talkin' about, you ask? Well, allow me to explain...

There is a hugely popular online community called Second Life which perhaps some of you may have heard of. Most simply put, SL is a user-created, fully explorable, interactive virtual world nearly as vast as the real world and with hundreds of thousands of members world-wide. And with very sophisticated graphics and many thousands of talented CG builders and scripters at work, if you can imagine it, at this point, someone has probably created it in Second Life by now.

And, yes, there IS Tiki to be found in SL. And, in some respects, it's a natural fit. And that's because the countless worlds within SL -- known as sims -- are each represented as an island surrounded by sparkling blue ocean. And what fits better with all those islands and beaches and azure seas than tropical scenery and -- wait for it -- Tiki?

Yet, though tikis and tiki iconography per se are not in short supply in SL, TRUE tiki culture (as in Polynesian Pop) is only in it's infancy. And I can only IMAGINE what can be done in SL once people like YOU folks get hold of it!

And as for Yours Truly... Well, ol' Castaway Clemens has gotten himself a homestead on a place known as Castaway Isle (actually, it was already named that). And that aforementioned domicile happens to include a bunch o tiki-related stuff surrounding it, all of which I installed myself. But the piece de resistance is Club Tiki, my own lounge/bar/night-club located in the basement grotto of my house.

And, folks, here's one of the coolest aspects of SL... In real life (referred to as RL by us SL "veterans" lol) you'd have to have a fair chunk-o-change to open your own tiki bar/club/restaurant. But in SL, the Dollar-to-Linden (Linden's are the currency of SL) exchange rate is so good that for just over 8 bucks you can buy yourself TWO THOUSAND Lindens! (Yep -- not too shabby!) And so I quickly -- and very happily -- discovered that while not exactly Bill Gates in RL, in Second Life I could at least be a minor-league Donald Trump! (Only with better HAIR!) And how better to put my new found prosperity to work that to create in SL what I could only dream of creating in RL?!

And so I soon set to work on a major project -- the creation of my dream tiki lounge, Club Tiki! And, many months later (and quite a few Lindens poorer), I am here to unveil the fruits of my labor to my OTHER favorite online community, the Tiki Central Ohana!

So, without any further ado, please join me on a personally guided tour of all the tikiness to be currently found on Castaway Isle!

And, to begin, let's take a look at my "front yard"...

Yes, folks, all that IS actually in front of my SL home, which, weirdly enough, is actually a Victorian mansion called Nevermore Manor (don't ask -- it's a long story!). And, in the basement of that aforementioned house is an honest-to-Gods grotto complete with waterfalls which I have since transformed into...

CLUB TIKI!!!

And that's not even the main entrance -- that's "only" the rear of the place. The actual entryway is right here...

Yep -- you really do enter the club THROUGH a waterfall! But the advantage of doing that in cyber-space is that you don't actually get WET! :)

And, once inside the joint, THIS is what you'll see...

Well, if you TURN AROUND, that's what you'll see -- the waterfall entrance you just came through. And then, straight ahead from there, is the requisite BAR!

And, of course, ON that bar tropical refreshments and libations await the thirsty guest!

But wait -- I forgot! -- these are only VIRTUAL libations. (Awwwww MAN!!) So I'm afraid you'll just have to BYOB while tiki bar crawling in SL! (hee hee) :wink:

Also, the lighting in Club Tiki is quite variable, as this darker-ambiance pic illustrates. (This was also pre-rattan-carpet, as you'll notice)...

But let's continue the tour and see the REST of the place (and there's LOTS to see!)...

No -- you're not seeing things -- those are real moving FISH swimming by just behind that rattan peacock chair! Only on SL! (OR in a James Bond villain's underground lair!)

And there's the matter of avi's...

Say WHAT, you ask?

Well, in Second Life you naturally enough don't have a physical body, you have an AVATAR. (And yes, there
are now SEVERAL versions of planet Pandora in SL! And you, too, can be a tall, blue, long-tailed alien!) And here is MY avatar (who goes by the SL name of Poe Weatherwax) in Club Tiki...

And, last but not least, here's a close SL friend of mine -- Phoenix Foxfire -- dancing a mean hula in Club Tiki (And NO, fellas, I will NOT give you her phone number!)...

Well, I hope this glimpse into my own lil' corner of Second Life has whetted your appetite for the rich possibilities inherent in the brave and wicki wacki wild new world of virtual tiki. And I have future tiki plans in Second Life as well, including the creation of an elaborate haunted tiki-themed dark-ride.

Finally, you should all know up front that it costs absolutely NOTHING to join Second Life! Yep -- just go to http://www.secondlife.com and get yourself a free avatar, take a few SL tutorials in how to use the various movement controls, etc. and you'll be ready to start exploring and virtual partying! And take a tip from me and download the (also free) Phoenix Viewer with which to explore SL, as it's a much more user-friendly and intuitively designed viwer than the current SL equivalent.

And for all you musicans and artists out there, you should also know that SL is a HUGE venue for live music performance and the sale of artwork, etc.

Yes, there is REAL money to be made out there in cyberspace, and Second Life is crawling with entrepeneurs and artisans of every kind.

Basically, if you can imagine it, you can find it, create it, and LIVE it in SL. To quote Rocky Horror, "Don't dream it -- BE it"!

And please feel free to contact me personally if you have SL-related questions. I'll be happy to help if I can.

Cheers and Mahalos! :tiki: :drink:

[ Edited by: KreepyTiki 2011-06-19 04:01 ]

[ Edited by: KreepyTiki 2011-06-19 04:03 ]

[ Edited by: KreepyTiki 2011-06-22 09:32 ]

Post #594233 by KreepyTiki on Sun, Jun 19, 2011 3:59 AM