Work in Progress!

If you happen to visit my store in the next days: don't panic! We are currently working on turning it into a scene-rezzer, so you can see my creations in their fully glory.

Obviously under construction.

The scene rezzer will be linked with my vendor-system, so that the object that is rezzed will also be active on the vendor. The rezzer needs the object added to it yet, but the vendor is already fully set-up and operational.

Also the landmark to my store/showroom has changed slightly. Here is the new location.

Stay tuned for more!

Now Available: Historic Airship Replica Santos-Dumont No. 9

Alberto Santos-Dumont, son of a rich plantation-owner developed early a fascination with flight. As adult he moved over to Paris - back then one of the hot spots of early aviation - and soon became known as constructor of airships. He built several models and did fly them at exhibitions and contests. His favourite model was the No. 9, which he gave the nickname "Baladeuse" - "cart". It was his most compact airship and it seems to have been quite ideal to casually fly with it over the rooftops of Paris and land in front of a café for a coffee break, which he did!

I built this replica after historical photographs and modern reconstructions to get all the little details right.  It was a welcome challenge, after not really building much over the summer and I went really nuts on the engine, which makes it quite surprising even to myself that it has a land impact of only 8!
Special thanks to my friends Jack Tracker, who gave me the idea of building it, and Prof. Zen Wickentower, who spend a lot of effort in creating a historical correct flying pose for it!

The Santos-Dumon No. 9 now available at the Drow Science Showroom and at my Marketplace Store. Also feel free to drop by at the Baitoushan Aviation Museum, where it is currently on exhibition:

Drow Science at the Sci-Fi Fair

My Steampunk/Dieselpunk Pub at the Sci-Fi Faire

Since the Sci-Fi Convention earlier this year was so successful, the organisers have decided to hold second event this year too. The Sci-Fi Faire:

"To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek TV & film franchise the sci-fi alliance in second life has organised a convention covering 3 sim from September 7-11, with over 80 booths set up by residents to promote their trek and sci-fi groups, content made in world  and services. The event supports  “The American Cancer Society”  with donations and exposure.

The sims called “Vulcan” and “Qonos” are used for housing the booths whilst “Risa” in the centre being used for entertainment."

Sci-Fi Convention Blog

I'm not sure if its going to be a regular thing. But it would be certainly nice for the community to have such a happening twice a year. There is always so much to see and discover!

I am also happy that I finished the interior for my Steampunk Pub right in time. Impeccable timing, isn't it?

See you at the Faire!

No late April-Fools-Joke - LL reduces Landprices! Well, kinda...

It has been quite a while, since SL has been growing. It might be just about half a decade actually, since the number of sims did increase. The recent years saw a steady decline in sheer numbers - and to make it worse it was more and more high-profile sims which shut down. Sims which left a significant gap with their demise.

I wondered how long can it go on like this, until it really brings SL's sheer existence into doubt. It seems LL did finally understand that they have to do something to work against the trend. And they did at least something - but it is actually not so simple. To quote LL itself:

In November, we lowered the set-up fees for land purchases by 40%. Today, we’re introducing a limited-time offer that will make land even cheaper by allowing you to lower your monthly tier payments (aka land maintenance fees).
From today until October 4th, 2016, you can “buy-down” your Full Islands and/or Homesteads to the grandfathered maintenance rates. By paying a one-time fee up front, you’ll be entitled to lower tier rates on your land for as long as you hold it (and remember, we now also allow transferring grandfathered land).
The pricing for this offer is as follows:

Full Island:
One-time buy-down fee: $600
Grandfathered maintenance fee: $195/month (regularly $295/month)
Homestead:
One-time buy-down fee: $180
Grandfathered maintenance fee: $95/month (regularly $125/month)
Note: This offer cannot be combined with our Education and Non-Profit discount program, and cannot be applied toSkill Gaming Regions.
If you plan to hold onto your land for longer than 6 months, this is a great deal for you!
To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to submit a Support Case using the Land & Region -> Region Buy Down case type. In that case you can provide us with the names of the regions you would like to buy down, and we will assess the appropriate buy-down fee per region.

Source: Second Life Blog

So this means you pay a one-time fee (the so-called buy-down the post is talking about). Then, after 6 months holding your sim and paying the reduced (Grandfathered) fees, you are breaking even and save money compared to the original pricing.

I think this is a start, its not a game-changer, since the prices for sims are still ridiculously high, but its at least some kind of reaction. We will see how the situation develops in the next months.

Garrett Wang (Harry Kim) at the Sci-Fi Convention!

The Sci-Fi Con is over and while I am looking back at a beautiful, well-organized and very friendly event (ok, there must have been a few incidents between different fan-groups, but nothing I am aware of), I have one last goodie for you:

A video of the Q & A Session with Garrett Wang (Voyager's Harry Kim at the SL Sci-Fi Con!

During the two-and-a-half hour recording Wang talks (amongst other things) about his time at Voyager, fan-produced films and reprising his role in the MMO Star Trek Online.
And yes, it is no fake! I was following the Facebook thread about getting him into Second Life for appearing at the Con and I couldn't really believe it, until a few days later it happened!
Sadly due to time-zones (and I assume that might have been the case for more of us) I was not able to participate the Q & A so right now I am listening to it for the first time too.

A really exciting and kind move of Wang to participate in the fun and many thanks to him and Steve Atlanta who established the contact and got him in.

There is also a audio-version of the session available at Soundcloud.

Sci-Fi Convention Blog

Sci-Fi Alliance at Facebook


Edit: I just finished listening to the audio and found it very entertaining and interesting too. Wang was absolutely unpretentious and friendly and gave a lot of insight about his time in Voyager. He also wasn't shy of giving his opinions on Star Trek's back-then producer Rick Berman or J. J. Abrams 2nd Star Trek film. There was clearly somebody speaking who is as passionate about Star Trek as its fans.

Here They Come!

Is there a better way for a title when you write about start of the Sci-Fi Convention than with a quote from our favourite space opera? I don't think so!

The opening of the Convention is now only a few hours away and I am positively quite excited! I made a little stroll around the sims the other day and my first impression is very, very good.
You don't have to believe me though - just take a look at the pictures I received:

Courtesy Lani Global

Courtesy Lani Global

Courtesy Lani Global

Courtesy Lani Global

For my own plot at the exhibition I had a very special idea: Since I have so many large ships to show and since one already would pretty much fill the parcel, I decided to have rezzer-system instead which lets visitors pick what they want to see! Emma did - as always - a fantastic job. Not simply scripting, but scripting it in a way that it is pretty easy to set up the scenes - wonderful!

Always an impressive view: the Cerberus-Class Cruiser,

...something more peaceful: The Daedalus...

...and the mighty Prometheus-Class!

See you at the Convention! Here is your taxi to the Drow Science parcel - enjoy!

P.S. Steam-Gonk loves you all!

Gonk, gonk, goooonk!

Sci-Fi Convention 2016

This years SL Sci-Fi Convention is just a few days away now. Yay!

So far the Sci-Fi convention has grown bigger and better every year and I am looking forward how it will be this time. It is also pretty cool to be part of it, I have to add. It is one of the occasions where the community can show what they are capable of and present their vision of the future.

The convention will start on March 18 and will go till the 27th. Though for me and the other exhibitors it will kind of start already in two days, when the building period on the sims begins.

For more information, please visit their blog. See you there!

The Kraken Wars - Epilogue

Epilogue

Time passed more slowly after the  Cobalt Brotherhood abandoned their underwater base. The few Kraken that had been left behind, showed a listless quality and were easily collected. Without the stimulation by the Marconi Receptive Leaf, they gradually became lass and less a terror threat.

The Cobalt Brotherhood seemed to have abandoned Piracy by Kraken, and if they had undertaken any other form of larceny, it remained unknown.

Air Piracy was still a matter of concern to Consolidated Airship Transport.

New Gadget: Mad Scientist's Backpack

Sometimes inspiration comes from out of the blue. It can be something you have seen or heard the other day, a memory, or it jumps kinda in your face - like in the case of my Mad Scientist's Backpack!

Please meet the Mad Scientist's backpack!

Half of the inspiration for it comes from this fun little trailer here with cute and nerdy (and pretty mad) scientists:

The other half was induced by the theme for last Saturday's Z&A dance: Weird Science!

I guess its no surprise that something in my brain clicked. And it was so much fun to build and dressing up myself for the party - and actually wearing it that night!
I might have went a bit mad with adding more and more fun things to it - including an authentic steampunk license plate!

You can pick up the Mad Scientist's Backpack now at the Marketplace and at the Drow Science Showroom!

The Kraken Wars - Part 9

Archangel Finds the Base

The high speed Zeppelin flew at an altitude of 21,000 feet. Her crew wore specially heated flight suits and their full face masks supplied them with an atmosphere fortified with oxygen. Her powerful engines were silenced and an array of colored lights on her belly could be varied to make her nearly invisible from the surface.  The camera system in her gondola was top secret and could read the traffic signs on a road at her current altitude. Every aspect of this craft was classified, top secret and every one of her assets was trained on the patch of sea floor below.

Steam: The Hunt XI - Realms of The Deep

One of the dates in the SL-year I am looking forward the most is the Steampunk Hunt, or Steam: The Hunt, as its friends call it!

This year's theme was quite a welcome opportunity for me to do something new, since I never really delved (or dived!) into nautical things - and doing something new keeps us on our toes!

I rather quickly decided to make a small deep sea exploration submarine. It helped of course that it is a vehicle (and who knows me, knows, I love building vehicles), but they also have a natural cuteness and a quite distinctive design - and last but not least is there this famous novel about a Captain and his submarine by Jules Verne... so its hard to find a more steampunky turn to the theme really!

Another novelty is that this miniature is wearable, so it will accompany you everywhere you go - no matter how deep you dive!

Steam: The Hunt starts March 1 and will go throughout the whole Month. For more information, check out their blog.

The submarine will be available at the Drow Science Show-room (the hint is rather easy, so no worries, you will find it!).

The Kraken Wars - Part 8

The Taking of Black Molly

Captain Xerxes brought his vessel to a stop in calm waters under a buttermilk sky. He waited for the breaching of a submarine vessel, for which he had a new radio device and some fuel and stores. He stood behind his helmsman and peered about, looking for the disturbance on the still sea that would signal the rise of his ward from the deep. He barked orders into the speaking tube above his head, "Prepare to send over the stores and the new radio and to take the defective radio for repairs. Ready the pumps for refuelling."

Captain Xerxes had no indication of what was about to befall his small ship. As he waited for the submarine that would never surface, a pair of elite military airmen were streaking toward his vessel. They flew with Terra Infinity Jetpacks with wings extended.

Captain Xerxes held binoculars in his hands, ready to look for any signals from the submarine. He was startled by the clang of boots on the starboard side of his bridge and then another on the port side.

Both bridge doors were slammed open. Two men wearing jet packs and carrying short, deadly rifles stepped onto the bridge.  With the wings of the Jetpack retracted, and rifles at the ready, their orders were clear and decisive.

The Kraken Wars - Part 7

Another Cobalt Capture

Jacob looked around Wyatts office, and  nodded in agreement, " Armed is always a good idea in my opinion,especially since Jack chose to nail the submarine to the seafloor. That  event, clearly told the C B that we were on to them. I do not believe the core of their organization knows it yet, but they will, soon enough."

"The Navy has two salvage vessels and four teams of divers working on cleaning up every scrap of debris from the seafloor. The submarine was blown in half when her magazine went up and the more intact parts of the sub are providing information that we need to track down these criminals. The wreck is being described as a maritime disaster and a tight news blackout is covering it all up."

The Kraken Wars - Part 6

Marconi plays the Mamba,
listen to the radio


One week, 27 Kraken beaks and many air miles later, in the office of Sprokitt and Kogg, two very weary airship captains sipped mugs of hot coffee.

Phineas looked at Jack over the rim of his coffee mug and said, "We may be making a lot of money, for ourselves and our crews, but we are all too tired to enjoy any of it."

Jack nodded and replied, "I hope Jacob can get Bane back to me with her modifications soon. Nymbus needs a rest too. And you will have to fly her while Doom gets her new radio gear."

"Starla sent the gear over yesterday. Her tech says it can be installed in a couple of hours, and there is a new wrinkle in place for us. She says we cannot only intercept the signals to the Kraken, we will be able to scramble them. We may be able to immobilize the Kraken, and kill them in that state!"

The Kraken Wars - Part 5

A Fate-full Meeting

Two Airships converged on Tong Island, and slowly began to descend through the night to the dirt runway below.

Nymbus and the cargo blimp Ajax brought four friends to a meeting with Wyatt Tong at his secret lab.

The Kraken Wars - Part 4

A Pair of New Weapons

The contracts from Consolidated Airship Transport continued to arrive at Sprokit & Kogg.  Jack and Phineas continued fly convoy patrols and the Kraken beaks continued to pile up.


Wyatt was spending more and more time on Tong Island. He carefully and gently explained  to Elder Tong that his cafe crew was superbly trained and would produce five star meals regardless if  he was there or not. However, Elder Tong and Wyatt both knew that it was his presence at the Green Door Cafe that kept his patrons returning. His greetings to them and the knowledge that the magnificent food on their plate was prepared especially for THEM by a master of the culinary arts was essential to the unparalleled  success of the Green Door Cafe.

Wyatt also knew that this leaf; this mystery that defied all understanding, was important. He suspected that it held importance far beyond his cafe or it's patrons or for the entire Tong Family. Whatever the leaf might do, or not do; it was connected to the continued attack of the Kraken.

Wyatt Tong knew the the reason behind it all was sinister and evil to the core.

The Kraken Wars - Part 3

The Battle in the Frozen North

The cargo blimps assembled at the same beachhead on Marmedunck. However, this was a much longer voyage with no stops and would end with delivery to Juno airport in the Blake Passage area where the cargo blimps would refuel and take their cargo to various ports in the vast northern area. Kraken attacks had not occurred in these cold, northern climates.

The first attack came just after the first hour of their patrol.

The Kraken Wars - Part 2

Kraken Battle Over Crows Nest

The contract details were delivered to Sprokit and Kogg by express courier and were most clear and concise.

Mercenary Merchant Marine will provide two (2) Merlin Class Cutters for the protection of a convoy of Five (5) cargo airships flying under the flag of Consolidated Airship Transport. Said convoy shall be under the protection of Mercenary Merchant Marine from Marmedunck to the fishing port of Half Hitch and then to Hollywood Airport.

Said convoy will be protected from attack by Kraken or Air Pirates.

All previously agreed upon fees and bounty shall apply.

Jack had two days to have his craft and crew ready to fly and fight.

A few more rounds fired at targets and time spent in formation flying did help, but still they had never fought Kraken before and they simply didn't know what to expect.

Tortuga Bay Airport

Tortuga Bay is a small and very scenic air- and seaport at the Eden Sims. I like that it celebrates a laid-back, vintage tiki atmosphere, unlike your usual SL-airport, which is often very techy and modern-styled.

The Kraken Wars - Part 1

My friend and fellow Never Drifter Jack Tracker, who publishes the Aeronaut Express, told me some time ago about the idea for a steampunk story he had. I was intrigued by his draft and offered him to publish it online. I haven't heard of it in a while and wondered what happened with the story. Until one day he sent me the full thing - and here we go!

I will publish a new part of The Kraken Wars every Friday over the course of the next months. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did!

The Kraken Wars

Jacob Elwood linked into the Village Plaza in Never Drift and slowly let himself take in the sights and sounds of the warm spring morning. He took a seat on a bench under the statue of Winged Victory. The smell of the sea, the sun in his face and the sweet sound of birdsong in his ears could have lulled him into an easy complacency. It was the screech of a gull that snapped him out of it and it happened just as his lifelong friend linked in to join him.

A New Year - and a New Blog!

Welcome to the new official Drow Science Blog! While I keep my old Blog as a platform for more personal matters, but this here will deal exclusively with all Drow Science and steampunk activities. This will make it much easier for you to find all the info you might look for.

I also will keep this Blog updated with steampunk-related news and specials. In fact, thanks to my friend Jack Tracker, the Drow Science Blog takes off with his exciting steampunk story "Kraken Wars"! I'm sure you will enjoy it!

I am also very happy to introduce this year's first new product. the Steampunk Blimp-O-Cogster!