Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life

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The Frank Lloyd Wright Museum of Second Life celebrated an immensely successful Grand Opening this past weekend. The museum is a spectacularly ambitious project bringing to Second Life the life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), the person recognized by the American Institute of Architects as "the greatest American architect of all time." The project is being overseen by the museum's director, who is a long-time friend of mine, Frey Brevin.



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The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life.
In a long and prolific career that spanned almost three quarters of a century, Frank Lloyd Wright designed over 1,000 buildings of which nearly 500 were built. A romantic and social visionary, he was one of the founders of modern architecture in the United States. His legacy is a distinctively American style of architecture that eschewed European influences and one that embraces the idea that buildings can be in harmony with their natural surroundings. Wright opposed the rote imposition of standardized styles, but believed that form must flow perfectly from function, and that structures should ultimately blend into the terrain to achieve a close relationship between the building and its setting. He created many of the 20th century’s most influential and iconic buildings.
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The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life celebrates Wright's creative genius and accomplishments. The museum building contains several galleries which tell Wright's life story, show photos of many examples of his work, and display some of his architectural plans. On the museum roof there will be a display of photographs of Wright buildings in chronological order. But the most exciting exhibits are the are full scale replicas of five Wright buildings on the grounds in back of the museum building. Visitors to the museum can walk around the exteriors and explore the interiors of the buildings. We can gain a sense of the buildings and of Wright's innovative genius. This is a wonderful demonstration of the potential of virtual worlds to illuminate and educate. It certainly is a significant step toward fulfilling the promises of Second Life.
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Robi House, University of Chicago (1909)
.........................Fallingwater, Bear Run, Pennsylvania (1937)
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Robi House Windows - an abstract pattern of colored and clear glass using Wright's favorite 30 and 60-degress angles
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Perhaps the most noteworthy houses reproduced at the museum are the Robi House and Fallingwater. Robi House in Chicago is a masterpiece of Wright's late period Prairie Style. The house features low sloping roofs with cantilevered eaves, over hangs and terraces, and the use of unfinished materials for their natural colors and textures. The interior is noted for its sense of spaciousness created by an open plan in which the living and dining areas form a single uninterrupted space. The highly influential Robi House has been called 'the cornerstone of modernism.' Fallingwater, located outside Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, is Wright’s most dramatic design where cantilevered, interlocked terraces are posed over a picturesque waterfall. The building’s integration with the striking natural setting is the finest example of Wrights philosophy of organic architecture, which holds that buildings should develop out of their natural surroundings. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects named Fallingwater the "best all-time work of American architecture."
. A Grand Opening crowd awaiting a night of fireworks and dancing.

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The museum’s grand opening events and festivities were held over three days, Friday through Sunday, and attracted over 1600 visitors. The major events were scheduled for Saturday which began with the official ribbon cutting ceremony at which Frey delivered an excellent welcoming speech. And the event that everyone was waiting for was the evening’s Black Tie Gala. It was the social event of the summer in Second Life. The Gala was kicked off with a super fireworks display followed by a live performance by CelticMaiden Warrior and dancing into the evening at Club Breeze. Jaysun was my date for the night. I wore a lovely black and white formal that Jaysun had given me as a gift to wear tonight. And Jay was so strikingly handsome in his tuxedo. It was the beginning to a great evening.

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The Frank Lloyd Wright Museum of Second Life is a 'must see' attraction in Second Life. A visionary like his idol, Frey Brevin must be given a round of applause for what has been accomplished in this monument honoring America's greatest architect.
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..The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum of Second Life:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Usonia/10/9/22

On YouTube:
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Cerulean Zessinthal is Dead

Cerulean Zessinthal - Did alcohol poisoning do him in
... or something worse?
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I heard some dreadful news last night at the Jittery Junco. Cerulean Zessinthal is no more. He's ziltch ... nada. And Ceru wasn't the only victim. Poor Eulalie Helendale is dead too. The man who did it was sitting cross legged on the floor at Junco last night and engaging in friendly banter with the regulars who had gathered at the coffee shop. He was a stranger in dark glasses. His name - Nine Warrhol.
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Eulalie Helendale - She's Dead Too!
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Warrhol seemed a likable and clever young man. He regaled us with stories of his southern roots and his addiction to southern cooking. But there was something odd about him. He was only five days old; yet, his appearance was too advanced and he was far too at ease in Second Life to be a noob. I asked if we know him as some other person. It was then that he informed us that he had done away with Cerulean and Eulalie. His face didn't change its expression and never betrayed any emotion when talking about the deed. He calmly told us that to be his own person, Ceru and Eulie had to go. So he dispatched them with a click of a mouse. It might as well have been a click of a trigger. His only regret was that their inventories died with them. And Ceru and Eulie were not the only ones. There was another before them. My blood ran cold. The horror ... the horror ...
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The Man Who Did It - Nine Warrhol
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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Garden Party

New Garden at Hallelujah
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In negotiating the terms of my rent, PT generously agreed that I could create a garden behind my townhouse. The sun sets on that side of Hallelujah, and a garden would be a wonderful place to be with friends and watch the setting of the sun. And, as I love my rose garden at Opar, this garden would overflow with roses. Of course, I could not imagine doing this without the collaboration of Jaysun. He has a most marvelous talent for design as well as a fine sense for aesthetic settings.
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Entrance to the Garden
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We created the loveliest little spot in Hallelujah. A low wall fronted by hydrangeas provides a welcoming extrance to the garden. Two rows of trees form a shady canopy and give the garden a sense of depth. Red roses dominate the front portion of the garden, giving way to pink roses and then to yellow. Red maples provide an accent. The highlight of the garden is a glass windowed pavillion, a Swedish lusthus, designed and built by Jaysun. The lusthus has wonderful view of the garden and a sweeping view of the sea. It is the perfect place to meet with friends for an high tea in the afternoon and to view the sunset at the end of the day. Sunsets in the garden are spectacular.
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I love the dappled sunlight
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A Swedish Lusthus is the Highlight of the Garden
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Last night, we had our first party of friends in the garden. Jaysun, Victoria, and I finished a night of club hopping at the Junco Coffee Shop where we teamed up with friends Britany Adler and Steveo Rhiano. After the last dance, we all strolled across the bridge to the garden and seated ourselves around the table in the pavillion. There is nothing more heavenly than to relax and chat with friends in a wonderful setting at the end of a day. And this was a perfect ending for a day in Second Life.
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First Party in the Garden
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Jayson Dagger, acting host
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My sister, Victoria
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Britany Addler
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Steveo Rhiano
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The Townhouse Garden is for all residents and friends of Hallelujah to enjoy. The next time you are in Hallelujah, take a walk in the garden, lay out a picnic on the grass, or enjoy a cup of tea in the lusthus. I hope to see you there.
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Hallelujah:

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Photo Mariko - The Week in Pictures

As you may have noticed, I take alot of photos. Only a very small few make it to my featured posts. But there are additional photos that I would like to share with readers, so I added a new feature to my blog, Photo Mariko. Photo Mariko will post pictures of friends, places, events, and of general interest with only brief captions. I hope you enjoy it.
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Great News. Smidget Beamont is back in SL. Everyone is smitten by Smidge, and we are all overjoyed to have her back after a long absence. I hope that she is back to stay.
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Me, Jaysun, and Smidget at Jittery Junco
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Attending an ArorA concert was a nice coming home present after my trip to Greece.
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The theme of Arora's concert was country western. So I wore the Native American inspired Apala outfit that I posted in Mariko Magic.
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Sitting with my men. Well, maybe not my men. Actually Syd and Stig.
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Scouting a photo location in a Japanese sim.
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The sim has a marvelous Japanese country house placed on a lake.
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I also scouted the Great Wall of China for a photo shoot.
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At Opar with Smidget and her friend Sparks Bravin
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My New Friend, Sparks Bravin
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Friday, July 17, 2009

Cheesecake Mariko - Cherry PJs

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Serving up a delicious slice of cheesecake with a generous topping of red cherries in my new garden house.
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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Travels with Dawson - Czechoslovakia

With Dawson Sailing into the Wind
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I finally caught up with my sister Dawson for the first time since returning from Greece. She had also taken a respite from Second Life. But it was a joyful reunion. I was so glad to see her again. We went sailing for a bit in a smart little boat on the Blake Sea. Around Nantucket, we ran into a strange rezzing problem with our boat. So we decided to do some sim exploring and teleported to the sim called Czechoslovakia.
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Dawson has visited the Czech Republic several times in real life, and Prague is one of my favorite cities. So we both were very interested in visiting this sim. The Czechoslovakia sim serves a fairly large Czech and Slovak community in Second Life. The sim is not English language friendly, but that doesn' t diminish the fun of exploring what is has to offer (Dawsi was hilarious speaking faux Czech, making it up as she went along). The sim has much to offer. Some offerings are puzzlingly incongruent, like placing the Eiffel Tower in Slovakia, and some unexpected, like the nude beach. But the highlight of the sim is the Bohemia Stare Mesto (Old Town) and its recreation of the Townsquare of Telc, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its Baroque houses of high gables and arcades. Also placed in the townsquare is the Old Town Hall of Prague with its famous Astrological Clock, parts of which date back to 1410 AD. The regulars to this sim from the Czech Republic and Slovakia are very friendly and like to party. If you have some time to spare, consider taking a short trip to Czechoslovakia. I highly recommend it.
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The Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Hall
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Townsquare of Talc
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View from the top of the Old Town Hall
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Off the Road - Don't Blame Me, Dawsi is Driving
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

My Hallelujah Townhouse

Settled In at Hallelujah
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Before I left for Greece, Jaysun dropped by Hallelujah to help Victoria and me set up our townhouse. I dumped my inventory of furnishings on the floor, and Jaysun went to work. He put up additional walls, created an entrance area, added columns to the entry of the pallor, and then tackled all that inventory, choosing what would work and what to return to inventory. When he was done, we had a first floor worthy of a photo spread in Architectural Digest. Victoria is designing the second floor which is shaping up nicely. We now have a home that is stylish and very comfortable. Thank you Jaysun.
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Hanging Baskets of Hydrangeas and a Table and Chairs on the Balcony
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The Pallor.
Vic and I considering a change in the sofas
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A view of the entrance area
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Entrance Area
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My study corner
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Now we get to enjoy the evening on the balcony
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