Socially|Mundane

The first couple continents on the Second Life grid were more or less just kind of plopped-down. At least the sim names were relatively creative. My "first land" parcel was in Glenboon. From there I took a big bite into an 8192 in Dunbeath. I have since moved around a few times, the most recent in St. Diabloux and Croix and currently in ... well... Neobelow.

Okay, what the hell kind of name is "Neobelow?" The surname Lindens are seriously slacking-off. The ZHSL main store is in a sim called "Plain Jane." Even that's more creative than "Neobelow."

Oh well. One continent where Linden Lab at least "experimented" in creating a theme is to the immediate west of the Blake See, an entire island beginning with a massive and gorgeous lighthouse on Byth (I know, another totally uncreative lazy sim name). Byth (and Blake Sea) is to the right on the map below, with the seriously majestic Byth Lighthouse at the entrance (right edge of green mark) to the long canal leading into the fascinating circular area toward the western part of the island.

The point of all this is how Linden Lab leaves a lot of little surprises for us to find and no doubt very few, if any of us find them at all. For instance, you really should see the island shown above. Tune-out most of the resident builds and focus on the overall theme Linden Lab has built. It's stunning, fascinating, need-more-of-these awesome.

It's a typical world above water at the western point near the shoals in this seemingly unimportant area. But a peek under water is a another story....

Under water ruins of some lost civilization, courtesy of Linden Lab.

The yellow space is an impressive build all it's own, like a giant Greek or Roman "welcoming" to all passers-by in a majestic sort of way. And the cool thing is most of the resident builds, if not in these are at least not too far on the garish side. The little island in the orange area looks like any other little water-wart plopped-in by the Lindens, until at nighttime you see what appears the be a castaway campfire lighting up.

And there is more, all throughout the Blake Sea as well. For instance, for whatever reason, I had to stop the Hades' Strumpet (my tall ship frigate) and delete it. Without a care I ended up under water. Fiddling in inventory, something caught my eye - movement. I looked and found what appeared to be a Bull Shark.

"Pretty cool, I thought. it wasn't there a minute ago so it must be scripted to come to you when you end-up in the area. I accidentally passed my mouse over it - a "sit" icon appeared. So I clicked:

The thing is, the Lindens (and Moles) are putting in a lot to see and explore. All for your leisurely enjoyment, observation and simple discovery. All this work and effort and detail when you know that 99.99-percent of the residents on the grid will never, ever see it or even know it exists as most of them are out looking for the "Bondage Ranch" or "Free Sex City" elsewhere on the grid.

There is a lot to explore and discover. Hidden little coves of paradise above water and complete lost civilizations underwater, it appears.

So, think about it. How would you feel about building a bunch of nicely detailed, interesting builds knowing full well almost no one will ever see it?

How disappointing to a builder is that?

Hey, every last one of you surname Lindens, especially all of you who never make it in-world and do the most menial things - like even the guy who empties the trash-cans every night...:

Thank you.