TLE Educational Network

It's Now Open: Come See the Start of the New TLE Educational Network in SL

2009-11-11T04:59:00.000-08:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Great news! The new TLE Educational Network has officially re-opened in Second Life!

After a hiatus of several months, this virtual education center has initiated its rebuilding and expansion plan by opening its one-sim central hub and classroom facilities on the island of Raziel, and everyone in SL is invited to come explore and make use of everything there.

For those familiar with the first, beta implementation of TLE in SL, you'll recognize many of the buildings and will enjoy some of the whimsy that's always characterized TLE:

Beautiful, comfortable classrooms
The delightful steampunk-style administration building with its cozy student center on the top floor
The Newbie Park with sandbox and classrooms for learning all about Second Life
The TLE Publishing House Bookstore, as well as Poster & Texture Store

You'll also find a lot that's new:

No lag caused by sim-management problems (TLE manages its own sims now)
All classrooms parceled for sound so many events can take place at once
New signs and teleport systems
Even a new tree-house lounging spot!

But this is just the start of the new TLE Educational Network! In its next stage, TLE will expand onto 15-20 more sims with its interactive builds and exciting new programs, all of which are designed "to offer education and knowledge and understanding for free to all those who wish to partake of it," as TLE owner Kitviel Silberberg expressed it.

"TLE Educational Network is a massive venture as it stands laid out to be implemented today. We have combined some very experienced minds in Education and High Tech in order to create a long range and viable plan."
~ Kitviel Silberberg

So come visit the beginning of this exciting new stage in the life of TLE - and in Internet-based education that's accessible to all. Just teleport to the new TLE Landing Point, and explore the sim. You'll find the friendly (if a bit scary at first) Buddy waiting at every teleporter to give you a ride to where you want to go (see photo below).

Join the TLE groups in the areas you're interested in so you can stay up-to-date on all new developments. And subscribe to this blog to make sure you get all the news that's coming soon.

TLE's Innovative New Network Will Expand Its Free Education to the Entire Web

2009-11-05T03:18:00.000-08:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

What exactly will the new TLE Educational Network look like? In my last post, I talked about some of the features of the "old" TLE in Second Life that I missed the most during its three-month hiatus. In this post, I'll share some of the reasons why I'm so excited about the "new" TLE!

As I said in the previous post, TLE, as a virtual education and publishing center in SL, grew somewhat spontaneously and serendipitously as it experimented with ways to offer people knowledge and education at no cost to them. Once finished with that experimental stage, TLE assessed the pros and cons, successes and failures, and this week will begin to unveil its innovative new program - one that will extend far beyond Second Life or other virtual worlds.

Starting with a sim that will open within the next week, the TLE Educational Network expand its efforts in four separate, but related, areas, all of which were prototyped in TLE's first stage:

TLE University, offering free university classes to anyone in the world with access to the Internet.
Think of those who live far away from any real-world university and/or have no money to afford tuition and/or have disabilities that make it impossible for them to leave their home very often. They will be able to get education -- and even college degrees, once TLE's plans are fully implemented.

TLE Creative Arts program, using the Internet to bring together professional authors, artists, and others in the creative field, with a global audience.
Imagine attending a professional stage performance from your own home, or meeting "face-to-face" with a best-selling author or world-renowned artist. These are the kinds of events TLE is planning, thus opening this world to millions who can't attend such events in real life.

TLE Publishing, creating free and low-cost "mini books" on a vast array of topics.
So many of us want to learn about things we're unfamiliar with, yet don't have the time or money to read widely in order to do so. These TLE books (of which more than 160 have been created already) will give us the overviews and insights we want.

TLE World History Museum and Zoo, which will provide interactive displays about our planet's history and replicas of the world's animal inhabitants.
Imagine being far removed from a world-class zoo and being able to not just view wildlife in its natural inhabitants, but to walk among them and watch how they actually live. Or better yet, doing that with your children or disabled family members, as well.

But here's one of the most exciting things about this new venture! TLE has, of course, already offered versions of each of these programs in Second Life. But now, TLE will expand its programs far beyond what it's done in the past, and not just in Second Life, but across the entire Internet.

The technological wizard behind the TLE Educational Network is its owner, visionary Kitviel Silberberg, who has overseen a number of successful IT ventures in the past. He has developed technology and processes that will allow TLE's programs to be integrated with its Web site and such social media networks as Facebook and Twitter. So, TLE will not be limited in its reach to only residents of the virtual world of Second Life, though it will continue to use SL to provide the amazing realism that only a virtual world can offer. It will be accessible to many millions more!

As much as I'm excited about this innovative technological spread of TLE to the entire Web, the feature of this virtual education network that, for me, is its greatest gift to the world is its overall goal. And that is, quite simply, to create a better world for all of humanity.

How can it do this? Because its single focus is to freely educate people throughout the world, and, as Kitviel puts it:

"Knowledge and understanding fostered in an environment of willing people will produce a better world for all of us to live in. It will allow all of us to leave a much better world to our children than the one we inherited from our parents."

TLE's plans call for a huge leap forward in using 21st century technology and the World Wide Web to encourage a more compassionate, understanding world population. Not a small task, by any means, but many kudos to all of those behind TLE who are taking it on!

Stay tuned to this blog for more details of these plans!

A Bit Of Nostalgia .. Before We Announce What Is Coming!

2009-11-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

"Second Life just isn't the same without TLE," I've heard a lot in recent months, whenever I ran into someone I met as the result of a program or event at the TLE Educational Network.

It's a thought I often had myself. Even though I knew the TLE Educational Network was alive and still offering classes, I missed its huge presence in SL. With TLE's virtual education builds reduced to a single (though still quite active) building, I found myself at a loss without being able to:

Make near-daily visits to the TLE Sea World to bask in the sun and listen to the squeals and croaks and chirps of all the fish and animal life there.
Stand among the stars and explore the otherwise inaccessible outerspace of the real world via the TLE Interactive World History Museum.
Hang out with animals from around the world, yet in their own habitats, at the TLE Interactive Zoo.
Stroll through the fantasy worlds of my childhood storybooks at the TLE StoryBook Land.
Take fun and often educational breaks from work and the humdrum of my daily "real" life at all the fascinating builds at TLE.
Remember the importance of life and the meaning of friends in quiet contemplations at the TLE War Memorial Wall.
Meet incredible people from all over the world, brought together by TLE's virtual education programs and artistic performances.

So it's with incredible joy that I received the news that TLE is now beginning the process of rebuilding those and many more of its interactive educational and fun installations in Second Life. Within a week of when you read this, we'll all be able to congregate back at the new initial build of a much bigger and even better TLE.

I consider myself privileged to have been part of the TLE Educational Network almost from its start. The whole enterprise wasn't so much planned as spontaneously invented. Kitviel Silberberg, TLE's founder and owner, and the awesome visionaries on the TLE Board of Directors, would see a need or a possibility and make a solution happen with amazing speed and value. A few examples:

Live stage plays presented in SL
Free college-level classes
Exhibits like the "Religions of the World" and "Holidays of the World" that helped the international community in SL to better understand the many world cultures
Publishing opportunities for creative writers

After an amazing year of serendipitous growth and lots of work (and occasional hear-tearing), the TLE Educational Network Board and staff had to pause and decide where to go from there. I'm glad to say it chose to build on its successes, but with careful planning that will ensure its commitment to "Where Knowledge and Education Are Always Free" is successfully maintained.

I'll be updating you a lot in the near future about the exciting new and renewed programs and activities that are coming soon. In the next week, I'll share some of the amazing new features of this virtual education network that will cross over the boundaries between the virtual world of Second Life and the rest of the Internet. And with one entire sim opening up in the next week and plans for about 14 more sims in SL, there's lots of excitement in the wind! So stay tuned.

Finally, kudos and much gratitude to Aris Ametza, TLE's vice president of education, and Eagle Himmel, TLE's outstanding building and design instructor, who kept the class schedule running, despite having only a single small classroom building and sandbox in SL.

One of my favorite classes was this college Intro to Philosophy course I took at TLE. That's me in the lower-left corner.

A Long Time But Worth It...The NEW TLE Educational Network IS HERE!

2009-10-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a short post (I hope!) to let everyone know where the NEW TLE Educational Network stands. Alas Zerbino, our great blogger will be back with more detailed posts this week.

In June, I stood back and watched as the TLE Educational Network had grown. We have a group structure second to none. We also had some great success and some failures. But failures are good as they teach us important lessons as well.

It became clear to me that the method and pattern of many who operate in SL under the guise and altruistic desire to be places of learning and study were making and still are making drastic mistakes in regard not only in SL but to the inherent psychological basics of the normative Internet user as well as the SL user. It also became clear to me, due to my own personal belief that if you do something..well then do it right or do not do it all.

For two months while TLE was operating on a basically much reduced mode, a high tech business plan was written and set up. This demanded a different route than many have taken. It also took into account that SL though a great virtual world, is in the end a VW and as such is in the infancy of its technology. The numbers on the grid at any one given time simply do not allow for the laws of viral networks and social networking to take place without an "extra" push.

Going at this from the perspective of the motto that TLE Educational Network has and will keep "Where Knowledge & Education Are Always Free" and yet combining this with an actually huge high tech plan was not simple. Time for thought, direction and understanding were needed and required.

I am proud to announce within the next week the first central Hub Sim of the NEW TLE Educational Network will be opening up to the public. At this time due to the needs of classes etc. it will not be the final version of this sim, (as TLE plans over the next 8 months to introduce at least 15 Sims). Additionally TLE Educational Network will be divided into the Real World and the SL world both in staff and in endeavors.

We will not at this time make public all our plans nor exactly how we intend to go about it. Suffice it to say that TLE Educational Network will not and is not in the business of exposing SL users to SL users. We have much more ambitious goals than such, and we indeed see the process of SL to SL (as we call it) as a losing battle to which there is no real positive element.

TLE Educational Network will be approaching all this on multi-faceted arena. The University will keep on going, but soon will receive a great deal more let us say, validation for all students. And it will be education for free for the students. This will not nor will ever change.

The Creative Showcases of TLE will no longer be SL to SL. There are different plans for them, with, as some know, huge funding behind it.

TLE Educational Network will be rebuilding its Zoo across at least 4 sims. And the Museum will go back up in a different format. These two areas as well, have benefited from a great deal of planning and thought and will work in conjunction with the real world.

The TLE Educational Network Publishing House, in our age of digital book revolution, will as well get an entirely new face-lift, with new goals in mind (though all the books we currently have will be offered for sale once again). Again suffice it to say, this is a huge undertaking both in time and financially, but I can say now that it will be done.

We intend to give birth to a real theater. This will come in the next few months, however once again it will be run along professional lines, with both real and SL staff working in tandem.

The amount of funds that had to be raised in this venture was by no means small. Indeed, even in a good high tech market the goal is fairly substantial. We are in the midst of it, and things are moving along, and they will happen. Over 150 pages of a business plan was produced to explain in detail exactly what TLE envisions for the future.

But the real news is that our Sim will be open on approximately Nov. 8th 2009, and the University will be able to function there in a full capacity. As time goes on the University will spread over many sims with plans for other avenues and methods of study and long distance learning as well. Again a huge financial and time consuming undertaking but it will happen.

For a long time while TLE was functioning over many Sims, it became apparent to the Board of Directors, that certain other, shall we say, institutions would have their owners come by, find out what we were doing, and then try and duplicate it. For a while this irked me, but then I always say, I don't want to compete with anyone, let them compete with me.

This time around I welcome such visits. I welcome them because the plan behind TLE is way beyond what anyone has envisioned, nor are the financial resources available to these people. TLE has proven in its Beta Stage that there is a better way to deal with education and knowledge. Now we will be working hard on combining the best of Virtual World technology with Web technology and Social Networking Platforms.

It took some time. It took a lot of introspection. It took a great deal of facing our success and our failures. It took an incredible amount of time of laying out the plan, logically, step by step. It is taking a great deal of time to raise all the required funds, but we are getting there.

So folks. TLE Educational Network is back. And it will be there to serve you. It will be there to educate, stimulate, give you knowledge, and hopefully allow all of us to live in a better more peaceful world.

This is an adventure we now embark upon, with our eyes open. And trust me, for all those of you who want to be involved. This is going to be one hell of a Great Adventure, and a lot of fun.

I am proud to have worked with all the staff that was with TLE. And I hope most of them will be back with us. We will grow and sustain and nourish. Because in the end that is what TLE was established for and will continue to do.

Kitviel Silberberg
Owner & Founder - TLE Educational Network

Last Weekend to See Entertaining, Enlightening Play Premiered at TLE Theatre in Second Life!

2009-07-24T03:34:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

If you haven't seen it, do not miss one of the final two performances of the TLE Educational Network's most recent live theatre production - Hypatia of Alexandria. It's one of the best stage productions I've yet to see in Second Life.

This well-written, professionally produced play is being shown in twice this weekend - at 7 p.m. SLT (Pacific time zone) Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, at the stunning stage built at the TLE virtual education center especially for this production of. (Click here for the SLURL that will teleport you to the Hypatia of Alexandria Theatre in Second Life.)

The play is filled with intrigue, deceit, lust, power, and horrendous murder - and also love, truth, and beauty. And it highlights some of the incredible talents (such as the Hypatia cast and crew, shown below during a curtain call) that inhabit the sims of this virtual world.

I expected it to be a fine production, given the author and director, the talented poet Skylar Smythe, the cast (several of whom I've seen make outstanding performances at other SL events), and the TLE Educational Network's reputation for high-quality live theatre. But it was even better than I expected! Some of the highlights:

The powerful, yet accessible poetry that comprises much of the spoken parts. Skylar wrote these parts as sonnets - which any English major or writer will tell you is a challenging poetic form to adhere to. And sometimes it's a challenging form to listen to and comprehend - but not in the case of Hypatia of Alexandria.
The excellent performances by the cast, who worked some magic with scripting to bring the characters and their actions to life.
The authentic sets and costumes.
The amazing theatre designed by Skylar and built by Josue Habana.
The special effects created by Josue.
And best of all for me: the fascinating exploration of the themes of individual rights, the corruption inherent in power, and true meaning of love.

SL resident Lisa Launay served as the narrator (shown in above photo at far right). Morgana Nagorski played the title role of Hypatia, Klannex Northmead played Hypatia's father Theon, Caliban Jigsaw was Orestes, Eve Petlyakov was Lydia, Kitten Leakey played the slave girl, House Ragu took on the role of Cyril, and Misterblue Waves performed the role of Archeron.

Hypatia of Alexandria is based on the life of a brilliant woman who lived in Ancient Egypt thousands of years ago, and yet the story remains (unfortunately) all too relevant to the modern world. I highly recommend seeing it!

TLE Theater Back ‘IN’ the Air to Premiere Original Play Written for Second Life Stage

2009-07-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

She was perhaps the most brilliant mathematician and philosopher of her time. She refused sex and marriage. She spoke out loudly against the anti-Jewish activities of the local Christian bishop and was brutally murdered and torn apart by a lynch mob led by Christian monks. And now she is being celebrated through an exciting new play, Hypatia of Alexandria, making its world premiere 7 p.m. SLT July 11 at the TLE Educational Network Theater in Second Life. (see end of post for all dates)

But just as the real Hypatia lived an unusually creative life in 4th-5th century C.E. Egypt, so the play Hypatia of Alexandria is a uniquely creative production that powerfully brings to life the emotional drama of Hypatia’s life.

It is an original play, written in and for Second Life by a Canadian writer and poet who is known as Skylar Smythe in SL.
The play is written primarily in Shakespearean sonnet format, though in modern English and with exciting breaks of dramatic dialogue and suspense (a caveat for anyone who may be “scared off” by reference to the Bard).
Attending the play will be an immersive experience that extends beyond watching a stage production.

How did a modern author with the moniker of Guerrilla Poetess come to write a play about a woman who taught at Ancient Egypt’s Library of Alexandria before it was totally destroyed?

It started when a friend gave Skylar a copy of Raphael’s painting The School of Athens to hang in her SL home.

“I was fascinated by the painting and began to study the historical figures found in the piece,” she said. “There, on the left side of the painting, stood a haunting female figure, who seemed to stare straight out at the viewer with a sorrowful and stoic expression. The figure was Hypatia of Alexandria, and this sparked my exploration into the history and mystery of the woman.”

As a writer, Skylar was deeply moved by Hypatia’s impact on the academic world. “She possessed incredible talent in science and mathematics and chose to apply her knowledge to the betterment of her society.”

A contemporary historian, Socrates Scholasticus, wrote that Hypatia “made such attainments in literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her own time.” She also lived differently from how women of her time were supposed to live. Scholasticus wrote, “On account of the self-possession and ease of manner, which she had acquired in consequence of the cultivation of her mind, she not unfrequently appeared in public. . . . Neither did she feel abashed in going to an assembly of men. For all men on account of her extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more.”

And yet, as so often happens to powerful women in history, she also became the scapegoat for ignorant, angry men. When Skylar read about Hypatia’s brutal murder, and the subsequent attempt to destroy all of her academic work, “I was infuriated as a Christian and deeply saddened as a woman, and the more I read about her, the more I felt moved to share her story.”

Once the play was written, the TLE Educational Network was similarly moved to host the play at the TLE Theater and sponsor its introduction to the world. As a free, virtual education center in SL, TLE’s mission of helping change the world through free knowledge and education aligns completely with a theatrical performance like Hypatia of Alexandria. (In fact, I strongly suspect Hypatia would be a major proponent of TLE’s mission.)

But there’s more to the play than just the performance. A highly creative, talented woman herself, Skylar and her cast and production company have built a special theater in the Second Life sky that draws you into the very times in which Hypatia lived and died. (The theater hovers over land owned by a TLE Educational Network staff member, aelwyn Fields, editor of TLE Publishing House, who is donating her “sky space” to TLE for the performances because of the collapse of the company that leased sims to TLE, which required the entire virtual education campus of TLE to be rapidly moved.)

When you arrive at the theater, you will find yourself standing before a building of ancient Egyptian design, set on the desert sand and framed by waving palm trees. Climb up the stairs into the building, and you’ll find yourself in a beautiful museum-like hall containing ancient artifacts and illustrations of Hypatia’s accomplishments. One of those is the very painting that inspired Skylar to write the play, which is “built into” the back wall of the museum area.

The painting literally invites you to walk into its scene – which is a good thing, because that’s how you enter the actual theater where the performance is held. You actually walk into and through this painting, and then you’ll find yourself at the top of the stadium seating with a view of the stage and its ancient Egyptian set.

In addition to writing the play, Skylar Smythe is also directing its cast of actors from three continents: Australia, Europe, and North America. In addition, she designed the entire setting, which was then built by Josue Habana, who says Hypatia of Alexandria is “a profound account of the life of a fascinating icon. Skylar does a remarkable job of personifying Hypatia on a feminine level and enabling the audience to relate to her.”

What You Need to Know to Attend Hypatia of Alexandria:

Time: 7 p.m. SLT (Pacific time)
Dates: July 11, 17, 24, 25
Where: Hypatia of Alexandria Stage at TLE Educational Network; SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wensley/136/149/1549
Cost: It’s free, of course, like all events and classes sponsored by TLE

TLE Educational Network – Current Status & Future Plans

2009-07-08T05:16:00.000-07:00

A great deal has happened @ TLE Educational Network over the past 6 weeks which has forced many changes in our plans and way of doing things. I am going to try to bring everyone up to date in this Blog Post, and explain exactly where TLE Educational Network is headed. This may not interest many of you, however, since we do use our Blog to disseminate information, this is the proper place to do it.

Past Events:

When TLE Educational Network was first created and began operations, none of us on the Board envisioned the success it would have. Of course, I personally had certain projections within the effort in Second Life but these were extremely conservative. As time went on, and due to the efforts and generous contributions from two of the Board Members, who understood and believed in the message of TLE Educational Network we were able to expand. However, we never sought out to purchase our own estate or Sims. This was due to many reasons, the most critical was that at each stage we were unsure what would succeed and what would not succeed. Today the membership of groups that TLE runs is near 12,000 members, which is an outstanding number for Second Life no matter how you slice the cake.

This also proved to be possibly a drastic mistake in not thinking pro-actively enough about the future.

As many know, TLE is not just striving for educational excellence in the Virtual World environment. Our plan was and still is, to incorporate the VW world of SL with Social Networking areas, such as Facebook. This is not as difficult as it may sound, nor is it an impossible task.

Another aspect of TLE, which began with our publications is part of the TLE Educational Network Publishing House was and is successful way beyond original projections.

Thus TLE grew and grew. And we experimented with different ideas and different layouts and different situations.

When TLE first established itself we decided upon Cove Islands. For a long time it proved to be a wise and good choice. Josue took care of us, and despite demands on the time and sometimes requests which took a great deal of time for him to do, he always had them done.

However, Cove Islands around two months ago, without any proper notification to any of their clients, began to fall apart. Swiftly. Josue left, and the two owners of Coves, one Jenee Marten in SL (in real, Jill (Ghilarducci) Jones) and Just Dinkin in SL (in real, Brad Ciszewski) never had the courtesy to inform TLE, their largest customer, that they were going to sell Coves. Just put a message up on SLEX and of course the word spread from there.

It is obvious that they were hoping to entice a buyer(s) by showing a fairly full Sim percentage of paying clients. While this is legitimate in and of itself, it becomes incredibly negligent when you do not bother to inform your current clients that you are selling what they paid you for.

At that time we began a short series of negotiations with Coves. However, not one of the offers that were made – made any financial sense to TLE in any sense of the term.

The Board quietly discussed other options we may have. But the next step that Coves took was beyond any ability to actually plan or do anything about.

TLE paid tiers on 2 full sims at Coves and purchased them from Coves with a full purchase price of 195,000L when they were first set up. This was beyond the weekly tiers we paid as well (obviously here the proper term is "leased"). One which housed the museum and the other which contained the Zoo. These sims were paid up for 3 more days when the following took place. (And since TLE paid its tiers on a weekly basis this is very regular and normal.)

I landed in SL and suddenly on the bottom right hand side of my screen blue messages kept on popping up about Moku Cove (the Museum) telling me that scripts were not working. So I made a TP over to the Museum thinking that perhaps it needed a reboot. To my utter astonishment and shock, what I found was that though our Tiers were paid, suddenly the whole Museum and the Zoo had been moved back to the ownership of Coves. In other words, though TLE was paid up, we were denied any abilities to do anything on these Sims.

This was done without, I repeat, without, any form of letter, or email, or IM. In other words, it was done behind the back of TLE, and if this is not Land Fraud I do not know what is.

So trying to be fair-minded, and thinking that simply some sort of mistake had been made I emailed Just Dinkin. When I had not received any sort of reply twelve hours later, I emailed him again. After 26 hours I received the following reply from Jenee Marten the owner of Coves:

Kitviel,

A TLE staff member informed us that you would be moving from Cove and when we saw your tier expiring we figured you were doing just that. And since you didn't take the opportunity to purchase the 2 sims you were leasing we decided to sell them off.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

1. I have no proof who this staff member is, that deigned to speak for me, nor do I care anymore.
2. I was not informed of any such sale.
3. The text of Jenee is a lie, as she sold off the sims more than 2.5 days before the tiers even began to expire, and I have all the emails with the headers to prove it including the emails of the Coveland Notifiers.
4. No matter what the case was, I should have been informed of the impending sale by email and IM and asked to confirm receipt of such information. This obviously was not done.
5. In other words, I am clearly stating here, that not only was this bad business practice, but it was cheating and fraud.

Another little aspect to this whole scenario, which made matters even worse for a bit, is by the time the above email arrived in my inbox, the Zoo and Museum had disappeared. They had been moved to new coordinates by Just based upon the request of the new owner.

Additionally, nothing was returned to my inventory. So what I was left with was the thought that TLE had just lost something bettween $5000-$7000 in USD on objects in those sims. Remember, the zoo is filled with animals which do not come cheap.

So over the July 4th weekend, this is what was done:

Here is what took place over the July 4th Weekend. Most of which you may know so just a recap.

1. First I placed a land fraud report against the owner of Coves with LL. True to LL, they have not yet answered me, nor have even acknowledged they got it except in a form letter.
2. Second, I stopped paying any and all tiers at Coves.
3. I started one by one picking up every single parcel of TLE. This was a gargantuan task, but it had to be done in a time frame so I had no choice. I was not able to rely on the Coves people to not sell the land from under us and thus loose all our stuff.
4. As of the writing TLE is no longer at Coves in any parcel. Every prim of ours has been picked up.
5. The headquarters for TLE has been moved to our LSJ campus.

Meanwhile, a very interesting thing happened, which shows us as well, that there are honest and decent people out there.

The new owner of the Museum and Zoo, realized when they moved the coordinates to his desired place and the Sims reappeared, that no one in his right mind would just leave over 5-7K USD of objects on a Sim. He did some quick math between the museum and zoo and realized something was really wrong. So instead of globally returning them to me, which he could have done and would have been a holy mess, he contacted me. When I told him about the land and the story, he was enraged at Coves. He showed me a log by Just, which was not only misleading but a downright lie about the status of the Sim. Then he gave me time to pick up the Zoo and Museum. Which of course added to the tasks at hand but at least I had control over it. This too was a huge task. But because of his honesty, we have all the animals, all our stuff, and all the museum pieces.

Current Status:

Due to the incredible generosity of many SL people TLE has been able to continue, albeit, on land donated for its use. This is a temporary stage.

I am now in the midst of what is known in the high tech world as “investor relations”. However, due to past lessons, and long experience in high tech, I am not rushing into anything.

The next time TLE is rebuilt, which will take time, it will be done with all the proper financing and tools in place to achieve what it set out to achieve. Any other way of operating is simply a prelude to disaster.

As to the owners of Cove Islands. I am publicly calling upon Linden Lab the owners of Second Life, who make constant and consistent reiterations that they take “abuse” reports seriously, to take this one as seriously as humanely possible. TLE has deposited all emails pertaining to this, with all headers intact with its legal representatives outside of SL as well.

If owners of land in SL can do what Cove Islands did with impunity, without any sort of repercussions or knowing that Linden Lab will just allow them to get away with it, the serious businesses and educational institutions have every sane right to ignore Second Life as a viable environment.

TLE Educational Network will recover from this unfortunate set of incidents. And notice I made no mention of what was going in the personal lives of all the members of the Board of TLE at the time, which was to say the least, very drastic.

We will recover. But unless Linden Lab makes good on its supposed guarantee that they do take abuse reports seriously, then it surely becomes an exercise in futility.

Through the summer months we will hopefully finish investor negotiations and begin to rebuild. This will take time, but the plans are all meticulously laid out.

We are always interested in hearing from possible investors, no matter at what stage. But TLE Educational Network will remain true to its original motto: Where Knowledge & Education Are Always Free.

This then is where TLE stands at the moment. Through messages to our groups and this blog we will keep you informed of all upcoming events, and plans for the future.

Kitviel Silberberg
TLE Educational Network

Storytelling's Over, But Treasure Hunt Continues at Second Life Storyland

2009-07-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Even as adults, we love to listen to a well-told fairytale! That was demonstrated last Sunday, when several dozen Second Life residents gathered at the TLE Educational Network in SL to hear five storytellers read from the original versions of the fairytales we grew up with.

In the photo above, Kalli Birman, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, reads the ancient tale of the little girl and the wolf. The storytelling was one of the activities at the "Once Upon a Time . . ." event at the TLE StoryBook Land, a 3D display that highlights children's literature, and one of many interactive exhibits at TLE's virtual education campus in SL.

CallieDel Boa, dressed in an Alice in Wonderland costume, reads the story of Tom Thumb to the avid listeners.

Storyteller Emile Sands is accompanied by his own beast as he reads the story of The Beauty and the Beast to spell-bound listeners.

Listeners sit on mushroom stools and stand entranced, listening to Crayden Lohner read the story of Hansel and Gretel.

After the storytelling, a dance floor was set up outside of Sleeping Beauty's castle, and musician Torben Asp performed his magic with synthesizer and particle show.

An ongoing part of Sunday's event was a Treasure Hunt set up with clues based on the fairytales and children's stories illustrated at TLE StoryBook Land. Treasure-hunters receive the first clue, which leads them to the second clue, and so on until they find the grand prize at the end. But each clue discovery also comes with a prize of its own.

The storytelling and dancing are over, but the Treasure Hunt will stay up for a while at TLE StoryBook Land, so if you missed the event, you can still come and have fun solving the clues and finding the prizes. Just teleport to StoryBook Land at the TLE Educational Network (here's the SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Makani%20Cove/145/36/22) and click on the box with the treasure hunt map. (You'll find it in front of the giant carnivorous plant, so do be careful you don't end up being someone's dinner!)

All the stories read to Sunday's audience are also available at TLE StoryBook Land. They are part of the TLE Publishing House series of fairytales and children's stories being published. The books, published and readable in Second Life as either rezzable objects or HUDs, are almost free - they only cost 25 lindens (roughly one U.S. cent) to help cover the production costs. They are also available at the TLE Main Bookstore and other locations throughout the TLE virtual education campus in SL. Downloadable PDF versions of many of the TLE Publishing House books are also available at the TLE Publishing Web Bookstore.

Become a Kid Again for a Day: Enjoy Stories, Treasure Hunt, Music, Playing, Laughing at StoryBook Land in SL

2009-06-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

How well do you remember those old fairy tales that were read to you when you were a child? Or that you read to your own children? Do you remember how the witch enticed Hansel and Gretel into her gingerbread house that became a prison? Who the prince had to fight to get to Sleeping Beauty? What instrument played music that soothed the giant who lived at the top of Jack’s beanstalk?

This Sunday, you’ll get a chance to test your memories and play like a child again at the TLE Educational Network’s StoryBook Land Treasure Hunt in Second Life!

I’ve spent lots of fun hours the past couple of weeks helping one of TLE’s managers, AmandaLyn Donogal, devise a playful and rewarding trip through these old tales via the treasure hunt, which will start on Sunday, June 28, at 11 a.m. SLT (Pacific time) at TLE StoryBook Land, one of the many delightful builds you can explore at this extensive virtual education campus in SL.

The treasure hunt is part of a larger celebration of children’s literature that TLE is hosting this weekend at StoryBook Land. The event includes storytellers dressed in costumes reading several of these old fairy tales. You can sit on a mushroom and listen to the stories, surrounded by 3D scenes from those very stories – watch a virtual wolf stalk Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s cottage as you listen to a lively retelling of the story, for example!

After the storytelling, which starts at 11 a.m. SLT, there’ll be music for listening and dancing to alongside the old cottages and castles, pumpkins and magic mushrooms, and bears and birds that fill StoryBook Land with countless reminders of the magic and wonder of childhood.

And of course, the event and its exhibits are all free and open to every Second Life resident – just like all of the classes, programs, and interactive exhibits at the TLE Educational Network!

While you’re at StoryBook Land, go for a ride with Cinderella in her carriage!

But back to the treasure hunt: AmandaLyn and I were like little kids as we explored the many storybook settings to find places to hide clues that will eventually lead treasure-hunters to the big prize at the end. “Master Cluewriter” AmandaLyn wrote up fun little rhyming verses that contain the clues for you to decipher. They’re not hard – you just have to think back to whatever fairytale they reference, and find the items from that story that hold the clue. Although the biggest prize awaits you at the end of the hunt, you’ll also get rewarded with playful prizes whenever you find a clue.

The treasure hunt will also give you a chance to explore the story settings and even make believe you’re one of the characters. For example, can you climb Jack’s beanstalk all the way up into the clouds? Can you sit on the mushroom from Alice In Wonderland without falling off?

StoryBook Land came about when the TLE Publishing House decided to promote children’s literature by publishing many of the old fairytales and children’s stories in their original version, including the original illustrations used. TLE Publishing, which is a key part of the overall virtual education network TLE has created in Second Life, has published 16 of these books, all of which are available for a small fee (to cover the cost of uploading the text and images to SL) at StoryBook Land, as well as the TLE Main Bookstore. The titles (which are also available at the TLE Web Bookstore in PDF format) include:

Alice In Wonderland
Beauty And The Beast
Cinderella
Goldilocks And The Three Bears
Hansel And Gretel
Jack And The Beanstalk
Little Red Riding Hood
Nursery Rhymes of Mother Goose
Nursery Songs
Old Mother Hubbard
Peter Rabbit
Puss In Boots
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White
The Snow Queen
Tom Thumb

So, forget about all your adult worries and come play like a kid again – hunt for treasure, listen to fairytales, dance to music that will bring out your inner child, and jump into the stories themselves – at the TLE Storybook Land celebration on Sunday, June 28, starting at 11 a.m. Second Life Time. As AmandaLyn and I have discovered lately, play and laughter are medicine for the soul – especially in these crazy times in real life.

To get to StoryBook Land in SL:

Use this SLURL for a direct teleport: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Makani%20Cove/145/36/22
Or, go to the TLE Main Campus, where you’ll find a teleporter that will take you directly to StoryBook Land.

See you there!

Second Life Selects TLE Exhibit on Virtual Education’s Future as Part of 6th Birthday Celebration

2009-06-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Second Life is throwing a week-long birthday bash, and the TLE Educational Network is one of the SL organizations that’s been given exhibit space at the birthday party.

As of June 23, 2009, Second Life has been in existence for six years, and for the party celebration, its founders, Linden Lab, chose to look far into the future and the role that virtual worlds might play. When they asked for exhibits based on that theme, TLE saw the connection immediately: the future of education, and especially TLE’s vision of free and available education, is very much tied in with virtual worlds.

All SL residents were invited to apply for space; Linden Lab chose those whose applications best fit the theme of the event. Then, as Second Life says in its wiki page about SL6B (Second Life 6th Birthday):

“We took our Exhibitors far away from the green grasses and sandy beaches of their Second Life Grid and sent them into the stratosphere. . . . A vast, open landscape waiting to be developed by the first new residents of the future of Virtual Worlds. What becomes of this great "Rock" remains entirely up to them, how they adapt and harness the power of their imagination to make something from next to nothing as they share their personal visions of what they believe the future holds.”

TLE’s futuristic exhibit is now open, along with the several hundred others, at the SL6B extravaganza, which runs through June 29 -- 24 hours a day! (It’s fun to experience it at virtual midnight, as well, so play with your Environment Settings to see how it changes.)

TLE’s exhibit reflects its approach to virtual education: making use of technology (such as the robotics used in the exhibit), but in a warm, inviting environment that focuses on the human being.

Be sure to explore this multi-faceted build that’s symbolic of the future possibilities for virtual education – and do so both from the ground, and from the platform near the top:

The entire SL6B “stratosphere” is a true demonstration of the visionary imagination that thrives in Second Life and that is abundantly visible all across the TLE Educational Network’s campus.

So I invite you to come experience all the possibilities of a futuristic virtual world, and especially a futuristic virtual education venue, at the TLE exhibit at the SL6B.

And let your imagination soar!

17 Reasons to Get TLE Publishing House’s Latest Book in Second Life

2009-06-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

How do you pick the best of the best? For the second time in two months, that’s what I’ve had to do: choose the “best” poetry and “best” flash fiction submitted to recent contests sponsored by the TLE Educational Network in Second Life! It’s wonderful to have so many talented writers in Second Life, which also makes it dang hard to judge a contest.

On Wednesday at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers, we had a “Speakeasy Contest Celebration” to announce the winners of a flash fiction contest held for real writers at this virtual education center in SL. And as I said at the announcement, in my view, every single entry qualified to win.

Nevertheless, the panel of judges was compelled to (anonymously) choose the top three stories, whose authors were awarded cash prizes in the form of Linden dollars (the currency used in SL). I swear it took longer to judge the entries than it did to write them! If it weren’t for the other judges, fiction authors Rae Larkham and Nazz Lane, I don’t know what I would have done! As it was, we ended up adding two more prizes – a couple of “honorable mentions” we just couldn’t eliminate.

Thankfully, ALL 17 entries submitted to the contest are included in the anthology put together by the TLE Publishing House in SL. This volume is available as a Second Life book at the Creative Showcase for Writers, and for a limited time it is free. So I encourage everyone who enjoys reading good stories to “hustle-port” (i.e., hustle up and teleport) to the Writers Showcase at the TLE Educational Network and grab a copy. You’ve got 17 reasons to do so -- the fascinating stories of life in the Prohibition Era or of characters who somehow relate to that era.

All of the five “winners” attended the contest celebration Wednesday in SL and all but one (who apparently crashed before his turn) read their stories to the audience of approximately 20 avatars. (The photo below shows Trex Renfold reading his story, which was awarded first place.) After the group toasted them (with virtual speakeasy liquor, of course!), several other writers read the stories they submitted – which I was particularly glad about so everyone could see how hard it was to pick the winning entries!

Now, keep in mind that the guidelines for this contest required stories of no more than 500 words! Granted, it is possible to tell a story in fewer words (there are international movements promoting the 100-word story, the 55-word story, and even the 6-word story). But 500 words is quite a challenge! (Think of Mark Twain’s comment, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”) So to receive 17 well-written stories that short, especially given that the contest was open only a brief period, is remarkable. Which just confirms my theory that Second Life is full of talented writers!

On the other hand, each of the five winning stories do have something extra special, whether it was the author’s ability to put the reader smack dab into the world of bootlegging and speakeasies, or a delightfully unexpected plot twist, or the sheer beauty of the language used. So I do offer my sincere congratulations to these five writers for their winning stories:

1st Place: "The Barrelhouse Wax Masters" by Trex Renfold
2nd Place: "Waiting for Bebe" by Alter Runner
3rd Place: "Bad Times at The Crystal Club" by Arkady Poliatevska
Honorable Mention: "Not So Speakeasy" by Almo Schumann, and "Intoxication" by Lacy Muircastle

The flash fiction contest was kicked off at a speakeasy-themed open house at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers in late May.

Several of the writers who attended Wednesday’s party expressed gratitude for the ways in which the TLE Educational Network supports writers in Second Life (not to mention many other creative expressions, such as art, drama, music, and performance). I definitely second their comments! TLE’s commitment to virtual education and creative expression is hard to beat!

Second Life Delights Lurk in Every Corner (& Rooftop) of TLE’s Newest Complex

2009-06-17T01:03:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

It’s done (more or less), and it’s delightful (more, definitely not less)!

With only a few classroom furnishings left to add, construction of the newest virtual education building at TLE in Second Life is complete. This complex houses the TLE Educational Network’s School of Nature and School of the Humanities, but like every build at TLE, it features delights for the eyes and ears, and whimsically fun features for the young at heart.

I thought this latest addition to the TLE Educational Network campus in SL, with its combination of natural and man-made elements, was looking pretty good when I visited it toward the end of its construction. But when TLE owner Kitviel Silberberg added his finishing touches after the builders hammered the last nail in, it became what may be the current “jewel in the crown” at this virtual education center in Second Life.

Here are a few glimpses of what you’ll find at the new TLE School of Humanities & Nature complex in SL:

First, the Magical Gardens: This is my “old favorite” waterfalls encased in a stunningly designed hothouse, which I blogged about in the earlier post. The hothouse is the brainchild of Kitviel Silberberg and the design and construction finesse of the site’s designers/builders AEster Hathaway and Frederic Graves.

What gives the Magical Gardens – as well as the rest of this complex – extra-special meaning is that the entire complex is dedicated to the memory of James Getrost, a dear man and the father of a good friend of mine and of TLE’s, Shay, who assisted her father on his long and courageous journey through the wilderness of cancer before he died recently.

So, I sit on one of the benches in the Magical Gardens and watch the carefree flights of the butterflies and listen to the birdsong, or switch my “world” to “midnight” and, in mouselook mode, I gaze up through leaves and the splashing water to star at the night sky full of stars and a full moon – and feel some comfort despite all the losses of loved ones everywhere.

From the Magical Gardens, you can walk directly into either of the two classrooms in the TLE School of Nature building. Most appropriately, this building stands between the Magical Gardens and another outdoors area, the TLE Educational Network Atrium, and sitting in these virtual classrooms in SL, you only have to look right or left to see beautiful plants and flying critters!

But the real fun is above the classrooms, on the roof of the building! Fly up to the roof (or take the walkway across from the Administration Building, another recent build on the TLE Main Campus) and you’ll discover a whimsical “nature preserve” that’s taken up residence on the brightly-colored tiles of the roof.

Here you can play with animated mama and baby rhinoceroses, a pair of eagles, and a couple of crocodiles who live amid the slightly odd SL trees planted on the roof.

What made me just laugh out loud when I got up there, however, was my old friend from TLE Storybook Land, the ferocious carnivorous Venus flytrap plant that is always hungry for an avatar or two! Right-click and “sit” on any of the three “baby” flytraps, and you’ll get a throne-like resting place. BUT, click on the red “feed me” ball, and you’ll end up screaming and kicking to escape from the monster jaws of this blood-thirsty plant! (Hint: clicking your “stand up” button will release you.)

From this rooftop, you also can access the hothouse’s glass-and-wood walkway that lets you climb up to the top of the waterfalls and gaze at its watery delights from various levels. In the photo below, you can see several avatars walking at different levels.

The colorful rooftop also gives you access to a bridge that takes you to the second floor of the TLE Administration Building, where you can walk up a few steps and click the “Students Corner” sign to open the hidden portal into the student lounge.

Be sure to check out the “Students Corner,” where a roomful of R & R amenities awaits you. A great place to relax after class or work on homework. The “views” out the windows are a delight!

The final component of this virtual education addition in Second Life is the TLE School of Humanities classroom building. It stands on the other side of the atrium, which connects the two classroom buildings, and is decorated with fun, motivating designs, created by SL Designer AEster Hathaway built by Frederic Graves, partners in the SL design/building firm -InSync-.

Now I just can’t wait to take a class in these new buildings!

Take This Almost-real Tour of Outer Space at TLE in Virtual Second Life

2009-06-14T03:55:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Iwas very young when the Soviets launched Sputnik into space and the world into a whole new race for the moon. I gave it no thought at the time, of course, but 12 years later when I watched on TV the Apollo astronauts take the first walk on the moon, I was mesmerized. And wished I, too, could experience the wonders of being in outer space.

Well, I was not a good candidate for astronaut training – I disliked math and science, and I was afraid of heights. So I gave up on that dream. But it all came back when I discovered the virtual education space exhibits at the TLE Educational Network in Second Life that give me more than just glimpses of what space flight must be like.

So here’s a two-dimensional tour of these 3-D virtual experiences at TLE that are a must-see for anyone fascinated by real space.

I’ll begin on the virtual ground, at the TLE Nautical History & Lighthouses exhibit. I know you’re wondering: What does a sea travel exhibit have to do with space? Well, first, it’s a good reminder that humans have had the urge to explore for all of recorded history. But the main reason I start here is because of the telescope at the top of the lighthouse.

If you’re anxious about jumping right into space travel, you can stay relatively grounded at this exhibit and yet look deep into outer space. (Plus, you can get a nice view of many features of the TLE Interactive World History Museum in SL, which is a large part of this free virtual education campus in Second Life.)

So, you can either fly straight to the top of the lighthouse, or go inside and use the building’s teleporters to get to the rooftop telescope. Then, right-click on the telescope and choose the pie-menu option for “Sit”, and suddenly you’ll be in “mouselook mode” and your screen will be filled with actual images from outer space. You can also click on the telescope for a menu (see above photo) of types of images to view.

Next stop is a similar telescope, but this one is mounted in the TLE Space Observatory – a replica of an actual observatory, but perched high in the virtual sky of Second Life.

When you get to the Space Observatory, you can study the annotated sky map on the inside ceiling, look out through the opening at the virtual sky (which is especially fun if you change your Environment setting on the World menu of the SL viewer to “Midnight”), or “Sit” on the telescope and look through the eyepiece.

For telescopic viewing, move your SL camera so it’s close to the eyepiece, and you’ll get to watch an incredible slideshow of actual close-up image of planets, stars, nebulae, and other celestial bodies.

Ready for more? Time to go to the next stop on my tour of space sites at TLE Educational Network: the TLE Space Dock & History of Space Travel.

Yes, it’s a virtual space docking station launched by TLE into the virtual sky above its Second Life land. One of the first things you notice when you teleport here is how it continually rotates, which gives a real sense of being out there.

The space dock also houses one of TLE’s virtual education exhibits – a timeline of major space exploration milestones, starting with Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957. Currently the timeline takes you up to October 1975, when the Soviet Venera 9 and 10 sent the first pictures of the surface of Venus to Earth. Two more floors of the spacious docking station await completion of the timeline.

After you’ve learned about the initial decades of space exploration, teleport down to the lower level, for an incredible experience of standing in the midst of the solar system. Watch the moon as it revolves around the Earth, and Earth as it revolves around the sun with all the other planets. See the amazing variances in their paths, speed, and axes – an awesome perspective of how they all relate to each other over the course of their travel through the solar system. It’s amazing they don’t run into each other!

Fourth stop on the tour is an experiential exhibit I’ve written about before: the TLE Virtual Reality Scenes, an exhibit of “surround-view” photographs that give you the sense of actually being there.

Among the choices at this exhibit are eight scenes in the “Star Gazing” category. Each puts you in a different location in space or at the top of the world looking at space.

SL’s mouselook mode is very powerful here. I also suggest that you right-click on the semi-transparent platform and choose “Get in” from the pie menu. This puts you in a sitting position, and now you can hold down your right or left arrow key and watch your avatar and the sky rotate around you.

Ready for the ultimate space experience at TLE? The fifth and final stop of my tour of TLE space sites is the TLE Planetarium.

This virtual experience is so real that it takes my breath away! At the Planetarium, it is as if you were standing alone in space, in the midst of planets and moons that move within inches of you.

Be sure to click on the “yellow star”: Our solar system’s planets will come flying out and move into their proper positions before your eyes!

I saved the TLE Educational Network’s Planetarium for last, in part because once I get here, I hate to leave! I hope you enjoy it, too.

TLE Changed My Favorite Spot in Second Life (& Made It Even Better!)

2009-06-11T00:41:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Notation before this post by Kitviel Silberberg :

The entire area - Waterfalls, School buildings, School of Humanities and Hothouse Atrium - is dedicated and is named in memory of James K. Getrost, father to our beloved Shay. Mr. Getrost recently passed away and this area honors his memory. A dedication ceremony will be announced at a later date when the area is totally finished.

If you’re familiar with the TLE Educational Network campus in Second Life, you already know that this virtual education center is far more than a bunch of buildings where classes are offered. For many of those who come here, it is a source of creative inspiration. Which shouldn’t be surprising, given that TLE was envisioned and built by a very creative soul – one Kitviel Silberberg.

Understand that the classrooms themselves were designed to be creative and inspiring. And the classes taught in them are equally creative. But in addition, you can find an impressive building (e.g., the TLE Creative Showcase for Artists) or a tiny corner (such as one of the fairy-tale settings at TLE Storyland) to inspire your creativity just about anywhere you wander at TLE Educational Network.

I’ve never blogged about one of my most cherished of those spots (shown in the photo above) probably because I wanted to keep it as much to myself as I could! It’s a little park with a huge waterfalls and pool where you can float forever, looking up at the tree-filtered sky and watching the birds and butterflies sail over you. So when I heard it was in the reconstruction zone on the TLE Main Campus, I became rather upset at the thought of losing that special place in Second Life.

I should have known not to worry! Indeed, “my” little waterfalls park is being remodeled – but into something even more inspiring. The park is being integrated into the beautiful new TLE School of Humanities building (see photo below) on TLE’s main campus in SL, and it’s even more creative than it was!

The humanities building, which is the second TLE building created by the SL design/building firm -InSync-, also incorporates the steampunk style of the new administration building for the TLE virtual education campus in Second Life, yet has its own distinctive look – one that exudes creativity and highlights natural elements (like my park).

The building consists of two classroom structures, connected by a flower-filled atrium with benches for relaxing. The south side of the complex borders the waterfalls park I so like. But instead of just taking away the trees that bordered it and leaving it as is, InSyn’c awesome design team of Frederic Graves and AEster Hathaway chose to enfold it into the building by wrapping a gorgeous “hothouse” around and over it, using stunning glass textures that blend beautifully with the stained-glass mosaic roofs of the two classroom segments.

They’ve also used similar glass textures to build a walkway from the bottom to the top of the hothouse, where you can look down on the waterfalls and pool or take in a great view of the main portion of TLE’s virtual education campus in SL (as in photo above).

But the real test came when I laid back in the floating pool: Would it be as relaxing and beautiful as it had been? Would the birds still sing and fly around? And the butterflies – had they survived the construction? Would the sound of the water still soothe, and the rainbows still sparkle in the falls?

I’m happy to report the answer to all of those questions is a resounding “YES”! Even the “mouselook view” from the floating pool (shown in above photo, though no mere photo can do it justice) was as delightful as ever.

On my recent visit, I ran into Frederic Graves as he worked on the waterfalls building and told him my initial concern about the “hothouse building” around the waterfalls. Well, he said, the whole purpose of the hothouse structure was to serve the waterfalls and its little park. In my opinion, he and AEster succeeded beautifully.

The TLE Educational Network’s new School of Humanities complex isn’t done quite yet – though it might be by the time you read this – so you might need to watch your step as you climb the walkway to the top – there are a couple of unfinished spots where I fell through! And the classrooms are still being furnished. But the space is already a peaceful, inspirational work of art, and I invite you to visit it soon – and often.

(Oh, and if you see me floating in the water, feel free to say hi, but if I don’t answer, forgive me – I’m probably drifting off in la-la land!)

(Ed. Note: Photo above was taken by AmandaLyn Donogal, keeping an eye on Alas Zerbino, though Ms. Donogal insisted she was just enjoying the sense of calm and comfort Ms. Zerbino must be feeling as she floated in the pool!! LOL)

Education VP Asks: Why Work So Hard to Manifest the TLE Vision?

2009-06-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

by Aris Ametza, Vice President of Education for TLE Educational Network in Second Life

Why is it I find myself working and sacrificing for the TLE Educational Network? Well, that is a simple, yet complex question to answer. My simple answer is because of passion. The long answer is what I will also talk about in this post.

Education has long been a life passion of mine. I am a licensed teacher and have taught privately, as well as in the public school setting. I love to see people learn something they previously were unable to understand. To see "the light come on," per se. I have seen that happen in the virtual education programs here at TLE in Second Life, and the best part is that anyone who wants to learn can come learn.

Photo above shows TLE Educational Network Education VP Aris Ametza standing at the back of a classroom, where she often stands to ensure the smooth functioning of the TLE classes.

At the TLE Educational Network in SL, we as teachers are able to help students around the world learn those things they have always hoped to learn but were unable to do so before because of time constraints or financial restraints . . . or even life restraints. In the arena we are currently operating in, anyone who has access to a computer can learn about a variety of topics here at our virtual education center -- and all for just the cost of their time to do so.

Kitviel Silberberg is the owner of this virtual school in Second Life, and it is his vision for it to reach its full potential. I am just glad that I have been able to participate in his dream. I hope that it will come to its full potential sooner rather than later. Everyone, students and staff alike, are anxious for it to be all that it is meant to be.

We all give of ourselves without complaint and without even a "thank you" sometimes, but the dream is worth the cost no matter how high -- at least for me. I will continue to do all I can in-world and out to make sure the dream of TLE is attained. Even though it was not mine to begin with, some part of me has made it mine to ensure that it will be completed.

A portion of the TLE Educational Network Main Campus in Second Life is shown in the photo above.

The TLE Educational Network is what education was always meant to be . . . free and available to all. I believe it is the future of education.

Aris Ametza has been active in Second Life since October of 2008. She is a professional educator with a Master's Degree in Education and currently serves as the Executive Director of Blessings Ranch, a community outreach program that targets military families and youth.

An Amazing Line-up of New and Ongoing Free Classes at the TLE University

2009-06-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Icontinue to be awed by how focused and quickly the TLE Educational Network is building its free university in Second Life. It seems like there's at least one new class starting every week at this virtual education campus; in fact, my daily perusal of the TLE online calendar almost always reveals a new addition.

But when I looked at the calendar for the upcoming week, I was still struck by the range and number of new classes just added to the many existing ones -- and all available to anyone in Second Life at no cost. The TLE Educational Network is a goldmine of free, real education in this virtual world!

What's more, an increasing number of classes at the TLE Educational Network in SL are right in line with TLE's interest in building its curriculum of free academic courses. The success of the college-level Introduction to Philosophy course just reinforces the belief of the TLE Educational Network board and staff that there's a huge interest in virtual education worldwide -- and a need for TLE's vision of establishing an accredited, degree-giving online university where learning and knowledge are always free.

TLE School of Languages & History

Three of the new classes starting this week are designed to pick away at the language barrier that interferes with people's communication and, therefore, their understanding of each other -- not just in the international virtual world of Second Life, but also in the physical world of Planet Earth. The classes support one of TLE's key initiatives -- to reduce conflict and misunderstanding worldwide through education.

So, if you're looking to improve your communication skills or learn to learn Spanish or English, the TLE School of Languages and History is now offering these classes to help you out:

Basic Spanish, a course for "newbie" Spanish-speakers in which you will learn Spanish from the first lesson on starts this week. It's being offered on Fridays, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. SLT (Pacific time).
Starting Sunday, a pair of classes -- one in English and one in Spanish -- in which students "will develop their BICS (Basic Intrapersonal Communication Skills) through a situational, notional, and conversational approach," according to instructor wollied Davido: Conversational Spanish 1 on Sundays, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. SLT, followed by Ingles Conversacional 1 at 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Spanish 101, designed to increase your skills in conversational Spanish, taught by Noke Yutza, continues to be available on Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon SLT.
English as a Second Language, on Mondays, from 9 to 10 a.m. SLT, taught by Aris Ametza, help non-English speakers learn the basics of the English language.

Other virtual education offerings from the TLE School of Languages & History include:

English Composition, Wednesdays, from 5 to 6 p.m. SLT, which focuses on a straightforward process of writing essays for school. Instructor Blue Murfin says the class "will take you through helpful steps enabling you to overcome your fears of essay writing and give you tools to give you an edge in writing papers you've longed for."
Elizabethan Renaissance--How They Lived, Wednesdays, from 8 to 9 a.m. SLT, during which instructor Roscoe Breen will answer the question, "What it was like to be a person from that era from the lowly peasant to Elizabeth herself?" The class will compare Renaissance life with today's life.
Virtual World Sociology, designed to build understanding between individuals and cultures, taught by CallieDel Boa, on Tuesdays, from 3 to 4 p.m. SLT.

TLE School of Math & Science

Meanwhile, the TLE School of Math and Science has several classes to increase your knowledge of the natural world and the body's functioning:

Starting this week is The Immune System in Health and Disease on Thursdays, from 6 to 7 p.m. SLT. Taught by Professor Marenwolf, the course will "introduce the principles of immunology and the functions of the immune system in health and disease." Those with a knowledge of high school biology "will be able to follow the content successfully," he says, and he invites students who want to take the course in preparation for a college course in immunology to let him know so that specific exercises can be included for their benefit.
Ongoing is the Wildlife Birds of Prey class on Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon SLT. Instructor Noir Nagy, who's a licensed educator and bird rehabber, teaches how to recognize eagles and other birds of prey, understand their behavior and lifestyle, their biology, falconry, and many other aspects of birds of prey.

TLE School for Creative Arts

A new offering from the TLE School for Creative Arts joins several continuing classes. For those seeking free virtual education in the creative arts, here's what you can choose from right now:

Starting this week is Fundamentals of Poetry, a class on the basics of writing poetry, taught by ToryLynn Writer on Wednesdays, from 3 to 4 p.m. SLT. "This is a course in poetic basics and style," says ToryLynn a real-world teacher and author. "We will cover rhyme, rhythm, metrical feet, specific sound devices used within poetry, and different forms, so that by the end of the course, the student has a good solid knowledge of the poetic form and function." While offered by the School for Creative Arts, the actual classes will be held at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers.
The ever-popular Creative Writing, taught by Kitviel Silberberg on Wednesdays at 8 a.m. SLT and repeated on Thursdays at 12 noon SLT, continues at the TLE School for Creative Arts classroom. The class focuses on writing short stories.
Theatrical Improv on Thursdays, from 3 to 4 p.m., taught by CallieDel Boa to help develop students' skills in improvising on stage. This class, like the other drama classes, is held in the classroom at the TLE Theater & Movie History Museum.
Interactive Roleplay on Saturdays, from 8 to 9 a.m. SLT and again from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Another theatrical offering, in this class Shannon Yamabushi teaches "how to role play with the pros. Learn all about the tools you need to get in the game, and the best way to show emotion even with a stubborn av." This class also is held in the classroom at the TLE Theater & Movie History Museum.

TLE School for Newbies & Building in SL

Two popular series of courses continue at the TLE School for Newbies & Building in SL, taught by the highly regarded instructor, Eagle Himmel.

SL Skills for Newbies is offered every Monday through Thursday, at 2 p.m. SLT. Each day focuses on a different set of skills or knowledge important to making the most of Second Life. Classes always include a Q&A session following the instruction.
TLE Builders, Tuesdays at 8 a.m. SLT, and Fridays at 2 p.m. SLT, teaches exciting new building skills at the intermediate and advanced level. Each class covers a different project.

TLE School of Business Administration and Humanities

At the TLE School of Business Administration and Humanities:

The awesome college-level Introduction to Philosophy class, taught Eddy Grunstein continues on Mondays, from 12 noon to to 1:30 p.m. SLT. (Read more about the class in this blog post).

TLE School of Religions

The TLE School of Religions continues to offer:

The popular Dreams of a Lifetime, on Saturdays from 7 to 8 a.m. SLT, taught by Aris Ametza, who says, "The class will talk about where dreams come from and how to decide which ones are of God."

Ways to Stay In-the-Know About TLE's Virtual Education Offerings:

Join one or more TLE groups that relate to your interest. To join any or all, go to the TLE Groups Web page, which lists them all and allows online signup by SL residents, or go in-world to the TLE Educational Groups Room on the TLE Main Campus. These take up no Second Life group slots, and they ensure you receive news and updates about classes you're interested in.
Check the TLE online calendar on the TLE Educational Network Web site.
Go to the TLE Main Campus, where you'll find a wealth of information on TLE and its classes and events.

The Arctic Animals Invite You to Their Party at the TLE Zoo in Second Life!

2009-05-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Consider this your personal invitation from the penguins and polar bears, the wolves and walruses -- in fact, all of the critters who live in the Arctic Display at the TLE Interactive Zoo -- to join them on the ice and snow for a grand Arctic Ball on Sunday, May 31, at the TLE Educational Network in Second Life. (They told me they would have asked you themselves, but they lost your address and phone number in a recent snow avalanche.)

According to Slinky Binky the Arctic Fox, who watches over the Arctic Display at this unique SL zoo built by the TLE Educational Network, lots of planning and hard work have gone into the party. The wildlife (who are all quite friendly at this virtual education zoo, by the way) have decorated their frozen-tundra-of-a-home with sparkling fresh snow and a sky full of stars at night. And, after much discussion, they've lined up some awesome music for your dancing and listening pleasure during the ball, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. SLT (Pacific time) on Sunday, May 31.

Now Slinky Binky insists they all reached immediate consensus on the performers set to fill the virtual air (and ice) in Second LIfe with music for the ball. However, the Walrus King pulled me aside to say that, if truth be told, there was a serious dispute (one might even say a fight!) involved in the selection, with the caribou threatening to resign from the planning committee if one of the bands hired was not Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Lexus and Nexus the Wolves demanding that Elton John be engaged to sing his songs 1from The Lion King. The Penguin Family, on the other hand, insisted upon Dr. Dolittle, until finally Yogi the Polar Bear roared, "That dang doc talked to the animals, he didn't sing to 'em."

When the dust -- er, snowflakes -- settled and the Polar Bear Family from the snowcave reminded everyone that the performers had to be real Second Life residents anyway, consensus came quickly (or so said Yogi), and the planning committee excitedly announced these fabulous musical performances for Sunday's Arctic Ball at the TLE Zoo:

11 a.m. to noon SLT: DJ Easy, owner of the Big Easy, will play oldies and jazz, including some old crooners a la Frankie and Mel.
12 to 1 p.m. SLT: Pop/rock singer Bara Jonson, from Sweden, as well as SL, will be performing both original tunes and covers.
1 to 2 p.m. SLT: Singer/songwriter Shelindra Ireland will sing jazz and big band classics from her vast repertoire.

An incredible lineup -- even without Alvin and Doc and Elton, the Arctic animals agreed. (Especially the walruses, who are particularly fond of old swing-style jazz). "Think of it," said Yogi, "three hours of dancing on ice and partying with us all! You sure can't beat that!"

"So, Yogi, why did you guys come out of hibernation and your other hiding spots to plan this big event?" I asked him.

"Well, we were getting a little bored with each other -- it's been a while since we had a party here at the zoo. Plus, we figure a lot of avatars haven't seen this cool habitat of ours (sorry, no pun intended), so it's a good way to let them know about the zoo and all the other great stuff TLE does here -- like all the other parts of the zoo, sea world, the amazing Interactive World History Museum next door, and so on."

"Makes sense to me," I replied. "This is one of my favorite places in all of Second Life."

As soon as the musicians were signed on, a pre-party party spontaneously broke out in this frozen but friendly piece of the TLE Interactive Zoo in SL, with the polar bears in particular starting the dance early (or maybe they're just practicing for the event).

When I stopped by to have a look, the level of merriment was already quite high, with the penguins standing around eagerly waiting for the music to start, and the sea lions barking cheerfully to some tune that apparently only they can hear.

p>The mood was contagious, so I donned my ball gown and danced a few rounds with them right then and there! It was great fun, I have to admit, but it'll mostly likely be even more fun when the real music begins at 11 a.m. Sunday at this virtual education campus in Second Life.

So, put on your favorite formal wear -- this is, after all, a "ball" -- and come dance with the penguins and polar bears, the wolves and walruses (and other avatars, if you like!) at the Arctic Ball at the TLE Educational Network's Interactive Animal, Zoo & Marine Biology Museum, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. SLT on Sunday, May 31.

Here's the SLURL that'll teleport you directly to the Arctic Exhibit: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Luana%20Cove/57/117/22.

A Return to the Roaring '20s at TLE Writers Showcase in Second Life & UPDATE to Flash Fiction Contest Deadline

2009-05-27T23:56:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

The normally quiet Writer's Retreat at the TLE Educational Network turned into a lively speakeasy, filled with music, laughter, conversation, and poetry this past weekend. Poets and other writers and supporters of the literary scene in Second Life gathered at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers for a "Speakeasy Cocktail Party & Poetry Slam" to celebrate the expansion of the showcase.

From Buenos Aires, Argentina, SL tenor-sax-player extraordinaire Seba Sideways (shown in photo below, playing his sax for the crowd) rocked the house with an hour of fabulous jazz music as a tribute to the Jazz Age, which was born in the Prohibition-era speakeasies. And with Seba's passionate performance, it was almost impossible to not jump onto the dance floor!

Another tradition of the speakeasy -- spoken word performances (later becoming known as poetry slams) -- came to life at this Second Life party when two remarkable poets, known by their SL names of House Ragu and Stosh Quartz, gave an awesome "slam" performance. After House and Stosh were done, the mic was opened up, and several more excellent poets in Second Life read from their work.

Saturday's party at the TLE virtual education campus also served to kick off the TLE Speakeasy Flash Fiction Contest, which offers prizes to the top three short stories and publication for all stories entered in to the contest. Writers in SL are warmly invited to submit fiction up to 500 words long that is tightly or loosely based on the speakeasy-event theme: Roaring '20s, Prohibition, gangsters, bootlegging, etc.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Kitviel Silberberg, TLE owner and a writer, announced that the deadline for the contest was extended. Writers now have until 11:59 p.m. SLT on SUNDAY, MAY 31, to submit their contest entries.

You can learn more details of the contest by reading the earlier TLE blog post, "Writing Contest in Second Life: 'An Offer You Can't Refuse'." Or you can get the information in Second Life -- just teleport to the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers and click the large black-and-orange board (shown in the photo below) to get a notecard with the full scoop. When you're ready to submit your entry, simply drag your entry notecard into the black mailbox that's beside the board -- both of which are located inside on the main floor of the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers.

Also on Saturday at the Speakeasy Part, winners of TLE's previous writing contest, the VE Day Poetry Contest, were announced. For more on that incredibly moving part of the night, see "Judges Struggle to Select Best of the Excellent Poems Submitted to TLE VE Day Poetry Contest".

The TLE Educational Network's Creative Showcase for Writers offers all authors in Second Life the opportunity to display, for free, their work in the showcase building. On the main floor of the showcase are a bookstore/reading room where TLE Publishing House books are available for purchase for a tiny amount, and the Writers' Retreat, which is a great hangout for anyone of a literary inclination, as well as the location for the twice-weekly TLE Writers Symposium, which is open to all creative writers in SL. (Writers Symposium details are near the bottom of this blog post.)

Judges Struggle to Select Best of the Excellent Poems Submitted to TLE VE Day Poetry Contest

2009-05-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

It's always a risk to hold a writing contest: what if no one enters? what if the entries are worthless? what if the judges don't like any of them? Well, it turns out there was no need to worry in regards to the VE Day Poetry Contest sponsored by TLE Educational Network, a nonprofit virtual education center in Second Life.

All 26 entries in the poetry contest were incredibly moving and well-done. In fact, the judges struggled for days to identify only the three best to win the prizes. Eventually they had to call a tie for first place and sent TLE a request (quickly granted) for two first-place prizes, as well a a second- and third-place award.

In a moving presentation at Saturday night's Speakeasy Party and Poetry Slam at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers in SL, the choices of the three judges (Skylar Smythe, Jilly Kidd, and yours truly) were announced:

First Place: "At the Beach" by Huckleberry Hax and "Blut Und Ehre" by Manx Wharton
Second Place: "And the Snow Fell, 1944" by DanteOsaka Deschanel
Third Place: "Katie" by Caliban Jigsaw

All but one of the winning poets were able to attend the presentation and read their poems, and the most frequent responses from the audience of 35-40 avatars at TLE in Second Life consisted of terms like "powerful," "stunning," "amazing," and, for one of the poems, "words that cut like a knife."

The contest touched people in many ways. For some, it stirred memories of their own experiences during World War II; for others, memories of their fathers, grandfathers, or uncles. I didn't write a poem for the contest, given that I was one of the judges, but as I read the entries, I was moved to tears so many times. And, I was reminded so much of my father who fought in Europe during World War II, that it was almost like he was alive again.

One of the poets who entered the contest wrote three incredible poems dedicated to her father, who also served in the European theater in WWII. On her blog, Debbie Bulloch writes of her father: "He carried a lot of anguish over the events surrounding WWII. He was a very sensitive and moral man who was deeply troubled by the events that took place. . . ." I can relate to Debbie's words, as well as to her poems (which you can read on her blog), because my father carried that same sense of anguish for the rest of his life after the war.

But what is noteworthy is that Debbie's father lived in Germany and served with the German army, whereas my father lived in the United States and fought on the opposite side. And yet, they both suffered those deeply troubling memories that affected them all their lives. Which serves as a good reminder that human beings are basically alike, no matter where they live, and give me great hope to know that even after a horrific global conflict like World War II, people can, in time at least, rise above the battleground and recognize that war hurts everyone, no matter what "side" they're on.

So I want to thank Debbie and encourage you to read her poems. And I also urge you all to go into Second Life and get a copy of the anthology of all the poems, and read every last one! They're all worth it! The TLE Publishing House has released them in the SL book titled The Poems & The Souls Of The Poets -- a very apt name for this compilation. You can get it at several locations on the TLE Educational Netowrk's virtual education campus in Second Life, including the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers. Just locate the box that looks like this and click on it:

For a short time, the anthology is being offered for free, so all you need do is click on the box and you'll receive a box containing the book. When The Poems & The Souls Of The Poets is added to the TLE Publishing House main list, it will be sold at the same minuscule cost as the other TLE books.

Like all of TLE's books, you can rez the book wherever you have rez rights and view it as an object. Or you can attach it to a HUD and read it anywhere in SL (as the following photo shows).

In addition to the poetry contest, the TLE Educational Network's VE Day remembrance event on May 8 also involved production of a video that you can watch by clicking the image at the top of the sidebar. In addition, it has been highlighted elsewhere on the Web. Among the sites that have picked up the video are the Second Life news sites Metaverse Journal and SLentrepreneur Magazine.

Events such as the VE Day event (shown in photo above), which bring together people of different ages and cultures in a common cause for the benefit of all humanity, are among the top reasons why I'm glad to be associated with the TLE Educational Network and hopeful that the free virtual education it offers can have a significant impact on the physical world.

Everything You Wanted to Know About TLE (Almost) in a Single Spot!

2009-05-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Ihave always been impressed with the way that TLE Educational Network works so hard to make sure visitors to its virtual education campus in Second Life get information they need, and when and where they need it.

Too many times I've used a landmark provided by a Second Life venue and when I teleport there, I end up with no clue about where to go next! The landing point might be beautiful, but there're no signs or other information sources that tell me how to get to the specific place I was aiming for. (Is it over that hill? Beyond that forest? . . .) Sometimes I think it's because it's hard to see your own place from the perspective of a brand-new visitor; other times it's clear that the owners just don't want to "junk up" the location with information signs. Give me "junked-up" then! Nothing's more frustrating than trying to get to an event that starts at a specific time, and feeling like you're stuck in the middle of outer space!

Or, better yet, give me the ways in which the TLE Educational Network strives to make its events and locations as accessible to newcomers as to those of us who hang out a lot at TLE.

And now TLE has added an even more accessible information source to its Main Campus landing point in Second Life, and to other locations across its SL sims -- easy-to-spot and even easier-to-use information kiosks that look like this:

It's hard to not see that large shining box and red "Info" sign rising above the surroundings, even late at night (as shown in the first photo above)! From this attractive kiosk, you can get all kinds of information, just by clicking your mouse on its signs and buttons as follows:

To get an overview of TLE and key landmarks in a single notecard, click the box at the top (the one with the red "Info" sign).
Want to see the classes and events at TLE scheduled for the next 24-48 hours? Page through the calendar beneath the top box.
Then click on the slanted "TLE Educational Network" logo sign (at the base of the large group sign, on the table) to get the current week's news and events all on a single notecard.
That big sign sitting on the table lets you join the TLE Educational Network General Group -- with a single click -- so you can get updates about TLE and notices of new events, programs, and venues opening anywhere at this virtual education center. (And remember, the TLE General Group, like all TLE Groups, takes up NO slot in your Second Life group allotment!)
The column of smaller buttons lining one edge of the group sign will give you informational notecards and landmarks for the particular areas of TLE that are named on the buttons -- like the Interactive World History Museum, University, Sea World, and so on.
A similar column on the other side of the sign displays buttons that, if clicked, will immediately open TLE's Web sites: its home page, blog, online calendar, Facebook group, and Twitter page.
The four blue icons at the base of the kiosk give you information about the Creative Showcases (for musicians, writers, and artists) and the sandbox and SL classes at the TLE Newbie Park.
Finally (for now, at least!), to get operating instructions about the kiosk itself, you can click the small red "i" icon on the base, and instructions will appear in your text chat window.

Along with the new kiosks, TLE has enlarged the landing point at its Main Campus, so it's easier to see and use all the helpful signs and devices there:

Calendar boards listing the current day's and week's events (as in photo above)
A teleporter (in front of calendar boards in photo above) that you can page through to find and then select any location on the TLE virtual education campus (and above the campus -- in the case of a few sky builds!)
The staff paging board (showing on the far left in photo above) where you can click on anyone shown as online to get immediate help
Other poster-boards that, if clicked, will offer information or a teleport to a specific location (see photo below)

And that's just the Main Campus landing point! Information kiosks, teleporters, and poster-boards for specific teleports or notecards are within sight almost anywhere you go around the TLE Educational Network.

Which makes sense -- TLE's mission in Second Life is to provide free knowledge and education to everyone, so naturally it would want to do what it can to make its virtual education as easy to find as possible.

Writing Contest in Second Life: 'An Offer You Can't Refuse'

2009-05-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Remember the day Bonnie and Clyde were killed? You probably don't, since it was 75 years ago, on May 23, 1934. But the 75th anniversary of this event is an auspicious date to mark the historical era that gave us not just Prohibition, bootleggers and other gangsters, but also the the Roaring '20s, jazz, and speakeasies -- those ubiquitous illegal saloons that sprung up during Prohibition and nurtured the flow of liquor, jazz and blues, and the literature of the Jazz Age.

Thus, May 23, 2009, is the date for the speakeasy-themed "An Offer You Can't Refuse" cocktail party, poetry slam, and all things literary at the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers in Second Life, starting at 7 p.m. SLT (Pacific time).

Speakeasies became synonymous with the literature and literati of the Jazz Age. Writers such as Langston Hughes, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, and John Steinbeck gathered at speakeasies, wrote about them, and helped expand interest in jazz/blues music and both the written and spoken word. Creative writers are among the SL residents showcased by the free virtual education organization in SL, TLE Educational Network, whose Creative Showcase for Writers will host the speakeasy party on Saturday.

As part of this celebration, the TLE Educational Network is offering cash prizes (Linden dollars) and publication to authors who enter the TLE "An Offer You Can't Refuse" 2009 Flash Fiction Contest, which ends a minute before midnight (SLT) on Wednesday, May 27.

The rules and guidelines are pretty simple:

Write a flash fiction piece (aka short-short story, sudden fiction) of up to 500 words.
Write on a theme at lease loosely related to the era of speakeasies, Prohibition, gangsters, the Jazz Age, the Roaring '20s, etc.
Submit your story to TLE on a notecard that you drop off in the black mailbox inside the TLE Creative Showcase for Writers in Second Life no later than 11:59 p.m. SLT May 27.
Be sure to put the title of the story and your SL avatar name, as well as the text of the story, in the body of your notecard.
Then wait for the panel of judges to decide the top three stories, which will be announced in June, followed by the publication of all stories submitted.

A few more of the "fine print" details:

Any story you submit must be your original work.
Previously published stories are fine, as long as you retain publication rights to it.
You can submit more than one story, but each story must be submitted on its own notecard.

Why is this contest "an offer you can't refuse"?

Authors of the stories judged to be of the highest quality on the contest theme will receive prizes of L$1000, L$500, and L$250, respectively, for first, second, and third place.
All stories submitted (unless the author opts out) will be published in a book in SL by the TLE Publishing House, which will be made available throughout the multi-sim virtual education campus operated by the TLE Educational Network in Second Life.

So, let your creative juices flow, unleash your muse -- do whatever it takes -- and write up a wild or funny or poignant or dramatic story for the "An Offer You Can't Refuse" Flash Fiction Contest.

But also take a break on Saturday, May 23, at 7 p.m., and come to the TLE Speakeasy Cocktail Party and Poetry Slam at the Creative Showcase for Writers (shown in photo above). Dress up in your favorite Roaring '20s or gangster outfit and join the party. Here are a few of the other things going on at this event:

Live music from the speakeasy era
A poetry slam featuring two of Second Life's great spoken word poets House Ragu and Stosh Quartz
Presentation of the winning poems from the TLE 2009 VE Day Poetry Contest
Cocktails, dancing, and schmoozing with writers, readers, and other literary minds of SL
Updated and expanded displays of showcased writers (partially shown in photo below)

Check Out this Stunning New Admin Building at TLE Main Campus in Second Life

2009-05-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

Introducing the newest addition to the TLE Educational Network in Second Life: the steampunk-influenced TLE Main Campus Administration Building--

During the past weekend, the original administration/classroom building on this virtual education campus was replaced by bigger one, custom built for TLE by the SL design/building firm -InSync-.

Although some of us may shed a tear or two at saying goodbye to the original pre-fab building (shown in photo below) that symbolized TLE since its inception, it is a visual pleasure to meet the new building created by Frederic Graves and AEster Hathaway, partners in -InSync-.

The revamping of the main campus is only partly finished as of this writing, but I had so much fun getting acquainted with this new building that I decided I had to blog about it right away. Besides, the rest of the revamping may be finished by the time you read this and teleport to the TLE Main Campus to see it!

Adhering to TLE's foundation of providing excellent learning space for its virtual students in Second Life, the new building is as aesthetically pleasing as it is comfortable to sit in. Like the former one, It includes a classroom, the TLE Educational Network's "IT department" offices, and the "groups room" -- i.e., one of the places where you can go and join any or all of the TLE groups (shown in photo below).

(By the way, if you're not sure you're a member of a group, just click on the group sign and it will tell you. If you already are a member, here's where you can choose to leave the group if you wish. A full-featured TLE groups-management service!)

The room in the new building I enjoyed hanging out in the most, however, is the "Students Corner" on the top floor. Here you can sit at the funky tables and relax, or finish homework for the virtual education classes offered by the TLE Educational Network and drop it off, or just sit by the fire and soak in the vibes of this place.

Hanging on one wall is a plaque from the first place set up in Second Life by TLE owner Kitviel Silberberg, "Kit's Korner: A Haven for Creative Souls." Which is just what this little piece -- and truthfully, all of TLE -- is for many of us.

(Kitviel Silberberg comments on above: It is always important to remember at times how things began. It give us perspective, and allows us to be grateful for all that we have and can accomplish. The sign is nostalgic, I agree, and yet the statement it makes is exactly what TLE Educational Network is still all about.)

So come check out -- and hang out in -- this lovely new TLE Main Campus building, check out the calendar of free classes and events, and sign up for any of the free TLE groups. As Kitviel Silberberg tells everyone coming to this virtual education campus, "Please make use of The TLE Educational Network to your heart's content. Join in the fun of learning and discovering new worlds."

A Must-Watch Video: Holocaust Survivor Shares Incredible Stories, Wisdom & Kindness at TLE's VE Day Event

2009-05-15T05:54:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

What blessings were showered on those who attended the VE Day Remembrance at The Learning Experience in Second Life May 9! Blessings also tinged with pain and accompanied by horror -- but blessings nevertheless.

The blessings came via the harsh and bitter picture painted of the Holocaust by one of its survivors, Fanny Starr. This kind and gracious woman shared her words and photos of the most horrible era in her life -- and one of the worst in modern history -- so those of us who've never experienced anything even close to it can better understand and resolve to never let it happen again.

If you were unable to attend the TLE VE Day Event in SL, you can still listen to Mrs. Starr's first-hand account and view photos of the Nazi atrocities and her years in Hitler's concentration camps -- by watching the video taken while she answered questions from her audience at the event, held at the TLE War Memorial Wall in Second Life.

There are two versions of the video:

If you have only five minutes now, watch the short version, which is available on YouTube. It's a wonderfully produced machinima that captures the essence and highlights of the VE Day commemoration. In fact, everyone should watch this version, too!
And now or later, carve out 45 minutes from your schedule and watch the unedited footage of Mrs. Starr's conversation with the audience, which is available on Vimeo.

Both videos are also available right here, on The Learning Experience blog's sidebar (top right) though in slightly smaller viewing windows. The videos are beautifully done by the Second Life film production firm, PookyMedia Films.

Toward the end of the longer video, Fanny Starr (shown as her SL avatar in the photo above) makes a statement that sends chills down my back. When someone asks what she would advise if something like the Nazi movement arises again, she says:

"Speak up and fight back. . . . Just don't go, like we went, to the slaughterhouse."

Powerful, bone-chilling words.

And words that are also echoed by the talented Second Life poets who participated in the TLE VE Day poetry contest held as part of the commemoration.

Update on the VE Day Poetry Contest

I have seen all the entries now and am just amazed at: 1) the number of entries received in the short timespan of the contest; and 2) how powerful and moving they are.

As the daughter of a World War II veteran who served in the European Theater, I grew up in the shadow of that dreadful time. My father told story after story and inspired me to learn even more about that war. So when I read these poems, I am transported back to my father's side, hearing his stories reflected in the poetry and sensing again the powerful emotions he brought back from Europe and which remained with him the rest of his life.

I don't know how three "winners" will be picked from this group of winning poems -- the judges will have a difficult time. But I'm grateful that all of the poems will be published in a TLE book in SL, because they all deserve to be read and honored.

As soon as the judging is finished, I'll report back on the results and how and when the poems will become available for you to read.

But for now, go ahead -- click to view those videos. And blessings!

'Moved Beyond Words': VE Day Event at TLE in Second Life

2009-05-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

People were crying, applauding, hugging, and dancing at the VE Day Commemoration Event at The Learning Experience in Second Life this weekend . . .

. . . Crying at the horrendous stories and photos shared by Fanny Starr about living through and surviving the Holocaust unleashed by Hitler.

Above, Fanny Starr (first person on the right) talks about the horrible time when Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler set her uncle on fire, as shown in the photo she shared.

. . . Applauding Mrs. Starr for her incredible strength and determination -- not just to survive, but to tell what happened so that it will never happen again.

. . . Hugging Mrs. Starr and her daughter Helen (Explorer Dastardly in SL) for the gifts they gave those who attended Mrs. Starr's presentation at the TLE VE Day event, and hugging each other, if for no other reason than that we are free enough to do so.

. . . Dancing in gratitude for the gift of that freedom and for the beautiful singing of Clarice Karu, who moved people with her melodies from the World War II era.

Above, singer Clarice Karu, standing on the army truck used for a stage, sings World War II era songs, which many danced to.

Saturday's event was held to commemorate the May 7-8, 1945, "Victory in Europe" by the Allied forces over Nazi Germany, whose leaders perpetrated one of the most horrific occasions of death and destruction in human history. The Learning Experience, as one of Second Life's largest virtual education centers, organized the VE Day event to help spread awareness of this historical era and, ultimately, to strengthen the hope that it will never happen again.

The event in SL opened with several very moving songs from singer Clarice Karu. Then Fanny Starr, through her daughter's avatar (Explorer Dastardly), began to talk about her life under the Nazi regime -- first in the "Jewish ghetto" of Lodz, Poland, and then in concentration camps until liberated by the British. Her comments were accompanied by a slideshow of photos that her father, also a Holocaust survivor, hid until he, too, was freed from the concentration camp -- photos that, in some cases, were almost unbearable to look at.

Above, Fanny Starr shares her Holocaust experiences while displaying photos taken at that time.

And yet, we looked at them, and understood the importance of looking at such images and hearing about such horrors in the hope that education will keep this from happening again. Although she had to stop and cry several times, Mrs. Starr was gracious and compelling as she she shared the pain of those years.

"Fanny is a treasure for the global family," one person in attendance said. And to Mrs. Starr herself: "You teach us so much about love."

Many of those at TLE's event were moved "beyond words," as another attendee said. Others spoke of how honored they were to have heard Fanny Starr speak.

The TLE VE Day commemoration "was something I really am having trouble putting into words," said Shay Blaisdale, CFO and co-founder of The Learning Experience. "I am still feeling very emotional, both happy and sad. Fanny is a remarkable woman. I have formally thanked her for sharing her personal horrors with us and for allowing us to be able to listen to this beautiful (inside and out) woman. I am sure each time she shares her life with others, it is extremely painful for her. I was, truly, humbled."

Following Mrs. Starr's incredible presentation, Clarice Karu again began singing songs from the 1940s. People began to dance, and you could almost feel the sense of release that reflected in a small way the relief and release that Fanny Starr and others worldwide must have felt in 1945. The period clothing many avatars wore, and the row of posters and photos from World War II and VE Day that lined the wall helped create a sense of the time, as well.

Above, a couple dances near some of the tributes that comprise the TLE War Memorial Wall.

The VE Day event was held at a particularly relevant place on The Learning Experience's virtual education campus: the the TLE Military History and War Memorial Annex of the TLE Interactive World History Museum. As Fanny Starr talked about the humanity that unites us all, and as Clarice Karu's incredible voice sang songs of hope and unity, the audience was surrounded by a very special wall being built to honor people from all nations, walks of life, ethic or religious groups, etc., who served in the military during any war or conflict, or who were hurt or killed during any war or act of terrorism, and from any time.

People of many ages came to TLE's commemoration of this important WW II milestone, from those who were alive during the war to those born many years afterward. Likewise, many countries were represented, including a resident of the only part of Britain that was invaded by the Germans, where VE Day is celebrated as Liberation Day.

The amazing sense of hope so many people expressed -- even after hearing a first-hand account of some of the most despicable acts of inhumanity and seeing images of some of those atrocities -- is one of the gifts from TLE's vision of offering a free, virtual education that will help unity and peace defeat war and conflict around the world.

To learn more about the TLE War Memorial, view this post about the war memorial and this post about its impact on real life.

The Learning Experience's VE Day event also incorporated a poetry contest, with winners to be announced early next week.

Holocaust Survivor to Speak at TLE's VE Day Event in Second Life

2009-05-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

By: Alas Zerbino - TLE Official Blogger

When the German army surrendered to the World War II Allies on May 7-8, 1945, people around the world celebrated this "Victory in Europe" over the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler. But few people had more reason to rejoice than those who suffered the horrors of the Holocaust. So it is incredibly special that as part of The Learning Experience's VE Day commemoration in Second Life, a woman who survived the Holocaust will share stories from her years in one of Hitler's Jewish ghettoes and in several concentration camps.

Fanny Starr, who is now 86, was 21 when she was liberated from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945, one of only 1,000 survivors of the approximately 150,000 Jews who had lived in the ghetto Hitler created out in Lodz, Poland. Among the dead was the rest of her family.

For more than 30 years, Fanny Starr has been telling her story and showing her photos (many of them hard to view) in classrooms, churches, community centers -- wherever she finds people to share her message: that this tragedy must never happen again. On Saturday, May 9, she will share it with Second Life residents gathered at the TLE War Memorial Wall to mark the 64th anniversary of the end of Hitler's reign of terror.

When the Lodz Ghetto was emptied in June 1944, Fanny Starr and her family were taken first to Auschwitz. She was incarcerated in several other concentration camps before ending up at Bergen-Belsen. She was tortured, witnessed the deaths of family and friends (including the death of her uncle, who was burned alive by Heinrich Himmler), and met the notorious Nazi physician, Josef Mengele, who determined the fate of her family.

Mrs. Starr has given several presentations in Second Life already, thanks to the fact that her daughter Helen is an active SL resident. As the avatar Explorer Dastardly, Helen Starr has brought her mother's voice, photos, and stories into this virtual world that reaches people around the physical world.

This is a presentation not to be missed! To see get a sense of what Mrs. Starr talks about, you can view the video clip in this New World Notes blog post.

The TLE Victory in Europe Day commemoration event begins at 11 a.m. Second Life Time (Pacific time) on Saturday, May 9, at the TLE War Memorial Wall. The wall is part of the Interactive World History Museum on the expansive virtual education campus The Learning Experience operates in SL. To get to the Memorial Wall, you can use this SLURL. Or you can go to the TLE Main Campus and use the teleporter there to go to the wall.

In addition to Fanny Starr's presentation, the VE Day event will include images and music (sung by Clarice Karu) from that era. All Second Life residents are warmly invited to attend the event, which is free, like all of TLE's events. TLE has also prepared souvenir tee-shirts and a book of WWII images available at no cost to all who come.