27 July 2007

Vol I Issue XII ~ 27 July, 2007

***

CONTENTS:

  1. SL Relay for Life photogram album
  2. July Town Hall Meeting Minutes
  3. The Show Must Go On!
  4. Literary Corner
  5. Events & Announcements
  6. Classified Advertisements
  7. New Babbage and Steampunk FAQ
  8. Contact, Circulation, and other Essential Information for the Reader

_________________________________________________________________________________


LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

This issue of the Cog consists of July 14th's Town Hall Meeting Minutes, coverage and the press release for "The Show Must Go On!" and 2007's Relay for Life New Babbage Campsite photgram Album. Also continuing Mr.Doyle's story "The Sign of Four". The Next Issue of the New Babbage Cog, will be out in August.

In your Service, Editor in Chief

Eggberta Echegaray

_________________________________________________________________________________


NEW BABBAGE'S 2007 RELAY FOR LIFE

CAMPSITE PHOTOGRAM ALBUM



http://newbabbage2007relayforlife.blogspot.com/


On the weekend of July 21-22nd, 2007, New Babbage participated with setting up a campsite in this year's Relay for Life. The theme for this year's event was "Hope." The Steampunk city campsite build contributors were Charlene Trudeau, Jessica Ortiz, Salazar Jack, Loki Eliot, Reitsuki Kojima, Pizzini Mayo, and of course, our Mayor, Shaunathan Sprocket. A warm heartfelt thank you goes out to the builders who participated in this year's campsite construction, to those who walked the track, and lastly, to those who donated funds to help raise money for the cause, through the kiosks placed out in and around New Babbage. Hazzah to you all!

The link above, is the photogram journal of New Babbage's build contributions for this year's walk a thon, and the link below, is my photogram journey with walking the track to raise money for the American Cancer Society.


http://newbabbage2007relayforlife.blogspot.com/2009/04/2007relay-for-life-2007.html


Eggberta Echegaray

***


NEW BABBAGE TOWN HALL MEETING


14th of July 2007 - 13:10 SL

Attendants:

Reitsuki Kojima, Jeremy Ondricek, Nefu3 Klaar, Neo Rebus, Elda Luna, Elysia Everidge, Rod Zeddmore, Gabriel Canning, Salazar Jack, Loki Eliot, Uladzimir Kupferberg, Cyn Peccable, Phineas Rang, Nareth Nishi, Noble Ebbage, Tinsel Silvera, Rod Zeddmore, StackerLee Beaumont, Vincente Shepherd, Artemisia Paine, Snicket Barthelmess, Artemisia Paine, StackerLee Beaumont, Autom Ballinger, Neo Rebus, Holman Tibbett, Gabriel Canning, Eggberta Echegaray, Shaunathan Sprocket, Zoe Connelly.

This month’s meeting had the best turn out of all the Town Hall meetings in the past 7 months. Over 30 Attendants! Mayor Sprocket started the meeting off at 13:10 SL time, by announcing that the Relay for Life Teams will be getting sims delivered, as early as Sunday July 15th. New Babbage’s RFL design team, has chosen to model an ocean sim, where the RFL walking path will run through. The New Babbage design team consists of our Mayor Shaunathan Sprocket, Reitsuki Kojima, Salazar Jack, Jessica Ornitz and Loki Eliot. The team is currently working on underwater scenery, which will also serve as the testing prototype for the up and coming New Babbage underwater sim.


The New Babbage RFL community team has also been given a campsite, which will be a rest stop for the walkers along side the walking path. Ms Jessica Ornitz, co-owner of the Silent Sparrow sim, has volunteered to assist with the building of the campsite, as well as Mr.Reitsuki Kojima. Mr.Reitsuki Kojima brought up an idea for the campsite, which would combine an airship dock/steampunk diner rest stop for the walkers. Below the rest stop, there could be an info-kiosk/ tower-like structure. Mr.Salazar Jack suggested having a copy of a portion of New Babagge's urban area, which could be re-created for the campsite, have a square where folks can rest, relax and grab a pint, before they continue on with their walk. Mr.Rod Zeddmore asked the question, “woill dere bee a plas fer de urchins?” Mayor Sprocket replied, that yes, there will indeed be space for Urchins at New Babbage’s RFL rest stop. Mr.Reitsuki Kojima mentioned, that the RFL design team may want to set up a design team meeting, in the next couple of days to hash out more ideas. The agreed date and time for the RFL design team meeting, will be held next Saturday July 21st at 12pm SL time, and will be open to anyone who wishes to participate.


Mayor Sprocket reminded everyone at the meeting, that as soon as the RFL organization gets the sims, he will have access to New Babbage’s RFL underwater sim. He also mentioned, that the underwater sim is pretty much done, so the New Babbage design team, will mainly be focusing on the campsite build, which can be accessed in 5 days. Mayor Sprocket announced that the total money donated for the RFL cause to date, is over $15,000 Lindens. The RFL kiosk can be found on the first floor in New Babbage’s Town Hall. The Relay for Life Cancer Cure Walk will be held on Saturday July 28th.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/content/GI_1_8_Second_Life_Relay.asp

Next order of business was about Loki Elliot’s little dock build. Mayor Sprocket pointed out, residents who live along side the canals, are permitted to take a free copy. The Mayor reminded residents who take a free copy of the dock, to anchor it to your parcel, so it's on your property.

Near the end of the meeting, Loki Eliot had a closing statement about his new Absinthe Bar and Distillery build, which will be open sometime next week. Part of the building, will have room for an art gallery, and Loki asked if any residents would like to contribute to a grand opening exhibition. The art must be inspired by absinthe, its myth and/or the green fairy and the art will be on display for sale in the gallery.


Mayor Sprocket thanked all the attendants who came, and adjourned the meeting at 13:50 SL time. In closing, the Mayor reminded everyone of the New Babbage Square Premiere of “The Show Must Go On” stage production, which was starting in 10 minutes over in the stockyard. Thank you all who attended.

Meeting Minutes complied by Miss Eggberta Echegaray

***

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!



"The Show Must Go On," a whimsical and eclectic compilation of vaudeville and variety show style acts, made it's Babbage Square debut, at the New Babbage Community Stockyard in the city of New Babbage on Saturday, July 14th, at 2:00pm.

The Show Must Go On delivers a (mostly) live creative and inspired performance that harkens back to the days of the variety hour as well as old vaudeville entertainment. The show is 1/2 hour to an hour long and is made up of various short acts that run the gamut from dance and acrobatics to trained animals, comedy routines and sketch narratives. The lineup is ever-changing as new acts get introduced and older ones get put away to play again after a suitable period of rest.

Many different talents and skills are combined to produce a rich and immersive theatrical experience such as; original writing, costume, prop and set design, streaming audio & text chat and carefully selected choreography. The next show is set for Saturday, July 14th, 2007, at the New Babbage Community Stockyard in Babbage Square, New Babbage. The starting time is 2:00pm SL TIme. Audiences have found the energetic and, sometimes, chaotic performances refreshing and a lot of fun, "a wonderful way to spend some time in SL."

The cast currently includes; Theodore Polonsky, Ida Keen, Vlad Bjornson, Lucy Tornado, Enjah Mysterio, Maxie Schneider, Salazar Jack, Osprey Therian, Young Geoffrion, Salamander Maroon, Hotspur Otoole, Autopilotpatty Poppy and Caitlin McLaglen.

Align Center

The Show Must Go On is scheduled through to the end of August and will go on hiatus sometime in September, 2007. Please visit the Show Office in world at - Cowell Village Amphitheatre - Cowell 159, 135, 43 (PG). Contact Producer/Direcotor, Osprey Therian (osprey.therian@gmail.com) or Stage Manager, Salazar Jack (salazarjack@mac.com), for more information, or visit their website at: http://googoogoggles.dreamhosters.com/TSMGO/

Eggberta Echegaray

***

LITERARY CORNER


THE SIGN OF FOUR
by Sir ArthurConan Doyle
Chapter 11
THE GREAT ARGA TREASURE

Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life. There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose. His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with gray. His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger. He sat now with his handcuffed hands upon his lap, and his head sunk upon his breast, while he looked with his keen, twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings. It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance. Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humor in his eyes. "Well, Jonathan Small," said Holmes, lighting a cigar, "I am sorry that it has come to this." "And so am I, sir," he answered, frankly. "I don't believe that I can swing over the job. I give you my word on the book that I never raised hand against Mr. Sholto. It was that little hell- hound Tongawho shot one of his cursed darts into him. I had no part in it, sir. I was as grieved as if it had been my blood- relation. I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it, but it was done, and I could not undo it again."

"Have a cigar," said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask, for you are very wet. How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr. Sholto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?" "You seem to know as much about it as if you were there, sir. The truth is that I hoped to find the room clear. I knew the habits of the house pretty well, and it was the time when Mr. Sholto usually went down to his supper. I shall make no secret of the business. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth. Now, if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart. I would have thought no more of knifing him than of smoking this cigar. But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto, with whom I had no quarrel whatever." "You are under the charge of Mr. Athelney Jones, of Scotland Yard. He is going to bring you up to my rooms, and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter. You must make a clean breast of it, for if you do I hope that I may be of use to you. I think I can prove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was dead before ever you reached the room." "That he was, sir. I never got such a turn in my life as when I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the window. It fairly shook me, sir. I'd have half killed Tonga for it if he had not scrambled off. That was how he came to leave his club, and some of his darts too, as he tells me, which I dare say helped to put you on our track; though how you kept on it is more than I can tell. I don't feel no malice against you for it. But it does seem a queer thing," he added, with a bitter smile, "that I who have a fair claim to nigh upon half a million of money should spend the first half of my life building a breakwater in the Andamans, and am like to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmoor. It was an evil day for me when first I clapped eyes upon the merchant Achmet and had to do with the Agra treasure, which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who owned it. To him it brought murder, to Major Sholto it brought fear and guilt, to me it has meant slavery for life."


At this moment Athelney Jones thrust his broad face and heavy shoulders into the tiny cabin. "Quite a family party," he remarked. "I think I shall have a pull at that flask, Holmes. Well, I think we may all congratulate each other. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice. I say, Holmes, you must confess that you cut it rather fine. It was all we could do to overhaul her." "All is well that ends well," said Holmes. "But I certainly did not know that the Aurora was such a clipper." "Smith says she is one of the fastest launches on the river, and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her. He swears he knew nothing of this NorwoodGravesend, outward bound for the Brazils." "Well, if he has done no wrong we shall see that no wrong comes to him. If we are pretty quick in catching our men, we are not so quick in condemning them." It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already beginning to give himself airs on the strength of the capture. From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes's face, I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him. "We will be at Vauxhall Bridge presently," said Jones, "and shall land you, Dr. Watson, with the treasure-box. I need hardly tell you that I am taking a very grave responsibility upon myself in doing this. It is most irregular; but of course an agreement is an agreement. I must, however, as a matter of duty, send an inspector with you, since you have so valuable a charge. You will drive, no doubt?" "Yes,I shall drive." "It is a pity there is no key, that we may make an inventory first. You will have to break it open. Where is the key, my man?""At the bottom of the river," said Small, shortly. "Hum! There was no use your giving this unnecessary trouble. We have had work enough already through you. However, doctor, I need not warn you to be careful. Bring the box back with you to the Baker Street rooms. You will find us there, on our way to the station." They landed me at Vauxhall, with my heavy iron box, and with a bluff, genial inspector as my companion. A quarter of an hour's drive brought us to Mrs. Cecil Forrester's.



The servant seemed surprised at so late a visitor. Mrs. Cecil Forrester was out for the evening, she explained, and likely to be very late. Miss Morstan, however, was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went, box in hand, leaving the obliging inspector in the cab. She was seated by the open window, dressed in some sort of white diaphanous material, with a little touch of scarlet at the neck and waist. The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair, playing over her sweet, grave face, and tinting with a dull, metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair. One white arm and hand drooped over the side of the chair, and her whole pose and figure spoke of an absorbing melancholy. At the sound of my foot-fall she sprang to her feet, however, and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. "I heard a cab drive up," she said. "I thought that Mrs. Forrester had come back very early, but I never dreamed that it might be you. What news have you brought me?" "I have brought something better than news," said I, putting down the box upon the table and speaking jovially and boisterously, though my heart was heavy within me. "I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world. I have brought you a fortune." She glanced at iron box. "Is that the treasure, then?" she asked, coolly enough. "Yes, this is the great Agra treasure. Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus Sholto's. You will have a couple of hundred thousand each. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. There will be few richer young ladies in England. Is it not glorious?"I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight, and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations, for I saw her eyebrows rise a little, and she glanced at me curiously. "If I have it," said she, "I owe it to you." "No, no," I answered, "not to me, but to my friend Sherlock Holmes. With all the will in the world, I could never have followed up a clue which has taxed even his analytical genius.

As it was, we very nearly lost it at the last moment." "Pray sit down and tell me all about it, Dr. Watson," said she. I narrated briefly what had occurred since I had seen her last,--Holmes's new method of search, the discovery of the Aurora, the appearance of Athelney Jones, our expedition in the evening, and the wild chase down the Thames. She listened with parted lips and shining eyes to my recital of our adventures. When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us, she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint. "It is nothing," she said, as I hastened to pour her out some water. "I am all right again. It was a shock to me to hear that I had placed my friends in such horrible peril." "That is all over," I answered. "It was nothing. I will tell you no more gloomy details. Let us turn to something brighter. There is the treasure. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me, thinking that it would interest you to be the first to see it." "It would be of the greatest interest to me," she said. There was no eagerness in her voice, however. It had struck her, doubtless, that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win. "What a pretty box!" she said, stooping over it. This is Indian work, I suppose?" "Yes; it is Benares metal-work." And so heavy!" she exclaimed, trying to raise it. "The box alone must be of some value. Where is the key?" "Small threw it into the Thames," I answered. "I must borrow Mrs. Forrester's poker."

There was in the front a thick and broad hasp, wrought in the image of a sitting Buddha. Under this I thrust the end of the poker and twisted it outward as a lever. The hasp sprang open with a loud snap. With trembling fingers I flung back the lid. We both stood gazing in astonishment. The box was empty! No wonder that it was heavy. The iron-work was two-thirds of an inch thick all round. It was massive, well made, and solid, like a chest constructed to carry things of great price, but not one shred or crumb of metal or jewelry lay within it. It was absolutely and completely empty. "The treasure is lost," said Miss Morstan, calmly. As I listened to the words and realized what they meant, a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. I did not know how this Agra treasure had weighed me down, until now that it was finally removed. It was selfish, no doubt, disloyal, wrong, but I could realize nothing save that the golden barrier was gone from between us. "Thank God!" I ejaculated from my very heart. She looked at me with a quick, questioning smile. "Why do you say that?" she asked. "Because you are within my reach again," I said, taking her hand. She did not withdraw it. "Because I love you, Mary, as truly as ever a man loved a woman. Because this treasure, these riches, sealed my lips. Now that they are gone I can tell you how I love you. That is why I said, 'Thank God." "Then I say, 'Thank God,' too," she whispered, as I drew her to my side. Whoever had lost a treasure, I knew that night that I had gained one.

***

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

***

Put your event and/or announcement here!

***


CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS


HELP WANTED: EDITORIAL ASSISTANT FOR THE NEW BABBAGE COG

The chosen E.A candidate will gain experience with all aspects of publishing by assisting the Editor in Chief, with the administration of planning and production of The New Babbage Cog.

Typical work activities will include:

Support and assist the Editor in Chief with all activities leading to the monthly publication.

Liaison with freelance writers, and photographers.

Research, organize, write own articles adhering to deadlines

Contribution of ideas and stories

Help to organize, copy and paste text and images to the out of world Babbage Blog Payment of the role will depend on Advertising revenues submitted to The New Babbage Cog.

VOLUNTEER FREELANCE REPORTERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS

Reporters/Photographers are needed to cover stories for the New Babbage Cog. Need steampunk stories directly related to the New Babbage sims, her residents and aethernet steampunk websites of interest.

Typical work activities will include:

Research, organize, write own articles adhering to deadlines

Contribution of ideas and stories

Most photographs are in sepia, please keep that in mind when submitting snapshots

Content ideas:

Architecture of New Babbage

Business Owner’s Spotlight

Inventors Corner

Special New Babbage Event coverage

New Babbage stories

Aethernet Steampunk culture: Steampunk movie, music, book, clubs reviews, websites of interest.

Please write a short email summary, explaining your affiliation and knowledge about the Steampunk culture and the New Babbage Sims. Submit your email to Miss Eggberta Echegaray at newbabbage@gmail.com. I will review your emails, and conduct in world interviews, on Saturday’s and Sunday’s at my tea shoppe, until the roles are filled.

* * *

NEW BABBAGE AND STEAMPUNK FAQ

Q. What is New Babbage?

A. New Babbage is a planned group of themed sims designed to promote a steampunk aesthetic.

------------------------

Q. What is Babbage Square?

A. The first, and to date the only, of the planned New Babbage sims is Babbage Square. New Babbage can be thought of as the "city," while Babbage Square is its first "region."

------------------------

Q. What is "steampunk?"

A. Steampunk is a genre of speculative fiction, usually science fiction, that explores the question of how past eras, particularly the Victorian period, would have looked if more modern technology had existed usingonly the tools at theirdisposal. Thus the steampunk aesthetic often makes use of wood, brass, iron, and steam-powered engines to construct fantastic machines that never were.

Please see the steampunk Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

------------------------

Q. Is New Babbage for role-players?

A. New Babbage is for anyone interested in steampunk ideas. Although many residents dress and role-play the part, all are welcome to participate in the activities here (period attire not required), and are encouraged to explore the technology made available to us in SL New Babbagers are builders, scripters, and texture artists, curious and experimental by nature, come together to invent, create, and commune.

____________________________________________________________


CONTACT, CIRCULATION, AND OTHER ESSENTIAL

INFORMATION FOR THE READER


Editor in Chief: Miss Eggberta Echegaray

***

Ethics Statement:

THIS IS A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER, NOT A VEHICLE FOR EXPOSE. All reporters for The New Babbage Cog are obligated to inform potential interviewees when they are gathering data for a report on our behalf, or clearly identify themselves as a TNBC journalist. This is a community paper, not a vehicle for expose; all investigative reporting must be above-the-board. Deception is against the intended spirit of community embraced by this paper and will not be tolerated. If a citizen encounters an aggressive reporter claiming to work on behalf of The New Babbage Cog, they are urged to report same to the Editor.

Contact:


-- Visit us:

Temporary location: The Willow Tea Room Lot # 20 New Babbage Cultural District

-- Drop a notecard:

Notecard communications can be sent to Miss Eggberta Echegaray

-- IM:

You may contact Miss Eggberta Echegaray by IM with any newspaper business.

-- Aethernet mail:

Messages sent to newbabbage@gmail.com will be fielded or redirected as necessary by Miss Eggberta Echegaray.

Circulation:

The New Babbage Cog is circulated in three ways:

1. new issues are sent automatically to subscribers of the New Babbage Cog group.

2. Issues are available from a paper boxes at the following locations:

-- Babbage Square telehub

-- Willow Tea Room

-- Undershaw Restoration Society

Back Issues:

All back issues of The New Babbage Cog will be available free of charge. They can be found in the Willow Tea Room on the first floor.

Submissions:

Volunteer freelance and column writers are welcome to propose stories. The New Babbage Cog also welcomes news tips, reports, and story ideas from interested parties. Please see our contact information above.

Advertising:

Advertising should be germane to subjects of greatest import to residents of New Babbage. Although our sensibilities are quite modern and liberal, The New Babbage Cog reserves the right to determine an ad's fitness for inclusion based on its pertinence to steampunk, Victoriana, retrotech, industry, anachronism, and other related concepts.

Advertising is L$50 to New Babbage citizens and L$100 for out-of-towners, per listing, per issue. For both residents and non-residents, space is limited to 500 characters per listing. Each ad may include one embedded texture and one landmark. File attachments must be delivered at the time of ad reservation. Please see our contact information above to inquire.

Errata:

[There are no errors known to be in need of correction at this time. The New Babbage Cog is obliged to anyone who sends notification of a mistake, so that rectifications might be swiftly published.]


Copyright Disclaimer:

This issue of The New Babbage Cog, and it's intellectual property, are owned by the contributors to the newspaper and is also publicly owned by the City-State of New Babbage, which at the time of it's printing, was under the care of Mayor Shaunathan Sprocket.

Copyright 2007 of the Common Era

The New Babbage Cog

~~ Relata Refero ~~