A new continent, which is being called "Zindra", has just come online. This is a Mainland continent, and the opening of it required a new viewer. This is because this new land area is to be Mature rated only, so I guess the only way to control who has access to this is with the new viewer.

From now until June 29, the new sims will be available for people to explore. After that, the Labs will begin doing "land swaps." Apparently, land is not going to be sold initially, but people who already own other Mainland parcels will be able to submit a ticket requesting that they exchange their existing parcel for one on the new continent. I have not read anywhere that swapping for an identical parcel is going to be guaranteed. For most people, this might not be too much of a problem. I personally own an 8,192 m2 parcel on Mainland, and it is a private beach with a protected waterfront on an unblockable Linden ocean, so I would not be a very happy camper if I received anything that didn't have the same attributes. Hopefully, LL will let you inspect the parcel before you agree to the swap, in which case I will probably submit my swap ticket.

Like the Nautilus sims, the new continent is going to have architecture commissioned by LL, and available to residents, as well as areas that are already developed as urban and suburban space. Residents will also have access to other materials, such as textures and road sections, so that they can develop their parcels with designs that are cohesive with the surroundings.

Compared to most of Mainland, Zindra is (a very teeny tiny umbrella) step in the right direction, in that it's getting away from the boxes and disorganization that has assaulted the aesthetics of Mainland since the beginning. Upon really studying the buildings and landscape architecture, it is rather obvious that things need further development. This is supposed to be a continent that showcases the importance of "green" living, yet anything "green" seems to be the minority in any of the vignettes. Unfortunately, everything that is wrong with Mainland, that drives people to private estates, is going to be happening on Zindra, also.

At one point, Minx Eisenhart actually asked Jack how his candlestick was. I guess she hasn't seen too many RL pics of anyone with the last name of "Linden." I don't have any, myself, so don't think I am passing around RL pics of any Lindens. I have seen a few here and there on the Net, mostly of them at conventions or meetings, and I am pretty confident that I won't be breaking up my marriage to pursue a relationship with any Linden.

Before I get back to Zindra, let me just take a moment to point out what is NOT attractive to men. Minx Eisenhart embodies everything that makes a man say things like, "I'm gay", or, "I just got out of jail for killing a prostitute in body oil." Everything Minx has, from the body oiled skin (gack), to the El Cheeze see through clothes, the thigh boots, the piercings, the (played out) tattoos, actually has the opposite effect of what she's trying to accomplish. Instead of being a man magnet, she repels them. Her tits are too big and look lumpy, also. A lot of "eek" going on here.

OK, where was I? Right. Zindra.

An intersection features these pretty cool colored light beam things that pop out of the ground. I guess they are supposed to be like traffic lights. I'm not sure if they are going to be controlling any vehicular or pedestrian traffic. Not long after I thought, "that's pretty cool", I thought, "that's kindof retarded." Since they aren't really going to be controlling any traffic, I thought a more conventional traffic light, on a post, might be more visually interesting, since you could make the posts more sculptural. As they are, they seem rather gimmicky.

A typical street on the new continent, with an assortment of the LL buildings. Note how there is virtually no space on the sides of the buildings, so the curse of the parcel filling boxes isn't going to end here.

A lot of the buildings make the first impression of, "that's pretty cool." Upon further consideration, "that's pretty cool" turns to "wtf are they thinking?" With so much glass, there is no wall space for things like art or vendors. Also, solid walls go a long way to keeping views clean on the outside. With all this glass, all the clutter inside the structure will be visible to everyone.

These two buildings make a favorable first impression, as well, but then you wonder where you would put stuff in the glass building, and figuring out how to use the space becomes enigmatic. The larger, boxy building at the rear is very similar to the type of structure we are trying to eliminate or renovate in both RL and SL.

While many of my comments may seem like I am nit-picking, they are based on what I have observed in both RL and SL. People WANT design. People RESPOND to good architecture. Good architecture is crucial to the success of any endeavor. If someone sees a store, and the building is ugly, it makes them think the things inside that building are not any good. If the building is beautiful, it draws people in, and makes them feel that what is offered inside is of good quality. Also, Zindra is supposed to be about green living, so I was expecting nature to have more of a role in the design of the environment.

In SL, the evolution of design is towards a greater degree of realism. People want things that are more sophisticated. If it is cars, houses, skins, plants, jewelry, guns, whatever, and it is supposed to be a replica of something in the real world, then the closer to that real life item that it appears indicates the level of quality that it has. When studying the urban planning, the architecture, and the landscaping of the new continent, all I can say is, "try again."