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Tag: Kokua News
Kokua: 6.4.2 release overview
Posted on June 1, 2020 by Inara Pey
On Wednesday, May 27th, the Kokua team released Kokua 6.4.2, bringing the viewer up to parity with the Linden Lab official viewer, 6.4.2 code base (Camera Presets), promoted on May 19th, 2020.
This means that with this release, Kokua now includes:
the Environment Enhancement Project (EEP) release.
The most recent viewer Maintenance updates.
The aforementioned Camera Presets.
In addition, the Restrained Love Viewer (RLV) variants of this Kokua release include both include the latest updates to Marine Kelley's RLV API updates – version 2.9.27.0 -, which include support specific to EEP, and which the Kokua team have also used with regards the new Camera Presets, as part of their own updates to the viewer.
Lab-Derived Updates
Environment Enhancement Project
In including support for EEP, Chorazin Allen makes an important point that all SL users should keep in mind when moving to EEP-capable viewers:
Before getting into the additional features and fixes we need to point out that EEP represents a major overhaul of the viewer's weather, lighting, shine and reflection areas – it's more than just a new weather system with configuration files as inventory assets instead of separate xml files. As a result you WILL find that scenes, structures and avatars can all look different. If you find a particularly noticeable instance you are encouraged to log details of it in LL's Jira issue tracking system so that these differences can be fixed at their origin.
– Chorazin Allen [my emphasis]
The Kokua 6.4.2 release appears to be a direct implementation of EEP and its various floaters without any alterations to their layout. As such, I do not propose to cover them here; rather I'll leave you with a series of links to resources:
Environment Enhancement Project: a primer – a basic introduction to EEP and its viewer elements.
Tutorial: Environment Enhancements Project (EEP) – a details tutorial on EEP .
Environment Enhancement Project – the official SL wiki entry for EEP.
Camera Presets
Kokua adds four new defaults for Camera Presets
The Camera Presets controls, developed and contributed by Jonathan Yap, is a capability that allow users to create one more more custom camera presets within the viewer to suit particular needs and then save them. This means, for example, that a user can now have a camera position for general exploring, another suitable for combat games, another for building, etc., all of which can easily be accessed and used at any time.
Again, the Kokua implementation of the UI elements is the same as the official viewer. However, the Kokua implementation of Camera Presets adds addition default presets as follows:
Left, Right and top: provide viewers of your avatr from the left and right side, and from directly above.
FPS (First Person Shooter) – positions the camera directly in front of your avatar and looking forward.
Nearer – a view looking from close behind your avatar designed to be more suitable for corridors and other narrow spaces.
Again, rather than go into specifics on creating and using Camera Presets, I refer readers to my Camera Presets tutorial.
Kokua Updates
Edit Floater – Bulk Rename
Kokua 6.4.2 includes a new button in the Content tab of the Edit floater that allows the contents of an object to be easily renamed. A typical case for this might be when updating the version number of the individual contents on an object for a new release: after the specific elements that have been updated / replaced in the object, the rest can easily be renamed with the new version number.
Kokua object contents bulk rename
As this is liable to be a special usage option, I'll refer interested parties to the Kokua documentation on how it works.
Animation Override
Client AO updates
Kokua 6.4.2 offers two new options to the client-side Animation Override system:
Chat check box: when enabled, each new animation to run will be reported in local chat in the user's viewer.
The intent is to allow a user to keep track of the currently running animation when using a new set of poses/animations to decide decide which should be kept or discarded.
It is not recommended this option is kept on at all times, as the animation reports can be intrusive.
Any button: located between the next / previous animation paging buttons a the bottom of the floater, it will randomly select a pose from the current listed set (Walking, Standing, etc), and play it.
Clicking the Next or Previous buttons will resume stepping forward / back through the list of animations from the randomly selected animation.
Hover Height
This release of Kokua includes the hover height slider from Marine's RLV viewer, with the release notes stating:
Rather than include the small button to reset it to 0.0 we have made the numerical value next to the slider writable allowing any value to be directly entered.
Kokua website
Kokua 6.4.2 release notes
Kokua Downloads page
Tagged Kokua, Kokua News, Kokua Reviews
Posted on February 5, 2020 May 25, 2020 by Inara Pey
The Kokua team released Kokua 6.3.6 on Wednesday, February 5th, 2019. The release brings Kokua up to parity with the Lab's 6.3.6 code base (to the 6.3.6.535003 release – formerly the Xanté Maintenance RC, promoted on January 27th), and includes a number of Kokua-derived updates and ported TPV options.
The following notes highlight the key aspects of Kokua 6.3.6.46311. For a full list of updates and changes, please refer to the release notes.
This release sees Kokua incorporates the ability to remember username/password combinations for multiple avatars via a drop down menu added to the user name field at login.
The ability to manage saved / remembered user names is via a new Preferences option, found a a button called Remembered Usernames in the Advanced tab.
When clicked, it opens a new floater that lists all user names recorded by the the viewer, together with the grid where they have been used.
To delete an unwanted user name, click on it to highlight it, then click the Forget button at the bottom of the panel. If you want to completed remove all local data for the user name, click the check box below the button first.
The new Preferences button and floater to manage remembered users names
This release of Kokua also includes the ability to set media to Ask before playing. As Kokua already has changes which separate parcel audio and other media playing, for the new Ask feature to work you must have parcel audio set to play automatically as well (via Preferences→Sound).
Text Display Options
Previously Kokua used standard size text on script menu text and slightly smaller for menu buttons.
It is now possible to switch between standard/small text for both using new drop-down menus on Preferences→Kokua→Script. The text size control also governs the text size for the informative text on text entry boxes (llTextBox).
The two text size drop-downs and text size options. Note only one or the other can be displayed at any one time. The above is illustrative only
Other Notable Updates
World Map land sale information: previously, when viewing land for sale on the World Map, the parcel price would only be displayed when clicking the For Sale tag. This has now been revised so that the sale information is displayed when clicking anywhere in a parcel highlighted for sale.
This version of Kokua includes a port of Firestorm's enhanced World Map region captions
It is now possible to enter a land selling price by entering the desired L$/square metre price as well as the total price.
The date display for Group Notices has been changed to ISO-style YYYY-MM-DD format which avoids a very old bug where group notice sorting would go wrong for the first few days of each new year (because the previous sort started with the month number so 12 of the previous year got sorted ahead of 01 for the current year).
RLV Specific Updates
The mouse pointer in RLV will now only change to a the required icon (hand / sit, etc.), when the action is going to be permitted (adopted from RLVa).
If a user is under RLV IM restrictions, a hint is displayed in in the IM window to inform those trying to contact them that IM communications are going to be suppressed. This allows the message to be abandoned without being sent (if it is still sent, the usual RLV message about IMs being blocked will be displayed). A similar hint is sent to Group chats, etc, ahead of the person under IM restriction trying to message others.
Kokua now offers a hint to warn people when someone is under RLV IM restrictions
Other RLV updates in this release include:
The name anonymising code for @shownames has been further improved to cope better with situations where one name is a sub-string of another.
When ALM is enabled and RLV effects based on changing RenderResolutionDivisor are in effect this used to cause the CPU and/or GPU to sometimes start running at full speed and sometimes could even result in a crash. This is now prevented by automatically temporarily disabling ALM when the RenderResolutionDivisor value gets to a point where ALM would not give any rendering benefits because the whole scene is too "blurred". This protective code is also in the non-RLV version however RenderResolutionDivisor is less likely to be changed there.
The recent introduction of keyword alerts meant that on some occasions where @recvim should have squashed an incoming IM it would get through unaffected
Kokua: Admin changes and the 6.2.4 release
Posted on August 17, 2019 May 25, 2020 by Inara Pey
The Kokua team released Kokua 6.2.4 on Friday, August 16th, 2019, and with it come some changes to general administration of the viewer's website and management tools.
In terms of the latter, and for ease on management going forward, a number of changes are in the works including:
The use of the Atlassian Confluence platform to provide:
A blog capability.
Release notes support.
A master download pages.
RSS feeds.
The use of Atlassian Jira (as used by Linden Lab and the likes of Firestorm) for bug reporting and tracking.
The switch-over is still a work-in-progress, so the existing blog, wiki and bug tracker remain in operation for the time being, however, relevant links for the new environment are given as:
Future Kokua blog posts: https://kokua.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KSL/blog/
Kokua viewer release notes main page: https://kokua.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KSL/pages/1703976/Release+Notes
Kokua downloads main page: https://kokua.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KSL/pages/1638583/Downloads
This page provides links to the Kokua Source Forge pages.
Kokua RSS feeda page: https://kokua.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KSL/pages/1605906/RSS+Feeds
Kokua Jira for issue reporting / tracking: https://kokua.atlassian.net/secure/Dashboard.jspa
Existing issues have been imported to the Jira. However, note that while contributor's names have been preserved as much as possible, the accounts have been set as inactive for easier management.
Issue numbers have been similarly preserved during the import process, but are now prefixed KSL.
While the switch-over is in progress, users are advised against linking to individual sub-pages within these sections, as pages may change as things are bedded-in. For this purposes of this blog, the new Kokua home page is referenced in the sidebar links (right, under Maintained Viewers) and within my Current Viewers Release Page and the weekly release summaries drawn from that.
Kokua 6.2.4
Kokua 6.2.4 brings the viewer to parity with the most recently Linden Lab viewer release (version 6.2.4.529638, formerly the Love Me Render RC viewer dated August 5th, promoted August 12th). In addition, it updates the RLV version to Marine Kelley's RLV 2.9.26.2.
As has been customary with Kokua releases of late, the viewer is provided in three versions for each of the supported operating systems (Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, all 64-bit):
Non-RLV – version 6.2.4.45881.
"Standard" RLV (can be enabled and disabled via a viewer restart) – version 6.2.4.45882.
"Full Time" RLV (RLV is active all the time) – also version 6.2.4.45882.
In addition to these updates, Kokua 6.2.4 includes a number of third-party additions, most notably from Firestorm, as noted in the sections below, and with due credit to the originators of the code updates.
Settings Backup
Sometimes when installing a new version of a viewer, there can be a recommendation to perform a "clean install" – removing all cached and settings files. This can make any viewer installation labour-intensive, as settings all need to be restored after the installation is complete.
The Settings Backup (Preferences > Backup) eases some of the pain by allowing users to back-up many of their global and account settings to a local hard drive. Once done, the back-up can then be restored to an updated version of Kokua (e.g. if a clean install has been required, or if some settings have become corrupted). Settings can also be backed-up at any time as changes are made.
The Kokua Settings Back-up option, courtesy of Firestorm
Settings can be backed-up to any location on a local drive, and users can select those settings they wish to back-up by unchecking / checking the available options. It is also possible to save settings on a per account basis. So if you have several accounts, each with different settings, you can back-up each of them separately – just make sure each back-up has a unique location.
Restoring previously backed-up files requires the viewer is restarted after the restore – and again, this is conveniently taken care of by the viewer allowing you to quickly log-out following a successful restore – although you'll have to manually re-start the viewer once you've been logged out.
Sounds Output Device Selection
Preferences >Sound and Media includes a new drop-down allowing users to select their preferred output device for playing in-world sounds.
Sound output device selection, courtesy of Firestorm
When using it, note that:
Selecting Default will always select the first output device in the list.
If Default is selected but the previous device is no longer available, the viewer will automatically switch to the next available "default" device as defined by your operating system.
Manually selecting an output device from the drop-down prevents the viewer from automatically switching to another device if the selected device is no longer available. Instead, the field will show "Unavailable Device" until such time as the nominated device is again available, or the drop-down is changed to Default or an alternate is manually selected.
Updated Debug Floater
Finally from Firestorm, Kokua 6.2.4 includes an improved debug settings floater with search and sanity checking of key values.
The improved Debug floater, courtesy of Firestorm
Other Updates of Note
Finally there are a number of fixes/improvements on the Kokua code base itself, notably fixing the pie menus so that the Hover Height command appears (i.e. was there but a mistake in the file concerned prevented it being shown). For details, please refer to the Kokua 6.2.4 release notes.
Kokua 6.2.4 continues to maintain parity with the official viewer whilst also importing some additional updates from Firestorm that Kokua users will doubtless find useful and which are likely to help enhance Kokua as the go-to viewer for those who have used Firestorm , but who are looking for an alternative that offers reasonable familiarity.
Tagged Kokua, Kokua News, Kokua Reviews2 Comments
Kokua presents Alex Ivy based 64-bit Linux Viewer
Posted on May 7, 2018 May 25, 2020 by Inara Pey
Viewer support has been a subject of frustration among SL users who prefer to use Linux (around 1%-1.5% of the total SL user base) over the lack of official support for the operating system.
As I reported at the time, in 2015 and due to a lack of Linux expertise, Linden Lab pulled back from active Linux viewer development in favour of seeking support from the open-source community in order to maintain a Linux version of the viewer (see here for more). More recently, the Lab has been looking to provide a means to build a Linux flavour of the viewer, based on their Alex Ivy 64-bit code base and libraries, but not distribute or build all the various dependencies required for the viewer, instead leaving this to TPVs to do as part of providing their own support for Linux users (see here for more), although this is taking time to happen.
In the meantime, on May 6th, 2018, the Kokua team released the first third-party viewer for Linux based on Lab Lab's 64-bit Alex Ivy code base, although built using Kokua's own Linux libraries.
Kokua release 5.1.3.43237 (RLV) and Kokua release 5.1.3.43238 (no RLV) are are supplied in Windows, Mac and Linux flavours. In addition, and as is to be expected, both are built using the latest LL release code base (SL 5.1.3) while the RLV version is at parity with RLV release 2.9.23.0.
The viewer is currently available for download on the Kokua website for those who wish to try it – just scroll down to the RLV 64 bit (active development) or the NORLV 64 bit (active development) sections of the download page for the version you'd prefer to use.
If you are a Linux user and opt to download the viewer, please do take the time to report any issues you find with it via the Kokua Issue Tracker at Sourceforge, as refinement and enhancement of the Linux flavour of the viewer is dependent on the Linux community, perhaps more so than the Mac and Windows flavours (which each have the advantage of larger user bases and more chances of issues being more widely identified and reported).
It should be noted that the Linux flavours of the viewers does come with a warning:
Some areas of the Linux release are still being worked on, however we believe that enough is working and well enough to share this with a wider audience to help us squash any remaining gremlins.
– The Kokua May 6th 5.1.3 release notes
However, the news that there is now an up-to-date 64-bit Linux viewer available for download which is based on the Lab's current code-base should hopefully come as good news for Linux users.
Kokua May 6th 5.1.3 release notes.
Kokua download page.
Tagged Kokua, Kokua News3 Comments
Kokua: new faces, the future and release 5.1.3.43129/43130
Posted on April 17, 2018 May 25, 2020 by Inara Pey
In March I reported that Chorazin Allen, had joined the Kokua viewer development team. He volunteered after Nicky Perian's decision to step back from day-to-day management of the project, announced in October 2017 to allow him to enjoy more of his retirement, failed to elicit hoped-for volunteers to take over the general management of the project.
Chorazin, although he modestly describes his C++ coding skills as "rusty" (causing him to initially hold back from volunteering sooner), has considerable experience in project management, software development and build experience coupled with many years of experience of in-world LSL scripting and working with RLV/RLVa.
Since joining Kokua, he has been getting familiar with the rest of the Kokua team, and together they have been working on updates to the Second Life viewer to bring it up to parity with the current Linden Lab code base, including full integration with the Alex Ivy 64-bit code. I've been tracking these updates – made through the projects Sourceforge pages, rather than being "official" releases, for the past few weeks via my Current Viewer Releases page and my weekly viewer release summaries.
Kokua: The Future
On April 15th, this work reached a point where the team were ready to resume making formal Kokua releases, and to publish a blog post outlining the viewer's future development. I strongly urge all Kokua users to read this post in full, and am only bullet-pointing the key elements here:
Until such time as an OpenSim developer can join the project, Kokua will only be actively maintained for use with Second Life.
Kokua for Second Life will be developed as a 64-bit bit viewer only, offering both RLV and non-RLV variants.
The Windows and Mac versions will be actively maintained, based on Linden Lab's Alex Ivy 64-bit code base.
Effort will also be put towards a 64-bit Linux flavour of the viewer based on the Lab's Alex Ivy code. However, this will doubtless be dependent on the Lab's broader attempts to work with the Linux community to develop a 64-bit Linux viewer.
In keeping with a request from Linden Lab, the major version numbers for Kokua releases will reflect the Lab code base release they are based on. So, for example Kokua 5.1.3.xxxxx indicates it is based on the Lab's 5.1.3 code base.
Legacy 32-bit versions of Kokua will remain available via the download page, but will not be actively maintained.
The Kokua group within Second Life is the preferred medium for user-to-user support and will also be used for group notices about new versions or other significant developments. All other channels of outward communication (IRC, Twitter, etc), have been discontinued.
The Kokua wiki will continue to be used for viewer release notes (as seen in the viewer when a new version is launched) and for the summary of current versions and download sites.
The preferred method of inward communication to the team is via a ticket raised in Sourceforge against the Kokua Project.
Kokua 5.1.3.43129/43130
The formal release the release of Kokua's Alex Ivy based 64-bit viewer for Windows and Mac, offers the viewer in both RLV (5.1.3.129) and non-RLV (5.1.3.43130) variants on both platforms. It brings with it a full parity with the Second Life viewer up to and including (at the time of writing) the current official release viewer, 5.1.3.51364, formerly the Media Update RC viewer. The RLV version of the viewer also gains parity with RLV 2.9.23.0.
Performance Feedback Capabilities
The core element of the updates made by the Kokua team comprise new performance and information feedback capabilities, including the ability to report on changes in the number of scripts in a region, changes in the server channel with changes of region.
All of the new settings can be found in two new Preferences tabs: Preferences > Kokua > Performance 1 and Preferences > Kokua > Performance 2:
Performance 1 deals with notifications on entering a new region and agent (avatar) and script notifications, which must be enabled on a group basis – agent and / or script notifications, and then individual options within group set as required.
Performance 2 provides notifications on Frame Timing and Basic Performance.
In addition, it should be noted that:
Performance 2 also includes a check box to display the information from these features either as a notification in the top right of the viewer window and in chat history, or have them only displayed in chat history.
All of the options have default values which are intended to be representative of fairly average performance. If you aren't familiar with what they do, it is probably preferable that you don't randomly enabling them, as you could end up swamped in notifications and feedback.
It is important to not that any changes made relate what is reported by the viewer and when – changing these values does not change actual simulator performance.
The new Preferences > Kukua Performance 1 tab, allowing users to set notifications for region, agent (avatar) and script notifications.
Some of these options mirror similar capabilities found in other TPVs – such as reporting a change in the server channel when moving between regions; others may be of more benefit to region holders and their estate managers than they are for general consumption. The idea with them is not to simply turn everything on, but to select those options which might be of specific interest.
For example, while knowing how many avatars (agents) are in a region might be of use to some users when hopping about Second Life, information on how the physics simulation is performing or on overall timing information within a region, together with the active object count and script count is only likely to be of interest to those managing a region. Similarly, enabling the Physics time section of the frame monitoring options in the Performance 2 tab could help creators monitor vehicle performance during testing (e.g. on region crossings.
The new Preferences > Kokua > Performance 2 tab, providing Frame Timing and Basic Performance notifications
For a more rounded examination on how these options might be used, please refer to the Kokua release notes, which provide a range of examples of now the tabs might be used. It should also be notes that general "real-time" monitoring of the options provided can also be done via the Statistics (CTRL-SHIFT-1) and Scene Load Statistics (CTRl-SHIFT-2) floaters. Finally, those particularly interested in learning more about the viewer's statistics reporting abilities and on tuning viewer performance should refer to the Viewer Statistics wiki page, and the Viewer Performance Knowledge Base article respectively.
While the lack of OpenSim maintenance for Kokua – at least until such time as an OpenSim developer volunteers to work with the team, as noted – will probably be lamented in some quarters, the "return" of mainstream release announcements of Kokua, together with information how the viewer's development will proceed into the foreseeable future is to be welcomed.
That Kokua is only being maintained on Windows 64-bit might cause frustration for some. However, given that systems capable of running 64-bit Windows (e.g. supplied with more that 4Gb of RAM) are far more prevalent on the marketplace; ergo, the decision to focus the team's limited resources on providing support for the one flavour of Windows makes sense.
It's hard to judge how well the two new Performance tabs will be utilised. Aso noted, for the likes of those engaged in region management, or scripting, they could potentially be very useful. For others, the tabs might rarely see the light of day. But that's what TPVs are about – providing choice for users.
I've not had an opportunity to run Kokus 5.1.3 hard, having only spent part of a morning bouncing around SL with it. However, in that time I found it to be (as usual) robust and providing frame rates and general experience with the official viewer and – on a frame rate basis – somewhat above that managed by Firestorm on the basis of very rough-and-ready "like for like" testing across some of my preferred regions where things like agent numbers., etc tend to remain constant.
Kokua viewer – news and future updates
Posted on March 9, 2018 May 25, 2020 by Inara Pey
Update, March 10th: Two new versions of Kokua are available for 64-bit Windows (RLV – version 5.1.3.42936 – and non-RLV – version 5.1.3.42935). These build on recent updates to Kokua using the Lab's 5.1.3 code base, and feature internal code refactors. They can be downloaded from Kokua's Sourceforge repository.
In October 2017, Nicky Perian announced he would be stepping back from a direct, hands-on leadership role in maintaining Kokua to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. He put out a call for members of the Kokua community to step forward and help maintain Kokua, although he has maintained a role working on the Mac and Linux versions of the viewer.
On Friday, March 9th, Chorazin Allen – perhaps best known as the creator of Chorazin Creations, a range of RLV-enabled cages and cells for the BDSM community, and the Chain of Command range of scripted plug-ins for the Real Restraints range of products by Marine Kelley- issued a Kokua group notice indicating he would be joining the team, taking directly responsibility for:
The Windows builds of Kokua
RLV updates
Release management and general administration.
In a separate group notice, Chorazin also notes:
You can check on the latest Win64 versions of Kokua by visiting Sourceforge here:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/kokua.team-purple.p/files/Kokua-SL/Windows64Bit/
You may also set up notifications from Sourceforge when new versions are added.
RLV users should update to 42932 to get a fix for the garbage collector failing to remove restrictions from vanished objects.
Chorazin notes that – understandably – it will take a little time for the re-organisation within the Kokua team to be completed, and Kokua users are asked to keep an eye on group notices – which will become more frequent as a new version is readied for release – and on the Sourceforge repositories for updates to forthcoming versions.
In the meantime, news that Kokua is to be moving forward will likely be welcomed by the Kokua community, and kudos to Chorazin for taking up the request to help manage the viewer and carry it forward. I'll continue to cover updates as they are released.
Tagged Kokua, Kokua News


Seniors Jesse Mongan and Matthew Jones carry out Neo Orosco on stage to flex their muscles for buyers.
Lauren Froid and Leah Fetzer show off their moves for buyers.
FFA raised over $19 thousand at its annual service sale, where company members and employers gathered to buy the services of FFA students on March 1. The buyers enjoyed a meal prepared by the Eaton FFA Advisory Council, EHS Catering, and the food service staff, then bought buyer numbers for the auction to participate in the sale of student labor. Each student that was "purchased" will give eight hours of work, and students were sold in pairs. Companies around the town and family members of students were a big contribution to the success. The buyers are able to have the students help with chores around the house, the farm, or the company. A silent auction was also held where students from Ag Fabrication were able to sell their work to the buyers.
All the money raised goes toward events put on throughout the year like fall festival, banquets, service sale, competitions, and to be able to travel to national conventions. The money that is made supports everything they do. $17 thousand was made just between the sale of the students work in the auction, not including dinner that was $5 each, and projects that were created by the fabrication classes.


We met at the University of Western Sydney. To be more precise, we both lived on campus and were actually neighbours! Martin is from Germany and had come to Australia on student exchange. I'm from Dunedin but have been living in Sydney for the past few years in order to do my PhD. We got together at my farewell party (I was heading to New Zealand to do field research for seven months) so it wasn't the greatest of circumstances! We decided that what we had was something special and so would just have to endure the time apart. This wasn't the only long-distance stint we had either, as Martin had to return to Germany for nine months to finish his master's. It was all worth it though and we are now living together in Sydney with a fur Grandpa!
Martin had my ring custom made by designers from his village. My understanding of the German language is fairly basic but a bit better than he realised at the time! He would Skype his mum about the ring while I was in the room and unfortunately for him I know the word for ring! I knew it was coming but not quite sure when. We were pretty much the equivalent of poor students at the time and had a voucher for dinner at a really nice restaurant in Circular Quay. After dinner (which was delicious) he suggested we go for a walk. We ended up in a secluded spot across the water from the Opera House and he dropped to one knee! We returned home and I discovered that he'd had a back-up plan if the weather had turned nasty. He'd made German pretzels into the shapes of intertwined rings and a question mark. It was really sweet.
The wedding was at Grandview Gardens, Outram.
From the outset we planned to have two weddings, one in Germany and the other in New Zealand. Martin is in charge of the German wedding (still to come!) so the New Zealand one was a bit more my choice. I knew I wanted to get married somewhere meaningful and so it had to be Dunedin. Grandview Gardens is gorgeous, rustic, and it has the indoor-outdoor option (Dunedin's weather isn't the most reliable!). It was also great because Jo (the owner) is known as a bit of a wedding planner. My family lives in Dunedin but I didn't want to inadvertently make them have to plan our wedding for us! Having Jo on board was fantastic. She had all sorts of helpful tips for us and worked so hard to make the day what we wanted.
My dress was navy as I wanted to feel like myself on the day. I got it from the Australian store Review and loved it to bits.
As I was wearing navy, I thought it would make the most sense to put the bridesmaids in more of a wedding dress colour. I wanted them to feel gorgeous on the day so got them to choose the colour. They also chose the dresses, which I then ordered online. The flower girls were in navy tutus with white tops.
The paper bouquets were made by Leanne Kirk, who is an amazing family friend. The bridesmaids were all wearing different shades of blue for their shoes, so I asked her to include a variety of blues in their bouquets. My flowers had an extra-special touch as she used paper that had the Wedding March on it. The flower girls' bouquets were made by Eden Flowers and even contained plastic butterflies, much to the girls' delight!
We used bbcatering and they were brilliant. Fantastic company, fantastic food, and service! Tara went the extra mile to make sure that all the guests were well catered for and that we were happy with the menu. My sister-in-law, Natasha Flack, made our wedding cake. It was three flavours (vanilla, chocolate and banana) and she even managed to incorporate our dog on the day by making a fondant beagle to go on top!
There were so many highlights on our day so to pick one is near impossible. One of the great moments though was when we were about to sign the marriage licence. Two of our wedding party had learned to play Ed Sheeran's Kiss Me on the flute and piano. They played this while we were signing the licence and it was just so lovely.
Our main photographer was our friend Holger Kiewe,l who does wedding photography as a side job. My brother, Chris Flack, is also a fantastic photographer so I asked him to take the photos of the girls getting ready. It was lovely having the photos taken by loved ones and seeing their different styles. My favourite photograph is the one where Martin and I are standing in the outside bar and a friend of ours has used a sparkler to write ''love''. It was pouring with rain and we had these two wonderful friends of ours doing everything they could to make this beautiful picture.


How long has this been a thing anyway? Lip scrubs? I remember my mum telling me to use a washcloth on my lips to get rid of raggy bits in winter but how long have there been specialist "scrubs"?
I exfoliate my lips once or twice a week. I get little bits of loose skin for absolutely no reason at all. Too cold, chapped lips, too warm, chapped lips…a slight breeze with a hint of warmth or sunshine…chapped lips! Exfoliating my lips and keeping them moisturised works for me. I've made up and tried a heap of recipes and I've found many online. You can pretty much combine anything with a bit of brown sugar and oil and off you go!
Below you will find some recipes and some common sense "rules" for exfoliating your kisser!
Is it a good idea to exfoliate your lips?
It improves circulation and provides the lips with fresh blood, nutrients and oxygen that keeps skin healthy.
By removing the outer layer of dead skin, your balms and oils will penetrate better and keep your lips soft and supple. This can also help to delay wrinkling around the mouth.
It removes little pieces of dead skin that we inevitably bite and tear off which will only cause further damage.
Your lip products will go on smoother and last longer.
Exfoliating your lips is not a bad thing but you need to stick to a few basic rules to prevent any painful or unsightly results.
If you have a cold sore on your lip or a active spot right on the edge of your lips DO NOT EXFOLIATE. You can spread an infection or irritate a cold sore and prolong healing. Wait until it has fully healed. That goes for any skin condition that directly affects the skin on your lips or around your mouth.
You will have to apply lip balm pretty religiously after exfoliating. By scrubbing dead skin cells away, you have revealed soft, sensitive skin that will need all the moisture and care it can get.
If you are going outside, use a lip balm that contains SPF. You have to protect the delicate skin from the sun! You should be doing this anyway!
Don't exfoliate your lips more than twice a week and never two days in a row. Give it at least a day or two in between scrubs.
Remove any lip products before your get started especially matte or long wear lip sticks. You don't want to scrub old product into your skin.
Make sure the skin is slightly damp as dry skin can tear or become irritated more quickly. Gently remove lip products with an oil or makeup remover. Rinse the product away with warm water and then apply your lip scrub.
Use a small amount at a time and if you feel that it is too abrasive, back off immediately. You could be making small cuts in your skin which can become infected.
Be gentle when you exfoliate. You don't have to go at it like you are resurfacing a road! Gentle circular motions for about a minute MAX. Any more than that and you are asking for chapped misery.
If your lips are already cracked or peeling, try the lip balm and warm washcloth method instead of applying any sugary or fragrant scrubs. The essential oils may be too strong and the sugar too rough.
You can adjust these recipes for quantity or fragrance. It's really up to you. I recommend keeping lip scrubs in the refrigerator just because they "set" a little better and a lot of them do contain food products that can go off.
I specifically use soft brown or soft dark brown sugar in my recipes. The grains aren't quite as sharp as white sugar or Demerara which is more processed and refined. They can both be entirely too rough for delicate lips.
All you need for this one is a tub of good old Vaseline and a washcloth or flannel. Fill a basin with warm water and cleanse your skin as usual. Make sure that you have removed all your makeup. While your skin is still damp, rub some Vaseline into your lips. Wet the washcloth in the warm water, wring it out and use it to gently scrub your lips in circular motions. You can also try a soft toothbrush instead of a washcloth.
Put the sugar in a small bowl and add the drops of peppermint oil. Mash the lip balm into the sugar with a fork or teaspoon until properly mixed. Put the mixture in a small, sterilised container.
Combine the salt and lemon essential oil in a small bowl and add the olive oil last. Use right away or store in a small container in the fridge.
Add the essential oil to the rice flour and then add the honey. Use immediately. This one will tingle so be careful not to burn your lips. Start with one drop of Anise and add another if it's not as strong as you'd like.
First, combine the coconut, vitamin E and peppermint oil. Grind the desiccated coconut in a pestle and mortar. Add the coconut flour and desiccated coconut to the oil mixture. Store in the refrigerator in a small container.
Combine the coffee and sugar then add the oil. Don't be over-enthusiastic with this one. The coffee grounds can be a little rough. Store in the refrigerator.
Combine all the ingredients. You can also add a drop of ginger essential oil. The coconut oil will set if you keep the scrub in the fridge which makes it a little easier to apply.
This one is quite tingly and can have a plumping effect. Combine all the oils in a small bowl. Add the sugar and finally the vanilla extract.
This stuff is very edible. Try not to lick your lips! Combine the dry ingredients. Add the honey and vanilla extract last and mix thoroughly. You can store this one in the fridge as it makes quite a lot.
This one also has a plumping effect due to the clove oil and may tingle. Combine the honey, olive oil and clove oil first. Add the cinnamon and sugar last.
Strawberries are great little exfoliators. You can also just cut a strawberry in half and smear the inside all over your lips and wipe away the juice with a warm washcloth.
Mash the strawberry and add the sugar. You can also add a little honey or coconut oil if it's too rough for you. Strawberries are full of vitamin C and are slightly acidic which will help get rid of dead skin.
Papaya enzymes are used in skin peels and masks to remove discoloration, moisturise the skin and exfoliate away dead skin cells. Smear a small cube of raw papaya on your lips and leave the juice there for a few minutes. It should go a bit sticky. This helps if you have discoloration on and around your lips due to sun damage or acne.
This one can actually behave a bit like a lip stain if you add the food colouring. It is entirely optional. You can also add a few drops of Ribena concentrate if you want to make it even more pink!
Combine the olive oil, grapefruit essential oil and food colouring. Add the soft brown sugar last.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or contents of one vanilla pod if you are feeling spendy.
This one is fun to give as a little gift. You can put it in a pretty container. Make the two colours separately. Combine all the raspberry ingredients in one bowl and the vanilla ones in another. Allow them to set in the fridge for 30 minutes or so. You can then place them in the little container in layers. Gently swirl them with a toothpick but don't mix them completely. You can also put the raspberry in one half and the vanilla in the other and swirl them that way with the toothpick.
This tastes JUST like a cookie. It's hard not to eat it. You can take normal oats and grind them a little or buy the ground version. It makes a very good facial scrub/mask when combined with yogurt as well.
Combine the dry ingredients and then add the oil, honey and vanilla. You can add a little more honey or oil if it's too dry. Adjust as you need to. Definitely keep this one in the fridge. You will get a few uses out of it.
Well, there you go then. Lip scrubs for every occasion! POUT, KISSER, PLUMP, MOIST! *shudder*… Anyhoo…Let me know if you try them. Make up a few of your own and send them to me!


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Pharrell happy to clap along to the Roli beat
By Simon Arblaster
UK firm announce US producer/singer as new chief creative officer
Roli has announced Pharrell Williams as its new chief creative officer and the producer is also supplying a brand new studiopack for Noise.
As you'd expect, the company is rather excited by the new partnership with Pharrell, as well as announcing the first studiopack for the Noise app.
The hope is that Pharrell will be very much part of the design process for the next generation of music creation devices from the London-based firm.
According to Roli: "The Seaboard and Blocks are just the beginning of our long-term mission to create digitally connected, beautifully designed instruments that open up music creation to everyone. Pharrell will be by our side as we enter the next stage."
Roli Seaboard Block review
"A unique and high-quality MPE-capable, expandable, two-octave controller with a price that makes Seaboards more generally accessible."
Visiting Roli's offices in London, Pharrell said: "Music touches all of us, and for a long time I've been passionate about finding ways to share the power of music with more people.
"When I met Roland Lamb and Roli, I immediately felt we were working towards exactly the same goals, and so I'm super excited that we're kicking off this partnership."
If you want to get involved with Noise, you can download it for free from the Apple App Store (opens in new tab) now.
Simon Arblaster
Video Producer & Reviews Editor
I take care of the reviews on MusicRadar and Future Music magazine, though can sometimes be spotted in front of a camera talking little sense in the presence of real musicians. For the past 30 years, I have been unable to decide on which instrument to master, so haven't bothered. Currently, a lover of all things high-gain in the guitar stakes and never one to resist churning out sub-standard funky breaks, the likes of which you'll never hear.
"It was written, recorded and mixed in about six hours" – Noel Gallagher names the Oasis and solo songs he'd take to a desert island

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Flake Attacks Trump And His Voters – Says He 'Plays Well To The Base, But It's A Shrinking Base'
By LifeZette
Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) went on CNN on Monday to attack Donald Trump and his supporters, saying that the "popularity and strength" of the former president were fleeting every day.
Flake said this during a panel discussion on the recent comments Trump made about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who the former president called a "stone-cold loser" and a "dumb son of a b****."
Backstory: Trump Reemerges To Blast Mitch McConnell In Blistering Speech To Republicans
John Kasich And Wolf Blitzer Sound Off
"You know, it's amazing to me, Wolf, that they sit in this room and hear more name-calling, more divisiveness, more anger," said former Gov. John Kasich (R-OH). "I mean, how do you expect to sell something to voters when you're just divisive and angry and name-calling and belittling?"
"The party needs to move to a set of issues that will improve the lives of Americans, and so far, I haven't heard any of what they plan to do," he added. "As far as I'm concerned, the party is going to continue to shrink and not connect."
"We've been hearing a lot from John Boehner, the former Republican Speaker, Senator, talking about how the Republican Party needs to get back to its roots, the party of Boehner," said host Wolf Blitzer. "So you think that party still exists?"
Flake Responds
That's when Flake chimed in to give his two cents.
"I think there are a number of Republicans, a lot of Republicans who want the get back there," Flake said. "John was right, what went on in Mar-a-Lago, it plays well to the base, but it's a shrinking base."
"If we want to be successful in future elections, then we have to do more what John Boehner is talking about. We've got to appeal to a broader electorate," he continued. "That shouldn't be hard to figure out, but that is what we have to do."
Related: McConnell Vs. Trump! Warring Wings Of GOP May Face Off In Alaska Senate Race
Wicker Speaks Out As Well
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) also addressed the comments that Trump made about McConnell during a CNN interview of his own on Tuesday morning, saying that he does not "think comments like that are helpful."
"Well, former President Trump has a large following out there among members of our party, and I think we all acknowledge that. I don't think comments like that are helpful," Wicker said. "And I think … as this year, 2021, moves along and then we move into 2022, the actual election year, I think we'll be more focused, and should be more focused, on the different approaches of the two parties."
"And I think in an off-year election, the first even-numbered election after a presidential race, the party that is not in power often gains seats. And think there will be every reason for the American people to vote for some sort of balance," he concluded.
This piece was written by James Samson on April 13, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
Read more at LifeZette:
Pelosi House Majority Threatened
Chris Wallace Calls Out Kamala Harris – Says She May Not Want Her 'Fingerprints' On Border Crisis
Liz Cheney Claims Trump Is 'At War With The Constitution' – 'Election Wasn't Stolen'
Biden Admin Puts Religious Freedom Programs On Hold


Book is in Fine condition. Dust jacket is in Fine condition. Book has been gently read. A very small remainder mark on top edge of pages, else a very clean book. Young adult novel about two sisters who lose their mother and find that they are both part of a prophecy. One good, one evil.


Denise Buese's introduction to antique dolls occurred in 1975, when her grandmother presented her with a well-loved A.M. 390, and that was all it took to be hooked. When Denise stopped playing with dolls at the age of 12, she began sewing clothes for her sister's Barbies, which is really still playing.
Denise has been a member of Verdugo Hills Doll Club since 1992, and has held the position of treasurer for two terms. After earning a BSN in nursing, she worked in NICU and OR before stopping to raise a family of two boys, one of whom is now in college and the other in high school. Happily, she is now freer to indulge her love of sewing for dolls, and is honing her skills at pattern making. Denise's collection is comprised of mostly French bebes and poupees, but she is interested in learning about other types. In her spare time, Denise enjoys studying the Tudor age and it's fascinating characters, and when she isn't sewing, you can usually find her entrenched in a good book.
Susan Dossetter has been collecting antique dollhouses, dolls and miniatures since the age of seven. Born in Chicago, Susan's mother took her on frequent visits to the famous Thorne Miniature Rooms and Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle, which inspired her to create tiny worlds in miniature. Susan's collection has grown to encompass dollhouses as early as the late seventeenth century, and includes examples from many different countries and time periods. Susan lives in San Francisco, and is a UFDC member at large, as her husband and five children keep her extremely busy!
Member of UFDC, 23 years; currently member and secretary of Southern Oregon Doll Collectors. Author of three reference books on dolls, numerous articles in Doll News, and other doll magazines. Editor of Annual Book for NIADA, twice Editor and Publisher of two Bleuette newsletters for over 11 years. Program, Workshop, and Dynamic Dialogue presenter at UFDC regional and national conferences. Originator of the "Bleuette Retreats," with her husband, Jack. Past Director of Special Projects for UFDC for four years. UFDC Antique Doll Competition Judge.
A frequent contributor to DOLL NEWS, Don Jensen is a historian, author of two doll reference volumes and editor of a third, a freelance magazine writer and columnist for more than 40 years, a former radio broadcaster, a newspaper reporter and editor for more than 30 years, now retired. His articles have appeared in doll magazines for 20 years, including DOLL READER, ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR and others. He is, with his wife and partner, Arlene, co-recipient of the UFDC 1998 Award of Merit for Contributions to Doll News for their service as DOLL NEWS Assistant Editors-Modern. He is the recipient of the "Cathy Lifetime Achievement Award" from Modern Doll Collectors. With Arlene, they write a regular column, DOLL TALK in DOLL COLLECTOR MAGAZINE They have served the UFDC convention as co-chairs of the Modern Competitive Exhibits for four years, and as co-chairs of the Modern Highlight tours for two terms, and he has been chairman of the UFDC Nominating Committee. Don is a modern doll judge at UFDC nationals and has served as chief judge in UFDC regional competition. He has presented many programs and seminars at UFDC national and regional events. His special interest and expertise is in American dolls from 1900, especially Horsman and Effanbee, plus advertising, celebrity and cartoon character types.
Samy Odin was born in Torre Pellice, Italy, in 1965. He holds masters degrees in French Language and Literature from the University of Turin and the University of Lyon, and is the founder and present owner and director of the Musee de la Poupee-Paris. Samy is the author of several books about antique dolls, as well as articles in doll magazines such as Doll News, Antique Doll Collector, Doll Reader, Geppetto, Gildebrief, La Bacchetta Magica, Collections and Ours et Poupees.
Samy has been a member of UFDC since 1994 and has attended national conventions since 1999, volunteering as a program presenter, giving seminars and dynamic dialogues, setting up special exhibits, contributing a souvenir journal in 2003, running a sales table both in the salesroom and at Publisher's Preview, and speaking for special meal events. In addition, Samy has been judging in the antique competitive exhibits since 2001. He received a UFDC Award of Excellence in 2010. Presently, Samy is running for regional director of Region 16 for a 2011-2014 term.
Doll collector over 38 years, started collecting for my daughter, Ha-ha!
Began making porcelain dolls around the same time, for wholesale and retail markets. I teach a doll making class in my home one day a week. We do porcelain dolls, costuming (they love hats), and solve the problems of the world.
I began doing conservator type doll repair about 35 years ago, working on most doll types and costumes.
I am a doll vendor doing about 12 – 15 shows a year, mostly in the south. I will be one of the few vendors at the Rose Percy event in Milwaukee.
I also do doll appraising.
I have been a member of UFDC for close to 40 years. I have served as Region 7 Director twice. I have won the UFDC Award of Excellence twice; 1996 Preservation & Protection of Dolls & 2004 Philanthropic Endeavors Through Dolls.
At UFDC National Conventions, I have served as Monitor Chair for Modern Dolls, Chairman of Host & Hostesses plus Signage, narrator for doll dialogues, served as Antique Competitive Judge, Chaired many meal events, given workshops, & donated many helpers over the years.
At UFDC Regional conferences, I have served as judge in both antique and modern, given doll dialogues and workshops, clerked and monitored, chaired meal events.
As you can see dolls and doll collecting takes up most of my life. I am fortunate my husband enjoys this hobby, too.
We are entering into our new venture, Louisiana Doll Tours, which you helped with our first add. We are hoping this will help financially in our retirement, keep us playing dolls ourselves, and sharing the experience with other doll lovers.
1. UFDC Region 7 Journal, "Bebe Louisiane," November 1984, pp. 42-49.
Ian Price's day job is running Price Watkins Media, a graphic design consultancy in San Francisco, with a sideline in writing and photography. He's especially interested in mid-20th century collecting but is not averse to adding anything shiny, bright, and new.
Growing up in Gainesville Florida, Gael Shults began her university art education at the U of F, and had previously to that, begun to sell original works locally. Her mother was an artisan and her father an architect, both of whom encouraged her in this field of interest. Gael has continued to sell her original works, which have been exhibited in arts festivals, galleries and museums over the years. Additionally a prominent catalog company sold a set of her limited edition prints, distributing them throughout the US, Canada and Japan. Her early attraction to dolls and her mother's love of sewing stimulated a life-long interest in both creating and costuming dolls. Designing paper dolls has always been a part of this creative process. Gael, who originally had a difficult time deciding whether to major in art or music has in the end, divided her time between both fields, as well as dabbling in the art of writing, including several works for youth and songwriting. She has won a variety of awards including multiple honors on the local level for her oil paintings, doll making and music. On the international level she has taken grand prizes and first place awards in choir direction and paper doll illustration. Gael has always been greatly energized by teaching the arts to children and has greatly enjoyed directing this award winning children's choir for nearly ten years. On the hobby level, she loves studying history, especially when it pertains to antique fabrics and dolls, and has become an avid, if not obsessive collector of both.
Gael currently resides in American Fork Utah where she and her husband Tom are winding up their parenting career by raising their two wonderful teenage boys, A few dolls who think they are people, two spotted house cats who think they are gods, and the cutest mini schnauzer puppy ever born. She says that she is beginning to understand why old people treat their pets like babies and currently takes joy in costuming dolls, the puppy and their delightful smattering of grandchildren, usually in that order! The little ones are learning to love dolls just like Nana Gael, and she very much enjoys the fact that their older married children live close by, so that she can pass on this appreciation of dolls to the next generation.
AnneLise Wilhelmsen is an avid doll costumer and researcher. Her love for history was a gift from her father, who narrated their epic family vacations like National Geographic specials. Her sometimes embarrassing habit of playing dolls like a child is her mother's fault. It began one rainy day when she was seven or eight and had driven her mother to tears for want of something to do. In desperation, her mother climbed the stairs to the attic and returned with her childhood doll and its trunk full of hand sewn dresses. She was never the same again.
AnneLise has a M.A. in Textiles and Design, and has worked in advertising and interior design. She lives with her unbelievably wonderful husband, two teenaged sons, and a sarcastic old cat named Simon. She's still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up.
In the meantime she collects dolls and antique textiles, and uses each as an excuse for the other. Winning two blue ribbons for costuming at last year's UFDC convention has only encouraged this bad behavior.
When she's in a good mood, and willing to share, she sells sewing kits, fabrics and trims on her Londonberries website, alongside her patterns and hand crafted miniatures. But most of the time she hordes her antique treasures so she can spoil her own dolls, and those of her costuming clients, beyond all good reason. It's her very favorite thing to do.
AnneLise is currently working on at least a zillion projects, including several children's books. She drinks gallons of coffee, and won't be slowing down any time soon in spite of her husband's best efforts to lure her away from her work with fine cabernet and his lovely German accent. She has no free time to speak of and wouldn't have it any other way. She can often be found in the wee hours of the morning snoring on the big red sofa, with a needle in her hand and the cat curled up between her feet. The wine and her age have absolutely nothing to do with this.


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Q: In form numberpad C# I would like to add an in form numberpad to my form to make the program more touch friendly. I have multiple text boxes on this form that change focus when the enter key is pressed.
I tried SendKeys.Send("#"), but when I click the button it just changes focus to the button and does nothing inside the text box I was trying to type in.
Is there a guide or something for this? I have looked and all I can find are on screen keyboards that work outside of the form, but not inside.

A: Expanding a little bit on the idea from Hans Passant you could use this as a starting point.
Form
In your form add the textboxes you need and a PictureBox. The picturebox will have an image with the characters your users need to be able to type.
Set the property Image to an image file (browse for it) (or create your own)
Set the property SizeMode to AutoSize so the complete picture is shown.
Next goto the events and add an eventhandler for  MouseClick.
Code
Add the following code to the handler:
private void pictureBox1_MouseClick(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    // how many rows and columns do we have
    // in the picture used
    const int maxrows = 4;
    const int maxcols = 3;

    // based on each position (numbered from left to right, top to bottom)
    // what character do we want to add the textbox
    var chars = new [] {'1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8','9', '+', '0', '-'};

    // on which row and col is clicked, based on the mouse event
    // which hold the X and Y value of the coordinates relative to
    // the control.
    var  row = (e.Y * maxrows) / this.pictureBox1.Height;
    var col = (e.X * maxcols) / this.pictureBox1.Width;

    // calculate the position in the char array
    var scancode = row * maxcols + col;

    // if the active control is a TextBox ...
    if (this.ActiveControl is TextBox)
    {
        // ... add the char to the Text.
        // add error and bounds checking as well as
        // handling of special chars like delete/backspace/left/right
        // if added and needed
        this.ActiveControl.Text += chars[scancode];
    }
}

The code is I think self explanatory. Keep in mind that no error checking whatsoever is being done here.
Result
This is what the end result will look like:

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