Kazenojin Bulletins

I have attached a zip file at the bottom of this post which contains Kazenojin bulletins vol. 1 - 6, which were distributed to the Kazenojin between August 2003 and July 2004 by Ananda Sandgrain. Following is the text of the most recent bulletin.


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Ok usually in these I make some attempt at inspirational speeches, but this is my abdication letter so none of that this time.

To all the Kazenojin:

I am publicly stepping down from any leadership role. I am just not around enough anymore to take care of things, witness a few of the items I'll get into in a sec. As a part of that, I will be tiering my land allocation down. I'll no longer be a major contributor to the Gray landholdings. So before I go we as a group need to work a few things out.

1. Per the previously written Constitution (which I am guilty of violating) anyone with an interest in our flight activities can be a member of Kazenojin. However, the same is not true of becoming an officer. To do that you need to have demonstrated a commitment that is recognized by the whole group. The last Admiral added in this fashion was illume Skallagrimson.

This is for a bunch of reasons, not least being security. The core group should at least know each other well. So, for the newer Admirals I would ask that you step up at this time, please introduce yourselves to us old folks, and look at whether you can do more for the group, such as making a land donation. If you feel you were made a leader in error, please consider stepping down.

2. Gray has been the home of the Kazenojin for over a year now. It has been an unusual point of stability in the chaos that is SL. This came about because of the hard work and extensive land donations of many of our group members. However, at this point much of the activity going on is being carried out by new members. Many of you have built a lot but not helped out with the landholdings. This is putting the group out of balance, and several of us are looking to move on.

So this is my final call to all members - if you build in Gray, and would like to see Gray continue as the home of the Kazenojin, please donate as much land as you can. We'll need to come up with an estimated 9000 meters in the next month or so, to preserve the land as-is. In another month, I will be withdrawing much of my donation, so you have until then to decide what to do. I suggest someone call a meeting, come up with some new ideas. It won't be me, this time anyway.

3. Kazenojin has been and remains a great group, with or without Gray. Many of you may not know this, but the current air station is the third incarnation. I got the chance to build this version, and the one before it. As I am stepping down, though, I want to you to know that I'm inclined to clear the field and let someone in to build a new version. The greatest joy for me was in the initial creation, and I'd love to see someone here get the same chance to build on a massive scale the way that I did.

If any of you have a big idea for Gray, do not hesitate to step up and call the group together. Propose it!

Thanks so much for this amazing year. I'll still be around SL from time to time, with my stash of Kazenojin blackmail and booty. Give me a call if there's something you'd like - old group textures, scripts, and such.

Until we meet again,

Admiral Ana, signing off.

Hey Huns, do you think you can arrange this thread so it has all the Bulletins in order? (I'm going *eek* a bit at just seeing the last depressing one I wrote). I'll start posting them along with some other historical odds and ends if that'll help.

Also, great idea on getting the group forum. *thumbs up*

Ananda, I wanted you to know that in some of the other theme groups you are pointed out as an example of just what leadership, commitment and responsibility in SL is all about.

DC

You don't like the zip file?

[August 2003]

Greetings to all People of the Wind! There has been a lot going on in Gray of late, so I thought it was time to send out a newsletter and bring you all up to date.

There are many many things for us to talk about, so please take the time to read this, and I want your responses.


Table of contents:

1. The story of Kazenojin.
2. Recent happenings.
3. Proposed Constitution for Gray.
4. Open letter and call to action from Admiral Ana.


1. The Story So Far

For those of you who are new to the People of the Wind, here's a little hearsay on the genesis of Kazenojin.

Once upon a time back in Beta, a fellow by the name of Goodwill Epoch built a little hideaway in the skies of Hawthorne. And at this lofty perch a get-together was held, for all the denizens of SL to come and show off their flying vehicles. This event was a roaring success, and from this the idea of an airship group was born.
[pic]

About this same time, the Lindens were looking at ways to expand the concept of theme communities, and to come up with creative ways of expanding the world. A post was made, encouraging groups to come up with new theme concepts, and the ones who were the most successful would be granted, for a time, exclusive access to their very own sims! It was up to each group to put together the necessary numbers and cash to secure the sim, and one of those successful groups was Kazenojin.

Kazenojin was started by a group of four, Admirals Goodwill Epoch, Realtime Rogers, Nifty Yamamoto, and Gaudeon Wu. They put together a little model of an air station, with docks ringing it for airships and other flying vehicle to park themselves. This model, and access to a new sim, served as the inspiration for many more people to sign up over the next few days. Within a week, Kazenojin had signed up more than enough members to get the sim!
[pic]

These were heady days. Land pressure in the existing world was intense, and the excitement at having access to a whole new sim was palpable. Within a week, we had secured the necessary 1/2 of Gray, and the Lindens held onto the rest for us, holding it for a couple of weeks while we came up with cash to buy more.

The station started going up, and it was huge, and glorious! By far the largest construct in SL, the air station dominated the skies of Gray. The docking arms filled up rapidly with all manner of ships, and the sim was hopping with builders and scripters testing things out.
[pic]

In preparation for the official release of Second Life, and the end of Beta, the Lindens opened up a brand new continent, of which Gray was a part. Like a swarm of locusts, dozens of avs poured into the new land, and found Kazenojin and the other theme communities waiting for them. It was reminiscent of the land rushes of the old west in America. All of a sudden the pressure was off, and everyone could have all the land they could afford, and more!

This was a mixed blessing for us, as about this time the pressures of leadership were beginning to tell on a few of the Admirals. Desiring to return to the days of simple building and fooling around, Realtime, Nifty, and Gaudeon chose to retire. Realtime and Nifty moved to a nearby sim and built a nice backyard barbeque patio, and took up boxing and alien abductions. Gaudeon got to work on a beautiful wedding chapel with his friend Zoey.

So, this left Goodwill singlehandedly holding the reins, and a
province full of ships that had been put up at the docks and left there. Still unfinished, the station stood magnificent and empty.
[pic]

A few of us, notably Shijuro Romulus, stepped up to help put the finishing touches on the structure and get the store up and running. Ananda Sandgrain helped with some textures and worked to put together a Grand Opening celebration, which was held a couple of weeks into the public release of SL. Recognition was given to the founders of the group, the roof was raised, and exploding champagne was passed around!
[pic]

At this event, Shijuro and Ananda were promoted to the rank of Admiral, and took up the cause of finishing the station and
encouraging the growth of the group. But the pressures of taxation were beginning to mount on the landowners in Gray. Using a loophole in the tax system, Goodwill began to take more and more of the debt upon himself, since at the time taxes would never result in a debt greater than $-1000. Eventually he had ownership of the entire station and all the land in Gray not held by the Lindens.

This relieved this rest of the group of the tax burden, and left
them free to pursue their own interests. Unfortunately, this left them free to pursue OTHER interests, and soon Gray sat empty, despite being one of the favorite tourist spots in the world. So out in Gray sat a magnificent structure with a sky full of airships. And most of the time it went unused. Thus we stood at the end of the first chapter in the history of Kazenojin.
[pic]


2. Recent Happenings

In the middle of July, a crisis struck. A seemingly innocuous post was made on the forums, concerning the removal of the -1000 debt limit. This spelled disaster for us, at least as things were currently running. Would this be the end of the station? It turned out to be the case. An emergency meeting and vote was held, and at the end of it there just wasn't enough enthusiasm and cash to devote to its continued existence. The station ran over $10,000 in taxes every week. Sadly, it had to come down, which it did in spectacular fashion, by flying up in the air and smashing itself all over the
sim.
[pic]

Would this be the end of Kazenojin? Absolutely not!Scrambling for time, the land was redistributed among active group members, in smaller chunks this time so hopefully it would be affordable. A rapid series of events and design meetings were held, and one of the conclusions made was that group members would now be allowed to exercise their individual creativity in using the land. Kazenojin may never again achieve the purity and grand scale of the original
station, but it is a lively zone again, with new construction going up daily.
[pic]

A new airship docking ring is in place, and work is ongoing to fill in the details. Ships are beginning to return. And a second area of the theme is now going strong, an airfield with a runway, thanks to the creative work of Nick Fairlight and our newest Admiral, Athos Murphy. Come by and see the new builds!

[pic]

3. Proposed Constitution, or, what do we want to make of this place anyway?

What follows is merely a proposal, and I fully expect you to return to me your comments and suggestions for changes and additions to it. If the finished document gets a yes vote, I hope you will be willing to hold to it, but right now nothing in this applies yet.

Kazenojin Constitution

I. PURPOSE. The purpose of our group is to encourage the creation of flying vehicles of all kinds, and to have fun flying them. It is also to create the scripts which move them, and to disseminate such information freely to our fellow group members.

II. THEME. Kazenojin is also a theme community, and the theme is wind. Anything to do with flight and the use of the wind, is appropriate for display in the sim of Gray. This primarily includes the creation and display of airships and aircraft, and the structures associated with each.

A. Freedom - Each landowner is free to create on and use his or her own land. All group members are encouraged to create crafts that fit their own personal styles, and to continue to upgrade them over time.

B. Overarching architectural style - Let's create a community out of the golden age of airships and early flight! Think of the 1930's, the Zeppelins, Howard Hughes, and shipboard architecture from great old steamships like the Queen Elizabeth and the Normandie, as well as interiors you might find on more modern vessels. This would include classic airfield features, such as radar stations, control towers, windsocks, helipads, etc. This would also include more fantasy-type creations with the same "feel" such as floating trees and citadels, windmills, and birds.

Here's a few movies that might serve as inspiration:

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Rocketeer
The Shadow
Memphis Belle
Pearl Harbor
Titanic
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Wings of Honneamise (anime)
Castle in the Sky (Miyazaki anime)
Kiki's Delivery Service (Miyazaki anime)

C. Responsibility - Regardless of what you build on your
land, it is your responsibility to allow the continued existence of the docks and the airships floating above it. Do not delete any part of these, and if you object to them, bring it to the attention of an Admiral. If for any reason you cannot or do not want to keep your land, let an Admiral know first! Don't let it go public.

D. Zoning- Permanent structures should not infringe on the
airspace. Please keep them below an elevation of 60 meters,
maximum. Special consideration may be granted by an admiral if it contributes well to the theme. Any signage should be scaled appropriately to the build, and it is only allowed if it directly attaches to the structure it is advertising.

E. Encouragement- encourage the folks around you to be good neighbors, and make their builds ever more impressive as time goes by. Help them out with textures and building advice.

F. Landforms - When editing your land, strive to maintain a natural shape, and to make a smooth transition from one parcel to the next. Place trees and rocks and other landscaping features wherever possible, including on open group land. Use of trees made of alpha-textured prims is recommended, to avoid the local viewer lag caused by tree objects.

G. Autorezzers - In the interests of keeping the lag and prim counts under control in Gray, it is recommended to use a combination of sensors and rezzers to generate the details of your builds only when someone is nearby to look at them. A system for doing this is being worked out.

III. Leadership - From time to time, new Admirals may be created. This title carries with it the following responsibilities:
Recruitment, drumming up enthusiasm, public relations (i.e.
welcoming and inviting people who visit), working with the Lindens to get all the breaks we can, decision making, wisdom, and above all, fairness. It also includes communicating as much as possible to the group, about what's going on, and listening to group members. Admirals need to coordinate the various projects, hold meetings, and
promote group events. Privileges of being an admiral include say-so on what gets built as part of the group projects, and control over group building and maintenance funds. Only those persons willing to put the group's interests ahead of their own should be Admirals.

A. As group features are added to the program by the
Lindens, amendments shall be added concerning promotion and demotion via a democratic process.

IV. Membership - Anyone can be a member of Kazenojin, the only requirement is an active interest in building or scripting things which are in some way related to flight or moving vehicles. Being a group member does carry certain responsibilities. Be friendly and courteous to your fellows. Be sure to rate them when you meet them. Make it a habit to hit all the voting stations for projects you like in Gray. If you meet people out in the world who are making flying craft, invite them over and have an Admiral sign them up. Speak up
with your ideas and suggestions for improvements in Gray. And let an Admiral know what you're working on.

V. Group builds and land - Currently the policies in Gray are to
have land held by individual group members as the fairest way of distributing costs. Group builds such as the docking ring and the store are held by the Admirals and are paid for out of their pockets, so support them when you can.

A. Individual docking arms are owned by the owners of the
ships docking there. The dock ring is designed for use by 16 or more ships, so please work out arrangements to have a dock mate. Individual hangars at the airfield, and the land under them, are owned by the owners of the planes stationed there. If you would like to park a plane or build a hangar, get in touch with the owner of the land you're interested in.

B. As soon as group land and banking features are
implemented by the Lindens, a vote will be called to determine whether, and the extent to which, group land is established, and the size of any fees associated with that. We'll also talk about establishing the building fund as a group-controlled asset.

VI. Amendments- Additions, changes, and deletions from this document may be proposed at any time by any group member, and adoption requires a majority approval, defined as an approval vote from at least half of the members, over the course of an entire week. A notecard must be submitted to all members with the proposal a week prior to the vote.


4. Open letter to all Kazenojin from Admiral Ana

Hello all, I would like to share with you an few eye-opening experiences I have had, which showed me the true potential that is possible in Second Life, when we have a group that really functions well together.
[pics of the first Island - Cayman]

The quality and cohesiveness of what we build can be much
better, and we can really create a paradise out of Gray! I'd like to encourage all of you to come out and get involved, help us make something great out of the place. If you have any interest in the future of Kazenojin, or even if you're brand new and just wondering what to do, you can always send me an IM or a notecard, and let me know what you are doing, what you feel about the group at this point, whatever. I want to hear from you, and when I don't, can't really guess what your opinions might be. So, speak up, make your voices heard! This is your theme, this is your sim. The success of any group depends on the actions of its individual members. Let me hear what you've been up to!

Thank you,

Ananda Sandgrain.

That's it for volume 1 of the Kazenojin Bulletin. If you have
anything you'd like to share with the group as a whole, such as upcoming events, ideas, or news of group projects, send them in and I'll get them into the next edition.

[September 2003]

There are a number of events coming up for the People of the Wind, so it's time for a new bulletin!


Progress Update

The new air docks opened a while ago, and several arms have filled up with ships. There are several spaces still open, though, so if you are looking for a place for your craft to call home, come on over.
[pic]

The Kazenojin Outfitters store is open for business! While work is continuing on the finishing touches, the space is all set for you to sell your wares. Talk to me (Ananda) about space available to set up shop. This space is free to group members.
[pic]

The airfield has really developed nicely! There are now several hangars, and lots of aircraft parked. The large hangar is home to a tour blimp, which automatically makes a circuit of the airfields and the docks. Also under construction is a terminal building for a passenger airline service.
[pic]


Upcoming events

SL Physics Workshop - weekend of Sept 13-14.

This is SL's first "graduate" level instruction program! Put
together by Admiral Kanker Greenacre and sponsored by Kazenojin, this is a series of seminars on the use of physics in Second Life. Participants will learn about physical principles, and their application in scripts and in joints. If you would like to help us get this set up, please contact Kanker or Ananda. All classes will be held in Gray sim.

SL Physics Workshop Schedule:

Saturday, September 13
5:30PM-6:15PM -- Session I: Vectors
6:30PM-7:30PM -- Session II: Dynamics
Sunday, September 14
6:00Pm-7:00PM -- Session III: Rotations


Flying Script Contest

Coming up on Thursday Sept 18,7pm, we'll be having a contest to design the official Kazenojin vehicle flight script! This should be a smooth flying, physical script, judged on the ease of handling and ability to cross sim borders. The script should also provide a handling for any loss of the craft. Extra points for additional stunt capabilities!

This is a winner-takes-all event, $500 in prize money, no strings attached. BUT, if you make the script available for use by group members, you will receive an additional $1000 bonus! Plus, a craft (of your choice or design) with your script will be placed on display for sale in the central part of the store!


Group Meeting

Following the script contest, it's time for a group meeting. On the agenda: We will start the vote on the constitution, proposed in vol. 1 of the Kaz Bulletin. If you need a copy of that constitution, please IM me. Also to be discussed are whether further building should be done on the air docks, and to what extent land and structures should be made into group property once version 1.1 of SL is released. This is something you need to give your input on, since taxes on group property will be spread among the membership, active or not.


Further Group Events

If you have an event you'd like to run here in Gray, great! Please get in touch with one of the Admirals to coordinate, and we'll help you with staging, and security. Plus, there are several events in the making we would love to get your help on, including air races, duels, and maybe even ship battles.


Group Projects

For a while now, though you may not have been aware, we have had the Kazenojin Building Fund. This is money available to you. It is there for those who donate their hard work and prims to the group projects. This money is not given in exchange for services, but to help defray the costs involved in building and uploading textures.

There are a number of projects that need to be completed, or
started. If you are interested in building something in Gray, or would like to see any changes, please get in touch with an Admiral. At this point the roster of Admirals is as follows:

Goodwill Epoch
Ananda Sandgrain
Athos Murphy
Kanker Greenacre
LePoseur Skidoo

Here's a list of projects on the drawing boards:

An events platform on the main deck of the air docks
An observatory
A visitor's center, and pathway from the airfield up the mountain to the docks.
An officer's club, a.k.a. the Starlight Lounge, to be placed high in the sky.
The passenger terminal at the airfield.
A stream w/ waterfalls running down the mountain.
An elevator system for the docks and lounge.
Trees and landscaping.
Air race courses.
A hoverboard for air racing.
An aircraft for air racing.
Sensors designed to detect racers.
Sensors designed to detect the presence and then absence of people in the vicinity.
Details, textures galore!
Flight helmets, jackets, and suits.
Group t-shirts.
Party airships, for use as discos, for swashbuckling and duels, and casinos.
Windmills.
Alternate central structures for the docks, including a garden platform, observation deck, meeting hall, and flying rock!

As you can see there's lots to do here, so if you'd like to get
involved in making Gray one of the most beautiful and amazing sims in the world (even more than now), stop by.


Vote on the Constitution

Finally, after the meeting on Thursday, we'll call a vote and decide whether or not the Constitution should go into force as written. So, make sure you are online sometime on Thursday night or Friday to make your opinion known.

Thanks, that's all for this edition.

[Fall 2003]

Greetings to all People of the Wind!

There are many many things for us to talk about, so please take the time to read this, your money is involved!

Ok, first a note on the votes you're seeing - they were goofed up. I didn't notice that a successful vote would require EVERYONE in the group to vote (even those who haven't been on in weeks). So, they are not going to pass. If it's ok with you I'll start another vote on a single tax rate question after the meeting.

Which brings us to the first item:

How about a group meeting on Sunday, at 2 pm? We need to discuss the group land issue, and add a few things to the constitution, now that we know what's actually in 1.1. Be sure to check out our group forum:
//www.maidencircuit.co.uk/kazenojin
if you miss the meeting, we'll try to get a transcript and further discussion going there.

In the meantime, PLEASE do not deed any more land or object to the group. I understand a few of you were in extremity, but this is making what should have been a deliberation and democratic decision into a crisis of survival for the group. As always, it's having a strong and sharing group that's important, not so much whether we hold every last inch of land here.


Anyway, enough of the business stuff. What about some fun? Who else would like to have a new Air Show? It could have a lot of fun now, we've got a lot of script goodies and more on the way. In addition to the building competition, how about some races and dogfights? I'd love to fill the sky here with some crazy group stunts! Speak up if you'd like the opportunity to blow your fellow Pilots (and Admirals) out of the sky!

Don't be shy about any new activities you'd like to see the group engage in. You've got a ready pool of talent and creativity to draw on for your next big idea.

Another idea we've got a lot of pieces for is the Starlight Lounge. All we need is some good music and we can blow anything at that boxy disco out of the water! Let us hear from you - it's about time we had a party that's out of this world!

Ok, that's all from me. Here's the fine print:


Proposed Constitution

What follows is merely a proposal, and I fully expect you to return to me your comments and suggestions for changes and additions to it.
If the finished document gets a yes vote, I hope you will be willing to hold to it, but right now nothing in this applies yet. We will vote on this (with a more sensible quorum) after the meeting.

Kazenojin Constitution

I. PURPOSE. The purpose of our group is to encourage the creation of flying vehicles of all kinds, and to have fun flying them. It is also to create the scripts which move them, and to disseminate such information freely to our fellow group members.

II. THEME. Kazenojin is also a theme community, and the theme is wind. Anything to do with flight and the use of the wind, is appropriate for display in the sim of Gray. This primarily includes the creation and display of airships and aircraft, and the structures associated with each.

A. Freedom - Each landowner is free to create on and use his or her own land. All group members are encouraged to create crafts that fit their own personal styles, and to continue to upgrade them over time.

B. Overarching architectural style - Let's create a
community out of the golden age of airships and early flight! Think of the 1930's, the Zeppelins, Howard Hughes, and shipboard architecture from great old steamships like the Queen Elizabeth and the Normandie, as well as interiors you might find on more modern vessels. This would include classic airfield features, such as radar stations, control towers, windsocks, helipads, etc. This would also include more fantasy-type creations with the same "feel" such as floating trees and citadels, windmills, and birds.

Here's a few movies that might serve as inspiration:

Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Rocketeer
The Shadow
Memphis Belle
Pearl Harbor
Titanic
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Wings of Honneamise (anime)
Castle in the Sky (Miyazaki anime)
Kiki's Delivery Service (Miyazaki anime)

C. Responsibility - Regardless of what you build on your
land, it is your responsibility to allow the continued existence of the docks and the airships floating above it. Do not delete any part of these, and if you object to them, bring it to the attention of an Admiral. If for any reason you cannot or do not want to keep your land, let an Admiral know first! Don't let it go public.

D. Zoning- Permanent structures should not infringe on the
airspace. Please keep them below an elevation of 60 meters,
maximum. Special consideration may be granted by an admiral if it contributes well to the theme. Any signage should be scaled appropriately to the build, and it is only allowed if it directly attaches to the structure it is advertising.

E. Encouragement- encourage the folks around you to be good neighbors, and make their builds ever more impressive as time goes by. Help them out with textures and building advice.

F. Landforms - When editing your land, strive to maintain a natural shape, and to make a smooth transition from one parcel to the next. Place trees and rocks and other landscaping features wherever possible, including on open group land. Use of trees made of alpha-textured prims is recommended, to avoid the local viewer lag caused by tree objects.

G. Autorezzers - In the interests of keeping the lag and prim counts under control in Gray, it is recommended to use a combination of sensors and rezzers to generate the details of your builds only when someone is nearby to look at them. A system for doing this is being worked out.

H. Passengers and Visitors - please make visitors here feel welcome, and offer them a tour on board your craft if you like. Be kind - pilots found engaging in mass destruction or deliberately killing all their passengers for any reason except pure enjoyment may be fined two weeks' pay and will be frowned at.

III. Leadership - From time to time, new Admirals may be created. This title carries with it the following responsibilities:
Recruitment, drumming up enthusiasm, public relations (i.e.
welcoming and inviting people who visit), working with the Lindens to get all the breaks we can, decision making, wisdom, and above all, fairness. It also includes communicating as much as possible to the group, about what's going on, and listening to group members. Admirals need to coordinate the various projects, hold meetings, and
promote group events. Privileges of being an admiral include say-so on what gets built as part of the group projects, and control over group building and maintenance funds. Only those persons willing to put the group's interests ahead of their own should be Admirals.

A. New Admirals will be selected by current Admirals, requiring only a second Admiral to approve the promotion.

B. Admirals can be tossed out of office as provided in the recall function under Groups, however the vote must be have a quorum of half the total membership, or it can be reversed by the other Admirals.

IV. Membership - Anyone can be a member of Kazenojin, the only requirement is an active interest in building or scripting things which are in some way related to flight or moving vehicles. Being a group member does carry certain responsibilities. Be friendly and courteous to your fellows. Be sure to rate them when you meet them. Make it a habit to hit all the voting stations for projects you like in Gray. If you meet people out in the world who are making flying craft, invite them over and have an Admiral sign them up. Speak up
with your ideas and suggestions for improvements in Gray. And let an Admiral know what you're working on.

V. Group builds and land - Land in Gray is to be held by individual group members as much as possible, to avoid overloading us with group taxes. All craft are to remain the property of individual members.

A. Individual docking arms are owned by the owners of the
ships docking there. The dock ring is designed for use by 16 or more ships, so please work out arrangements to have a dock mate. Individual hangars at the airfield, and the land under them, are owned by the owners of the planes stationed there. If you would like to park a plane or build a hangar, get in touch with the owner of the land you're interested in. If you no longer want a dock arm or hanger spot, let an Admiral know, so new people can move in to the spot.

B. A portion of land and builds made for group use may be deeded to the group. There will be a vote to determine the maximum initial amount of group taxes per person. This vote to pass must receive a majority vote with a quorum of half of all group members. Any further deeds of land or objects requires a further majority vote of at least half the group members.

C. An additional group known as the Captain's Land Trust may be set up, for the purpose of preserving group land and builds. Persons wishing to support the success of Gray at a higher level than the average group member should join. This group will hold a vote among its own ranks to determine its willingness to take on additional taxes, and assume group ownership of additional parts of Gray.

D. Set your vehicles to allow group move, so they may be set aside if needed. All members are encouraged to equip their craft with flight scripts and make them available for sale.

VI. Amendments- Additions, changes, and deletions from this document may be proposed at any time by any group member, and adoption requires a majority approval, defined as an approval vote from at least half of the members, over the course of an entire week. A notecard must be submitted to all members with the proposal prior to the vote.

That's it for this time. Remember, seriousness is frowned on, and intolerance will not be tolerated! Gray is YOUR playground too.

[January 2004]

Hey everyone, there's a lot going on, so I thought I'd spam everyone with a single notecard instead of a lot of IM's. ^_^


I.
As of 1.2, being a member of our group will get you more benefits than ever before:

1. Access to a whole sim (and a whole sim's worth of prims)!

2. Collusion, er, conspiracy, er... joining together to get good spots at the Luna Oaks Galleria and Busy Ben's vehicle lot. This includes being able to add your vehicles and items to Garth's multi-vendors.

3. Access to group scripting resources, including flight scripts and many others!

4. T-shirts. Uniforms!

5. The great station, which you can help build! We're well on our way into the 3rd version now.

6. Opportunity to use the racing and dogfighting systems and add your own vehicles to the mix.

7. And of course, you belong to the best damn group in this or any other game!


II.
Now, how can we make all this possible? We need your help! Here's things you can do. Some we need right away, and others will come later on:

1. Get on the forums and join in the lotteries for the Galleria and spots at Busy Ben's right away! Garth or I will cover you if you don't have the allotment, and the idea is we'll share the spot among the group.

Also, Garth is bidding for store spots in the auctions and if we're nice to him and he wins, we can add group stuff to his merchandise collection! He's got a method to automatically distribute sales proceeds out of the vendors to the creators. So, don't go outbidding him and driving up the cost! LOL

2. Help us keep group land in the group! If you've got spare allotment, use it here. And once we get the option to make group land again, the idea is to get everything in Gray, or as much as possible starting with the center 1/4th and working outward, made into group land. This will give us, and YOU, the ability to use the whole sim's worth of prims wherever we want without worrying about individual parcel limits. So I'm calling on everyone to set aside and donate as much as possible of your allocation so that the group can do this. If you're considering buying land elsewhere to build what you want, consider this: Current auction prices for land are totally out of control, but using your land allocation as a group member in Gray will be free.

Please let me know what you can pledge to the group - personally I plan on donating 3/4 of my holdings, and saving the rest to get sales sites for group planes.

3. Come on over and add your input on the new tower station! This is YOUR tower too, and I want everyone to have a chance to add their own creativity to it. There's lots of spots on it for landing pads, lounges, airship docks, or whatever else you can think of! Or you can add a totally new platform along the tether! The space elevator will be travelling all the way from the ground up to 750 meters, and with no height tax there are possibilities for a lot of things along the way.

4. If you meet others out there that do great builds and make flying things, invite them to join and get involved.

III.
Proposed Amendments to the Theme Constitution.

As of 1.2, a lot of our old rules were invalidated and a lot of new opportunities opened up. As such, and after getting a few ideas out of the group I propose the following:

Theme:

The theme for Gray shall be clarified into several vertical zones.

Ground level: This should remain in as "natural" a condition as possible, and be reserved for the classic airfield and vehicle sales. The existing builds including SLU and various houses are grandfathered in. The rest of the land will be green and clean, with various landscaping around.

Ground to the clouds: This area is exclusively for the station and the flying vehicles and stuff attached to it - things that fit the theme. The rest is kept clear for a flight zone.

Cloud level on up to 500 meters: Anything goes! Floating platforms, air trees, giant clouds, whatever you most wanted to build in the sky but couldn't before.

500 meters up to 750 meters: Space alien territory! An asteroid space station at the top of the tether and spacecraft zooming here and there.

The station elevator will allow anyone to climb to the heights, and if you haven't already, get a copy of Goodwill's flight attachment which will allow you to fly to the top of the sky with ease.

Group land: As much as possible, all the land in Gray should be allocated to the group. This will free up all 13,000 or so available prims for use by anyone in the group, wherever they are needed. It will also allow the concentration of prims into the tower and into the ships and planes docked there! As a group member this is YOUR land and YOUR tower to build in, and add onto.

Thanks everyone, and get onto those lottery forums and guarantee us a presence!

-Admiral Ana

[February-March 2004 by Adm. Athos Murphy]

The Admiralty hopes that the new year finds our pilots and their friends well and happy! We would like to bring up a few items for everyone's attention:

1. Pilot Cubey Terra and his associates have created a very attractive and useful aerodrome in Abbotts. An increasing variety of well-made craft are for sale there, also. Fly on in and take a look -- runway 9 is at €, 132 feet ASL.

2. Almost every Saturday evening, the Kazenojin (in cooperation with the Second Life Racing Association) holds an event in the racing sims. Most often this is a Dogfight event, for which a distinctive top prize has been created - the Dogfighter jacket. More planes, more features and more fun are expected soon! On a related note, sometime "soon" we should be able to offer the "Sportsman" versions of our Dogfight craft for sale in the Kazenojin store in Gray, and at other selected locations. More details on that when it's ready to go.

3. The Gray sim is almost out of prims. We ask that all members with prims there please survey their own creations, and consider how to reduce their prim counts. Also, vendors and rezz-on-approach scripts are available. We might want to have aircraft events in Gray, and it would be a shame if we couldn't rezz even a full field of contestants' aircraft. There's plenty of space in the store for more vendor boxes, hint hint ... they don't *have* to be on the aprons.

4. As a note to scripters, the following channels have been established by the Admiralty for aircraft communications: general chat (including tower contact and race announcements), 106; Dogfight Red team, 107; Dogfight Blue team, 108.

5. If the members see fit and if money is burning a hole in our pockets # the parcel of 1024 square meters at the southeastern corner of Gray is for sale (formerly the Second Life Coffee Company), at the high price of L$50,000. We've got plenty of allocation; contact an admiral if you'd care to contribute to the Buy All of Gray Fund.

6. Speaking of land -- remember the group when you're thinking about your land allocation! We could still use another 10-20k of land allocation, in theory ... but every square meter helps!

7. Talk with ADM Garth Fairlight if you've got something great we should be selling at the Luna Oaks Galleria.

Have a great spring, all!

October 21, 2004
----------------------------------
It looks like someone has pulled out a significant amount of land allocation in Gray. We are going to need to move about 4300 square meters of land by Monday. To that end, I have subdivided some plots in Gray.

The first plot is Kazenojin Valley Plot #1, a 1584 square meter plot at Gray 183, 26. It's next to the SLU building and overlooks the ocean.

The second plot is Kazenojin Valley Plot #2, a 1024 square meter plot at Gray 196, 44. It is diagonally next to Plot #1 and overlooks the ocean as well as the south end of the Runway.

Both of these are very pleasant, located on the foothills of the big mountain the spaceport sits on. Depending on how far your draw distance is, you can also see the big skyscrapers in Tan.

Ideally I'd like to keep both plots for the prims they afford, so if you can make a land donation, please do so and let me know about it. Otherwise, the land will be transferred like this:
1. If you are in the list below, you can have the land of your choice for free.
2. If you are not in the list below, you can bid on the land, and the proceeds for whoever wins will be divvied up amongst the people in the list.
3. Any land not claimed by Monday (or covered by any tier donations) will most likely have to go up for auction.

Cut Tier Name
---------------------------------------------------------
19.3% 5378 Athos Murphy
14.7% 4096 Goodwill Epoch
14.7% 4096 Starwaster Peregrine
10.7% 2999 Huns Valen
7.3% 2048 Bino Arbuckle
7.2% 2028 Nergal Fallingbridge
14.5% 4048 Xylor Baysklef
5.8% 1616 Hawk Statosky
5.5% 1536 Unhygienix Gullwing
---------------------------------------------------------
Total: 27845

Note: There was one guy who donated 16 square meters, but I don't think I can provide linden pennies, so he's out of the running.


Update

Wow! Looks like some people stepped up to the plate. Korg Stygian joined the group and donated 1024 m^2. It looks like some others upped the ante as well, as we are now at -355 square meters.

The above offer stands for either parcel listed above, but not both, unless and until we are able to secure another 355 square meters of allocation.


Update Update
Bino Arbuckle has contributed enough land to cover the remaining deficit. Looks like we get to keep the land!

KAZENOJIN BULLETIN VIII

People of the Wind,

The group is very nearly two years old. Unfortunately, it has been dormant for the last year. As Bino Arbuckle pointed out, pretty much no one goes to Gray to visit the station.

I propose that we scale back the build dramatically:

1. Kazenojin Mountain - that is, the Eiffel structure and sky cable - will stay
   
2. If there are enough prims to support it, we will allow Kazenojin to sell vehicles there
   
3. The power generator may be deleted to save prims, depending on how things work out
   
4. Structures in the air over Kazenojin Mountain (other than the sky cable) will probably have to go in order to conserve prims as well
   
5. The land under the airstrip, airport, and hangars will be taken over by land donors or sold to others; whoever gets these parcels may elect to maintain the existing structures, or nuke-and-pave the land and use it for whatever new thing they may want; keeping the land in the Kazenojin group is OK but not required
   
6. The two Kazenojin Valley plots that have been parceled out at the south of the simulator will be sold
   
7. Xylor Baysklef will decide whether he wants to keep the SLU building land (south side of Kazenojin Mountain)
   
8. Huns Valen will decide whether he wants to keep the Ocean Vista land (west side of Kazenojin Mountain)

Those who have contributed land to the Kazenojin will get first dibs on land; they will take it over without paying anything to anyone. Those who are members, but not contributing land, will get to buy the land at a price per meter agreed on by the land donors. This will probably be less than the market rate. Any land that isn't sold in this way will be put up for sale to any comer.

Kazenojin Mountain and the Eiffel structure will remain as a perpetual monument to the group. There should be enough land donated by several inactive lifetime members, plus whatever other donations people care to make, to preserve this historic build indefinitely.

Relevant thread here: /82/2d/37401/1.html

If you scroll down in that thread, you'll see a place where I'm keeping track of who is willing to donate how much land; and of that land, how much is "core" (i.e. we can rely on it not being taken out for the forseeable future), and how much is "for the time being." If you are willing to make a donation, core or otherwise, please post in that thread and let me know.

We thank you for your continued support, and hope you will have a nice Spring!


Regards,

Huns Valen
Admiral, Kazenojin

Restoration is in progress!

Beginning this Sunday at 8 PM SLT, join us in planning the rejuvenation of both the Kazenojin Flight Complex and Kazenojin Seiringu Annnex - plus general goofing around and catching up with old friends and new hands, both!

All Kazenojin/Kazenojin Seiringu are invited to take part in developing a comprehensive vision for both facilities, celebrating our rich legacy as one of SL's oldest community builds.

We'll meet every week at the Finish Line lounge up on Level Two of the Kazenojin Tower.