An Art Hive is a community art studio that welcomes everyone as an artist. From an art pop-up in a local library to a community studio or gallery, at its heart, an Art Hive is about inclusion, respect and learning. It's a welcoming place to talk, make art and build communities. Responding in creative ways to things that matter.

Come and contribute to our Virtual Hive and find out more about the history of the project here: https://arthives.org

Rakis Heron

Your contact person for grid (no drama)
and hometown sim advisor.
Owner of grid. 8 domains, 6 servers, 5 works,
hardware, software, business internet and
all bills every month. $ 300 / month.
PayPal donations are always welcome.

Take the high trail to the Fire Lookout. Follow the trail up past the signs for Stone Bowl Pond and Silver Veil Falls to climb into the pines for one of the best views in Sanctuary Canyon. Even with areas under construction on the sim, the trails are open for hiking or horseback riding, so take your time and see where the mountain leads!

I’m about to make an unpopular post — not because it’s cruel, but because it breaks the narratives people cling to. And today, I’m breaking them.

TLDR: Just download Wolf Viewer, come get a free account, and see!

I’m on Wolf Territories now. Before that, I spent years in a certain non‑hypergrid virtual world starting in 2006. I left for over a decade because it was too expensive and too technically demanding. When I returned, I found myself boxed in again — prim limits, permission limits, high costs, and almost no free resources. I limped along.

Then I went to OSCC in Nov 2020. I saw the educators who had already escaped the old world. They had better avatars, better tools, better environments. One of them showed me around, and that was it — I was home.

I’m an educator with 32 years of consulting experience and Fortune‑level clients. That old world once helped me build a business presence that made serious money from 2007–2010. Even with restrictions, we proved what could be done.

But my criteria have always been different from the average hypergrid resident:
- Tech first. Support first.
- Community optional.
- Forward motion mandatory.
- No grid‑owner celebrity cults.
- I am a customer, not a worshipper.

These are my standards. They won’t fit everyone, and that’s fine.
Wolf Territories met them. More than met them. This grid is not just ahead — it’s operating on enterprise infrastructure with boutique pricing. And no, it’s not free. You cannot get 14 servers, dual object storage, and active development for free. You cannot get Fortune‑grade tech leadership for free. You cannot get enterprise internet for free.

And yet, it is STILL affordable. Especially compared to that unnamed world.

Our grid owner isn’t trying to be a clone of the unnamed world. He’s demonstrating real tech capability, just like I used to do for my clients.

And now, in just the last few months, Wolf Territories has rolled out features that fundamentally change what OpenSim can be:
1) Wolf Viewer
A new, security‑focused viewer built for modern infrastructure — not legacy assumptions.

2) Accessibility Tools
Real tools for teaching, learning, and play. Actual accessibility baked into the platform.

3) True Gaming Systems
A built‑in framework for real game mechanics — not hacked scripts or half‑solutions. Actual game development inside OpenSim.

4) Integrated Mixer & Broadcasting
Music, DJing, podcasting — all native. No external tools. No duct tape. Just seamless creation and broadcast.

5) Environmental & Vehicle Systems
- Clouds, water waves, surfing, real system water on a prim, and proper vehicle controls:
* Cars
* Planes
* Submarines
* Ships
* Boats
* Helicopters
Not “sort of works if you’re lucky.” Actual physics. Actual control.

6) Free Inworld Office Space, Inworld Shops, and Streams for residents!
Land owners get these things regardless of plot size.

7) Built‑In Compass
Added because one very directionally challenged individual begged for it. (You’re welcome.)

8) Terrain Painting & Built‑In Weather System + EEP
Region lighting and weather that can match nearly any real‑world location. Snow and rain use particles — not mesh. Snow accumulates on the ground while it’s falling. You can paint your terrain instead of using the texture pallet - which you can still do.

9) AI Integration (Unparalleled)
On‑ground AI that can:
- Write accurate LSL
- Run AI NPCs with spontaneous, natural conversation
- Assist with teaching, roleplay, creativity
- And anything else you think of — Lone will likely build it

10) Extreme Terrain Capability
Mountains up to over 800m high. Depths down to 100m below water.

11) Incredibly generous prim packages
Up to 12M prims….because there are now 1000x1000 VAR regions (and yes, THOSE are EXPENSIVE)

12) Generous complexity for mesh uploads

13) Incredibly high reliability / uptime
Enterprise stability. Not hobby‑grade.

14) Enterprise-level security
- A far more secure viewer
- A control panel for land owners
- OAR uploads on demand and checked for being secure and virus-free
- No requirements for approval of new accounts - because that is not a security issue for this grid

Every day, Lone releases something new — for fun, for education, for creativity.
And that is why I am here.
Not because it is free or nearly free.
Not because it is the cheapest or the most expensive (because it is not).
Not because I’m friends with Lone Wolf… AND I AM.
Not because I am required to volunteer… AND I DO.
I am here because Wolf Territories is affordable, best value, technology‑advanced, and has a great community. Come and download Wolf Viewer, get a free account, and start REALLY LIVING in a virtual world!

How we deal with 1000 metre mountains and some new WolfViewer / WolfStorm Features. Including 10 levels of terrain textures including being able to define textures for cliffs.

https://youtu.be/sVxaFdP3luo?si=VRgUE5dUfw27xRn6

Lieber Tomi,

ich hoffe, es geht Dir gut auf Deiner Reise.

Du warst einer der geradlinigsten und aufrichtigsten Menschen, denen ich je begegnet bin. Leider konnte ich nicht oft an Deinen Events teilnehmen, weil es erneut Missverständnisse über meine Absichten gab.

Das Logo habe ich sehr gerne für Dich gestaltet.

Danke für Deine Freundschaft und für die gemeinsamen Begegnungen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass Du im Himmel bist – denn wenn jemand es verdient hat, dort zu sein, dann Du.

In herzlicher Erinnerung und mit lieben Grüßen von Aphra

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

Dear Tomi,

I hope you are doing well on your journey.

You were one of the most straightforward and genuine people I have ever met. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend your events very often because there were once again misconceptions about my intentions.

I was very happy to create the logo for you.

Thank you for your friendship and for the moments we were able to share. I am sure you are in heaven, because if anyone deserves to be there, it is you.

Remembering you with heartfelt affection and sending you warm regards,

Aphra

Nach Mitteilung sei Tomi Balboa in der Nacht vom 04. auf 05. Oktober verstorben.
Wir erfuhren dies über eine Woche später am Dienstag den 13.Oktober, dass Tomi Balboa schon von Sonntag, den 04.Oktober auf Montag, den 05.Oktober im Krankenhaus verstorben sein soll.
Smaili dachte dass Tomi Balboa im Krankenhaus ins Koma gelegt worden sei und nach Angaben von Smaili wurde Tomi eine Woche zuvor mit Rettungswageneinsatz am Mittwoch den 23.September wegen Herzinfarkt ins Krankenhaus gebracht und wurde die Woche darauf am Dienstag,den 29.September mit Entlassbrief vom Krankenhaus entlassen und 4 Tage später am Samstag, den 03.Oktober bekam er einen zweiten Herzinfarkt, wir konnten einen Rettungseinsatz veranlassen. Am Sonntag,den 04.Oktober um 10:27 Uhr hatte Tomi Smaili angeschrieben und sagte er sei jetzt im Krankenhaus, nicht intensiv sondern in einem normalen 2 Bett Zimmer mit anderem Patienten zusammen.Er sagte er hätte am Samstag einen zweiten Herzinfarkt bekommen und hofft das es der letzte war, er schrieb noch er sei am Samstag Abend vom Stuhl gefallen und konnte nicht aufstehen und nicht telefonieren, hätte starke Schmerzen gehabt. Seine letzter gemeinsamer Chatkontakt zu Smaili war am Sonntag den 04.Oktober um 17:27 Uhr und ab 19:04 Uhr hatte er nicht mehr geantwortet, deswegen war die Vermutung das er ins Koma versetzt wurde.
Was dann folglich Sonntag auf Montag in der Nacht des 04. auf 05.Oktober im Krankenhaus passiert ist wissen wir nicht. Smaili war noch nicht bereit es zu veröffentlichen dass er verstorben sei.

According to reports, Tomi Balboa passed away during the night of October 4th to 5th.
We learned of this more than a week later, on Tuesday, October 13th specifically, that Tomi Balboa had reportedly passed away in the hospital between Sunday, October 4th, and Monday, October 5th.
Smaili believed that Tomi Balboa had been placed in a medically induced coma at the hospital. According to Smaili, Tomi had been taken to the hospital by ambulance a week earlier, on Wednesday, September 23rd, following a heart attack. He was discharged the following week, on Tuesday, September 29th, with a discharge letter. Four days later, on Saturday, October 3rd, he suffered a second heart attack, at which point we were able to arrange for an ambulance. On Sunday, October 4th, at 10:27 a.m., Tomi messaged Smaili to say that he is now in the hospital not in the intensive care unit, but in a standard two-bed room, sharing the space with another patient.He said that he had suffered a second heart attack on Saturday and hoped it would be his last. He also wrote that he had fallen from his chair on Saturday evening and was unable to get up or make a phone call, experiencing severe pain. His last chat interaction with Smaili took place on Sunday, October 4th, at 5:27 PM; he stopped responding at 7:04 PM, which led to the assumption that he had been placed in a medically induced coma.
We do not know what subsequently happened at the hospital during the night from Sunday, October 4th, to Monday, October 5th. Smaili was not yet ready to make the news of his passing public.