KattattaK! S12E5 ::: Back to Katt's Retro Arcade!

Last Saturday of June! We're back in the Dome once again for another Season 12 Retro Arcade with DJ Katt! 

Katt is currently having a resurgent interest in dark, dystopian, early-1980s synth and industrial music. What is that all about? Well, German post-punk industrial music emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, blending the stark, minimalist aesthetics of post-punk with the harsh, mechanical sounds of industrial music. It features abrasive guitar riffs, synthesizers, and unconventional production techniques, often incorporating themes of alienation, dystopia, and existential angst. Bands like Einstürzende Neubauten and Die Krupps exemplify this genre, utilizing found objects and experimental noise to create a raw, visceral sound. The genre is characterized by its avant-garde approach, blending electronic music with punk’s DIY ethos, resulting in a sound that is both challenging and innovative.

John Foxx and Gary Numan, though primarily associated with the British electronic and synthpop scenes, significantly influenced the development of German post-punk industrial music. John Foxx, as the original lead singer of Ultravox, pioneered a cold, synthesizer-driven sound that prefigured the industrial genre. His solo work, especially the album "Metamatic," further explored themes of alienation and dystopia, resonating with the post-punk industrial ethos.

Gary Numan, with his band Tubeway Army and solo career, introduced a mechanical, robotic sound through hits like "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars." His use of synthesizers and stark, futuristic imagery influenced many German artists, contributing to the synthesis of electronic music with post-punk's dark, introspective qualities. Both Foxx and Numan's work laid the groundwork for the fusion of electronic music and post-punk that became a hallmark of the German industrial scene.

PSA: Ideas to improve Firestorm 7.1.9 performance

Ideas to improve Firestorm 7.1.9 performance

• Some Ideas to improve Firestorm 7.1.9 performance No guarantee that any of this will work for you! Everyone's computer is different. That's part of the challenge for something like SL, they can't just make one "one game for all" like they do with a Playstation or XBOX because with those systems everyone is on the same hardware so they know what's going on... That said...it should also be noted that non-PBR viewers will soon be deprecated by the increasing use of PBR textures in creations with no fallback blinn-phong textures. I hear all the time that people are stubborn about updating their hardware -just because- of SL getting more complex. Well, SL is like any other computer app/software/game, if it never got better people would bitch about that too. So truth is, 2024 might be the last time your current PC/Mac can handle running SL and you might want to think about upgrading (I know, you don't want to hear that). What? 1 - So Linden Lab is pushing this new PBR (Physically based rendering) lighting and texturing model. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physically_based_rendering] 2 - Advanced Lighting Model & Atmospheric Shaders are on by default and you can no longer disable them! Sorry! 3 - Are you totally screwed then? Well, for now at least you can always go back to the previous version but LL and FS have a 3 version limit, eventually the last working version will be shut down and you will HAVE to use this one, or go play Roblox or Minecraft or something instead...But there might be some things you can do now to improve the performance you get from the PBR-viewer... I. Go to Preferences → Graphics → General - Make sure Screen Space reflections and Mirrors are not checked. - Make sure Shadows is set to none. - Reflection Detail should be set to static-only. - Reflection Coverage can be set to none (this will prevent any and all reflections which means you’ll never see mirrors, but it might buy you FPS) II. Go to Preferences → Graphics → Hardware Settings - Uncheck Anisotropic Filtering, that’s a FPS-hog right there, it’s basically a setting that gives lighting a muted, soft appearance like you are looking through a slight haze. Choice is yours. It’s aesthetic. Enable vSync is tricky. Depending on your graphics hardware this can make or break performance. Only way to know is trying with it on, and off. - Antialiasing - don’t quote me but I think this is only for nVidia cards (which I have), and my default was FXAA. It’s a setting that makes things less edgy and pixelly and is used in most games now. If it says that FXAA is on, and you don’t have an nVidia card, select disabled. I am not even sure if you can change the setting if it doesn’t apply. Either way… - Advanced Settings → Override VRAM detection could be a biggie. Again, if you have onboard GPU or certain branded graphics this might not even be a selectable option but if it’s unchecked, try checking it, and sliding the slider down to smaller VRAM amount. For example my GPU has 6GB VRAM (yeah it’s a dog, it should be for what it cost me!) but I’ve been reading that dropping that might help stabilize and speed up things, although it seems counter-intuitive to me not to be using all your graphics memory. I’ve noticed that in the new FS, other apps on my PC are laggy! Mixx (streaming music) is very laggy if I run it alongside FS (which of course I always do!) which is not idea. I’ll maybe try to reduce my VRAM and see if that helps. "BUT KATT! IT'S STILL LAGGY, SLOW AS SHIT AND I'M SAD!" OK - well let's consider a couple of things you can do that were applicable even before we got into this PBR thing... - What's your bandwidth set to? Just because you have GigaFiber at a bazillion gig download, doesn't mean you should ramp up to max in SL. In fact, the amount of data SL sucks down the internet isn't as much as you'd think, so try running about 650-700 maybe 900 tops. When you try to send it up to 1500 or so, you flood the buffers, you're standing in front of the firehose, it's too much data all at once for SL to handle. So sometimes less is more. - What's your draw distance set to? There's an old joke about a woman goes to the eye doctor says "I need glasses, I can't see very far", the eyedoc takes her outside points up and says "What's that??" she says "Errrrr the sun?" he says "Thats 93 million miles away, just how far do you want to be able to see???" - Set your draw distance to what you need. Indoors, at the nightclub, in the garden, 80m is plenty. If you are sailing and want to avoid crashing into boats and lighthouses, then 150-200...maybe 300m is good. But running around maxed out 1024m is going to slow you down bigtime. Why? Because SL has to draw in all that detail even if you don't need it. I run around at 32m most of the time, I don't need to see to the next sim unless I'm sailing or something... LASTLY, Try a fresh install. Seriously, it sound likes blahblahblah but installing FS fresh with all the previous versions' files deleted first can solve a boatload of issues. Ask me why if you feel the need. OK - that was a freaking thesis. Hope some of this works out for you -KATT ♥

KattattaK S12E4 Katt's Retro Arcade

Hey folks, yes, despite the heat, we will be back again this Saturday evening at 6pm SLT for S12E4 of KattattaK! and it's another trip to Katt's Retro Arcade for a mix of synthwave, synthpop, retrowave, vaporwave and original 1980s tunes. Oh heck, you know by now, it's mostly whatever Katt wants to play and everyone seems okay with that too! 

The 80s had a really distinctive sound: the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, released in 1980, revolutionized music production with its distinctive analog drum sounds. Created by Roland Corporation, the 808 initially faced criticism for its unrealistic drum timbres but gained iconic status due to its affordability and unique, deep bass and snappy snare. Despite being discontinued in 1983 due to a shortage of its transistors, the TR-808 left a lasting legacy, shaping genres like hip-hop, electronic, and pop. Artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Marvin Gaye, and later, Kanye West, utilized its sounds, cementing the 808's place as a cornerstone in modern music history.

S12E3: "Katt's Retro Arcade" @ KattattaK!

We are back again this Saturday evening at 6pm SLT for S12E3 of KattattaK! and it's another trip to Katt's Retro Arcade for a mix of synthwave, synthpop, retrowave, vaporwave and original 1980s tunes. And as it's Pride Month, your DJ may find a few rainbow-tinted-anthems to throw into the mix!

PRIDE MONTH 2024

Pride Month, celebrated each June, commemorates the struggles and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. Its origins trace back to the Stonewall Riots, a pivotal series of events in 1969. On June 28 of that year, patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, resisted a police raid. The raid was one of many in an era when LGBTQ+ individuals faced widespread discrimination and harassment. The riots, led by figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, sparked six days of protests and clashes with law enforcement, galvanizing the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

The following year, on the anniversary of the riots, the first Pride marches were organized in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, aiming to promote visibility and rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. These marches grew in size and number over the years, eventually becoming an annual event. In 2000, President Bill Clinton officially declared June "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month," a designation expanded by President Barack Obama to "LGBT Pride Month" in 2009, recognizing the diversity within the community.

Pride Month serves not only as a celebration of identity and community but also as a reminder of the ongoing fight for equality and acceptance. Parades, festivals, and educational events occur worldwide, honoring the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and advocating for continued progress in human rights.

KattattaK S12E2 Katt's Retro Arcade

Get ready for another Retro Arcade with DJ Katt Aurora exclusively at the Kimkattia Dome this Saturday, 8th June 2024 @ 6pm SLT.

Get ready to time travel! Join us this Saturday at 6pm SLT for S12E2 of Katt's Retro Arcade, the ultimate retro 80s, synthwave, synthpop, and retrowave show at the Kimkattia Dome. Dance the night away to electrifying beats and nostalgic tunes that will transport you back to the era of neon lights, classic synths, and timeless hits. Rez your best 80s attire and prepare for an unforgettable evening filled with vibrant music,  witty banter, and the inevitable bad jokes! Remember, if you're not here, you're missing out!