HPR4522: Lee interviews Elsbeth about SL Shop and Hop event

Hacker Public Radio

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In this episode, Lee sits down with Elsbeth Starling — fae-coded creator, mesh-maker, scripter, and accidental caffeine-fueled entrepreneur — to talk about what it really takes to get accepted into Second Life’s legendary Shop & Hop as a relatively new business owner.

At just about a year and a half into her SL journey, Elsbeth breaks down the whole process:

• how she applied,
• what the organizers look for,
• and why imposter syndrome is basically the unofficial application form.

Link to the last Shop and Hop information

She shares her behind-the-scenes workflow using GIMP , Blender , and LSL scripting to turn simple mesh ideas into fully interactive creations. (Spoiler: it involves equal parts stubbornness and fairy dust.)

We dive into SLRead , the virtual HUD-based e-reader system she and Lee created — a tool that brings the joy of real-life reading into the digital world, complete with pages, collections, and a whole lot of cozy vibes.

Elsbeth also reveals her newest item premiering at Shop & Hop: an interactive story-time décor piece that lets ANY avatar sit down, pick one of six sweet stories, and be read to in local chat. Think “campfire storytelling,” but with lag and better fashion.

We wrap up by talking through the practicals:

• the cost of participating,
• how sales work at large SL events,
• the realities of being a smaller creator in a massive marketplace,
• and why Shop & Hop can be one of the best visibility boosts for emerging designers.

If you’re an SL creator dreaming of Shop & Hop — or just curious how creators bring magic into the metaverse — this episode is a must-listen.

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