I just got home from hopefully the last round of shopping for holiday presents this year. Yes, we are in a recession. But the stores and holiday markets are still packed with people busy stimulating the economy, as Mayor Bloomberg keeps telling us to do. I will be the first to admit that I probably…
Author:
A Quaker Christmas Tree?
This afternoon I was surprised to see that there is a Christmas tree in the "coffee hour" area of the Brooklyn Quaker Meeting that I attend. Apparently Brooklyn Meeting even holds a "Christmas Tree Festival" for our young people where Santa Claus makes an appearance! I find this all vaguely disconcerting and un-Quakerly. Historically, Quakers…
A very special/subversive Christmas from Tiny Nation
Those crackpots at Ill Clan machinima studios have unleashed a special holiday mini-sode of their machinima series "Tiny Nation." This time the elite squad of cuddly backyard creatures takes on "O Tannebaum," with typically disastrous results.
Scenarios USA & Global Kids premieres 3 youth films in Second Life
On Wednesday, I produced the virtual premiere of three youth-written films in Second Life. Organized by Global Kids in conjunction with Scenarios USA, the virtual screening brought together around 50 teens and adults on both the Teen Grid and Main Grid of Second Life. The audiences got to watch three short films on the subject…
Barry’s muppet doppelganger
My colleague Joyce just got our boss Barry a custom-made muppet, which we're all very excited about. Barry most of all.True, Barry is not exactly the leather jacket type. But otherwise, he's the spitting image of him. Barry already has his muppet hard at work representing him when he steps away from his desk. Most…
Draxtor Despres to report from Second Life on PBS starting in January
I just got the exciting news from my friend, machinima journalist Draxtor Despres, that in the new year he will be filing stories for PBS's Frontline/World television show! Check out this neat interview with Draxtor on KAZU radio in Monterrey, which does a nice profile of this award-winning journalist and broke the news about Drax's…
Registration for Frankie Manning 95 Festival is OPEN
I can hardly believe it, but lindy hop legend Frankie Manning will be turning 95 years old next May! I'm honored to be working with a bunch of cool folks who are organizing the Frankie Manning 95th Birthday Festival. From May 21st -May 25th, 2009 (Memorial Day Weekend) lindy hoppers, jazz musicians, tap dancers, friends…
Manu, Naomi & Ramona performing Wilson Pickett song at Swing & Soul (video)
Here's Manu Smith, Naomi Oyama, and Ramona Staffeld just KILLING a performance to Wilson Pickett's "Land of 1,000 Dances" at Swing and Soul in Atlanta this weekend. Sorry for my terrible call-and-response singing into the mic. How do you not sing along to this song?
Memorial to Slain Filipino Journalists in Second Life
Dakila Lacava sent out a notice about a new memorial she created with Gallia Sinatra devote to journalists in the Philippines murdered in the course of doing their duty. Called "Martyrs of Truth", it's a very simple structure with the names of the 62 Filipino journalists who have been "subjected to the ultimate censorship." At…
Rob Bowman on the history of Stax Records
On the last day of the Swing and Soul weekend in Atlanta, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by musicologist and historian Rob Bowman talking about the history of the Stax record label. Rob has basically spent a good portion of his life devoted to chronicling the story of Stax, a legendary soul…