On this week’s RezEd podcast, I helped out my colleague Amira with the news and events section about recent developments in virtual world education. I think it turned out really well. The featured guest on this week’s RezEd podcast is Dr. James Paul Gee, a brilliant researcher and big thinker on digital games and learning…
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Holy German Import! Has Batman been kidnapped?
Atalanta, Booosh, Lilieblue and I were walking around lower Manhattan yesterday when we saw a ghastly sight on Lafayette Street. Apparently some super-villain (who drives a VW) has kidnapped the Caped Crusader and has him trapped in the trunk of his 4-door. No amount of shouting and pounding by Boosh was able to revive the…
Waterboard Thrill Ride at Coney Island: crass entertainment as political discourse
Today my friends Sara Jane, April and I checked out the "Waterboard Thrill Ride" created by artist Steve Powers at Coney Island. A heavy-handed piece of interactive political art, "Waterboard Thrill Ride" takes the tortuous act of "waterboarding" and makes it into a sideshow attraction using animatronics, flashing lights and music. For the price of…
Rick’s Picks Phat Beets
My friends Rubymae and Arfer got me this cool jar of pickled beets while they were in the Catskills. Gotta love a product named "Rick’s Picks Phat Beets"! No idea if they are any good, but how could they be bad?
Virtual Worlds and Bowling Alone: are virtual communities “real” or not?
I got brain-dumped a ton of provocative ideas and questions from the virtual worlds symposium sponsored by the USC Network Culture Project last week. (Thanks, Doug, Tori, Staci, et al!) One of the more relevant discussions related to why people are motivated to get involved in online games and virtual worlds by the hundreds of…
Justice Jam Dance Party at the Second Life Justice Center August 13
This Wednesday, August 13, at 5PM PST, come to the Second Life International Justice Center (teleport link) for our first Global Justice Jam. Catch real world / virtual DJ Doubledown Tandino spinning an eclectic mix of global grooves for your dancing pleasure. During the dance, we’ll also be asking for donations to aid victims of…
Comcast spanked by FCC for violating Net Neutrality!
Yes, I am days late on this, but I still thinks it important to blog this up. The cable company Comcast on August 1st got cited by the Federal Communications Commission (which is chaired by a Republican) for violating the principle of Net Neutrality. Specifically, the FCC found that "Comcast Corp.’s management of its broadband…
How to mount a U-lock on a Brompton folding bicycle
I got a new Brompton folding bicycle recently, and after my recent unfortunately experience, security is foremost on my mind. Obviously the best solution is to carry the bike everywhere with you. But that is not always practical or possible, which means you have to lock up your expensive wheels on the mean streets where…
US$300 for best logo design for RezEd.org community
Global Kids launched four months ago the RezEd.org community site, a space for educators using virtual worlds to connect with each other, discuss practical concerns about teaching and learning in VWs, and access critical info and news in this area. Since then, the RezEd membership has grown dramatically and we are looking for a logo…
1,5001 blog posts on Rikomatic!
I just realized that today’s post about COBU is the 1,500th blog entry to Rikomatic.com! The image here is the actual first blog post to the previous version of this site, that I created in Plone starting in May 2004. Yes, I know, it’s so so pretty. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging…