I’m off in a few minutes to meet up with some lindy hop friends to dance in the 2nd annual New York Dance Parade. We’ll be joining nearly 4,000 other dancers from 100+ dance groups representing 31 different styles of dance, for the sheer joy of moving our bodies to music. You can catch us…
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The NOAA needs your input on their Second Life presence
The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has done some amazingly cool builds in Second Life on their two islands Meteora and Okeanos. This US government agency has commissioned lots of innovative, interactive displays that really show the potential for virtual world education and awareness-raising — from a hurricane simulator to a live map of…
WSJ article on teen summer jobs in virtual worlds: perfect counterpoint to Fox FUD
Lots of you have probably seen this bit of Fox’s sensationalist "news" about the "dangers" of the "Second Life website" on teens. Don’t get me started on how nonsensical the idea of "consensual rape rooms" is, or of virtual depictions of drug labs somehow corrupting minors. Anyway, there is a lot of hemming and…
NMC announces $100K (yes, real US dollars) for innovative learning & virtual world projects
Just got this off the SL educators list. The amazing New Media Consortium is offering US$100,000 in prizes to 20 projects that use virtual worlds in innovative ways for learning. Projects must be conducted in Second Life or Sun Microsystem’s new Project Wonderland virtual world platform: The New Media Consortium (NMC) today announced the call…
Inhabiting a Hopper painting
Checking out Tezcatlipoca Bisiani virtual re-creation of Edward Hopper’s melancholy painting "Nighthawks". Click here to visit it in Second Life. Really nice work! (Thanks for the link, Hamlet.)
Why is a Spanish health center for teens on the SL Adult Grid?
Just got a link to a news story in The Guardian on a Spanish medical group that has set up a virtual health center in Second Life, with the intention of counseling teens on confidential and sensitive health issues. As the article states: Spanish health authorities launched a virtual portal through the Second Life website…
Breakdance/b-boying as a vernacular street dance
Just had a fun practice session with some of my fellow breaking students at PMT Studios. We are getting to the point where we have enough of an initial vocabulary and confidence that we can try out new moves on our own and have our own unique styles and strengths. It’s a great feeling making…
Help send GK youth leaders to Mexico this May 28
I wanted to spread the word about a happy hour fun-draiser that Global Kids is throwing in NYC on May 28. We’re organizing a cocktail party at the White Rabbit bar in Manhattan on May 28 to help some of our youth leaders go to Mexico this summer to work on human rights issues. Enjoy…
Virtual Cuba versus Real World Cuba
Earlier this month, the metaverse development company Metaversatility launched a new showcase sim "EmVee Cuba" in Second Life (click here to teleport.) It’s a lovely, picturesque island, pushing the envelope on what is possible in SL, with each prim, texture and light placement designed to create an immersive sense of walking through a historic Cuba…
Global Kids: why our blood is unacceptable
I have been a blood donor for most of my life, having been blessed with large veins and no squeamishness around needles. It’s one of the easiest ways to give that might literally save another person’s life. Plus I love the free cookies and juice at the end. Recently I got contacted by one of…