Today I dropped in briefly on the virtual book signing of Warren Ellis’s first novel Crooked Little Vein. It was an pretty crowded sim (25+ avatars) and laggy as all get out. I got there just as Warren was finishing his remarks and the queue for the "book signing" was starting. (Basically Warren’s avatar swaps…
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Yes, I think I can dance: The convergence of art, old media and new media
As this season’s "So You Think You Can Dance" winds down to its conclusion, I’ve been thinking about how cool it is that I have a cohort of dancer friends from around the country who are watching it with me and commenting along on the discussion boards of Yehoodi, the swing dance website I help…
August 14 Non-profit Commons Launch Event to feature Anshe Chung and Jeska Linden
In just under a week, the Second Life Non-Profit Commons — which houses the virtual world HQ of Yehoodi among many other non-profits — will be throwing a fabulous launch party on August 14 from 5:30-7PM (teleport SLURL). The NPC sim was made possible by a generous donation by Anshe Chung, so she will be…
Happy anniversary, Cindy
This is the first picture of Cindy and me together. We weren’t even dating at this point, just hanging out during the Maine Lindy Exchange. Five years later, and she never ceases to amaze me. I love you, Cindy.
Creepy but cool Motion Portrait technology animates photos and pets
Pink Tentacle blogs about a cool and somewhat creepy new technology created by Japanese company Motion Portrait that takes any photo and converts it into an animated image that blinks, makes facial expressions, and even speaks. Supposedly lightweight enough for portable devices like phones and PDAs, the technology is apparently already being used for animating…
YearlyKos Convention Day Two: Presidential candidates step up to the mic
Just checking in on what’s going on at YearlyKos Convention today in SL. I rezzed into a breakout session being run by Hilary Clinton. She’s talking a good talk right now about the need for stronger infrastructure in the US, including our mass transit system and broadband internet. Hurray for mass transit and broadband! There’s…
Billie Holiday: Distorted & Re-appropriated
I love Billie Holiday, I love electronic music. I should love, "Billie Holiday: Re-mixed and Re-imagined," right? Well, not exactly. I met some lindy hop friends at the South Street Seaport last night to catch a performance by some of the DJs and musicians featured on the new Billie Holiday album. It was a pretty…
A Brief Interview with the YearlyKos Organizers
The YearlyKos Convention has started in Chicago and in Second Life (teleport SLURL) It’s amazing seeing the parallel tracks being broadcast in the different meeting areas they have set up in-world, and the avatars gathered to participate virtually. Unlike real conferences, you can instantly teleport around to the different sessions, checking in on a panel…
Many Eyes: Cool community-based data visualization tool
A few weeks ago a colleague sent me a link to IBM’s data visualization project called "Many Eyes." Basically its a community-based website that enables anyone to upload data, examine existing datasets,…
New Castronova book examines how virtual worlds impact our real lives
University of Indiana professor Edward Castronova has a new book examining the real life impacts of our increasing involvement in virtual worlds, such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. Entitled Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Changing Reality , it looks like an interesting read. From the book description: Virtual worlds…