It looks like plans are moving fast in preparation for the first multi-verse YearlyKos Convention taking place both in Chicago and in Second Life in August. YearlyKos is an annual convention gathering a thousand or so people from "the Netroots community," a non-partisan grassroots political action community that uses the Internet and blogs for political…
Category: Politics
C-SPAN to make videos available online under Creative Commons-type license
This is quite exciting: C-SPAN has announced that they plan to making available on the web their video of congressional, White House and Federal events under a Creative Commons-type licensing structure. They are implementing a "liberalized copyright policy" which will allow non-commercial copying, sharing, and posting of C-SPAN video on the Internet, with attribution. I.e….
Awesome new net neutrality video from SavetheInternet.com
Gotta love this new video from the SavetheInternet.com folks. It clearly and cogently describes the issue and what you can do to defend freedom of expression on the internet. Awesome stuff.
Second Life Protest against US intervention in Iran
Just popped into SL to catch a possibly spontaneous protest against any US military action against Iran. There are twenty-some avatars gathered at the Capitol Hill sim holding signs and shouting slogans at each other. Apparently this protest was a reaction to Iran’s defiance of the Security Council resolution calling on them to stop their…
A lucky lead at the Dance Marathon yesterday
Here’s a fun picture of me dancing with my friends Devona and ShortyJul at the Dance Marathon event held yesterday to today in Madison Square Park. The picture was taken by Jerry, who’s flickr gallery from the event is here. I couldn’t make the evening shift of swing dancers, but it looks like a fun…
Video of Holocaust Museum briefing on Darfur in Second Life
My friend In Kenzo passes on to me an incredible video of the in-world briefing on the genocide in Darfur organized by the US Holocaust Museum that took place last month. The video features a very skillful and powerful juxtaposition of in-world footage and images from Sudanese refugee camps. Makes me want to work on…
Dance Marathon today and tomorrow in Madison Square Park
I did my little bit for the cause of dancing today, heading out in the freezing cold to dance for an hour with a hardy dozen lindy hoppers in Madison Square Park this afternoon. The cause was an effort to fight the ridiculous Cabaret Laws in New York that restrict public dancing to only a…
The Phoenix article on Second Life and real world politics
Sara Donnelly wrote an interesting and lengthy piece in The Phoenix on Second Life and political action entitled "Out-of-Body Politic." I must have been in a grinchy mood because I said some pretty unpolitic things about Second Life activism: “SL ‘protests’ are really just cop-outs for people who don’t want to show up in the…
Ted Castronova announces “Videogames and Public Policy” conference June 22-23 at Indiana U
Just got word that the Synthetic Worlds Initiative at Indiana University, headed by Dr Edward Castronova, is hosting a conference on "Videogames and Public Policy" tentatively scheduled for June 22-23. The format sounds like a complete hoot and a half: The theme will be explored through a game that puts participants in a 19th century…
“Peacemaker” computer game teaches about peace in the Middle East
ImpactGames announces the release of the computer game "Peacemaker," a simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which you play the part of either the Israel Prime Minister of the Palestinian President in quest to create a secure and peaceful environment for your people. The game is innovative in that it intersperses real-world footage and data…