I’m proud to announce that on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, youth leaders for Global Kids, have created an online community and game that connects young people with the ongoing relief efforts in New Orleans: “Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City.” Global Kids and Game Pill, an innovator in online games development, have created…
Category: Politics
Audio review of “Hip-hop US History” CD and Guide
My friend Joyce gave me for my birthday a copy of the "Hip-hop U.S. History" study guide and music CD, which I have been enjoying for the past week or so. I was going to write about it, but thought it would be much clearer if I just prepared a short audio review that presented…
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…
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…
Celebrate Your Freedom, Americans!
Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans! Hurray for freedom, democracy, and fries!
Video: Rik on Metanomics Show yesterday
For those interested in seeing me speak on the USC Public Good in SL Community Challenge yesterday on the Metanomics Talk Show in Second Life, SLCN.tv has released a quicktime video of the entire show. It’s kind of a long download, so I recommend cueing it…
Global Kids teens produce machinima film on educational racism in China, Brazil and the US
I’m proud to announce that our teens in our Virtual Video Project at Global Kids are about to unveil their latest machinima film on how racism effects access to education in three countries: China, Brazil and the United States. The film, "Race to Equality", will premiere on Thursday, June 26th, at 6:00 pm at the…
AMD ad campaign features Global Kids “Playing 4 Keeps” program!
The computer processor maker AMD launched today the "Changing the Game" ad campaign at http://innovation.amd.com/learn/. I’m proud to say that this campaign prominently features Global Kids’ Playing 4 Keeps game program and will also be running in upcoming issues of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Austin American Statesman. The latest P4K…
2 jobs available for community development project in Boston using Second Life
Gene Koo of the Berkman Center at Harvard wanted me to pass around these job notices for an innovative project called "Hub2": "Hub2 seeks to enable local neighborhoods to participate more meaningfully in the design and development of their own public spaces. Residents engage in a process that employs 3D tools and problem-solving techniques to…