Here’s a quick video I took from the Metaverse Meetup this evening at the Global Kids offices. That’s David Levine of IBM Research (Zha Ewry in SL) and Adam Frisby of DeepThink Labs (Adam Zaius in SL) introducing the OpenSim project to the 30 or so folks in our conference room. Heady stuff. Sadly, I…
Category: Virtual Worlds
Streaming Diplomats: the challenges of working with real and virtual teens and adults
Today I helped organize a pretty successful mixed-reality Global Kids event, featuring Dr. Francis Deng, the UN Special Representative on Genocide, speaking about Darfur and the UN’s response to situations like these. The Online Leadership Program of Global Kids, which I’m a part of, is making concerted efforts to coordinate our work more closely with…
Metaverse Meetup at Global Kids HQ this Wed July 23!
This Wednesday, July 23, Global Kids is playing host to the next NYC Metaverse Meetup. The topic is a timely one: "OpenSim and virtual worlds interoperability" featuring David Levine of IBM and Adam Frisby of DeepThink Labs. With the enormous growth in online spaces from Second Life to Google’s Lively to Sony Home, there will…
Talk on stopping the genocide in Darfur with UN Rep today at Intl Justice Center in Second Life
Today at 12PM PST, the International Justice Center will be streaming into Second Life a conversation on the situation in Darfur with Dr. Francis Deng, the UN Secretary Generals’ Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide. Dr. Deng is a remarkable individual: a Sudanese national who has served as a human rights officer at the…
Relay for Life in Second Life raises US$200K in 24 hour event
Some of the organizers of SL Relay for Life at the closing ceremonies. From L-to-R: Pituca Fairchang, Garth Fairchang, Stingray9798 Raymaker, and Fayandria Foley. I just teleported into the closing ceremony of the 2008 Second Life Relay for Life, a yearly fundraiser for the American Cancer Society that keeps getting better and better. The organizers…
Fundraiser for SL Shakespeare Company tomorrow
The SL Shakespeare Company has begun an ambitious fundraising campaign to raise 14 million linden dollars (~US $56,000) to support their performances of the Bard in the virtual Globe Theater in Second Life. This Friday, July 18, they kick off their campaign with a “Twelfth Night MegaFundundraiser” hoping to raise the first L$1 million: At…
Going on a virtual hajj on IslamOnline island
I read on my Google News feed that IslamOnline.net recently established a two-sim estate in Second Life to educate people about Islam (Click here to teleport.) I found that the estate consists of four areas: An education center An amphitheater A Palestinian Holocaust Memorial Museum and a Virtual Hajj The virtual hajj was particularly interesting…
I Dig Tanzania tee-shirts!
We just got the "I Dig Tanzania" tee-shirts from the printers today! We had them created for our kids to wear for their real life trip to Chicago to meet their peers at the Field Museum, as well the paleontologists who were in Tanzania. Shawna’s dad designed the awesome logo. For some reason, we decided…
Congrats to Native Lands, Ability Commons and Texas Obesity Center for Winning USC Public Good Awards!
Congratulations to Native Lands, the Ability Commons and the Texas Obesity Research Center for winning the USC Public Good Community Challenge! Eech group is being awarded L$300,000 and a plot of land each to develop their projects in Second Life. These three projects bring such important concerns to the table — Native American heritage preservation,…
Closing shop on Yehoodi’s Second Life office in the Nonprofit Commons
I’ve decided that I don’t have the time or energy to devote to building out Yehoodi’s in-world presence in Second Life anymore. I do believe there are interesting ways that virtual worlds could be used to promote lindy hop and swing jazz. I would still love to host in-world interviews with jazz artists and dancers,…