I’m just dying for an authentic, interesting part of New York City to get built in Second Life. Nearly a year ago Versu Richelieu created a simulation of one of the most boring blocks in Manhattan, 39th and Fifth Avenue. Then for Christmas we had a virtual Rockefeller Center designed by Aimee Weber Studios for…
Category: Virtual Worlds
Alaskan Airlines article on education in Second Life features Global Kids, Zoomlab
Joyce over at Global Kids sends a link to a very positive article in the Alaskan Airlines in-flight magazine about education in Second Life called "Next-Generation Education." You can read some nice write-ups of Global Kid’s efforts on the Teen Grid and their machinima project, as well as Zoomlab’s work bringing New York and Amsterdam…
American Cancer Society grand opening in Second Life this Sunday
The American Cancer Society is holding an official dedication and grand opening event for its new headquarters in Second Life (Teleport SLURL) on Sunday September 23. The festivities start at 12 noon PST with opening speeches by representatives of the ACS, the SL Relay for Life, a cancer survivor, and a doctor. This will be…
European language fest comes to SL September 26
Here’s an event that makes me — the "International Man of Inaction" — very happy. Birdie Newcomb sent out information on an interesting language festival coming up next Wednesday, September 26: Belle Isle is hosting a Festival of European Languages, September 26, from 8am to 2pm SLT, celebrating cultural diversity. The centerpiece of the Festival…
New York Times on classical performance in Second Life
The New York Times Arts Section has an interesting article about the challenges of transporting classical music into the virtual world. Entitled "Watching a Cyber Audience Watch a Real Orchestra Perform in a Virtual World," the impetus was the the concert by the Liverpool Royal Philharmonic in SL last week. I was lucky enough to…
Discussion on constitutionality of Guantanamo Bay at 1:30PM EST today in Second Life
Just a reminder that today at 1:30PM EST there will be discussion on legal and constitutional issues surrounding the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. Sponsored by the USC Institute for Media Literacy and the Seton Hall School of Law, the event marks the launch of the "Virtual Guantanamo" build, designed to dramatically focus attention on public…
“Virtual Gitmo” to focus on legal and political issues of US detention of alleged terrorists
At the Non-profit Commons meeting this morning, avatars Ping Rao and Nonny Writer talked about a new project to stimulate dialogue about America’s "War on Terror." USC Institute for Media Literacy and the Seton Hall School of Law will be launching on Monday a "Virtual Guantanamo" to focus on public policy issues surrounding the Guantanamo…
French humanitarian group Première Urgence sets up shop in Second Life
I just got a press release from the French humanitarian aid group Premiere Urgence. According to their mission statement, they "engage in concrete and direct actions to assist victims put in danger, marginalized and excluded by the effects of natural catastrophes, war, civil actions, and conflicts based on economic collapse due to political changes internationally…
Video story on “Interdependence Day” event: Okay, Ben Barber is an idiot
Draxtor Despres of Life4U News sent me a link to a great summary he did of the "Interdependence Day" mixed-reality event featuring Ben Barber and Gilberto Gil that I wrote about a couple of days ago. Draxtor pulls out a salient quote of Dr. Barber’s where he really slams Second Life as a medium for…
Pump manufacturer Grundfos creates virtual island on environmental issues
International pump manufacturer Grundfos announces that they are opening an island in Second Life focused on sustainable development. Thomas Kodbaek of their e-business unit comments, "The natural way to enter [Second Life] for us is to focus on sustainable development, and so we have built up our island with environmental issues and energy consumption as…