Last Saturday I had the honor of presenting at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference about the work of Global Kids and some of the lessons we have been learning about how to best use virtual worlds for education and learning. The multi-day conference took place in Second Life, appropriately enough given the…
The Shim Sham… now in 3D! (video)
Ok, I am sure that my non-dancer friends are sick to death of all of these bloody Shim Sham videos. This is the last one (perhaps) that I'm posting, because it's so stinkin' cool! That's right, it's the Shim Sham, rendered in 3D, by those amazing folks at the Jam Cellar in DC. Here's how…
Balancing spoken messages and silence in Quaker Meeting for Worship
"Unprogrammed" Quaker Meetings for Worship, for those that have never been, can be briefly described as 60 minutes of corporate silent meditation interspersed with occasional spoken "messages" from someone in the congregation. It's the most "crowd-sourced" church service there is. Every Friend has their own personal sense of what is the best balance of spoken…
Roller Derby action: Gotham Girls trounce Boston at LIU tonight (video)
Good times at Gotham Girls roller derby at Long Island University tonight. It was a double-header event, well worth the $19 cover charge. The friendly crowd was packed to capacity in the auditorium, cheering madly for the New York teams and shouting out the names of their favorite players. I was there with a bunch…
Virtual World Best Practices in Education Conference starts tomorrow in SL
From March 27-29, the Virtual World Best Practices in Education Conference is taking place in Second Life. According to their website, this grassroots, community-based conference attracts faculty, instructors, trainers, administrators, instructional designers, and technical specialists from around the world. The virtual conference will "provide opportunities for virtual world communities to showcase projects, courses, events and…
Frankie Manning asks New Yorkers to host visitors for his birthday (video)
Here's a direct appeal from the man himself, Mr. Frankie Manning, asking New Yorkers to open up their homes to lindy hoppers visiting from all over the world for the Frankie Manning 95th Birthday Festival this May. The man has spoken.
Mike Jagger (plus 2 forks and 2 dinner rolls) dances the Shim Sham
Here's lindy hopper Mike Jagger dancing the Shim Sham ala Charlie Chaplin using two forks and two dinner rolls. Damned if those utensils and baked goods don't dance better than I do. This is just so strange and brilliant. Directed by John Damn.
New Yorkers shim shamming in Grand Central (video)
Here's my buddy Will's video of about 50 New Yorkers dancing the Shim Sham in Grand Central Station last Saturday. Thanks everyone who participated, and especially Shorty Dave, Akemi, Lynn, Swifty and Will for helping organize and archive all of this craziness. Mad props to you all. Part of the Frankie Week festivities, in preparation…
Habbo asks avatars to turn off their lights on “Earth Hour” March 28, 8:30pm EST
Habbo, the largest youth-oriented virtual world on the planet, is asking its millions of members globally to participate in "Earth Hour" — an initiative of the World Wildlife Fund to get one billion people to turn of their lights for an hour at 8:30PM EST on Saturday, March 28. The goal is raise awareness about…
“Mad Hot Ballroom” kids need your support!
"Dancing Classrooms" is the afterschool program run that teaches thousands of young people around New York City how to ballroom dance, as featured in the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom." Unfortunately, like a lot of non-profits, the Dancing Classrooms program is in dire financial straits due to decreased contributions. Founder Pierre Dulaine says the program will…