Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
And now a little wrap-up after the silly Quaker MMORPG hoax I perpetuated over the couple of days. For those I fooled and are miffed about it, my apologies. It was only meant in good fun, I assure you. My intent was simply to riff on the announcement earlier this week of a new virtual…
I got in my in-box this link to a game trailer for “World of PeaceCraft,” the new Quaker-themed MMORPG coming out this December. Check out those graphics! They must have used some sophisticated mo-cap and lip sync to get Harrison Ford to look so lifelike. Sweet! (Yes, I’m a bad, bad person. Luckily Quakers don’t…
Lots more attention than I expect from yesterday’s post about “Quaker Life: World of PeaceCraft” the new Quaker-themed MMORPG. I got a follow-up email from the WoP CEO of Thaddeus Thomas, who frankly wasn’t too thrilled that I leaked the news prior to their press conference next week. Urgg, sorry about that. Anyway, Mr. Thomas…
Since I have contacts with a number of Quaker institutions, I got this advance notice from the Quaker United Service (QUS) that I thought sounded pretty cool and relevant to this blog. The Religious Society of Friends — better known as the Quakers — will be launching this December a new online roleplaying game “The…
I just downloaded my copy of the new report by Sandra Bettger "Nonprofits and Second Life: Promoting Causes Inside Second Life — For Real-World Impact." It’s a nice follow-up to my own report on non-profits in virtual spaces that was published by Global Kids last year. Sandra goes deeper into the actual experiences of 12…
The Foundation For Rich Content has announced a call for proposals for "rich content" in Second Life. What exactly is "rich content"? The FFRC defines it as "educational events, arts, virtual sports, cultural events and just fun things to do." Sounds a bit vague? Here’s some examples of past "rich content": Trivial Obsession Contest SL’s…
I view machinima (digital films created using a game engine or virtual world) as a powerful and accessible medium for storytelling and artistic expression. And despite its game-based roots, I think there is ample evidence that machinima can be used to engage people on serious issues and ideas — whether its the upcoming US Presidential…
This what computers are good for — creating useless but entertaining programs that replicate stuff that worked just fine in the real world. DK of Mediasnackers tweeted a link to this awesomely useless and free Mac application called "Poladroid." Poladroid puts a cute Polaroid on your desktop that you can drop any image file on. …
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon "raps" about the role of private donors and foundations in helping the UN do its work. Ouch. I’m embarassed for the entire UN system. Someone really needed to advice Ban Ki Moon to not try and rap. Where were his advisers getting his back? And there are lots more…
Can virtual art stimulate real-world political action? Find out on Friday, October 24, as digital media artists Peggy Weil (Ping Rau in SL) and Nonny de la Peña (Nonny Writer) discuss how they are using 3D artwork as a form of political expression and civic engagement. In Second Life at the International Justice Center (click…