Tonight I organized, with the help of my colleagues Rafi and Joyce, a presidential debate watching party in Teen Second Life. We had a very good turnout of about 28 teens, several of whom stayed for the entire 90 minutes — which is asking a lot of a teenager on a school night. Pretty much…
State Department hosting Second Life event on education in virtual worlds this Thursday
This Thursday, October 9, I am honored to be participating in a panel discussion on "Education without Borders" sponsored by the United States Department of State. The panel will address how virtual worlds can be used to reach out to people "conquering issues of physical distance, nationality, and culture." The panelists for this event include:…
A fusion Filipino feast at Kuma Inn
Last night I had one of those meals that remind you of what life is supposed to be about. My cousin Mel was in town for the weekend, so my sister Cori and I decided to take him to our favorite restaurant in the city, Kuma Inn. My buddy Rafi and Cori’s friend Jenny joined…
See what people are tweeting about the US Presidential candidates in Second Life
Kei Moana sent out news that the Capitol Hill sim in Second Life has installed a cool Twitter visualization tool that lets you see what different people are saying about the two US Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates. (For those who don’t know, Twitter is a micro-blogging tool that many Second Life residents are enamoured with.)…
Open-sourcing the grantmaking system
My buddy Creech (Matthew Saunders) is working on a really neat proposal to the Knight Drupal Initiative to develop an open-source grant-making system using the Drupal CMS. I agree with him that there is a clear need for a more transparent, efficient and fair system for non-profits to apply for grant funding from grantmaking agencies. …
Barry Joseph’s career path: from tech geek to social reformer
Barry Joseph, the director of the Online Leadership Program at Global Kids, posted to the Huffington Post yesterday about how he got involved in youth-oriented digital media. It’s a very interesting read about how one person evolved in his career as a techie with a social conscience.
First Contact! Second day exploring Chinese virtual world HiPiHi
I got to log a few more minutes in the Chinese virtual world of HiPiHi this morning, which was pretty interesting. I somewhat randomly teleported around to some of the more popular locations, which is how I found this beautiful castle pictured above. It was largely a facade, with no rooms or furnishings on the…
$2000 prize for best multimedia piece on a global issue
My friends at Citizens for Global Solutions tell me that they are launching another cool multimedia contest for the best artsy piece on a global issue. Submissions can be flash animation, spoken word,or digital video, so virtually any kind of activist / artist can submit something: It’s that time again! Calling all aspiring flash animation…
New York teens wanted for Second Life machinima project!
I’m excited to announce that Global Kids is starting up again its youth machinima initiative called the "Virtual Video Project." If you know of a teenager in the New York area who is interested in global issues, politics, digital media and having fun, then send them our way! Applications are due by October 17. Students…
Draxtor’s report on the USC Public Good Challenge
Here’s another great machinima news report from my buddy Draxtor Dupres. This time he covers the USC Network Culture Project’s Public Good Challenge in Second Life. It’s a nice frame for looking at the potential of virtual worlds for more than just commerce and entertainment. I was honored to serve as one of the selection…