Here’s an amazing video of the Swedish lindy hop performance group the Harlem Hotshots kicking ass and taking names at what looks to be a Swedish equivalent of "America’s Got Talent" called "Talang." Wish I knew what the judges were saying, but clearly they were pleased. There’s a couple more videos up on YouTube for…
The Peabody: all the kids are doing it nowadays
This is me attempting to peabody with my friend Monica. I have no idea why my mouth is open like that. Cindy and I had a marvelous day at Governors Island today, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and cool breezes as we listened to the old-timey sounds of the Michael Arenella Orchestra. It was a great…
Demand “Planet B-Boy” in your town
I got a message from the makers of the kick ass breakdance documentary "Planet B-Boy" today, asking for help in finding a distributor for their amazing indie film. Cindy and I saw it a couple of months ago and were totally blown away by the dancing, the great backstories on the different crews, and the…
Tell the FCC to keep the Net Neutral
The Save the Internet Coalition is asking folks from all over to tell the FCC to keep the Net Neutral. It only takes a few minutes to submit your story — here’s mine. I played up the virtual world angle, since I figured few others would be doing that. But if you are a business…
USC hiring a virtual worlds project manager
Off of the Association of Internet Researchers Listserv this morning, I saw this job opening for a project manager of the "Public Diplomacy and Virtual Worlds Project" at USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy. USC has been involved in lots of interesting stuff from the iCommons summit next week to some "serious games" initiatives. So sounds…
Summer Swingin in the City
The summertime is the perfect time for a lindy hopper in the city. There’s a slew of free or cheap swing-related events going on nearly every weekend. The season kicks off with Michael Arenella and his Dream Orchestra playing on the beautiful Governor’s Island this Saturday. Emphasizing roaring 20s and 30s music, they are perfect…
Learning from failure: NGOevents.org
A couple of years ago, while working for another non-profit at the United Nations, I proposed the creation of a community-based, multi-issue civil society calendar of events at the UN. This evolved into the website NGOevents.org. As of today, the domain name NGOevents.org has officially expired, marking the end of a mostly failed effort to…
Amnesty Intl webcast on Internet Repression today!
Amnesty International is broadcasting on the web today a global event entitled "Some People Think the Internet is a Bad Thing," as part of their Irrepressible Campaign. Scheduled to begin at 6:30PM UK time / 1:30PM EST, the webcast will bring together both experts and victims of cyber-repression including: Martha Lane Fox of lastminute.com, Clark…
Yehoodi HQ in Second Life, beta 1.02
So over the past couple of months, I’ve been slowly building up Yehoodi’s in-world presence in Second Life, experimenting with our new headquarters in the Plush Non-profit sim (teleport SLURL.) It’s been a good learning experience for us, helping us strategize about our longer term goals in SL. Here’s a brief tour of what we’ve…
Avatars fly to end multiple sclerosis this Sunday!
Just a reminder that the National MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society is partnering with Scion and MovieTickets.com on a cool-sounding fundraiser to support the millions who suffer from the debilitating disease of MS. Scheduled from June 10-17, the "MS FLY" is the virtual equivalent of the annual "MS WALK" that takes place all around the United…