The kids at Penn State every year throw an amazing dance marathon called simply "The THON" to benefit pediatric cancer care at at the Penn State Children’s Hospital. They have raised $41 million over the past 31 years! This year, the benefit has gone virtual, with a host of in-world concerts to raise funds taking…
Cute overload: Frankie and Dawn Day 6
Here’s some friday morning cuteness from kitties Frankie and Dawn. The two pictures on the left are Frankie, the more sedate and sociable one, and the two on the right are Dawn, who always seems to be yelling about something. No resemblance to actual people or their character is implied! Enjoy.
James Turrell: Quaker artist who paints with light
I had the distinct pleasure of being at an inspiring lecture this evening by the artist James Turrell, speaking at a peace event put on by the Friends Seminary on 15th Street. Turrell is a Quaker who has spent his whole artistic career depicting light as physical entity with shape and texture and thickness. He…
Legendary swing dancer Frankie Manning’s autobiography hits the shelves in April!
I've had the honor and privilege of studying under the legendary swing dancer Frankie Manning, the octogenarian ambassador for Lindy Hop. I'm super-excited to announce that Frankie Manning's long awaited autobiography is finally hitting the shelves in April. Entitled Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop, the book chronicles the life and times of this…
What Second Life Needs: a Custom Keypad
This is a concept I’ve been thinking about for awhile. I think what SL could use is a custom keypad with all the main functions mapped right onto clearly marked and accessibly placed keys. I’ve done a basic mock-up of what this might look like, using the Fang Gamepad as a template. Click on the…
Jailbreak! Kittens invade the apartment!
After a couple of days hanging in the bathroom, we’re slowly letting our foster kittens Frankie and Dawn explore the rest of the apartment. Hilarity ensues.
Electric Sheep and Ill Clan: two great tastes that taste great together
I just got word from my buddy Frankyboy that his machinima crew Ill Clan Productions have teamed up with the virtual world marketing group the Electric Sheep Company as their resident in-house machinimators. I’m a huge fan of Ill Clan’s work, especially "Trash Talk", so I’m super excited to see them creating more Second Life…
More crazy kitty cuteness: Frankie and Dawn at my place
The kitties that I fostering that we’ve named Frankie and Dawn have moved over from Cindy’s to my place tonight. My cat Mole is taking it somewhat in stride, although he isn’t really being very welcoming. We’ll keep them seperated for a day or so and see how they are getting on tomorrow. More kitty…
Second Life Unitarians ask “What does it mean to be a church?” (video)
My friend Otenth tells me that the religious group the Unitarian Universalists have been building an enormously successful presence in Second Life, their regular gatherings now pushing the limits of the Modesta sim they are in (teleport SLURL). The UUs, as they are affectionately called, have a number of similarities to Quakers, both coming out…
What is Web 2.0? Slick and engaging video by Michael Wesch
Michael Wesch, assistant professor at Kansas State University, created this pretty awesome four and a half minute video describing the power and possibility of Web 2.0, emphasizing the community over the corporate aspects of the phenomenon. "The Machine is Us" indeed. Nicely done. After the fold, you can see the complete credits of the video…