Sara Donnelly wrote an interesting and lengthy piece in The Phoenix on Second Life and political action entitled "Out-of-Body Politic." I must have been in a grinchy mood because I said some pretty unpolitic things about Second Life activism: “SL ‘protests’ are really just cop-outs for people who don’t want to show up in the…
Ted Castronova announces “Videogames and Public Policy” conference June 22-23 at Indiana U
Just got word that the Synthetic Worlds Initiative at Indiana University, headed by Dr Edward Castronova, is hosting a conference on "Videogames and Public Policy" tentatively scheduled for June 22-23. The format sounds like a complete hoot and a half: The theme will be explored through a game that puts participants in a 19th century…
Considering in-world violence as a Quaker pacifist
Catherine Linden posts on the official SL blog that the Linden Lab PR department is looking for "folks who are using Second Life in the pursuit of religious or spiritual ends." As some of you know, I’m a Quaker. Not a great Quaker, but still a member of the Religious Society of Friends. After the…
Breakin’ it down
I’m in my fourth week of breakdance classes at PMT Studios. It’s a lot of fun and very physically and mentally demanding, as you can imagine. The instructor Pavan Thimmaiah (that’s him on the left) has a gift for taking even the most daunting of dance moves and making them seem do-able for beginners like…
Second Life Music Study: Initial Findings
I’ve been wanting to do a quantitative statistical analysis of the format of the music being performed in Second Life, and to compare it to the general kinds of music Americans are exposed to with traditional broadcast radio. I have a working hypothesis that, similar to streaming radio, Second Life music performances are filling unfilled…
My expired UN badge: why access matters
I just noticed on my dresser that my United Nations access cards have expired. It’s been nearly a year since I was last working for an NGO at the UN. I get a bit nostalgic for those times, rushing off to a General Assembly debate on the Digital Divide in Africa or an NGO strategy…
Mole meets his new rival: Chia Elephant!
My cat Mole Negro inspects the new pet in our flat, Mr. Chia Elephant. Mole’s not sure he like him, but he chews on some chia seeds anyway.
“Beyond Broadcast” conference to include SL virtual participants
On February 24 a bevy of media experts, activists, producers and policy-makers will be gathering at at the second "Beyond Broadcast" conference. I attended last year’s excellent "Beyond Broadcast" event, where I met Pathfinder Linden and Rodica MillionsofUs among many other folks. The purpose of this year’s conference is to : explore the means, the…
CBS airs Second Life machinima promo for “Two and a Half Men”
As reported earlier today in 3pointD and here, a fun bit of machinima video from Second Life was aired during the pre-game show of the Superbowl this afternoon. The video was a promo for, of all things, the somewhat funny sitcom "Two and a Half Men" produced by the Electric Sheep Company, in association with…
Second Life machinima to air during Super Bowl
So Mark Wallace gets the scoop: a machinima video shot in Second Life will be shown as a promotional ad during today’s Super Bowl. Reportedly an ad for the sitcom "Two and a Half Men," this is clearly a sign that Second Life is starting to enter the common culture. The promo is produced by…