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…
Foundation offers L$70,000 for “rich content” in Second Life
Adri Saarinen sent out a press release announcing that the "Foundation for Rich Content" (love that name) is accepting proposals for three grants for "content that enriches the experiences of residents in SL." One grant is for the amount of L$50,000 and two are L$10,000. Deadline for proposals is March 25. What kind of "rich…
“Peacemaker” computer game teaches about peace in the Middle East
ImpactGames announces the release of the computer game "Peacemaker," a simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which you play the part of either the Israel Prime Minister of the Palestinian President in quest to create a secure and peaceful environment for your people. The game is innovative in that it intersperses real-world footage and data…
$2,000 to best Flash movie on a global issue
My friends at Citizens for Global Change sent me a note about a new contest they are running to find the best Flash-based movie that deals with a global issue. Animation is not really my gig, but sounds like they are interested in amateurs as well as Flash-gurus giving it a go. Oh, and the…
50K views of “Avatars against the War” video!
Man, I throw together a couple minutes of Second Life machinima of the NetRoots in-world peace protest on Monday and suddenly I’ve got 50,000 views on Google. All my past video efforts, including footage of Presidential hopeful Gov. Mark Warner appearing in-world, have garnered views in the high hundreds at most. I guess its all…
Turn out the lights, shut down the computer, log out your avatar for five minutes today
In about a couple of hours, my office will be turning off all of the lights in response to the "Five Minutes for the Planet" effort launched by the Alliance for the Planet. Here’s the announcement, briefly translated: The Alliance for the Planet [a group of environmental associations] is calling on all citizens to create…
Ah Hell, Molly Ivins is dead
I was having such a good day until now. I just heard the news that Molly Ivins just lost her long battle with breast cancer and passed away at the age of 62. Ms Ivins was a unique and inspiring voice for the progressive movement, writing with a humorous, plain-speaking style about issues of social…
Seeking the Light in virtuality: Quakers in Second Life
Otenth Paderborn tells me that he has decided to start up a Quaker group in Second Life and is organizing the first Quaker service on Saturday February 10 at 9AM PST at (appropriately enough) Quaker (155, 22, 31) . I am very excited about an in-world Quaker service, although I have my doubts about how…