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…
Griefing is sexier than peaceful protest
I just got word that BBC Radio did an interview with SL NetRoots organizer Ruby Glitter about the in-world peace demonstration that occurred on Monday. Or at least, that’s what the interview SHOULD have been about. Instead the interviewer kept shifting the focus to the in-world griefing of the Front National headquarters. Ruby handled herself…
Video of “Avatars against the War” Peace Demo in Second Life
I did a rush job pulling together some video of the "Avatars Against the War" peace demonstration that took place on Monday at the Capitol Hill sim. Thanks to In Kenzo for sharing her footage of the event, which was much clearer than most of mine. And of course to the NetRoots folks who made…
MTVu giving out $5,000 for best game idea to fight HIV/AIDS
MTVu (MTV has a university?) announces that they are holding a contest to come up with an online video game to teach young people about HIV/AIDS. Called the "Change the Course of HIV Challenge," the competition is for the best idea for an online viral video game. So you don’t have to be a game…