Today at noon the 110th Congress opens with an ambitious "100 hour" agenda being pushed by the majority Democrats. Among the initiatives the Dems hope to push through are an increase in the minimum wage, support for stem cell research, and enacting the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Meanwhile, in Second Life, the marketing firm Clear Ink…
SL Darfur event with Mia Farrow re-scheduled for Jan 9
Bill Lichtenstein of LCM sends me news that the virtual briefing with Mia Farrow on her recent trip to Sudanese refugee camps in Chad has been re-scheduled for January 9 at 2pm EST. The event will take place in the Infinite Mind sim (direct teleport SLURL), as well as stream audio to Camp Darfur and…
Real World Places in Second Life #13: Ancient Rome
Torin Golding’s outstanding sim called simply "Roma" (teleport SLURL) is a feast for the senses and a powerful demonstration of the potential for virtual environments to immerse you in historic places.
Helping those who help themselves
I have never liked the phrase "God helps those who help themselves." I have often heard it used as an excuse to ignore the plight of people suffering from famine or civil war or homelessness. It’s "those people" who are responsible for their own suffering, whether it be welfare moms or Sudanese refugees. But I…
Yehoodi VIDEO Talk Show now available!
I’m super-thrilled to announce that my buddy Spuds and I have just released the first video version of the Yehoodi Talk Show, the swing-related podcast we have been doing for a number of years together. In this episode we offer insightful commentary (mostly us laughing) alongside several choice swing dance-related videos. Yes, I know, I…
Virtual Capitol to stream live video of opening of 110th Congress
Reuters announces that marketing firm Clear Ink this Thursday will streaming live video of the opening of the 110th US Congress into a virtual version of the Capitol (teleport SLURL). This will be followed by an in-world discussion with Rep. George Miller of California, chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee. The Capitol Hill sim officially…
New Year’s Deep Thought: speaking truth to your loved ones
So I have been thinking about how important it is to surround yourself with good people. And not just because people are happier when they have more friends and family around them. That’s obviously an asset. I often wonder how people get by with just a small nuclear family instead of the army of cousins,…
Hot kitty lickin’ action!
This is a super cute video of my girlfriend’s cats being nice to each other. It’s great that she captured it on video, or else I wouldn’t have believed her. That’s because for the past few months her younger cat Vespa (the grey one) has been terrorizing the older one Geisha (the calico). So seeing…
Nothing says Christmas like SPAM
Warning: the following images may cause excessive drolling or nausea depending on your feelings about Spam. A Hawaiian speciality, Spam Musubi is a staple of island cuisine, a combination of Asian and American influences mashed-up in typical Kama’aina-style. Really nothing says the holidays like pig parts on rice wrapped in nori.
Virtual shopping and unfulfilled desires
I just got back from "The Great Mall" in Milpitas, California. Nice mall — not GREAT — but nice. I was thinking as I wandered from store to store how little I really need or even want to buy nowadays. The goal of merchants is to convince the consumer that they "need" or "must have"…