Although the full-strength State of Play IV Conference in Singapore in January still seems to be in jeopardy, there’s a smaller, equally interesting State of Play / Terra Nova symposium happening in a couple of weeks in New York City, December 1-2. The event will feature a number of cool panels on such topics as…
Friedrich Kirschner is a machinima genius
I finally got an opportunity to see some of the machinima pieces of my friend Friedrich Kirschner. With due respect to the other machinimators I know, Friedrich really creates at a completely different level than everyone else’s work. I am not sure I can even call it machinima. They are more like moving collages of…
But do you REALLY want to work for an NGO?
Me with the WFM staff in 2001 A friend invited me to speak last week to a group of students interested in careers in International Relations at St Johns University in Queens. I have done these sorts of talks a number of times and it’s always both invigorating running into young people interested in social…
Szyndi & I in the Gardens of Apollo
A romantic moment watching the sun go down in the Gardens of Apollo with my baby.
More virtual reality coolness from Stephane Zugzwang
And you thought Second Life could not get any cooler? In Kenzo TPed me over to an incredible, enormous virtual reality simulator on Commonwealth Island built by Stephane Zugzwang. You stand on a small suspended, semi-opaque platform high above a mountain range. As you click on a large sampling of images on a floating screen,…
Pics and transcript from talk on SL political organizing
Tonight In Kenzo and I gave a little talk on the subject of Second Life political organizing and awareness raising. We had a small but very engaged group of a dozen or so progressive activists participating in "RootsCamp," a weeklong series of discussions on the fallout from the recent US elections. What follows is a…
Off to lefty camp with In Kenzo: today at 3pm PST!
Just a quick reminder that the lovely and talented In Kenzo and I will be presenting on the subject of Second Life political organizing and awareness raising campaigns at 3PM SLT / 6PM EST on Better World Island (direct SLURL). Part of a weeklong series of in-world meetings of progressive activists called "RootsCamp," I’m excited…
Mole is not-so-in-love with bathtime
My usually quite obedient and unflappable cat Mole was not so happy with his bath this evening. I have the scars on my back to prove it. We unfortunately have to give him a couple more baths over the next two weeks to knock out the ringworm that he’s picked up. Mole really looks like…
RootCamps in SL line-up for the coming week
The Second Life version of RootsCamp has quickly taken shape in the past day or so, with several exciting sessions coming together. RootsCamps are informal real world gatherings for progressive (mostly) American activists and organizers to discuss the results of the recent elections and start planning for the 2008 Presidential election. From what was only…
NetRoots: progressive avatars plot regime change
For folks on the lefty-side of the political spectrum, there’s a virtual space for gathering with other organizers and activists in Second Life at RootsCamp on Better World Island. Here’s how they describe it: RootsCamps are 2006 post-election debriefs. Progressives — everyone from the "netroots" to precinct captains to field organizers to national message consultants…