e-Democracy guru Steven Clift has done it again, organizing the first gubernatorial e-debate in Minnesota. His site smoothly brings together streaming videos posted by each of the candidates, daily blog posts and rebuttals, RSS feeds, flickr photos, and email updates. Taking place from October 9-19, several issues important to Minnesotans have already been debated, including…
Your tax dollars at work: US government regulation of virtual worlds
Reuters (now with their own Second Life Bureau desk!) reports that the US Congress is considering how virtual economies such as those within Second Life and World of Warcraft interact with US tax code. According to federal economist Dan Miller: Right now we’re at the preliminary stages of looking at the issue and what kind…
I’m standing up against poverty – are you?
Today I’m doing my part to stand against poverty. Head over here for more info on how you can participate today and tomorrow.
Torley’s free techno kicks ass
Torley Wong (aka Torley Linden in Second Life) is many things: a machinima filmmaker, a Linden Lab employee, a lover of watermelons. But most importantly, he’s a a kick ass techno artist. Or at least was until hyperacusis took out his ability to compose or even listen to music. Despondent for awhile, but generous to…
Final pics from Versu’s 72-hour build-a-thon
Versu did it! She emerged, unscathed (and dry) from her 72-hour voluntary confinement to a storefront window for a virtual build-a-thon from the corner of 39th Street and 5th avenue. The results from my non-expert perspective are quite impressive, with a high level of detail and sense of place designed by the master builder. More…
Versu’s latest challenge: underwater sim building
In a dramatic move, virtual marketing firm Millions of Us ramped up the challenge for master builder Versu Richelieu this evening by filling her 3 x 8′ storefront workspace with water. In the last day of her grueling 72-hour marathon Second Life build, Versu now has to contend with the significant difficulties of working in…
Jerry & Celia’s wedding dance (video)
My dance friends Jerry and Celia tied the knot over the weekend. They had a very simple and lovely civil ceremony and dance party in Manhattan with 150 of their closest friends and family. Here is a video of their wedding dance, one of the loveliest I’ve seen, featuring at least six styles of dance,…
Pic’s from Versu Ricelieu’s 72-hour live build
I just dropped in on Versu Richelieu’s live 72-hour build taking place both in the real world and in Second Life. Starting this morning at 7am, Millions of Us employee Versu Richelieu entered the store window of computer store Datavision in Manhattan at 39th Street and 5th Avenue. For the next three days, she’ll be…
Symposium and photo contest on Digital Media (due date Oct 18)
Alan Levine, aka CDB Barkley, announces that as part of a twelve day symposium on "the impact of digital media" being sponsored by the NMC Campus, they are holding a photo contest on the contest theme. According to the contest rules, images "must capture in still photography the power of digital media, or some impact…
Off to Athens for Internet Governance Forum!
It looks like I will be going to Athens, Greece for the inaugural meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, from October 30 to November 2! The IGF is a UN-organized body devoted to supporting "multi-stakeholder policy dialogue" on the Internet and its governance and regulatory policies. I believe that I am being invited to speak…