The Knight Foundation recently announced that they are launching a new $5 million fund for innovative community journalism in cyberspace called the ‘Knight Brothers 21st Century News Challenge.’ The grant program will provide funding for "new ideas, prototypes, products and leadership initiatives that use innovative news methods to help citizens better connect within their communities."…
Slider hair is for dorks
Just got a new ‘do, to replace my super-newb "slider hair" that I’ve been sporting for way too long. I’ve always wanted white hair actually, although perhaps not with enormous antennae. More exciting self-portraiture after the jump…
On TV, the Old Boy’s Club is alive and well
Derek Turner of the media reform group Free Press has just released a study that shows that the television industry is still largely dominated by white men, even as other industries in the country diversify their ownership demographics. Entitled "Out of the Picture," the report cites a number alarming statistics on television station ownership: Women…
Star Wars Transformers!?!? What fresh hell is this?
I would have liked to have been at this brainstorming session at Hasbro: Okay, what do kids like? They like Star Wars toys! But we’ve thrown at them every possible Boba Fett plush pillow and Luke Skywalker cereal product we can think of. The whole Star Wars schtick has needed a boost of energy for…
All your Starbase are belong to us
Master SL builder Hiro Pendragon sends out word about a cool simultaneous "multi-verse" release of Starbase C3. It’s a lot to grok, so pay attention: There’s a ten year old virtual world called "Starbase C3" which exists as kind of a collective fantasy of thousands of fans who perpetuate the world via 3D models, fanfic,…
Correlation between griefing and violent game play?
The excellent Game Politics blog recently did a little investigating of claims by Louisiana attorney general Jack Johnson and other anti-game violence politicians. Apparently Johnson has been touting an American Psychological Association study that he said had found that violent video game play causes real world violent acts. I happen to know the current chair…
I see gray people: second class surfing in Second Life
It hit me tonight what was so deja vu about hanging out in Second Life on my pre-Intel iBook: it’s like surfing the web on dial-up. Tonight I wanted to visit some parties, maybe get some new hair, and change my walking animation. Instead I spent almost the entire time waiting for images to render….
Human Rights Video Hub launches – fighting impunity with technology
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the human rights group WITNESS is piloting a new "Human Rights Video Hub" in association with international blog aggregator Global Voices Online. Their first efforts focus on a police shooting in Malaysia and a series of protests in China. After participating in some of the initial consultations on…
Burning Life turns to ashes tomorrow! Thanks for the paranoia!
Hamlet posted an excellent video of the virtual homage to the Burning Man festival called "Burning Life" in Second Life. Obviously a lot of work by hundreds of builders went into creating the fanciful dreamscapes, strange contraptions and just random silliness. It was like a sandbox with lots of lots of very talented kids building…
Chinese protestors take to YouTube: You can’t stop the signal!
Global Voices Online reports that the Chinese police recently cracked down hard on a large protest in Rui’an, spurred by the mysterious death of a young school teacher ruled a suicide by authorities. Nothing new there: Chinese citizens protest, they get a beat-down. The twist is that now cameraphones are common accessories among Chinese citizens,…