With a new round of funding in the bank, Twinity is on as firm a ground as it's ever been. The development of virtual replicas of cities has proven a successful formula to date. Singapore is a Twinity stronghold and a virtual Orchard Road is on the way. Two aspects of the Orchard Road announcement caught my interest: Virtual Singapore was developed in consultation with the … [Read more...] about Twinity: intersection of immersion and State
Politics
Proposed ISP filtering allows surveillance of journalists, citizens, politicians
Should Senator Conroy’s proposed ISP filtering come to fruition, it concentrates extraordinary powers on whoever is to actually run it. It allows the surveillance of the Internet activities of Kevin Rudd’s children, the journalists at News Limited, or the government’s perceived political opponents (or its own members), or of anyone. At will. Without cause. Without warrant. … [Read more...] about Proposed ISP filtering allows surveillance of journalists, citizens, politicians
Protest in Second Life: the current Gaza conflict
Over on DIP's Dispatches from the Information Age, SL resident Eureka Dejavu has posted some pics of a protest held over recent days. The focus of the protest is the current flare up of hostilities between Hamas and Israeli defence forces. Specifically, the protest is against the current Israeli actions in the Gaza strip. This has caused some angst in some quarters, with … [Read more...] about Protest in Second Life: the current Gaza conflict
Who’s your Daddy?
US Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) would like to be your parent. At least, he would like to act as though he was your parent. Starting back in May 2008, Kirk has been singling out Second Life for special attention: he would like legislation to be introduced that prevents children from accessing Second Life- both the Teen Grid and the Main Grid (he makes no distinction), … [Read more...] about Who’s your Daddy?
Australian politics and virtual worlds – no momentum
It's coming up to a year since the change of Federal government in Australia. In Second Life, there was an election night party. At the time there was lots of excited talk about the ALP's broadband policy and the promise it may bring - there is progress on that front but it's fraught with problems. Then there's the internet censorship issue bubbling along. All in all, … [Read more...] about Australian politics and virtual worlds – no momentum