As Australia draws to the end of its five-week election campaign, I'd pretty much given up on the political parties doing anything beyond the odd YouTube or Facebook campaign strategy. As I wrote in 2007, Australia has lagged some other countries in the use of virtual environments for politics, and this campaign hasn't changed that, with the debate over competing broadband … [Read more...] about Election 2010: virtual worlds make their debut
politics
Discussion on internet filter on Tonight Live is… live!
As mentioned previously, I had the pleasure of appearing on Tonight Live with Paisley Beebe. The topic of discussion was the Commonwealth Government's proposed internet filtering legislation and its potential impact on virtual worlds. Paisley asked some incisive questions that helped set the scene for both the challenges and opportunities the legislation may provide. As I say … [Read more...] about Discussion on internet filter on Tonight Live is… live!
Twinity: intersection of immersion and State
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
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
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