Merry X-Day

Santa Claus (1898)

Made in 1898, G.A. Smith's 'Santa Claus' is a film of considerable technical ambition and accomplishment for its period. It uses pioneering visual effects in its depiction of a visit from St. Nicholas.

A former magic lanternist and hypnotist, Smith was one of the first British film-makers to make extensive use of special effects to create fantastical scenes. It comes as little surprise that Smith corresponded with the French pioneer Georges Méliès at about this time, as the two men shared a common goal in terms of creating an authentic cinema of illusion. (Michael Brooke)

You can watch over 1000 other complete films and TV programmes from the BFI National Archive free of charge in the Mediatheque at BFI Southbank, London and from October 2008 at the new QUAD centre for art and film in Derby -- http://www.bfi.org.uk/mediatheque

Future Money

Some interesting thoughts here.

Tomorrow

Seriosly good reading.

http://www.nytimes-se.com/

Second Life: A Virtual Frontier

Drew Carey takes us on a guided tour of Second Life, a virtual world.

Michael Palin for President

They could do worse!

Hypocrisy Now! (Daily Show)

Nuff said!

Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC

Readers of this blog probably know of my enthusiasm for Amy Goodman and her excellent daily "Democracy Now" programme - essential breakfast TV here in the UK when iI have the time.

This disturbing footage shows her being arrested yesterday at the Amerikan "National Republican Convention" - home of the Bush bully-boys and the upcoming presidential contender, McPain.

In the kind of scene that harks back to the 60's, it seems the right to free speech has yet to be won. Amy and other high profile progressive media persons seem to have been targeted and, the cause of more concern, there seems to have been a mass-market media blackout on reporting the incidents. And not simply because of the weather we assume!

Check out http://democracynow.org for more on Amy and http://act.credoaction.com for more on this.

Woodstock -- 40 years later

No - it's not a cartoon. Filmed inside the very "real" world of Second Life.

"...an anti-war song for John McCain and all the other neo-con evildoers bent on world domination."

Who says protest is dead?

Nicholas Negroponte: One Laptop per Child, two years on

Nicholas Negroponte talks about how One Laptop per Child is doing, two years in. Speaking at the EG conference while the first XO laptops roll off the production line, he recaps the controversies and recommits to the goals of this far-reaching project.

Second Life - Introduction for Businesses...

Yet another post here about the metaverse. Although this is an introduction to Second Life and designed for business, the message is equally appropriate for other groups such as those concerned with ecology and progressive politics.

Don't ignor this platform - it is the future and you need to adopt it now.

Elevating Art for the Greater Good in Ancient Mesopotamia

The Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project visits a collaborative simulation of Ancient Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, where writing was invented.

In the process of seeking additional perspectives from modern Muslim women, we came across a "Brief Statement of Hate," by an Arab woman who says she has lived in Iraq, Palestine and Syria among other places. Her letter, which vows to elevate her hate to an art form, underscores the necessity for channeling conflict productively for greater cultural understanding.

Vint Cerf

Vint Cerf on net neutrality at Fortune Brainstorm conference talks about being misquoted by Verizon and how the actions of the Telcos are a threat to national interests.

Interesting

Intermix Court Ruling - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: Intermix Court Ruling

Meanwhile, Brad Greenspan is working on CitySpace - a new photo-realistic virtual world soon to be entering the metaverse arena.

Kingdom of the Wasters

Some weekend fun for you.

Marijuana Reform with Jim Hightower

Author and radio commentator Jim Hightower sits down with MPPtv for their first "Profiles in Marijuana Reform" interview.

Secret Second Life

A little diversion - A secret love affair in a virtual 3D world.

For more about the developing metaverse switch to the annex - http://malburnsannex.blogspot.com

Pais Kidd 2008

Stranger things ...

A "virtual unknown" gets a ground-swell of grass roots support. Is America ready for an avatar politician? Some would say that Paid Kidd less of a facade than that of the current bureaucrats.

Stealth Legislation - stop it now before it stops you!

The EU is planning to vote TODAY on legislation that could throw you off the Internet for good.

For more, see ...

http://stealth.strangecompany.org

LECTURES: Tim Berners-Lee

The Annenberg Networks Network presents a seminar with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of MIT's World Wide Web consortium and considered by many to be the inventor of the World Wide Web.

Urgent - Position wanted

>> This individual seeks an executive position. He will be available in January 2009, and is willing to relocate.
>>
>> GEORGE W. BUSH
>> 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
>> Washington , DC 20520

> EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
>
> Law Enforcement:
> I was arrested in Kennebunkport , Maine , in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.
>
> Military:
> I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam .
>
> College:
> I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.
>
> PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
>
> * I ran for U.S. Congress and lost.
> * I began my career in the oil business in Midland Texas in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas . The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.
> * I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.
> * With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.
>
> ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS :
>
> * I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union . During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America
> * I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.
> * I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.
> * With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida , and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President of the United States , after losing by over 500,000 votes.
>
> ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
>
>
> * I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.
> * I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.
> * I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury
> * I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.
> * I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.
> * I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
> * I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.
> * In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues.
> * I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history.
> * My "poorest millionaire," Condoleezza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.
> * I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.
> * I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.
> * My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. history, Enron.
> * My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.
> * I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent
> * investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history. I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.
> * I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.
> * I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
> * I appointed more convicted criminals to my administration than any President in U.S. history.
> * I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States Government.
> * I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.
> * I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
> * I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.
> * I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.
> * I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 US election).
> * I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.
> * I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.
> * I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
> * I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.
> * I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. Citizens and the world community.
> * I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.
> * In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.
> * I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.
> * I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.
> * I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.
>
> RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
>
> * All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.
> * All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
> * All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review. I specified that my sealed documents will not be available for 50 years.

Kinshasa 2.0 -Part2

The final part of the piece from my last post.

It is a Short film by Teboho Edkins, part of "Why Democracy" Project(http://www.whydemocracy.net), shown on Berlinale Talent Campus 2008,Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen 2008, Kurzfilm Festival Innsbruck 2008, Norwegian Short Film Festival 2008. Second Life® Production by YOUin3D.com, Berlin, Germany.

When Jack Thompson Talks to God

Great little music video about another US asshole. The tune is based on "When The President Talks" - another nifty song from a while back.

Treason is never old news

It must be pretty clear now - even to the densest of individuals - that Bush and his fellow weasels deliberately lied the US into the Iraq war.

So how does the US news media respond to a former press secretaries account of this reality?

They question his loyalty, his accuracy, his motivations.

And it's largely working.

These questions have framed the discussion of the McClellan book.

weblin tutorial english

It's a tutorial that might as well be an advert but who cares? I know some of you haven't made the plunge into the metaverse yet so no virtual reality simulations for you yet. But ...

These "weblins" are seriously cool despite simplistic first looks. Each web page you visit becomes a meeting place if you want it as your web-based avatar travels around with you..

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley

Altered States

The macro scale impact of nano-scale technologies.

Second Life and Reuters

Video Games and Sex

Today's history lesson.

Welcome to the Future - Living in 3 time zones

Latest video blog from an old friend Richard Neville.

Amnesty International - Signatures

Tim Guest talks

A short documentary about Tim Guest. Tim is an author and journalist with a particular interest in virtual worlds like Second Life. His excellent book "Second Lives" has beenn out here in the UK for some time, but only recently released in America.

Worthy reading for those still wondering about the virtual frontier. More clips on the subject are also in the annex (http://malburnsannex,blogspot.com) here.

Farewell Speech

Love it!

On the streets

The Liberal Democrats camp[aign for London major.

The Doha Forum

Draxtor Despres reports from the virtual worlds event live at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar.

For more reports from the metaverse see my annex, now the official blog for our "Second World Monitor" television channel. Or dive in deep at http://www.netvibes.com/malburns

Beijing 2008 Olympics Live Video Coverage

Thanks to the genetic fusion of a DV camera and egg timer, Future News Network, the yet-to-be merger of Newscorp, Time-Warner, the Berlusconi group, the Picayune Times and the cryogenised body of Rush Limbaugh, is bringing back to your present news from the future that you're evidently looking forward to.

Traveling back in time to the year 2008 - a live video report from one of the newest competitions at the Beijing Olympics -- the Dissident Run For Your Life 100 Yard Dash, with much more Technicolor than Leni Riefenstahl's 1936 fair and balanced reporting could ever hope for.

The SubRealism Action Group
http://www.subrealism.org/beijing

Robin Harper - Linden Lab

Robin Harper from the "Second Life" team shares her thoughts on the future while attending MetaverseU at Stanford last month. For more on metaverse news and development see my second blog here at http://malburnsannex.blogspot.com

CIA's A-Sqawking

Clearly the power-brokers of the modern world do not like the international nature of the communities we are building on the metaverse grids. What better way to combat the movement by associating with the alleged "terrorist" threats. That movie title, "The Phantom Menace" springs to mind.

New Media Douchebags Explained

Completely disagree - but a bit of fun for once.

Taking liberties part11

Taking liberties part10

Taking liberties part9

Taking liberties part8

Taking liberties part7

Taking liberties part6

Taking liberties part5

Taking liberties part4

Taking liberties part3

Taking liberties part2

Taking liberties part1

Mitch Kapor

Mitch Kapor: From Lotus 1-2-3 to Second Life by ZDNet's Dan Farber -- In this Super Techies video interview, Mitch Kapor discusses his career as a tech entrepreneur. He discusses his early experiences working on the first PC spreadsheet, Visicalc, and his subsequent founding of Lotus Development, creating the most ubiquitous business tool of its time. He also talks about competing with tech titans Bill Gates and [...]

Monkey's thoughts make robot walk

In a first-of-its-kind experiment, the brain activity of a monkey has been used to control the real-time walking patterns of a robot half way around the world, according to researchers at Duke University.

The Happy Birthday Song

Funny song by Andrew Bird. Just sent to me by singer/songwriter Grace McDunnough and had to share. Happy new year all!