Katrina Relief – Big Easy sim

As part of the community grassroots fundraising relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005, Frans Charming was involved as the overall project manager and along with Rhiannon Chatnoir and other volunteer builders, recreated part of the French Quarter of New Orleans in Second Life.

Katrina Relief - French Quarter - 2006 (2)

You can find more pictures in this set.
Experience the recreation in Second Life.

Obama’s Speech in Ghana to be Broadcast in Metaplace and Second Life

The Vesuvius Group is proud to participate – with the Center for Public Diplomacy and Metaplace (Raph Koster, the founder of Metaplace, as usual, writes a very smart blogpost about the future of virtual worlds and how we can take our place alongside other social media in getting the news out) – in presenting the live stream of Obama’s speech about the future of citizen democracy streaming live from Ghana.  Please come join us in this historic moment as social media, virtual worlds, and civic participation come together.  We are deeply excited to be participating in this grand experiment to facilitate conversation and community and civic participation!  Check out the coverage of the virtual version on CBS News.

Please join us for an event featuring Obama’s speech streaming from Ghana along with leaders speaking: Kenton Keith, Tim Burke and Derrick Ashong.

On Saturday, July 11, a global conversation will push definitions of citizenship by demonstrating how new technologies enable global civic participation. Citizens from numerous countries will meet together in virtual worlds to collectively watch a speech from President Obama, view Twitter feedback on his talk, and join in discussion with musician and activist D.N.A. (Derrick Ashong), Ambassador Kenton Keith and African historian Professor Tim Burke.

President Obama will speak to a live audience in Ghana, Africa. His speech will recognize Ghana’s stable democracy and leadership in the region. It is expected that Africans from all over the continent will converge for this momentous speech. The White House is using a Twitter feed which will enable individuals from around the world to participate in the conversation and share their thoughts with President Obama.

This event provides a public sphere for people to come together as citizens sharing independent views which in turn shape the political institutions of society. These conversations, literally hosted in a virtual physical space, are essential for the marketplace of ideas in our globalizing society. Following the event will be music from D.N.A. Please join us for this historic event.

Saturday, July 11, 2009
8:00 AM Eastern / 5:00 AM Pacific
Twitter Hashtag – #obamaghana

Join us online:

Metaplace

Second Life

Twitter

Ustream

for more info:

State Department Webpage

More press from:

Rikomatic

Metasecurity

Mixed Realities

MetaPlace Blog Post

Virtualive.tv

Virtuallive.tv was a mixed reality event that took place at the Canal Room Club in NYC and Simultaneously within Second Life. It featured the performances of the bands Buddhahead and Shock Radar playing live at the venue, streamed live into SL as the backdrop where the band’s avatars were performing for the virtual audience and footage of the virtual performance shown back into the club, both streaming live back and forth. We created the stage setting environment, custom avatars modeled after real life band members and in world promotional items. We also puppeteered at real life event and filmed and produced machinima for event.


buddahead-holding me back

You can find more images here.

View machinima music videos

Articles about the project

PodCamp NYC – 2007

For the 2007 Podcamp NYC unconference we created the accompanying Second Life event build which included a circus themed area with a central event tent and tents for all sponsors that featured their logos, information and links to sponsor websites.

urban hotspot_001