Green Hedgehogs in Virtual Worlds? Let Your Leprechauns Loose!

Mar. 17, 2010 This morning I changed my Firefox 3.6 "persona" to shamrocks for the day, eliciting a green with envy response from my not so lil’ leprechaun teen who delighted in a green apple sour treat and green glitter-waterball and green Love Peace & the Planet eco-shampoo that some magical critter had left at the breakfast table. Mind you, fare today is green … [Read more...]

Neda: Iconic, Insta-Media Shifts Us To Visual Story Threads

June 22, 2009 Youth culture is highly visual and iconic, no doubt about it. According to Graham Brown's article, Youth in Iran, about 60% of the population in Iran is under 25, so it's no surprise that the death in the streets of 26-year old “Neda” has become iconic very, very fast. As students and global citizens rally using social media mobilization to protest the … [Read more...]

Dream It. Do It. Youth Grants For Social Change in Virtual Worlds

PDiddy-Puff Daddy-Diddy dude step aside, as THIS is the kind of D.I.D.I. initiative that I want to see out there!!! D.I.D.I. stands for Dream It. Do It…An Ashoka Youth Venture effort with Global Kids and funding by RWJF all teaming up to offer seed money to visionary young people anxious to bring positive change to the health of their community! Nothing 'virtual' … [Read more...]

150 Kids’ Virtual Worlds: 95 Live, 68 in R&D; How Many Are Worthy?

Seems everyone is in L.A. for the Virtual Worlds Expo except me right now, with e-mails and schmooze plans flinging back and forth like a gamer leader board. No, gang, I can’t make it to dinner, but yes, I DO wish someone would crosspost some of these fly-on-the-wall conversations on Utterz as I’m sure key connections will transpire and I want to track anyone … [Read more...]

Kids’ Online Ethics Part 3: Community Solidarity; Marketing Cheats

At the recent Ypulse Nat'l Mashup, I chatted with teen virtual goods wünderkind Asuka Martin also interviewed here by Benett Carter about Teen Second Life. I'm fascinated by her composure in handling the mining of her intellectual property/content creation, (someone swiping her stuff) as well as the impact on her authentic brand of custom-created virtual textures and 'skins,' … [Read more...]