News

Our latest news reports from NMC Virtual Worlds, as well as more related stories on the sidebar.

50 Virtual Worlds in 7 Minutes

Aug 6, 2008 02:12pm
We all know there are places beyond Second Life... but did you imagine there were fifty active virtual world spaces? Gary Hayes, Director of the Laboratory for Advanced Media Production in Sydney, has just released his 2008 Metaverse Tour Video: The Social Virtual World’s A Stage : I am doing a commercial report and curriculum development on the evolving range of social virtual worlds and have recently ventured into fifty of them to review and sample the culture, creative, business and educational potential. On my travels I got out my virtual camera and decided to capture a bunch of small vignettes which quickly turned into a body of audio visual delights - so decided to create a nice seven minute video for posterity. I thought I would share the video publicly as it demonstrates how ubiquitous, popular and streamlined many of these spaces ... more...

Second Life Communication via iPhone

Aug 6, 2008 12:37pm
It's not exactly as the headlines bill "Second Life on your iPhone", but the AjaxLife client for Second Life- which allows chat, IM to and from your iDevice does now work, see the announcement: AjaxLife is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch! It’s currently about where AjaxLife itself was just over a year or so ago - you can chat to people, IM those on your friend list (online or offline this time ’round), and receive IMs from arbitrary people. Thus far, there is no movement, no inventory, no money transfers, etc. Lacking an iPhone, I was able to connect successfully on my iPod Touch over my home wireless network, which provides a basic menu to do local chat, IM, or access my contacts: The contacts list does show who is in world: I sent a few IMs to contacts but did ... more...

Open Content for Educators on Learning

Aug 5, 2008 08:16am
Already one of the most popular locations on the NMC Campus, Learning offers some of the finest open-source educational content in Second Life. While the NMC has several resource centers on campus devoted to free items to outfit the avatar and teaching tools, Learning is a full sim of learning spaces, orientation kits, major buildings, classroom, and much more. Learning is the a culmination of over a years worth of development by NMC Virtual Worlds and was built in response to many faculty member's requests for a sim wide resource center with content specifically pertinent to educating in Second Life. Here is a sampling of what you can find.: NMC Modular Building system, created by CJ Carnot, which can be easily used to create buildings and rooms of any size by connecting together what are essentially "unit blocks": The NMC ... more...

NMC Virtual Learning Prizes Awarded

Jul 9, 2008 05:03pm
The New Media Consortium (NMC) has announced the 2008 cohort of Virtual Learning Prize (VLP) awardees. The NMC Virtual Learning Prize, part of a $100,000 competitive program of awards, is intended to create a collection of innovative open-source learning experiences that make use of the unique attributes of a virtual learning environment. The NMC Virtual Learning Prize is envisioned as a way to surface and realize creative ideas for how to make optimal use of a virtual setting, using a process that provides recognition, financial incentives, professional development services, and a return for education as a whole. The first-round awardees are: Tim Bell University of Canterbury "Computer Science Unplugged in a virtual world" Natasha Boskic University of British Columbia"Collaborative creative writing in predesigned space" Eric Hackathorn National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "Exploring Weather ... more...

NMC Announces $100,000 in Virtual Learning Prizes

May 15, 2008 12:33pm
The New Media Consortium (NMC) announced today the call for proposals for the 2008-09 NMC Virtual Learning Prize, a $100,000 competitive program of awards intended to create a collection of innovative open-source learning experiences that make use of the unique attributes of a virtual learning environment. (See the press release.) As many as 20 NMC Virtual Learning Prizes will be awarded in 2008. Each of the US$5,000 awards will provide a cash incentive paid to the awardee of $500 as well as $4,500 in expert development assistance from the NMC Virtual Worlds team to create the learning experience. The range of inworld services available to awardees to actualize the proposed ideas includes professional building, scripting, design, animation, avatar design, and/or related services. The NMC is committed to pushing the boundaries of how we collectively view teaching ... more...

First Scientific Conference Held inside World of Warcraft

May 9, 2008 03:18pm
Starting today is a unique event running May 9-11 - Convergence of the Real and Virtual is the first scientific conference taking place in the MMORPG or World of Warcraft. Lest you think this is not serious, check out the Science article of April 18 by Gonzo Scientist John Bohannon titled Scientists, We Need Your Swords! This will not be your typical conference. Sure, there will be sessions devoted to various research topics involving virtual worlds, panel discussions, social activities, and those conference goody bags that we've all come to love. But to attend this conference, you don't have to splurge on grant money or add to global warming by flying to another country. And in the goody bags, you won't find brochures, pens, or those quickly lost notebooks. Instead, each conference participant will receive (while supplies last) 10 gold pieces, a ... more...

NMC CEO Larry Johnson Interviewed by Metanomics

May 5, 2008 04:11pm
On Friday April 25, NMC CEO Larry Johnson (or as we know him in Second Life, Larry Pixel) was a guest interviewee for the Metanomics series, the weekly live show that takes place in, and is broadcast live from Second Life. As part of an event atClever Zebra's vBusiness Expo, in this interview, Metanomics host Robert Bloomfield asked Larry about the NMC's Virtual worlds programs and then discussed more on Larry's recent experience testifying before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the US Congress. You can find audio recording and video recording of this interview plus soon a transcript, at http://metanomics.net/larry-johnson more...

University of Pacific Opening

May 5, 2008 03:45pm
Join us on at 1:00 PM PT on Wednesday, May 6, for the opening of the new Second Life campus for the University of the Pacific. Meet at U Pacific (166,141,22) under the iconic replica of Burns Tower. "U Pacific" is a based on the real campus area around Burns Tower. For those at the university, you can meet at Pacific Theater for a live demonstration and virtual ribbon cutting of the Pacific campus. Elizabeth Griego will officiate the ceremony. For all attendees, a virtual dance party with live DJ will follow. more...

Mr Pixel Goes to Washington

Mar 31, 2008 10:05pm
Larry Pixel's real live avatar, Dr. Larry Johnson, CEO of the New Media Consortium (NMC), is trekking to Washington DC April 1 (no fooling!) to present testimony on the nature and state of virtual worlds before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Also presenting at the same hearing is Phillip Rosedale, founder of Linden Lab and the inventor of Second Life®. Also speaking are Susan Tenby, Senior Manager, Community Development at TechSoup and Colin J. Parris, Vice President, IBM Digital Convergence. Witnesses will testify on the evolution, culture and future of online virtual worlds. These increasingly popular websites, such as Second Life, Zwinky and There, allow people to interact with each other over the Internet through virtual selves, or avatars. The hearing will explore safety issues and the use of real currency in virtual online worlds, as well ... more...

NMC Launches Open Virtual Worlds Project

Feb 26, 2008 08:00pm
Today the New Media Consortium (NMC) announced a $250,000 two-year collaboration with Sun Microsystems to launch the Open Virtual Worlds Project, an effort that is aimed at making it easier to learn, work, and exchange ideas in virtual space. The project will develop a range of standards-based, portable open-source educational spaces, content, and objects, and use them to extend Sun Microsystems’s open source Project Darkstar and Project Wonderland virtual world platforms. Open Virtual Worlds video announcement (6.5 Mb Quicktime) In launching the Open Virtual Worlds project, the NMC will build on its extensive presence in Second Life and add to the services it offers educational institutions with a suite of services aimed at those who need a secure extensible platform or simply prefer an open solution. Open Virtual Worlds will be a new project housed within NMC Virtual Worlds, along ... more...

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