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59 W 12th Street . December 19, 2007 . 12:35 am .
Jubilee is an orphan and he lives in Terra Firme.
His only possessions are a box, some newspapers and a sign.
I've never seen him but have recently read a lot about him.
Jubilee is the avatar for Mensajeros de la Paz, a Spanish NGO that creates foster homes for poor children and old people in Real Life. Jubilee's objective is not exclusively to go after people's money (Linden or other) but to reach out to an audience that's very hard to get to... henceforth he just talks to people, makes friends, sits in strategic locations e.g., the NBC Christmas Tree (very PR of him), and tries to get as much exposure as any other homeless person would. The kid's presence has in fact made many Second Life residents uncomfortable and probably more socially aware.
I'm not sure that I would ever talk to a Manhattan homeless person as I would here if I ever find Jubilee... probably not (the pictures I've seen of him make me want to go out and hug him) but Mensajeros de la Paz in a strange way is achieving its objective and building a whole new layer over the mere concept of fundraising.
Ho, ho, ho!
T
59 W 12th Street . December 4, 2007 . 3:55 pm .
Flying in Second Life is one of the very few magical elements within a virtual world that, according to some users, has become almost too realistic. In the words of Randall B. Smith, animated environments are physical-world metaphors that spring from the tension between literalism and magic. Actions that violate this metaphor (like human flight) and provide “enhanced functionality” are considered magical.
Flying in Second Life had practical purposes when it was first invented: to get to things quicker, to cut corners... I, however, am trapped by the sensuality and efficiency of this technology. When we lift our avatar bodies from the ground we detach ourselves from “reality”; we self-objectify to either analyze the territory better, travel faster or simply disappear. This, for me, has the potential to go beyond merely dodging obstacles.
Human beings have dreamt about flying for thousands of years. I will present a brief historical review of our archaic desire to fly (from Icarus and Leonardo Da Vinci to the ancient Chinese) to contextualize some autoethnographic observations and in-world research and images.
T
