Category Archives: Musings

Avatar – Part 2: Origins of the word

Posted on December 7, 2009 by

Excitement continues to build for the theater release of James Cameron’s upcoming epic, “Avatar,” on December 18th. The film is a 3D science-fiction action movie starring Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, a paralyzed Marine who becomes reborn as an alien … Continue reading →

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Moderating children’s virtual worlds – A sort of “Catcher in the Rye”

Posted on September 10, 2009 by

Being one of the newest moderators at Metaverse Mod Squad, I’ve been answering a lot of questions about what my job entails. It didn’t take long at all to realize I wasn’t giving very enlightening answers. “What are you doing … Continue reading →

Posted in child safety, Musings, Virtual Worlds | Leave a comment

From Penguins to Mod Squad: The Undercover Mom’s Virtual World Journey

Posted on May 27, 2009 by

My fascination (some might say obsession) with children’s virtual worlds began unremarkably enough when my 8 year old asked me how to spell “penguin”. It would have struck me as odd anytime for my son to be worried about his … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings, Parents, Virtual Worlds, Youths | Leave a comment

New developments in iPhone apps play to the importance of human interaction in virtual landscapes

Posted on May 20, 2009 by

So I’m reading this article in Business Week about the future of gaming on Apple consoles, and by consoles I mean the iPhone. Apple has long neglected the poor Mac, leaving me playing Roller Coaster Tycoon to satisfy my computer … Continue reading →

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Snuggie = great idea. Poor Execution. Don’t let this happen to your site.

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

I’m shocked that MMS gave me the ability to mass publish my ramblings (blame them – not me). But, today you readers are in for a treat, because we’re going to talk about … drum roll, please!…. Usability Optimization and … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Musings, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

CNN covers Second Life music scene – is the media softening their attitude?

Posted on May 15, 2009 by

I’m a little late picking up this article, but CNN published a piece last month about the music scene in Second Life. There are a few things to be taken from this and first I see being a sign that … Continue reading →

Posted in music, Musings, Virtual Worlds | Leave a comment

The Computer’s View

Posted on November 26, 2008 by

Our friend Izzy Neis, posted this awesome video on her blog. It is a film of children’s faces as they play computer games. What a range of emotions. About half way through, one girl has a single tear come down … Continue reading →

Posted in child safety, Friends, Musings | Leave a comment

Cockroaches of the New Economy

Posted on November 18, 2008 by

According to popular belief, cockroaches are so hardy and adaptable they can survive even a nuclear holocaust.  Similarly, there are some critters that even in this economic crisis have continued to swarm. In addition to thriving bankruptcy lawyers and soup … Continue reading →

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Stick Inducted in Toy Hall of Fame

Posted on November 7, 2008 by

I love this.  I am going to the Kids Online (un)Conference next week and my new theme is going to be the simplicity of found objects as the ultimate in entertainment.  I guess we adults over think things.  We certainly … Continue reading →

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Microsoft offers reward for missing Xbox gamer

Posted on October 29, 2008 by

Article I am trying to figure out how I feel about this.  A 15 year old boy ran away from home after his father took away his Xbox game.  He was missing classes and withdrawn from family and friends. I … Continue reading →

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