On Sunday February 17 at 11 AM SLT, Eureka Dejavu and Schmilsson Nilssson will be hosting and bringing into Second Life a virtual world Arts & Culture round table live from the Brookings Institution-hosted U.S.-Islamic World Forum, Doha, Qatar. The panel features a cross-section of artists, including Nashwa Al Ruwaini, who is, among many things, Executive Director of the Middle East International Film Festival, Howard Gordon, executive producer and show-runner of 24, and Salman Ahmed, founder of the Pakistani Rock Group, Junoon.

Eureka sent me the picture above and explained:

We wanted to contribute in an artistic way, not just host an event. But when the subject is bridging gap between Muslim and Non-Muslim cultures through art, what can you do? Obvious cultural and or religious images are often too loaded emotionally.

Nevertheless, we wanted people to feel they were in a cathedral of sorts but open to all. Tricky…

So….we took my kaleidoscope to Venice Beach and shot a whole series of light paintings symbolic of the way cultures develop in isolation and then build bridges over time coming together in unpredictable ways due to people meeting one another in various ways, including, now, in virtual worlds, which are unprecedented in bringing people together who never would have met otherwise.

While “questing the globe” to find out about the meaning of virtual worlds in the lives of real people, Eureka and Schmilsson, have been blogging their experiences including some of their preparations for the Qatar event in their, “Dispatches from a Virtual World.”

In this post Eureka who is Rita J. King (CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Productions) in “Real” Life works with screenwriter and producer Howard Gordon as he creates an identity in Second Life. Eureka writes: “Howard Gordon’s creation of characters and storylines on the Fox show 24 has sparked dialogue about the artist’s role in creating a deeper understanding between cultures.”

And, in this post, Eureka describes how Dancing Ink Productions finished creating the avatar for Salman Ahmad of the multi-platinum South Asian rock band Junoon. Eureka writes:

Salman is also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS. As an artist, he works to build peace between India and Pakistan. In fact, we could go on all day about his remarkable accomplishments and luminous insight.

It was a real thrill to see Hometown Baghdad given a whole segment by CNN yesterday. I loved this close up on the blog including the URL. I know many of Ugotrade readers have followed and supported Hometown Baghdad since before the first webisode was even posted. Some submitted designs for the podcast logo, and many were among the first blogs to link to Hometown Baghdad, beginning the cascade of connections that has brought this web series to over a million viewers in the just a few short weeks.

In an interview on CNN, Exec. producer Laurie Meadoff said that Chat the Planet would continue this work of connecting the world’s youth in other places, including Pakistan and India. Mike Dibenedetto who many of you are familiar with from his work on Hometown Baghdad, and across the web, was unfortunately sick, so we missed seeing him on TV too. But, if you are new to this series, Mike has just posted a, Recap – Most Viewed, Most Discussed on Hometown Baghdad. Also, this recap offers a great way to catch up on any parts of the series you may have missed. And, it is a great place to refer people who are new to the series and want to get into it. But, if you need no introduction, you can click on the thumbnails below for Episodes 9 through 20.

I have posted before on how I believe that Web 2.0, and the rapidly evolving social and immersive environments of Web 3.D (exemplified by virtual worlds like Second Life) may provide a new way for us, as global citizens, to realize even our most lofty aspirations for positive global development. As we get to know each other, and make relationships beyond the fairly limited range of identities and opportunities for connection available in our day to daily lives, (and offered in conventional “push” media), a new understanding and era of cooperation and collaboration can emerge across cultural divides. In my view, Hometown Baghdad is one of the pioneers of this new era.

Tags: Hometown Baghdad | Web 2.0 | vlog | podcast | global development | Iraq | Web 3.D | blogging | blogosphere | Chat The Planet | peace |

The Perfect Storm began with blogs, large and small, everyone from Salon, BoingBoing, Chris Pirillo, Huffington Post, Daily Kos, Doc Searls, to Canadian Shanagans (who was still waiting for his first link) joined the flow of energy. Here are the first 25 blogs to link (taken from technorati) – justkate, Charles Sheehan-Miles, Neverwonderland, SineQuaNon’s Journal, It’s all One Thing, Planet Identity, Beet.TV, PerthNorg, Visiopoetics, Joho The Blog, The S.n.a.f.u principle, Panzerfaust, Growabrain, Keith Snyder, Iava Blog, Smith Magazine, I Like Motorcycles, Tom Paine, TIG Blogs, Waterfall’s Paranormal Life, Pop + Politics, Mr V’s, Fun Vampires, notes from somewhere bizarre, and many many more!

Then the blog and YouTube video comments started to roll in! Here are three of most recent YouTube video comments. I did not select for particular content. But, these give a flavor of how an online debate has begun to grow. Click to find more on YouTube.

Then the YouTube editors came on board featuring Hometown Baghdad, making them a content partner, and one editor vowed “to build as much momentum and buzz for you (HTB) as I can. Keep me posted of any other press ops/events you have coming up so we can try to build a perfect storm around your content.”

And, yesterday, a video made it to the front page of Digg’s Video Section which translated into thousands of hits and enormous buzz among netizens.

Now, Michael Dibenedetto reports, the “old” media is picking up the story too. Hometown Baghdad has been talked and written about around the world. We have been seen in or will be seen in: the lead article on Le Monde’s website; a full page article in Germany’s largest newspaper, FAZ; an article in a major Austrian newspaper; a piece on a German youth radio station; another piece on a major German radio station; and a feature article in one of Argentina’s largest newspapers.” And, look out for upcoming feature in Rolling Stone, “On the Web” column that points to the web’s most
interesting sites.

Fady one of the Iraqi producers wrote this very moving note of thanks.

Dear all -

I am extremely moved and inspired by all the warm feedback that we are getting on several blogs and websites. It is giving me energy and strength to bear the nightmares that I am living and the ones I dream of at night. It was an honor for me to help in bringing out these messages from Baghdad to the outer world, despite of all the dangers we face everyday.
Thank you, Mike, for keep sending me the feedback.

Best,
Fady
Baghdad

Congratulations to everyone, producers and netizens! This amazing project is, in my view, a huge step toward developing a world of peace and tolerance. And, it has only just begun. There are still many more webisodes to come, so keep watching, blogging, digging, stumbling upon, video commenting, and spreading the word. This is Wikimocracy in action!

The latest episode.

Mike notes, that the conversations that have sprung up in the blog’s comments, both argumentative and friendly, tell us that we need dialogue and understanding.

I am tempted to start expounding on how the “brand” of “democracy,” has been seriously devalued worldwide, not by users but by governments. But, I will restrain myself because I want Ugotrade to be a place that focuses on imagining worlds that are yet to be imagined, not about writing history.

And, I am excited. I have seen a blue print for Wikimocracy 3.D, (here’s the 2D prototype). Wikimocracy 3D is a big idea through which users will soon be reinventing the “brand” of democracy, and adding much needed value to this tired, misused, work horse. 3Dpointcom and other futurists have been pioneering an “idea factory.” Their post “Clocking in at the idea factory,” features a wonderful hand written plan for a metaversal idea factory by Bill Ward. Click to see the full plan on Flickr.

Mark Wallace, from 3pointD elaborates on a jawboning session on the topic. He also calls for input on a new name. I agree, perhaps” idea factory doesn’t really capture the potential scope of this vision.

One of the key points collected by Bill Ward that drew my attention was this: “The Idea Factory concept roots in the Metaverse today, but the concepts that we’re introducing are universal in nature. We’ll be able to take this construct out and apply it to other issues. I know other volunteer coordination Web sites exist, but will they be able to do what we’ve discussed here? Do they have the expertise to do it?” Lots to think about here! And, there is a place to share your thoughts at 3pedia.

True to the Ugotrade mission, in upcoming posts, I will always mix visionary thinking with a look at how people are actually using new technologies for positive global development around the world.

And, I have been continuing my on the ground exploration of the developing virtual world of Second Life. Yesterday, I visited Aleister Kronos to begin investigating “law and governance” in virtual worlds. I met Aleister on the piece of land he rents in SL, a magical setting filled with his art. And, mostly, on this first visit, I just enjoyed his art and talking with a friend of his Elizabeth Rookward who stopped by. I know people are fond of putting value tags on Second Life – how many customers, flows of Linden Dollars, land sales, size of the economy etc., etc.. But, the value of Second Life as art, and the art of Second Life is one of the aspects often missed in the rush to calculate ROI.

Tags: Hometown Baghdad | Baghdad | Viral Video | Social Media | Social Networks | Peace | blogging | You Tube | Social Media Convergence | Web 3.D | Web 3.0 | Web 2.0 | Virtual World | Positive Global Development | Visionary | Vlog | Second Life | Web 2.0 |

Internet dating in Iraq made the headlines today on Boing Boing with a snip from a Los Angeles Times piece about internet dating, and the online sociology of war zones.

Zavis (LAT) notes, “Such virtual relationships offer a refuge of sorts from numbing isolation and fear during a time of staggering violence. But all too often they are mirages — a seductive reminder of a life now tantalizingly out of reach for most. And, ‘They are like birds in a cage,’ says Anas Attar, 22, one of a growing number of businessmen cashing in on the demand by selling access to their satellite-based Internet connections.”

But, the internet and cell phones have become the main connection to family, friends and a normal life for Iraqis. There have been several interesting reports in recent months on how wildly popular cell phones have become in Iraq. USA Today writes on how people in Baghdad rely on cell phones to text-message traffic reports to friends or keep track of family members navigating dangerous streets.

Sign on San Diego reports on how, “Cell phones offer safety, sanity amid Iraq’s chaos.” A young Iraqi women tells the LA Times, through e-mail and instant messaging, she is able “to spend time, to make relationships with others, to feel that I am important.”

The Iraqi blogoshere has been developing as a forum for healing Iraq, despite the obstacles. The picture I have posted here comes from Healing Iraq, a blog by Zeyad.

Zeyad was forced to quit his dentistry job during the sectarian violence that followed the bombing of a shrine in Samarra. Currently, he is studying for a Master’s degree in journalism at CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Zeyad writes about the Iraqi blogosphere. “Our collective voice and efforts are reaching wider audiences day by day, exposing them to the situation on the ground by people whose lives are involved and directly affected by it. We are intent on healing Iraq from decades of abuse and to make it through these difficult times into a new phase of democracy, freedom, and prosperity.”

Stay tuned for more posts on this topic, and let me know of anything interesting you find too. I will be following how ordinary people in Iraq are using the internet, cell phones, and connecting to the blogosphere to make the best out of a bad situation, and to heal their country.

And, please keep your eye out for the upcoming launch of Hometown Baghdad – a web series that will bring you closer to everyday life in Iraq than anything you’ve seen before.