Test Your Site in China + Transcode Your Documents with Scribd

Updated March 9, 2007 @ 10:29 pm

Ok, check out these cool site. First, test out if your sites work in China and also see what makes it through the censors through their proxy on Great Firewall of China.

And, also, check out the “youtube for documents,” Scribd. Notice that they have CC license support and I’m connecting with them to get better support. It is an excellent project that can transcode your uploaded documents into multiple formats and have the full youtube-like services around it.

The Constant Harassment of Jamaican Sound System Crews in First and Second Life

Updated March 9, 2007 @ 10:19 pm

So, it seems that Sound Systems harassment happens both in real space and in the virtual world, as has happened to me now in both places.

Second Life Jamaican Sound System

So, similar to sound systems that I built with Natty and Matt Hope, I one day decided to try and get more people to build in CC’s space on Second Life by buliding the (virtual) world’s largest sound system.

I did a pretty good job of making the speakers of all different types, licensed them properly with the hopes of getting more people to copy and make their own sound systems, in the true Jamaican Sound System way.

Anyway, I forgot about this mini-project from time to time, but then started to get these negative comments about having to remove this sound system from the already nearly-empty space of CC SL land. I stuck to my guns and said anyone can change them, yet no one really did. Time went on and one day I got an email out of the blue for them to be exhibited at big art show at 798 space in Beijing, in real life. Finally, someone appreciated this creation :)

Well, now, again, I’ve received the request to remove them, and I enabled sharing for all the speakers, with the same “Open” attitude as with Open Source, Wikipedia, etc. It looks like there is going to be restructuring, so I wanted to make sure things are mobile.

I suddenly realized the same situation is now happening that happened before when I had a sound system: the harassment and hating of bass that comes from people who are either not partaking (partying) around a system, who created it, or who belong to the sound system crew.

So, yet again, there is more support that the virtual mimics the physical. And, with the addition of virtual limitless copying, I challenge anyone to copy these speakers, modify them and do something, rather than nothing in the metaverse.

In fact, I will make sure that anyone who participates in spreading these speakers, modifying them, etc, gets credit at the show in Beijing, China, when it happens. Now there is a resume/CV incentive! Are you in?

Fess up Japanese Government!

Updated March 5, 2007 @ 12:51 am

Come on Japanese government, do the right thing, fess up to the crimes against women forced into sex slavery in WWII.

Amazing at the level of denial going on by the Japanese government over past crimes. If you have Japanese citizenship, let your government have it until it fesses up!