House Telecom & Internet Hearing Gets Second Life

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/31/2008 10:00:00 AM

The House Telecommunications & Internet subcommittee Monday said its hearing Tuesday on the use of avatars in user-generated online worlds like Second Life will, itself, be recreated real time in Second Life.

The office of Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) billed it as "the first ever Congressional hearing simulcast in an Internet-based virtual world to address the evolution."

The Subcommittee in an e-mail said that "reporters with avatars" who wish to cover the hearing in the virtual world should contact the committee.

Markey has previously posted video from a hearing on YouTube and used an avatar himself to make a speech when he couldn't attend a meeting in Bali.

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I\'m glad Rep. Markey is using taking the risk to pioneer the use of this technology as he has. In a few years, this virtual world stuff will seem second nature. Avatars are rapidly moving from cartoonish-looking to photo-realistic, and grids (such as Second Life) are becoming more stable. Meetings of all kinds will frequently happen in a virtual space which will use much less resources (a much smaller carbon footprint) than flying jets around the country and globe. They will be a great way to conference and do business. Though it can often look comical and glitchy now, welcome to the future. For an example of using Power Point and streaming video in Second Life virtual meetings, search for this 4 min. video on YouTube: \" How to Use Zebra Presenter \" (these comments don\'t allow HTML).
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I'm glad Rep. Markey is using taking the risk to pioneer the use of this technology as he has.

In a few years, this virtual world stuff will seem second nature. Avatars are rapidly moving from cartoonish-looking to photo-realistic, and grids (such as Second Life) are becoming more stable.

Meetings of all kinds will frequently happen in a virtual space which will use much less resources (a much smaller carbon footprint) than flying jets around the country and globe.

They will be a great way to conference and do business. Though it can often look comical and glitchy now, welcome to the future.

For an example of using Power Point and streaming video in Second Life virtual meetings, search for this 4 min. video on YouTube: " How to Use Zebra Presenter " (these comments don't allow HTML).

Viajero Pugilist - 4/1/2008 1:02:00 AM EDT

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