Wanted to let you know about a unique conference on collaboration systems happening this Wednesday, March 3 at The Tech Museum in San Jose. Organized by a batch of collaboration specialists calling themselves Program for the Future, and basing their ideals on Doug Engelbart’s vision of developing tool systems that can deal with the world’s complex and “wicked” and problems – this conference will be an experiential dive into the real-time use of multiple collaobration systems.

Finalists of the Program for the Future Challenge will be announced during the day – along with the announcement of one winner of the Engelbart Prize in the evening program (brief agenda)(full agenda).

Meshing virtual worlds, Google Wave, real time reporting from tables, video and more, this is one not to be missed. Less than 8 “real world” attendee spots remain open for the venue in San Jose, and if you can’t make it in person, register as a virtual participant. Join in with all the collaborative tools you can bring to this unique experiment.

Real and virtual registration at: http://colaboration2010.eventbrite.com

There will be multiple opportunities to link up with some of the most talented tool makers and users there, so here’s your invitation to get involved on all these levels. See you there, – Bob Ketner

This week a new virtual world launched called “United Nations Citizens” http://www.unitednationscitizen.com ,  a project from Cisco Systems, Equifax, HeadsandTails.tv and Montag Systems (http://www.headsandtails.tv/ciscopress). “Where faithful friends unite” is the tagline.  (Faithful Friends seems to be a trademark.)  They are offering paid employment for sales associates, online assistants, bartenders, tour guides, waitresses, bands, and developers.

Coverage via http://freshtakes.typepad.com/sl_communicators/2010/01/cisco-announces-major-virtual-retail-environment-united-nations-citizens-.html and  http://twitter.com/malburns

If anyone finds out more about this let me know!

-MRO

Raph Koster announced that Metaplace (http://www.metaplace.com) will be closing Jan. 1, 2010.
Here’s a set of links to the coverage.

Raph’s blog
http://www.raphkoster.com/2009/12/21/metaplace-com-closing/

Raph on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/notes/raph-koster/metaplacecom-closing/227988891312

Virtual Worlds News
http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2009/12/metaplace-shuttered.html

Massively.com
http://www.massively.com/2009/12/21/metaplace-announces-january-1st-shutdown/
http://www.massively.com/2009/12/22/marketplace-traction-with-the-ugc-model-and-the-closure-of-metap/

Dusan Writer
http://dusanwriter.com/index.php/2009/12/22/the-emphemeral-build-metaplace-closing/

Gamasutra
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26600/Metaplace_To_Close_Virtual_World_Platform.php

Venture Beat
http://games.venturebeat.com/2009/12/21/metaplace-to-shut-down-its-site-for-thousands-of-virtual-worlds/

Metaverse Tribune
http://metaversetribune.com/2009/12/22/virtual-worlds-farewell-to-metaplace/

Gwyneth Llewelyn
http://gwynethllewelyn.net/2009/12/22/metaplaces-out-of-business-will-blue-mars-outlast-it/

Hypergrid Business
http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2009/12/metaplace-closing-a-warning-for-virtual-worlds-users/

The Flogging Will Continue
http://thefloggingwillcontinue.com/?p=60

Doublecluepon Software
http://blog.doublecluepon.com/2009/12/22/the-sadness-that-is-metaplace/

CNet
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10420089-52.html

Botgirl
http://botgirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/are-forterra-and-metaplace-just-first.html

Adbusters has released issue #86 “The Virtual World – The Natural World” (https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/86)
featuring extensive quotations from the Metaverse Manifesto !
Lots of interesting essays on the implications of virtual worlds.  Don’t miss it!

-MRO

If you’re joining us for this coming Tuesday’s event “Virtual Worlds in 2020 Workshop” here’s some advanced reading and viewing for that. Due to the intensively interactive nature of this event, there will not be a virtual world component to this event – unless someone wants to run a parallel event… let me know @mro

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Direct link to above video:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talk/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

and more advance reading material…..
Survey: Keyboards, DRM to become scarce in 2012
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-255769.html

Three Scenarios for the TV Market 2020
http://www.international-television.org/tv_market_data/scenarios-tv-market-2020.html

How will the Internet look in 2020? – PEW research report
http://pep-net.eu/blog/2009/01/20/how-will-the-internet-look-in-2020-%E2%80%93-pew-research-report/

The Future of the Internet III
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/The-Future-of-the-Internet-III/4-Scenario-1-The-Evolution-of-Mobile-Internet-Communications/8-Some-Say-2020-Will-Offer-a-New-Paradigm.aspx?r=1

Internet’s future in 2020 debated
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5370688.stm

Imagining the Internet
http://www.elon.edu/e-web/predictions/expertsurveys/2008survey/default.xhtml

Tolerance and the Internet: Scenarios by 2020
http://ict4peace.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/tolerance-and-the-internet-scenarios-by-2020/

The Future of the Internet II
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/The-Future-of-the-Internet-II.aspx

BT opens international telepresence centres
http://www.btplc.com/Innovation/News/telepresence.html

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[- See you there! -MRO]