On hearing news of Osama Bin Laden's death at the hands of US Navy SEALS, I went searching for 9/11 memorials in Second Life, and eventually found this one: Located in a sim called New York, it's a NYFD firehouse with a sculpture of a fireman mourning his lost comrades, beneath the looming towers of the World Trade Center. Streaming on the land is an audio recording of many voices, who read off the names of the 3,000 or so murdered at bin Laden's behest that day. If you're looking for a quiet place in-world to contemplate the news, as I was, you may want to visit (and donate to keep it running): Click here to teleport to the 9/11 memorial in New York NYC.
There are a few other 9/11 memorials in SL, I should say, though the one that was most stirring to me, a reflecting pool created by a traumatized New Yorker who lived three blocks away from the World Trade Center, no longer seems to be in-world. Here's a machinima I took when it was still extant:
If you're planning to assemble in-world in Second Life to remember Al Qaeda's victims, or discuss all the ramifications of bin Laden's killing, please post details in Comments below.
Yeah that build has been gone awhile. I still miss it. Perhaps it might come back for the 10 year anniversary?
Last night as I was watching events unfold with millions of other people, I was alone. I wanted to be with other people on this momentus occasion, to discuss what it means and share how I'm feeling. In theory Second Life could have offered a space for that, but gathering people, finding a space, and connecting was just too daunting.
Instead I pulled out my iPhone and was immediately involved in multiple conversations with dozens of smart, thoughtful people ... on Twitter.
Posted by: rikomatic | Monday, May 02, 2011 at 01:29 PM