The virtual world might be largely immune to climate change, but the real world isn’t. That was one of the implicit points made when minister from the Maldives, Malta and the UK hosted a virtual climate change press conference on Second Life. More important, though, was the effect it’s had on islands around the globe. "Twenty years ago the president of Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, warned assembled world leaders in the UN that climate change, if left unchecked, would mean the death of Maldives and many more like it," Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid, Maldives said at the conference, according to the BBC. The virtual conference followed a live conference held in the Maldives, ahead of a larger summit in Bali next month. By using Second Life, the minsters were able to reach a much wider range of the earth’s population to talk about the impact climate change is having on everyone/ "You are the front line of the battle against climate change. I think you can send not just very clear alarm, but also a very clear message to the international community," explained British Foreign Minister David Miliband.
Tag Archive: Maldives
Nations Named ‘Enemies of the Internet’
As part of its 24-hour online demonstration against online censorship, international watchdog organization Reporters Without Borders has released a list of 13 nations it dubs “enemies of the Internet” for restricting speech and suppressing freedom of expression on the Internet. And the organization is also inviting visitors to sound off to Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang regarding the company’s involvement in the Chinese Internet market.
Verizon Offers Samsung Global Phone
From Verizon’s press release:
Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung) and Verizon Wireless today announced the availability of the Samsung SCH-a790 Global Phone. With this quad band global phone, the first phone to incorporate CDMA and GSM technology in the same device, Verizon Wireless customers can now use the same wireless phone and phone number in the United States and overseas on the vast Vodafone network, the world’s largest mobile community. Available exclusively through Verizon Wireless, the a790 also features an integrated digital camera that allows users to snap pictures anywhere and share them with friends and family once they return to the United States.
