December 13, 2007 -
Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) found himself unable to attend a recent United Nations summit on climate change in Bali.So he sent his Second Life avatar instead.
The Associated Press reports that the virtual Markey, clad in a business suit, addressed the summit while the real Congressman was parked in front a PC at a staffer's Washington, D.C. home:
I believe I am the first member of the U.S. Congress to be introduced by someone with a blue dragon her shoulder... This is my first foray into Second Life, but it won't be my last.
Markey, chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming said he was unable to make the trip to Bali due to pressing discussions on an energy bill currently before Congress.
The Click Heard Round the World has more.
Comments
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Americans continue to wonder 'why the fuck are we paying this guy again?'
Gimme a break...
@Werrick
Yeah, but a web-cam wouldn't allow him to speak while standing on a stage, unless he was using iChat or something that allowed green screening.
I thought it was a clever way to do his presentation. Thank goodness he wasn't ambushed by an army of phallic symbols. ;)
I have to agree... Although for the most part I think these politicians are trying to be 'trendy' and appealing to younger generations, that's a good point about saving fuel.
I bet more fuel was used to transport all those politicians to Bali for their 'feel good' conference than I will use in the next 5 years.
It takes more fuel for a Gulfstream jet to fly from New York to San Francisco and back than it takes for a hummer to run for a year.
(the G-V's maximum fuel capacity is 41,300 pounds, or approximately 6,164 gallons) - that's like 6000 miles.
That's fuel a hummer for while, huh?
I would seriously hate driving a car that got just under 1 mile per gallon.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Fuel capacity, std 6,164 gal (41,300 lb)
Cruise speed/range/fuel consumption w/NBAA IFR reserves, 8 pax, 4 crew
@ Maximum range cruise
@ Normal cruise Mach 0.80 /459 KTAS, 6,500 nm 2,600 pph
Mach 0.85/488 KTAS, 5,700 nm, 3,070 pph
http://www.aopa.org/careerpilot/ta-gulfstreams_gv.html
That's what a lot of politicians use to fly the world over to warn us of the dangers of fossil fuels!!!
I stand corrected.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Your also looking at a pretty big difference in passengers, time, and cargo.
It's such a non-issue that a Northwest Passage exists now that has never existed in human history or that the North Pole will have no ice cap during the summer as soon as 2013. If you are going to call people jackasses it would be good if you would cite evidence of said jackassery.
As far as Congressman Markey goes why punish someone who is trying to be innovative? Using a virtual environment to get a message out seems to be a forward-thinking proposal.
Please site your sources on the North Pole thing please. From the information I have seen, there is nothing indicating that the temperature is rising fast enough to melt the Ice Caps in 5 years.
Also show me proof that those North West Passages have not existed before. The Earth has temperature fluxes. It is a natural part of the life cycle of the planet.
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
-Mike Schwinger
It just screams "We're down with the kiddies, yo! Can ya dig it?" (Ugh, that was painful to write)
Also as far as global warming/climate change goes, 25 years ago the summer temperature here in wagga was averaging at 35 degrees (this is real degrees, not fahrenheit) and peaking at maybe 38. Nowdays its averaging 45 and peaking at 48. Oh yeah and australia has had its fair share of severe drought, in fact each successive one is determined to be the worst in recorded history which sounds a BIT like the problem is steadily getting worse...
As for the second life conference, it is interesting, but i don't think it will catch on. Although the saved jet fuel is still something...
As for the global warming thing. It really is an agreed upon thing in the scientific community, by no means is it a "non-issue."
I think Global warming is a issue,however merely a "sign" that we need to get off fossil fuel move to better sources that do not make us dependadnt on the whims of terrorists and their allies or just make us a bit more indapendant from the world at least.....
Stop to remember, that Greenland used to be green, and flourishing, not covered in ICE.
http://foxattacks.com/blog/8989-play-our-new-gameshow-the-fox-is-wrong-g...
Every credible scientific group agrees on global warming. The groups that don't agree are funded by the oil companies. The energy bill that just passed the Senate was gutted because the oil companies would have to pay *gasp* higher taxes. (After all, they're not rolling in money, y'know.)
As for Greenland:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland#Etymology
Al Gore told me you were already heading off to Mars. What happened? Is that Global Warming issue existing on Mars also?
8190ccf82770eca42411...