Congressman Participates in Climate Change Conference Via Second Life

Congressman Participates in Climate Change Conference Via Second Life

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

So...Why wasn't video conferencing convient enough?
In other news, a jackass takes part in a discussion about something that is, in fact, a non-issue.

Americans continue to wonder 'why the fuck are we paying this guy again?'
I might be alone in this, but this is really unprofessional, in my opinion. The guy couldn't hook up a web-cam and do a little video conferencing?

Gimme a break...
I love his comments about how he was taking the "ecologically friendly" route by traveling virtually, instead of flying all the way to Bali. Not by choice mind you, but it was still a good point.

@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. ;)
LOL, yeah..

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?
@ Overcast

I would seriously hate driving a car that got just under 1 mile per gallon.
Another man with a pole up his arse.. Seriously Dennis, where do you get these pictures?
I agree - actually, it's just a HAIR over a MPG..

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!!!
@ Overcast

I stand corrected.
Jet A isn't nearly as refined as gasoline.

Your also looking at a pretty big difference in passengers, time, and cargo.
@ Austin Lewis

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.
@ Wengler

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.
Ah, I love Global Warming Debates..
I really like this story. I think he has an advantage in how novel this was. What would you think of as more memorable: a guy doing a remote video address or a guy using a virtual avatar? I think his speech will stick in the delatages' minds a little more. Besides, I don't think promoting technology is generally a bad thing. If nothing else, it publicizes it and makes gamers seem a little more like everyday people. But I'm sure there are things I'm not thinking of.

-Mike Schwinger
Oh, and I don't mean we're not everyday people. And not that gaming is uncommon. I just meant overcomming that stigma that still lingers.
Does anyone else think that politicians using SL is just a fad?

It just screams "We're down with the kiddies, yo! Can ya dig it?" (Ugh, that was painful to write)
Oh... and that wasn't in response to Iniquus... I started writing my comment a little while ago...
I think using avatars in real life is highly retarded. Very unprofessional. If I had to listen to a speech from an avatar I wouldn't pay attention. It would feel too silly.
Shame they didn't do the whole conference as a group online thing, it'd be nice to have a major event done as an entirely online thing. Hehe I'm just imagining them all as characters from WoW and getting ambushed at the end of their speeches by orcs.

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...
Aliasalpha has a point, the drought here is really getting bad. The only city that i can think of that is not on water restrictions is Hobart, mainly because they are the closest city to the antarctic.

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...
What was the joke from Newstopia? "All the major dams are now at 100% capacity, now if we could only find something to fill them with"?
Yeah I feel like politicians are just using Second Life for novelty and thinking it could score them points with a younger crowd. Seriously a video conference would be much simpler, and far less stupid looking. I feel the same way about the YouTube debates, what the hell's the point of submitting your question on youtube vs. emailing the damn thing in? It's not like this is new trendy technology, the ability to communicate over distance existed since the alphabet...

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."
ummmm fail.......Edwards in not dead last in "the anyone but" bucket......
uhg...finish mew thought....

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.....
@Wengler
Stop to remember, that Greenland used to be green, and flourishing, not covered in ICE.
Why do people deny global warming? I don't get it.
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
Teh world is going to end tmorrow becuz al gor told meh.
The prospect of peak oil is more imminent than global warming. At least most oil companies would agree to global warming, but they are tight lipped to the other issue. Especially in regards with OPEC and stating yearly petroleum reserves. They don't want to know our generation's gonna be screwed when it comes to cheap oil. But if you tell everyone about peak oil, it will get our asses moving to alternative fuels faster.
Yeah Greenland was pretty much always mostly covered with ice it hasn't been completely green since well before it had been settled.
@MacBoy

Al Gore told me you were already heading off to Mars. What happened? Is that Global Warming issue existing on Mars also?
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