ministry of magic idea girl consulting

Jason Munday and Luke Conard singing Goodbye Privet Drive

I love Harry Potter the movie, the books and now I’ve found some music!

daniel_radcliffe harry potter - ministry of music - luke conrad - idea girl consulting

We have Harry Potter Puppet shows, musicians, book lovers and people of all ages who are fans.

You will really enjoy this music group.

Ministry of Magic:

Luke Conrad

Jason Munday

Aaron Nordyke

Ryan Seiler

Mark Jennings

You can find Ministry of Music and Luke Conrad’s videos on youtube channel lukeconard

I’ve already posted some of Luke Conrad’s videos, now I’ll be looking to see if the rest of the band do individual hits as well.

Their tunes are rich in vocals, hip in music and they make awesome catchy jingles about Harry Potter  and the rest of the cast members.

harry potter ministry of music the bravest man i ever knew idea girl consulting luke conrad

danielradcliffe_-harry-potter-ministry-of-music-idea-girl-consulting AP Photo-Joel Ryan

One of my favorite books (and one which I am thankful for, on an incidental but timely sidenote), is Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi’s The Dictionary of Imaginary Places. If you are ever bored, just randomly delve into this book and discover such places that are “just around the corner of your mind” and where “reality is an intruder.” It is a literally fantastic book.

To compile their dictionary, Manguel and Guadalupi painstakingly combed literature for all the places authors have made up over the years. As the back cover has it, the dictionary covers “from Atlantis to Xanadu” and those are really just two of the less interesting examples. Also included in the dictionary are Paflagonia, Hollin, Blokula, and the Valley of Voe. (If you can identify these places already, you are far more well-read than I and may not need to look at this book after all.)

And the book’s breadth is not its only selling point. As fans of Manguel will undoubtedly have guessed, the writing is also absolutely perfect. It walks the line between scholarly and silly perfectly, taking its subjects as seriously as any author of a “real” encyclopedia, but still managing to produce a book of great whimsy. One entry for a particularly well-known castle begins: “HOGWARTS, a school of witchcraft and wizardry, somewhere in England.” It then continues, “Visitors taken on a tour will be guided through a vast hall…Thanks to a clever spell, the ceiling looks like the sky outside; it is hard to believe that the hall does not open onto the heavens” (291).

So next time you’re planning a vacation to the isles of the imaginary, I highly recommend this dictionary. Even if you’re just enjoying a day at home spent in your own imaginings this book will surely help guide you to a wonderful imaginary location.

On a related note, if you’re seeking further published proof of your favorite fairy or mythic castle, definintely seek out the Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were by Michael Page and Robert Ingpen. It is similarly amazing and far more beautifully illustrated.

Is the school where Harry Potter learned magic.
When I was little, I pretended to be Hermione.
At age 13, I learned what an RPG was.

So, now, it is almost 11, and when I should be NaNoWriMo writing, I am writing an RPG post. But, I think I’m gonna cheat and add them to my novel. I type them all up in notepad anyway. Might as well use this to my advantage. One thousand words of RPGing and I’m not even done with the second post of the thread.

The site is Back To The Basics

Gosh I’m a Nerd.

I feel emotionally shitty. Thank’s, Mom and dad. And will be going to school tomorrow. I have to ask a boy why he lied to me. And why he broke my heart *sob* just kidding. But, I’m serious about the lying part.

Off to write,
Sarah

As everyone around raved about how wonderful the Harry Potter books were, I simply let it go and opted to watch the movies on my comfy couch instead.  Sure, the movies were entertaining.  I never really considered reading the books as I considered myself a grown adult not interested in a child’s aspirations to become the perfect wizard.  It was not until a dare from my own daughter who has immersed herself into the series, as well as friends who have highly recommended it that I felt compelled to pick up the good old Harry Potter and start reading.  It seemed like easy reading after all.  In my mind, I expected it to be catered to the child’s imagination.  I figured I could try to go along with it.

There ought to be a Harry Potter glossary, I thought, as I read funny words which were unique to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.  Little did I know that in this world of magic that Harry is from, I would merely be known as a “muggle”.  Quite an unattractive word that describes someone who does not know magic.  Other words I had to learn were Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, Seekers, Snitch and Quaffle, which all had to do with the famous game of Quidditch.

Hogwarts seemed like a school I would have wanted to attend myself.  It seems to be the best place of education you can get to be the best wizard or witch you desire, and admissions are done by invitation only.  Our current real-life education budget cutbacks do not apply to this school where they feast on the best foods you can imagine in dining halls and sleep on four-poster beds, surrounded by rich mahogany and artwork that move and talk to you as you walk past.  The one thing I could identify with in a small way was the system of each student belonging to a “House” or team that you would stay with throughout your Hogwart years.  It seemed like a wonderful way to keep the team spirits of the young wizards and witches in training to stay loyal and focused.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was more of an introduction of what’s to come.  In my opinion, it just gave enough information to introduce the characters and give a hint that each character had a past that we really know little about.  As we read each page of the book, we join Harry and his friends as they slowly learn more about the secrets of Hogwarts, the pure vs. the evil, and how to use magic in a good way.  There’s so much to understand in this series, especially about Harry’s true past, his late parents, who and why Voldemort killed his parents and why he was unsuccessful in doing so with Harry as a baby.  What about the scar on Harry’s forehead, shaped like lightning?  Is that a curse that Voldemort tried to put on the now famous Harry Potter?

As I slowly read the book in the beginning with little enthusiasm at first, my eagerness built up somewhere along Chapter 7 as they enter the great dining hall and put on the Sorting Hat who solely determined which House each first year student is to be placed in based on this hat’s reading of each student’s personality for just a few seconds.  In my usual limited imagination, this book somehow managed to expand and develop my mind into thinking that one’s imagination should be limitless.  From here on, I was glued to see what Harry’s next discovery was down the dark halls of Hogwart’s under his invisible cloak.  I couldn’t help but wonder about the secret behind the Sorcerer’s Stone and who was really after it.

Most of all, I found the most enjoyable parts of the book had to do with “Quidditch”, or the game made famous by wizards and witches, as they fly off in the air and score goals which translates to points toward the House cup.  There was nothing more I wanted to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon than stay in bed and snuggle up with my Harry Potter book, reading about an exciting game of Quidditch and rooting for the Gryffindors as Harry, the Seeker, catches the Golden Snitch on his Nimbus Two Thousand!

From the movie, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”:

I went to Perth today. Perth Scotland.

I was going to learn about Capital Gains Tax at the feet of Professor Alex McDougall – an excellent speaker who just gives it to you straight. There’s no other way to take tax – unlike whisky, it is not mollified by a drop of water. As I headed into the world of the tax collectors, I switched from Radio 4 to Radio 3, increasing audience numbers  by 50% I guess. I didn’t really want to listen to last night’s episode of The Archers (again, I hasten to add) and the afternoon play didn’t sound sufficiently intriguing to make that my material for the remainder of my journey.

Within minutes I was transported back to 1803, recognising almost instantly Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto, which I had heard at the SCO not two weeks ago.

It seemed right for the landscape. Looking beyond the cone universe called the A80 – how many thousands are there? who makes them and how much are the shares? – I could see the gently rolling end of the Campsie Fells as the Mavis Valley came to an end and headed towards Falkirk. Beethoven was right for the moment.

And there they were tall, ungainly tax collectors standing like two eyed triffids, camouflaged in bright yellow so as to blend with the scenery, so that they might not be seen. A job they do better at night I must say when you just can’t see them at all.

They represent all that is good about Britain, stealth tax in action. They are watching you all the time so that you must watch your speedometer instead of focussing on the road: at the cone hazards, the constantly changing lane layouts like the staircases at Hogwarts; the huge trucks waiting to pounce from their works exits into the main carriageway at 2 miles an hour.

Having left the hive of activity that will keep many people employed for years to come, I headed into beautiful Perthshire. And it was today. The sun brightened the russet leaves and in between the clouds there was a wisp of a rainbow – typical, forgot my camera again –  as I passed places and road-ends with mystical sounding names like Findo Gask, Dunning and Bardrill.

The seminar was excellent and my Capital Gains Tax knowledge is now replenished and I am ready to take on the world.

Provided it is cone free…

JohnF

This video came up on chat after Finley, Amber and I were discussing an inappropriate photoshooooooooooot. Gotta love random chat associations. <3

When I first saw Harry Potter VI: The Half-Blood Prince I noticed two things:

1. That movie is fucking terrible.
2. One scene is eerily similar to a scene from X-Men 3: The Last Stand

It’s additionally suspicious that both films are the worst in their franchise. The scene in question, however, is the memory scene where Dumbledore first meets Tom Riddle and invites him to study at Hogwarts. Though the tone and dialogue are slightly different, the subtext is exactly identical. Teacher(s) comes to supernaturally powerful youngster, teacher tells youngster they’re similar, youngster is suspicious, teacher tells youngster they have a power that needs to be controlled. Additionally, both youngsters go on to kill their teachers [Note: Voldemort kills Dumbledore indirectly - I know he wasn't hold thing wand. Don't even try.] The way the music builds tension is also very, very similar.

See for yourself:

WHAM. Take that ‘arry. I know the book was written before X-Men 3, but X-Men and Xavier’s school have been around for decades. Regardless, the sixth Harry Potter movie was terrible.

Als er iets is dat ik vervelend vind is het wel dat ik ongewild mijn gemaakte plannen moet wijzigen. Deze ergernis is wat mij betreft onlosmakelijk verbonden met het openbaar vervoer. Laat ik nu gisteren een spotje van de Nederlandse Spoorwegen op mijn beeldbuis voorbij zien komen. ‘Wie op tijd wil zijn, vertrouwt op de trein. Ga mee.’ GA MEE?! Ik staar met open mond naar het scherm en de volle, romige yoghurt druipt van mijn lepel op mijn T-shirt.

Ik kan nooit rekenen op de trein. En zeg nu zelf, ik ben toch zeker niet het enige slachtoffer van vertraging? Dat weten de marketingadviseurs van de NS ook, vandaar waarschijnlijk dit spotje. Er heerst een vloek op de Nederlandse spoorwegen, of op de combi Mrs Pina Colada en de Nederlandse spoorwegen, want wanneer ik ook gebruik maak van de trein, nooit gaat het naar wens. Zeker niet die keren dat ik al een week sta te springen een bestemming te bereiken waar iets leuks of lekkers op mij wacht. Heb ik het over een manspersoon of over een Long Chicken van de lokale Burger King. Guus Meeuwis’ ‘Kedeng Kedeng’ altijd in mijn achterhoofd houdend.

Nu pak ik vaak de trein op het station in Dalen. Dalen heeft maar één spoor en dat is eigenlijk al vragen om moeilijkheden. Ik kijk er dan ook niet meer van op als de lieve mevrouw in de luidsprekers met een vrij nasale stem het perron over schreeuwt: ‘De trein vanuit Emmen vertrekt over 10 minuten vanaf spoor 2.’ Zou ik dan de rails over moeten springen en aan de andere kant in het gras moeten wachten op de trein? Of moet ik met een winkelkarretje tegen het muurtje naast het spoor botsen en verdwijnselen net als Harry Potter naar een perron 1 ¾ + ¼ = 2? Misschien een optie, het vervaardigen van een paar NS Expressen, gebaseerd op de Hogwarts Express. Volgens mij ontspoort die trein nooit en komt hij nooit te laat.

‘Nog eventjes geduld want het treintje komt zooooooo….’

Mrs Pina Colada

At first glance, this building would seem familiar to you, like you have already seen it somewhere, somehow. And that’s because you actually have!! The Durham cathedral was transformed into the “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry” in the Harry Potter series with magnificent technological alterations. And we think that they could not have made a better choice!!

The structure has a magical essence to it due to its grandeur and the time spent building it. The new architectural methods brought with the Normans to the English culture contributed in the making of such an immense structure with a feel of simplicity and serenity. A feeling of solitude engulfs you when you say something and know that it will echo throughout the whole structure because of the high arched rooms. As it is a cathedral, you would probably feel at whole with yourself walking through the endless halls and entering its colossal rooms. Its massive structure is to show the domination of the church and Christianity at the time and the river Wear as a siege. It was built with such grandeur that standing in front of it makes you feel safe as if you were in a world of your own that no one can invade. This is due to the calming waters of the river surrounding it. All aspects mentioned above are what makes us think that it is the most breathtaking Romanesque cathedral in England. But, what do you think?!

Here’s a little background information about the Durham Cathedral:

Analysis and purpose:

The Durham Cathedral situated in the city of Durham, York, England is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham and is an example of English Romanesque architecture. The cathedral had religious and later military functions. It served as a cathedral, the seat of the bishop, the church of the Benedictine monks (the administrators of the cathedral), and the house of the shrine of the most important saint of northern England, St. Cuthbert, Additionally, in 1093, it served as a site of pilgrimage for the cult of St. Cuthbert. It took 40 years to be completed (excluding the upper sections of the western towers) and this gave the builders enough time to alter the designs. Some alterations introduced were the wall passage at the clerestory level, the stone vaults throughout the entire church, the chevron ornaments in the nave, the ribbed vaults, and the simplification of the cylindrical piers. Due to the massive structure, the large amount of stones were organized and designed prior to their assembly at the construction scene.

Construction and material:

The cathedrals’ construction began at the east end and extended to the first to arches of the nave. The distribution of the chevron ornament confirmed that the first two arches and one bay of the gallery were completed before the rest of the nave and this is to serve the buttress for the west side of the crossing. Also, the cathedral was the first building in England to completely be covered with ribbed vaults. The construction material used was mainly sturdy Coal Measure sandstone. This brown sandstone is fine to medium grained and was produced locally, thus saving the monks money on its transportation.

Location vs. function:

The cathedral is surrounded by the river Wear, which kept it protected from enemies. Also, its only free side was protected by a castle of the bishop of Durham. The cathedral had a revolutionary impact on English society and the English church, which led to the reorganization of the dioceses and the moving of some sites of bishops to centers of Norman power.

Since your opinion matters most to us and to this project, we would like to know what element strikes your eye the most? What do you think is the most important architectural aspect of the Durham Cathedral??Also, in what aspects do you think the Cathedral affected its surrounding?

Sources

- Kevin Matthews, “Durham Cathedral” (GreatBuildings; http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/Durham_Cathedral.html; 2008)

- Richard Hilton, “Welcome to the Durham Cathedral” (The Chapter of Durham; http://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/; 2006-2009)

A indústria brasileira precisa aprender um pouco mais a trabalhar melhor com essa coisa chamada marketing. Os pequenos empresários, principalmente. Os jornalistas: nem falo nada. Falta profissionalismo por aqui.

Daniel Pinheiro

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Como criar uma febre

Com estratégias pouco convencionais, a Summit, uma pequena produtora americana, conseguiu transformar a série Crepúsculo num dos maiores fenômenos do cinema na atualidade

Por Adriana Pavlova | 29.10.2009 | 00h01

Fonte: EXAME

A saga Crepúsculo, escrita pela americana Stephenie Meyer, tinha tudo para ser apenas mais um best-seller juvenil de ficção. Baseada no romance entre um jovem vampiro e sua colega de colégio, a história teve sua adaptação para o cinema recusada pelo estúdio americano Paramount em 2006, sob a alegação de que se tratava de um enredo batido e sem charme algum — o fato de se tratar de uma fábula açucarada, desprovida de qualquer erotismo, também não ajudou. Naquela época, o livro havia vendido pouco mais de 4 milhões de exemplares — um número expressivo, mas ainda pequeno perto dos atuais 77 milhões vendidos pela série de quatro livros. O enredo acabou, então, vendido a uma pequena produtora americana por uma bagatela — e se transformou num dos maiores fenômenos do cinema da atualidade. Lançado em novembro de 2008, o filme Crepúsculo faturou 400 milhões de dólares e foi visto por mais de 30 milhões de espectadores no mundo. A expectativa dos produtores é que o frenesi se repita no próximo episódio, batizado de Lua Nova, que chega aos cinemas em novembro. As vendas antecipadas de ingressos, disponíveis desde abril, esgotaram-se em mais da metade dos cinemas americanos, feito que só havia sido alcançado pela série Guerra nas Estrelas. “Notamos que havia um forte burburinho na internet entre os fãs do livro e decidimos aproveitar isso”, afirmou a EXAME Patrick Wachsberger, sócio da Summit Entertainment, responsável pela produção do filme.

Até o lançamento de Crepúsculo, a Summit era uma desconhecida no mercado cinematográfico. Sem contar com a mesma verba dos grandes estúdios, a pequena produtora havia se especializado em películas obscuras, como o thriller de terror P2 e a comédia Sex Drive — ambos fracassos retumbantes de bilheteria. A situação começaria a mudar em 2006, quando Wachsberger leu Crepúsculo. “Nosso mérito foi ter percebido que essa história tinha um enorme potencial”, diz ele. Veterano da indústria cinematográfica, Wachsberger decidiu partir para o tudo ou nada. Enquanto negociava os direitos da saga, ele foi bater à porta de bancos e fundos de investimento interessados em financiar a produção. A peregrinação, que incluiu o até então prestigiado banco Merrill Lynch, rendeu-lhe um aporte de 1 bilhão de dólares por parte dos investidores — dinheiro suficiente para bancar a empresa pelos próximos dez anos (Crepúsculo custou meros 37 milhões de dólares). “Saímos definitivamente do anonimato”, diz Wachsberger. “Com a saga, fizemos mais do que produzir um filme. Criamos uma febre.”

Pelos planos de Wachsberger, a saga vampiresca deverá render 3 bilhões de dólares até 2012, quando será lançado o último filme. Para isso, os executivos da produtora lançaram mão de uma estratégia de marketing nada convencional, direcionada, sobretudo, ao público pré-adolescente — segmento disputado a tapa pelos grandes estúdios graças ao ímpeto consumista e ao senso de coletividade típicos dessa faixa etária. O primeiro passo foi apresentar os atores, até então desconhecidos, aos jovens americanos. Antes da estreia do primeiro filme, a empresa organizou um tour com os protagonistas pelos principais shopping centers dos Estados Unidos. Foram, ao todo, 13 expedições, que reuniram milhares de pessoas, a maioria meninas com até 15 anos de idade. “O êxito de qualquer iniciativa passa pela conquista desses garotos”, diz Sandi Adamiu, diretor da Paris Filmes no Brasil. Para o segundo filme, a Summit fechou uma parceria com o canal de TV a cabo Reelzchannel para a exibição de um programa semanal dedicado aos bastidores da produção de Lua Nova. “É preciso criar um bochicho em torno da estreia”, diz Wachsberger.

Nem as mães dos adolescentes escaparam. A empresa lançou um blog na internet para que elas acompanhem o desenrolar das filmagens — e tenham certeza de que seus filhos estão sendo expostos a um conteúdo comportado. Para produzir o blog, a Summit despachou cinco profissionais para o set de gravação. Além de alimentar o site com novidades, eles têm de tirar eventuais dúvidas de pais aflitos. O mais importante nesse contato é transmitir confiança. “Tudo foi minuciosamente pensado para atrair, também, um público mais adulto”, afirma Wachsberger. Para o lançamento do DVD de Crepúsculo, em março, a empresa organizou sessões especiais à meia-noite — normalmente os filmes voltados para o público juvenil ocupam as matinês. Mas que graça teria seguir o padrão? A criação do buzz em torno do lançamento teve resultado imediato: só no primeiro dia, foram vendidos 3 milhões de DVDs, quase a metade do total vendido até agora. A tática deverá ser repetida com Lua Nova.

Embora se trate de fábulas distintas, Crepúsculo tenta repetir, em maior ou menor grau, o mesmo sucesso alcançado por Harry Potter, uma das séries mais bem-sucedidas da história do cinema, com faturamento total na casa dos 9 bilhões de dólares. Inspirada na estratégia dos produtores da saga do menino bruxo, a Summit antecipou em quase um ano a venda de produtos licenciados com a marca Lua Nova, do segundo filme. Desde o mês de março, mais de 350 produtos, entre roupas, acessórios, bonecos, joias e jogos de videogame, têm lotado as principais lojas de departamentos dos Estados Unidos. “Graças ao sucesso da saga, há uma série de empresas nos procurando para fazer parceria”, afirma Wachsberger. Uma delas é a sueca Volvo. A montadora, conhecida pela sobriedade (ou senioridade) de seus veículos, acredita que o filme ajudará a promover dois de seus modelos mais esportivos entre o público jovem (os carros são dirigidos pelo neogalã Robert Pattinson, protagonista dos filmes). Apesar de “copiar” parte da estratégia de marketing da saga do menino bruxo de Hogwarts, o pessoal da Summit tomou um cuidado: não entrar na disputa pelo mesmo público. Enquanto as histórias de Harry Potter chegam às telas no meio do ano, em pleno verão americano, a Summit optou por lançar seus filmes no mês de novembro (a exceção será Eclipse, que estreia em julho do ano que vem).

Fora das telas, a Summit corre contra o tempo para produzir os outros três filmes da série (o último livro, Amanhecer, será dividido em duas partes). A empresa planeja lançar Eclipse, baseado no terceiro livro da saga, apenas oito meses depois de seu antecessor. Com isso, a Summit espera aproveitar ao máximo o clima de euforia que se estabeleceu em torno da história, evitando, assim, uma das principais armadilhas desse tipo de série: o envelhecimento do público-alvo e o consequente desinteresse pela fábula. “Nesse mercado, timing é tudo”, afirma Wachsberger. Para evitar uma possível redução nas vendas de ingressos daqui para a frente, a Summit decidiu apimentar a sequência, incluindo cenas de ação com lobisomens e uma trama mais sofisticada. A ideia é arrebanhar fãs entre o público masculino, ainda reticente em relação ao romance meloso que embalou o primeiro filme — menos de um terço dos espectadores de Crepúsculo são homens. Se conseguir esse feito, Wachsberger terá provado que é capaz de não somente criar uma febre, mas mantê-la ardendo por algum tempo.

Today I was doing my thing as usual checking people out at target, when in walks this beautiful man. I stared at him for a moment and then his laundry basket, then back at him. Then he said, “How is Edinboro College?” I said, “Good, how’d you know I went there?”

On the inside I was beaming, finally Hogwarts has accepted me. How ELSE would he have known where I went to school!?

As I waited to be whisked away to my new magical life, he says I write for The Presque Isle files. Then I remember he told me before he had to get a laundry basket.

so I finally met my BBFTIJSHTLITSCA, you know my best blogging friend that I just so happen to live in the same city as. In all the excitement I forgot to have him pay!! However the nice lady behind me told me I was a fail. Meeting people in real life is fun, ha Sammy is taller in person than I pictured, but quite a tall glass of something sexy, if I do say so myself.

For all you other bloggers, Sammy and I have a blogging secret in common, betcha you can’t guess!

So, I finished this one in two days. They brought back Dobby, so at first I wasn’t sure I liked it. But it was really good. The World Cup, (Quidditch), Fred and George’s jokes, Sirius, and (Try not to flinch) Voldemort. It was surprising to learn of that Harry’s wand had a brother. And poor Cedric. Why did Voldemort kill him? And there was Viktor Krum. Plus the Yule Ball. And the Triwizard Tournament. Interesting Portkey, the Triwizard cup. And Percy! Stop Apparating! Bad Floo network. Hope you enjoyed the book. I loved it.

These past weeks, I’ve dedicated lots of energy to better understanding the educational opportunities available in Second Life. I have considered how Second Life can be used as an alternate form of education, instruction and learning for academic and school libraries. However, I have largely overlooked the value of virtual worlds as media for public libraries.

In my last post, I discussed some of the personal reasons people choose to reside in Second Life. For some, this virtual world is a venue for learning and exploring. For others, it is a place of leisure. For more still, Second Life provides a sense of community and, in some cases, personal support. It occurred to me that these are some of the same reasons people visit public libraries.

And so, I decided to learn a bit more about public libraries in Second Life. While some public libraries in Second Life were merely big rooms filled with books, other locations had much more to offer.

Many public libraries in Second Life provide access to a small range of information resources, including links to their OPACs and information about their community. See the Olathe, Kansas Public Library and the Glenview Public Library for some examples. The Bibliotheek Amsterdam is worth a visit as well.

The most disappointing part of visiting public libraries in Second Life was the lack of people. In the “real world” public libraries are usually teeming with people. And though not all public libraries make efforts to build a sense of community, they do serve as meeting places.

Most public libraries in Second Life are doing an adequate job of meeting the information needs of their patrons. Or at least, they seem to be trying to meet the information needs of their patrons.

But people also use public libraries to connect with people. Libraries are meeting places. The role of library as place is largely overlooked by public libraries in Second Life.

Only by creating a venue for people to connect to one another can public libraries in Second Life play a role in meeting the community needs of their users. In order to better serve Second Life residents (and real world communities) virtual public libraries must become community hubs.

Then again, maybe librarians are the only people who dream of libraries crowded with people who are just hanging out and connecting with one another …

Professores, seus horários foram modificados devido ao enquadramento das atividades diárias de Hogwarts no Quadro de Aulas. Caso queiram modificá-los, avisem o diretor.

Hello, and excuse my non-professionalism  in the title. I am just so excited to finally post my first blog.

To start, my name is Jamir Burney and I am currently in school. I have aspirations to be a published fictional writer and write 2 movie scripts.

As of right now I am waiting on responses from 3 interviews from internships of writing. But enough of me, allow me to tell you why I am blogging.

Here a few reasons:

1. I really enjoy writing and expressing myself.
2. I equally enjoy hearing what others have to say and helping with their problems.
3. I have never, ever blogged or owned my own forum.
4. I would like to interact with different people who know what I am talking about.
5. Every experience leads up to the final you.
6. I truly want to be HEARD!

Well now that I told you why I want to blog, how about I tell you what I am blogging about, though you might have guessed.

I am blogging about my favorite books, that I can read endlessly. Harry Potter, Twilight, and Eragon. These book are inspiring in a way, but more importantly in my eyes it allows you to

go somewhere you can never be and creates that feeling that you are there which is just as good as being there. But also these books mean something to me. Harry Potter and the Chamber of

Secrets was the first book I read all the way through and then re-read.  After that I was hooked on Harry Potter. Twilight was the first book in which I actually embraced the theme of romance

novels. Although, I am a guy I truly understand Twilight and I frown upon those who judge it without good reason. Finally, Eragon is a book I love because it is a tale of heroics, which we all

want to hear, and a lot of the times it has those parts that get your heart beating or when you know that he is about to breakdown a door and people will finally know he is the Dragon Rider.

Those are the parts I live for.

And so I conclude my first blog. If you would like to comment or email me feel free I am very open and sociable.

Oh Yeah, Welcome to my Blog!

These past few weeks, I have been trying to appreciate the positive aspects of Second Life – not only from an educational standpoint, but also from the perspective of community groups and individuals. The truth is: Second Life has much to offer people who are interested in exploring this virtual world out of personal interest.

Perhaps the most obvious of these benefits, Second Life provides the opportunity to meet and interact with people from around the world. There are few other venues, if any, for people from across the globe to meet, chat, learn and interact without needing to hop on an airplane. Of course there exist more traditional chat rooms, but these don’t provide the same interactive experience as do virtual worlds such as Second Life.

What amazes me about Second Life is the opportunity to interact with others in innumerable ways.

Second Life residents can come together to explore different places – natural wonders (such as coral reefs and mountains), historic locations (such as Ancient Egypt and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre), imaginary worlds (such as Hogwarts and Sunnydale), and much more. Second Life provides people with opportunities to explore places they have only ever dreamed of. And because Second Life residents can build their own content, the possibilities are endless.

What’s more, Second Life residents can share their experiences with other people, be it through chat, animations and/or role pay.

But the exploration of new worlds is only the tip of the iceberg. Second Life is also a venue for assembly. Groups and communities, with members from all continents, can meet in Second Life to discuss common interests (from SCUBA diving to libraries).

To name just a few possibilities, group members can share personal hardships (through various support groups, including alcoholics anonymous), express their artistic side (through venues such as Burning Life), and share academic ideas (by attending lectures or visiting places such as Genome island).

For some Second Life residents, the communities they join can provide them with the support and opportunities they lack in real life. This may be especially important for marginalized people who feel alone and unaccepted in their real world communities.

However, with so many groups, possibilities and experiences available in Second Life, finding opportunities that interest you can be quite the challenge …

Until yesterday, my ten year old still believed in Santa Claus (and the Easter Bunny).  Trust me, we worked hard to sell the myth for as long as we could (we’ve been known to leave “bunny prints” on the carpet with baby powder, among other things).  And we must have done a good job, because even though all her classmates have been telling my daughter for years that her parents are Santa, she steadfastly maintained that he was real.  Until that damn Tooth Fairy gave us away.

My daughter lost another baby tooth yesterday, and as she was setting out her “Tooth Fairy pillow” she got to thinking about the plausibility of a fairy who flies around collecting old teeth.  She devised a couple of ways she could find out the truth (one of which invloved counting the money in my purse before bed and again in the morning), but ultimately decided to just ask me.  “Mom?  Are you the Tooth Fairy?”  While I am comfortable perpetuating a fun little myth in order to add to the magic of childhood, I am not comfortable point blank lying to my pre-adolescent daughter.  So I fessed up.  She said, “I knew it.  That fairy didn’t seem very likely.”  And that was the end of it for about twenty minutes.

I wondered if she would make the leap from Tooth Fairy to Santa…I could see the wheels turning in her head, even as I tried to distract her with other things.  No luck.  She eventually cornered me and inquired about Santa and the Easter Bunny.  And once again, I thought I should tell the truth.  A truth we’ve managed to sidestep for longer than I ever thought possible.

Naturally, she was devastated, as anyone whose entire belief system has suddenly crumbled around them might be.  She is sad about the loss of magic…even though she’ll still get all the presents and goodies and stuff, it’s just not the same when you KNOW.  And she’s upset that she defended the reality of Santa for so long, when her more jaded friends and classmates knew the truth (some of them quite believing back in Kindergarten).  I asked her if she would have preferred me to lie, in order to keep the myth alive a little longer.  She said yes.

I feel horrible for her, but it’s one of the milestones on the path to adulthood.  Eventually, you have to face the fact that the world is severely lacking in magic, regardless of how much you wish it wasn’t so.  How many of us adults still lose ourselves in series like Harry Potter or Twilight or Lord of the Rings, in order to invoke a little magic in our lives?  Heck, I’d leave for Hogwarts tomorrow if I could (as would my daughter).  I tried to console her with the idea that she can now play a part in keeping the magic alive for her little sister, which cheered her up a little, as she relishes the idea of helping to create the wretched string maze the Easter Bunny often leaves.  But she’s still sad, and I expect her to feel that way for awhile.

While I’m bummed for my daughter, I am also relieved that we still have one believer in the house.  If my three year old stays on board for an equally long time (not likely, but I’m crossing my fingers), we’ll still have seven years of creating and enjoying the magic.

The owners of Alnwick Castle, which doubled as Hogwarts school in Harry Potter films, hire an ex-Disney boss to boost visitor numbers… From BBC News. Full story

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