Dreams, Moments, Travels
Acoustic Africa featuring Habib Koite & Vusi Mahlasela was the third performance in quick succession that Caroline and I took in here in the first quarter of the year. Again we are the Musical Instrument Museum for this amazing cultural presentation that we wouldn’t find anywhere else in all of Arizona. Here’s a clip of the guys performing live: Habib Koite & Vusi Mahlasela
Over on the ASU campus tonight at the Gammage Auditorium Caroline and I had the opportunity to listen to Johnny Depp talk with Lawrence Krauss for a couple of hours about, “Finding the Creativity in Madness.”
Today, we are celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the involvement of all women in arts and sciences. Pictured above are the current women of Timefire. According to surveys conducted by the International Game Development Association (IGDA), women represent less than 30% of the game development workforce. The gender representation statistics for virtual reality development have yet to be published.
We strongly believe in building an inclusive and supportive community, which is why many of us at Timefire have created a Women in Games International (WIGI) chapter locally. There are many other organizations in which you can get involved to support women in game development, virtual reality, programming, technology, etc.
Let us all spend today discussing how to achieve equal representation and celebrating all women around the world.
Submitted by Jessica Sweeny
Friends Itay and Rotem joined us tonight at the Musical Instrument Museum for a performance by Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital. Another great performance where sadly our favorite 299-seat intimate venue was not sold out. Something is wrong with the population of the Phoenix area as with 3.5 million people in Maricopa County events like this should sell out, but only the most well-known groups fill this place and the jazz ensembles seem to pull the north Scottsdale white wine crowd in. I can consider myself lucky that this guy who has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing has now played Arizona and we were there for it.
Humanity is on the verge of reconstructing mass production and communication, starting with the widespread use of the Internet. Smartphones, 3D printers, and now, virtual reality are adding to this momentum of changing the way we do things. As a society, we are encouraging individuality by supporting others to create and share their ideas with others around the world.
Virtual reality is an infinitely large stage where anything and everything is possible; Hypatia is but one particular medium. We at Timefire are creating more than just a game; we are offering a space where people choose what to do and create. It is from the power of our imaginations that we forge the tools, symbols, elements, and sounds that shape human culture.
In Hypatia, people will find an environment for exploring and creating all aspects of their potential. This ranges from music, art, education, mentoring, crafting, and exploration. In this virtual city we will not only be the creators but the curators of our emerging world of digital virtual art. Community, camaraderie, and creativity are imperative to Hypatia. We are relying on you, the players, to create the vast dynamics of this city’s culture.
I’ve worked a lot this year and Caroline and I have found only the rare moment to spend quality time together: this is one of those opportunities. The animated film, “The Triplets of Belleville” has been a favorite of ours since it first came out, not only for the beautiful animation but the story and soundtrack too. Tonight the composer and a small ensemble of musicians came to Mesa, Arizona to offer us a live rendition of the soundtrack and for this, I just had to put work on hold.