Imagine Peace Tower opens in Second Life

On Friday 9th October 2009, Yoko Ono was in Iceland (in the real world) for the annual lighting of IMAGINE PEACE TOWER.

Later the same evening, at 10.30pm (Reykjavik time), Yoko unveiled a new IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Second Life

Imagine Peace Tower

IMAGINE PEACE TOWER UNVEILING SPEECH
by Yoko Ono Lennon

All spirits of goodness of this magical land, of the planet, and of the universe,
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for witnessing our humble gathering
For the unveiling of IMAGINE PEACE TOWER.

They say, if all the people in China were to jump up and down at the same time,
The axis of the globe would shift.

Well, we are here together. Billions of us.
Standing at the dawn of a new age determined to shift the axis of the world to health,
Peace and joy by loving and caring for all lives on Earth.

Some of us are here physically, some are joining us in spirit.
Some of us are imprisoned, tortured, maimed and silenced, but they are also here today with us.
Some of us have passed away before being able to enjoy a new age of love and peace.

But we are all here today standing together with hope.

The light is the light of wisdom, healing and empowerment.

Even in the moments of confusion, fear and the darkness of your souls,
Hold the light in your hearts,
And you will know that you are not alone,
That we are all together in seeing the light of peace.

I thank the people of Second Life, for giving so much love to this tower from its inception.
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER was visualized with love, and realized by love.
It is a gift from John and Yoko and the people of Second Life to the world.
I know that John is with us, too, in this land of Nutopia,
happy that the light tower is finally a reality after 40 years.

Let’s make a wish as the light goes on.
Let’s send light to each other and say I love you!

i ii iii

John, we love you!

Yoko Ono Lennon
IMAGINE PEACE TOWER unveiling in Second Life
9 October 2009

‘I dedicate this light tower to John Lennon.
My love for you is forever.’
Yoko Ono

‘Imagine all the people living life in peace’
John Lennon

‘A dream you dream alone is only a dream.
A dream you dream together is reality.’
Yoko Ono

LIGHTING UP TIMES AFTER THE CEREMONY

After the opening ceremony, the Second Life IMAGINE PEACE TOWER will begin its cycle of illumination approximately 15 minutes after sunset on every Second Life day and will remain illuminated until dawn. The days are much shorter in Second Life than in the real world. Sunset happens in Second Life every day at the following times, both am and pm:

• 01.30, 05.30, 09.30: Chicago, Baghdad, Bangkok, Vladivostok
• 02.30, 06.30, 10.30: Anchorage, Montreal, Toronto, Reykjavik, Moscow, Shanghai, Suva
• 03.30, 07.30, 11.30: Los Angeles, Rio de Janiero, Liverpool, London, Karachi, Tokyo, Auckland
• 04.30, 08.30, 12.30: Guatemala, Europe, Dhaka, Sydney, Kiritimati

IMAGINE PEACE TOWER ISLAND in SECOND LIFE

Visitor Center

When you arrive at the island, you will first visit the VISITORS CENTER.

IN THE VISITORS CENTER:

• IMAGINE PEACE TOWER DOCUMENTARY FILM
  explains the history and philosophy of Yoko Ono’s IMAGINE PEACE TOWER.
• IMAGINE PEACE POSTCARDS, BUTTONS, T-SHIRTS etc
  are free and for you to share with your friends.
• IMAGINE PEACE & IMAGINE PEACE TOWER BOOKS
  are available to read in the VISITORS CENTER.
• ONOCHORD DOCUMENTARY FILM
  explains more of the history and philosophy of Yoko Ono’s ONOCHORD.
• ONOCHORD TORCHES
  are to hold in your hand and flash “i ii iii” (I love you) to one another.
• ONOCHORD POSTCARDS
  are to explain the message and send to your friends.

Wish Tree

WISH TREES
Outside the VISITORS CENTER and around the island you will find WISH TREES.
Make a WISH and your wish will also be sent to the real life IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Iceland.

BOAT RIDES
Also outside the VISITORS CENTER are some boats in which you can travel around the island.

CONTROL PANEL
These are stationed around the island,  and teleport you to different vantage points on and above the island. It also enables various modes of dancing. Here’s the locations you can teleport to:

IMAGINE PEACE TOWER WISHING WELL
The wishing well of IMAGINE PEACE TOWER consists of white panels inscribed with the words IMAGINE PEACE in 24 different languages


CLOUDS
There are 4 CLOUDS – at 125m, 225m, 300m and 500m. Inspired by the writings from Yoko’s GRAPEFRUIT and her album artwork for IMAGINE and LIVE PEACE IN TORONTO, these are platforms where you can take in the view, meet, talk and dance, while clouds magically form under your feet. You can fly or teleport between these platforms using the CONTROL PANEL, and from the top platform, you can take a parachute jump back down to the base and enjoy the view.

Spa

HOT SPRING SPA
Volcanic springs are common in Iceland. In fact, the real IMAGINE PEACE TOWER is entirely run on Geothermal Energy – from naturally occurring hot water. Here is a place to meditate, unwind and enjoy the view.


HOT AIR BALLOON
Inspired by John and Yoko’s film ‘Apotheosis” (which was all filmed from a hot air balloon) you can take a ride around the island on the IMAGINE PEACE balloon.

Our Generous In-World Community

By Greywolf Mornington

One of the great pleasures of my job as a reporter for the Second Times Newspaper has been my involvement with the various volunteer and charity groups that dot the Second Life landscape including Relay for Life, Virtual Helping Hands, Veterans Groups, Rape Crisis Scotland and Boomer Esiason Foundation for Cerebral Palsy for example.

“Whether you are a Mentor, Translator, Wiki expert or a helper in one of Second Life’s many awesome help groups, volunteers all have something in common. Each and every volunteer helps improve the lives and experiences of Second Life Residents in very powerful ways.” Said SL Liaison and Volunteer Specialist Lexie Linden.

American Cancer Society

“We all have our stories of our first day in Second Life. They are often memorable, maybe a bit funny and usually are touched by some kind of volunteer effort even if we didn’t realize it at the time. Some of these efforts are more visible, such as those volunteers who welcome new Residents in-world at the Help Islands and Welcome areas, everyone sharing their knowledge via Second Life Answers and those who flex their writing and editing chops in the Second Life Wiki. But, volunteers also do good deeds that are not immediately seen. These contributions have high impact as well.”

Plush Non-Profit Commons Center

We have an amazing power to harness as individuals in the Second Life community.  In 2008, Relay for Life received contributions totally about $250,000US for their fight against cancer. A contribution of merely 250L per month by an average of 70,000 residents, would generate over 210,000,000L (over $840,000US). The emergence of philanthropic interest in this brave new world is also a sign, experts say, of its growing popularity with older professionals—and their growing interest in conceiving ways to use this virtual space to attract younger consumers and ideas to their causes.

“This isn’t just some fad or something new and interesting that we’ve grabbed onto,” says Jonathan Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation, which has given the Center on Public Diplomacy of the University of Southern California $550,000 to stage events in Second Life, including discussions of how foundations can address issues like education. “Serious conversations take place in Second Life,” Fanton recently told The New York Times. “People are deeply engaged and that led us to think that maybe a major foundation ought to have a presence in the virtual world, as well.”

So should more charities, says Randall Moss, a technology strategist for the American Cancer Society, one of the first traditional nonprofits to raise money for a cause in Second Life. Moss established an avatar in Second Life in 2004—R.C. Mars (“it looks pretty much like me, maybe a little bit more muscular,” he says) and once there, in Second Life, he met another charity-active avatar named Jade Lily, and persuaded her to organize a virtual Relay for Life, as the cancer society’s annual walkathons are known. A couple hundred avatars did that walk in 2005, raising $5,100. About 1,000 avatars showed up in 2006 and raised $40,000. This year’s walk in July raised $115,000 from 1,700 participating avatars. “

Other regions exist for nonprofits to create a virtual toehold, most notably the forested Camp David-like SIM known as Commonwealth Island, which hosts small displays for a couple dozen environmental and political activism groups. Another region known as Better World Island is home to a gathering of international aid and awareness groups. Individual efforts within Second Life have included a virtual Camp Darfur, which lets residents experience what it is like to be a refugee; Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, a walk-through tour of a malfunctioning human heart created by the American Heart Association; a profitable “fly-a-thon” to support multiple sclerosis research, and the Common Grounds Non-Profit Center.

Virtual Corporate Change

By Greywolf Mornington

In a time when belts in corporations are tightening, companies such as IBM, Dell,  Cigna Corp., Intel Corp., and Wells Fargo & Co. are increasingly looking to Second Life as a setting for trade shows, employee meetings and other corporate events such as training sessions.

IBM Business Center

International Business Machines Corp has invested deeply in the virtual world. Last year in October, IBM hosted a three-day annual gathering of its leading thinkers in Second Life. An event would have otherwise been scaled back because of the recession. The event, which peaked at about 250 concurrent users, helped demonstrate the promise of virtual reality to many within IBM who were having doubts about this method, “We turned hard skeptics into true believers,” says Neil Katz, Senior IBM engineer, who noted that these venues have since been used for other IBM events. IBM says it saved about $350,000 by hosting its October conference in Second Life.

The IBM Business Center located with-in Second Life, created 3 years ago, is a place where people come together and come alive in an environment that makes it easy to learn about complex processes in a visual way. Hold a meeting, share your opinion in a forum, attend a presentation or visit the library stocked with IBM Redbooks®.  Concierge Staff are available 24 hours a day/ 5 days a week.

Dell Business Center

Dell has an island within Second Life, complete with avatars who, can help consumers assemble the perfect computer for a perfect virtual world. Still, Dell believes its island on Second Life will be different from the other companies setting up shop on the virtual world. Dell will enable its customers to come to the Dell Island and visit a virtual factory where they can build a customized PC and have it delivered to their door.

In addition to the factory, Dell is building a computer museum on the site, along with a virtual copy of Chairman Michael Dell’s old college dorm room, where he founded the company. Visitors will be able to check out Mr. Dell’s old bathtub, where he used to store the computer parts he assembled into finished PCs for his first customers. “The content is fundamentally created by the people there,” said Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale. “We’re learning how people’s relationships with each other keep them coming back, seeing the power in numbers. We want to understand that better. It will be fascinating to see what Dell does with that.”

If desired, companies can hire a virtual conference organizer, like Dan Parks, a real-life conference planner who has created Virtualis, a Second Life “island” on which he has built a giant dome, various exhibit halls, ballrooms, an outdoor entertainment center and even a yacht. “Anything your mind can imagine, we can create in here,” Mr. Parks says. For about $7,000, he will run a two-day conference for 75 people from around the world. A similar event in real life would cost about $150,000, he says.

Intel Business Center

Linden Labs is giving extra focus to making Second Life more business friendly, says Linden CEO Mark Kingdom. Creating a site to introduce Second Life to business users and it is redesigning the “first hour experience” to make it easier for users to create accounts. Linden is also planning to launch a service allowing people to call into virtual meetings from their landlines or mobile phones. Linden Research is developing new applications targeting business users with new products and services, including a feature that will let users call into virtual meetings from their cell-phones. It is also testing hardware that companies can plug into their computer networks to create private virtual venues and will continue to develop new applications to further meet the needs of both residents and corporations as new uses for the virtual world are discovered.