NPR Science Friday in SL?

I got in my car today just in time to hear the very end of NPR's Science Friday program on the radio. The host said something about Second Life and that "they are still there so drop by and talk to the avatars" or something to that effect. Is SF or Ira Flatow a regular fixture in SL or did they do a segment on it today or??? Does anyone know?

Since my hubby worships at the alter of Science Friday, I know for a fact that they are always in world when they air. He's always telling me about the questions he'd heard that someone asked in SL.

/me pulls out list of reasons for having a crush on Bodhi, adds: "He digs science"

Oh cool. I love Science Friday. I have certainly heard them talk ABOUT SL quite a few times, but I didn't know they had a regular presence in SL.

I heard it too!!! I was amazed! I'm a complete NPR junkie, but usually working during the show.

Ira's avatar is evidently named "Ira Flatley", they have an island where avatars can gather during the show, and on the air they read questions from Second Life, just like from the website. Meanwhile, people who gather on the island can 'talk amongst themselves'.

Evidently this started at the end of the summer, when they had Cory Ondrejka as part of a panel discussion on SL.

Aw, Ava..... I must drop you the notecard entitled "99 Dang Good Reasons to Have a Crush on Bodhi"

I wonder if the SL stuff is included in the podcasts/archives. Must look/listen into that. If I'm ever not working on a Friday maybe I'll wander by and see what's going on.

my dearest fellow office supply... it'll certainly mean a lot more if you let her get to the 99 dang good reasons all in her own time!

I should probably mention that my list also contains "being named after office supplies."

(People think I'm joking, but I'm not. I get swoony just holding a Staples catalog.)

for details. But SciFri simulcasts from some island called something like Science Islands. There are some very nice attempts there at educational builds, such as the Pavilion of Math and the Hall of Astronomy...that kind of stuff.

It looks to me like somebody got a big NSF grant to do Science Education in Virtual Worlds, or some such.

By the way, if you like that kind of stuff in general, take a look at Wolfram's new Mathematica Reader and the demonstrations.

Gee Bod, Laurie Anderson AND NPR!

Ok, my husband thinks I'm a bit flakey for being involved here (but hey, he travels for business frequently and I was B-O-R-E-D without him being home alot) but now that NPR is mentioning it he might have to reconsider since he's an NPR fanatic and if NPR gives it the seal of approval well...

Thanks for posting this Bod, and everyone else for the followup. I'm going to have to check this all out.

I've heard them say "and now a question from somebody in SL..." more than a few times but haven't tracked them down.. Anybody got an slurl?

Here are the SL Events posts for Science Friday on December 28, one for each hour of the broadcast:

http://secondlife.com/events/event.php?id=1096047&date=1198868400

http://secondlife.com/events/event.php?id=1096058&date=1198872000

And the LM for the new Science Friday Island:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Science%20Friday/176/91
According to the SL Events listings, Ira will still be broadcasting from Science School today. At Science Friday Island, there is supposed to be a TP to Science School.

I don't remember seeing previous listings in SL Events for Science Friday. I hope they continue to post them every Friday. Each post lists the topics to be discussed during the hour.

There is also a "Science Friday" group, to which announcements about the SF events are sent.

-Prospero (regular SF attender)