‘Avatar’ in the West Bank

Staff / Truthdig Feb 14, 2010 Some Palestinians in Billin, the West Bank town famous for its civil disobedience, have taken a cue from the movie "Avatar." Demonstrators have painted themselves blue, citing a parallel between their cause and that of the film's indigenous protagonists, who fight against a foreign occupying force. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Welcome Back, da Vinci Edition

Staff / Truthdig Jan 29, 2010 President Obama asked for a better health care plan, so here it is. Native people say "Avatar" is real, so there. But why are they digging up Leonardo da Vinci -- and is there anything left? These stories and more on today's list. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Castro Edition

Staff / Truthdig Jan 27, 2010 Going nuclear in the Senate, the anthropology of "Avatar" and why Fidel Castro sent doctors instead of soldiers to Haiti. These stories and more on today's list. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Anti-Smoking Camp Targets ‘Avatar’

Staff / Truthdig Jan 12, 2010 James Cameron's "Avatar" has made beaucoup bucks, already taking in more than $1 billion worldwide since its last last month, but there's at least one group that's not happy with certain aspects of his futuristic odyssey A campaign called Smoke Free Movies sponsored a major ad buy in Hollywood's two prominent trade papers Tuesday to protest (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cameron Puts His Money Down for ‘Hiroshima’

Staff / Truthdig Jan 9, 2010 James Cameron, that visionary mega-director of historic oceanic tragedy and, more recently, virtual blue puma-people, has dug into his giant pockets to option a book for a possible film project that's quite different in subject and tone from his latest blockbuster, "Avatar." Variety reported Friday that Cameron now has movie dibs on Charles Pellegrino's nonfiction book "The Last Train From Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ Awes the Skeptics

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Dec 16, 2009 The film industry has produced no shortage of spectacles over the last hundred years, from "Ben Hur" to "Star Wars." In terms of technological sorcery and visual wonder, James Cameron's "Avatar" now ranks chief among them. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Avatars Against the War

Staff / Truthdig Feb 9, 2007 While thousands of people were in D.C. protesting the war on Jan. 30, more than 120 digital versions of people gathered online in the Second Life world to stage a virtual protest. Watch a video of it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

It’s a Wonderful Second Life

Staff / Truthdig Oct 13, 2006 Check out this mind-blowing story on Second Life, the simulated online world where people socialize, shop for actual products, attend legitimate university classes, even buy virtual real estate -- using real-world money. This head-spinning enmeshing of online/off-line interaction represents a new model for our Internet-addled society. It's like "The Matrix" (Version 0.1). Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Live Musical Acts, Coming to a Sim Near You

Staff / Truthdig Aug 19, 2006 Now this is a cool sign of the times: Musicians are playing "live" concerts streamed through virtual reality environments like "Second Life." Above, the avatar of Suzanne Vega plays in what was billed as "the first time a major recording artist performed live in avatar form." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )