Tag / will.i.am

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

i.am+ meets Three as will.i.am again regurgitates his tech mogul dreams

There was a time when Digixav was a place where things were written with occasional regularity. One day, such a thing may again be true. We even talked into dodgy microphones from time to time and joked about things that seemed either relevant or humorous in the period between 2011 and 2013 until our conversations, and the objects of mockery themselves, largely descended into oblivion. Fortunately for us, one of them is reemerging like an intoxicated butterfly piercing its cocoon of inevitable gimmickry.

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by Xavier Voigt-Hill

April Fools: Virgin Volcanic will take Richard Branson to the centre of the earth

Richard Branson has been known to take the Virgin brand to the extreme, and his latest venture is no exception. The Virgin Volcanic project promises to take people through active volcanoes to the centre of the earth by 2015. Initial earthports will be built in 5 locations:

  • Etna – Sicily, Italy
  • Stromboli – Aeolian Islands
  • Yasur – Republic of Vanuatu
  • Ambrym – Republic of Vanuatu
  • Tinakula – Solomon Islands

In a press release about the project, eccentric billionaire Branson said:

I have a long held a fascination with volcanoes having read Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth as a young boy. I decided that one day I would go there too. Alongside our adventures with Virgin Galactic and Virgin Oceanic, volcanoes are the next great unexplored terrain. What can I say, I lava challenge!

On the first journey, Branson will be joined by actors Tom Hanks and Seth Green, filmmaker Barbara Kopple and ‘musician‘ will.i.am, who is set to make the world’s first soundtrack recorded in an active volcano during the voyage. To find out more about the project, and how you could get involved, visit the website.

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

Megaupload shut down by authorities, Kim Dotcom arrested again

Megaupload, the supposed file-sharing site of choice for the likes of will.i.am and Kanye West, has been shut down by US officials today as part of one of the largest criminal copyright cases in history. Unscrupulous founder Kim Schmitz, aka Kimble, Kim Dotcom and Kim Tim Jim Vestor, has been arrested at his New Zealand mansion along with 3 other executives among allegations of:

  • engaging in a racketeering conspiracy
  • conspiring to commit copyright infringement
  • conspiring to commit money laundering
  • two substantive counts of criminal copyright infringement

The Department of Justice complaint states that the site is responsible for over half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners and that Dotcom’s team, including CEO Swizz Beatz, are guilty of $175,000,000 in criminal proceeds. Could this be the last we see of Kim Schmitz?

The plot thickens, however, as, in retaliation to the takedown, Anonymous have done their thing and brought down the websites of the Department of Justice, Universal Music, the RIAA and the MPAA in protest. Get your popcorn ready, as this is going to get interesting.