Allie is Wired was honored to be invited to the launch event for theBlu on Friday at NASDAQ MarketSite’s Drum Area in Times Square.

Inspired by the World’s Oceans—and the need to preserve them, theBlu is a socially-connected, global interactive app. Possibly the largest globally shared digital art and entertainment experience ever, it automatically increases awareness and fundraising support for non-profit partners in their ocean conservation efforts.

Leslie and Emily with Allie is Wired and Jean Michel Cousteau

We dove into theBlu at the NASDAQ Marketsite in Times Square NYC, sampling innovative hors d’oeuvres and cocktails and rubbing elbows with some of the biggest names in ocean conservation.

Andy Jones

We heard from the founders, including Andy Jones, Academy Award-Winning animator for Avatar, and legendary ocean scientist, Sylvia Earle, who personally told us to remember that half the fish in the sea are women. Her message was clear. Everybody should be doing what they can to protect our precious oceans.

Earle encouraged young people to get interested, invested and involved with the world’s oceans.

Sylvia Earle

theBlu, the new facebook and smartphone app, combines storytelling, artistic expression and technology to introduce people to the fascinating world beneath the waves, using social networking and the internet to open the door to a new generation of ocean conservationists.

Louie Psihoyos, Director of The Cove, urged attendees to take ocean conservation seriously, reminding us there isn’t much time left to save the world’s oceans.

Louis Psihoyos

At the swanky launch party, we met some of the actual designers and artists who created the app, that connects users with interactive ocean environments where you can learn about sea life, and build your own virtual underwater world.

The creators of theBlu have partnered with leading conservationists such as the Ocean Elders, and their supporters include Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and Steve Case, co-founder and former CEO of AOL.

The big screens in Times Square were lit up with the QR barcode and images from the new app, as a crowd of supporters simultaneously dove in on facebook.

Fabian Cousteau scans the QR barcode on his iPad with help from a theBlu volunteer

The crowd below watching the launch of theBlu on the big screens in Times Square.

To try theBlu out for yourself just go to theblu.com and dive in.