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11月22日

Gartner: Virtual Conferencing to Cut 2.1MM Airline Seats by 2012

Gartner: Virtual Conferencing to Cut 2.1MM Airline Seats by 2012
 
 
    The debate about the long term financial viability of virtual world technology continues to rage on. Most of the critics point to the hype that initially followed the opening of Second Life. I would like to remind them that not only didn't Second Life fade away but from what information can be found they seem to be gaining financially. The other thing is that Second Life is no longer the only virtual world and the new worlds are not exclusively devoted to gaming. I am still willing to put my faith in Linden Labs.
 
    Getting information on what is happening behind the scenes in Second Life and in the hallowed halls of Linden Labs is a bit like 'kremlinology' during the Cold War. You need to examine the information you collect very carefully. I'm not saying that there is anything inherently wrong with a company trying to put the most positive spin on their product. What I am saying is that before you make a significant investment in any technology you need to consider all the good and bad of what you may buy. I also try to check the facts behind what are essentially opinion pieces; quite often the facts being given about Second Life in particular are either old or inaccurate. So far I am seeing more positive information about this technology and Second Life in than negative.
 
Report Notice: FTC Study to be Released December 10
 
 
   I am waiting for this report to come out. Now the fact of the matter is I don't completely trust most federal studies of anything; it often seems to me that research is subject to the interpretation of the researchers. Still I am looking forward to what hard data they might provide. I know that the IRS is more than a little interested in the virtual economy. They want to figure out how to get their hands on all those lindens and gold pieces locked up in cyberspace.
 
 
 
Another large international corporation using Second Life.
11月19日

High performance computing stagnant, says Intel

High performance computing stagnant, says Intel
 
 
3D Web Will Save High-Performance Computing Industry, Intel CTO Says
 
 
    I put on links to both of these stories because the 3D web they are talking about is Virtual Worlds. In the course of both articles they go so far as to name Second Life.
 
 
 
11月16日

Collaboration: the future of intelligent business

Collaboration: the future of intelligent business
 
 
     Linden Labs coming beta for their enterprise version of Second Life is getting attention. This is another story that brings up how this technology might represent the next generation of business.

Is a virtual 'second life' for real, ask religious communicators

Is a virtual 'second life' for real, ask religious communicators
 
 
    Second Life news seems to run along definite trends. Right now it is the religious community learning to live with Virtual World technology. It leads me to wonder if they will embrace it or condemn it?
 
 
 
This NBC story from two years ago brings it up.

Canada: Linden Lab Aims To Make (Second) Life Easier For IP Owners

Canada: Linden Lab Aims To Make (Second) Life Easier For IP Owners
 
 
    Linden Labs is fascinating to follow; you never know where or how they will pop up. I've run into a few Canadians in Second Life and now, it seems, it might be easier for them to manage the Virtual World.
11月15日

Religion and Second Life

Religion and Second Life
 
 
    It was inevitable; as business and education establish themselves again within Second Life so will religion. It all leads me to ponder the nature of sin within a Virtual World? Will our  virtual selves burn in a virtual Hell?

Second Life Founder Launching Reputation Currency System

Second Life Founder Launching Reputation Currency System
 
 
    This has very little to do with Virtual World technology but it might provide some insight into what Philip Rosedale is up to. Watching Linden Labs is a little like 'Kremlinology' during the Cold War; trying to figure out what happens next in Second Life is like unraveling a 'mystery wrapped in an enigma'.
11月11日

Second Life Steps Into The Enterprise

Second Life Steps Into The Enterprise
 
Companies can now run their own, private version of the virtual world in their data centers, for added security and control.
 
 
 Information Week, a fairly well-known business publication that has no vested interest in Linden Labs, also reporting on how this Virtual World technology is working to get a better corporate foothold. These news stories on this are coming just about daily; what will be interesting initially is to see how many companies actually try this out. The next thing will be to see if these same companies are still using it in one year.
 
 
 
This particular video is a bit old but still illustrates how one major corporation is using the technology.
11月10日

Second Life Duty Now Required for Penn State's Online Advisers

Second Life Duty Now Required for Penn State's Online Advisers
 
 
    The beautiful Rocksie Slade sent this reference to me on another school using Second Life.

Going to the virtual office in Second Life

Going to the virtual office in Second Life
 
    CNN seems to carry a lot of stories on Second Life. Now I don't know if they have some sort of financial stake in the Virtual World but they do seem to have some interesting material on it. I do think that they understand the potential of this technology regardless of whatever association they might or might not have with Linden Labs.
11月5日

Second Life creates virtual world for businesses

Second Life creates virtual world for businesses
 
 
   This story is all over the internet; 34 links at last count. Linden Labs has perfected its new commercial offerings. Its going to be interesting to see how this fares.
11月3日

Brave new worlds beckon

Brave new worlds beckon
 
 
    I saw this article on a website hosted out of India; it might be a good idea for people in the United States to pay attention. The Indian economy is already starting to eat our lunch. They are taking our technology related jobs on almost an hourly basis. Now they are figuring out how to use Virtual World technology.
11月2日

Virtual Estates Lead to Real-World Headaches

Virtual Estates Lead to Real-World Headaches
 
 
    Interesting article in the New York Times about Virtual Property and death in the Real World. It is becoming more apparent that what you 'own' in a Virtual World has very real value to those who own it. This same article brings up the topic of what happens when somebody dies in the Real World; what is the fate of their property and avatar? Some of these questions are only going to be answered by grim experience. We have already seen lawyers become involved in Second Life over issues of intellectual rights. Will we someday see Linden Labs asking people to file a Will?
 
 
 
I am pretty confident this is a tribute video to somebody who passed in RL.
 
 
 
11月1日

Departing Deadwood

Departing Deadwood
 
   Laurie and I are leaving Deadwood within the next hour. We never like leaving this town. Someday, with a little luck and a lot of planning, we will retire in or near this town. On our current trip we didn't do all that much while we were here. We didn't even leave the town and never wandered that far from the Bullock. The fact of the matter is that we have seen almost everything we want to see in the Black Hills and for a couple days during this trip we were pretty much snowed in. This honestly didn't matter to Laurie and me; this trip was about relaxing and catching our breath after the six previous stressful months. I don't know that you can do this in a single week but we tried.
 
   Now comes the long roadtrip home. We broke up the trip on the way out so that we would be more rested when we got into Deadwood. On the way home we will be making the long trip; the full ten hour drive. We do plan a stop in Wall and a stop in Sioux Falls but otherwise we are driving straight through. It may seem odd but it is better if we do it this way. Leaving Deadwood is hard for us. The sooner we get it over with the better we feel.