tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55853131029012915882024-02-08T06:59:46.829-08:00Virtual World Report - From The Outside InVirtual World Report.
Tracking virtual world events across the Internet... from Second Life to World of Warcraft and beyond.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-22279210795178421242007-03-05T15:14:00.000-08:002007-03-05T21:32:24.162-08:00John Edwards' Virtual Headquarters VandalizedThis is a bit stale, but for anyone out there who is not aware, John Edward's space in Second Life was recently vandalized as described <a href="http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/2/27/21847/2507" target="_blank">on his blog</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>They plastered the area with Marxist/Lenninist posters and slogans, a feces spewing obsenity, and a photoshopped picture of John in blackface, all the while harrassing visitors with right-wing nonsense and obsenity-laden abuse of Democrats in general and John in particular.</blockquote><br /><br />After the Anshe Chung episode this isn't as entertaining... in fact it lacks creativity. I hope the next griefing picks it up a notch (though the poo flinging beast was a nice touch).adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-7216230937945704642007-02-23T11:08:00.000-08:002007-02-23T11:46:43.072-08:00Musings On Second Life. A ToothPasteForDinner PerspectiveI'm still on the Second Life fence. Presently I'm able to spend time in the world and entertain myself, but the experience doesn't surpass that of surfing the web. I don't yet get cravings to spend time in Second Life. That said, apparently some people do.<br /><br /> I see the potential... I just don't think it's even begun to be realized yet. The graphics are wanting... and I don't see a real compelling reason yet to use SL over say, IRC to chat with like minded people. I DO however see how it would benefit distance education though I've not had a chance to try it out.<br /><br />While most articles tout the positive experience I've started coming across more and more that don't. This post makes reference to one that takes a particularly humorous approach to the topic.<br /><br />Toothpastefordinner (if you've never been there you must go - some of the better web comics available) posted a brief, comedic journal of one man's <a href="http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/journal/journal.php?user=toothpaste&id=573&readcomment=1" traget="_blank">experience venturing into Second Life</a>.<br /><br /><blockquote>Everything went black, and I was transported back to Initiation Island. I thought I'd poke around a little more, to see what was available. There was a place called Freebie Warehouse that I teleported to, which was full of.... cubes... with bad JPEGs on the side.<br /><br />You can click on the cubes and download scripts, which make you do something, or make your guy move around, or wear something. It was retarded. Imagine that every time you bought a shirt from a store, you had to install Windows on your torso. Pretty fun. I walked around in the Freebie Warehouse, trying to strike up conversations, but most people were preoccupied. I suppose in hindsight they probably had to reboot their avatars after installing Rainbow.Armwarmers, or Dragon.Dick, or whatever.</blockquote><br /><br />Regardless how you feel about Second Life, this is <a href="http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/journal/journal.php?user=toothpaste&id=573&readcomment=1" traget="_blank">worth a quick read</a>.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-46810733442060396442007-02-19T20:26:00.000-08:002007-02-19T20:28:15.663-08:00Auction Bytes Suggests eBay May Be Eyeing Second LifeNot sure about this one... I'll let you click through to the <a href="http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/comments/2007/1/1170127249.html" target="_blank">Auction Bytes article</a> and decide for yourselves.<br /><br />That said... let me know what you think in the comments! What would happen if eBay were to pursue this?adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-30211153388729436722007-02-19T20:20:00.000-08:002007-02-19T20:25:53.453-08:00Traumatized In Iraq... Step Into Our Virtual WarGet back on a virtual horse to deal with real life trauma.<br />At least that seems to be the case with the US military as they're apparently <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070219/ts_alt_afp/usscienceitvirtual;_ylt=AtXCmHQvKNZlVfrYnPOTkukEtbAF" target="_blank">treating soldiers with post-war psychological disorders</a> with a virtual version of the Iraq 'conflict.'<br /><br /><blockquote>"Say for example their trauma event was being blown up in a Humvee -- we might start them off just standing in the desert next to a Humvee.</blockquote><br />Interestingly the experience even includes mimicking aromas experienced on the battlefield. The article states:<br /><br /><blockquote>Fake aromas -- including gunpowder, burning smoke, diesel fuel, body odors, exotic spices and roast mutton -- are wafted under the patient's nose</blockquote><br />I seem to recall a company back in the dot com bubble days proposing to install little devices to generate and diffuse odors to surfers... perhaps they were just a few years ahead of their time. Based on what I've seen in Second Life, a resurgence of this technology might not always be a good thing.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-38030002130374764852007-02-19T20:11:00.000-08:002007-02-19T20:16:46.696-08:00Who's Next To Build A Bulkhead In Second Life?Automotoportal.com is reporting that Mercedes Benz has established a presence in Second Life. As with so many other commercial newcomers Mercedes will be hosting a concert to kick off their unveiling since... well... cool kids love concerts. <br /><br />Actually this one sounds kind of interesting with MB suggesting that there will be a virtual test track introduced in time, a showroom, free downloads of Mercedes' 16th mix tape compilation and a virtual Formula 1 racing suit and helmet.<br /><br /><blockquote>“Digital communication has been established as a permanent component of the Mercedes-Benz marketing activities. With Second Life we are consequently using a new communication platform to further address our existing and potential customers”</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="http://www.automotoportal.com/article/mercedes-benz-opens-virtual-brand-world-in-second-life" target="_blank">Automotoportal.com provides links</a> to more detailed information, so go check them out and enjoy your MB Second Life :)adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-65063837860472163752007-02-18T22:43:00.000-08:002007-02-18T22:55:20.286-08:00Google Set To Bully Second Life?<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/googleearth.jpg"><br /><br />It seems every time some piece of online real estate starts to generate a bit of buzz the rumor mill starts spinning about Google planning to develop a version of their own. It seems that Second Life is no different.<br /><br />The Advertising Lab has posted <a href="http://adverlab.blogspot.com/2007/01/rumor-google-planning-virtual-world.html" target="_blank">an article detailing this particular rumor</a>. In this case they suggest that Google's planning a Second Life challenger based on Google Earth. I won't hold my breath on this one... but who knows, It may just happen.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-73501349082438362992007-02-18T22:33:00.000-08:002007-02-18T22:40:44.742-08:00Second Life May Not Work On Your Shiny New ComputerThis is interesting news. It sounds as though some Second Life users may have issues with Microsoft's new Vista operating system. I seem to recall that there was an event in Second Life for the Vista release... good thing they had it BEFORE the release rather than once the machines had shipped!<br /><br />Now, given the complexity of any Microsoft OS, and what I assume to be the complexity of Second Life and its underpinnings it doesn't surprise me that there were some kinks to work out, but it sounds like the issues are a bit more severe than 'kinks.' In this case it seems to be issues with graphics drivers, which is pretty odd. As the blog linked below points out you'd think that some of Vista's beta testers would also have been Second Life users... unless Vista's beta program was tiny, or... unless Second Life's user base isn't quite as large as we're lead to believe.<br /><br />You can read some more on the subject here on the <a href="http://weseepeople.blogspot.com/2007/02/second-life-and-vista-troubles.html" target="_blank">weeseepeople</a> blog as well as over at <a href="http://news.com.com/No+Second+Life+for+Microsofts+Vista/2100-1043_3-6159057.html" target="_blank">CNET</a>.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-69031078981903583182007-02-18T18:06:00.000-08:002007-02-18T18:13:18.229-08:00When You Think Virtual Worlds...When you think virtual worlds who do you picture spending their time in them? Surprisingly Second Life doesn't map to the photo below.<br /><br /><blockquote>The average age of users is 32, and the median age of users is 36.<br />Median age is 36.<br />43% of users are female, 50% are female "by use."</blockquote><br /><br />Make of that what you will.<br />The rest of the report <a href="http://www.secretlair.com/index.php?/clickableculture/entry/second_life_stats_expanded_early_2006/" target="_blank">can be found here</a>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/paladins.jpg" width="200">adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-41113470273102121862007-02-17T17:30:00.000-08:002007-02-17T18:42:38.125-08:00If You're Going To Start A Second Life Business... Be Sure To Do It Correctly.<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/chatboxconfusion.jpg"><br /><br />I recently posted an article describing the potential of businesses in Second Life. Here's something for those of you who have decided to pursue one of those opportunities. This <a href="http://infopirate.org/second-life-tips-for-business" target="_blank">article on InfoPirate.org</a> provides those unfamiliar, and even those familiar with the world a checklist to remember as you embark on your endeavor.<br /><br />Example tasks include:<br /><blockquote><b>Purchase your name.</b> Not all worlds offer them, but Second Life is offering custom last names which can serve to identify your team or employee avatars.<br /><br /><b>Embrace the “Game Babies.”</b> Develop for them and win. Hire them – and listen. There are real generational differences that can both challenge and enlighten your teams. Remember that the true “gaming generation” is just beginning to enter the work force and their interactive and social expectations are high, and are a rich source of innovation for your organization.</blockquote><br /><br />The list isn't a long one, so you would do well to take a look.<br /><br />Secondly this article provides insight into <a href="http://infopirate.org/about-the-pros-and-cons-of-sl-marketing-techniques" target="_blank">marketing practices in Second Life</a>. <br /><br />Recommendations are items like the following:<br /><blockquote>Advertising is a relative cheap way of getting attention. Many people use the classifieds section when looking for something particular, so you DEFINATELY want to be present there.<br /><br />Advertising starts at L$50 a week, but the more you pay, the higher you will rank. Make sure you figure out what market you are in, and what keywords people would use when looking for what you have to sell. Then do that search yourself.</blockquote>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-55164931889552164812007-02-17T17:23:00.000-08:002007-02-17T18:38:45.616-08:00Another Canadian School To Hold Class In Second Life<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/loyalistcollege.jpg"><br /><br />This time it's Loyalist College, specifically the <a href="http://www.loyalistc.on.ca/Loyalist/index_e.aspx?DetailID=214" target="_blank">Post Graduate E-Journalism progam as described on this page</a>.<br /><br />Additional information is available in audio form by accessing <a href="http://cbc.ca/canadanow/ram/20070130secondlife.ram" target="_blank">this linked file</a>.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-34172014600982294812007-02-17T17:09:00.000-08:002007-02-18T20:48:43.191-08:00You Too Can Be A Second Life Millionaire<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/secondlifemillionnaire.jpg"><br /><br />If Anshe can do it why can't you? Why can't you indeed...<br />Everywhere you go in Second Life someone's selling something... you're not sure if they're making money doing it, but that graph of 24 hour spend on <a href="http://secondlife.reuters.com" target="_blank">secondlife.reuters.com</a> wouldn't lie.... would it?<br /><br />This <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/businessideas/article172768.html" target="_blank">Entrepreneur.com article</a> promises to show you the business opportunities available to you in Second Life. Reality or snake oil?<br /><br />From that article:<br /><blockquote>A million dollars of virtual loot. It's a concept that's difficult to wrap your head around, but in November, that's exactly what virtual real-estate developer Anshe Chung accomplished in the 3D virtual world Second Life, in which users live "second" lives as avatars. When her entrepreneurial success story hit the press, it spread like wildfire, leading many to ask: What exactly are the business opportunities available in Second Life?</blockquote><br /><br />As you would expect the article quotes a number of people quitting their day jobs for careers in Second Life. Whether or not they'll succeed is another matter entirely.<br /><br />From the article:<br /><blockquote>But the bottom line for entrepreneurs is, will Second Life really pan out? Or is it just hype, since the majority of people have never ventured virtually or even heard of it?</blockquote><br /><br />Personally, I expect that we're a little early for this to be reality... but that in the relatively near future certain aspects of the world will provide legitimate business opportunities for more than the current handful of successful vendors. The question as always is when will the time be right to dive in head first?adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-25526863785925545702007-02-17T16:59:00.000-08:002007-02-17T18:34:41.246-08:00Embassy In Second Life... Is This Getting Out Of Hand?<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/visitsweden.jpg"><br /><br />CNet's doing interviews in Second Life. <br />Reuters has a news bureau in Second Life.<br />Now Sweden has announced that they are planning to establish an Embassy in Second Life. <br /><br />Why?<br /><br />The first two resulted in good (though often unpredictable) press for both companies, but does Sweden need this kind of press? It will be interesting to see if they pursue this as well as how they plan to leverage the expense to benefit their citizens in this virtual world.<br /><br />Davidreport.com provides an interview that provides insight into these questions. You can <a href="http://davidreport.com/blog/200702/interview-on-worlds-first-embassy-in-second-life/" target="_blank">find that interview here</a>.<br /><br />From that interview:<br /><blockquote>Our mission is to increase the knowledge about and interest in Sweden around the world. To do that we need to constantly find new ways to communicate with our target groups and to reach them, where they are most likely to be open to our message. Our aim is to find and inspire a selective group of people which is hard to reach through more traditional channels. Second Life is one of many channels to use and explore.</blockquote>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-84706102408367314602006-10-28T22:00:00.000-07:002007-02-17T18:31:26.575-08:00Canadian Schools Open Campus In Second Life<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/ubc.jpg"><br /><br />This is cool. The University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr Institute and BCIT will collaborate to create a 'Masters of Digital Media' program scheduled to open in September 2007. The virtual campus will be paired with a new $40 million dollar 'real world' equivalent for the lucky first 35 selected to participate.<br /><br />From <a href="http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx" target="_blank">Press Display</a>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-52259685768193655242006-10-28T21:36:00.000-07:002006-10-28T21:51:09.600-07:00Personalities: Anshe Chung<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/anshechung.jpg"><br /><br />The stories of individuals making good in Second Life are popping up with surprising frequency these days, and one has to wonder how many are fact and how many fiction. The quintessential case in point appears to be Second Life real estate tycoon Anshe Chung (SL name) who along with her husband has successfully created a business that would be envied by most realtors in the 'real world.'<br /><br />At the time of writing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anshe_Chung" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> summarizes Chung's accomplishments as:<br /><blockquote><i>she has built an online business that engages in development, brokerage and arbitrage of virtual land, items and currencies</i></blockquote><br />While impressive, it warrants reading further to understand the actual power this conveys in a world like Second Life. <a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/12/01/8364581/index.htm?cnn=yes" target="_blank">Business Week</a> speaks to the restrictions she's able to place on those purchasing her land:<br /><blockquote><i>Players also wanted neighborhoods that amounted to more than drab slabs of virtual turf, and they wanted some order. So she began creating the equivalent of gated communities, complete with zoning rules. She doesn't allow malls or clubs in certain regions, for instance, and limits the heights of buildings. "She is the government," Rosedale says.</i></blockquote><br />Enough talk, check out the opportunities for yourself at <a href="http://www.anshechung.com/" target="_blank">Anshe Chung Studios</a>.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-46165190808411308072006-10-28T19:24:00.000-07:002006-10-28T21:05:52.368-07:00Second Life Registrations, Searches, Visits SpikeAh, the joys of word-of-mouth referrals and frequent press mentions.<br /><a href="http://weblogs.hitwise.com/leeann-prescott/2006/10/second_life_searches_take_off.html" target="_blank">Hitwise writes</a> that:<br /><blockquote><i>last week the share of US Internet searches for 'second life' shot up 73% compared to the previous week (week ending 10/21/06 vs. week ending 10/14/06), and visits to the Second Life website more than doubled in the two weeks between the weeks ending 10/7/06 and 10/21/06.</i></blockquote><br />On the surface this sounds pretty positive for the future prospects of SL, but the blog goes on to quote anectodal mention that there seem to be more business and newbies prospecting for business opportunities. If this is true, I wonder whether the added interest might not serve to upset the existing Second Life community.<br /><br />The blog also mentions that the age of new users has moved upward in recent weeks. While this seems to agree with the statements in the previous paragraph I'd take it with a grain of salt as one of the benefits of these 'virtual worlds' is that users can be whoever they care to be. As there is no identify verification of registrants there is nothing to stop a 20-something user from declaring an age of 67 while registering... not to mention the older users who in the past may have pretended to be younger than they are (for innocent or not-so-innocent purposes)... a practice that may be changing as the media recognize and publicize the abuses carried out by some of these individuals in communities like Second Life and MySpace.<br /><br />As mentioned in a previous post, I wouldn't get too hung up in registration numbers for a free community like this one. Curiosity and active participation are two very different things... with the second being the measure more interesting to me as a guage of the product's present and future prospects. Let me also slip in a quick note of concern around accounts potentially being created in this high growth period for later malicious purpose... there, I'll end my conspiracy talk now :)adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-15227836816945129542006-10-26T15:07:00.000-07:002006-10-26T15:15:29.107-07:00Lots Of Users Means Lots Of Opportunity - For AllAnother question that comes up when a company registers millions (or even hundreds of thousands) of users is, when will the spammers arrive en masse. When an online effort reaches a registration tipping point where the new users move away from tech savvy early adopter and tend more toward Aunt Mabel they become ideal targets for the spammers/fraudsters. You can bet than any spam/fraud artist worth his or her salt has a number of accounts on SL and other virtual communities as you read this and is testing the hell out of every one of them. Further you can bet that on average these individuals are smarter, more driven and better incented in their pursuit than the gamers they're preparing to target.<br /><br />I'd love to hear from anyone who's spent time looking for these individuals in SL, or any other virtual world for that matter. Surely some of the asian games that have been around for a while are experiencing some of this (I mean come on, Cyworld claims that one third of South Koreans are residents of that world) - if you've heard about it please share!<br /><br />Hang on, cause its only a matter of time before they stop testing and start hunting.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-89218885670245850612006-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:002006-10-26T12:10:41.137-07:00A Virtual Travelocity - Synthravels<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/synthravel.jpg"><br /><br />So you want to check out a new virtual world but you don't want to spend time learning the ropes and 'earning' your way across the landscape? What's a lazy, yet curious individual to do?<br /><br />Contact <a href="http://www.synthravels.com/" target="_blank">Synthravels</a> and have them organize a virtual world tour for you. I have my doubts about this one, but who knows... I've been wrong many, many (many, many, many) times before.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-88815810724849559452006-10-26T09:36:00.000-07:002006-10-26T12:13:35.148-07:00More Mainstream Second Life - NPR This Time.<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/nprsecondlife.jpg"><br /><br />Pffffft. Why do I hear about these things the day after they happen?<br />Apparently NPR's "Talk of the Nation" did a spot on Second Life yesterday that would have been great to listen to... hopefully there will be something accessible in the archives.<br /><br />I'm told that there wasn't a lot of information about life in the game itself, but rather it focused on the commercial application of the world - not surprising given the program's target audience, but kind of disappointing nonetheless.<br /><br />Update: Sweet, they posted the program <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6375226" target="_blank">which is accessible here</a>. Enjoy and let me know what you think!adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-31002264351374563282006-10-26T09:25:00.000-07:002006-10-26T09:40:34.443-07:00When 1 Million Isn't Always 1 Million.Clearly as Second Life recently topped 1 million registered users and is still growing strong. At this point in a registration cycle I always get curious re: what percentage of those are legitimate users vs. not. Of the 1 million, how many are active in any 3 month period? That's a stat I'd be more interested to know.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-68266329247087172362006-10-26T00:36:00.001-07:002006-10-26T10:51:06.021-07:00Virtual Worldvertizing - Nissan In Second Life.<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/sentra.jpg"><br /><br />I'm not sure that the Nissan Sentra is the car that would scream 'virtual worlds' to me, but apparently someone or some research group backed it enough for it to happen. Nissan has taken the plunge into Second Life with a promo that allows residents to secure virtual Sentras in various colours that can be driven in SL. The sim for this endeavour was created by <a href="http://www.electricsheepcompany.com/index.php" target="_blank">Electric Sheep</a>, a name you should be familiar with by now.<br /><br />I'm not exactly sure how you get a car in SL... something about having to find the 'Toast Alicious' avatar (wtf does this have to do with Nissan?) in order to secure a PIN that will let you get your wheels when you find the Nissan sim.<br /><br />Happy hunting.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-5724703648217391732006-10-26T00:35:00.000-07:002006-10-26T10:44:04.531-07:00Reuters Shows Its Face In Second Life.<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/reutersnews.jpg"><br /><br />Clearly virtual worlds are no longer a secret. Either that or Reuters accidentally hired someone who has a clue about where things are going with technology these days.<br /><br />I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad one. It clearly signifies that something significant is going on. It also signifies that many cool things are likely to end. What happened when the mainstream media began to 'get' what was going on with music on the internet? Lawsuits. What happened when they began to understand how bittorrent could be 'misused?' Lawsuits.<br /><br />I hope that the extended publicizing of virtual worlds and the fact that they are meaningful not just as simple entertainment but also represent economic opportunity and venues to influence/understand culture doesn't attract the wrong kind of people to the table.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-76272290697373162142006-10-26T00:33:00.000-07:002006-10-26T10:27:04.075-07:00Low Budget Virtuality - Potted Plant For Ghetto Virtuality.<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/virtualplant.jpg"><br /><br />Taking a step back from the cutting edge virtual worlds and you'll find some folks kickin it tamagotchi style in France. Why the hell anyone with VR skills would spend time on something tamagotchi-esque is beyond me but it's underway.<br /><br />If you're interested have a look at the tamagotchi plant project. Apparently they're planning to sell people on growning a digital plant on their mobile phones to eventually 'give' to a significant other somewhere. I don't know about your significant other, but my wife will in no way be impressed by a pixel flower.<br /><br />If by any chance your significant other thinks differently, here's the <a href="http://jcheudin.blogspot.com/2006/10/virtual-plants-on-mobile-phones.html" target="_blank">link</a>.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585313102901291588.post-33496978768955613132006-10-25T14:44:00.000-07:002006-10-26T10:41:50.866-07:00Kicking It Off With Something Familiar - Taxes!<img src="http://www.chilligansisland.com/images/virtualworlds/congressmural.jpg"><br /><br />With all the talk about virtual worlds, virtual culture, virtual economies and their effects on the 'real' world I suppose we all saw this coming. Particularly when so many of the goings-on began to be externalized by the likes of Second Life and their realtime tally of USD$ spent in the last 24 hours, not to mention Reuters' exposure of a Second Life Linden Dollar / USD exchange rate graph.<br /><br />With all of this being touted in the media these days Congress <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/16/AR2006101600268.html" target="_blank">has finally taken notice</a>. Recently it was announced that they would begin looking into such virtual economies and evaluating how they and their users should be considered from a taxation perspective.<br /><br />As stated in the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/16/AR2006101600268.html" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>:<br /><blockquote><i>The increasing size and public profile of virtual economies, the largest of which have millions of users and gross domestic products that rival those of small countries, have made them increasingly difficult for lawmakers and regulators to ignore.</i></blockquote><br />Why do I have a feeling that this will get messy?adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01409098234959101430noreply@blogger.com0