Okay - so there are about a ba-zillion blogs out there that start off with that title. But Second Life is an interested development in the education and business world. It's been around for a while, but after some people started making some real money in this virtual world - the real world started to take notice.
It seems like there are some that have negative opinions of it, and some that love it, and a lot that just don't care. There also seems to be many people that just complain about it being full of porn and gambling. Well, so is the web - but they don't complain about that. I've never run into anything like that in Second Life, but then again - I don't look for it. Hmmm.... interesting concept. You don't find junk if you don't go looking for it.
Any way, Second Life is an online world that looks like a lot of the 3-D immersion games that exist online. The only deal is - it's not a game. There is no point, no levels, no prizes to win. You just meet people, buy stuff, go places that interest you, learn stuff, and - well - just generally exist there.
My colleagues and partners in crime over at UT Dallas got me hooked on SL. My wife says I really smile when I am on there. Which doesn't happen that much because Matt Man needs a newer faster computer at home. Mine is already two whole years old! Geez - that's, like, ancient in the computer world! And I call myself a techie....
Anyway - i have been exploring it for educational purposes. There is neat stuff in there. I have attended in world presentations with people from around the world. There are simulations of everything from molecules to the solar system, from real life buildings to active ecosystems. Historical re-enactments, plays, concerts, art galleries, and even a Godzilla wreaking havoc all exist in world. Pretty crazy. Oh - and your in world avatar can fly and stay underwater indefinitely.
Anyway, I have been keeping a photo journal of my few in-world travels. As soon as I get a chance, I will get the Flickr feed up here in this blog.
Also, you can see one of the UTD crew's exploration of SL at her blog. Great pictures there.
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