Commentary

Second Life

  • Old Media, Not Internet, Driving Healthcare Debate: White House Advisor

    October 08, 2009 12:20 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    The healthcare debate in the America has been driven by cable news and other old media, rather than new technologies, according to White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod, adding that cable news networks focused on a small number of angry people at town hall meetings in August, and ignored the larger debate.

  • University Of Texas Moving Into Second Life

    September 21, 2009 10:46 AM | By Mitch Wagner

    The University of Texas launched a year-long, state-wide initiative to use Second Life in the curriculum for all 16 of its campuses, experimenting with using the platform as a means of providing innovative, low-cost undergraduate instruction involving students, faculty, researchers and administrators.

  • U.S. Armed Forces Look To Second Life For Training

    May 08, 2009 12:48 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    The Second Life role-playing and gaming communities are home to dozens of make-believe armies and navies. But you can find the real thing in virtual worlds too. The Air Force, National Guard, and Navy are using Second Life and other virtual world technology for collaboration and training. The armed forces are looking to virtual worlds to reduce the time and costs associated with travel, and create more realistic experiences for users than those provided by flat-Internet applications.

  • Rumors Of Second Life's Failure Are Just Lousy Journalism

    May 07, 2009 12:33 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    As a journalist and Second Life enthusiast, I'm annoyed by irresponsible articles that take it for granted that the virtual world is dying, or already dead, or a failure. In fact, Second Life is healthy and growing -- I say this based on personal experience, and statements made by officials of Linden Lab, the company that created, develops and operates Second Life.

  • Second Life Plays Host To Healthcare Hearings

    February 04, 2009 01:16 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    Avatars don't need health care, but the people at the keyboard do. That's why a Chicago marketer, who previously worked on the Budweiser "Wassup" campaign, organized a hearing on health care policy for then-President-elect Obama in Second Life.

  • '60 Minutes' Looks At 'Widow Penalty' In Immigration Law

    November 24, 2008 12:18 AM | By Mitch Wagner

    Last night, 60 Minutes reported on a group of hundreds of American widows fighting a U.S. government effort to deport them from this country. These women (and a few men) are citizens of foreign countries who married American citizens, but their spouses died before their residency applications were completed. InformationWeek covered this story in June; one of the widows fighting for her residency is a prominent Second Life artist named Eshi Otawara.

  • Is It Adultery If The Sex Happens In Second Life?

    November 14, 2008 03:46 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    Is cybersex adultery? That's a question faced by a U.K. couple, who divorced after she caught him having cybersex with another woman in Second Life. She called up the real-life lawyers and kicked the bum out. But is it really adultery if there's no physical contact? Is it cheating if the two people having relations never even see each other, or hear each others' voices?

  • Join Us For The InformationWeek 500 Conference -- Without Leaving Your Chair

    September 23, 2008 04:06 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    I'm reluctant to declare that real-time events are the Next Big Thing on the Internet, because it seems like a Next Big Thing comes along on the Internet about once a month, and they're mostly forgotten the next day. Still, I've seen firsthand how powerful virtual events can be. They're an emerging trend. And InformationWeek is in the middle of it all.

  • One-On-One With The New CEO Of Linden Lab

    April 23, 2008 06:17 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    In an interview with InformationWeek, the incoming CEO of Linden Lab said he's fascinated by businesses that grow up in Second Life. He also paid tribute to the "largely unfettered" creativity of the Second Life community. And he declined to comment about whether he's preparing the company for IPO or sale.

  • Second Life Gets New CEO

    April 22, 2008 07:35 PM | By Mitch Wagner

    The Second Life community today got its first good news in what seems like forever -- Linden Lab, the creator and operator of the virtual world, announced its pick for new CEO. At first glance, his resumé looks like the right combination of business acumen and creativity needed to restart the engines on the foundering ship.

  • Qwaq Brings Virtual Worlds To Business Collaboration

    March 25, 2008 02:39 AM | By Mitch Wagner

    I had a chance to talk with the CEO of Qwaq the other day. Qwaq makes virtual worlds software optimized for corporate meetings. If you've spent time in Second Life, you know the power of avatars and 3-D spaces to enhance conversations and collaboration. It's hard to explain to people who've never tried virtual worlds, but it's real. Qwaq is an attempt to tailor virtual worlds for business collaboration, adding features that businesses need and taking away features that are harmful.
    • More Second Life Commentary »

Subscribe to RSS

Resource Links