Reading Diary

Skype: http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/01/27/interview-with-skypes-niklas-zennstrom/

For people who aren't much for writing e-mails, Skype has definitely taken over as one of the greatest ways to keep in touch with people out of state or across countries. When I was abroad, its pretty much what all my housemates did to keep in contact with boyfriends, parents, and friends. Apparently now, Zinnstrom, the creator, is coming u with a new Joost program for person to person internet videos. Judging by his past success with KazaA and Skype, I'm sure Joost won't disappoint.

Virtual Reaity TV:
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2006/11/06/virtual-reality-tv-big-brother-to-launch-in-sl/

This is taking it to the next level. It makes sense that a reality tv show would take over the virtual world since I'm sure many people have watched reality shows, wanting to be a participant themselves. These contestants on Big Brother Island are competing for their own island? I guess that is something very desirable in SL, but is it worth 8 hours a day at your computer screen? I think somebody needs to get a job...

Pursuit of Happiness:
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2006/12/12/study-on-second-life-and-the-pursuit-of-happiness/

I'm surprised that a large amount of time spent in SL does not have a bad influence on peoples’ social lives. I can see how building confidence may be a resulting benefit of participating in a virtual world. Yet, at the same time I don't think that such interaction is that comparable to real-life socialization.

Gambling
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/04/03/fbi-probes-second-life-gambling/

So I guess there isn't enough trauma to be dealt with in the real world since now Second Life gambling has become an important issue for the FBI to get a handle on. It’s not clear if a 3D simulation of a casino is the same thing as a casino legally speaking. Even if the law were clear, the company would have no way to monitor or prevent in-world gambling. Law enforcement cannot police every neighborhood poker game or basketball pool. It seems like a waste of energy to put forth so much energy on monitoring in fantasy land.

Happy Talk
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/03/23/second-life-sketches-happy-talk/

I love that you can live out your childhood dreams in this world. I want to be a pirate.

Homeless Avatar
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2006/12/20/charity-raises-funds-with-homeless-avatar/

This article speaks highly of members of SL community. I'm impressed that this population is so conscientious and can actually do some real-life good.