Tag: SECONDLIFE

It used to be that getting a degree online was a joke. Internet colleges were the new mail-order diploma -- saying you got your degree online was like saying your diploma was found at the bottom of a Cracker-Jack box. Times have changed. Not only is it now acceptable for classes to be taught online, but schools are considered behind the times if they don't have some online element. Dozens of ...

In an effort to cover all its bases, the U.S .government has begun a project to help spot terrorists who are using "virtual worlds" as their forum – World of Warcraft, Second Life, et al. The program is essentially trained to set its baseline for what is to be considered "normal" behavior in online worlds, and zero in on strange or suspicious activity. Of course, when the de-factor ...

Are you a fan of 'World of Warcraft' but wish it was a little bit cuter? Then check out 'Hello Kitty Online.' That's right, the ambassador of all things cute and Japanese is getting her own Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game or MMORPG. Currently the online world is in a "closed beta testing phase", meaning it's not yet open to the public, but it should be officially opened very ...

Whether or not you've ever explored the typically flamboyant vistas of the virtual world 'Second Life' or have any desire to do so, the virtual community with few rules and fewer rule enforcers is still a fascinating social experiment to study from the outside. So, it's with morbid curiosity that we sit back and watch as many major financial institutions in the virtual world begin to fall to ...

Because there's so much going on in Second Life on a regular basis (we're only being partially sarcastic here), CNN opened up a news bureau dedicated to the virtual world that has millions addicted. With the news blog, which CNN dubs "SL I-Reports: Your news of a virtual world", CNN is inviting SL members to file their own reports at a news desk located in the polygonal alternative universe. ...

Online virtual worlds are taking over. It would seem as though World of Warcraft and Second Life are cultish phenomena inhabited primarily by the uber-dorky, but if mainstream television is an indicator, things are changing. Recently, 'South Park' aired an episode in which much of the animation was modified in-game footage from World of Warcraft, while 'The Simpsons' parodied the virtual world ...

A virtual bank in the virtual world of 'Second Life' has collapsed, taking with it 200,000,000 Linden dollars, the in-game currency currency used for exchange within the game world. If you're shrugging your shoulders thinking this is the digital equivalent of running off with a whole pile of Monopoly money, you should know that Linden dollars can be exchanged for real dollars, and 200,000,000 ...

It's Sunday morning at 6AM, and Dutch Hoorenbeek rolls out of bed to check on his strip club and do some renovations to an outside party deck. He then fires several tenants in his mall for not paying rent, signs up four new ones, and transports to his office to spend some time with his wife, Tenaj Jackelope. The thing is, in real life, Dutch Hoorenbeek is actually Ric Hoogestraat, a call-center ...

Second Life is becoming more and more of a mirror of the real world. Real estate, relationships, sex and commerce. Where there's commerce, there are lawsuits. The 3D virtual world now has its first, not-so virtual, copyright lawsuit. Kevin Alderman, owner of SexGen, is suing an avatar (virtual game character) named Volkov Catteneo. SexGen changes your Ken and Barbie-esque 'Second Life' avatar into ...

In the 3-D virtual world of 'Second Life,' you can make some serious money. And not just the virtual 'Linden dollars' used as virtual currency in 'Second Life' -- we're talking real cash. Legal tender. Buckaroos. Residents of the online playground are able to sell virtual real estate, clothes and goods to other users, then trade in their Linden dollars at the end of the day for real U.S. ...

It's easy enough to learn interesting things about sex just by wandering about in 'Second Life,' whose citizens are rather open about a variety of things when it comes to reproductive techniques. Going along with the Second Life promiscuity, the University of Plymouth in Britain has made things a little more official, starting an in-game zone for to educate members about sexual health and ...

We've previously posted about the 'Barbie Girls' virtual world being slapped together by Mattel as a 'Second Life'-esque haven for teens and tweens. Now, the site has entered beta mode and something surprising has happened: The service has racked up three million registered users in 60 days and is still growing. The service is signing up roughly 50,000 new users a day, a growth rate that far ...

It's all too often that someone rates the best Web sites on the Web. But, it's not often enough that the worst Web sites get lambasted, so we're glad to see that's exactly what Time.com has done They rated the five worst Web sites for various reasons, ranging from business practices to random annoyances. Some highlights include: eHarmony.com gets pegged for charging too much and discriminating ...

With fewer lockers around to be stuffed into, many adults are under the impression that their days of being bullied are well behind them. Unfortunately for the meek, bullying is still going strong in the virtual world of 'Second Life.' For those unfamiliar with it, the online playground of 'Second Life' allows you to do just about anything you like. You create a character and outfit him or her ...

Even virtual online worlds such as 'Second Life' have their seedy underbellies. While undercover in the massive digital playground, a German news program reports that it was invited to pay to attend meetings in which members view and trade real child pornography and have sex with the avatars of underage members (or the "virtual child" avatars of adult members pretending to be underage). This news ...