Second Life & the FPS (First Person Story)

The $10 million Qualcomm XPrize  is for a“Star Trek like” medical tricorder. Would this have occurred without Star Trek?  Though I am not sure to the answer, I do know that science fiction is where new invention inspires reality.  Science fiction has storytelling at its core, we have utilized these stories and the gadgets within for templates of the future.

Writers of Science Fiction have been able to tap some stream of consciousness to come, in the incredibly rich veins of creation they mine and bring forth. Amongst those in the public are the scientists, who have an interest in these inventions, and I am sure young Star Trek fans were greatly influenced by what they saw each week. Clearly there is a crossover effect for science, fiction and fact. “Snow Crash” has been cited as an inspiration for Second Life itself.

Pointedly story telling is more than entertainment, it is the free imagining which leads to actualization which will carry an audience along with you. We are still Human version 1.0 and a story that has resonance is not just one with a lot of flashy effects.

Traditional media tells us the story in movie or TV format where we watch passively, video games today allow us to play within the games' story. (Star Wars The Old Republic game released on Dec 22nd last year, had over 60 million in-game hours  played within its first week— roughly equivalent to watching all six Star Wars movies over 4 million times. ) The narrative structure is however tightly drawn, and players are forced to work within the game designers story, which granted, works for many.

Surely these players utilize the available assets and create their own interpretations of the future they are playing a part in.  The Imperial Agent in SWTOR will have to acquire new skills and equipment to help them combat the ever-growing threat to the Empire, and they have to think fast and employ weapons as fast as they can.  This is no leisurely adventure: action and reflexes are the demands of this kind of game. The player is involved with the technology in new and yes highly immersive ways, but there is no originality here and no “what if.  There are no shoulders of giants upon which to stand within a game like this.  Your success depends on how fast and accurately you can work those buttons.

The question becomes: Do you play someone else's story? Or do you originate your own? When the story teller becomes the story participant, the narrative is taken to another level through that immersion. The authenticity of the story is irrefutable when you are living it, not waiting for the next game prompt.

In World of Warcraft though you pick your lineage, you are somewhat freer within it.  And another MMO of note HabboHotel with over 225 million registered users, allows neither scripting nor asset creation, but you are welcome to freely form your activities with what is available. What you don't have is the greater collective of millions of people who can build what they want.

For this you really do have to go to Second Life.  This is where new fiction will meet the virtual road and the first person story becomes the multi person story and eventually, the event. Science fiction  role play is significant in Second Life, with spaceships,  starbases, and a plethora of accessories available. As you can customize your look, author your role play and your storyline, the eventual enterprise which grows out of this stands an excellent chance of becoming where new invention takes place. Within virtual worlds, new ideas also infuse our minds with imaginary and fantastic invention.  And these ideas are taken further, and form the seeds of reality not only as it will come to be but as it is now!

While I am one person and can think of a lot, I am only one person, with you there is twice as much, and with a legion of people enterprising and playing,we can think of that much more. Our intelligence has demands placed upon it by others who expect a retort or answer as we play in real time with them.   This is beyond suspending our belief – we are willingly immersing ourselves in a new story which we grow and evolve daily.  This is is so different from traditional sit back and relax media.  This is tips of your fingers, edge of your seat engagement.  For those of us involved, other kinds of games pale. And here is why Second Life isn't really a game. Its a life-story told against the backdrop of a million different user creations. Just like when you walk down the street- it is the creation of many different hands, not just one Lead Art Director.

This living story we are telling one another is vital to the  history of ourselves.  Being active participants in something we can experience beyond the “mere mortalness' of our daily and present lives. Powerful stuff, and I do look to this plane to create the new invention and discovery, because it is what we are doing with a marketplace of amazing inventions and items that I would bet will be seen in the physical world over the next 20 years or sooner.

And I also imagine a kind of  Gedankenkuche (thought kitchen) of the future as well. Not only is this a place for people to create their stories, but also where actual scientists are talking. This is the platform for development of the future, while we can now utilize full media within this environment – where we can invite scientists to sit across from a virtual table, actual location unimportant and even use Wolframs Alpha on a prim to cross fertilize ideas. That is really the science fiction of the future, where scientists can discuss ideas in real time with no limits and then, even see their visions actualized in 3D.

What kind of stories will these be? Ones I suspect which lead one day to documentaries.

Where this is the home of the future for thought leaders who can utilize not only real time interaction, video, film and more for problem solving, but the great resource which is one another.  .

Next up – Virtual Game Shows – or how I learned to stop worrying and love the buzzer

Cartoonification

Word - Up is the part of The 1st Question where our esteemed panel contributes to the lexicon with their own originals. Taking off on a new buzzword, next year's trending word, (as I see it) provided the title for a recent article in MediaPost.

Cartoonification – New Trend 2012

Science and technology are intertwined with animation and magic.

In 1936, Walt Disney patented the Art of Animation - using the Multiplane Camera in a way that allowed animators to reuse backgrounds and other unchanged portions of an animated film. This improved the quality of the finished film as well as cut time and cost.

In 1938 while watching a Mickey Mouse cartoon, belief becomes easily suspended, because that B & W image is nothing like the life one experiences once the lights go up.

In 1970 -Lilliane Schwartz debuted Pixellation one of the first digitally created films to be shown as a work of art. She worked early in her career with Bell Laboratories, developing mixtures of sound, video, and art.

In 1978, Mickey would get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1988, Spielberg would give Disney a shot in the arm with “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”

Ask anyone you know who their favorite cartoon character is and they will have an answer for you, possibly more than one. Cartoons and animation are a part of our lives, our visual entertainment, our early identity and frame of reference.

Animation had become so widely accepted that in 2001, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences introduced a new Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The rise of animation has also entered our living rooms in full force with video games that people play. At no time more so than now, do people get behind an avatar, literally and figuratively to spend hours inhabiting a character. 60 million+ hours have been spent playing Star Wars The New Republic since it's release this Dec 20^th. It is a staggering amount of time.

According to the Entertainment Software Association’s (ESA) 2011 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, 72 percent of American households now play video games. The average gamer is 37 years old and has been playing for 12 years. It's a good demographic.  The ability to be in the cartoon and run the action has become a mode for many, all you need to earn that passport is an avatar. While we embody our avatars, giving them greater or lesser powers than we have on the other side of the small screen, we ask to be cartoonified in order to join in the activity.

A few years ago VodaPhone created “animated videos” of ZooZoo's – this was an ad campaign developed by Ogilvy & Mather to convey different value added services offered by the mobile phone company.

The videos while they look animated, are made with people wearing costumes to look this way. http://youtu.be/Stc8G6RfCKY  Why wear a costume though? Why not be a cartoon? Consider this as a definite trend for video as we reach into the new year.

Since YouTube's inception an amazing number of hours of video have been watched, and every year there is a Top Ten list. This year 2011, for the first time a cartoon has entered not only the Top Ten but the top 5. Nyan is a video game character that flies while you score for eating healthy foods. (That the cat has a pop-tart body should be an alert to Kellogg.) This might be the Nexus of game culture, cartoons and video.

The rise of inexpensive to produce engines such as  Xtranormal, Stupeflix, or GoAnimate allows new technology to give rise to animation at the press of a button. It doesn't allow for spectacular graphics, needs  good writing to make an impact, and shows a new direction in inexpensive animation platforms.

Whether your avatar is having fun or function is up to you – when you begin recording that avatar in your virtual world or game, then you are becoming a part of a story and able to do or be a part of the grandeur that was Rome, the middle ages, or the far or near distant future. Being part of the story, embodying this is another way of extending who we are. And because these worlds exist so do the platform or structure within which to be filmed.

The game engine platforms of video games and virtual worlds allows a 360 degree view of various and more diverse environments. They are ones we become more adept in, and active in through our time there. These scenes and environments will move more into the forefront of commercial activity as virtual assets also continue to grow. It allows marketing departments to take chances, and to offer something very special for small cost.  This is a good example of game engine graphics coming of age.

And if someone wanted to start selling those Xtranormal teddy bears next Christmas on Amazon, I think there would be a market for them.

The Legend Sessions

As part of this year's MachinExpo, Ricky and Kate asked me to produce the day's events for Sunday. In order to produce gems of wisdom, meaning and substantial content, I thought to bring together those who have a deep understanding of the filmmaking we do on all levels of craft, commitment and community.

In orchestrating the "one on one" conversations our Legends participated in I realized that we, the audience, would really benefit from the insights generated when they spoke on their topics. We got a lot of eye-opening dialogue and really good in depth "juicy bits."

Many thanks to those who were part of this amazing day, no matter what part of the screen you are in, there is something for you in The Legend Sessions...

Inside the Mind of MovieStorm
Kate Lee, Sherwin Liu (Chatnoir Studios) and Matt Kelland

Every picture tells a story
Ingrid Moon and Frank Dellario

Educating Machinima
Michael Nitsche and Anna Akbari

What makes Great film - Great?
Tom Jantol and Russell Boyd

An Open Letter To Chip & Dan Heath on Second Life

Slate.com recently ran a post penned by The Heath Brothers, which left the portal wide open for a response - AllVirtual and Appmarket.tv both ran the rebuttal. Here it is, blogside - 

http://allvirtual.me/2011/11/21/an-open-letter-to-chip-and-dan-heath-about-second-life/

http://appmarket.tv/opinion/1433-an-open-letter-to-chip-and-dan-heath-about-second-life.html

Dear Chip and Dan, I read, with interest, your article at Slate.com titled "Why Second Life Failed." Me? I run a successful media enterprise in Second Life and produce award winning videos using the very cost and time effective 360 degree views of this graphical engine. I meet people from all over the globe, work, converse and laugh with them while doing incredible things. I do not have a blue tail (Though some of my best friends have tails) but I have a Chanel style wardrobe to die for.

I'd like to respond to a number of points that you made in your piece. You wrote:

"You-sitting right there, reading this article-you're an avatar in Second Life. You work a Second Life job, earning Linden dollars. You have blue hair and a serpentine tail, and you're dating an androgynous digital skateboarder named Rikki. Also, you are a ninja. Life is great."


So far so good. Next, you wrote:

"At least, that's the way things were supposed to unfold. In 2006, the future was Second Life. Business Week put Second Life on the cover. American Apparel, Dell, and Reebok, among many others, rushed to build virtual storefronts."

That a company would build a store and not put anyone in it is bad planning. No company in their right mind would build a store in the physical world and leave it unstaffed. Just as in the physical world, this is a space and location. It's virtual yes, but to succeed you still must know where and to whom you are selling. That there are businesses which make over a million dollars in Second Life is a testimony to what happens when you know your customers. Stiletto Moody made over a million USD last year selling virtual shoes.

Did Second Life fail - or did the business fail? There is a difference. Failure of the platform this is not, this is a failure of the business to understand their customers, and therefore their business. It was also a fault of consultants who overcharged and gave an incomplete picture of the business model. For in truth, it is how you handle your business after your location is built, no matter where it is, that determines your success or failure.

Let's say, you went to China, did not speak the language, hired experts who said they would get you a store somewhere and you would make money, but actually no one bought anything (okay you had no Chinese speaking sales help in the store, but these experts said you didn't need anyone there!) The shop is a failure - is it China's fault? Did China just fail your business? Or did you have lousy advice and a translator who didn't really know the language? Oh go ahead and blame China, it will make you feel better. Knowing your customers and how to service them is critical. Customer support and marketing is the basis of all business.

"Reuters even created a full-time Second Life bureau chief. People rushed to sign up and create their own avatars. Blue hair and Linden dollars were the future."

Yes there was a lot of hype almost 6 years ago - for good reason, the press and a lot of businesses jumped on the bandwagon, and without the necessary depth of either journalism or market research, were left with some egg on their faces. I guess this still hurts because for some reason, reporters writing about Second Life actually go to lists like "Help A Reporter Out" and ask for people's negative reactions only, from Second Life, and then write articles. This actually happened two years ago, because I was on this list, saw the post, and read the subsequent BBC article written by Lauren Hansen.

"Looking back, the future didn't last long. By the end of 2007, Second Life was already losing its fizz. "Businesses are shuttering in Second Life, it seems, because no one is using them," wrote Morgan Clendaniel in a brutal piece in GOOD magazine."

Oh for heavens sake, this article is about how the reporter couldn't find his penis. No wonder the man couldn't take his head out of his pants. Sex! Penis! 2007! and did I say penis??? All adult and x - rated activity has been moved to an Adult age - verified region called Zindra.

"There were never any employees at stores like Dell and Reebok when I visited, nor were there any customers. But that wasn't that shocking because, for the most part, there seems to be no one in Second Life at all."

Is it shocking that the press would feed into a hype cycle? Below I quote from a January 2007 CNNMONEY.com article written by David Kirkpatrick:

"Linden Lab claimed 2.5 million 'residents,' meaning people who have registered for Second Life. But the service has only around 250,000 active members who still sign in more than 30 days after registering. Nonetheless, that group of active users is currently growing at about 15 percent per month."

Please don't get all excited about the "10% of registered users." 10% is pretty much par for the course for virtual worlds. This is a rule of thumb, not gospel like the (sarcasm alert) milk shake test. In 2007 a quarter of a million people was hardly "no one." Below is a Linden Lab chart which details information about the Second Life economy.

In 2009 the total size of the Second Life economy grew 65% to US$567 million, about 25% of the entire U.S. virtual goods market. Gross Resident Earnings are $55 million US Dollars in 2009 - 11% growth over 2008.

Second Life provides a brilliant platform for those who take the time (which granted not everyone has, but clearly - which some folk have and benefit greatly from.)

Your purporting of fallacies is self serving, and so I really wonder what is behind this. I am truly surprised most every time I read a reporter or analyst's overview of Second Life. (Exception of note is Vizworld as the reporter spent time in the field at a variety of places, recently) Most reportage is just bad, a retread of 2006/7. The authors are using a voice of authority, when they really are going after a target for easy pickings.

Hookers! Sex! Blue tailed Avatars! 2006!! Read what I'm writing! Buy my free book! Please!

"Today, Second Life limps along. In the first half of 2011, the company reported that an average of about 1 million users logged in every month-which, you have to admit, is about 999,990 more than you expected."

I hope that you didn't have your heart broken in Second Life, for I cannot imagine why you would say something like that. Is part of the milkshake test telling someone they shouldn't like strawberry? Why would you not expect it? Who made you a platform god? Second Life has been around for almost 10 years. That is an achievement. Almost a million visits a month is impressive, so I don't know what you mean by limps along.

The platform continues to enthuse and nourish many. I can give you a few first hand examples of a kind of experience very hard to find elsewhere. At a mixed reality event in 2009, I saw veteran journalists Helen Thomas and Bob Schieffer, in Second Life. They were receiving the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement award. She took questions from the virtual audience and I was able through my avatar, to ask Ms. Thomas a question. She responded with an amazing answer about the press, 9/11 and the Bush administration. I really don't think that is going to happen at IMVU.

When I interviewed Holocaust Survivor Fanny Starr, for the documentary "Why Now?", a Catholic High School many miles away brought her class of 14 - 16 year olds also into Second Girls. In real time, these young girls talked with this 87 year old woman who had survived 6 years in ghettos and concentration camps. They asked and learned what her life was like at their age. These stunning examples of what is happening on the Second Life grid are not going to happen on Facebook.

More? I interviewed a cancer survivor for treet.tv who started Relay For Life in Second Life. This year over $330,000USD was raised. It went directly to the American Cancer Society, and ACS put the live weekend's events from Second Life on their home page while it was running inworld. The commitment and the amount of money raised is phenomenal. Even more importantly, those in our extended virtual community who have experience with this life threatening disease are literally helping to save the lives of others, as they communicate with each other in real time. This isn't going to happen on Twitter. Under the brand Virtually Speaking, Jay Ackroyd and Widget Whiteberry produce 5 weekly public affairs programs in Second Life and on the web.

One of my favorites is Virtually Speaking Science, hosted by the Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics (MICA) whose Scientists work at premier institution like CalTech. VS Science hosts are MSNBC.com's Science editor Alan Boyle - author of The Case for Pluto - and Thomas Levenson, who, in addition to being the author of Newton and the Counterfeiter and Einstein in Berlin heads up MIT's Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies and the Graduate Program in Science Writing.

I have been part of the listening, commenting and questioning studio audience for Jay's interviews with Daniel Ellsberg, Gloria Feldt, and Dahlia Lithwick.

This might not be for all, but it is incredible activity by anyone's standards. Nourishing beyond belief, if this is your interest, and indicative of what can be.

This has enabled bright and even brilliant people to keep advancing their intelligence while looking better than they ever have before. There is, additionally, an incredibly vibrant artistic and powerful performance community who raise their voice every time something like this comes out. I don't have time to list all the incredible artists, musicians, performers, comics (Okay, Lauren Weyland) and others who play nightly to an international audience that assembles very locally - at their computers. Your arrow sorely misses the target. In fact you are wrong to set your sights on Second Life for anything but a remarkable phenomenon, one that people are truly a part of, yes admittedly in ways you have no idea about. Because of the wide variety of activity from advanced topics to just hanging out and listening to some amazing music, it does have something for everyone.

And Will Wright of The Sims, (yes The Will Wright) just joined the board. I would say the future looks incredibly exciting here. Is Second Life a bit of a challenge? Yes, it is, and so it isn't for everyone. It is for a better educated number of people who have disposable income and spend an ARPU greater than other virtual world sites (some estimates, like Nick Yee, have it at almost 10 times other VW ARPU, the population is older as well. It's a great demographic). Virtual goods are a huge and growing market and some estimates reach $12 billion by 2015. The recent introduction on Second Life of building mesh makes for greater graphics (and lower lag). This is a profound platform for virtual asset creation

"But during this same period, Facebook averaged roughly 500 million logins per month."

Please compare ANYTHING to Facebook - I think you would find many businesses, social networks, video companies, traditional media offerings such as Television shows, etc. fall a lot short of Facebook monthly logins. Oh let's use your favorite term - FAIL. What TV show has 500 monthly views? Does the Superbowl even get 500 million people watching it? The Oscars? And these are events judged by viewership. Second Life is certainly a form of social network - but it is really not the same as Facebook. What is?

"How did we misread the future so badly? Mind you, this Second Life hype didn't involve distant, sci-fi predictions about the future. ("Someday we'll all commute to the moon using unisex RocketCrocs!") This was just five years ago. We were just months away from the iPhone."

And don't forget $580 million for MySpace! "After enduring a lifetime of mega-fads that flame out-Apple Newton and PointCast and the Segway-why are we so quick to extrapolate a few data points into a Dramatic New Future? Well, here's the frustrating part: Sometimes the Dramatic New Future arrives, exactly as promised. The mega-hyped Internet? Yep, worked out OK. Ditto Google and Facebook and iPods and iPhones." Blue Mars did not really survive. And let's be realistic, though valuation is intense on companies such as Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, what are the real numbers behind their profitability? How many years did it take YouTube to finally begin to turn a profit? Second Life is profitable for Linden Lab, and for many who understand the platform. It has a clear business model, and does not survive on advertising alone.

And now, let' go to this video - which I think is a good example of hubris, and true irresponsibility because the video while salacious does very little if nothing to prove any point at all. Second Life Vice Capades: Virtual Hooker (VIDEO)

I can not stop laughing at this video from I think 2007 or 2006 (again?) - it's priceless - Did it take this woman three weeks to fail at becoming a prostitute? She was not able despite her best efforts at tarting herself up and trying her best, to find someone to pay for sex. Despite Second Life's reputation for sex, often presumed, then highlighted, by the media, (sex sells?) it's not easy to find random people for sex. In the entire film there was one place that people went to - yes that happens with people - there is porn on the Internet (it was in fact a driver for The Internet). It depends where you go and what you look for, yes?

Of course she was looking to be a hooker, yet couldn't find a client. She bought into the hype that you could just go and start any kind of a business, anywhere. Even being a successful hooker might entail some business planning.

Also please note the adult region has been separated in an area known as Zindra for over a year. Now a fledgling prostitute would have to go there to ply her trade. The main grid has severe restrictions on X-rated businesses. These exist only in Zindra, in an age-verified region removed from the general population. So this video is quite outdated.

And sex might not be that easy to find, as that people develop relationships in Second Life with like minded people. You find others with common interests. Second Life racks up over a billion voice minutes a month, which is what former CEO Mark Kingdon told Robert Scoble when the Scobleizer interviewed him last year. Would this woman possibly, if she found an outlet for herself and her creativity find someone who also was interested and interesting, and might they start becoming romantically involved? Possibly yes. She had 3 weeks to turn in a sex tape...... It's very cute though, and not scary, hard-core or really well much of anything. I think she was brave and it was kind of funny. It tried a bit too hard, as did she. And maybe people go to Second Life to look for sex because they are lonely or horny or both, but come out with a whole lot more. I know this is true, and I also know many stories about Marriage 3.0 where Second Life has saved couples.

I will grant that the learning curve is tough, it is. It takes some dedication to master it, believe me I still move like a noob, and it takes that thing we just don't have much of, time. It also takes patience and being able to laugh at yourself, which are not bad qualities to possess. And it takes a kind of humanity to reach out to others in this world, a curiosity. You kind of have to be a special person to really get it. Second Life offers the kind of premier experience you can't get anywhere else. You must be able to understand it though, and when you do, you feel incredibly empowered and connected. Yes, it takes time and is not easy, it is worthwhile. And let me say this again - it isn't for everyone, yet. I don't like cheeseburgers, but I don't spend my time writing about why no one else should like them. I would never presume to dictate to someone else what to like, or what to do. I can't imagine being Mayor on FourSquare, but obviously others enjoy this. Good on them.

"Christensen asks us to imagine a group of marketers at a fast-food restaurant who want to sell more shakes. As they comb the customer data for insight, they discover something interesting: Most milkshakes are sold to early-morning commuters who buy a single milkshake and nothing else. Why milkshakes?"

That inworld businesses generate millions of dollars, reflects the wealth of the Second Nation. Second Life provides great opportunities for business, virtual enterprise, shopping, social engagement and much more. It is a great platform for prototyping, there are inworld TV stations, there are Film Festivals, and real time discussion amongst groups or individuals who can chose how they wish to present themselves. What can be done on Second Life has only just been scratched. There isn't much that can't be done - except eat - no one has really invented virtual food you can eat yet. Whoever does wins, I'm convinced of this. My money is on the 3D Printer.

"These commuters, according to Christensen, are "hiring" milkshakes to do a job for them: to supply a breakfast that is filling and non-messy and cupholder-compatible. So to sell more milkshakes, the marketers don't need to create a more delicious milkshake. Deliciousness isn't really in the job description"

Second Life is affordable, easy to get to, filled with interesting things to do and people to talk to. It is pretty cool home entertainment.

"So when you evaluate the next big thing, ask the Christensen question: What job is it designed to do? Most successful innovations perform a clear duty. When we craved on-the-go access to our music collections, we hired the iPod. When we needed quick and effective searches, we hired Google."

And it became apparent that there was gold in them there searches, and now we have Bing. That it isn't as big as Google does not mean it is irrelevant. I don't know if it passes your Facebook test of 500 million hits a month. No industry that is successful has zero competition.

"And looking ahead, it's easy to see the job that Square will perform: giving people an easy, inexpensive way to collect money in the offline world."

Square takes a 2.75 percentage of the sale price for its service. At 800,000 merchants, they were wise to drop user limits from $1,000 / week, and should see business grow. That is until someone charges a 2.25% on a similar service, which if it is successful, will happen.

"But what "job" did Second Life perform? It was like a job candidate with a fascinating résumé-fluent in Finnish, with stints in spelunking and trapeze-but no actual labor skills. The same was true with the Segway. No one was interested in employing a $5,000 walk-accelerator. (Though, to be fair, Segway eventually got a part-time job saving tourists from exercise.)"

Actually it is like a job candidate with fluency in all major and most minor world languages, and expertise in everything from Rocket Science to fashion design. In other words, smarter than most employers and here is the rub, also somewhat intimidating. The Labor Skills though have created a platform which is robust and dynamic while turning a profit for it's parent company. Labor also delivered Open Source code which is the basis of new grids forming all the time. Labor is creating right this moment.

Second Life has performed the job of building the most exciting user created content platform in the world. You can make virtually anything, any place, any time, broadcast events, stream productions and find a remarkable wealth of opportunities. I am sorry that you couldn't find the chunky bits in this milkshake - others have.

One complaint is "everyone is beautiful," but do you know what that really means? We are not judged, as we are in the physical world by how we look, and the sometimes shallow reactions that affect our confidence and therefore our abilities. Here, in Second Life, the way you look doesn't matter. There is no better looking member of the family so to speak. What defines you is your character, and what you do inworld, what you say and what you really represent. Again not for everyone....

"What about the Apple Newton, the first widely hyped PDA back in the 1990s? It was clearly applying for the right job-to give us mobile access to our calendars and to-do lists and such. But it was a lousy employee, with notoriously poor handwriting recognition and a limited attention span (from low battery life). PalmPilot got the job a few years later."

What about Prodigy? Prodigy was far ahead of it's time.

Second Life hasn't failed anything as it serves its user base well, and turns a profit for it's parent company. The limitations as I see are that it was so far ahead of the curve. The rest of the universe needs to catch up, and I am confident that it is doing so as I type. Second Life will be here 20 years from now.

"If the Christensen test alone could predict the future, then the two of us (along with Christensen) would be the richest venture capitalists of all time. It's not a perfect predictor. But by our count, Christensen's test calls correctly about a half-dozen of the big technology hype cycles of the last 20 years."

Hmmmm......that is true! However it isn't, but let's just talk about the successful parts of the 6 technologies they called correctly, because it serves your purpose, as your writing similarly picks out the "flaws" of Second Life to support your case. If the Christensen test looked at 10 cases and predicted 6 right that is a huge difference than if 120 or even 1200 technologies were tested. You do not give an adequate frame of reference to judge your proclamation of victory. Any more than you give relevant data in your prediction of failure. ("....which is 999,990 more than you would expect" whoa can I pay you to come up with an analytic like that?)

"At a minimum, it provides some protection against over-optimism. Think of it as a tinfoil hat to insulate you from the nuttiest predictions."

I need tinfoil glasses to protect me from the erroneous and self aggrandizing reportage of those who can't even be bothered to use a video or figures from this decade.

New user logins went to over 20,000 a day this week. This week......November 2011, not 2006. Why must the press bring up the questionable business practices of American Apparel from 2006 every time there is an article on Second Life? Please find something new, it is almost 2012. I beg you, I can't keep stopping everything I'm doing from my incredibly vibrant and productive work inworld, to keep writing these wake up and dress your avatar replies.

For excellent reporting on Second Life, I would suggest Tateru Nino. She has a tremendous grasp of what is happening.

MachinExpo 2011 - International Weekend

The MachinExpo, now in it's 4th Year brings together films which have been crafted over the year and shows the best work from a multitude of game engines. This is an important and very well respected Film Festival that is wonderful to be a part of.

Pooky Amsterdam On Sunday Expo Programming

Ricky Grove on boingboing

A Year in the Life - Second Life

We were all new once, and while the new user experience is different for everyone, this film was inspired by actual events in the life of an avatar you might know. What being part of Second Life really means is becoming part of a community, where every avatar you see is an actual someone from around the world, and everything you see has been made by a resident like you or me. It is a very exciting world which we are very happy to be presenting in this fast paced video - A Year in The Life! Viva Second Life!

More than Second Life - It's a Second Nation

http://www.appmarket.tv/opinion/1275-more-than-second-life-its-a-second-nation.html

While busy and accomplishing much as we do in our daily lives, both on and off the grid the recent Relay For Life of Second Life brought home, literally and figuratively, how much we really do mean to one another.

In the era of social networking - the person behind the text, the message, the url, the blog and of course the avatar is as important as the technology that brings us together.