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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Second Life

Second Life stories: 15 news summaries

 Ditch Your Trashy Avatar 

Businesses who use virtual worlds need 3-D dress codes

Oct 8, 09 4:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - With businesses increasingly making use of virtual worlds like Second Life for long-distance training and conferences, it’s important for employees to show a little discretion with their choice of avatar, warns a report from tech advisory firm Gartner. “Because 3-D environments add the visual dimension, they will need... More »

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business • training • Second Life • conference • avatar

(Newser) - A bed designed for avatar sex? That's intellectual property. An agreement between virtual real estate developers? It's an oral contract. Or so say some lawyers, who are opening offices to handle disputes in the virtual, online world of Second Life, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "It's an emerging area... More »

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intellectual property • lawyer • Second Life • online gaming

 Virtual Affair Ends 
 in Real Divorce 

Digital cheating destroys UK marriage

Nov 14, 08 12:54 PM CST
(Newser) - When a UK woman discovered that her husband had fallen for another woman, she took the not-so-unusual step of filing for divorce. The kicker here, reports the Guardian, is that the cheating took place not in real life, among real people, but in the virtual world of Second Life. The... More »

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divorce • Second Life • virtual reality • online dating

 Your Pal in Second
 Life May Be a Robot 

Researchers use virtual world to test AI creations

May 18, 08 7:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists are creating virtual robots in a virtual world with the hope of simulating real people. Got it? Second Life is prime testing ground for artificial intelligence because it allows experts to exert more control over their creations. “It’s a very inexpensive way to test out our technologies... More »

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artificial intelligence • Second Life • robot • avatar


Spain Opens Second Life Clinic for Teens

Virtual doctor's office welcomes those who hate the real thing

May 10, 08 5:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Spanish health officials are opening a virtual clinic in the popular online world Second Life, where they plan to advise teens who are too shy to consult flesh-and-blood doctors, the Guardian reports. It will appear as a consultation room for now, but officials hope to expand the service and... More »

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health care • Internet • Spain • doctor • medical treatment • Second Life • teen health • avatar

Growing Pains Yield Virtual Reality Check

Second Life founder answers critics, promises improvement

Feb 1, 08 3:18 PM CST
(Newser) - The paparazzi have left, but the party isn't over for Second Life, the virtual world's founder says in a combative interview with Der Spiegel. Philip Rosedale acknowledges that the media hype has all but dried up but says he hopes new voice and education tools will turn the spotlight back... More »

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Second Life • virtual reality • Philip Rosedale

Even the Real Economy Isn't This Bad

'Second Life' bank shutdown causes all-too-real investor run

Jan 23, 08 12:18 PM CST
(Newser) - The subprime crisis has nothing on the economic implosion hitting Second Life’s virtual economy, the Wall Street Journal reports. Linden Labs has shut down most of the banks in its online game, cutting users off from real-life cash they'd invested. That caused a very real bank run, with avatars... More »

MORE ABOUT:
US economy • Second Life • virtual investment bank • bank fraud

Second Life Offers Aid for Asperger's

Online virtual world helps socially awkward patients pick up, practice skills

Jan 16, 08 2:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Sufferers from Asperger’s syndrome, characterized by an inability to pick up social cues, are getting an unlikely assist from the virtual world Second Life, ABC News reports. Researchers have found that the site, in which users communicate through online avatars, is more effective than other therapies for guiding patients... More »

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autism • research • Second Life • Asperger's Syndrome

Ghosts and Ghouls Invade Virtual Worlds

Digital realms like Halo and Second Life are getting in the Halloween spirit

Oct 30, 07 12:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Take a break from scarfing candy to join in silly spookiness online. Wired gives you the inside scoop on special events and areas in your favorite virtual worlds dedicated to the holiday:
  1. Halo 3: A seasonal addition to the matchmaking playlist should keep players entertained for the 27 hours
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
list • Second Life • virtual reality • World of Warcraft • Halo 3 • virtual worlds • Halloween

Insurer Opens (Virtual) Island Getaway

Another corporate marketing scheme pops up on Second Life

Oct 5, 07 11:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Cruising over to Insurance Island might not sound like the most fun thing to do with your virtual life, but Assicurazioni Generali SpA is dedicated to being the rare corporate Second Life island that works, offering a car chase game, and manning the island with real employees. The 176-year old... More »

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marketing • insurance • Second Life • virtual worlds

Sony Delays Answer to ‘Second Life’

Former trailblazer's ‘Home’ won’t drop
now until spring

Sep 20, 07 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Adding to a string of setbacks, Sony today delayed the release of its competitor for virtual world touchstone "Second Life," until next spring. The interactive world "Home"—made for PlayStation 3—has been demonstrated several times, the AP reports, and was to land before year’s... More »

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Nintendo Wii • Sony • homes • Second Life • PlayStation 3 • Ken Kutaragi • video games

Virtual Bank Collapse Causes Real Pain

$750K losses in Second Life prompt calls for federal regulation

Aug 15, 07 2:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ginko Financial, an unregulated investment bank that promised returns of up to 60%, collapsed recently, costing its customers 200 million Lindens—the currency of online virtual universe Second Life, where the bank existed. While the bank, managed by a mysterious, anonymous owner, catered only to computer-generated avatars in its 3... More »

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Internet • FBI • gambling • casino • bank • Second Life • virtual investment bank • Linden dollars • Linden lab • MMRPG

Museum Looks Picture-Perfect Online

Dresden gallery gets virtual replica
in Second Life

Aug 13, 07 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser) - Dresden’s Old Masters Picture gallery is the first museum to create an online clone, now appearing in all its glory—down to the trash cans and fountains—as a location in the virtual reality game Second Life. The building’s 750 paintings have been reproduced digitally, as have the... More »

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museum • painting • Second Life • Dresden • Cologne • Venice Biennale • Art Basel • Raphael • Old Masters

Man Treats Virtual Wife Better Than Real One

Second Life getting in the way of first lives

Aug 11, 07 8:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - A man who spends up to 20 hours a day playing the virtual-reality video game Second Life may be getting more fulfillment from his online wife than his real one—and his non-cyber-spouse isn't feeling fulfilled at all. Ric Hoogestraat, a 53-year-old ex-teacher, says his virtual matrimony is only a... More »

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Internet • marriage • affair • Second Life • virtual reality • infidelity • Ric Hoogestraat • video games

Real Priest Urges Virtual Soul-Searching

Second Life fertile ground for new Catholic converts, Jesuit says

Jul 29, 07 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Jesuit academic is encouraging fellow believers to take the word of God to a new world—virtual reality. In a Roman Jesuit journal, Father Antonio Spadaro urges missionaries to preach the good life in Second Life, describing the online simulation game as packed with real souls to save, Reuters... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • religion • spirituality • Second Life • Antonio Spadaro • virtual reality • Jesuit

15 Stories


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