Getting a second life

People are always telling me I need to get around more. “There’s a whole other world out there,” they tell me. Anyone who attends a church or belongs to a service organization knows that social networking can be strange, but you need to go online to find out just how strange. The other world out there is called “Second Life,” a 3D virtual world built pixel by pixel by its residents. There you can pick a name, design a body, select a wardrobe and walk (or fly) around, touring whole neighborhoods of virtual homes and businesses built by fellow travelers. It has its own economy, denominated in Linden dollars. There are construction companies who can design and build your virtual second residence, fashion designers who will clothe your avatar in bleeding-edge style. You can talk to people, hold meetings, create and display artwork and multimedia. There are red-light districts and war zones, radio stations and even branch offices for presidential candidates. You can do almost anything in Second Life that you can in this one, except eat a really good grilled cheese sandwich.

At the moment, Second Life has a population of four million, at least 20,000 of whom are in residence at any given time. For such an out-of-body experience in a world of illusions, I have chosen four items for my personal inventory, two sandals, a monk’s robe, and (since I didn’t sign up for the premium account) a begging bowl. Before you come to the conclusion (correct but irrelevant) that a lot of people have too much time on their hands, consider this story: Democracy advocates in China are unable to assemble for mass demonstrations in so-called “first life.” But recently over 10,000 Second Life avatars marched through a virtual Tiananmen Square to protest human rights issues in China. The place clearly presents some features of interest. Once I learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time there (just consider controlling your body with arrow keys and keyboard shorcuts) I’ll scout the place out and send back some Letters Home. Or my avatar will post to my blog, whichever world that is in.