We’ve all heard the warnings: addiction, isolation, a waste of time. But some 50 million people log on to online role-playing games like The Sims and Second Life—and many of them never log off. The makers of a new documentary called “Second Skin,” which hits theaters in September, followed seven hard-core gamers to find out why. Victor Piñeiro, the film’s producer, spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Jessica Bennett:

It all started with a teacher friend who got so into Star Wars Galaxy that he was leading a double life. He’d run home from work during lunch, 10 blocks, to check what was going on inside the game. He was staying up all night and would show up to class with bags under his eyes. From the outside it looked crazy. But from the inside it was kind of amazing. He’d become the mayor of his town and was leading hundreds of people. (more…)

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The British Computer Society has launched an e-learning specialist group in the Second Life virtual world.

The British Computer Society said the specialist group will hold regular meetings in Second Life and other virtual worlds.

“E-learning provides a solution for those who cannot access colleges and schools,” said the British Computer Society (BCS).

“Employers are also embracing the technology that allows their employees to develop additional skills without leaving the workplace,” it added. (more…)

The U.S. government recently denied a green card application by a well-known Second Life artist, declaring her two-year marriage to an American citizen to be fraudulent. The news isn’t all bad for her, though — the denial gives her an opportunity to appeal and prove that the marriage was legitimate.

However, she says she’s growing weary of trying to untangle the red tape, and is preparing for the probability that she’ll be forced to abandon her adopted home in America.

Irena Morris, known in Second Life as “Eshi Otawara,” married an American citizen who died while her application for residency was still in progress. A provision in U.S. immigration law called the “widow’s penalty” says that, in that situation, an alien’s green card application should be rejected if the marriage lasted less than two years. The Morrises were married one year and 10 months when Glenn Morris died suddenly. (more…)

The most financially successful virtual worlds are not 3D and sophisticated, but flat and appealing to younger audiences. Think Neopets, Webkinz, Club Penguin and Runescape, not Second Life.

Habbo, whose graphics are reminiscent of the Code Monkeys cartoon and 8-bit 80s video games, announced today that its 100-millionth avatar had been created. That does not translate as 100m active members - the service had 10.3m unique visitors in May, according to comScore - but it is still an impressive indication of the growth of the service since its launch in Finland eight years ago. (more…)

More and more Americans are playing online games like Second Life, EVE Online, and Warcraft. The fantastic lands their developers conjure are compelling, filling a need we have for mystery, discovery, adventure - a need probably not being met now that tourists have pretty much overrun the best medieval towns and Mediterranean beaches. Unless they are brave enough to enter the receding jungles or cross the shrinking ice caps, it is hard for travelers to blaze trails through uncharted lands. (more…)

Scientists are using Second Life to create online 3D worlds in which scientists can collaborate with other researchers and with students.

Researchers at the university’s WA Supercomputer Program (WASP) say Second Life and gaming engines such as Unity provide new tools and opportunities for scientists to share their work.

“There’s a lot of money and expertise being thrown at hardware and software in the gaming industry, so the interesting question for us is can we exploit those developments in order to solve problems in other disciplines?” says Paul Bourke, a senior research fellow in visualisation at WASP. (more…)

Linden Labs is celebrating the five year anniversary of the launch of their virtual world Second Life, and you’re all invited, even if most of you won’t come! In honor of this milestone, the Lindens will be holding a two-week long Virtual World Fair, complete with parties, roundtable discussions, and exhibits that highlight the genitalia perversion creativity of the world’s residents.

Things kick off June 23rd with a keynote speech from Linden Founder and Chairman Philip Rosedale and newly appointed CEO Mark Kingdon, both of whom better have some pretty kick-ass avatars. If they don’t have at least jet packs and glowing eyes I’m laughing them off the stage. (more…)

Edd Hifeng barely merits a second glance in “Second Life.” A steel-gray robot with lanky limbs and linebacker shoulders, he looks like a typical avatar in the popular virtual world. But Edd is different.

His actions are animated not by a person at a keyboard but by a computer. Edd is a creation of artificial intelligence, or AI, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who endowed him with a limited ability to converse and reason. It turns out “Second Life” is more than a place where pixelated avatars chat, interact and fly about. It’s also a frontier in AI research because it’s a controllable environment where testing intelligent creations is easier.
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A Second Life artist who goes by the name “Eshi Otawara” faces real-life deportation due to the so-called “widow’s penalty” in immigration law.

The artist, whose real-life name is Irena Morris, is a Croatian immigrant who lives in Florida. Her American husband died suddenly, when they’d been married less than two years, while her application for residency was in progress. According to U.S. immigration law, the application is automatically rejected once the American spouse dies. Morris received formal notification from U.S. immigration authorities last week that her application was terminated, and she’s ready to be deported from the U.S. at any moment. (more…)

An Internet fantasy universe teeming with faux worlds devoted to socializing and video games is expanding to include virtual classrooms and universities. A new trend in online education involves students acting through animated characters called “avatars” mingling in simulated school settings and even rocketing off, via the Internet, on quests for knowledge.

San Jose State University in the heart of Silicon Valley has built a campus at Second Life, the popular virtual world created by Linden Lab in San Francisco. The University of Pheonix has created its own immersive environments, such as a fictitious company websites that contain realistic documents for business students to analyze. (more…)

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During tough times, the best course of action for retailers is to focus entirely on customer-driven projects without compromising on quality ­ even if that means spending more, said Domino’s Pizza IT director Jane Kimberlin.

“If we were in a different business, we would need to look at the economics, but consumer-facing projects would be the last place we would look to reduce costs,” she said.

“You have to be strong enough to continue investment in that area even during an economic downturn, as the good times will come back and customers will be loyal to the business that has looked after them.” (more…)

Common interests bring professionals together online, then lead them to corporate collaboration. Social networking and other Web 2.0 capabilities are creating new avenues for commerce by facilitating communication inside the corporate structure and extending collaboration beyond company walls.

Key to making the most out of new technology, however, is determining corporate goals before throwing a new tool into the mix. When chosen and applied judiciously, nearly every Web 2.0 weapon-from del.icio.us to wikis- can play meaningful and profitable roles within any company. (more…)

Sun Microsystems, which makes computer servers and software, owns seven islands in Second Life, two of which are open to the public. The rest are used for training sessions and meetings. During its biggest event, a 12-hour corporate meeting held in April, 14 of Santa Clara-based Sun’s top executives hobnobbed with hundreds of employees. Alpine skiing, car racing, live jazz and a sandbox were also part of the event.

At one point, Sun Chairman Scott McNealy, dressed in a San Jose Sharks hockey jersey and holding a golf club, sat in a virtual auditorium next to Chief Gaming Officer Chris Melissinos, who had a mascot for Sun’s Java software sitting on his shoulder (the mascot looks a bit like a penguin). (more…)

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At the gallery opening May 12, art lovers sipped wine and munched on chips and salsa. They soaked in a black-and-white winterscape by Anchorage photographer Hal Gage and read about Ron Senungetuk’s beginnings as a young artist at the Bureau of Indian Affairs school in Sitka.

They shared reactions, even debated a little about the artworks’ merits. And they did it all in cyberspace. The Rasmuson Foundation Gallery of Alaskan Artists — a wall-less, three-story gallery on top of a virtual mountain — marks the first time an arts-related Anchorage organization has established a presence in Second Life, an alternate, Internet-based reality. (more…)

A memory upgrade for your personal computer is an easy and affordable method to increasing the execution speed to your desktop computer. Adding more memory to that desktop can often make your computer run like new.

Many people ask, “How much ram or memory for Microsoft Windows Vista” ?

Unfortunately, there’s just not enough RAM in most computers. Everything is working fine, then you add a memory-intensive photo-editing software, surf to a graphically intense Web site, or install a game, and suddenly your computer can’t keep up. 1GB to 3GB would be considered basic computing and tasks would include email, surfing the web, basic office programs, accounting and personal finance. 2GB to 4GB is needed for mainstream computing with some focus on entry level programs that are used to create large files such as used with PowerPoint, Excel and other accounting software. For photo editing, video creation, an in-house server, CAD, or sound engineering, 4GB or more is not unheard of.

Memory Deal offers a wide variety of memory upgrades including a 2GB memory upgrade, a 4GB memory upgrade, and an 8GB memory upgrade for most all systems.

Most personal computers contain the most basic form of memory modules, known as RAM sticks or DIMM modules. PC memory upgrades for your desktop come in a vast array of descriptions:

* UDIMM Memory
* unregistered dual In-Line memory modules
* unbuffered DIMM modules.

These are the basic RAM sticks found in the old pc desktop. The UDIMM operates faster, free of the delay usually caused by buffer logic chips or registers on the module. With UDIMMs these devices are located on the motherboard instead. The speed increase comes as a tradeoff limiting the maximum number of modules on the same motherboard.

There are many choices of UDIMM module in several technologies, pin counts, form factors, and speeds.

Almost all of their memory devices carries a lifetime warranty which involves a lifetime exchange or repair warranty against manufacturing defects. Memory may also be returned in original condition within 14 days of delivery for full credit minus shipping. Memory Deal also supplies unlimited lifetime tech support for this item.