On the passing fad of Second Life...

Web fads come and go. Podcast is one of them. I'd consider Second Life another addition to the passing fads.

I do realize the allure of a virtual life and identity. Once upon a time, I was hooked on irc in its early days. No doubt that there are those who hang around the virtual world for a very long time, but most people like me move on with their lives. So, when Second Life was all the rage only a few years back, I have serious doubts. Indeed, its star has faded drastically. There's talk of its revival, but I don't buy it that it'll be a parallel universe to the real world. While there's also talk of using SL as a platform for anything virtual (eg. teleconferencing), it'll perhaps take a couple of generations for those in the business world to take SL seriously. If SL can survive that long in its niche, perhaps it can fulfill some of the promises. For now, it's nothing more than a plaything.