Features

The meaning of Life

20071003 [Computer Shopper]

Activity centre - 10 things to do in Second Life

	1 Get trained The first stop for newbies is the thriving New Citizens Incorporated campus, where you can catch extremely useful training sessions for Second Life basics, from building to putting on clothes. This resident-run association has also organised self-led courses so you can learn at your own pace.

2 Catch up on the news When the renowned news agency Reuters announced that it was entering the virtual world, the floodgates opened and offline business poured in. Reuters remains a shining example of how to integrate real-world services with the community. Come here to read up on the latest in- and out-of-world news and teleport to topic-led discussions happening in the state-of-the-art office building.

	3 Go to a live gig British musician Slim Warrior created the 'Menorca' music venue to host live performances. You'll find broadcasts of offline gigs and exclusive Second Life performances there. You can also check out the MetaJams, when artists from around the real world make music together, live, in the virtual world.

	4 Explore democracy in action The democratic collective of Neualtenburg, modelled on a Bavarian town, aims to explore new ways of living in this stunning simulation. It hosts regular discussions on a variety of topics centred on Second Life's Thinkers group.

	5 Dance, dance, dance As with most entertainment destinations, Second Life's heart lies at the centre of its vibrant nightlife. Hundreds of clubs offer beats 24 hours a day, plus the chance to earn a little cash playing games to the music. Look out for buttons to pick up free dancing animations and hit the floor.

	6 Attend a book reading The Paris-based Shakespeare and Company bookshop set up an in-world branch in late 2006, and hosts book readings and coffee mornings several times a week. The laid-back chats offer a welcome respite from some of the more peculiar goings on in Second Life.

	7 Visit virtual Dublin and Amsterdam Dublin and Amsterdam have both been beautifully re-created inside the virtual world. You can grab a pint of the dark stuff at the Blarney Stone in Dublin, and avoid seedy sights in Amsterdam's sexually explicit red-light district. The detailed re-creation of Amsterdam - houseboats, canals and all - was recently purchased for US $50,000 on eBay.

	8 Hallucinate One of the first forays into Second Life by academia, this simulation re-creates the sights and sounds of schizophrenic hallucinations in disturbingly clear detail. Co-developed by the University of California in the US and the University of Queensland in Australia, it shows how powerful the tools in Second Life can be.

	9 Go to the mall When in Second Life, do as Second Lifers do. And in this virtual world, they shop. It doesn't matter which mall you choose; there are outlets for everything under the digital sun, from hairstyles to hair vests, beachwear to bumper cars.

	10 Visit the Social Simulation Research Lab If, after getting lost in Second Life, you have the post-modern desire to understand the implications of this virtual world, the library at the SSRL offers over 150 articles about multi-user environments, available to everyone for free.