Everyone’s headed for Second Life – the clothing outfitters, the motor vehicle companies, and now the book publishers. Penguin Books seem to be the first big player on the scene, that Doctorow fellow notwithstanding. Their first project was a launch of a virtual version of Neal Stephenson’s seminal Snow Crash, the novel in which the term ‘Metaverse’ was first coined. Now they are working on a proper bookstore, complete with books on the shelves that link to Amazon for your purchasing convenience. If the shopping malls in meatspace seem weird, the meta-mall is shaping up to put them in the shade.

The membrane between reality and its virtual twin is becoming increasingly permeable – things are starting to cross the border. I mentioned fabbing just the other day, and here’s an example of a fabbed object that is more than just a proof-of-concept – the first laser-sintered shoe, entirely produced by 3D printing methods, is a potentially marketable product. Or it will be, once they get the price margins down a little.

I don’t know if the rise of online, customizable geopolitical information is just eye candy for politically obsessed geeks or a real tool for an informed citizenry, but it’s sure interesting to watch unfold.

Steven Johnson’s new website Outside.In looks really interesting: it strives to bring to one place the disparate voices of a neighborhood. I suspect it will be a lot more useful for people urban-ites: those of us in the wilderness of American suburbia are likely to find there aren’t that many people talking about our town.

Whatever the cause (and there are many theories, here’s one) of overcrowding of jails in the United States, prisoners have to be put somewhere. The United Kingdom has used prison ships in the past, and is thinking of doing so again.