Second Life may be best known for its reputation as an anything-goes playground for the technoscenti, but more practical uses have long been proposed. An IBM employee who frequents SL reports that an associate (possibly another IBMer) has scripted a program that takes ‘complex system information’ and displays it as a three dimensional structure in the synthetic world, thus enabling visualisation of the interconnections in a complex software project, for example. We can expect to see more ideas like this crop up as people start to test the envelope of possibilities in a world that can be redesigned to suit any requirement.

Call me cynical, but I’m not that surprised to hear that research indicates there may be a correlation between autism and heavy exposure to television as a toddler. The study demonstrates a rising occurance of autism since the 80s, when VCRs and cable became commonplace, and points to a ‘statistically significant relationship’ between time spent in front of the television and the symptoms of autism-spectrum disorders. There’ll no doubt be plenty of rebuttals of these findings – what will be interesting is to watch where (and who) they come from.

You might have guessed that, once Reuters got their foot in the door, all sorts of other riff-raff would be swift to follow them into Second Life. And you’d have been right – Reuter’s first metaverse report announces that the US Congress is starting to investigate the economies of synthetic worlds in earnest. So you may want to option a tax accountant before quitting the day-job for that lucrative career in dragon slaying or virtual tailoring. Apparently some Congressmen are already exploring SL (and Warcraft) of their own accord, so be nice to n00bs – and watch who you chat to! 😉

Just in case you’ve been fast asleep beneath a large internet-proof rock all day, I thought I’d let you know that the Googleplex is going solar. They’re partnering with EI Solutions, and plan to offset 30% of their peak energy consumption with a large array of roof-mounted solar panels. In addition to saving money, they claim it’s their responsibility as corporate citizens – even if that’s hyperbole, it’s a good thing to hear a company say.

Where do you go for the real low-down on astrobiology, astronomy and the physics of spaceflight? I’m not averse to using Wikipedia, but only until I discover a better specialist resource – and one has cropped up, in the form of David Darling’s online encyclopaedias. Over 10,000 entries, updated daily to keep up with the latest research and discoveries, plus articles on sustainable living and alternative energy – that’ll keep me busy for a few weeks.