Business in Virtual Worlds News - May 18-24 2009
This week’s Big Question:
What is the biggest missed opportunity in virtual worlds today?
(Answer in the comments!)
Kept it short and fast this week, but what’s here is actually pretty big.
Important links:
- Archive page of past weeks of Business in Virtual Worlds News
- Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Blip.fm, or in Second Life as Onder Skall
- Suggest stories at info [at] calebbooker.com
Disclaimer: As with everything on my blog, the opinions expressed here are mine and do not reflect on Clever Zebra, the vBusiness Expo, my friends, my family, my blip channel, any of the other “Jack of All Strange” stuff that I do, etc etc etc… k here we go:
Top Stories
New partnerships and collaborations:
- PlaySpan Partners With Bigpoint.com
- How green was my virtual valley? Linden Lab pairs with Terremark
Daden Develops Virtual War Room
“[...] allows users to zoom into maps, plot geographic data, view CCTV and webcams, plot 3D data, show slides and objects, view RSS and Twitter feeds, and analyze GPS and earth-sensing data all in a shared immersive environment.”
Over 15 Billion Minutes of Voice Have Been Delivered in Second Life
Well it’s an interesting statistic, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide what it means. See related story under “Nerds Only”.
Philippines Department of Tourism Creates Virtual Island on Second Life
We had tourism boards entering virtual worlds every week for awhile, but they seem to be taking a break for the season. Still, welcome Philippines!
Events
Singapore fund manager to hold virtual annual meeting
Another instance of an increasingly common and necessary cost-cutting measure.
Want to Hold a Virtual Event of Your Own?
Clever Zebra offers event support and white-label services for anyone interested in a branded gathering in a virtual space. Everything from venue setup and hosting to VIP orientation to speaker coordination.
Training and Education
New corporate training options include virtual worlds
A basic overview of the phenomena.
Case Study: Northrop Grumman’s Simulated Training and Prototyping Programs in SL
A good look at training people on the use of remote-controlled robots for disarming bombs.
Government and Military
The FBI joins Second Life
Well now don’t we all feel safer.
Intersecting Interests: Virtual Worlds and the Law
Metanomics interviews James Gatto.
Naval Undersea Warfare Center: Training, Innovating, and Saving In Virtual Worlds
Navy trains submarine crews using Qwaq Forums.
Gaming
Hello, an Avatar Is Calling You
Looks like SOE is adding VOIP to SWG and EverQuest.
Nerds Only
Second Life to Add Voice Morphing Controls, Voice Mail and Avatar Phone Numbers
That voice morphing function is going to cause more problems than it solves.
Evolve your 3D avatar
Neat gadget that creates a 3D model from data or image import and exports in a variety of virtual world friendly formats.
Newbs Only
Security expert warns of virtual world risks
A security company’s executive says that you should really look into hiring them.
Businesses Seek a New Lease on Second Life
Yet another foolish writer paying attention exclusively to hype rather that what people are actually doing.
Sociological Oddities
Second Life takes you to the moon (almost)
I link this because space travel, as it is today, is purely a sociological oddity.
Did I miss an important story? Got feedback? Leave a comment below, or email me at
info [at] calebbooker.com
