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Our reporter discovers the freakshow within

Lifestyle Features

Does your life suck?

Fisher and I pass around the gun a few more times. We raise the bets from one dollar to ten-spots. We both keep coming up empty. There’s $61 on the table.

It’s my turn again. I bet ten bucks. Inhale deeply for real. Raise the gun for fake. And —

Blam!

I am totally dead. On the floor. It’s something of a release.

Fisher wins. My meatspace heart races.

If Second Life truly takes hold, millions will spend hours doing business, meeting people, and just living inside the virtual world. As future upgrades are made, there will likely be short-term advances: voice-over technology, fewer system crashes, photo-realistic environments. But in the longer term, humans might someday be able to upload their memories, their personalities, their entire lives, into their avatars. And they might be able to program them to live and breathe and interact for all eternity inside Second Life. Humanity’s great quest for immortality might finally be solved.

As I stand up unscathed, after blowing my virtual brains out, I’m certain that this isn’t the end of the story — for either Lily or Second Life.

On the Web
Second Life: //www.secondlife.com/
Secrets of Second Life: //www.secretsofsecondlife.com/
Metaverse Messenger: //www.metaversemessenger.com/
Aimee Weber: //www.aimeeweber.com/
Wagner James Au's New World Notes: //nwn.blogs.com/

In Second Life
Zephyr Heights: //slurl.com/secondlife/Zephyr%20Heights/130/244/24/
American Apparel: //slurl.com/secondlife/Lerappa/151/64/26/
Regina Spektor's Loft: //slurl.com/secondlife/kasba/230/135/55/
Snapzilla: //sluniverse.com/pics
Second Life Me: //sl.me.com
Welcome Center: //slurl.com/secondlife/Ahern/3/3/39/
Spin Martin's Slackstreet Studios: //slurl.com/secondlife/Slackstreet/129/129/25/
Nakama: //slurl.com/secondlife/Nakama/134/128/22/
Walleye's Acropolis Bowl: //slurl.com/secondlife/Walleye/111/17/103/
Midnight City: //slurl.com/secondlife/Midnight%20City/114/141/26/
Mai Tais Beach Club: //slurl.com/secondlife/Littly%20Italy/81/34/22/
Mill Pond: //slurl.com/secondlife/Mill%20Pond/118/126/23/