I just finished reading the Au article from First Monday about journalism in SL. I was particularly interested in his thoughts on SL as 'journalism by metaphor.' He says that there is a lot to learn from SL that reflects on RL. He uses the example of the epidemic in WoW, which is one I have heard before. This use of virtual worlds is one that is particularly fascinating to me; to what extent is SL an extension of RL? Do we expect the same patterns of behaviour and personality? Do we expect the rules of society to apply in the same ways? It's interesting.... as I sit here and type this, I'm thinking that it would be interesting to give standardized tests to avatars to see how the results compare to RL statistics. How would avatars do on personality inventories? IQ tests? Social pyshochological tests? It would be interesting to see how avatars compare to real people in this way..... to replicate classic psychological studies online. This would allow us to really know how reflective SL is of RL.....

I just watched an interesting segment of 60 Minutes that reminded me of something I was wondering about SL. The segment was about new technology that enables people to control computers through thought. Scientists were able to implant electrodes into a monkey's brain so that the monkey could fully control a robotic arm. They were also able to implant electrodes in the brain of a stroke victim. She was able to control the cursor on a computer screen, including moving the mouse and clicking. She was also able to control the movement of a wheelchair. The technology is still very preliminary, but as it develops, it has potential to allow those who are disabled to interact with the world in ways that were not previously possible. Paralysed people or those who have lost limbs will be able to be more independent than ever. 

As I'm typing this, I'm remembering a similar technology that I was reading about over the summer. Video game developers are developing a system which will allow people to control games with their thoughts. Rather than using brain implants, this technology involves some sort of headset.

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article4354041.ece

So this has me wondering, will this technology eventually be used in virtual worlds? What are the implications of actually linking our brains with the computer world? And, could the control one day go both ways? Could the virtual world make us sense things? Could smell, feel, touch, and taste be part of the virtual world? It seems like this technology is one step closer to true virtual reality. It sounds cool, but I assume that there would be a lot of people who would be reluctant to allow anything to interact with their brain in that manner. But, the potential is definately amazing. If we can interact with the virtual world in the same way we can interact with the real world..... well, the possibilities are too many to list.

As a post-script, I just heard this great quotation on 'King of the Hill:'

"I love myspace, but I would never go on as myself. Online, I am Ted Danson. People will tell Ted Danson anything."  - Peggy Hill

This line says a lot about how people can have different personalities online...