1. Comment #50663 by js5535 on June 19, 2007 at 10:04 am

I tried Second Life once...and didn't have the patience to find my way off the learning island.

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2. Comment #50668 by Damien Trotter on June 19, 2007 at 10:27 am

I hope the good Professor does not get addicted to Second Life as I have! I have a great deal of fun, and have not laughed so much for ages, when I am within in its virtual environment. Of course, what you get out of such a 'game' is dependent on what you put into it.

I have noticed that some of the plants in Second Life are indeed growing. Therefore I have no doubt that evolutionary algorithms can be applied to your creations should you be up to the task.

If anyone from this thread (or this site in general) make themselves known to me within Second Life, it would be my pleasure to give you a free item (of my manufacture) from my in-game shop (Totally Bananas in Baileya).

Damien Trotter

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3. Comment #50671 by pewkatchoo on June 19, 2007 at 10:52 am

I have enough problems getting to grips with the real world, never mind submerging myself in some virtual existence.

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4. Comment #50673 by Riley on June 19, 2007 at 11:03 am

I'd like to see some serious experiments conducted using simulation-games in the field of economics.

The latest New York Times Magazine had a great article relevant to this topic of games and real world/virtual world economics:
"The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer" By JULIAN DIBBELL, June 17, 2007




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5. Comment #50675 by beeline on June 19, 2007 at 11:28 am

The problem with Second Life is that my character spends all his time in Third Life...

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6. Comment #50678 by Planeswalker on June 19, 2007 at 11:55 am

Dear Richard, when will we see you in World of Warcraft?

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7. Comment #50684 by jesus_christ_himself on June 19, 2007 at 12:31 pm

I tried Second Life once...and didn't have the patience to find my way off the learning island.

ditto

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8. Comment #50703 by Diplo on June 19, 2007 at 2:28 pm

I'm a big fan of computers and computer games but also found Second Life rather dull. However, it's good to see Richard (who was a pioneer in his own time with 'The Blind Watchmaker') still engaging with technology and bringing his ideas to new audiences.

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9. Comment #50704 by Abdi Sanati on June 19, 2007 at 2:32 pm

The science fiction scenario is quite like David Cronenberg's Existenz where people could spend their whole time in a game.

I also wonder if Richard's alter ego is a woman!

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10. Comment #50710 by benh on June 19, 2007 at 2:57 pm

There is an island in second life called Svarga that has a completely functioning, although simple, ecosystem:

http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2006/05/god_game.html

That and the scale model of Ringworld are to me the real highlights of the place

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11. Comment #50712 by Zaphod on June 19, 2007 at 3:08 pm

How long before google becomes sentient?

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12. Comment #50713 by Summer Seale on June 19, 2007 at 3:10 pm

hihi =)

i play SL all the time. my name there is Summer Seale (same on this forum) and i would *love* to meet Dr. Dawkins! =) i'm a big fan and i've helped a lot of newbies at the movie to show them how to see his movie. =) please Dr. Dawkins, IM me in SL? i would love to hear from you and talk. =)

Summer

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13. Comment #50724 by dot on June 19, 2007 at 5:07 pm

direct link:

rtmp://fflash-r2.vitalstreamcdn.com/twofour_vitalstream_com/_definst_/Telegraph/dawks_512K.flv

it's streaming flash (yuck).

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14. Comment #50733 by Enlightenme.. on June 19, 2007 at 6:18 pm

I have left clear instructions with my avatar that he is not to eat the apples.

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15. Comment #50736 by Fouad Boussetta on June 19, 2007 at 6:27 pm

What a pleasant fellow!

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16. Comment #50739 by Russell Blackford on June 19, 2007 at 6:45 pm

Well, if anyone here ever bumps into Metamagician Apogee in Second Life, say hello. My ... er, his ... home base is Uvvy Island.

It sounds as if Richard is not going to be so willing to give up his anonymity. :)

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17. Comment #50744 by Dr Benway on June 19, 2007 at 7:15 pm

Enlightenme:

I have left clear instructions with my avatar that he is not to eat the apples.

LOL, you mean the shiny, red, candy-like apples?

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18. Comment #50904 by maton100 on June 20, 2007 at 11:31 am

Sam Harris as an avatar:

http://thestubborncurmudgeon.blogspot.com

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19. Comment #50956 by Anubis on June 20, 2007 at 4:55 pm

I enjoy second life, I treat it as a virtual 3D myspace. Any custom content you make is instantly visible and part of the world, unlike so many other games were you would have to mess with modding and compatibility issues, etc. All of the tools you need are within the game itself.

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20. Comment #51007 by Lee Christie on June 21, 2007 at 3:38 am

I played Second Life for a few days, but got bored. I couldn't find anything to do in SL, I'm not creative enough to make custom content, and not rich enough to pimp out my avatar buying from other people.

I'm used to MMOs where you kill things, earn treasures the hard way not just 3D model them, explore professionally-designed realms, and get involved in a rich lore and back story. No offence to SL, it's not for me.

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21. Comment #51344 by mspatriot9 on June 22, 2007 at 12:09 pm

Greetings fellow SL addicts...(Cheri Mills in SL).

But...Richard Dawkins playing in Second Life too?

I'm sorry my atheist friends but that there may well be evidence there is a god after all!

That's just awesome. Now every time I log in SL and encounter someone I'll forever be wondering...is this Professor Dawkins? ;-p

And to you who couldn't find anything to do in SL...surely you can't be serious. There's more to do in SL than in RL! ;-p

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22. Comment #51351 by mspatriot9 on June 22, 2007 at 12:57 pm

PS....

Is there a reward or prize if we can uncover the identity of the great professor's secret SL avatar?

Definition of Ironic: he's a furrie!!!!! ;-p

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23. Comment #51394 by Julius on June 22, 2007 at 3:44 pm

I, too, have wondered about a little and could not get excited much with it. I don't feel joy or pain there, even though I know actual people are behind it.

Plus, I got banned the first time I tried SL, because I seemingly spoke the wrong words at some important SL person. How was I to know there was no freedom of speech where I was at (or where it did exist, if it does at all)?

I'm actually surprised to hear Richard held out for so long without getting banned ;) There are some really annoying people there, just like in the real world.

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24. Comment #51403 by Dr Benway on June 22, 2007 at 4:49 pm

Guess I'll have to check this "Second Life" thing out. Today there's an article about an Oklahoma mega-church spending thousands to develop a presence there. Virtual religion!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18789168/

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25. Comment #51568 by Dr Benway on June 23, 2007 at 12:19 pm

Hey 2nd lifers:

I had the impression that people had a great deal of freedom in styling avatars and buildings in 2nd life.

Here's a page about a church there. Note the pic. It looks like Wal-Mart! Why would anyone willingly make something look like that?

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2007/03/12/lifechurchtv-has-a-second-life-church-campus/

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26. Comment #52085 by Skeptic Jim on June 26, 2007 at 5:51 am

I had a go at second life... I really can't for the life of me fathom what people see in it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but it seems like a virtual world where you just walk around and look at stuff and don't really do very much at all. Sure you can buy land and buy items just to carry around with you but why would you bother?

The one intersting thing I managed to do was enter a church and trash the cross... i'm guessing the owner didn't mean to leave it editable.

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27. Comment #52215 by Skeptic Jim on June 26, 2007 at 1:38 pm

hmmm. I'm really trying here. so you can sell things and convert it back to real money...

but the things your selling are pretty much useless to anybody... My guess is that very few people make any money out of this. I've yet to see anything i'd actually want to buy. they have helicopters but none with sidewinders. They have cars but where you can go and what you can do with them is incredibly lame. You can buy property.. and build a shop and then sell useless things to people who also want to sell useless things for money... Tell me i'm a cynic. I just can't see any reason to bother with this... game? reality? whatever you want to call it.

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