Second Life / Get a Life

As you know, I don't hide the fact that I am a Runescape enthusiast. For those interested, my online personae is Cancsis.

Of course, I put up with a certain amount of mocking, both direct and indirect for this diversion.

Get over it.

I'm sure by now you have seen the new latest craze, Second Life.

SL is a virtual world in which everything is run by the users. You can be a free member, roaming the streets, making your money (Lindon Dollars) by working odd jobs. If you become a premium member, you will receive a weekly stipend. You will also be able to buy land that you can ultimately build up.

So everything in this world is owned by someone. And it's open source allows members to build whatever they want. Anything that is built is your property in the real world.

A really difficult concept, eh? It's easiest to understand if you simply consider SL to be the real world.

I'll give you an example. I may determine there's a need for a product. Let's say, I don't know, hand baskets.



Using the online creation tool, I can build handbaskets. I can then sell them to the owner of the store, and make money. If I create a unique handbasket, it's mine. I can turn around and design it in the real world, and sell the design to a company for real money.

So on SL, I make my living selling something. Let's say I sell handbaskets for 20 Lindons (L$) each, and I sell a thousand of them. I now have 20,000L$. What do I do with that? Well, I can live on SL for one thing, consuming goods, buying land and things, partying, whatever.

I can also go to a currency exchange, such as LindeX, and sell my L$ for US$. The LindeX closed today at 269L$. If I sold my 20k L$, I would get $74.35 US. Conversely, if I needed additional L$, I could buy it with US$.

In short, there are people on this planet who are making a living exclusively from working within SL. There are companies in the real world, with employees, making their money on SL.

There are well over a million members in SL right now. While the vast majority are simply living a different, perhaps better life online, some are living a different, perhaps better life in the real world because of this.

I now must go find a way to get the idea of financial freedom out of my head before I go and quit my job.

Categories: Links, Runescape