Second Rate

I spent an evening venturing into the virtual world second life. In creating a username you have to have a last name and are presented with limited and reasonably uninspiring last names to choose from. As a result my final effort was Uber Szczepanski, which I was moderately happy with.

After making your character you are beamed down to Orientation Island where there were a lot of "dazed" people walking around... I too was dazed. I think they should change the name to Disorientation Island. I asked someone how to get some clothes because I felt a little vulnerable and chilly even though it wasn't real. Through trial and error I selected clothes and altered my appearance so my avatar was a reasonable representation of me.

I teleported to Scilands (science islands) and was very very lonely, I didn't see another soul. Not a popular tourist destination. No one to ask anything... i.e. "how does this work?" and "what is a fun thing to do around here?" I did note that the Naked scientist show broadcasts from there, and it would be cool to "watch" the show being made and interact with others watching the broadcast. SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/SciLands/102/129/26

However on the whole I was disappointed. The program is buggy, and you can fall through surfaces and become trapped. A sluggish internet connection made things worse... buildings appear long after you have landed somewhere and you can find yourself completely trapped in an invisible building. The concept is good, but i think there needs to bit a fair bit of polishing before i venture in there with a class.