“Visiting the ‘Second Life’ World: Virtual Hype?”

I made a brief appearance on yesterday’s “All Things Considered” from National Public Radio, in a story appropriately titled: “Visiting the ‘Second Life’ World: Virtual Hype?” (Yes, NPR has joined that particular debate, following Clay Shirky in casting deep skepticism on the “two million Residents” meme that the media is usually complicit in. But not this time.) Nicely reported by Laura Sydell, the segment actually devotes most of its coverage to Judge Posner’s recent in-world appearance, and his Honor himself arrives to offer some trenchant thoughts on the importance of online worlds. Last year’s NWN book club guest Thomas P.M. Barnett also shows up to praise the longtail power of his own appearance in-world. (Forseti Svarog of The Electric Sheep is on hand, too.) Taken together, it almost plays like an audio version of my GigaGamez essay on the hype and hope around Second Life.

Also, the raccoon. Fittingly, the raccoon lawyer shows up first. Listen to it all here. [blogged by W. James Au on New World Notes]