On-Demand Streaming for Second Life Origin Digital, a video applications service provider, will be the first to bring on-demand video and audio capabilities to support virtual worlds. That includes Second Life.

This means that users can integrate streaming video and music in their Second Life worlds. Upload streaming video, music or other user generated content, and it will be transformed to be used in virtual world communities. You can create your own customized video content to be played in virtual worlds, bringing new meaning to multimedia experiences.

Even a virtual economy needs a Ben Bernanke Just before a global credit squeeze roiled US financial markets this summer, an equally dramatic financial crisis threatened Second Life, the much-hyped online world.

On July 25, the company controlling Second Life said it would no longer allow gambling. Economic activity was cut by nearly half as gambling halls shut down.

Go Get a (Virtual) Life Tired of this life? With a few clicks of the mouse, you can create an online, virtual “you.” Guests and callers discuss why we find virtual lives so addictive, and scientists explain their efforts to use online communities to learn more about real-life human behavior. Also, a game developer from Second Life talks about what it’s like to build a virtual world.

Search and…Destroy? Here’s another tumbling and incoherent office hour, where we’re all scrolling at once. Robin tells us about plans to change the SEARCH — and I’d recommend also going to hear Jeska with more details — although more than half-way through, she basically just said “it’s a Google box” however Khamon will be delighted to hear she says distinctly, “You’ll be able to search people’s profiles.”

Virtual Reality Clothing Shop opens in Korea Is there any way to know if clothes really fit right without trying them on? There is now, thanks to a new high-tech, virtual reality fitting system. Shinsegae Department Store plans to try out the service in cooperation with the i-Fashion Clothing Technical Center of Konkuk University in the Elord golf wear shop of its main branch. At the Elord shop, customers can dress a three-dimensional likeness of themselves that includes their precise body measurements to see if an item of clothing fits well.

Go Into Real and Virtual Debt With Second Life’s MetaCard Just what Second Life needed. After the collapse of virtual bank Ginko Financial last month, a Singapore company has come along and is readying the first “virtual credit card” for Second Life. Compliments of FirstMeta, the so-called MetaCard works just like its real-life counterparts. You’ll be able to obtain basic and gold versions (what no Platinum?) and fully succumb to that “buy it now, figure out how to pay for it later” spirit we here in the U.S. have fully embraced.

Virtual learning experience brings students to a new world One of Pinckney Benedict’s students was kidnapped on SIUC’s campus Tuesday, but he laughed about it in his office Wednesday afternoon.

Luckily, the student was not physically on campus - she was in a virtual world with Benedict, a professor of English, who joined an innovative online universe in search of a new and exciting way to teach his students.

Benedict recently received a one-semester land grant from software company Linden Lab to build his Second Life virtual campus. Second Life is an online program designed to allow people to interact through their own virtual worlds.

Drexel University to Host the “Unconference” PodCamp Philly for Industry Veterans and Novices Social media, podcasting, blogging and videocasting have revolutionized the Internet and become part of popular culture. As Philadelphia’s technological leader, Drexel University will host PodCamp Philly, an “unconference” for new media veterans and novices from Sept. 7 to 9. The PodCamp will promote the use of new media to television, newspapers, radio, businesses, educators and individuals.

PodCamp is free for podcasters and listeners, bloggers and readers, and anyone interested in new media. It was held for the first time in September 2006 in Boston and has since been held in New York, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Munich, Atlanta, San Antonio and Stockholm. It’s an “unconference” in the sense that participants are also experts and anyone who is interested can present ideas, thoughts and best practices.

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