(Stefano Sternberg hängt bei Reuters im Büro rum)

"I almost got thrown off my island in the first week because one of my visitors dared to go and look at one of the other renter’s builds. These are people who, by and large, reject the notion that Second Life is an art space to be explored. Their intent is purely to replicate what they believe to be a rich person’s living experience. It’s a little like watching the MTV show “Cribs.” Endless views of interchangeable beige mansions near some beach. Supernaturally tidy, ordered interiors, usually featuring a vast flatscreen TV.

The truth, of course, is that the houses on “Cribs” are barely lived in. And people in TV have alleged to me that many of the houses on that show are rented by the supposed owners for the express purpose of display on the show. They’re just as virtual as the bland Second Life coastal homes where people watch avatars of themselves pretend to sit down and enjoy the digital sunset."

From that column by Warren Ellis at Reuters Second Life