Please, get a (second) life!

Disclaimer: if you're reading this post with any expectation of technological insight, or any intellect whatsoever, please go elsewhere because you're in the wrong place.

Second Life. Even if you're as clueless as me, I'm sure you've at least heard it mentioned before. If you haven't, suffice it to say its an online social networking community on steroids. Basically, anyone who is dissatisfied with their life (read: 99.9% of the population) can create an alter-ego in this online 3-D virtual world and become just about anybody or anything they want.

Stuck at a desk in "Storage-B" at work? . . . . Second Life!

Got shot down by the cool guy or the hot chick in high school? . . . . Second Life!

Still living down the time you struck out in little league, or dropped that pass, and lost the big game for your team? . . . . Second Life!

Now, despite what you may think, I'm not here to bag on people who try to play out their fantasies. Hey, I had plenty of imaginary friends when I was a kid, and there's still that Elizabeth Hurley thing I'm sure will happen any moment now. But when I saw this story below, I knew I had to take to the blogosphere where tens of people would (be forced to for class credit) read my words.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/11/14/second.life.divorce/index.html

Basically, this story on the main page of CNN.COM is about two folks in London who met online in a chat room, dated and fell in love in Second Life, and were married in a lavish ceremony with hundreds of avitars watching enviously from their mom's basements. It was the perfect faux life, so how did this whirlwind romance end in divorce? Well, as it turns out the groom, 40 year-old David Taylor, couldn't stop hitting the "enter" key . . . . with another woman. Yes, you read that right . . . . his wife caught him having sex with a virtual prostitute.

"I went mad -- I was so hurt. I just couldn't believe what he'd done," (Bride Amy) Taylor told the Western Morning News. "It may have started online, but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much now it is over."

Now here's the part that almost made me do a spit-take on my computer screen: Amy and David Taylor were divorced in real life. I know, I know you have to follow me here . . . . they met in an online chat room, got married in real life and in Second Life, she got suspicious and hired a computer detective who caught him having online sex with a virtual prostitute.

I guess there are two things about this that are making my head hurt right now. First is the fact that we have people who have become this enmeshed with the virtual world. I mean, clearly these two had more issues than Super Mario bumping uglies with Lara Croft, but for crying out loud to stand in front of a judge and cite this as the reason for ending a marriage? We all need an escape from reality from time to time, but when I see stories like this I start to think this whole virtual thing is getting a bit out of hand. And, when I actually have to read 3 different accounts to distinguish what happened in real life and what happened online, I know things are out of hand! The second thing cramping my cranium is the fact that in the middle of a presidential election, an economic meltdown, etc CNN.COM actually put this on their main page. I could probably go on an on about how this is what results from a 24-7 continuous "news" cylce. But then again, this is the same organization who attempted to have a serious political debate show with a guy wearing a bowtie.

If any of you are wondering how Amy Taylor is faring these days, fret not. Since the divorce she's actually recovered quite well, and already met another love interest . . . . in World of Warcraft.