Someone just posted to YouTube this debate about Second Life

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, and while I can't watch it beyond a few seconds without wincing, I'm putting it here for posterity's sake. Variations of the same arguments we made back then are now being made about VR and VR-oriented virtual worlds, so it's a good compare-and-contrast reference point. Also, if you're a relatively new New World Notes reader and you're wondering, "Why is this guy writing about VR when he sounds so skeptical about it so often?", the video might give you a clue:

Much of what I predicted in 2007 did not come to pass, so I'm curious to know if this time around, they will. More key, enough of what I said back then -- namely, about the power of user-generated content and online communities -- still remains true.

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