Sunverse.net

JTB to Open Japan Travel Guide on Second Life

Tokyo, Oct 9, 2007 (Jiji Press) - JTB Corp. said Tuesday it will launch an online travel guide in Second Life, a Web-based three-dimensional virtual world, on Monday for foreign tourists to Japan.

The leading Japanese travel agency will provide information in such places as Japanese-style hotels and gardens on the English version of Second Life run by Linden Lab of the United States.

The Japan Travelguide JTB will also sell areas that will allow municipal governments to promote their sightseeing sites.

JTB aims to attract 50,000 visitors over the two years ending in March 2009.

Via : http://www.japancorp.net/Article.Asp?Art_ID=15701

On Money

this excellent story from the Ludwig von Mises Institute:

Second Life’s economy could reasonably be compared to that of a small foreign country dependent on tourism. Consumers are inhabitants of the real world who take what are essentially pleasure trips to Second Life, perhaps to meet new people at a dance club, shop for virtual clothing, attend a conference, or gamble at a casino. Like real tourists, consumers exchange their real US dollars for Second Life’s currency, the Linden Dollar (L$), typically on a currency exchange run by Linden, called the LindeX. They then use their L$ to purchase goods and services created by other Second Life residents, and if they have extra L$ when they’re done, they can sell their L$ for US$ on the LindeX.

…Given the strong evidence that Linden has unnaturally inflated the L$ supply, Austrian economics tells us that there are a couple of potential outcomes that are likely to occur. In the first, Linden will stop running significant deficits at some point. With less L$ available to spend, residents will demand fewer goods and services, leading to lower prices and reduced profits. Previously profitable enterprises will go out of business and the wealth of many residents will decrease, slowing overall economic activity.

The other possibility is that Linden will continue running deficits to the point that a sufficient number of residents and speculators will recognize the L$’s frailty. In what Ludwig von Mises referred to as a “crack-up boom,” everyone will scramble to redeem his L$ for “real goods,” which, in the case of Second Life, is probably the US$.

Real-time aviation data shown in virtual world Second Life

By Barbara Cockburn http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/09/26/217140/video-real-time-aviation-data-shown-in-virtual-world-second-life.html

Virtual worlds agency Daden Ltd and aircraft tracking specialists fboweb.com have devised an innovative visualisation technology that allows you to walk around airspace and touch aircraft to display real-time aviation data.

This video demonstrates that you can see aircraft as small models in virtual world Second Life technology, flying around Los Angeles airspace.

Each aircraft shows its flight number, location and altitude in real-time as it mirrors the actual aircraft. However, the data is subjected to a five minute time delay for FAA security purposes.

David Burden, managing director of Daden Ltd, said: “This is an example of the power of Second Life, and virtual worlds in general, in providing a shared visualisation system....offering possibilities for both the consumer and for business operations and scientific research. Being able to walk around data, and view it with others, can bring out insight and analysis that would be impossible in 2D systems, or PC-based 3D systems."