LIFE!

Time to get a life! People can take on a different persona wherever they are... such as on a phone hot-line, on the internet, in person, etc. I remember back in my childhood (well even now do to a computer game version) I used to play the board game LIFE! Every time we got married, had children, etc we would have to give names to everyone. It was just a part of the game we integrated. Playing that game gave us hopes and ambitions and felt more than just any old board game. The same goes for technology... Some people feel more comfortable behind a screen or a telephone, rather than face to face confrontations, while others like human contact. Through my experiences, I have had my share of being different personas to seek out information on MSN or a chat room and it is amazing to see how people can be fooled very easily. You can never be so sure who you are talking to (ie bringing back the ideals of chat rooms and pedophiles).
On the internet there is a rather new interactive website called Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com) where people create an image of themselves to be portrayed on fantasy lands with fantasy luxuries, but not at fantasy prices. People will spend their actual hard-eared money on such luxuries as clothing, houses, islands, and even dance moves! Its insane! Sure it is all fun and games, until someone loses their actual life do to spending their money foolishly.
Alec showed us a video today on a person with cerebral palsy who uses Second Life as an escape from his actual life. He quoted: "In 'This' world I can be more myself than in real life". In the aspect of this situation, this may be a gateway to meeting people because of a lot of judgment individuals have in the world. If they met him in real life they probably would never give him the time of day, but online he is able to express himself and show his inner beauty. That is one good aspect to the internet. If you are a truthful person you are able to show your inner beauty and a side of you that others may not see if they met you face to face. For example, this may be somewhat extreme but if you saw a person with leprosy would you have a chat with them, or just wave them off and be on your merry way? So, kudos goes out to that individual who created Wheelies in his Second Life.
Alec also showed us a parody called First Life (http://www.getafirstlife.com) which makes fun of the Second Life site. Check it out if you wish...