IT firms build vast empty campuses on Second Life

IN MY CONTINUING peregrinations around Second Life, I have discovered virtual IT palaces in the sky, occupied by practically none of the three million folk said to occupy Wackyworld, presumably because they are all busy in Pr0nVille with furries or something.

My editor said have a gander and see which IT firms are up there, so naturally I started with Intel and Microsoft. Intel has a presence, but I'm not sure it's Intel that's running the show. So if there is a district court in Bukkakeville, its lawyers might want to establish intellectual property rights, sharpish.

And so to Microsoft which took me to a tiny tent where you can borrow a motorcycle. Useful idea, but is the thing Vista compatible? We wonder if this little tent next to a Super Casino is really a Microsoft refuge?

By now I was beginning to think the Ed had set me on a wild goose chase so I felt very relieved when I discovered a vast complex, not only supported by AMD/ATI, but staffed by four or five people who were anxious that I explore the place. You press a button and the guys from Team ATI tip up, and are extraordinarily polite, given the fact they've just met some bloke wearing INQUIRER pants.

Then to IBM and Dell, and both obviously have great hopes for Second Life yet their spaces are as underpopulated as the Reuters edifice.

The same story at Sun and Cisco's vast online campuses. The lights are on, but nobody is there, although a search reveals there's dozens of Cisco employees, including the CEO, who are in WackyVille from time to time.

My mentor Charlie D reckoned I should populate these empty IT places with pseudo-penises, but I dunno about that - I reckon Dell and IBM would get the hump.

Sony offers you another vast world on Second Life with promises of Justin Timberlake and the like, but its vast island is empty too. Couldn't find an Nvidian Island. Three cheers for Jen Hsen and his team. µ

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