Hey, remember how Second Life was going to create a revolution in the political and financial world and create a whole virtual economy that was somehow tied in to real money and would make people rich? Well, it turns out maybe not. Second Life has many of the financial trappings of the real world (no, we are not going to be referring to it as “first life”), such as banks and ATMs and stock exchanges, but none of the regulatory apparatus that makes sure that, say, your bank actually can give you your money back when you request it, or that somebody doesn’t just walk off with $12,000 from the stock exchange. It’s like Somalia, but with less small-arms fire and clan feuds and more big-breasted furries and forty-foot-long penises! MORE »