Tuesday, July 3rd

I looked through a few of the technology-oriented sites for assignment #6 and they've only confirmed that 1) I really need an iphone (and I just saw in the news yesterday that AT&T is buying Cellular One which will open up Alaska to iphone connectivity!!) and 2) I'm intrigued by Second Life, the virtual world where you can create your own identity and, well, a second life. I haven't actually registered and entered the world but just reading about the ramifications Second Life is having on Real Life has been fascinating. I've heard about being able to buy SL currency with real US dollars in order to purchase virtual real estate, clothing, and food; real life businesses are marketing their wares on SL; libraries are constructing their virtual counterparts in SL; Reuters has a Second Life correspondent. Musicians, artists, and authors can give concerts, exhibits, and readings. And just the other day I was listening to a report on the darker side of SL: crime. Apparently, mafias and gangs exist in SL. And the Real life Brussels police had started an investigation on a rape which happened in SL, an investigation on the real life person behind the avatar. Starting a whole other life doesn't really appeal to me since, frankly, it just seems like a lot of work....but I'm interested in reading about it.

And, speaking of technology, I learned something this morning which, unlike many of my other little knowledge tidbits about caribou antlers and earthworms, had immediate application to my life. I woke up this morning and had no water and our well pump wasn't working which was especially bad timing since my husband left last night for an extended deployment. To make a lengthy story short, I learned how to manually restart our pump! It's all good now. :)