Second Life has been around for a while.  Waaaay back when it was still quite new, I gave it a try, setup an account and built a character.  I lasted about 10 minutes in the Second Life world until I was bored to tears, and logged off.  I didn't go back.  I simply didn't see the point or the appeal to this Second Life thing.  It seemed to have no purpose.  You logged in, and then there was no goal, no plan.. just you... standing there... you could walk around and interact with things and talk to people but... I can do that in real life, and real life was marginally more rewarding with its tactile feedback... so real life won out for me.

Sun has been doing a lot inside the Second Life world, and I have followed with some interest... mostly curiosity.. because I still didn't see the point to the whole thing.   I was wondering... why would Sun go and invest all this time and money into this Second Life thing?  What would be the gain?  What could they even do in there that would be of any interest or any value at all to anyone.. Sun employee or otherwise?

Sun announced that they were holding a big Sun event in Second Life on 29 April, and we were all invited to attend.  I resurrected my original avatar, dusted him off, made sure he was presentable, and registered him with Sun so that I would be identified as a Sun Employee in Second Life.  OK, that done, I had a few days to try and remember how things were done in Second Life... not too hard, but the Second Life developers could really take a lesson from Blizzard for in-world navigation (it's easier and more intuitive to control your avatar in World of Warcraft than it is in Second Life).

Anyway, 29 April rolls around and I log in.  I'm greeted by someone and given a teleport button.. click and I am whisked away to the Sun auditorium.  Interesting.  There are a lot of people around... all Sun employees.  A lot of the people are lost... not really in control of their characters... all doing the usual things we all do until we get used to the controls.. you know, arms flailing about in random directions, walking off cliffs, walking into walls, spinning in circles.  I make my way up the ramp to the auditorium seating area and find a free seat.  Hmmm cannot hear anything... oh wait, click the audio button and now I hear things... I can hear Rich Green talking... cool..

It quickly became clear to me that there actually may be some value to this Second Life thing, if only to be used to host virtual conferences.  Listening to the conference in Second Life was actually more attention grabbing than a simple conference call.  In Second Life you have something to focus on, a virtual person who, in this case looked remarkably like the real life person.  The audio was clearer and easier to pay attention to than on a conference call.  With conference calls I find my attention wandering as the voices drone on in my ear... but in SecondLife... I'm not sure why, but it was easier to follow, easier to hear, and my attention didn't fade out.  maybe it was the novelty, but... I have to admit, if Sun hosts any more info sessions in Second Life, I'll definitely attend.  Maybe there is something to Sun playing in this virtual world thing