In the year 2059 world of J. D. Robb, author Nora Roberts' alter ego, there are such things as virtual travel where you can actually feel the wind in your face and the sand between your toes. NYC top cop Eve Dallas and her not quite respectable husband Roarke (one name only--that makes Eve Mrs. Roarke--but I digress) often take these virtual journeys for a little quick R&R after particularly busy days. The travel section of today's NY Times has a story by Mark Wallace that could be an extension of the Robb science fiction novels. Wallace reports "More than 10 million people around the world travel to such imaginary destinations regularly. They get there via software that lets them guide their onscreen representatives, known as "avatars," through places built entirely of pixels where they can interact with one another. Their destinations include virtual dance parties and nightclubs, auto races and yachting events, "Star Wars"-style cantinas, whimsical underwater jazz clubs and much more. In a world called Second Life, especially (where the virtual Hawaii described above can be found), so many people visit that profitable businesses have sprung up that earn their proprietors real money, not just virtual currency - in fact, a handful of people earn six-figure incomes there. There are discos, casinos and other sites that can be rented for private parties or even for the virtual weddings many people hold."
My goodness, is that wild or what?? It seems that one woman in South Dakota married a man she met on "Second Life". MMmmm, I wonder how the divorce rate is in that glorious virtual land? Although I am not a video game player I find that I am very curious about "Second Life" so I went to the site for information http://secondlife.com/whatis/. It is very odd and seems like a lot of hard work. Traveling with Eve Dallas and Rourke may be the best way to take a vacation from it all. Be sure to start with the first novel in the J.D. Robb "In Death" series Naked in Death, Amazon.com has it.
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