[modfilms-general] SANCTUARY NEWSLETTER > JANUARY 25 > 2006

[Alex Zinzi]

SOCIAL NETWORKING - THE NEXT GEN
Find all those Social Network Sites like MySpace,Tribe and Friendster a
little limiting in terms of interactivity? Well here's a couple of slightly
more progressive sites based on the idea of fusing The Sims with Social
Networking to create a full-scale virtual world for you to inhabit and play
around in, rather than just jumping from one Profile Page to another ad
nauseum.

Wootanga: All registered Wootangian citizens are invited to explore a
web-based world which merges advanced social networking with the immersion
of a complete alien society. You will be rewarded with Participation Points
and items for your personal usage by interacting with others. By becoming a
full Wootangian citizen you'll also be able to engage in a player-driven
storyline and change the outcome of the world by taking part in epic
community-wide quests. http://www.wootanga.com

Second Life: (not to be confused with 'Half-Life') is a 3-D virtual world
entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in
2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by nearly 100,000
people from around the globe. 'The Marketplace' currently supports millions
of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the
in-world currency, the Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars
at several thriving online currency exchanges. http://secondlife.com


DRAGON SLAYERS OR TAX EVADERS?
It had to happen... Now that virtual economies are big business in the real
world, the question arises - will you be taxed on your online possessions?
Under US law it seems that the answer is yes. That treasure horde in WoW may
be less valuable that you think, and an admin nightmare.
http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/January-February-2006/feature_dibbell_janfeb06.msp


iPODS READY AND LOADED
USA Today is reporting on a trend of selling iPods on eBay which are
preloaded with music and movies. This raises interesting questions about the
legality of the files, including those that offer seemingly legitimate
services of transcoding DVDs for the iPod video (while selling you the DVD
disc as well).
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2006-01-23-ebay-ipods_x.htm


TEEN CONTENT CREATORS
According to a report by the American Life Project, 57% of online teens in
the US are content creators.
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/166/report_display.asp



JOBS' NEW JOB AT DISNEY
Pixar Studios is reportedly in discussions with Disney for a possible
merger/buy out. Disney would own Pixar in exchange for $6.7 billion worth of
stock in the Walt Disney Corp. Speculation has also arisen that such a deal
may lead to Steve Jobs earning a position on Disney's board of directors. He
would likely become Disney's largest individual share holder.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1150674,00.html


HIGH & MIGHTY TECH INNOVATOR QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them
quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations." - Steve Jobs
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