Discovering Second Life

Skippy Loudwater

I had no idea the virtual world Second Life existed until recently. It amazed me on the extensive detail that went it each and every aspect of the fantasy land. It took a few runs at to get the hang of it and then I ventured out to see what types of "real life" businesses are out there. I visited two in particuar. The first was the Amazon Mall. The business operated much like the real world version with the exception of it being a structural building. From what I gathered in talking to shoppers is that the Amazon Mall acted as a consumer-to-consumer market. Individuals can create items to place in the mall with the hopes of shoppers purchasing them. I saw things for the house like TV's, furniture, fine art, a few clothes or costumes, and posters (pictured below). It was really quite interesting.

The second place I visited was Nike. There you were able to browse the newest and latest lines of shoes and apparel. The option was there to treat yourself to some new kicks or a new workout woredrobe. This is a great and unique way for Nike to gauge consumer response on various products.

The virtual life experience was surprisingly fun. I was skeptical at first but once I learned how to navigate through the lanscape, I realized that the possibilities are endless. You never know where the adventures of Skippy Loudwater will go next...but there's always time for putt-putt!

Edison Would be Proud

Ever wonder exactly where your electricity goes and which appliances make up the bulk of that ever expanding electric bill? There is new technology on the horizon that can tell consumers and power providers just that. It is call Smart Grid. The vision is being pushed forward by power providers in association with companies like IBM and GE. Homes will be converted into “smart homes’ by installing a computer in the home’s power box which sends information to network routers located on the power grid. The routers then relay information to the power supplier for monitoring.

Smart Grid will allow consumers to monitor their electronic devices via the internet. The application gives them the breakdown of the power supply to each device in their home and the ability to turn it off and on remotely. This feature is very innovative and will enable a potential substantial cost savings for the customer. We can already set our DVR’s from class, why can’t we turn off the coffee pot if it was left on.

The technology is also beneficial to the power companies as they are able to accurately monitor power usage in a given area. The monitoring allows them to better predict power surges and respond quickly of there is an outage in the grid. It will also provide accurate climate information so the power that is being supplied can be adjusted.

While widespread use and implementation of this technology is five to ten years down the road, it is easy to see the enormous benefits it will provide the consumers, power providers, and the general environment.

Check out testing ground: Smart Grid City in Boulder, Co.