Yep, Second Life’s version of Amsterdam has been sold for $50,000 on eBay. There are a lot of people surprised by this. Conventional wisdom begs the question, “Why would someone spend real money for an abstraction?” I answer the question with “Why not?” What is real money? Is it tangible? Sure, you can hold a dollar bill, but isn’t paper money just a symbol of gold used in the not too distant past (relatively speaking)? Actually, I can’t remember the last time I used paper money. I now shop almost exclusively with a credit/check card (which represents a check, which represents paper money, which represents gold …uh, I’m dizzy.
The concept of a dollar bill is based on the promise that the value printed on a piece of paper is worth what it says it is. In Second Life’s version of Amsterdam you can interact with people, and experience someone’s artistic creation. Which concept is more abstract?
Darren is a sarcastic, odd, bald man with a very dry sense of humor. He originally hails from Albany, N.Y., but claims Charleston, S.C. as his hometown.He joined the Air Force soon after graduating high school. This decision was made because a) working as a busboy wasn’t quite cutting it, and b) he had zero desire to ever attend college. While in the Air Force, he traveled the world as a Combat Cameraman, documenting both natural and man made disasters in places such as Thailand, Namibia, Armenia, Germany, Panama, Italy, Croatia, Japan, Singapore, and probably more than a few places that have changed names since you began reading this bio. There are many stories about his travels locked away in a vault somewhere and it is said that Samuel Adams holds the key.
While in the Air Force, he was given the opportunity to attend a year-long Video Journalism program at Syracuse University. Much to his amazement, he found that higher education didn’t suck at all. Having been bitten by the education bug, he completed his BS and MA in education and training from Southern Illinois University and Webster University respectively. He then completed his doctorate in instructional technology and distance education form Nova Southeastern University.
Darren currently works as an Instructional Designer at The University of Texas at Dallas and enjoys spending time with his wife, children, dogs and fish. His hobbies include weight training, watching the Texas Rangers (yes, really), and trying to appear smarter than he really is.