I like Second Life. Once I finally got used to the interface, it was easy to go from location to location, where I could earn Linden Dollars, and spend them just as fast. What kept me there was being able to exchange the L$ for US$. The notecards, pop-up messages, maps, and heads up devices are a nice reminder of what will eventually happen in the default world when augmented reality finally becomes mainstream. As long as Google keeps working on a head mounted display, it will happen. And everyone will jump on that bandwagon. But I've been aware of the constant draw to return to live in-world recently.
Transhumanism is a large and broadly defined way of life. There is no one way to achieve Transhumanism. But the closest single thing to it in my opinion has been Second Life. That system has it's own global structure, politics, law enforcement, economy, and lifestyle. If physical reality didn't rear it's ugly head and make you eat and go to the bathroom, the average SL citizen could get lost in their computers for weeks at a time, if not months or years
I wouldn't mind living in Second Life. There are TONS of opportunities in-world that I can take advantage of. But I'm quite comfortable with my default world existence. Outside of exchanging L$ for US$, there is really no way for me to personally interact with SL/default on the fly. I need to set time aside to focus on SL and it's lifestyle. Then I need to detach and refocus on physical reality.. I'm finding it to be disconcerting, because both require focus and attention to detail.
For the summer, I'm going to cut back my SL involvement. And that probably includes third party websites and contacts. I'm going to refocus on virtual worlds that let me slip in and out unobtrusively. Work with stuff that doesn't make me feel like a Transhumanist. Because I'm not a Transhumanist. I'm still Human 1.0.
