If you’ve read an earlier post of mine, you already know I think SecondLife (SL) is, for most purposes, a huge waste of time and money. Blogger Randolph Harrison has written several negative articles regarding the financial and economic troubles inherent in the business model of SL. I could not say it any better than he has, so go ahead and read his comments on why he believes Linden Labs will probably end up offering SL for sale (then be bought for far more money than it’s worth by Fox, and then get transformed into something completely different).

Why do I dislike SecondLife?

For the participant, I believe it is a waste of time to establish a virtual life unless there is some valuable takeaway. People may become very much attached to their virtual persona and I simply don’t believe that’s a healthy dependency. First and foremost because I believe there are better ways to have a good time, and secondly because Linden Labs is effectively a God of their virtual universe and can do whatever they please with your virtual life. This wouldn’t be an issue if I didn’t honestly believe they were going to sell out in the next few years. If you want to have a good time, play a video game, read a book, see a movie, chill with friends, etc.

For the investor, I think it’s a waste of money and time to expect any benefits (either in terms of money or reputation) from your dealings in SL. Like Randolph said, the easy money has already been had. You’re too late to make it big. On the other hand, if you are looking to extend your brand into the virtual world, you’re too early (i.e. it’s too risky for big-name brands). It’s natural psychology to associate things which appear together, and you might have some very unwelcome visitors at your virtual store. Would you like to make the decision of whether to hire people to actively supervise your store and ban the people you don’t want (risking backlash from those you banned)… or to allow everyone inside and risk the possibility of naked furries having sex in your unsupervised virtual store and then having an article about it sent all over the Internet? Currently SL is mostly populated by people who would rather create their own merchandise than buy yours and my sense is that they passionately hate marketers and salespeople anyhow.

When I posted a YouTube deathwatch I was absolutely dead wrong… they got bought for a ton of money and are stronger than ever. I never said I disliked YouTube, I only said it couldn’t exist without breaking the law and that it can’t make money. I still can’t believe Google will ever profit off of YouTube until bandwidth costs plummet. I am going to agree with Randolph on this one and predict that SL gets bought by a major media company. I doubt SL can remain in a “pure” form and sustain its costs of operation. It will have to sell out eventually (unless it gets bought by Google )

I feel like I should make a note of it on the blog… I just got back from an awesome ten-day trip to the Netherlands (including one day in Brussels). E-mail me if you’d like to see photos from my trip!

An excellent book about how to build long-term trust-based relationships with clients. Although the book is meant mainly for consultants, it is applicable to just about any situation in which people come to you for advice. Very well-structured and solid advice.

On July 3rd I went to Six Flags Great Adventure and had one of the most fun days of my life.

I had already been on every major coaster at the park except for Kingda Ka. Allow me to explain Kingda Ka: you are launched (via a slingshot) straight ahead at close to 130 miles per hour (the fastest in the world), after which you head straight up to the top of 420 foot high tower. By straight up I mean vertical… the track curves and takes you straight down a 418 foot drop (the largest in the world). Here is a video.

Because the conditions are variable (weight, friction, temperature, wind), the train is weighed before launch and the force provided is measured to be just enough to send the train over the top of the tower. However, on occasion, the train does not make it over the top. This is what happened to me!!! At the top of the tower, we slowed down to a complete stop, and then started to roll backwards. At that moment, I felt like I had won the lottery! Coaster enthusiasts probably dream about being on a “rollback” and it happened to me my first time on the ride!

Check out a video of what it looks like when this happens. When the train comes backwards, they employ an emergency brake to stop it before it hits the train which is “on deck” for the next launch. Once we were stopped, they moved us back into the station where we were greeted with thunderous applause from the people waiting in line! One woman got off the ride… I assume she was not prepared for the possibility of a rollback and felt lucky to be alive. After she was replaced, we launched again and made it over the hill successfully. It was absolutely incredible.

Also incredible… that on July 3rd, there were hardly any lines for anything! We rode Kingda Ka once, El Toro twice, Medusa twice, Nitro four times, Rolling Thunder once, saw the tiger show, played around in the Bugs Bunny Fun Factory, and had time to spare.

This ranks up there with my experience three years ago!

If you’re curious about what would happen if the momentum was just enough to get the train stuck at the top… I don’t think it has ever happened on Kingda Ka, but it did happen at a similar ride in Cedar Point. Watch this video.