If you spend most of your time in a alternative world, you might as well start integrating your real life right into it. Online virtual world Second Life is looking to roll-out a system that would allow you to receive real life phone calls in the Second Life game.

Second Life developer Linden Lab has created a way for online avatars to recieve real life phone calls, which will be integrated into game play at some point in early 2008. Second Life users will have their real life phone numbers associated with their avatars, relying on the voice technology already used in-game. — Andrew Dobrow

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What a wonder it would be to be able to have a social networking platform such as Second Life, mixed with the sketchings and locations of Google Earth. That’s exactly what is traveling through the rumor grapevine right now. A Googleized version of Second Life.

The satellite imaging technology of Google Earth is rumored to be in development as a foundation for a new social chatting world, much like Second Life. 3D sketching program SketchUp, bought by Google last year, would also have a huge roll to play in the sketching of a 3D world.

As TechCrunch points out, the only pieces missing from the conversion are avatars and a working economy. Yet with the new eyeing of several advertising platforms, Google is on the right track to create its own Universe.

Though, for now it seems that their are so many missing chunks from the big picture. The sketch mapping of Google Earth is not nearly as graphically sophisticated as would be needed for a avatar based social world.

There’s no doubt about it. Google has thrust itself into every competing faction that has unveiled its self within the last few years. Many of Google’s applications are now looked at as top of the line for usability. Is avatar networking the next hill to conquer for the big G? — Andrew Dobrow

Google’s Metaverse [TechCrunch, via New Scientist]