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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This is out of control. This widespread epidemic of large companies entering the virtual world of Second Life is just, simply, insane. How long can Second Life actually last? Playboy has announced their entry into the virtual world of Second Life. This announcement makes dirty perverts around the world, us included, very excited.

What happens in the Grotto, stays in the Grotto, which is how it should be. I don’t want anyone know about my excursions to the virtual Playboy mansion. — Andrew Dobrow

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Do you got game? Do you at least have Second Life? Great. Good news for you. The NBA has officially opened shop on the popular social virtual world.

The NBA launched its presence in the virtual world of Second Life this morning, following an in-world press conference yesterday that featured NBA commissioner David Stern making the announcement. Built out by the Electric Sheep Company (sponsors of this blog), the NBA region in SL features a basketball arena, streaming video of classic NBA games and more recent highlights, virtual NBA merchandise (natch), and four half-courts where fans can play HORSE or enter dunking contests.

Ya know? I never really got into Second Life, but I haven’t been on there in at least a year. It might be worth another try. Maybe buy my avatar some pimp jerseys. — Andrew Dobrow

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This whole Second Life phenomenon has just gotten completely out of hand. We have tried downloading Second Life multiple times, trying to fall in love with the software as much as the rest of the world seems to be doing. The reasoning behind this worldwide advertising deals and now international DIPLOMACY baffles our mind.

Sweden has announced its plan to launch a cyber Embassy on the Second Life landscape. Complete with diplomats and spokespeople. We thought it was some kind of not funny joke that someone was trying to pull. But nope. The world has gone nuts.

The appeal of Second Life seems disheartining because most know that the entire platform is basically built on the idea of both subliminal and in your face advertising. You know, those things we all complain about in our mail, TV, newspapers, and magazines. The whole thing seems very faddish and pyramid scheme-esque. Predictions anyone? I say Second Life’s decline starts by late summer 2007 and becoming obsolete by late 2008.

The world “embassy” seems a harsh one considering Sweden’s plan is to devise more of an information portal then a working government. Which in business terms, means they need your tourism dollars. We say, screw Sweden embassies. What we NEED is more graphically exact Swedish Second Life models. — Andrew Dobrow

Sweden to set up embassy in Second Life [Yahoo! News]

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]