Those are the terms I used for a recent Google search. And what do you think was near the top of the list on the results of this search?
The listing of Ohio University – their presence in SL was my first look at an in-world university when I was wandering aimlessly around some time ago. The Ohio University Island is a replica of the real life campus in pathways, buildings and layout.
Their presence along with a top 5 Google search billing makes for a formidable competitor to the Australian pathfinders currently under construction and development.
What makes this the more pertinent is the recent article “PM, analyse this: IT is going down the gurgler” by Grahame Philipson, which lays out some fairly startling facts and issues about Australia slipping down the IT rankings in a global market.
With the rapidity of technological change, the emerging powerhouse of India and almost weekly prognostations from political leaders that Australia is in some sort of parlous state education-wise, perhaps, the question that needs to be asked is can any amount of cash injection for broadband access from the Future Fund come close to reversing the kind of decline that Grahame Philipson has indicated.
SL has been around for a few years now. Ohio University has top billing on Google. India is currently dominating in many circles of technology R&D and commercial enterprise (remember where Hotmail started?).
Perhaps an articulated IT policy that goes beyond rhetoric and supports the future of an Australian based knowledge industry is in order?
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