1. CNN Money – IBM, Forterra Using Unified Communications in Virtual Worlds to Solve “Tower of Babel” for Intelligence Agencies. “IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Forterra Systems are working to solve an age-old problem that challenges U.S. security and costs taxpayers millions. Forterra plans to develop a futuristic unified communications solution code-named “Babel Bridge” that could allow U.S. intelligence agencies to use a common graphical collaboration system to instantly communicate within a virtual world.”

2. CNET – Sports fans: Belly up to the virtual bar. “Numedeon, the 9-year-old company behind kids’ virtual world Whyville.net, is taking a leap into producing simulated environments for adults, starting with a sports theme. Called SportsBlox, the site launched in beta this week as part of March Madness.”

3. The Guardian – Sims 3 – do fictional virtual worlds still have a role? “EA has revealed the first details of Sims 3, the next generation of its multi-million selling life simulation. Due sometime next year, the game will feature a totally new engine, as well as a host of intriguing features. Paramount, perhaps, is the new open neighbourhood system, which gives players seamless access to the outiside world, rather than the rather limited ‘community lots’ system from Sims Unleashed, Sims 2, etc. You’ll be able to head out, shop, meet virtual pals, spy on neighbours, etc.”

4. Mashable – Myrl is a SocNet for your Virtual World Avatars. “Myrl is an upcoming social network for virtual world addicts, created in an effort to poke holes in the walled-garden approach still plagued by virtual worlds today. The name Myrl stands for My Real Life/My Role Life, and is aptly fitted with social networking tools hoping to bridge the gaps between virtual worlds out there.”

5. Processor.com – Online Communities Go Corporate – What Can Virtual Worlds Do For Your SME? “When most people think of virtual worlds, they usually think of caffeine-fueled Internet addicts spending countless hours in front of their computer monitors, interacting with other equally sleep-deprived online friends. Witness the rising popularity of massive online multiplayer games and environments, such as EverQuest, Second Life, World of Warcraft, and others. But, virtual worlds are going corporate as many enterprises realize they can leverage them to take their businesses in new directions.”

6. Mashable – When an Ad Network Launches a Virtual World… “What happens when an advertising network decides to create a virtual world? You get riplounge. Stable Media, LLC has teamed up with Wyndstorm to create the upcoming virtual world for social networking, called riplounge. The beta version launches today. Now, we’ve seen a great deal of virtual worlds that have launched in the past couple of years, some of the more recent have had the blatant approach to self-promotion.”

7. The Economist – Break down these walls. ” “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Apply Winston Churchill’s aphorism to the internet, and about the farthest back you can look is 1994, when the previously obscure computer network first became known to a wider public. Many people first ventured onto the internet from AOL, CompuServe and Prodigy, which were subscription-based online services that offered e-mail, chatrooms, discussion boards and so on. Having provided their users with access to the internet, however, these venerable digital communities were undermined by it.”

8. The Earth Times –
New Virtual Village Explores Global Drinking Water Crisis. “You may not be able to travel to a developing country and see the global water crisis first hand, but now you can visit WaterPartners Village — a virtual exploration of the water crisis — launching across social networking sites, like Second Life, on World Water Day, March 22.”

9. Fox News – Virtual Sex Toy Thefts Result In Real-Life Court Settlement. “A federal judge accepted the settlement Thursday of a lawsuit filed last year against a Texas man accused of stealing sex toys developed for the online world, “Second Life.” According to the settlement, Robert Leatherwood agreed not to copy, display or distribute any items sold by Eros LLC, a Tampa Bay-area company that creates virtual sex scripts in the “Second Life” universe.”

10. Science Daily – Virtual-reality Video Game To Help Burn Patients Play Their Way To Pain Relief. “To a patient recovering from severe burns, no place would be more soothing than a polar landscape of gently falling snowflakes, snowmen, penguins, igloos and icy rivers. That’s the thinking behind SnowWorld, an interactive, virtual-reality video game being used at Loyola University Hospital in Maywood, Ill., to manage pain felt by burn patients during wound care and physical therapy. Loyola is the first hospital in Illinois and only one of a handful across the nation that is employing this 21st century technology to help burn patients recover from their injuries.”