Among the "quite serious" uses of Second Life, according to this week's Economist: (1) Peter Yellowlees, a psychiatry professor at UC Davis, immersing his students into how how a schizophrenic experiences the world and (2) a certain former Governor's recent entree into the virtual space. The Economist considers Second Life's economy -- broadly speaking -- as a self-sustaining system and on its implications for the offline world. Great piece and a bit difficult to summarize.

(An article like this is a reminder of how refreshing it is to find something well-researched and well-written in the popular media. To read something timely and actually learn from it, glorious! The Economist has no bylines; their motto is "what is written is more important than who writes it." From an old interview with editor Bill Emmott:

We're no different from other journalists: we don't lose that urge for a byline just because we join The Economist. We give bylines on our supplements, and we encourage our journalists to write outside the magazine to give them a chance to develop their own names. But if a journalist is really turned on by international affairs, then The Economist is a unique place to work where they will gain a lot of access to companies and governments and experts. They gain a lot for what they give up.

Maybe when your ego's no longer in the picture, you sit down and write hard for the thrill and pleasure of the craft. [Though, I admit -- if I wrote for them, I'd probably hate it. But then again I've got a pretty healthy sense of self and I like the way my name looks.])