One of the things that I love about the computer business is that often 
even the wildest predictions can seem mundane and old hat as soon as they are made. Consider, for instance, Ray Kurzweil's recent presentation to the SC06 SuperComputing Conference in which, among other things, he predicts that soon:
... we'll routinely be in virtual reality environments. Instead of making a cell call, we could "meet" someone in a virtual world and take a walk on a virtual beach and chat. Business meetings and conference calls will be held in calming or inspiring virtual locations
Well, for me and the hundreds of thousand of people who have frequented Second Life and similar virtual environments, the virtual walk on the beach is already commonplace. As far as business meetings go, folk like Jeff Barr at Amazon, IBM's CEO Samuel S. Palmisano, and others have already begun holding business meetings in Second Life. Additionally, it has been widely reported that quite a number of people make their livings, or contribute to their income, by running businesses within the synthetic Second Life economy.
We've still got some time to see if Kurzweil's other predictions will come true. However, there is no doubt that virtual worlds are already a reality and will only become more real in the future.
One
potential application of virtual worlds that I've been surprised not to see more of is providing alternative worlds to those who are physically handicapped to the point of being immobilized or otherwise bed-ridden. I imagine that for such people, something like "Second Life" would present the opportunity for a new, more satisfying life... As long as they maintain enough motor control to be able to operate a keyboard or other controls, the otherwise immobilized should be able to interact within Second Life on equal footing with those not similarily afflicted. So, I'd like to add to Kurzweil's predictions by suggesting that in the future, we'll find that those who are physically incapable of normal or satisfying participation in the "first life" will instead find in world's like Second Life an environment that allows them to reach their maximum potential. For some, Second Life will become their First Life...
bob wyman
There are a fair number of people in the wheelchair/bed bound group that participate in SecondLife (I'm basing this solely on the percentage of people I've met in-world).
An intersting note along these lines: John Hockenberry (Host of "The Infinite Mind" which did a broadcast in SL) opted for a jet powered hover chair for his SecondLife avatar in lieu of his real life wheelchair.
Posted by: Michael Buckbee | November 22, 2006 at 16:23