By way of the Torley pipeline, here’s yet another article on virtual property: “Virtual Trump: Making money off imaginary land holdings“. It’s a nice article although the headline (especially the loaded word “imaginary”) makes me wonder what headlines looked like back when actors like Chaplin were raking in the dough. Maybe something like “Pretend Mogul: Making money off of imaginary people“. Or athletes; “Playtime Rockefeller: Making money hitting a ball with a stick“.

One good thing about blogging: For those that can’t get past the headline, I can just point to earlier posts like this one. Easier that way. But for those able to see how this activity isn’t so different from many of the activities we now accept without thought, this bit from the article is pretty good:

Their Second Life income also supports a little boy in the Philippines through a sponsorship program.

“When coming to Second Life I wanted to explore how real this virtual reality actually is. Real in terms of real effects on real people,� she says. So the little boy, whose name is Geo, has become one of the first people who’s supported by a virtual real-estate business.

Doesn’t sound so imaginary anymore. I wonder how many athletes, actors, and even investors (isn’t investing in futures a virtual activity?) are supporting kids in third world countries.