Second Life's 2D and X3D possibilities

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel on Second Life out in Silicon Valley, at Intel HQ. It was fun to discuss virtual worlds and some of the challenges facing users and companies in Second Life. I wrote up some of the issues that were brought up at the panel, and expanded my own ideas, over on my Computerworld blog. Check out the post to read my takes on 2D views into 3D worlds, and the ongoing fragmentation of virtual communities. Also look at the comments -- Tony Parisi and a few others left some interesting tidbits to mull over, especially regarding the future role of standards like X3D and the H-Anim specification.