Free your hands

Mitch Kapor and Philippe Bossut from Kapor Enterprises designed a interface prototype that makes it possible to operate Second Life with out a mouse or keyboard, and called it Hands Free 3D.
3 months ago they started to work on this idea, they modified the open source client to support a 3D camera as a input device. This following YouTube movie demonstrates the possibilities:

It is pretty good what they already got done, but one does wonder how comfortable it is to navigate this way, it might be fun for a presentation, but I'm skeptical if this really is a superior control system. Besides they don't show a example of building, which I'm more interested in. I can envision something where you pick up prims and mod them with your hands.

They mention that 3D cameras aren't available for the mainstream yet, but I would think a larger screen or a beamer would be needed to, to better see where you are.

It is a cool development, and it is only the first phase. Now we have to figure out how this could be best used.

Second Life on The Daily Show

The Daily Show has a short piece about the congress hearing on the Virtual Worlds. Of course all the old old old jokes about virtual worlds and the Second Life name come by.

Disappointingly they didn't actually used Second Life for the in world reporter bit.

CSI:NY in Second Life — Here Comes The Second Episode Featuring Second Life®

Take your seats, grab your popcorn, it's time to leave your computer logged out of Second Life® and watch the second episode featuring your favourite virtual world on tonight's show of CSI:NY at 10:00 EDT (if you're lucky to be in the US to watch it, of course — the rest of the world will have to wait).

Dubbed "DOA for a Day", it should not only end the small two-episode series about Second Life® in CSI:NY, but also be the farewell of the long months of the CSI:NY islands in SL. Some observant residents have noticed that the Electric Sheep Company has once again increased the number of Orientation Areas for CSI:NY.

Let's hope that the rolling upgrade to Havok™ 4 that is currently going on will help out the many new users to feel comfortable with a (hopefully) more stable and improved Second Life®.