I predict that sites like Virtual Life are just one more step into the inevitable creation of a troglodyte-like race of humans who sit in baskets with their brains wired into a computer. You can be as beautiful and as fit as you want in fake reality.

Reuters is opening a news bureau in the simulation game Second Life this week, joining a race by corporate name brands to take part in the hottest virtual world on the Internet.

Starting on Wednesday, Reuters plans to begin publishing text, photo and video news from the outside world for Second Life members and news of Second Life for real world readers who visit a Reuters news site at: http://secondlife.reuters.com/

Created by Linden Lab in San Francisco, Second Life is the closest thing to a parallel universe existing on the Internet. Akin to the original city-building game SimCity, Second Life is a virtual, three-dimensional world where users create and dress up characters, buy property and interact with other players.

The fact that you can generate revenue from this is amazing, and the enabler for the transition to the troglodyte people. More and more people are generating their sole revenue from this, and combined with pizza delivery have no reason to leave their houses anymore.