Tag Archives: virtual worlds

Taxing the Net

Posted on November 5, 2008 by Simeon Simeonov

In the latest in a series of moves to figure out how to make money off of Net commerce, China levies a 20% tax on virtual goods. Governments, even if they are racking up huge reserves as China is, but … Continue reading →

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The Law of Social Networks and Virtual Worlds

Posted on July 14, 2007 by Simeon Simeonov

I am very interested in the emerging social infrastructure (Facebook, Ning, …) and virtual world (Second Life, …) platforms because I expect to see more and more startups leveraging these not just for viral distribution but at the core of their businesses. … Continue reading →

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Emerging Ecosystems & Platforms

Posted on July 12, 2007 by Simeon Simeonov

I’m at David Kirkpatrick’s iMeme conference in SF. It’s likely going to be a treat. The speakers and the attendees are of great caliber. As an ex-platform guy who’s recently spent a lot of time thinking about social infrastructure, I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Media, Google, Microsoft, SaaS, startups, virtual worlds, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

3D Design For Virtual Worlds

Posted on May 17, 2007 by Simeon Simeonov

A friend of mine pointed me to this video of a designer creating an anime character in Maya. Time is speeded up so that the whole process takes 4mins. The soundtrack (Japanese techno?) adds to the sense of speed. I know … Continue reading →

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Second Life Numbers: Mystery Revealed

Posted on January 8, 2007 by Simeon Simeonov

Some of you have probably followed the debate in the blogosphere about virtual community usage and growth. Very recently, Clay Shirky and David Kirkpatrick had a somewhat tense exchange over the credibility of some Second Life numbers. David talked to CEO Philip Rosedale and … Continue reading →

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The Attention Battle

Posted on January 3, 2007 by Simeon Simeonov

Many virtual worlds, from Club Penguin to Second Life, combine the best of social networking and immersive gaming to create a great user experience. One of the most interesting aspects of the result is that it requires focus (a fact, … Continue reading →

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SnowWorld: VR Against Pain

Posted on January 3, 2007 by Simeon Simeonov

My wife sent me a cool link yesterday to a VR pain control project at the Human Interface Technology Lab at Washington University. HIT is testing SnowWorld at the Harborview Burn Center as a way to manage pain during some tough … Continue reading →

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The Third Place

Posted on September 25, 2006 by Simeon Simeonov

Jason Fry has an insightful post on the role MMOGs and online communities can play in our lives. Your first place is your home. Your second place is your work. Then there’s the more-elusive third place — somewhere you feel … Continue reading →

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Cyworld vs. MySpace?

Posted on July 28, 2006 by Simeon Simeonov

Good piece in Business 2.0 on Cyworld’s entry into the US market. It’ll be interesting to see how much the user experience and business model have to be adjusted for US tastes. When will buying virtual currency become cool? The … Continue reading →

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