4.8 million

Total registered residents

15,000-38,000

Number of residents on at any given time

$1.6 million

American dollars spent on average during a 24-hour time frame

$1

Currency exchange (roughly) = 269 Lindens

It's a small world after all. Especially if you are on Second Life. The virtual chat program boasts a global community with members logging in from all over. Europeans lead the pack with more than half of the game's 4 million-plus members. North Americans come in at a close second with about 31 percent.

Tony Uribe isn't the only musician using Second Life to promote his art. In August, folk rocker Suzanne Vega became the first major-label musician to perform in the game. Appearances by Ben Folds and Duran Duran followed. Other artists and labels, such as Chamillionaire's Universal Motown Records Group, have set up stations for Second Life users to hear new releases. Regina Spektor and Sire Records even created a lounge where you can plop down on a couch and hear tracks from Spektor's "Begin to Hope."

We all know about the soccer-mom vote. The youth vote. But what about the virtual vote? Presidential hopeful John Edwards became the first to swim those waters when supporters opened up a John Edwards Second Life campaign headquarters in the game.

Free "John Edwards '08" T-shirts and apparel for your character are available on site.

California congressman George Miller and former Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia have both given speeches on SL.

Reuters, the London-based news agency, opened up its first virtual bureau in the game in October. Adam Pasick, a London tech and media correspondent who goes by Adam Reuters in the game, covers money, sports, breaking news and just about anything else Second Life throws his way. Pasick's stories are posted at secondlife.reuters.com.

Toward the end of 2006, "The Infinite Mind," a public-radio program, aired a four-part series on Second Life in Second Life that included interviews with well-known graphic designer John Maeda and "Slaughterhouse-Five" novelist Kurt Vonnegut. The program was hosted by journalist and television personality John Hockenberry and streamed live throughout "The Infinite Mind's" virtual broadcasting facility.

Techies might also want to check out Wired magazine's offices while they are online. The magazine set up shop in the game in October.

The modern expressionist design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia probably looks majestic this time of year. Too bad it costs an arm, a leg and then another arm just to get there. Save some cash and check out Second Life's version of Sydney Harbor, complete with an inspirational view of the Opera House from atop the famed Sydney Harbor Bridge.

The harbor is one of hundreds of official and unofficial simulations of real-life landmarks in Second Life, allowing users to visit the Statue of Liberty, the French Quarter and London all in the same day. And since the laws of time and space do not apply in the virtual world, historical places such as the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris circa 1900 are also available.

It's not all fun and games on Second Life. You can actually learn a thing or two if you know where to look. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for example, owns its own island where it stages interactive exhibits such as tsunami demonstrations and a submarine ride.

The higher-education system has also taken notice. Professors at Vassar College, Trinity University, the University of Texas in Austin and San Francisco State have all held classes on the game, according to a September article in Wired.

Sex is alive and well on Second Life, which is why Linden Lab has slapped it with an 18-or-older tag. It is not uncommon to be approached by an escort or come across two or three strip clubs — complete with pole-dancing technology — in your travels. Linden has created a second world to accomodate players ages 13-17. Teen Second Life prohibits the nasty stuff.

Just like in the California Gold Rush, Second Life's population has exploded over the last year, jumping from 2 million to more than 4 million registered users in a matter of months. Many have arrived looking to make some money creating virtual clothing, houses and other objects to sell or rent. But real-life companies have also followed the trend. Users can test-drive a Toyota Scion in Scion City on the company's own island. General Motors has created something similar to promote its Pontiac Solstice GXP.

Chains such as Sears and Circuit City have actual electronics and DVDs displayed in their virtual stores. If you like what you see, you can click on the product and finish your transaction via the World Wide Web.

Those interested in Second Life can sign up for a free account and download the software at www.secondlife.com. Tutorials are available on the game when you login.