Every now and then, you run across a piece of entertainment that isn't intended to be horrific, but which nonetheless leaves you with goose bumps.  For me, the movie The Thirteenth Floor was such an event.  Coming in the wake of The Matrix, this action film with an intellectual / philosophical twist was far from a big success at the box office, but the questions it raised were a lot harder to shake off than the nature of Neo's quest.

The film wasn't the first to bring up the issues, or the last, and years of examination by science have failed to make these issues fade.  In fact, some top scientists are starting to consider seriously the idea that life is just a dream.

After reading about various interesting events that had taken place in virtual venues within the world of Second Life, it finally sunk in. This might have a potential as a civic space, where I could talk to people all over the world about the idea of dignity as a human right.

Second Life is a massive virtual reality environment. It's not so much a game as a global conference call that takes place in fantastic imaginary settings. All sorts of activists could set up kiosks around the virtual public square. People with common interests could meet and coordinate for political action. One day there might even be ways to facilitate voter registration. Enthralled by the vision of cyber-democracy, I set up an account.