Listed chronologically, popular based on total page views (often with generous assists from Fark, Boing Boing, Instapundit, and other heavy hitters), blog/site links, or both:
"Fighting the Front" - January 15: Months before the country's Presidential election, an extreme but powerful anti-immigrant French party establishes an official headquarters in Second Life, and a war quickly ensues, ironically culminating on Martin Luther King day.
Painting (c) Jose Maria de Espona
"Opus Flamand's Sense of Women" - February 6: A Spanish artist turns screenshots of female avatars into gorgeously rendered paintings that celebrate sexual women in all realities. Unsurprisingly, this post is still popular via Google Image searches.
"A Sexual Census of Second Life" - February 8: I offer a deeply critical analysis of an oft-repeated meme that 30% of SL content/activity/commercial transactions are sexual. (A figure derived from an off-hand, ambiguous comment made by Reuben Linden in early 2006-- in terms of SL's growth and evolution since then, epochs ago.) To considerable skepticism, I suggested in this post that Second Life's explicit sexual content could be as low as 5%. In subsequent months, the reality seems to be somewhere in the middle of those extremes. According to Linden figures released in May, just 18% of total land mass was registered as having any Mature content, while according to an academic survey published in November, only 13.6% Residents reported "Often" engaging in sex. (By contrast, well over 60% Residents create content "Often" or "Occasionally".)
"Ant Farm" - April 5: A student's fascinating experiment creating an artificial ant colony capable of foraging for food and collecting it en masse.
"Onder's Game: Midgar" - May 4: Onder Skall celebrates a group of dedicated gamers who recreate and roleplay in the city featured in the classic RPG Final Fantasy VII.
"Your Tube, Your Obliteration" - May 22: Lainy Voom explains how she made her masterpiece of SL machinima, "Tale from Midnight City".
"Ophelia's Gaze: How to Dress for SL Success" - June 20: New World Notes' indispensable fashionista shows you how to find the perfect outfit for that most strangest of 21st century job interviews: one based in the metaverse.
"Remake the Stars" - July 18: Robbie Dingo explains how he created "Watch the World(s)", an SL machinima tribute to Van Gogh that, well, almost single-handedly justifies Second Life's existence.
"Wired and the Long Tail of Second Life Marketing" - July 30: Wired Magazine editor-in-chief Chris Anderson and I have a long and fruitful discussion about the varying metrics of marketing in SL. (His side of the conversation, well-worth reading, especially the Comments, at this link.) A few months later, while remaining skeptical on value as an advertising platform, Chris cites Second Life as an example for his next book's thesis.
"Top 10 Art Installations of Second Life" - August 17: Amalthea Blanc's astoundingly well-informed survey of the best uses of Second Life as a new art medium has become mandatory reading for many in the field.
"HBO Buys U.S. TV RIGHTS TO Second Life Machinima Series, Promotes It as Oscar Nominee Contender" - September 4: Filmmaker (and now Creative Director of NWN Partner Millions of Us) Douglas Gayeton explains how his viral machinima was not only acquired by the world's most respected cable network, but promoted as a Animated Short entry for the Academy Awards.
"Guarding Newt: Blackwater-style metaverse private security firm sends squad of babes to protect Newt Gingrich's avatar" - September 27: A leggy Mod squad protects the former Speaker during his metaverse appearance. (An unexpectedly popular post with a couple conservative blog networks.)
"Eco-Alternatives: Top Congressman Skips Bali, Addresses UN Climate Change from Second Life Instead" - December 10: A new metaverse solution to global warming?
"New World Newsfeed: CTO Cory Linden Leaves" - December 12: A personal tribute.
"The Joy of Rezbian Sex" - December 14: Kit Meredith reflects on girls who like boys who like girls who like boys. Be sure to read her post that inspired mine, and the equally fascinating Comment thread that accompanies it.
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