A Little Getaway After a Hard Week of Pixel Pushing

This writer doesn’t remember the last time he took a real vacation. He’s been out of town a lot, sure, but that was either on business or quick trips to friends’ weddings (who, for some reason, all decided to have them in the exact same year). Does this writer need some time off? Sure. But who doesn’t? Unfortunately, there’s no foreseeable sandy beaches awaiting. Yet that might not be all bad, if he decides to take a trip virtually to the currently-being-built Starwood Hotel in Second Life, called aloft. Now, see, it isn’t just a bunch of people building stuff for the fun of it, but instead, in 2008, they’re actually going to be building these aloft hotels in real life (the one you’re not experiencing right now if you’re reading this via those old Nintendo VR goggles). In part-promotion, part why-the-hell-not, the company is opening an online, experience-able preview of the places before the first brick is laid. Even though it probably still won’t get us onto Second Life, it’s really interesting. Particularly their blog about this whole thing.