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Late word from virtual world services firm Millions of Us is that the company is bringing rapper Jay-Z to the virtual world of Second Life tonight for a performance that will be taped to air later tonight on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, which starts at midnight (eastern). Show up at Motorati Island by 6:30pm Pacific time, when the taping starts, and your avatar could wind up on national television. I have no idea whether spots are still available, but contact Rodica MillionsOfUs well in advance if you really want to rub pixelated elbows with the bad boy of Bed-Stuy. And tune in to Jimmy Kimmel tonight. I’ve seen virtual worlds hit TV airwaves in the recent past, and it’s definitely something to behold. Makes you think this might not be just a passing fancy after all.

Here’s one I missed while I was away: It looks like Appliance maker Whirlpool has become the first big company to upload 3D models of its products to the 3D Warehouse of objects for use in SketchUp, which can in turn be imported into Google Earth. I spotted this on Ogle Earth, which notes, “Expect everybody else to follow suit. In a few years, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ll be able to push a “buy” button in SketchUp and have your inventory of virtual home furniture materialize on your doorstep. With a cut to Google, of course.” What Stefan means is that physical versions of the furniture from your virtual home will be delivered to your real-life doorstep. I love this idea (which, it must be noted, is already happening here and there). Here’s the press release, and Whirlpool’s 3D Warehouse page.

A cool new thing floating around the virtual world of Second Life these days is the TourHUD, a generic name for a heads-up display that provides you with a list of destinations and in-world landmarks to allow you to teleport to each in turn. There are two different types of TourHUD available at the moment, as far as I can tell. Both provide a nice way to get around the world and hopefully spot some things you may not have been able to find in SL’s clunky search utility. But it also seems the tour guide business in Second Life is heating up as well. (more…)