SNS e-Learning

Niniane Wang, the person behind Google’s new service called Lively, has been working on this “(1) confidential” project since November 2005 according to her (2) resume. There have been (3) hints throughout the years that this might be coming, but it turns out that the (4) rumors were true — Google made Second Life.

Granted, it’s not exactly the same, but it’s the foundation of a system that could easily go in that direction. This is a case, just like it was with Google Talk, that they are starting with a (5) bare-bones service that will incorporate user suggestions over the next few years. This way the service is actually built without fat.

After playing with it or a while, I guarantee people will want to have the ability to create their own items, rooms, clothing, etc. in the short term — and I can see Google Sketchup being the official tool to make it happen. Right now, everything in the catalog you can “purchase” is completely free, but I can see a day when buying stuff will cost real money — making it a potential (6) cash cow for people with an imagination. Unlike Second Life, I suspect the currency will be real dollars, not something that’s made up.

==================== 音标、注释、例句及其他 ====================

(1) confidential [‚kɒnfɪ'denʃəl] adj. (1) entrusted with private information and the confidence of another (2) (of information) given in confidence or in secret
(2) resume [rɪ'zuːm / -'zjuːm] noun (1) short descriptive summary (of events) (2)a summary of your academic and work history
(3) hint / hɪnt; hɪnt/ n subtle way of indicating to sb what one is thinking or what one wants; indirect suggestion 暗示; 示意; 间接的提示: a strong, broad, gentle, delicate, etc hint 强烈的﹑ 明白的﹑ 轻微的﹑ 微妙的...示意
(4) rumor ['ruːmə(r)] noun gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
(5) bare-bones pl.n. Informal The basic elements or essentials: outlined the bare bones of the proposal.
(6) cash cow n [C] something that a company sells very successfully and that brings in a lot of money