The Virtual Town Square is a geographical metaphor that serves as an index to aspects of my life. Not as convenient as a site map, but like a new city, more fun to explore and get lost in. While this is a website, I have also built an actual 3D virtual world that you can explore at Pirate’s Atoll.
This Virtual Metaphorical World also serves another purpose. It is a place of thought experiments - a place to prototype the activities of life before the more serious investments of energy that is required to build them in real space. For example, it is easier to create a model university and create a catalog of study guides, than it is to create a campus of real estate. In some cases, a virtual place or activity is sufficient to achieve what is needed. This will be more the case as more of our lives become virtualized.
