Well, not quite. Yet. But who knows, just give them a little time. The rumors are out, though.
(…) overall, the world looks more like the real world. It’s just one more step on the path of creating a life-like 3D model of the whole planet.
(Quote from “What’s new in Google Earth 4“.)
It would make sense, I guess. After all, one of the main problems with Second Life (SL) is its performance: It seems like the SL servers cannot cope with the relatively fast growth in users – SL in crowded places within SL, it gets so slow that moving can be quite a pain. Google Earth on the other hand has an open API, allows users to throw in both their own 3D models and photos, and Google has the necessary small change you need to back it all up with some powerful servers. All in all, the Big G should be able to profit from the first mover experiences (both good and bad) of SL and, building on their massive geo database, get a more real second life going.
But, as Max said, why don’t you getafirstlife first?
(Thanks, Stylewalker.)