To paraphrase a famous New Yorker cartoon, In Second Life, nobody knows you’re Newt Gingrich. Apparently, he’s visited the Second House of Sweden, and namedrops the virtual embassy as an inspiration for a stronger US push into virtual worlds:
Second Life is a more sophisticated extranet, representing the next wave of collaboration using a 3D Internet virtual world. It is so compelling that people actually spend real money to buy real estate in this online reality. The Swedish government actually has an embassy in Second Life.
Newt may not have invented the internet, but he’s certainly pushing the 3D web:-) (Via The Escapist, which adds a nice take on the news)