A Second Chance for Second Life
I haven't been using Second Life much recently, but I wasn't sure why. Now I know. I've just tried the WindLight First Look Viewer, and its atmospheric effects - sunsets, clouds, water etc. - really transform the Second Life experience.
The problem before, I now see, was that Second Life was just too lacking in visual richness. With the WindLight First Look Viewer, Second Life is closer to real life in the sense that you can now just be, and watch the world go by. Time to give Second Life a second chance, perhaps.