Philip Rosedale
Philip Rosedale (born 1969) is an American businessman and technologist, best known as the creator of the virtual world Second Life. Within the Second Life metaverse, his avatar is known as Philip Linden.
Biography
Rosedale took an interest in computers, technology, and virtual reality from an early age. He started his own company selling database systems to small businesses at 17, and used the proceeds to fund his college education, ultimately received a bachelor of science degree in physics from the University of California at San Diego.
In 1996, Rosedale joined RealNetworks as chief technology officer after they bought his company, FreeVue. In 1999, he left RealNetworks to found Linden Lab (named after a local street in Hayes Valley), and created the Second Life metaverse.
In 2006, Philip Rosedale and Linden Lab received WIRED’s Rave Award for Innovation in Business.
Rosedale has stated that his goal with Second Life is to demonstrate a viable model for a virtual economy or virtual society. In his own words, "I'm not building a game. I'm building a new country."[1]
His efforts have not gone unnoticed by the residents of Second Life - the solitary mountain in the in-game region named "Tethys" bears, at its peak, a shrine built to Philip, complete with Indiana Jones style puzzles and traps, culimating in a pilgrimage to a much smaller shrine. Residents who have completed this pilgrimage can often be seen wearing a book on their avatar's right thigh, named the "Book of Philip," and made by Second Life resident Mazer Ludd.
Media
- Business 2.0, How to Succeed in 2007, Philip Rosedale Founder and CEO, Linden Lab, Discover the Real-Life Take-Away in Virtual Economies
- In 2007, Rosedale was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.
See also
External links
References
- ^ Terdiman, Daniel (May 8, 2004). "Fun in Following the Money". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 2006-12-05.
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