"virtual" news and stories

Some topics don't quite strike me as candidates for online education. Clay modeling. Flying lessons. Childbirth. I might have put wine there, too (since there's no substitute for learning by tasting, after all!) but now a new UC Irvine Extension course may have changed my mind.

The course's main advantages:

1. You don't have to actually go anywhere or talk to anyone
2. If you accidentally taste too much, there's no driving involved
3. If wine makes you anxious, you can learn about it in private

OK, I'm being a little flip. The course is actually interesting. It's called "A Sommelier's Secret Guide to the Wine List: Wine and Food Galore," and it teaches students how to ID value wine on a wine list and pair it with food. If you know nothing about wine and are suddenly entertaining clients on a huge expense budget (though who but AIG has those anymore?) this might be the class for you.

More info: www.extension.uci.edu

With the growing popularity of social networking websites, such as MySpace, it is not very surprising to hear that people are looking to extend the concept into other spaces. Unfortunately, "other spaces" all tend to be in the real world, as opposed to the digital one, where people are likely to be interacting and networking already. One new restaurant in Los Angeles thinks that they have come up with a good balance of real and digital interactions - whether it will be a success remains to be seen.

At uWink Bistro, the customers will have computer touch screens at their tables, from which they can order food without the need for a waiter/waitress. Once their order has been placed, they can play games on the screen or challenge other tables to tournaments. Diners will be sitting in the restaurant, physically with other people, but will virtually interact with the others around them.

Source