Remember back in 2006 when Second Life was all the rage? (Apologies to anyone who thinks it still is.) Yeah, those were crazy times. One interesting thing that came from that era was when “The Infinite Mind” started having interviews in the virtual space. Though it did have a few big-name guests, it never really seemed to take off. Of course, this may have had something to do with its host, John Hockenberry, taking a job as co-host of PRI’s “The Takeaway” back in 2008. Or maybe it was just too weird. I digress.

Today I was looking at the site and watched the interview Hockenberry did with Kurt Vonnegut in 2006. What struck me about it was how disconnected the animation seemed from the conversation. At one point Vonnegut’s avatar has its mouth frozen in a smile yet you hear his gravelly voice talking, chuckling and rumbling. And Hockenberry’s avatar just looks all around not seeming to pay attention. (In some ways it’s visually a sort of precursor to what Teleportal Readings is doing now.) And though it seems quaint with its conceit of being cutting edge for the time, it’s still kinda fun to watch these four year later. Enjoy.