Computer legend IBM and Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life, have announced a joint project which aims to create a technology to enable avatars to be used in any virtual world or online community. This will make it much easier for users, who now are required to go through the sometimes painstaking process of creating a new avatar for each virtual community they use.

While the character may change its appearance depending on where it is taken, its basic characteristics, such as looks and underlying personal data, would be retained. "It is going to happen anyway," said Colin Parris, IBM vice president of digital convergence. "If you think you are walled and secure, somebody will create something that's open and then people will drain themselves away as fast as possible," he told the Reuters.

The announcement of the new technology, now in alpha phase, was made at the Virtual Worlds Expo and Conference in San Jose, California.

"You spend an enormous amount of time on your avatar's appearances and the things it uses to interact and you want to take those with you," Linden vice president of business affairs Ginsu Yoon told AFP. "We don't think the future of virtual worlds is going to involve a lot of siloed experiences competing against each other. The future is going to involve going from one world to another."

IBM is using this project as a way of promoting its vision of a 3-D Internet. Its partner, Linden Labs, has already launched an open forum called the Architecture Working Group -- where the more tech savvy Second Life citizens can help create a roadmap for the open avatar project. Other virtual worlds that Second Lifers could potentially connect to allegedly include Dreamville, There, and The Sims Online.

IBM is no stranger to Second Life. It's well known that its CEO, Mr. Sam Palmisano, has his own, persistent avatar in Second Life and the company has held meetings in the virtual world. There's even an IBM list of employee conduct rules for Second Life!

Also, "CSI" creator Anthony Zuiker announced an upcoming episode in the successful series which is to feature Gary Sinise's character go into Second Life to chase a killer's avatar. The episode is to launch a partnership with Second Life which will host a "CSI: New York" virtual world. Reportedly, at the end of the Oct. 24 episode, the killer will get away, opening the door for the Second Life part of the adventure. "We're going to blow this whole thing up," Zuiker said.