Never mind that avatars can already levitate; Brazilian airline, TAM, is to offer flights in Second Life, according to the Register. According to the UK news site, TAM will even give miles to customers in what the news site describes, with brutal British derision, as Linden Lab's "saddo paradise". With even the Kingdom of Sweden establishing a presence in Second Life — a virtual "embassy" — you could see the Brazilian initiative as evidence of the international prospects of the Benchmark-backed company. You'd be wrong. In any traditional pyramid scheme, the biggest losers are those furthest from the point of origin. The internet boom lasted a few months more overseas during 2000, after Nasdaq stocks had already collapsed in the US, for example. And the same holds true for the corporate marketers who have plunged into Second Life. US brands such as IBM may be finally realizing that they're addressing a sparse audience of furry avatars in Linden Lab's virtual world. But it will take a little time for the news to reach Brazil, and Sweden, no matter how good the transport.