Byline: Andrew Eder
Oct. 9--In the virtual world Second Life, they're known as Alpha Zaius and Ming Chen.
But at home in Seymour, they're simply Andy and Mike Ortman, twin brothers whose computer programming acumen has turned Second Life into a moneymaking venture for them.
Now freshmen at Tennessee Tech University, the Seymour High School graduates joined Second Life nearly five years ago when the virtual world was in its testing stage and had only 5,000 "residents."
Today, Second Life -- a digital world whose users create and own their online surroundings -- counts nearly 10 million total residents. The world has a multimillion-dollar economy complete with ...