I’ve had it up to here with the real world lately, so I’m going to spend some time today talking about virtual worlds instead.

We’ve been spreading the word for a while now about the CPA profession’s invasion of Second Life and the business applications of virtual worlds. Now, thanks the Journal of Accountancy, the rest of the accounting world knows, too.

The JofA’s June 2008 edition features “Accounting for Second Life,” an article that focuses on Second Life’s evolution, its business potential, and the trailblazing initiative Maryland CPAs have launched in the virtual world. If you’re looking for an introduction to Second Life as a business tool, this article — written by Frostburg State University’s Richard Johnson and Joyce Middleton — is a fine place to start.

Second Life will also be on the agenda at the first-ever Maryland Business and Accounting Expo, slated for June 17-18 at the Baltimore Convention Center. John Zdanowski, CFO of Linden Lab (the company that created Second Life), will be on hand to talk about SL’s business potential. Get details and register here.

Finally, apropos of nothing, there’s “Second Life is frontier for AI research,” an Associated Press article that explains how Second Life is being used to test developments in artificial intelligence. Researchers have created Second Life avatars that are being controlled in real life not by a human, but by an AI-equipped computer. It has nothing to do with accounting, but you have to admit it’s pretty flippin’ cool.

Do you have a Second Life presence yet? Tell us why … or why not.