What to do when your mistress is busy? Get out your mobile virtual girlfriend. I often write about how Asia is so far ahead of the US in telecom and broadband technology — I have finally found something I am glad Taiwan has before us. We can thank 3G technology — which the US doesn’t have, for making this service available. I am sure we will have something similar in the states soon. How sexist though. There is no need for a virtual boyfriend?

Still the story reminds me of an editor we had at TMC years ago. He was quite intellectual and a great colleague. One day in a meeting he took out a plastic gadget. Now this is seven years ago before PDAs were really popular and before iPods. Curious, we asked what it was. Turns out it was a virtual pet he was taking care of for his daughter. He had to feed it from time to time or it would die and his daughter would be upset.

One wonders if a virtual girlfriend (or boyfriend — don’t want to be politically incorrect) would need to be bought purses (or wallets, tickets to the game, etc). Well you get the point.