:: lock simulation in Second Life ::
A recent theme of various meetings: "infrastructure parks" for young people, providing them with opportunities to familiarize themselves with dikes, dams, barge channels, locks, cranes for shifting loads between water and rail.
These are more than just toys in some ways, as they're serving as job simulation tools -- a reason to call them toyz instead, as in e-toyz.
Some versions of these facilities are run indoors, mostly for university level students. Others have a more toy-like appearance and are built from more robust, child-safe materials. In between are the science museum simulations, often supervised by young adults, and shared with teens and tweens.
Of course many kids get infrastructure training from software these days, from Trainz for example. These software versions are often easier to implement, especially when modeling such facilities as airports or hospitals.
