I've gotten a bunch of e-mails from readers of Everyone In Silico with a link to a news story that was stranger than fiction. Here's a few.

"It was the dream of many a dead dot-com: build a virtual universe where people can socialize without the confusion of chat rooms or the awkwardness and emotional investment of physical face-to-face encounters. Backed by serious venture capital and sophisticated software, There Inc. is hoping to offer just that, and is betting that people will be happy to pull out their credit cards to buy virtual clothes, good looks -- even a trusted canine companion."
See full story | Submitted by Roy Janik

"The pop group is named after a confectionery brand, Starburst, and their song, No.28 on the singles chart, sounds very much like an advertising jingle, complete with a "Get your juices going" tagline. The song's lyrics were written by copywriters and the video, in which the group's identity is hidden, was created by television commercial producers. The lyrics are built around the flavours: peach, apple, cherry, melon, strawberry and banana."
See full story | Submitted by Ivan Lerner

"Also known as whole brain emulation, mind uploading refers to the transfer of consciousness, identity and personality from a biological brain to a more powerful computer. While not achievable today, mind uploading is increasingly gaining attention for its philosophical, scientific, technical and social challenges and implications. Many believe that mind uploading will allow humans to radically extend their capabilities but in the process radically change what it means to be human."
See full story | Submitted by Carma Livingstone

"In the soon-to-be blockbuster The Sims Online, players could find it difficult to avoid getting their fingers soiled on virtual McDonald's hamburgers. A deal struck between Sims publisher Electronic Arts and the fastfood mega-corporation allows Sims players to open up their own McDonald's kiosk and improve their game stats by consuming McD's greasy goodies."
See full story | Submitted by Ian Koss

"In a hospital in Atlanta... they're paying people to lie inside MRI machines and look at pictures of products while the machine snaps images of their brains. The process has been dubbed neuromarketing."
See full story | Submitted by Zachary Taylor

"Weblogs—diary like personal Web sites, also known as blogs—is often touted as a shining example of untainted expression. But marketers at Dr Pepper see the movement as the perfect launch point for a 'grass roots' campaign for a new “milk-based product with an attitude,' Raging Cow.'"
Submitted by Roy Janik

Got a good one? I don't read the news, so I probably haven't seen it. Send it over!