From his nest down in Austin, campaign guru Karl Rove lured moneymen and operatives from every important state into a Virtual Smoke-Filled Room built out of calls and faxes and 300 e-mails a day.

CNN: Who chose George?

Not only was Castronova rejecting bitcoin as a gaming currency, he was condemning the unregulated virtual world to a gray, inflationary future of State-sanctioned centrally-managed currency roach motels.

FORBES: Virtual Currencies and Roach Motels

In the real - rather than virtual - world, Washington is known to favour a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated agreement with Israel, with which it has strong ties.

BBC: Palestinians secure cyber state

It has now moved beyond just wondering whether full-time virtual learning opportunities have a place in the state to also discussing the role of blended learning, a practice that many districts in the state have actually already adopted in various forms.

FORBES: Education Debates in New Jersey Around For-Profits Miss Big Picture