If you’ve always wanted to see the Forbidden City in Beijing, China but circumstances have prevented the trip, your opportunity has arrived. IBM has recreated the Forbidden City as it was during height of the Ming and Qing dynasties using a game engine and leveraging their Second Life expertise. Wicked cool!

"When you enter the Forbidden City you choose one of nine historical costumes, which is to give a sense of history but also keep a sense of decorum," said John Tolva, program manager at IBM who led the project, dubbed "Beyond Space and Time." “You can't run and you can't fly," he added, a restriction that aims to prevent other virtual visitors, whom you can see and interact with, being distracted.