21.   But he has pleaded not guilty, mounting a defense based on an untested legal theory of Internet addiction stemming from his immersion in the virtual world.

22.   But in the virtual world, you can have solitude and contact at the same time.

23.   But Ms. Harvey said she had come to realize that working in the virtual world offered her advantages as a black woman over working in the real world.

24.   But parents often need help sorting out the healthy from the sick in the bewildering virtual world.

25.   But since the programming methods and tools for creating these virtual worlds have become commonplace, you can expect to see them in a variety of other settings.

26.   But the odd thing here is that folks are dishing out cold cash to buy status and power in a virtual world.

27.   But the virtual world of the Internet, for the present, is a lawless land, with no laws and no policemen.

28.   Crafters say they find it an antidote to life in the virtual world of voice mail, computers and fax machines.

29.   Concepts such as these are sufficiently compelling that everyone seems to be working on virtual worlds.

30.   Congress also took a small step into the virtual world, offering lawmakers handheld, wireless BlackBerry devices to send and receive confidential e-mails.