Great summary - I felt the same way....the Green Phosphor thing was a great demo to give a sense of what's possible, although the execution is still a little, hmm, granular maybe is the word. I also had a similar feeling about ThinkBalm's garden. None of the displays gave me a sense that "Wow, yes, thank GOD this is in 3D otherwise I wouldn't understand it" - a really well developed PowerPoint (a Presentation Zen kind of thing with some video maybe) could be just as effective. When Erica blogged about how the data garden helped her remember the stats better and was easier to access than flipping through a report - well, that just kind of stretched the boundaries of credulity. (She proposes that when she's on a call with someone, it's easier to LOG IN to SL, cam around the data garden, and find the stat than it is to, well, turn the pages of the report and find the chart she needs). 3D visualization in virtual worlds has a LONG way to go. It's a good rhetorical device when you're already in the 3D space, but other than some of the GIS stuff out there I haven't yet seen a truly shining example that belongs in an Edward Tufte book.