In Max Barry's excellent book, Jennifer Government, the world was so freakishly corporatized that individuals took the last names of their employers to identify themselves. An interesting bit article on CNET News today mentioned a change in policy at Second Life that pegged my Prescience Meter:

Historically, Second Life users have had to choose names from an ever-changing but [random] list provided by publisher Linden Lab.

The company has decided .... to charge individuals who want a real last name a $100 setup fee and a $50-a-year maintenance fee. Companies that want their corporate name can have unlimited accounts for a $1,000 setup fee and $500 a year.

That means that we'll be seeing more instances of companies like Sun populating the world with last names like "SunMicrosystems."

We can't say just yet whether you'll be seeing anything like "Daniel CNET."

Adopting your company's last name as a cost-saving measure. That would certainly be interesting...