The word Avatar is supposed to mean Incarnation as indicated in the old vedic books. DusAvatara or the Ten incarnations of Vishnu the creator being the most significant. However it is not only the gods who take on Avatars today and most internet users are now familiar with one or more forms of avatars. Starting with emoticons or smileys the Avatar has evolved into a representation of  the mind rather than the physical self.  Dynamic Avatars  ( those that animate ) are now common place in many networks and making a good looking avatar is more difficult than taking a photograph.  For me the Avatar is the representation of a persons mind and the state of their mental health.  Not many would accept my views, but as I have noticed, the basic building block of any network is the user who is represented by an Avatar. James Cameroon ( hope I got this right )  attempts  to portray the transformation of  a human mind into an Avatar which travels to a different realm. Maybe largely influenced by the presence of the Virtual environment in every aspect of  real life.  Science fiction usually blooms for the small bits and pieces of reality around a normally functioning world that can or may become fantastic dreams.  The Avatar may well grow into something that is fantastic with its own brain and memorised functions soon and in an extreme thought become the  next evolved being in a virtual world.