Enter the metaverse!

Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook’s name to Meta last week – and launched a vision for his company that he claims will transform the way we interact with the internet and each other. So what exactly is the metaverse? And will it ever leave the realm of science fiction?When Facebook scheduled a major announcement for last week, news quickly got out that Mark Zuckerberg was planning to change the company’s name – and that he would explain how Facebook would move towards its next incarnation, the “metaverse”. But few expected he would set out a vision with such far-off ambitions – and show so little evidence of what it is doing today to get there. Zuckerberg’s presentation was derided in some quarters as wooden, narcissistic, dystopian, and unintentionally hilarious. But it was also a vastly ambitious and risky pitch for how the company will leave its present-day brand and focus behind to re-emerge as the leading player in a version of the internet that doesn’t exist today.So what exactly is the metaverse? What is the business case for Facebook’s pivot to such an undeveloped and complex technology? And how much was the decision to rebrand as Meta driven by the toxification of Facebook’s brand by months of damaging leaks from the US whistleblower Frances Haugen? In this episode, Nosheen Iqbal is joined by the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern, who explains what we already know about the metaverse, its origins in science fiction stories, and its likely real-world... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-11-04 03:00:23 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Enter the metaverse!"


Petra Mayer, Books Editor for NPR and ‘Resident Nerd,’ Dies at 46

Ms. Mayer reported on Comic-Con and contributed to Book Concierge, NPR’s literary recommendation tool. She gravitated toward science fiction, romance and fantasy. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-11-14 18:40:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this


RE:WIRED 2021: Neal Stephenson on Building and Fixing Worlds

The science fiction author spoke with WIRED senior correspondent Adam Rogers about climate change and big solutions. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2021-11-10 20:46:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Thinking Outside the Perceptual Box: Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg’s Robot, by Rachel Cordasco

Book Reviews Photo by Aideal Hwa / Unsplash If reading Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg’s Robot (Penguin Classics, 2021), translated by Tomasz Mirkowicz, makes you think about Stanislaw Lem’s work, you’re not alone. Indeed, both Robot and Lem’s His Master’s... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-11-10 20:14:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘Still a long way from being realized’: A Q&A with author and metaverse inventor Neal Stephenson

Science fiction author Neal Stephenson shares his thoughts on the metaverse, a term he coined, after Facebook's rebrand brought new light to the topic. The post ‘Still a long way from being realized’: A Q&A with author and metaverse inventor Neal Stephenson appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2021-11-05 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Enter the metaverse!

Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook’s name to Meta last week – and launched a vision for his company that he claims will transform the way we interact with the internet and each other. So what exactly is the metaverse? And will it ever leave the realm of science fiction?When Facebook scheduled a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-11-04 03:00:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s SFF Deals for November 1, 2021

The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-11-01 12:49:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s SFF Deals of the Day: October 25, 2021

The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-25 13:26:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘Dune’ has long divided the science fiction world. The new film won’t change that.

Frank Herbert’s magnum opus: masterful or clumsy? Denis Villeneuve’s movie continues the debate. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-21 13:13:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


10 of the Best Science-Fiction Short Stories Everyone Should Read

What are the best places to begin exploring the wonderful world of science fiction? Some of the classic novels of the genre, from Frank Herbert’s Dune to Asimov’s Foundation series (which eventually stretched to seven volumes), might appear daunting because of their sheer size and scope. Below,... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-10-20 14:00:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Prodigy' is a kid-friendly Star Trek show taking the right lessons from Star Wars

This post keeps spoilers to the bare minimum since the show will not air until October 28th.While Star Trek certainly has its share of young fans, it’s never been specifically for the kids. Sure, there was the animated show back in the ‘70s, but that was basically a continuation of the original... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-10-11 18:30:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How science fiction can inspire humanity’s response to the climate crisis – podcast

The audio version of an in-depth article on how science fiction’s hopes and fears can inspire humanity’s response to the climate crisis. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-10-11 09:13:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How Night Raiders uses science fiction to examine the past

Danis Goulet's Night Raiders had the widest theatrical opening of any movie by an Indigenous Canadian filmmaker. But while the movie examines very real — and heartbreaking — events, Goulet opted to do so through the lens of science fiction. ... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2021-10-10 08:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s SFF Deals for October 4, 2021

The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-04 13:01:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Expanse Saga Takes Its Final Space Flight

The bestselling, Hugo Award–winning science fiction series, which has reimagined the space opera and spawned an acclaimed television series, will wrap up this November with 'Leviathan Falls.' Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the writing duo known by the pseudonym James S.A. Corey, discusses their... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Richard Powers Resets Earth’s Trajectory

At Time, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers discusses his newest novel, Bewilderment, which is set during a period that resembles our own—but not quite. ” I was thinking a little bit along the lines of the form that science fiction writers like to call the ‘near-term future,'” Powers... Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2021-09-29 20:30:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Shortlist revealed for £20k Kindle Storyteller Award

Romance, crime and science fiction novels are among the five shortlisted books for the £20,000 Kindle Storyteller Award, which this year received a record number of submissions.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-29 00:11:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Riot’s SFF Deals for September 27, 2021

The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-09-27 12:35:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Foundation: an introduction to five major themes in the work of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov

One of the greatest science fiction writers, Asimov’s work has had a lasting effect thanks to his prescient takes on technology, climate collapse and humanity’s future. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-09-24 15:01:23 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘Astronauts check our scripts!’: inside the new age of sumptuous sci-fi TV

With clone emperors in haute couture and exotic wolf-lizards poised to attack, Foundation and For All Mankind herald a new era of ravishing spectaculars. Can they do for sci-fi what Game of Thrones did for fantasy?Dynastic infighting, the decline and fall of a mighty empire, tyrannical rulers... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-09-23 15:57:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this


NASA's NIAC Program Gives a Sneak Peek at the Future of Space Travel

As the agency develops plans for exploring the moon and Mars, it's seeking cutting-edge research that could turn science fiction into reality. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2021-09-22 21:04:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this