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 ]
“The Body Scout,” “Light From Uncommon Stars” and “No Gods, No Monsters” tell stories of genetic dystopias, musical gifts and mythic creatures. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-09-21 09:00:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-20 12:33:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Mary Shelley was goth before it was cool. She wrote Frankenstein—sometimes described as the world’s first science fiction novel—as part of a horror story writing game. She lost her virginity to Percy Shelley on top of her mother’s grave. (To be fair, it was one of her main leisure spots, but... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-09-17 16:41:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-13 12:33:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Choose from early readers, middle grade, or young adult age categories to find your next kids' science fiction and fantasy graphic novel. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-09-07 11:45:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Art may imitate life but it rarely does so with realistic fidelity. As Naomi Pequette, Space Science Programs Specialist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, argues in her essay "The Sounds of Contact" as part of The Science if Sci-Fi Cinema: Essays on the Art and Principles of Ten Films,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-09-04 15:30:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Solaris has landed Aubrey Wood's "edgy" debut novel Bang Bang Bodhisattva, a comic science fiction mystery. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-31 10:17:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In Matthew FitzSimmons’s speculative murder mystery “Constance,” the title character’s consciousness is mistakenly downloaded into a clone. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-08-24 19:55:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this
There’s a scene in 2014’s Wolfenstein: The New Order where J, a character inspired by Jimi Hendrix, explains to the game’s white protagonist, BJ Blazkowicz, why he’s not fighting. After Blazkowicz talks back, J tells him: "You don't get it, do you? Before all this, before the Germans, before the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-08-19 17:45:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Little, Brown science fiction and fantasy imprint Orbit has snapped up fantasy author Emily Tesh's "phenomenal" debut novel, Some Desperate Glory. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-17 15:24:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hodder & Stoughton has acquired Mindwalker, a "compulsively page-turning" science fiction novel from Kate Dylan. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-16 21:44:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this
N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance trilogy got us thinking about other titles perfect for the small screen. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-08-15 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The stories in The Rock Eaters often have an elastic relationship with reality, familiar political landscapes or emotional struggles warped by the uncanny. Some stories fall more explicitly within the bounds of science fiction or fantasy, but most show us a world nearly known, but not quite. In... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-08-13 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Hugo Gernsback once said SFF writers impart knowledge without out making us aware we're being taught. So what do they actually teach us? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-08-12 10:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It’s hard to believe that in just a matter of years, foldable devices have gone from the stuff of science fiction to actual usable daily drivers. Here we are today, checking out the third generation of Samsung’s foldables, which the company just launched at its Unpacked event. The Fold 3 is the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-08-11 14:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this
HarperVoyager has announced a weekend of fantasy and science fiction panels for readers and writers in September, headlined by Jay Kristoff. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-01 04:11:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“The World Gives Way,” “The Chosen and the Beautiful” and “Sword Stone Table” borrow from familiar stories but offer surprising readings. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-07-30 16:00:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Review of Books published a fairly wild essay by Miguel Esteban who, at the tender age of 14, commissioned a now-famous essay on race in science fiction from Octavia Butler. The whole piece is worth a read (the gall of teenage boys! the grace of Octavia!) but... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-07-26 13:40:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
After COVID-related delays, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sweeping (and difficult to adapt) science fiction epic Dune is finally set to debut both on HBO Max and in theaters on October 1st. As the release date quickly approaches, Warner Bros has dropped a new trailer. (If you... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-07-22 16:21:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Quercus has bought British barrister and counter-terrorist expert Adam Oyebanji’s UK debut, billed as an “exhilarating blending of hard science fiction and thriller”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-19 20:50:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this