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 ]
What Borges’ science fiction got right about the importance of forgetting, according to child psychiatry. | Lit Hub Science Searching for Moby-Dick (and the elusive truths of America’s pastime): Rick White goes deep on Bill James, Herman Melville, and the whaleness of Whiteyball. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-07-17 10:30:33 UTC ]
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There is something beautiful about African languages carrying science, fictionalised of course, into imagined futures. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-07-07 15:04:17 UTC ]
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The Arthur C. Clarke Award, which recognizes the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year, has released their 2021 shortlist—and for the first time in the award’s 35-year history, the shortlist is entirely made up of debut novels. “As we announce... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-06-30 16:03:59 UTC ]
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Celebrate Pride with science fiction and fantasy reads! We've rounded up some out of this world SFF books with genderfluid characters. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-29 10:36:00 UTC ]
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In his short life, Howard, the master of the sword-and-sorcery novel, produced hard-boiled mysteries, an occult thriller, a science fiction novel and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-09 05:37:45 UTC ]
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Announcing the winners of the 56th Annual Nebula Awards, recognizing the best works of science fiction and fantasy published in the US. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-07 14:06:29 UTC ]
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Six novels feature characters who hunger for connection so strongly that they transform their environments. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-27 13:55:11 UTC ]
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Take a deep dive into fantasy and science fiction awards with Jenn, as she looks at the many out there and why you should care. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-05-27 10:39:00 UTC ]
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Western works of science fiction were not easily accessible in translation in South Korea until recent years. The country was ruled by a succession of military dictatorships until around 1992, and before that time, South Korean culture had been surveilled through a state censorship system that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-05-27 08:50:01 UTC ]
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Leaving our earthly bodies and living forever as a machine isn't just a thing of modern science fiction. These transhumanist ideas date back to the 18th century. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-05-17 05:22:55 UTC ]
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The latest installment in MIT’s Twelve Tomorrows series toggles between utopian and dystopian. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, several professional writers' organizations and authors have formed the #DisneyMustPay task force, petitioning Walt Disney Co. to honor author contracts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Coalition of author groups call for Disney to pay outstanding royalties owed to writers of novels and comics including Star Wars, Alien and Buffy the Vampire Slayer series it now ownsA task force made up of science fiction and fantasy, romance, crime and horror authors has been formed in an... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-04-28 17:07:11 UTC ]
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It sounds like science fiction but the demonstration by Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink is a brain-machine interface in action. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2021-04-15 02:20:13 UTC ]
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Middle grade books in SPAAAAACE! Check out some middle grade science fiction comics set in space, including On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-13 10:36:00 UTC ]
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“The Memory Theater,” “On Fragile Waves” and “Victories Greater Than Death” take readers tumbling through realms and ever stranger stories. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-04-13 09:00:08 UTC ]
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Writings by Brenda Peynado, Elizabeth Hand, Izumi Suzuki, Bruce Sterling and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-06 13:00:00 UTC ]
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If you need a little optimism about the future (and who doesn't?), pick up these hopeful science fiction and fantasy books, including LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-02 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Jaeger’s 1920s novels, ‘The Question Mark’ and ‘The Man With Six Senses,’ are H.G. Wellsian works of love and science. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-24 16:24:26 UTC ]
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As China’s science fiction authors are elevated to the status of oracles, Qiufan’s career—and his genre’s place in society—have gone through the looking glass. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2021-03-09 12:00:00 UTC ]
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