The Guardian view on social media’s metaverse: it may remain science fiction | Editorial

The online virtual reality experience that almost every tech giant today wishes to commercially exploit may not catch onIn the 1992 sci-fi dystopia Snow Crash, the author Neal Stephenson imagined a bleak 21st century where the collapse of the global economy had seen governments fall and their power replaced by a few giant businesses. The book is notable for prescience, anticipating the adoption of what was then seen as outlandish technologies like the wireless internet, cryptocurrencies and smartphones, as well as the rise of the gig economy. But it is the book’s prophetic vision of “the metaverse” that has revived interest in the work.That is because Stephenson described the online virtual reality experience that almost every tech giant today wishes to commercially exploit. Last October, Microsoft announced that users of its Teams online meetings app would be able to turn themselves into avatars – the term Stephenson popularised in Snow Crash – to encourage users into virtual interaction. Days later Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, rebranded his company as Meta, with a focus on the potential for virtual worlds. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-02-07 19:11:48 UTC ]

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Here are the winners of the 2019 Hugo Awards.

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[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-19 14:33:38 UTC ]
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How to Write a Science Fiction Novel

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[ Writer's Digest | 2019-08-13 22:00:55 UTC ]
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How to Publish Your Science Fiction Novel

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[ Writer's Digest | 2019-08-11 18:33:57 UTC ]
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25 Universe-Expanding Science Fiction Books for Kids

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Such Abnormal Activity: On “The Best of R. A. Lafferty”

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[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-08-03 19:00:30 UTC ]
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[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-08-03 12:30:19 UTC ]
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Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and Mary Anne Mohanraj on the Anniversary of Apollo 11 and Space Exploration

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Thompson wins Arthur C Clarke Prize for Rosewater

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‘Mundos Alternos,’ Where Other Worlds Come to Life

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Inaugural NYT Food Festival is a go, with backing from Mastercard, Uber Eats, Bulleit and more

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HBO's *Years and Years* Unlocks Sci-Fi's Ultimate Potential

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Stonewall, Before and After: An Interview with Samuel R. Delany

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Warning: In just a few days, the ebooks you've purchased from Microsoft will vanish

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