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 ]
Among this week's headlines: Despite another blizzard, librarians make it to PLA in Philadelphia; Mark Zuckerberg is sorry; And Congress passes a bill that critics say will harm free speech online. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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George R R Martin is funding a new annual scholarship at a science fiction and fantasy six-week course to “help the next great fantasist on the long journey ahead”. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Given her incredible skill at narrative economy, Ursula K. Le Guin could probably do a much better job of summing up her own achievements as a writer than I could. Then again, Le Guin could do most things better than most writers. An undisputed master of science fiction and fantasy, she also... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2018-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The prolific and profoundly influential writer, who brought a literary and feminist touch to works of science fiction and fantasy for children and adults, died at her home in Portland, Ore., on January 22. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ReedPOP has unveiled a lineup of science fiction, mystery and thriller authors for BookCon 2018, which includes such authors as David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Brad Meltzer, and Walter Mosley. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Zuckerberg has issued his annual New Year challenge to himself, and it's a big one: Fixing Facebook.The hoodie-wearing CEO, who has previously taken on learning Mandarin, reading books and visiting new parts of the country, is setting a less concrete goal in focusing on fixing important... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook defends itselfWhen companies place job ads on Facebook and target them to younger users, is that ageist? Non-profit news organization ProPublica and The New York Times just raised concerns about the issue, adding that Amazon, Verizon, Goldman Sachs and Facebook itself use that practice;... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2017-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lies have become alternative facts and truth irrelevant in the face of power, while we all give up our privacyIn Book 8 of The Odyssey we read that the gods weave misfortune so that later generations have something to sing about. It wasn’t a god but a conman who now leads me to describe how –... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Trying to achieve change through something like science fiction seems like a pipe dream,' Adams says. 'But it also feels like the only thing that writers can hope to do.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2017-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Facebook CEO points to last year’s primaries as the moment he had a “political awakening.” But do his actions—and words—reflect that? Since January, we’ve seen story after story offer speculation about whether Mark Zuckerberg will make a bid for the presidency. It won’t surprise you, then,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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And publishers get to keep all of the revenue, says Mark Zuckerberg. The post Facebook Confirms Plan to Help Pubs Sell Subscriptions Through Instant Articles appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When a social media millionaire bought the highbrow, long-form magazine, the result – with the best of intentions – was failure born of incomprehensionWhere might James Graham find another journalism drama to rival Ink, his triumphant Birth of the Bun saga – this time maybe on Broadway? Easy. He... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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CEO says Facebook is ‘watching closely’ and will ‘take down threats of physical harm’, joining raft of tech companies purging white nationalists and neo-NazisMark Zuckerberg broke his silence on the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville last weekend, writing in a Facebook post Wednesday... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Skybound Books, a co-publishing agreement between Atria and The Walking Dead creator's multi-platform entertainment company Skybound Entertainment, will focus on science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It will be overseen by Michael Braff, who is based in L.A. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp., publisher of the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London, is holding "very advanced" discussions with Facebook about subscriptions to its content online, CEO Officer Robert Thomson said."I've been talking with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, exchanging thoughts, on how important it... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2017-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House has developed a range of Barbican-inspired Penguin Classics to coincide with a new Barbican exhibition, Into the Unknown: A Journey through Science Fiction. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For 33 years, Galaxy Press has been promoting the work of science fiction and fantasy writers and illustrators through the annual L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookNet Canada has issued four studies looking at the demographics for book buyers of biographies/autobiographies, detective fiction, science fiction and cookbooks, each showing trends for the genre. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More than most people, Jonathan Taplin has seen firsthand how the rise of digital behemoths like Google and Facebook has irrevocably transformed the life of artists and musicians. A former tour manager for Bob Dylan and the Band and a movie producer for Martin Scorsese, Taplin has become an... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2017-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael M. Levy, a scholar of science fiction and longtime 'Publishers Weekly' reviewer, died of cancer on April 3. He was 66. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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