The Metaverse

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Yuli Ban
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Re: The Metaverse

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Everyone wants to own the metaverse including Facebook and Microsoft. But what exactly is it?
The metaverse has been a hot topic of conversation recently, with Facebook and Microsoft both staking claims. But what is the metaverse? And when will it get here?

Author Neal Stephenson is credited with coining the term "metaverse" in his 1992 science fiction novel "Snow Crash," in which he envisioned lifelike avatars who met in realistic 3D buildings and other virtual reality environments.

Since then, various developments have made mileposts on the way toward a real metaverse, an online virtual world which incorporates augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D holographic avatars, video and other means of communication. As the metaverse expands, it will offer a hyper-real alternative world for you to coexist in.

Inklings of the metaverse already exist in online game universes such as Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox. And the companies behind those games have ambitions to be part of the evolution of the metaverse.

What is the metaverse?
It's a combination of multiple elements of technology, including virtual reality, augmented reality and video where users "live" within a digital universe. Supporters of the metaverse envision its users working, playing and staying connected with friends through everything from concerts and conferences to virtual trips around to the world.

"Right now, we are on the cusp of the next internet," said Matthew Ball, managing partner of venture capital firm Epyllion Industries, in a February 2021 essay on his website.
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Yuli Ban
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Now Disney's Going in on the Metaverse, Too
Probably should have seen this one coming, but now Disney's joining basically everyone else on the metaverse bandwagon.

In its full-year earnings call today, Disney CEO Bob Chapek brought up the idea of the metaverse to shareholders for the first time. He began by pointing out Disney's "long track record as an early adopter in the use of technology to enhance the entertainment experience," offering examples such as Steamboat Willie (one of the first cartoons to be produced with synchronized sound), its historical use of animatronics, and broadly the technological work of Pixar in its animations.

He went on: "Suffice it to say, our efforts today are merely a prologue to a time when we'll be able to connect the physical and digital worlds even more closely, allowing for storytelling without boundaries in our own Disney metaverse. We look forward to creating unparalelled opportunities for consumers to experience everything Disney has to offer across our product and platforms wherever the consumer may be.
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Yuli Ban
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Jim Cramer says these 4 companies are the best ways to invest in the metaverse
CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Wednesday he believes there are four standout stocks that investors should buy if they want to bet on the success of the so-called metaverse.

“Going forward, there will be many companies who try to claim they got a piece of the metaverse,” the “Mad Money” host said. However, for now, he said the best places to turn are Facebook-parent Meta, online gaming platform Roblox, semiconductor company Nvidia and Unity, a video-game software development firm.

The metaverse is an increasingly popular term on Wall Street that refers to immersive digital worlds in which people can connect using various devices. “Will younger people want a piece of this? I can’t be sure. I’m not one of them, but I know money managers love it and maybe that’s more important,” Cramer said.
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AR PIONEER WARNS THAT METAVERSE COULD MAKE “REALITY DISAPPEAR”
Dystopian Prediction
An innovator in early AR systems has a dire prediction: the metaverse could change the fabric of reality as we know it.

Louis Rosenberg, a computer scientist and developer of the first functional AR system at the Air Force Research Laboratory, penned an op-ed in Big Think this weekend that warned the metaverse — an immersive VR and AR world currently being developed by The Company Formerly Known as Facebook — could create what sounds like a real life cyberpunk dystopia.

“I am concerned about the legitimate uses of AR by the powerful platform providers that will control the infrastructure,” Rosenberg wrote in the essay.
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Disney wants to become the happiest place in the metaverse
Mickey Mouse is poised to venture into the metaverse.

Walt Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the entertainment conglomerate is preparing to make the technological leap into a virtual reality world first imagined by science fiction writers.

It is a popular destination these days, ever since Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the future of his company would be devoted to creating a robust, three-dimensional environment where users’ digital avatars would work, hang out and pursue their hobbies.

Other big companies, including game-makers Roblox Corp and Epic Games, and software giant Microsoft Corp, are working on their own metaverses. Disney’s plan was notably devoid of specifics, beyond dropping a buzzword that has animated Silicon Valley.
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To work for everyone, the Metaverse must be decentralized
What’s in a name? A whole metaverse is what one could be led to believe when looking at the buzz around Facebook’s recent transformation into Meta. In reality, of course, there is more to the new name than that — there is also the whistleblower scandal, alongside the previous controversies tarring the company’s image, as well as the encroachment of rivaling social media platforms that are more popular with young people.

But, if Facebook’s rebranding is easy for skeptics to dismiss as a PR stunt, the same does not go for the Metaverse, simply because entering it requires more than a public announcement. Besides Facebook’s own intention to pour $10 billion into metaverse-related projects just this year, Microsoft is building out its own metaverse and rolling out 3D avatars for teams. Earlier in April, Epic Games, the gaming giant behind the teen favorite Fortnite, raised $1 billion for its metaverse efforts. A lot of big players are revving up their engines to race into the Metaverse, and money tends to make things happen.

For now, though, it remains unclear what exactly money can make happen in this specific case, because it seems unclear what the Metaverse will actually look like.
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What is Holoearth? Hololive’s Ambitious Plan to Bridge VTubers to the Metaverse
Hololive, the talent agency that manages the top VTubers globally, has announced that they are creating a “metaverse” game platform where fans can create their own avatars and interact with their favorite VTubers in an open-world sandbox experience much like MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) that have come before.

Virtual beings can exist in practically any virtual world, especially games, with ease. We’ve recently seen this with the popular virtual influencers Janky and Guggimon entering Fortnite. These transmedia moments of a social-first character crossing over into a game platform are exhilarating to fans. After all, if you love following Guggimon on Instagram, why wouldn’t you want to play as him in a game as well?
The weeaboos of this forum should know what Hololive and VTubers are
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Yuli Ban
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Re: The Metaverse

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And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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Yuli Ban
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Re: The Metaverse

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And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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Yuli Ban
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Re: The Metaverse

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There is a lot more than the usual amount of handwringing over AI these days. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger put out a new book last week warning of AI’s dangers. Fresh AI warnings have also been issued by professors Stuart Russell (UC Berkeley) and Youval Harari (University of Jerusalem). Op-eds from the editorial board at the Guardian and Maureen Dowd at the New York Times have amplified these concerns. Facebook — now rebranded as Meta — has come under growing pressure for its algorithms creating social toxicity, but it is hardly alone. The White House has called for an AI bill of rights, and the Financial Times argues this should extend globally. Worries over AI are flying faster than a gale force wind.

The concerns point to shortcomings in existing AI implementations and the inherent dangers posed by its use in relation to employment, housing, credit, commerce, criminal sentencing, and healthcare. And yet, there are a multitude of significant advances brought about by AI that would otherwise not be possible — from revolutionizing our understanding of biology to saving energy in data centers, to becoming a new trusted source of career advice, developing computer code, identifying cancers in patients, and even opening up the possibility of communicating with other species. In these areas and more, AI is increasingly adding value to our experience and becoming interwoven into the fabric of daily life.
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