November 2024 - Metaverse News and Links

 

Some of the more interesting bits of news we spotted around the Internet about the Metaverse this month:

• VR Is Changing War & Sex, Why Are We Still Acting Like It Is Just A Game?
• https://www.auganix.org/xr-news-khronos-group-and-vrm-consortium-collaborate-to-expand-vrm-avatar-format-globally/ - extending the glTF standard into avatar design using VRM.
• Philip Rosedale appointed as CTO back at Linden Lab to help drive Second Life forward again:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Mu2Rpgpw4&t=1s&ab_channel=SecondLife
• https://community.secondlife.com/blogs/entry/15941-philip-rosedale-returns-as-cto-to-help-build-the-future-of-second-life

The Metaverse Series - Physical Launch Event

We had a great launch event for The Metaverse Series and our first two books at Blackfriars Hall in Oxford on the evening of 24th October 2024. The photo above shows Maggi, David, our editor Randi (who had managed to fly across from the USA to join us), and our kind and generous hosts at Blackfriars, the Regent and the Director of the Las Casas Institute for Social Justice at Blackfriars.

Dr Maria Power, Senior Research Fellow in Human Dignity at Blackfriars Hall, hosted the event (and took the photos). David provided a short(ish) introduction to the Metaverse and the Critical Introduction book - but instead of using slides projected our space in Frame up onto the screen and walked his avatar through the information garden about the book in order to highlight key elements of the text. Maggi then spoke about the Learning and Education book, discussing liminality, C.S. Lewis and his notion of a hall as a waiting room between many doors (David actually built The Wood Between the Worlds in Second Life as a way of moving between spaces there), and "learning assemblages" in the metaverse and how they challenged more traditional linear scaffolding (a hot topic in the discussion afterwards).

We then had 3 guest speakers: Prof. Nigel Crook of Oxford Brookes University,  Prof. Sarah Hayes of the University of Bath Spa and Dave White of the University of the Arts. Nigel talked about the impact of the Metaverse on an individuals moral development, and as a place where humans and robotic intelligences might be able to co-operate and even bond. Sarah discussed the relationship between the Metaverse and the post-digital world and thought, the biodigital and the role of the Metaverse in inclusion and entrepreneurship. David talked about the false dichotomy between "real" and physical/digital, the importance of place and presence to our lives, the impact of COVID and the Zoomification of our lives, and how the Metaverse potentially is an expression of our grieving for place.

(I'm just setting the timer for my talk, honest!)

There was then an open discussion driven by questions from the floor, exploring issues such as identity in virtual worlds, accessibility and the creation of "disabled" avatars, and the role of embodiment.

All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and a great launch for the series. Our thanks to all involved, and especially to Blackfriars Hall for hosting us and providing technical and logistical support, and to Randi and Taylor & Francis for being so supportive of us and the series.

Remember that our Metaverse Series microverse and the information garden for the Critical Introduction book is still available directly in your browser at https://framevr.io/themetaverseseries-home.

October 2024 - Useful Links

 

Whilst I post interesting Metaverse news to my Twitter feed, I thought it might also be useful to post them here. But since they don't merit a whole post for each one I'll experiment with the idea of a monthly post that I add to during the month as news comes in. We'll see how it goes!

• EU's ideas for Web 4.0 and virtual worlds -  https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_3718
• Using AI to turn old video game/virtual world machina (and other) footage into more realistic video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBrAomadM4c
• BMW's M Mixed Reality system - you drive a real BMW round a race track but wear an MR headset which augments the view around the track (as far as I can work out form the description!)
• Ready Player Me launches Player Zero - essentially NFT "collectible" outfits
• Nice summary from Immersive Wire about VR in China, particularly location-based VR.
• Ernst Kline (of Ready Player One fame) is backing a new Battle Royale world called Open (but bet it isn't!) from Readyverse Studios.
• Decentraland 2.0 White Paper, head of their 2.0 launch
• POC of using AR/MR to rewrite reality as you see it - https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/comments/1g9iwcg/lifeskin_app_concept/?rdt=60673
• HeyGen demo video - virtual presenters - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3225dV0lyQ&ab_channel=HeyGen

Also always worth checking out Immersive Wire for a whole range of stories, only key ones of which I'll repost here.

 

Here's a new way to sample our new book - The Metaverse: A Critical Introduction - by NotebookLM generated podcast. It's about 19 mins long (but still very listenable at x1.5). Enjoy!

https://www.taunoyen.com/media/The%20Metaverse_%20A%20Critical%20Introduction.wav

(apologies for the pronunciation of MUDs and MOOs!)

It's interesting how its remixed the axioms and the end scenarios a bit, but certainly catching the gist, and how the female "presenter" brings in her previous history and experiences in virtual worlds.

Odd that Google haven't work out how to end a podcast yet though!

Server Meshing

 

Given recent announcements by Unreal and other vendors there is growing interest in server meshing in MMOs and virtual worlds  - being able to dynamically assign computer resources to different parts of a world as user (and other activity) in each space increases. The idea of having different servers supporting adjacent parts of a world so that you can walk from one server to another is nothing new, it's how Second Life works, but in SL each server has fixed to its supporting region. The key innovation here is that you have a pool of servers or compute resources and you assign them to regions needed - static regions with no one in them get nothing, busy regions with lots of activity and avatars get lots of compute.

More info at:

- https://nosygamer.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-server-meshing-wars-have-begun.html

The Metaverse in Aviation

 

https://tnmt.com/the-metaverse-in-aviation-the-golden-islands-scenario/

An interesting look at 4 possible scenarios for the future impact of the metaverse on aviation. There 2x2 matrix  axis are very similar to ours in A Critical Introduction, although our second axis focus is more on control than consolidation, although of course both are linked.

Virtual Series Launch Today! (and Critical Introduction published!)

 

The virtual launch for The Metaverse Series is today, from 1100 GMT to 2100 GMT. The location is on the Frame virtual world platform at:

https://framevr.io/themetaverseseries-home

This is essentially a drop in event and Maggi or I will be in world (or on call) the whole time, and we have a few fixed points in the day for particular activities as shown below.

If the space is "full" then additional attendees will  be able to join as spectators in a listen0in/don't touch -only mode. Just log back in later if you want to chat and interact.

And The Metaverse: A Critical Introduction is formally published today and available through all good book sellers.

We hope to see you in there later today!