Big Tech Forms the Metaverse Standards Forum

Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, and other tech giants have formed the Metaverse Standards Forum to foster development of industry standards for the (as yet undefined) metaverse. Most of the big players are founding members, with some notable exceptions such as Apple, Roblox, Niantic, The Sandbox, and Decentraland. Continue Reading →

Gimme My Zuck Bucks!

Meta (the company formerly known as Facebook) is thinking about creating its own virtual currency. Some reporters (and anonymous company sources) say it is unlikely to be a cryptocurrency. That seems naive. No matter how they create Zuck Bucks, if it has a value inside of the Zuckerverse, it will have a value outside of the Zuckerverse. Continue Reading →

Is Meta Smarter Than Google?

Mark Zuckerberg wants to build an AI universal translator for Meta: "This is going to be especially important when people begin teleporting across virtual worlds and experiencing things with people from different backgrounds.” He's right, of course. Continue Reading →

Personal Boundaries in the Metaverse

Meta announced "Personal Boundary" for Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues, which "prevents avatars from coming within a set distance of each other, creating more personal space for people and making it easier to avoid unwanted interactions." Continue Reading →

The Social Network Effect

Facebook's power is a direct result of the network effect. Each user's utility of Facebook increases as the number of users increases. (Said simply, the more the merrier.) Continue Reading →

Microsoft, Activision, and Meta

Two seemingly unrelated stories should get your attention today. Microsoft's planned $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard lays the groundwork for a corporatized, centralized metaverse that will enjoy all the advantages of technical dominance and global brand recognition at birth. Continue Reading →