This week, Michael R and Andy grab their mics to chat all things rumored ahead of WWDC 2023. Apparently there might be some new things coming soon? Here are all the links we explored & discussed this time around.
Starting with all the snappy toots about WWDC, a musical playlist, and some speculation. Then, talking about games for AR. Some folks built Minecraft to run on Minecraft! Also, space LEGO went to the edge of space. Exciting times!
Let us know what you think about our wild speculation (and, measured commentary…); and, come back next week, to hear what was actually announced at WWDC (and elsewhere)!
Reunited, Andy, Michael and Michael get this week’s episode of Games at Work underway with a set of stores about Apple’s upcoming accessibility features and dive in on Personal Voice. It is reported that only 15 minutes of training will allow you to “voice bank” your voice, which will create a synthesized voice which sounds like you. Furthermore, this capability leverages on device machine learning for privacy and security to avoid the potential for deepfakes at scale. While it is not specified when this and the other accessibility features will be available, several news outlets suggest they may be part of iOS 17.
Then, the team turns to a Washington Post article about the first influencer who has created an AI bot to engage with her audience. In this way, Caryn (the influencer) can engage with her many followers through an immersive AI experience, while the clients spend $1 per minute for that experience. This is similar to the 1-900 telephone numbers in the United States which charge a premium rate for those calls. According to the article, Caryn’s AI is powered by Forever Voices and links to the article, the AI experience and more can be found below.
Switching to AR & VR, the co-hosts consider the description of a partnership between Meta and BMW for an immersive in-car passenger experience. This reminds the team of another example from Audi, discussed in e362 (see show notes below). Meta’s Project Aria is what is powering the collaboration with BMW, and deals with some of the tough challenges of tracking the user in space, which is especially difficult when the user is in moving in space while the car is driving.
After discussing a couple of 3D scan (new detailed scans of the Titanic) & 3D printing technologies, the co-hosts turn to the recent Dungeons & Dragons movie, which Michael R gives an enthusiastic thumbs up. The Verge reports that Amazon is creating a new Lord of the Rings MMO. Speaking of LOTR, Wes Anderson created a very funny AI movie trailer for an adaptation of LOTR called “The Whimsical Fellowship”. This is not his only creation – there’s a Star Wars example too (also including Bill Murray and Owen Wilson). This is not the Way. But it is way too funny. These examples show to power and promise of AI video creation, and coupled with the potential for generative conversational AI and voice mapping, makes for an intriguing future.
Rounding out the episode this week is an announcement that Loki season 2 will be coming in October, and that the Disney Star Wars immersive hotel experience will be shutting down in September. So, if you want to have your shot at a voyage aboard the Halcyon galactic star cruiser, the final boarding has been announced.
Will you voice bank your voice? Are you booking a cruise aboard the Halcyon? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
Got my first 3D printer with an automated color system, so I started adapting my Dynamod Dungeon Tiles models to take advantage of it. These doors are not painted but printed in place with three different filament colors!
While Andy is at the #WimbledonArtFair, Michael and Michael get things started for this episode with some of their favorite announcements from Google’s I/O conference. There was much too much for the co-hosts to cover in detail, however, a few topics caught their attention. Michael M liked Project Tailwind, a very personalized AI instance and the sign language game PopSign. Michael R’s attention was caught by the Pixel Fold, an unfoldable phone that expands to the size of a small tablet. Both of them liked the idea of the AR partnership with Taito to create a Space Invaders game. This idea then launched some imagining on several other classic arcade games that could be ported to AR.
A recent TED talk by Humane co-founder Imran Chaudhri brought up a terrific conversation of computing fading to the background while also providing ample fodder for privacy and security concerns.
Wrapping up the episode for this week, the team focused on a couple of AI stories – one about Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak wanting clear identifying characteristics for AI generated content. The other deals with the complexities of AI comprehending humans ordering their lunch at a drive through window.
Are you a foldable phone fan? How do you think AI chatbots will deal with people making up their mind at a drive thru? What game would you like to play in AR? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
We have officially exhibited our makes and crafts in an art show (and even made a few small sales) – fantastic time explaining #3Dprinting, Python, etc; and also seeing some friends who popped in to explore. Meeting other artists and starting to talk about collaborative opportunities/ commissions was also amazing. #wimbledonartfair@forgeandcraft
Michael and Michael get things started for this episode with several metaverse musings, beginning with the concept of undercover metaverse moderators. While this is a new(ish) role, it is also one that seems like it would lend itself well to AI augmentation. An article describing how one can post content from Horizon Worlds directly to the ‘gram with a virtual cellphone spurs a discussion on skewomorphism.
Continuing on the thread of design going back to the future, a Slate article describes how physical buttons are making a comeback, much to each Michael’s approval. Another Slate article considers how Americans are misusing temporary paper license plates to circumvent tolls and parking charges. One would think that this is a simple challenge to resolve with QR code registration for each temporary plate. Michael R remembers a story we looked at back in episode 200 with California’s digital plates. Then Michael R gives a summary of a Doom-esque game he played on Steam called “Hell of a Racket”.
Wrapping up the episode for this week, the team concludes with articles about Dune 2, the Dungeons & Dragons movie, The Guild, and the upcoming animated version of Babylon 5.
What are your thoughts on touchscreens vs buttons? Are you excited about Babylon 5? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz (our home for now) and let us know!
These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
