Comments Off on Episode 331 — The Metaverse is so new
Some of our Cohosts meeting in SecondLife in 2007
Andy and Michael R have a detailed discussions of the week’s tech topics, including robots, iOS security topics, the Lord of the Rings Gollum stealth game, and of course the Metaverse. Our co-host Michael M. is out this week, on a mystery trip, but we attempt to keep the show going without him.
By now, many of our Apple product using listeners have updated their devices to address the security vulnerabilities addressed by the list recent iOS, macOS, and watchOS updates. We hope you help your friends and family do the same.
Michael R. talks about how cool the new stealth Gollum game looks, while Andy recounts all the Lord of the Rings games that he has played on various platform.
We then dive deep into Newzoo’s Intro to the Metaverse analyst report, discussing what is missing in the true metaverse. We look at how you can build the metaverse, but it certainly requires a set of common standards with interoperatability across platforms.
Pegasus, Roadrunner, Abraham Lincoln, right to repair, open source, electric sweat and hiding Oreos in plain sight.
Michael and Michael start things off with the serious topic of security for this week’s episode. The recent news about the Pegasus exploit, and implications for activists, journalists and those concerned about personal security are very concerning. The co-hosts discuss how concerned the show listeners should be given the articles in the press, and actions they are taking (or not taking!)
What’s also concerning to the cohosts is the use of AI to create deepfakes and voiceovers that never happened. Such is the case of the ‘Roadrunner’ documentary where AI was used to create a model of Anthony Bourdain’s voice and read text that he never actually said. This reminds Michael M of the famous Abraham Lincoln quote included in the links below.
Trust continues to be a leitmotif throughout this episode, with stories on the FTC right to repair, and more directly with open source software. Is knowing the who has made edits to the open source code enough? You be the judge!
Michael and Michael wrap up the show with an innovation from UC San Diego for creating power from your keystrokes and even your sweat, a funny video about what happens when you have a really good turn in a card game, and how to hide your Oreo cookies in plain sight.
How do you keep your snacks safe? What’s been your greatest turn in a game? Let us know over at @gamesatwork_biz !
Space travel contests, startup toy models, intellectual property rights, portable computing, cloud-based Windows, Clippy, and a LEGO flux capacitor.
Going back to the future is one of the leitmotifs for this week’s episode, as Michael and Michael reflect on the news stories. Starting off with the Virgin Galactic sweepstakes to win a spot on the upcoming flight, the co-hosts wonder what happened to the Mars-One contest discussed way back in episode 34. Spoiler alert: check out the link in the show notes below to see the current status of this project! After a quick detour to the Defender space-based video game link courtesy of Ian, Michael and Michael take a look at a site dedicated to selling scale model toys based on failed startups. Here, you can buy a non-functional replica of the jibo robot, theranos minilab or Coolest Cooler.
After a couple of stories dealing with solutions to prevent people from playing games past curfew or riding a scooter while under the influence, the co-hosts turn their attention to real (and replica) versions of portable computing from a Raspberry Pi version of the Кибердек RA01 from William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer, to the TVA’s TemPad to the real Valve Steam Deck which will be available for reservations starting now with anticipated delivery later this year. See if you can help Michael R remember the Steam game he was mentioning during the podcast!
Staying on the thought of portable computing, Michael and Michael discuss Microsoft’s Windows 11 which will execute on Macs and iPads, and the Windows 365 cloud PC subscription which can also be executed on any internet connected device. One has to wonder whether Clippy will be available on each of these platforms, with all the likes for this nostalgic support avatar.
Around your wallet, a perimeter create! So says the subtitle for the LEGO Star Wars Republic Gunship, and boy, is it a doozy. Michael M remembers the ball turrets from the Flying Fortress models he built as a kid. Andy also shared a link to a LEGO flux capacitor that will take you back to the future.
Photo by Michael Martine, BMW Performance Center, Greer, SC 2007
Brickit AR app for LEGO bricks, AI voices & immortality, Fibonacci, cooling PCs & t-shirts, cool NASA code and one cool Asgardian (Loki)
Andy, Michael and Michael assemble to consider a wide variety of topics in this week’s episode. While on vacation, Michael M puts the Brickit iOS app from last week’s episode to the test with fantastic results. Appropriate for the beach, he builds a LEGO sailboat from the app, and is helped to find the necessary pieces by the AR functionality.
Turning to the world of AI, the co-hosts talk about the rapidly evolving AI voice actors, and how quickly they are sounding more and more natural in their inflection and cadence. After a quick hit dealing with NaviLens, a new QR code type of communication, the trio unpacks the Windows patch for the PrintNightmare vulnerability. Fractals, Fibonacci numbers and phi are all part of how cauliflower grows – have a look at the referenced Ars Technica article to learn more.
Given the summer heat gripping many areas in the world, the next stories deal with cooling – hardware and software. The hardware is a custom build that uses mechanical bellows to cool a PC – check out the video to see how. The software deals with titanium dioxide nanoparticles embedded in polymer fibers to reflect photons away and generate a cooling effect of 3º C for a person wearing a vest made from these fibers.
In the automotive world, a business article highlights that analysts are thinking of car companies more as technology companies, complete with the associated valuation multiples. Given the explosive growth expected in the race to provide to electric vehicles, this is not quite a surprise. And Michael R found an article about the very cool Peugeot 9X8, a new hybrid hypercar that will race in the World Endurance Championship series.
Next up, space, the final coding frontier. Michael, Michael and Andy take a look at the free catalog of NASA software that was developed as part of NASA’s space mission. Take note that NASA is hosting a webinar on their software this Tuesday where you can ask questions and learn more about all the software available.
On the subject of immortality enabled by AI, the Wall Street Journal covers this topic in a recent article. Longtime Games At Work listeners will remember an intriguing discussion about this way back in 2012. See the link to episodes 26 and 218 in the show notes below.
Wrapping up this episode, the cohosts are getting excited about the next Alto’s Odyssey game, the next episode of Disney’s Loki and enjoys the Simpsons-Loki crossover.
Oh, and this week’s title is because 328 is an iconic BMW model, so of course the episode had to have that in the title. Have an idea for an upcoming episode number you’d like to name? A new and intriguing way that AR/VR/AI is being used? Drop the Games At Work team a tweet and perhaps your story will find it’s way into the next episode. Thanks for listening!
