News
Vans Joins Roblox To Launch A Metaverse Skatepark Experience - HYBRID RITUALS - Fashion, Innovation, Sustainability
Vans is launching a Roblox skatepark experience, dubbed Vans World, to help spread the enjoyment of skateboarding in settings inspired by real world skate parks around the world. The world will also be a shop in the world, letting you customize your skateboard, avatar, and providing options to purchase real world Vans gear. There is definitely a heavy branding to all of this, but it was also a fun Roblox experience to jump into for a while.
BREAKING: Disney Uncharted Adventure Comes to the Disney Wish - WDW Magazine
Disney is bringing more magic to its Uncharted Adventure with an interactive experience, debuting on the Disney Cruise Line. The story and scale are fairly large, taking place over the entire ship, allowing cruise guests an additional layer of immersion into Disney while cruising the seas on the Disney Wish.
Re-Inventing the Hacker Scene and the Information Security Industry Using VR | Medium
We don't see many cyber attacks occurring in VR, and it would be great to see it stay that way. This project, currently sponsored by some of the world's most infamous hackers, has the potential to be just what can pull researchers and hackers together to work for the good of our burgeoning Multiverse. A platform for collaboration to find and fix major vulnerabilities before they can do harm is just what we need, and if you're interested in joining the team check out this link.
Reading
Today’s Metaverse is Referencing the Wrong Book | Medium
Neil Stephenson’s book Snow Crash was released in the 1970s, long before the Internet, social media, and most modern services on the Internet. So, does that make it a viable reference for creating the Metaverse of our future? This article provides a different perspective and suggestion for a better reference for creating a modern and future forward Metaverse.
Why XR Twitter Is Up In Arms About Saying “Metaverse” | ARPost
Continuing the discussion around using the name Metaverse, this article dives into the history of the term, how it came to be used by companies, and looks to clarify what it does and doesn't mean. Definitely worth a read as we are at the beginning of something world changing, and getting the terminology right in the beginning is important to how others envision its potential going forward.
The Story of Burning Man's First VR Temple | No Proscenium
2020 was the first year since 1986 that Burning Man did not take place in the deserts of Nevada, instead going virtual due to COVID-19 and social distancing requirements. This article talks about the virtual "multiverses" where attendees gathered, but primarily focuses on the creation of the Ethereal Empyrean Experience and how its creators honored The 10 Principles of Burning Man while bringing this temple to life.
Inspiration
Checking in on Goro Fujita
We've featured the work of Goro Fujita a few times already and think it's a good time to check in and see what new inspirational work he's creating. And, wow, using Quill to animate and Redshift to render is making his work look even more incredible.
One More Thing
Surviving 9/11 - 27 Hours Under The Rubble
For those of us in the United States back in 2001, where we were on September 11th is forever engrained in our memories. This past week marked the 20th anniversary of that tragic day, and even now we're still healing and learning form the accounts of those who survived the attack. This week we're featuring the story of Genelle Guzman-McMillan — the last person to be rescued from Ground Zero after spending 27 hours trapped under the rubble. You can watch this documentary on Oculus TV now, with or without a VR headset.
Commentary
The use of the phrase Metaverse has seemed like one that fit well with the current state of VR and the platforms merging reality with VR. However, this week we came across a few authors that made us rethink if that's the best way to refer to the new extension of reality we're all beginning to enjoy. No disrespect to the groundbreaking work, but it was created in a time before social media. We've featured two of the more interesting articles we came across that talk more about this, and potentially what we should be using as an alternative name.
We're still mulling it over, but let us know what you think on Twitter if you feel like Metaverse is the right term or if something different is truly in order.
Epistemology aside, this week we have a good mix of topics to get you thinking about the impact of VR on the world, creating the foundations of cyber security within VR, and a VR documentary recounting the story of the last person found alive after the 9/11 terror attack as our One More Thing.
Thank you for reading and subscribing, and we'll see you next week!
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