synthetic dimensions and synthetic humans
I don't write much about my day job, but I've been working full time for one client, XR Terra, a virtual reality bootcamp. We have ambitious plans to upskill thousands of enterprise employees with VR developer skills.
I spent last week in Boston with the leadership team strategizing 2022.
I'm all for the virtual future, but eating breakfast together in a café with a notebook and planning the year is hard to beat!
1 life update 👆
I made a goal this year to write more science fiction, but I didn't know where to start. I've written a few pieces, but they were just crazy ideas that tumbled out of me.
I don't know how to systematically approach fiction writing.
Thanks to my fellow writer and friend, Tobi (you should check out his work), I have a place to start.
He recommended author Brandon Sanderson's YouTube lecture series on writing Fantasy and Science Fiction. I'm only part way in and I cannot recommend this enough if you want to write fiction.
2 crazy things ✌
🌞 Solar flares
A massive solar flare that erupted on the surface of the sun will arrive to earth tomorrow, February 2nd. Expect a lightshow in the northern parts of the northern hemisphere.
Fortunately this solar flare isn't big enough to disrupt our power grid or anything, but theoretically a massive solar flare could cause an earth-wide EMP. We should probably harden our grid more.
👨🔬 Scientists create synthetic dimensions
The real fun is to read the comments on Reddit:
"I read the article, slowly, quietly repeating out loud to myself in some parts, and still managed to absorb very little of it."
"Yeah, I got a guy for synthetic dimensions. How many you need?"
Reddit
3 Metaverse things ✌+👆
🤔 Andy Warhol, Clay Christensen, and Vitalik Buterin walk into a bar
The title of this article sounds like the setup for a joke, but the essay is a fascinating read on crypto, the nature of value, and the future of the economy. There's a lot crammed into this article.
🤖 Metahuman Creator
The Unreal Engine has an app called MetaHuman Creator that allows you to make photorealistic human characters.
You can try it out yourself, it's pretty fun. Try to create someone that looks like you, or go crazy and come up with a new character.
Here's a dude I created in about 8 minutes.
The idea is that animators, video game developers, and Metaverse creators can create a near infinite variety of realistic humans for their apps and experiences.
Try it out.
👓 Google's working on AR glasses
Google's no stranger to XR. They released the now infamous Google Glass about ten years ago.
They also have been a weird early player in VR with Google Cardboard and the Pixel daydream viewer (I actually had the daydream viewer).
As XR heats up it's no real surprise they're diving in.
Sci-fi?
I have a sneaking suspicion that if you're a regular reader you probably like sci-fi. What's your favorite sci-fi novel?
Let me know. Just hit reply, I read and respond to everyone!
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Have an awesome week and see you next Tuesday!
Daniel
The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.
Brandon Sanderson