New World Notes

Listen: Making a Metaverse That Matters Isn't About Replacing Reality, But Offering a Better Way of Being Together Online (Legal4Tech Podcast)

Here's a fun interview I did recently with Legal4Tech, a podcast/news site exploring the regulatory issues around technology, especially from an European Union perspective. My favorite highlight is getting into the question, "Is the Metaverse meant to replace reality?" Because my answer is, roughly, No, it's meant to replace the toxic crap on TikTok, X, Facebook/Instagram, etc. that make us feel bad about ourselves and each other. Hope you give it a listen!

How Subscribing to My Patreon on the Metaverse Partner Level Can Help Your Virtual Brand

Hari Sutherland recently subscribed to my Patreon on the  $100/month "Metaverse partner" level to help launch his new coffee table book, SECOND LIFE: The First, Best Metaverse in Words and Pictures, so I was chuffed to get this ringing endorsement from him:

I joined Wagner James Au’s Patreon at the “Metaverse partner” level in October 2024, when I started work on my book about Second Life, since James’s New World Notes blog and Patreon user posts seemed the perfect place to publicize my project.

In the four months since, I’ve been both impressed and delighted by the results...

 

Give the Gift of New World Notes! Send Someone Special a Patreon Membership or My Book Autographed

Please join my Patreon for free to help sustain New World Notes!

You can now also send someone a membership to my Patreon as a gift here. If you enjoy reading New World Worlds, I hope you consider sharing and supporting it over the holidays -- plus get quality early/exclusive content via the Patreon app, plus other benefits!

I'm also giving away my autograph plate to anyone who buys a copy of Making of Second Life or Making a Metaverse That Matters. I'll even write a special (short!) dedication message to you or a special someone.

Here's how:

Connect With Me on LinkedIn!

Here's my LinkedIn if you're on that platform and want to connect there, especially if you work in the game/virtual world industry, VR, and related fields. While I post New World Notes updates there fairly often, you'll also see posts related to my marketing clients in AI, product design, MMOs, VR, and assorted other verticals. 

I actually also recommend LinkedIn for discussions around virtual worlds, the Metaverse, and so on. Since it's primarily a job search network, you usually come across way less toxicity and bot flimflam than Other Social Networks. (In post comments, at least, the messaging system attracts a steady amount of Spam bots, in my experience.)

Join Me This Friday on David Orban's Live Podcast Recording!

I'm talking with veteran technologist David Orban for his podcast this Friday, hope you join us live! Click "notify me" on his YouTube channel (above), or go here to join via: his LinkedIn page or on this Facebook event page. 

Some topics covered:

• The true state of the Metaverse, beyond the hype and misconceptions
• Insights from Au's 20 years of experience in virtual worlds
• The evolution of metaverse platforms like Second Life, Roblox, Fortnite, and VRChat
• Potential impact of the Metaverse on society and business
• Common mistakes made by major tech companies in metaverse development
• The role of user communities in shaping the Metaverse

If there's other subjects we should hit on, please post suggestions in Comments!

Metaverse Interoperability Across Multiple Platforms Was Tried By IBM & Linden Lab But Didn't Catch On -- Here's Why.

Why the Metaverse is Beating Gen AI https://t.co/0CegcGDiSk

— Open Metaverse Interoperability Group (@open_metaverse) September 6, 2024

Thanks to everyone from the Open Metaverse Interoperability Group especially host @jimmy6DOF for the fun and spicy conversation last Friday -- you can listen to the whole thing above (starting around 4 minutes in), with some particular spiciness around 36:30, where I mention that metaverse interoperability of virtual objects has been tried before and fairly failed, a topic I go into at length in my book. So below is a somewhat edited excerpt on that subject:

 

Tomorrow at 11am on X/Twitter: Join Me & OMI on Spaces to Chat Metaverse vs. Gen AI!

Join Wagner James Au @slhamlet with us on Friday!

Open House & Talking all things Metaverse -- what it was -- what it is -- what it could be -- and why he thinks it's beating GenAI !!!

Here on X starting :
11AM(PST) 2PM(EST) 6PM(UTC) pic.twitter.com/3OQTiPIAzO

— Open Metaverse Interoperability Group (@open_metaverse) September 4, 2024

I'm on an X/Twitter Space tomorrow at 11am PT co-hosted by the Open Metaverse Interoperability Group, where we'll be getting punchy about the continued vitality of the Metaverse and metaverse platforms, especially as compared to the (largely) unsustainable hype of generative AI. Get your questions ready and join the fun! 

Afterward (around Noon PT), we'll be hitting a virtual world after party in the web-based NOWHERE, in a space co-hosted by the Virtual Worlds Museum -- will share the link when we're there! 

Watch Me Talk Making a Better Metaverse With XR Reality's Dominque Wu

Here's a fun recent chat with Dominique Wu of the XR Reality Pro podcast, on Making a Metaverse That Matters. Dominique herself is a recent author (Spatial Design) and was recently a developer on Horizons Worlds, so we're able to delve deep into the weeds on what works and what doesn't with Metaverse platforms.

Actually I put my camera at a weird angle (or maybe my head has a weird angle), so you might prefer listening instead:

• Get it on Spotify
• Get it on Apple Podcasts

Here's some timecoded highlights:

Hear Me Out: Audio Version of Making a Metaverse That Matters 60% Off Until July 11!

Wagner James Au · What the Metaverse is -- and what it's not. (Excerpt, "Making a Metaverse That Matters".)

The audio version of  Making is ideal listening for long Summer trips/vacations (in my very totally humble opinion), and it's now 60% off at Audiobooks.com until July 11th here! Listen to a sample above, read the description below:

Special Discount Code to Augmented World Expo 2024 in Long Beach, Where I'll Be Blogging & Signing My Book!

Augmented World Expo 2024 is happening next month in June in sunny Long Beach, and I'm excited to say I'll be attending the world's largest XR/AR/VR conference, signing Making a Metaverse That Matters and roaming the conference as a blogger/consultant/etc. Hope to see you there!

Speaking of which, the team at AWE gave me this special discount code on registration for New World Notes readers:

Use SPKR24D as a discount code on sign-up for 20% off all tickets except VIP.

That's on top an early-bird discounted price if you order before May 8. And if you are coming, please let me know in Comments or on my socials!