Metaverse is going full throttle but Meta's top VR expert is wary

Toyota shares details of its first-ever EV: A solar-roof SUV, McDonald’s partners with IBM to automate drive-thru work Nov 01, 2021 # Good morning and welcome to a new week. Mark Zuckerberg wants to be at the forefront of what he sees as the next internet, effectively making the 'metaverse' a tech buzzword we'll hear pretty often. However, although his plan is going full throttle, some metaverse pioneers remain unimpressed. Also, in today's edition, McDonald's is partnering with IBM to automate drive-thru lanes, and Toyota has disclosed fresh information on its first-ever EV, which includes some surprises given its reputation as a conservative automaker. Buckle up, and get ready for solar panels that'll charge your EV as well as your house! This is The Blueprint. Happy reading. CULTURE [Metaverse Is Going Full Throttle But Meta's Top VR Expert Is Wary]( [Metaverse.]( Facebook drew both praise and criticism last week when it [revealed a new focus on a virtual reality “metaverse,”]( and the company is even changing its name to Meta. However, it appears that the new plan has not gone over well with everyone at Facebook, with even one of the megacorporation’s top VR developers criticizing it. John Carmack, the seasoned programmer behind DOOM and Quake who took on the role as CTO of Oculus VR prior to its acquisition by Facebook, [sounds pretty skeptical of the newly branded Meta’s plans](. - “I have been pretty actively arguing against every single metaverse effort that we have tried to spin up internally in the company from even pre-acquisition times,” said Carmack. “I have pretty good reasons to believe that setting out to build the metaverse is not actually the best way to wind up with the metaverse.” Now if that doesn’t sound ironic! Why the pushback? While Carmack said that he would like to see a metaverse, he’s not sure that Facebook is the right company to build it. His specific concern is that Facebook's strategy would approach the problem too broadly, attempting to generalize every application for the metaverse rather than focusing on building interesting, smaller experiences that will truly bring value to consumers. - So, what’s the ‘right’ way? “The most obvious path to the metaverse is that you have one single universal app, something like ‘Roblox,’” he said. Roblox is a hugely popular virtual universe platform, which is very popular among kids. “I just don’t believe that one player — one company — winds up making all the right decisions for this.” The point of no return. "But here we are," Carmack continued. "Mark Zuckerberg has decided that now is the time to build the metaverse, so enormous wheels are turning and resources are flowing and the effort is definitely going to be made." It's a pretty bold move to say such things about your employer which further indicates that Carmack must really believe in his statements. He, however, does plan to do his best to fulfill Zuckerberg's vision, even going so far as to say the company could hold next year’s Facebook Connect conference in the metaverse. [This is a lofty claim that should get you excited]( and feeling skeptical, since, at the end of the day, technology, not architecture slides, determines what is achievable. [Read More]( TRANSPORTATION [Toyota Shares Details Of Its First-Ever EV: A Solar-Roof SUV]( [The bZX4 marks Toyota's foray into the EV segment.]( Once at the helm of sustainability in the automotive sector with its hybrid cars, the Japanese automaker, Toyota, now has to play catch up with the likes of Tesla in the electric vehicle (EV) segment. - Hoping to regain its top spot, Toyota first debuted the electric compact SUV, the BZ4X, earlier this year at the Shanghai Auto Show. Now, [it has disclosed fresh details on the upcoming vehicle]( which includes some surprises given Toyota's reputation as a conservative automaker. What’s new? An optional solar roof and a steering yoke similar to the one found in the latest version of the Tesla Model S. The wing-shaped steering yoke uses a steer-by-wire system, which means there is no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the tires. The yoke only needs to be rotated 150 degrees from side to side, and the driver never needs to take their hands off the wheel. - This eliminates the need to switch grips while steering, potentially making U-turns and other maneuvers easier. Tesla’s unorthodox yoke [has been immensely criticized though]( so time will show whether trying to reinvent the tried-and-true round steering wheel is a good idea or not. An ingenious idea? Additionally, the vehicle can be equipped with a solar roof that can store enough energy in a year to enable 1,118 miles (1,800 km) of driving, minimizing reliance on charger networks. Imagine shopping while your EV charges in the parking lot! Interestingly, the power generated by the roof and captured in the car's battery can be delivered through a bidirectional charger to power your home in an emergency or on a regular basis. The SUV will be built in Japan and China, with the first BZ4X cars arriving in the United States in the middle of 2022. By then, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, and others will have a new competitor, but it won’t stop there. Toyota has also committed a $13.6 billion investment in battery technology over the next decade, including a $9 billion investment in production, as it strives to electrify its car fleet. Unlike other EV makers that are betting on batteries to power their cars for the foreseeable future, Toyota wants to offer its customers a full line powered by batteries, hybrids [as well as hydrogen fuel cells](. [Read More]( INNOVATION [McDonalds Partners With IBM to Automate Drive-Thru Work]( [The obvious question is: When can they start handling upset customers?]( The hamburger behemoth McDonald's has made AI investments, and now it's taking them to the next level with IBM stepping in to provide the secret sauce. - McDonald’s [has entered a strategic partnership with IBM]( to develop artificial intelligence technology to automate the fast-food chain's drive-thru lanes, in an example of digital forward-thinking. As part of the new deal, IBM will buy out McD Tech Labs which will provide the technology for the new drive-thrus. This company was formerly known as Apprente before McDonald’s acquired it in 2019. What do the tests say? And the fast-food chain is not going into this deal blindfolded. It already tested McD Tech Labs' technology on several Chicago stores this summer, and the test showed “substantial benefits” to customers and employees, revealing that the new system could already handle about 80 percent of the incoming orders with about 85 percent accuracy. Those aren't bad numbers, but they are still not 100 percent, which could spell some issues for the firm. If this sounds like trouble, [that's because it really can be](. Trying to communicate with an AI to get your food is bound to be an exercise in patience, so the real test will be to see how the AI will tackle a disgruntled patron. Will the automated system be able to cope with the intricacies and sensitivity required to handle a customer who is upset about service? Only time will tell. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS The McDonald's example is only the tip of the iceberg: Robots could replace as many as 2 million more workers in manufacturing alone by 2025, according to a study by MIT economists. Do you believe a robot will take your job one day? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes, I’m worried about it.]( [Yes, but it'll create even more opportunities.]( [No, my job cannot be done by a robot.]( [I’m #opentowork.]( ANSWER And now the answer to yesterday’s question! We asked readers whether they’d consider undergoing repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to help with depression. And it looks like nearly half of you chose “Give me rTMS, psychotherapy, and medication. I want all the mental health I can get”, which we definitely resonate with. It's also worth noting that a whopping 14% thinks mental health is a hoax created by the big dairy to sell more ice cream. That's funny — but did you know that low-fat dairy intake is actually linked to lower prevalence of depression symptoms? Give me rTMS, psychotherapy, and medication. I want all the mental health I can get. 47% Sounds unsafe. We don't know how it works just yet. 30% Mental health is a hoax created by big dairy to sell more ice-cream. 14% I'd prefer medication and/or therapy. 9% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ It’s better to have no science than to have a science without accountability. ” Abhijit Naskar in ‘Good Scientist: When Science and Service Combine’ [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Does the Future of Battery Tech Lie in... Rust?]( A new technology using rust is looking to extend battery storage capacity for up to 100 hours. [Does the Future of Battery Tech Lie in... Rust?]( TODAY IN HISTORY In 1848, the Boston Female Medical School, the first medical school in the world exclusively for women, opened its doors to 12 students. Founded by Samuel Gregory, who was opposed to male doctors attending childbirth, its early curriculum focused on midwifery. It was renamed the New England Female Medical College in 1850 and expanded to include a full medical curriculum. The college began to grant medical degrees to women, and by 1873, the college had graduated 98 women doctors, including Rebecca Lee, MD, the first African-American woman to become a physician. Take this opportunity to [learn more about women in STEM whose stories have been lost to history](. AND ANOTHER THING... - [The story of China's ghost cities and its 65 million empty homes]( There is a ghostly London, Manhattan, and Paris lying within China. - Sales of vintage computers have exploded during the pandemic thanks to growing interest in ‘retrocomputing’. As a result, many collectors have gotten their hands on [hoards of long-forgotten but sensitive information stored in old machines](. (WIRED) - Would you travel in an aircraft that is fully automated? Or do you prefer the feeling that a human being is in control? Before you answer, let's take a look at [the world of autonomous aircraft of the present and future](. - Surprisingly, [a low-cost, widely available antidepressant drug]( cuts the risk of death from COVID-19 and the need for people with the disease to receive intensive medical care. (Nature) - [Should China reconsider its carbon-neutral strategy]( The transition could actually be done for the same cost as sticking to coal and gas. - Veganism is often associated with healthy eating, but today’s factory-made fake bacon, sausages, and burgers tell another story. Could it be that [vegan meat alternatives are putting our health on the line]( (New Scientist $) - The desert planet in the new movie Dune is full of hardships and short on water, but [how hard would it be for humans to actually live on such a planet]( Prepared by Derya Ozdemir Enjoy reading? 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