Enter the Metaverse

1992 sci-fi becomes reality October 14, 2021 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( | [WEBSITE](Put_Website_ [Altucher Confidential] [Editorial note: We’re interrupting our typical format today to remind you of an opportunity to join six of our leading editors in a supercharged virtual conference we’re calling the “Six Predictions Summit.” Just hours from now, you’ll hear from all six experts LIVE on video, including Jim Rickards, Alan Knuckman, James Altucher, Ray Blanco, George Gilder and Zach Scheidt. And each is prepared to name two tickers you can act on immediately. (Perhaps we should have dubbed it the dozen predictions summit?) Access this exclusive Zoom call today absolutely FREE -- it’s all going down at 1:00 p.m. EDT today. [Registration is as simple as clicking this link]( but you should know virtual space is limited to the first 10,000 takers. And in advance of the “Six Predictions Summit” later, we thought we’d give the floor to three guest editors today. Enjoy… but you might want to [sign up first]( [Email Masthead] [The Forever Battery: Making Gas Guzzlers Obsolete]( Only 2% of cars sold in the U.S. today are electric vehicles… but that’s about to change — FAST. A new battery breakthrough is ready to hit the market. It could revolutionize the $2 trillion automotive industry … and could soon make gas guzzlers obsolete. This technology is predicted to cause a 1,500% surge in electric vehicle sales over the next four years. The company pioneering this new battery could be the investment of a lifetime. [Click here for details.]( Enter the Metaverse “The metaverse is an idea that we’re working on right now,” says our science and tech authority Ray Blanco about his team’s recent preoccupation. “We’ve actually been writing about the metaverse for years without using that name,” he says. “In fact, it’s something I’ve been writing about since, at least, 2015. “So what is the metaverse?” Ray asks. “The term comes from the science fiction author Neal Stephenson who wrote a book [in 1992] called Snow Crash.” Essentially? “It’s augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and experiencing virtual worlds.” We already have this technology — “to a certain degree,” he says. “But [this technology] is going to go to a much richer and deeper level of realism.” And the technology that makes next-level realism possible must advance to build out the metaverse’s architecture. “Everybody’s working on it,” says Ray. - “Microsoft is working to improve massive graphics processing capabilities. - Nvidia is working on the world’s greatest chips - Taiwan Semiconductor is looking to improve on its 4 nanometer process (which is what they use in iPhones). “So there’s the hardware side and then there’s the software side, and there are different ways to play it,” he says. “Apple is supposed to be working on Apple Glasses,” facilitating the “augmented experience,” says Ray. “Of course, Apple isn’t the first company to try to make AR glasses. “Other attempts at augmented reality (AR) glasses have been a lot like the portable digital music players of the late 1990s or the smartphones of the early 2000s — they weren’t meant for mass-market users.” (Remember Google Glass? Widely available for sale in 2014? But they never really caught on.) Ray says: “The key to success for smartglasses will be to make comfortable glasses, and a seamless user experience. “Apple’s Glasses would allow users to see digital images projected directly on a pair of stylish specs. Instead of having to peer over at your GPS screen while driving, Apple Glasses would provide driving directions through AR right in your field of vision. “Rather than pull your phone out of your pocket, Apple Glasses would let you interact with your tech seamlessly. This new device could make your phone obsolete — or at least completely change how you interact with it,” Ray says. And consider this: “[Apple] had been amassing a deep bench of patents around AR glasses,” he says, “and they’ve been laying the foundation over the past few years with the hardware and software that currently runs on iPhones.” Even though Apple smartglasses didn’t make it into Apple’s yearly dog and pony show last month, Ray believes: “They are coming.” In fact, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes Apple will host two fall events this year, with a second this month. “Obviously, the hard details are still scant,” Ray says, “but I think we could see information from Apple as soon as this year.” --------------------------------------------------------------- [Recommended Article] [Why Gold isn’t a Cure-All During Hyperinflation | Laissez Faire Today]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Who’s Afraid of HAL? “These days everyone believes that artificial intelligence (AI) is the… thing that will change the world and determine the wealth and power of nations,” says futurist George Gilder. Mr. Gilder is the bestselling author of Wealth and Poverty — one of the most cogent arguments for capitalism around. Plus, he’s a legendary futurist who predicted the personal computer, the microchip, the internet and more. George’s enthusiasm for artificial intelligence as a game-changing technology comes with a few caveats. “AI is proving good for specific niches.” George says: “And they are important niches — recognizing faces, interpreting speech, implementing an advertising algorithm. “[AI] is not creating rivals for the human brain,” he claims. “It’s easy to imagine a future in which the role of humans steadily shrinks. The basic problem with that idea is the misunderstanding of what computers do. “Computers shuffle symbols,” George says. “As philosopher Charles Peirce observed more than a century ago, the links between computational symbols and their objects are indefinite and changing. “Programmers have to enforce an interpretive scheme between symbols and objects,” he says. “The links between symbols and objects have to be created by human minds.” Most recently, George expands on his ideas about artificial intelligence in his book Gaming AI. [Gaming AI] He suggests: “Like all computer technology has done throughout history, contrary to popular belief, AI will create jobs rather than destroy them.” Or as George writes: “An explosion of productivity does not mean an evaporation of work. AI will make people more productive, and thus more employable. “It will create new and safe and more interesting work. It will generate the capital to endow new companies and new ventures, as new technologies have done throughout history. What it will not do is create a mind,” George says. You’re Invited! (RSVP Required) On Thursday October 14th at 1 pm ET, our publishing company will be hosting its biggest event yet, The Six Predictions Summit. During this LIVE virtual summit, you’ll hear predictions and receive recommendations from some of the heaviest hitting financial editors in the industry… (First Name), this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join these Editors on a private Zoom and hear from each of them LIVE, as they talk about their best investments and recommendations for the coming year. In the past, admission to conferences like this have cost as much as $2,000 - $5,000. But as a subscriber to Altucher Confidential, you’ll get in completely FREE. [Click here for your FREE registration and join our editors live on October 14th at 1pm ET]( Outlasting the “Greatest Hits” “There are a lot of concerns among investors today,” says our retirement specialist Zach Scheidt. Including… - Economic reopening: Is the economy as strong as it’s purported to be? - Interest rates: How will stocks respond if/when the Fed raises rates? - New investors: Will the Robinhood set panic sell when volatility creeps into the market? “These areas of uncertainty could stick around a while,” says Zach, “but if you know where to look, there are always areas of opportunity. “Which brings me to two great picks I want to highlight today that are both in strong areas of the market… “The first area of strength is financials, specifically bank stocks,” Zach says. “Banks have historically made money by borrowing cheap and lending to individuals at a higher rate, referred to as net interest income. “Although there have been some bumps along the way, the economy is still reopening and businesses will need to borrow to expand,” Zach notes. “This is great news for regional banks who lend to small businesses to help them grow. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Recommended Article] [Harvard Tries To Blame The Coronadoom On Climate Change | Gilder's Daily Prophecy]( --------------------------------------------------------------- “One of the regional banks I like right now is Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), primarily a Midwest bank spreading into the Southeast. “The second area I want to highlight is energy, more specifically oil and gas producers,” says Zach. “Oil prices are high, thanks in part to the rising demand for gas. And since there haven’t been investments in new oil fields, there’s now a supply problem too, which drives prices even further. “Halliburton Co. (HAL)... serves oil and gas by providing parts, expertise and services for oil and gas producers,” he continues. (The ticker’s not lost on us; see above.) “The company is growing profits, trading at just 15x earnings with an 0.8% yield. And I think this dividend could go higher in the near future. “There are always some areas of the market trading higher,” Zach concludes. “And if you're diversified, you should always have some winners to help offset market weakness.” [As we mentioned up top, Ray Blanco, George Gilder and Zach Scheidt, will disclose two stock picks each when they gather TODAY at 1:00 pm EDT -- along with three other leading editors -- each an expert in technology, retirement planning, crypto and more. [You can register for the summit here]( Until tomorrow, [Chris Campbell] Chris Campbell For Altucher Confidential George Gilder: “5G will soon be exposed as hype and hustle.” believes a radical paradigm change is taking place in the tech world – one that could disrupt the existing 5G industry. It isn’t the first time he’s shocked the tech world… Gilder predicted the smartphone in 1991… identified Amazon in 1998, before it rose 243,000% over 23 years… and helped his followers make 40x their money in less than four years on Qualcom in the late 1990s. Now he’s at it again… [get his full prediction here.]( Subsribe To My Podcast [The James Altucher Show]( [The James Altucher Website]( [Subscribe Via Text]( [Subscribe With YouTube]( [Subscribe On Messenger]( [Subscribe With iTunes]( [Connected on LinkedIn]( Add AltucherConfidential@email.threefounderspublishing.com to your address book: [Whitelist Us]( Join the conversation! 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