Wagner James Au
@slhamlet.bsky.social
Author, "Making a Metaverse That Matters" (Wiley). Covering & creating metaverse culture since 2003. Bylines: WSJ, Atlantic, FastCo. Join my Patreon blog for early/exclusive virtual amazingness! https://patreon.com/user?u=4843285
Los Angeles/Kailua
Los Angeles/Kailua
Google's Project Genie is yet another example of tech companies evincing utter obliviousness to what virtual game worlds actually are and why gamers love them.
The problem is so obvious, it's even in the very demo video that Google just put out.👇
The problem is so obvious, it's even in the very demo video that Google just put out.👇
January 30, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Google's Project Genie is yet another example of tech companies evincing utter obliviousness to what virtual game worlds actually are and why gamers love them.
The problem is so obvious, it's even in the very demo video that Google just put out.👇
The problem is so obvious, it's even in the very demo video that Google just put out.👇
Noam Chomsky's chumminess to Steve Bannon displays none of the fawning chatter from, say, Larry Summers. And he does not appear to have been co-opted by whatever access the global leader of white nationalist movements provided.
December 15, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Noam Chomsky's chumminess to Steve Bannon displays none of the fawning chatter from, say, Larry Summers. And he does not appear to have been co-opted by whatever access the global leader of white nationalist movements provided.
Wow, just visited Monument in @vrchat.com and the Babel tower is still being built!
But how tall is it now?
It took me a good 5 minutes at a non-stop run to reach the top. For comparison, the world record for climbing to the top of the Empire State Building by stairs is under 10 min.
But how tall is it now?
It took me a good 5 minutes at a non-stop run to reach the top. For comparison, the world record for climbing to the top of the Empire State Building by stairs is under 10 min.
December 11, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Wow, just visited Monument in @vrchat.com and the Babel tower is still being built!
But how tall is it now?
It took me a good 5 minutes at a non-stop run to reach the top. For comparison, the world record for climbing to the top of the Empire State Building by stairs is under 10 min.
But how tall is it now?
It took me a good 5 minutes at a non-stop run to reach the top. For comparison, the world record for climbing to the top of the Empire State Building by stairs is under 10 min.
Consider giving the gift of virtual world journalism and analysis with a subscription to my Patreon! Plus special benefits for subscribers including exclusive content, shout-outs, even consulting! 👇
www.patreon.com/c/u4843285
www.patreon.com/c/u4843285
December 2, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Consider giving the gift of virtual world journalism and analysis with a subscription to my Patreon! Plus special benefits for subscribers including exclusive content, shout-outs, even consulting! 👇
www.patreon.com/c/u4843285
www.patreon.com/c/u4843285
It's a seriously weird strategy when under 15% of young people are positive about Kirk, while 24% are negative. And the rest don't even know who TF he is.
September 27, 2025 at 11:54 PM
It's a seriously weird strategy when under 15% of young people are positive about Kirk, while 24% are negative. And the rest don't even know who TF he is.
Kirk's YouTube channel has fewer than 5.25M subscribers.
By contrast, Kimmel's official YouTube channel has vastly more. 👇🏼
By contrast, Kimmel's official YouTube channel has vastly more. 👇🏼
September 20, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Kirk's YouTube channel has fewer than 5.25M subscribers.
By contrast, Kimmel's official YouTube channel has vastly more. 👇🏼
By contrast, Kimmel's official YouTube channel has vastly more. 👇🏼
LOL Altman's jazz hands bullshit can't even survive scrutiny for more than two months. He said this right before (another) disastrous ChatGPT update.
August 29, 2025 at 1:28 AM
LOL Altman's jazz hands bullshit can't even survive scrutiny for more than two months. He said this right before (another) disastrous ChatGPT update.
My latest book details how Meta's leaders never really understood the Metaverse, couldn't explain it to their staff, were never passionate about virtual worlds and what made them meaningful, and how they sidelined people on their team who were.
But this is a bit too on the nose. 👇🏼
But this is a bit too on the nose. 👇🏼
August 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
My latest book details how Meta's leaders never really understood the Metaverse, couldn't explain it to their staff, were never passionate about virtual worlds and what made them meaningful, and how they sidelined people on their team who were.
But this is a bit too on the nose. 👇🏼
But this is a bit too on the nose. 👇🏼
The jury is still out on how much of a net value LLMs will be for various use cases (factoring in compute/power/data training costs, etc.), but I can tell you they've definitely improved one sector of the Internet industry: Blog comment spam!
May 28, 2025 at 6:33 PM
The jury is still out on how much of a net value LLMs will be for various use cases (factoring in compute/power/data training costs, etc.), but I can tell you they've definitely improved one sector of the Internet industry: Blog comment spam!
This is so bad.
In the legendary D-Day scene of "Saving Private Ryan", Tom Hanks says something like "gatac gatac" into a walkie talkie.
Curious, I checked Google to find out what he actually said.
And then Google AI... just totally made some shit up.
In the legendary D-Day scene of "Saving Private Ryan", Tom Hanks says something like "gatac gatac" into a walkie talkie.
Curious, I checked Google to find out what he actually said.
And then Google AI... just totally made some shit up.
May 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM
This is so bad.
In the legendary D-Day scene of "Saving Private Ryan", Tom Hanks says something like "gatac gatac" into a walkie talkie.
Curious, I checked Google to find out what he actually said.
And then Google AI... just totally made some shit up.
In the legendary D-Day scene of "Saving Private Ryan", Tom Hanks says something like "gatac gatac" into a walkie talkie.
Curious, I checked Google to find out what he actually said.
And then Google AI... just totally made some shit up.
Happy Monday! Here's my latest metaverse platform news, including VRChat's coming creator economy for avatars, Second Life's company/community collabs to grow the world, and Matt Daly's look at the early player groups in Stars Reach from @raphkoster.bsky.social & co.👇
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/05/...
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/05/...
May 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Happy Monday! Here's my latest metaverse platform news, including VRChat's coming creator economy for avatars, Second Life's company/community collabs to grow the world, and Matt Daly's look at the early player groups in Stars Reach from @raphkoster.bsky.social & co.👇
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/05/...
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/05/...
Got an update from Linden Lab about the mysterious sexy bot bedroom island in Second Life I wrote about on my Patreon yesterday -- added it to the original post you can read here: www.patreon.com/posts/126813...
April 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Got an update from Linden Lab about the mysterious sexy bot bedroom island in Second Life I wrote about on my Patreon yesterday -- added it to the original post you can read here: www.patreon.com/posts/126813...
UPDATE: Just talked with Linden Lab head Brad Oberwager, who explained what happened with these AI-based promos for SL. 👇
Brad Oberwager Explains Why Linden Lab Promoted Second Life With Stock / AI Images -- And Why They're Now Stopping.
www.patreon.com/posts/brad-o...
Brad Oberwager Explains Why Linden Lab Promoted Second Life With Stock / AI Images -- And Why They're Now Stopping.
www.patreon.com/posts/brad-o...
February 28, 2025 at 12:27 AM
UPDATE: Just talked with Linden Lab head Brad Oberwager, who explained what happened with these AI-based promos for SL. 👇
Brad Oberwager Explains Why Linden Lab Promoted Second Life With Stock / AI Images -- And Why They're Now Stopping.
www.patreon.com/posts/brad-o...
Brad Oberwager Explains Why Linden Lab Promoted Second Life With Stock / AI Images -- And Why They're Now Stopping.
www.patreon.com/posts/brad-o...
Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine if a whole generation grows up not wondering, say, how many insulin users in the US there really are. Or what number 11 percent of the American population actually roughly is.
Right?
Right?
February 10, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine if a whole generation grows up not wondering, say, how many insulin users in the US there really are. Or what number 11 percent of the American population actually roughly is.
Right?
Right?
Excited to run this guest post by author @haridsam.bsky.social who has an intriguing idea to help solve the first-time @secondlife.bsky.social user experience:
Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Insidious Problem of Purpose in Second Life -- And a Way to Help Solve It: nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Insidious Problem of Purpose in Second Life -- And a Way to Help Solve It: nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
January 30, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Excited to run this guest post by author @haridsam.bsky.social who has an intriguing idea to help solve the first-time @secondlife.bsky.social user experience:
Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Insidious Problem of Purpose in Second Life -- And a Way to Help Solve It: nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
Should I Stay or Should I Go: The Insidious Problem of Purpose in Second Life -- And a Way to Help Solve It: nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
Google's AI Overview continues to fail, contradicting itself from one request summary to another *within seconds*. But Dan Inouye is only a major Senator in US history, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a still-beloved figure in Hawai'i, so who cares where he actually grew up?
January 30, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Google's AI Overview continues to fail, contradicting itself from one request summary to another *within seconds*. But Dan Inouye is only a major Senator in US history, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a still-beloved figure in Hawai'i, so who cares where he actually grew up?
Watch a test ad for @secondlife.bsky.social's first marketing campaign in years! For more context and strategy, read my latest interview with Linden Lab head Brad Oberwager and CTO Philip Rosedale below:
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
January 30, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Watch a test ad for @secondlife.bsky.social's first marketing campaign in years! For more context and strategy, read my latest interview with Linden Lab head Brad Oberwager and CTO Philip Rosedale below:
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/01/...
"If Second Life was easy to play, what would that be like?"
Got a preview from top SL brand owner Gizem Mishi Akin of Simthing, her new casual sim life game that's integrated w/ content from favorite Second Life brands!
Join my free Patreon to read about it first:
www.patreon.com/posts/120975...
Got a preview from top SL brand owner Gizem Mishi Akin of Simthing, her new casual sim life game that's integrated w/ content from favorite Second Life brands!
Join my free Patreon to read about it first:
www.patreon.com/posts/120975...
January 29, 2025 at 12:31 AM
"If Second Life was easy to play, what would that be like?"
Got a preview from top SL brand owner Gizem Mishi Akin of Simthing, her new casual sim life game that's integrated w/ content from favorite Second Life brands!
Join my free Patreon to read about it first:
www.patreon.com/posts/120975...
Got a preview from top SL brand owner Gizem Mishi Akin of Simthing, her new casual sim life game that's integrated w/ content from favorite Second Life brands!
Join my free Patreon to read about it first:
www.patreon.com/posts/120975...
NEW: Project Zero isn't just a streaming option for existing Second Life users. It's integrated into an aggressive marketing plan with a growing budget -- the 1st SL marketing in 4 years! -- and a completely revised 1st time experience.
Rosedale & Oberwager explain:
www.patreon.com/posts/120707...
Rosedale & Oberwager explain:
www.patreon.com/posts/120707...
January 24, 2025 at 8:43 PM
NEW: Project Zero isn't just a streaming option for existing Second Life users. It's integrated into an aggressive marketing plan with a growing budget -- the 1st SL marketing in 4 years! -- and a completely revised 1st time experience.
Rosedale & Oberwager explain:
www.patreon.com/posts/120707...
Rosedale & Oberwager explain:
www.patreon.com/posts/120707...
Yet another Google AI hallucinatory fail on a serious life or death question. Is it 8.4 million in the US taking insulin, or 11% of 336 million, ie some 37 million, and what did the highly reputed ADA actually say?
January 14, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Yet another Google AI hallucinatory fail on a serious life or death question. Is it 8.4 million in the US taking insulin, or 11% of 336 million, ie some 37 million, and what did the highly reputed ADA actually say?
Starting this week, Linden Lab is letting a select number of new Second Life users try out Project Zero browser streaming, to see if that helps retention. And much more from my recent Q&A with Philip -- join my Patreon to be first to read: 👇
www.patreon.com/posts/119670...
www.patreon.com/posts/119670...
January 9, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Starting this week, Linden Lab is letting a select number of new Second Life users try out Project Zero browser streaming, to see if that helps retention. And much more from my recent Q&A with Philip -- join my Patreon to be first to read: 👇
www.patreon.com/posts/119670...
www.patreon.com/posts/119670...
UPDATE: Virtual world writing delayed by real world conflagration. (This was the view from our LA neighborhood last night.) Will be back posting when the material world has stabilized (relatively)!
January 8, 2025 at 9:19 PM
UPDATE: Virtual world writing delayed by real world conflagration. (This was the view from our LA neighborhood last night.) Will be back posting when the material world has stabilized (relatively)!
Hope you're enjoying the holiday break! Here's my top 10 most-read/shared posts from 2024, including my chat with a Blizzard veteran on what went wrong with WoW, and @philiprosedale.bsky.social on returning to work on Second Life fulltime.
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2024/12/...
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2024/12/...
December 27, 2024 at 9:09 PM
Hope you're enjoying the holiday break! Here's my top 10 most-read/shared posts from 2024, including my chat with a Blizzard veteran on what went wrong with WoW, and @philiprosedale.bsky.social on returning to work on Second Life fulltime.
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2024/12/...
nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2024/12/...
One wonders why!
December 26, 2024 at 2:39 AM
One wonders why!
