Thoughts on The Metaverse and how it can help solve our housing problem?

Ljaylen94 on 14/11/2021 - 21:21

So we have been hearing a lot about global housing and global house prices becoming out of reach. I've been speaking with my parents and they are certain that you will need a place to live as a way of life.

But based on my knowledge of historical situations, we managed to create something to change the entire industry that solved a problem. Think Automotive industry, the internet, mobile phones, cryptocurrencies, etc.

I'm thinking we're at a crossroad where land is finite and most young people cannot afford a house so they either rent, move far a way hoping to find cheaper housing, live in a 1 bedroom apartment (such as Hong Kong).

Would anybody think that housing will go virtual? Of course, you'll need shelter in the real world (one bedroom apartment would be suffice). I'm thinking that the whole Metaverse that Facebook is creating would solve this problem. Everything will be virtual. Your workspace, your own virtual property and community.

Thoughts?

Computing

Comments

  • AndyC1 on 14/11/2021 - 21:27
    +24

    Farcebook solving things… yeah right…. Been under the bed too long I think.

    • netjock on 14/11/2021 - 23:04
      +3

      Yup. Just another way of getting into people's pockets. Zuckerberg must have seen the Amazon series Upload and got a bright idea.

      • cameldownunder on 15/11/2021 - 08:09
        +4

        Agree, except for "bright idea". It's second life all over again.
        https://secondlife.com/

        • netjock on 15/11/2021 - 09:54

          Facebook wasn't his idea. The poet Byron said something like: behind every fortune is a crime committed, conveniently forgotten.

    • HairyChickens on 14/11/2021 - 23:28

      The Metaverse

  • Hybroid on 14/11/2021 - 21:29
    +12

    Virtual worlds & economies have existed for at least 2 decades. Second Life was one of the biggest players early '00s.

    They're a distraction and diversion from reality, maybe little too much for some, but not a replacement.

    Not that any of us know the future but I doubt it would meaningfully take over the world. Especially not Facebook that many of us now shun. Not giving them any more info or power over my life.

    • iDroid on 14/11/2021 - 21:58

      We will be the renegades who wonder around watching the meta-humans drooling in their VR headsets obsessing over their "friend's" meta feeds.

      • jaylen94 on 14/11/2021 - 22:15

        Iunno.

        I still remember before when people thought crypto was a fad (some people still think it to this day). But at a price for 1 btc @ 90k, you start questioning.

        The same people think NFTs are a scam. But I'm starting to see the connection with a metaverse

        Something aren't real until you believe it is. The AUD doesn't have value, unless you have the Australian government/RBA backing it.

        I'm a firm believer that timing is everything and maybe that's probably why Second Life didn't do as well as it wasn't as immersive.

        Don't know why people think metaverse = facebook. Microsoft is creating a metaverse too. There are many metaverses, just look at Decentraland

        • coffeeinmyveins on 14/11/2021 - 23:06
          +1

          The same people think NFTs are a scam. But I'm starting to see the connection with a metaverse

          They're not a scam, and have a real world application, but a doodle of a penis is not worth $1m.

          But then again Shiba isn't worth how much it is, but here we are.

        • cameldownunder on 15/11/2021 - 08:11

          You cannot use Crypto for real life because it's too volatile, ergo it's just and purely for speculation.
          Additionally, all the CPU power uses electricity, which many countries are running out of. So Lower Carbon emission might slow down crypto currency spreading.

      • ozbjunkie on 15/11/2021 - 08:37

        Yes I will be feeling very superior with my augmented reality visor, looking down my nose and snarling at the lowly VR underclass, and refusing to blink at the hyperlink defining irony.

        SRS though give me the augmented visor pls

    • netjock on 14/11/2021 - 23:05

      They're a distraction and diversion from reality, maybe little too much for some, but not a replacement.

      Or The Matrix is Meta. Maybe just like ideas of Musk and Bezos came from their sci fi readings. Meta just came from Zuckerberg's viewings of The Matrix.

  • dizzle on 14/11/2021 - 21:46
    +5

    Would anybody think that housing will go virtual? Of course, you'll need shelter in the real world (one bedroom apartment would be suffice). I'm thinking that the whole Metaverse that Facebook is creating would solve this problem. Everything will be virtual. Your workspace, your own virtual property and community.

    Did someone watch Ready, Player One last night? Live in a box, work online, virtual community, pizza delivery by drone.

    • jaylen94 on 14/11/2021 - 22:22
      -2

      Sure you live in a box in reality. But your virtual house could be plentiful.
      Sure you could be lying to yourself, but does anybody care?

    • spackbace on 14/11/2021 - 22:31

      Did someone watch Ready, Player One

      Lol had the same thought

    • ozbjunkie on 15/11/2021 - 08:38
      -2

      Pretty sure I have been living that dream for 2 years now.

      Except the drone part

      That's very rude how you phrased that

  • AirbusA389 on 14/11/2021 - 21:55
    +1

    we have plenty of practice on Farmville and SimCity.

    now let's begin Houseville.

    • dizzle on 14/11/2021 - 22:33
      +1

      Isn't that just the Sims?

      • AirbusA389 on 15/11/2021 - 11:36

        Houseville allows greater level of intimacy without consequences.

  • Hardlyworkin on 14/11/2021 - 21:55
    +2

    It's difficult to reverse years of treating houses as investments rather than homes.

    Not sure the metaverse is going to stop the rich getting richer.

  • Kangal on 14/11/2021 - 21:57
    +2

    Agreed with others.
    There's no substitution for reality!

    The best you can do, I suppose, is to go Van Life.
    Get a Stealth, Van (VW Transporter?) and make it very inconspicuous. Like have it white, with a fake-company logo on the side, place hi-vis vest, clipboard, hardhat in the front. Blacked out door to the back. No windows to the sides/back. This stops people from calling the police on you constantly. Hidden insulation, fans, and solar panels up top. Don't forget to load it up with Lithium Batteries. Chill by yourself (no gf/wife). Use noise-cancelling headphones like the Sony XM4. Grab a Gaming Laptop for playing all your favourite games. The laptop will also be for work, which would mostly be wfh/remote work (coding/development). For food, you can rely partly on junk-food, partly on microwave meals, and partly on cooking with a little induction hotplate. You'll need a little fridge/freezer as well. Have a bucket/system for washing your hands, grey water, midnight urine, or emergency poops. But try to do your business at public facilities. Join a 24/7 gym which has many locations you can visit. This is mainly to use their showers, but you should do some exercise to not get obese, and also to be able to defend yourself. Oh, carry some protection when you do park in unknown or shady neighbourhoods, but avoid whenever possible. You can't store many things, so this will make you somewhat of a minimalist, and this will also save you money.

    Overall, you'll save yourself maybe ($13k/year) or $200/week and hate every minute doing it : )
    …or you know, there are other options like off-the-grid Tiny Homes, Share-housing, putting up with parents, or there's even rentable Pod Bedrooms in Japan (none in Australia, I think).

  • SF3 on 14/11/2021 - 22:05

    No.

    It aren’t The Matrix.

  • serpserpserp on 14/11/2021 - 22:09
    +1

    OP: The Metaverse is not Neuromancer.

  • justgooddeals on 14/11/2021 - 22:22

    Never happen

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 14/11/2021 - 22:34

    Time to stop drinking OP, back to wok tomorrow.

  • rektrading on 14/11/2021 - 22:35

    Metaverse is ZOOM 2.0 and will come in two flavours.

    Meta, which was just announced is a closed garden platform that will own all the assets. They will either a) use a subscription service to allow users to rent assets and/or b) operate a closed marketplace where users can buy and sell assets in Meta but are unable to Tx to external wallets.

    The 2nd type of Metaverse are decentralized. There are about a dozen of them and growing. They've been buidl in the background for a few years. They run on base layers, use tokens and NFT. Users can buy, sell assets in-game and/or external marketplaces and Tx the NFT to external wallets. Users have full ownership of the assets and are free to do whatever they want with them.

    • jaylen94 on 14/11/2021 - 22:43

      I think the 2nd type would be for public use. The first one "Meta" will be like a more premium service which will probably be a SaaS.

      So i guess the metaverse would have a class system

  • Diji1 on 14/11/2021 - 22:54
    +2

    Facebook wants to show you ads so that third parties can remove your money.

    I used to have this notion that older people were wise due to their life experience.

    After 20 years of watching older Australian's sell out their own children to privatisation, carry out a murderous illegal foreign policy and turn the nation into a police state I no longer believe this. Rather I'm embarrassed to be associated with them.

    • ozbjunkie on 15/11/2021 - 08:42
      +1

      I am largely with you on the last paragraph

      But I lean towards the belief that most harm is a product of ignorance, fear, and greed, not so much raw malice or unconquerable stupidity.

      What would I have done if born 50 years before I was? Probs lots of the same things as I have grown to criticise, to be honest.

  • netjock on 14/11/2021 - 23:06
    -2

    Don't worry about housing. Apparently COVID vaccine makes people infertile. Soon there won't be enough people around.

    To think any diversion from the fact that the current population is consuming 6 earths of resources.

    • buckster on 15/11/2021 - 19:50
      +1

      Yeah, ever since having the vaccine I've had all sorts of morons try to impregnate me with their anti-vax lies but for some reason nothing's happened.

      Originally I thought it was just common sense protecting me, but who's to say?

      • netjock on 16/11/2021 - 09:01

        Plenty of anti vaxxers here voting people down. They have gone silent of 5G.

        The latest one is about how vaccine certificates is like Hitler's Aryan Genealogy certificates, they don't know the difference is that vaccination is open to all even those who refuse.

  • CacheHunter on 14/11/2021 - 23:44
    +3

    Soon we will all be living on the matrix. Then we'll all just live in pods and live virtually, but beware the white rabbit.

  • RecklessMonkeys on 15/11/2021 - 08:07

    Yes. It will solve every bubble.
    Instead of virtual money created by banks chasing real assets, it can chase virtual assets.

    Bankers will stay rich. Speculators can keep thinking they know what they're doing. And people will be able to afford an actual house again.
    Everybody will be happy.

    Especially unicorns with bum rainbows.

  • 7ekn00 on 15/11/2021 - 08:18

    Indeed, you will own nothing and be happy plugged into your own Matrix (ohh, I mean Metaverse) …
    Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD-ioJM8v64

  • TEER3X on 15/11/2021 - 08:22

    I don't know what you're talking about but land isn't really scarce, it's developed land that isn't in great supply.

    Maybe robots building houses in a few days vs months could change things a bit, but doesn't solve the developed land aspect

  • brendanm on 15/11/2021 - 08:41

    But based on my knowledge of historical situations, we managed to create something to change the entire industry that solved a problem.

    What does this even mean.

    • ozbjunkie on 15/11/2021 - 08:44

      In past had problem

      Solved problem

      Human stronger together

      • brendanm on 15/11/2021 - 08:49

        What does that have to do with ops "knowledge of historical situations"?

        • ozbjunkie on 15/11/2021 - 18:49

          I know historical situations dealt with by human

          Collectivity important

          But not too much

          Otherwise, not monkey, borg

    • Crow K on 15/11/2021 - 08:50

      It means "emerging technologies" (things that don't exist yet) might solve all our problems. A certain Prime Minister mentioned it extensively recently.

      • brendanm on 15/11/2021 - 08:52

        I've obviously read it incorrectly. Seemed like op was saying that he has solved a problem based on his knowledge of historical situations.

        We can always hope magical things that don't yet exist can solve our issues I suppose. A much simpler one, would be to stop exponential population growth.

        • ozbjunkie on 15/11/2021 - 18:51

          Or stop exponential consumption and pollution

          Population growth within the boundaries of reason and the health of the world's various ecosystems would be idealogicslly acceptable to me

          But clearly systems are out of whack

          Depopulation is obviously an example of "NIMBYism"

          Lower population growth is an end but what's the means?
          Better be humane and human, and informed by humanism.

          No point in saving humanity by losing our humanity is there?

  • orangetrain on 15/11/2021 - 08:54
    +1

    Property is considered an investment which the government throws money at despite minimal contributions to export and GDP.

    Fix that and investors/companies will avoid sitting on properties for decades. As a bonus, we might get a golden age with investment money going to productive capital.

  • saltypete on 15/11/2021 - 09:24

    You’re joking - right?
    Just finished reading The Nirvana Effect by Brian Pinkerton which is a story about just that sort of thing.
    Your basis is also incorrect. While land is finite, we are a wide brown land. Land close to Sydney/Melb CBD is in short supply. You need to get out more and see the real world.
    Living in a box and zoning out in fantasy seems more than awful to me. If that got real I’d sign up for the resistance……..I’ll join RON….

    • jaylen94 on 15/11/2021 - 23:05

      Well, it has already started, so I don't know what you're on about: https://metaverse.properties/

      It could be a fad or it could be the next stage of humanity with Web3.0

      I know you might feel that it is out of reach, but a lot of things that happened in history went through the same procedure and eventually here we are now.

      Remember when blockbuster dropped the ball on Netflix? Where is blockbuster now…

      • saltypete on 16/11/2021 - 18:33

        Oh, I’m sure it’s a thing, and yes, I understand that FB is now the meta verse. It’s just that living in a dog box zoned out on electronic stimuli and dreams seems a sad excuse for life. To each his own mate, but I prefer real and if I live in some tiny dog box I want to know so I can do something about it.
        6G will do lots of amazing things for society, zoning out of reality that yourself and others might do is not one of them.

  • snooksy on 15/11/2021 - 10:34

    There has been research into virtual worlds to supplement the real world since the 1990s. This is the second time that VR headsets have been popularised along with all their promises. Like 3D films and rollerblades they have had their moment again. I remember playing a VR game in Melbourne CBD in 1992. I attended a VR conference around this time as well.

    I doubt this will go anywhere. The world has an overpopulation issue not a land supply issue. The meta verse doesn't solve that. As more people are raised out of poverty their impact on the planet increase due to what they eat and how much stuff they spend money on which requires bigger houses to store it all. Comfort is defined as extra bedrooms and larger vehicles.

    This might be Facebook acknowledging they are a net disadvantage for the planet and trying to re-position the business for the future. All the lies, misinformation, fake news, incincerity etc. that has flourished on social media over the last decade has been horribly detrimental to the world.

    In fact virtual currencies have had a go before as well during the previous dot com boom. Those of us closer to 40 instead of 20 will be more aware of these fads last time around.

    I acknowledge the 3D graphics technology has improved this time and gaming is better than last time on VR headsets. I don't see it going any further than this though. VR failed last time because of motion sickness and less than realistic graphics. This time the graphics and motion sickness issues have improved but graphics are still not where they need to be for most of us to want to spend more than a few hours in a virtual world.

    Games are still far from looking realistic. I think it will be another 20 years until real time Global Illumination is possible and not just partial ray tracing. Polygon rendering levels have gotten really good now combined with shaders but the lighting in gaming is nowhere close to matching reality yet. Draw distances are still not where they need to be yet. Loading times can still be an issue. Maybe in another 20 years Facebook might have a product to sell to advertisers. In the meantime I think this is a PR exercise to take some of the focus away form how evil they are.

    I've followed 3D for 30 years since Silicon graphics and 3DFX graphics cards.I think 3D technology has just started on it's 2nd generation now that real time ray tracing is a thing, albeit in its infancy. Graphics processing power probably need to increase another 20-50 times before we are matching reality and something useful for a meta verse used to extend reality inside a VR headset where anyone wants to spend considerable time. Keep in mind VR headsets are a 50 year old technology.

  • Gros21 on 26/11/2021 - 12:25

    houses are still cheap, yuppies just want to live in the CBD.

    Of course you cant afford your dream property straight out of school work your way up.

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