How to Access the Metaverse

In February this year, Bernard Marr predicted that "in 2022, we'll see new, lighter, more portable VR devices, so instead of having clunky headsets that require WiFi connections, we will have devices that are more like glasses that connect to our phones and give us superior VR experiences on the go."

This could mean more users for the Metaverse as Virtual Reality (VR) technology is simplified. Though quality VR headsets are expensive right now, over time they may become cheaper as the demand and supply increases especially because of the metaverse.

If you're on a budget, the best way to join the metaverse is through VRChat using the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset which sells at about R10K ($587). Create an account in VRChat, connect your headset, and then select from a variety of worlds which world you desire to explore and participate in.

Participating in the metaverse mostly relies on the type of headset you will be using, but you don't always need a VR headset but many worlds require it. If you have money to splurge, you can join the metaverse through Decentraland, but you will need a dedicated graphics card to run it properly on your PC. Join as a guest to get an idea of how it is like to play in the metaverse.

The following link will take you to an article that explains the initial metaverse experience through Decentraland very well: https://www.cashify.in/how-to-enter-and-access-metaverse 

The metaverse experience is much like a gaming experience but closely connected to real life as you use real money and meet real people. It is described as the second layer of the Internet and the future of the Internet by experts. It is also an ingenious idea for organizations to get new customers and develop products and services specifically for the metaverse.

There are currently many platforms to access the metaverse but each are in early development stages. It's not really at the level it is envisioned right now, but with much development it promises new work, social, and gaming possibilities (Cashify).

References:

1. Marr, B. (2022) The Top Ten Tech Trends in 2022 Everyone Must be Ready for Now. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/02/21/the-top-10-tech-trends-in-2022-everyone-must-be-ready-for-now/?sh=e7705e827df5 [Accessed on 13 September 2022]

2. Cashify (2022) How to Enter and Access the Metaverse. [online]. Available at: https://www.cashify.in/how-to-enter-and-access-metaverse [Accessed on 13 September 2022]

Telekinetic VR

In light of a book I've been working on, which you can read about here, I thought I might do a bit of digging on brain-computer interfaces (BCI's) for Virtual Reality headsets. Yeah, that's right. Movement in VR with your mind, like in the movies.

I've always thought this technology was still far ahead to come but in fact, as Karev reports (2018), VR technologies are evolving much faster than consumer versions of headsets can be released. So, never underestimate the rate of the development of technology.

These are the times where EEG technology, which is used to diagnose epilepsy, sleep disorders or other abnormalities, and show whether you are focused, stressed or relaxed, is being used to navigate a VR environment telekinesis-style, by measuring electric activity in the brain caused by the flow of electric currents through neurons by sensors that make contact with the skin on your scalp, (Karev, 2018).

These electric signals can be used to decode something specific, like the intent to scroll or press a button. Unfortunately (or fortunately in the scope of privacy) EEG's cannot read minds. Much like how Stephan Hawkin's interface interpreted facial movements into letters through sensors. Or, like how bionic arms sense electric pulses from muscle movements to function.

Not only is this technology (BCI) a breakthrough for the gaming industry, but it also helps in assisting the disabled because BCI's are often used as assisted living devices for individuals with motor or sensory impairments (nature.com).

In my book, the protagonists are dating long-distance through VR headsets. Where the environment can be navigated and manipulated by the mind through non-invasive signals (i.e. no brain implants required), like with EEG's. It's rather uncanny how this concept is not too far from the future. It's at our doorsteps. We just need to wait for Tinder to catch up on it ;)

References:

Karev, K. (2018) Behold The Next Generation VR Technology: Part 6 - Brain Interface [online] Available at: https://medium.com/inborn-experience/behold-the-next-generation-vr-technology-part-6-brain-interface-89b1d31a0a96 [Accessed on 26 August 2019]

Nature.com (n.d.) Brain-machine interface [online] Available from: https://www.nature.com/subjects/brain-machine-interface [Accessed 26 August 2019]

SAP Project System Module in My Own Words

Projects are complex and unique in nature therefore when it comes to managing them electronically, an equally detailed system is required and the SAP Project Systems module provides that support.

I am currently doing training to prepare to work on a project for a client that is using SAP. I find SAP Project Systems to be interesting because it is based on Project Management which I have studied in college. It allows organizations to track project activities from start to finish and manage all the details that go into them.

This module is impressive as it integrates with other SAP modules seamlessly to produce an ecosystem of all the elements required to drive the business engine faster and more efficiently. Hence we can observe how SAP adds business value to large enterprises.

In SAP Project Systems, you can create a project in more than one way but Project Builder is the most common way. You can then add levels of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) elements to model and structure the project according to its activities in an hierarchical fashion. You can also add networks that show the flow of tasks within the project. Milestones can also be added to signify events that are important to the project flow.

For comparison purposes, you can also create project versions to show the state of the project at a certain point in time.

You can also create projects in simulation mode to test scenarios before creating a real project when decisions have been made.

The most important aspect of projects is the budget which SAP handles efficiently. You can do cost planning to estimate costs then create and distribute the budget in all WBS elements. The budget can be adjusted throughout the project's life-cycle as you can add to it (supplement), take from it (return), release funds, transfer available funds to another project, or carry the remaining budget forward into the following fiscal year.

Another important aspect is the dates and scheduling of the project. You can define different types of dates in each level of the project and align and calculate them for activities and networks through scheduling.

Of course, there are so many other details in Project Systems that I would like to master. But I hope my overview gives you a basic understanding of what it entails.

Tech Exco Meet & Greet With Grads

We began the event with presentations from leadership on the Technology Operating Model and how well the different departments in Tech are doing. These presentations were motivating as we gained perspective on how we are a part of a greater whole - a giant technology company and the future of it looks successful. The industry we are in is exciting and we came at the right time where we have rotated to the new and now leadership is spearheading the movement into the future.

After the presentations we had drinks and snacks and took the opportunity to mingle with leadership and ask our questions. They shared their experiences with us in the company and in their projects and gave good advice.

I came home motivated and open to whatever opportunities I may encounter in the company for the growth of my career and also my personal experience with people and places.

How Deep Learning Mimics the Brain

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is slowly developing at the moment because, as John Light infers (2017), it is both a technology AND a philosophy. I mean, will we really ever replicate human intelligence and sentience in machines?

Although we have gone from hard coding rules into a machine to the machine sensing, comprehending, acting and learning on its own, we have only simulated the logical operations of the mind so we still have our work cut out for us when it comes to machine consciousness because obviously, consciousness is not in our power to create.

Machine Learning (ML) is a branch of AI that enables machines to make predictions from any given inputs, acting without being explicitly programmed and Deep Learning (DL) is a method of ML which uses artificial neural networks for classification tasks and is inspired by biological neural networks which Nagify Richard (2018) explains.

Just as the neuron receives signals from the dendrites and sends them down the axon as inputs to other neurons, repeating the process, Nagify Richard (2018) relates how artificial neurons can do the same to classify data which results in Computer Vision which allows a computer to see and visualize like a human would (Playment, 2018) and also speech recognition etc.

Machines will only ever mimic math logic because it is quantifiable according to the laws of this physical dimension whereas consciousness and emotions are reserved for sentient life forms and cannot be measured or weighed in this physical dimension.

References:

1. Morikawa, R (2018). What's Slowing Down the Pace of AI Innovation?. [online] Gengo. Available at: https://gengo.ai/articles/whats-slowing-down-the-pace-of-ai-innovation/ [Accessed 12 March 2019].
2. Light, J (2017). Why is AI Development so Slow at the Moment. [online] Quora. Available at: https://www.quora.com/Why-is-AI-development-so-slow-at-the-moment [Accessed 12 March 2019].
3. Richard, N (2018). The Difference Between Artificial and Biological Neural Networks. [online] Towards Data Science. Available at: https://towardsdatascience.com/the-differences-between-artificial-and-biological-neural-networks-a8b46db828b7 [Accessed 12 March 2019].
4. Playment (2018). What is Deep Learning and Why you Need it. [online] Becoming Human. Available at: https://becominghuman.ai/what-is-deep-learning-and-why-you-need-it-9e2fc0f0e61b [Accessed 12 March 2019].

How Ingenius is Design Thinking?

I was recently introduced to Design Thinking at work as part of the training and I took some time to grasp the basics. From the team exercises we performed, I perceived how a project team can come together to ideate and collaborate with the client. Ideas are in sympathy to the consumer's feelings and needs making this design approach human-centric to provide innovative solutions that people love.

Design Thinking is also a way for businesses to design for change (especially in IT's rapidly changing environment and disruptive market) by getting a good understanding of the problem and its context and also using many techniques for iterative ideation - which is why it also fits seamlessly into the agile process.

To drive innovative solutions that people love Design Thinking's collaborative efforts include a diverse group of people in the process of generating ideas in a playful atmosphere for a serious task. Design Thinking does not feel like work but yields innovative solutions for complex problems, to deliver products and services.

What I enjoy the most is that when generating ideas no idea is too silly. There is no judgement when ideating as you come up with as may ideas as possible. From there the best ideas are selected then framed for the problem statement. You would be surprised at how ingenius the solutions can be.

Virtual 2 Reality

Dabbling in creative writing tossed me into a world of cyber imagination and romance as I started writing my cyberpunk romance novel, "Virtual 2 Reality". Discovering my passion for creative writing again gave me an outlet to express all the crazy stuff that happens in my head and it's been therapeutic.

So I'm sharing my book which is still developing but I have put it online on a secure website for constructive criticism and votes.

Princess Reyno Eastwood and Colin Ruth are so attached but they have to overcome a system so ingrained in Reyno's culture before they can be together. All they have is the Jabber Board to communicate but now that Reyno knows her true identity she can embark on an adventure of a lifetime with Colin at her side.

Reyno did not know her true identity until beginning the Mochomet programme where computer programs that work in nanotechnology reverse the damage in the brain to the point where the brain functions at optimum capacity. She began to remember her past clearly. That she was stolen from her mother as a new born into a child trafficking system where she was controlled to do things she cannot remember through the microchip implanted in her brain. 

With these challenges facing them and the forbidding of slaves like Reyno to pursue romance, she is at a risk of relapsing the longer she waits to be united with Colin being stuck in the country she was abducted to.