Simulation Nation

Today's episode is on honor of Douglas Trumbull, the genius behind the special effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, Star Trek, Blade Runner and others, who passed from this corporeal plane to become a star child himself on Feb 7th, 2022.

The film we are revisiting today was Douglas’ directorial debut. Brainstorm stars Christopher Walken as a scientists who invents a brain–computer interface enabling sensations to be recorded from a person's brain and converted to tape for others to experience.

Today we’re exploring the role that sex and intimacy have to play in the metaverse. Venus is a sex coach who uses avatars and virtual worlds as a means to explore sexuality without guilt, shame and blame and to reframe sex as a healing act. She’ll talk to us about tantric secrets, self-authority, and prioritizing pleasure in discreet virtual playrooms.

Sound design is critical to giving virtual worlds a sense of presence. So how can we achieve the best spatial sound? And how can we best integrate soundscapes into the virtual experience?

Joining us will be Visual FX wizard Cornelius, who has experimented with sound in the metaverse while collaborating with some of the best worldbuilders in Altspace, including SHUSHU AND THE VRIUM TEAM.

The Truman Show is about a man who grew up thinking he was living an ordinary life, until he discovers everything was a lie and his world was nothing more than a giant television set.

Many people have seen the movie starring Jim Carrey, but not many people know that it may have been an unofficial adaptation (aka a ripoff) of the Philip K Dick novel Time Out of Joint from way back in 1959.

Here to talk about the similarities, the differences, and if the movie holds up, is Philip K Dick aficionado and Dickhead Podcast co-host, Anthony Trevino.

Tron Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 cult classic Tron, follows Flynn's adult son Sam, who responds to a message from his long-lost father and is transported into a virtual reality called "the Grid," where Sam, his father, and the algorithm Quorra must stop the malevolent program Clu from invading the real world.

We're gonna take a look and see if it holds up, give it our Wow! score and generally speculate about odds that we're living in a Tron-like simuluation. In other words, a typical Tuesday night in the metaverse. Check it!

How will the metaverse integrate blockchain technology? When will blockchain and virtual reality finally collide? And who has one of the best blockchain talk show/meet up in Altspace??

All these questions will be answered and more as we merge forces with Blockchain UniVRse, a channel in Altspace dedicated to emerging tech.

It's happening. Worldbuilders in Altspace 14 is featuring one of our favorite Worldbuilders, Christi. I know, we can't believe it either!

Before she got all huge and involved in saving the world through the United Nations Act Now worlds of Al Wasl Dome and Uluru, she created or helped create such fan favorites as the burning earth of The Eco Zone, The Merry Mad Tea Party for Burning Man 2020, and the super polished and charming Baba Yaga's Forbidden Forest. Check it!

Tron Legacy, Ghost in the Shell and iRobot are just a few films and VR experiences Scott Gagain has worked on as a motion capture producer.

Now he's created MindfulVR, an empathy-driven virtual reality experience. The goal is to create heartfelt immersive worlds that give people opportunities to witness life through the eyes of another, with the hopes of expanding their views and perspectives.

With over 20 years of experience in motion-capture production, Scott will walk us through how the industry, and the medium of storytelling, has changed.

Here with us today is the Founder and CEO of ImmerseMe, a tool that helps teach languages by immersing students in a virtual world and simulating everyday conversations in foreign languages. It enables us to get rid of classroom walls and connect with the outside world.

Remember that movie in 2009 called Surrogates starring Bruce Willis? Did it predict the self-quarantine we now all find ourselves in? We'll find out as we go back and review it.

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop played by Bruce Willis is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others' surrogates.