Introducing the Icelandverse [video]

[axegon_]

I know this is supposed to mock the metaverse-thing. And the first time I heard about the metaverse, my reaction was: "what a colossal pile of dog shit". My opinion hasn't changed even the slightest. Like why? What sort of sane human beings would put themselves through that? I had this discussion with a friend on Sunday. The sad part is that he agrees with me but said that he was willing to bet that people would blow hundreds of thousands on virtual nft crap for metaverses. Which, even after having worked 8 years in the gaming industry(and seeing the 5-6 figure amounts people spending on in-app purchases) up until not all that long ago, seemed like bs. So we made a bet. Next morning an article pops up about someone spending 600+k on a virtual yacht. I mean what the hell is wrong with people?

[ljm]

In many aspects we've entered a post-scarcity society, to the extent that scarcity has to be invented by things like NFTs. For these people, they might as well have found a game breaking bug in the thing we call existence.

Of course, it would be nice if we got more of humanity on board with this first, what with the vast majority of the population being in poverty, or worse.

[meheleventyone]

Thing to remember is that’s 600k of crypto which has probably never been “real” money and may well have been a wash trade anyway. It’s not overly clear to me that it’d be easy to get that nominal value out as USD from the crypto original either. So you see ridiculous, inflated, purchases made.

It’s a bit like EVE Online where the existence of PLEX allows for a conversion between USD and the in-game currency ISK and hundreds of thousands of dollars routine gets “destroyed” in big fleet battles.

[Abishek_Muthian]

My first reaction when I heard 'Facebook' becoming 'Meta' was "One of my favorite word in my frequently used vocabulary would now be second guessed before using"; Every now and then I used to dream of establishing small meta-science labs in India like Meta-Physics, Meta-Chemistry... Now it's going to be weird to dream about it.

More urgently, I'm worried "meta" hyperlink on my forum would be ignored by my visitors thinking it's just a link to Facebook; Where as it's an link to meta discussions about the platform.

[simonebrunozzi]

Or, maybe, the $600k virtual yacht is a stunt, organized by insiders, to convince someone else to pour huge amounts of money in that particular currency.

[ricardobayes]

We are more detached from real life than ever. Looks like Idiocracy was a documentary, not comedy.

[memco]

Loved it! Here’s another good video in a similar vein I’ve enjoyed lately: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQzCqkIQ60&feature=emb_title.

[tdeck]

That one definitely has a Veridian Dynamics vibe

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CoDWg2nJ8ew

[jeffrallen]

"...and the vegetable was lettuce."

This should be the meme of 2022.

Lettuce. Think about it.

[zestyping]

That was hilarious! The punchline really got me at the end.

[devopsian]

LOL this is hilarious!!

[bborud]

This is the first time I've thought about the fact that Mark Zuckerberg is the first non-animated character to inhabit the uncanny valley I can remember. (After briefly wondering if the video featured a CGI character).

[ggambetta]

Way too cold. The way forward is the Meatverse (https://meatver.se)

[granra]

Lol. I feel like this was created only for the proof-of-steak pun!

[Apofis]

This is awesome. I would totally much rather save up money for a trip to Iceland than for some VR setup from "META".

[lostmsu]

A trip to Iceland would cost 5x-10x times more though (not that I am saying it is not worth 10x+).

[l0k3ndr]

So, I am sure this video is very likeable and all. But I don't think metaverse is a total bullshit. Virtual is an experience as well. You can't for example experience flying without risk in real world and for some people experiencing those sort of things might be cheaper in the metaverse. Again I am not sure what metaverse companies are planning to form. But to me it looks like a interesting future.

[UnpossibleJim]

I agree. It's just escapism, no different than WoW or Everquest (and yes, I'm showing my age). This time they're just attaching NFT's to the housing and goods and using Crypto to buy those virtual items.

Most people will still interact with the Metaverse on a flatscreen and not an Occulus. They'll spend money on it like they did/do on mobile games. Some people will spend WAY too much, but most people will spend $20 or so a month for an hour of escapism while they're on the bus. More if they have to be on a plane with WiFi.

[saevarom]

Mark Zuckerberg saw this and commented 2 weeks ago: https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2021/11...

[Aachen]

Saying good-natured on twitter "I should visit the Icelandverse soon" basically, no like press statement like I expected when clicking the link.

[GrifMD]

I'm surprised this hadn't already been posted here! Iceland really does have a great marketing department.

[belter]

Seven times so far :-)

https://hn.algolia.com/?query=The%20Icelandverse&type=story&...

[Sosh101]

Another good metaverse send up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3X7LGx4Rao

[chrismorgan]

I’m baffled by the superposition of a digital logo. Why didn’t they use a physical rendition of it (3D printed, jigsawed, whatever), or use a flag of Iceland?

[notum]

I've been trying to book my EU/US transfers via Iceland just to absorb it a bit from within the airport, sadly though Icelandic Air is making this almost impossible.

So I've decided to facilitate a proper visit next year. I'm obsessed with country, and as far as islanders go they indeed seem much more welcoming than Japanese :)

[JohnWhigham]

I thought Iceland was looking to put the brakes on the influx of tourists they're getting? This does not help that.

[yakkomajuri]

Brakes? Iceland's economy is heavily tourism-dependent. Measures were implemented for COVID but tourism is necessary.

Sectors like tech are growing (as is the case everywhere else), but without tourism Iceland's economy is not far from that of the Faroe Islands: fish, fish, and more fish.

(P.S. I live in Iceland)

EDIT: There are movements towards more sustainable tourism, however.

[trutannus]

Where on earth did you read that? This is the exact opposite of what is happening. Tourism is either the second or the first largest economic sector outside fishing and fishing technologies.

[christrowe]

This video tells us that metaverse is not the way to go but instead exploring the world has to offer.

[vmception]

I had some layovers in Iceland on some now defunct airlines.

It really did feel this way, like a great purgatory full of other travellers on the same airlines, not so dissimilar from a multiplayer game aka metaverse. offline similarity to Elder Scrolls for its Nordic theme or the Witcher. Also real life but yeah

[zivkovicp]

Ridiculous, nobody wants _reality_ anymore. /s

[felgueres]

Guys this is 2 weeks old, no longer relevant

[egeozcan]

The releases from iceland are glacial[0], no need to worry :)

I guess this video can also be seen as a statement against the ultra-fast-paced communication expectancy if you squint your eyes a little bit.

[0]: https://guidetoiceland.is/nature-info/glaciers-in-iceland

[dagurp]

Yes, put [2021] in the title

[vaylian]

XKCD 1053

[Terry_Roll]

Excellent!

[bigyellow]

Unbelievable cringe, possibly even more so than actual Facecrook product. I couldn't even watch the whole thing as it was too painful. I know it's satire, but it's just too painful to watch even a satirical rendition of creepy Zuck.