Mark Pesce - The Next Billion Seconds

Science fiction legend Vernor Vinge inspired the title of this podcast - and his influence extends far beyond fiction. His novella "True Names" gave readers a first taste of the metaverse, and in a 1993 talk for NASA, Vinge described a 'technological singularity' - a time when computers get so good so fast that they 'run away' from human control. It's a scenario that haunts every big company working in AI today, possibly an element in the behind-the-scenes dynamic that got Sam Altman (briefly) fired as CEO of ChatGPT creator OpenAI in November 2023. This 2019 interview - one of his last, before his passing on 21 March 2024 - explores Vinge's thinking about 'The Singularity' - and asks what happens when a goldfish tries to talk to a human... Over a billion seconds ago, sci-fi legend Vernor Vinge conceived of a “Technological Singularity”, when our machines outthink us. Should we worry? Be sure to read Vernor’s 1993 paper, “The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era” – it’s linked here. A rerun of an earlier episode of The Next Billion Seconds. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano Audio Mixed by: Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark started working with cryptocurrencies back in 2014. Ten years at the coalface has convinced him that - despite incredible promise - cryptocurrencies are pwned by gamblers and grifters. After a decade advising financial institutions, regulators and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, Mark explains why he's chosen to leave it all behind - and might never mention cryptocurrencies publicly again. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano Audio Mixed by: Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite some new car announcements from Honda, this year's Consumer Electronics Show reveals a stagnant automotive sector that seems to have lost its way in the transition to EVs. Co-host Sally Dominguez, Special Correspondent Drew Smith and Mark Pesce find a few bones to pick with the future on offer in Las Vegas - but a surprise from Sharp left the team smelling roses. It's Las Vegas, baby - with the pedal to the metal, and one foot in the future. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano Audio Mixed by: Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Consumer Electronics Show is one of the biggest conventions in the world, featuring gadgets of every size and description. It’s also the most important car show in the world. Cohost Sally Dominguez, special correspondent Drew Smith and host Mark Pesce share some of their highs and lows of this year’s show. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano Audio Mixed by: Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The year of 'brolectrification', artificial intelligence working its way into car dashboards, a Chinese EV invasion - and Cybertruck's domination. At the end of 2023, what have we learned? Co-host Sally Dominguez and Special Correspondent Drew Smith sit down with Mark Pesce to augur the entrails of a very weird year, then look forward to the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show. On this final episode of a three-part miniseries, we explore how ChatGPT rose to become the fastest growing app in history, then found itself the weapon of choice in the longest running war in the technology industry - the feud between Microsoft and Google. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano Audio Mixed by: Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RESHARE! Thanks to Paddy Dhanda for having Mark Pesce on his Podcast Superpowers school - we're happy to be sharing here! 🎧 Follow Superpowers School Podcast on: 👉 Apple 👉 Spotify 👉 YouTube 👉 Newsletter In this exclusive interview, Mark Pesce shares his journey of writing his new book published by the BCS, "Getting Started with ChatGPT and AI Chatbots." He was inspired by the realisation that billions of Windows users would soon need guidance on how to use powerful AI tools following Microsoft’s launch of co-pilot. The book aims to provide "rules of the road" for AI newcomers, avoiding technical jargon. Mark also discusses generative AI tools and the importance of understanding different AI models like Claude and Google Bard. 👉🏽 AI's rapid evolution requires a balance between innovation and ethical regulation. 👉🏽 Understanding various AI models and their uses is crucial for effective application. 👉🏽 Proper prompt engineering can significantly improve AI's performance and output. 👉🏽 While AI presents concerns for privacy and job security, it also offers opportunities for enhancing productivity and focusing on uniquely human skills. 👉🏽 The future of AI should be approached with cautious optimism, focusing on its potential to augment human capabilities. 🎁 You can purchase the book 👉🏽 https://rebrand.ly/3b93tly The book is illustrated by Grant Wright 🎁 You can purchase the book 👉🏽 https://rebrand.ly/3b93tly Share Mark Pesce (Author) Across a more than forty years in technology, Mark Pesce has been deeply involved in some of the major transitions points in the modern history of computing. After prototyping the SecurID card - the first 2FA device - in 1983, Pesce went on to develop firmware for X.25 networks, a forerunner of today’s Internet. At Shiva Corporation he developed software for a series of wide-area networking products praised for their ease of use and reliability. Inspired by Ted Nelson’s hypermedia system, Project Xanadu, and William Gibson’s ‘cyberspace’, Pesce invented core elements of a consumer-priced networked VR system, reducing the cost of sensing an object’s orientation by a thousand-fold with his ‘sourceless orientation sensor’ (US Patent 5526022A). After collaborating with Sega on Virtua VR, Pesce, working with visionary engineer Tony Parisi, blended real-time 3D with the World Wide Web to create the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). With VRML, Pesce and Parisi laid the foundations for today’s metaverse, culminating with its adoption as MPEG-4 Interactive Profile (ISO/IEC 14496) in 1998. Pesce wrote VRML: Browsing and Building Cyberspace - his first book - in 1995, followed by VRML: Flying through the Web in 1997. In 2000, Ballantine Books published The Playful World: How Technology is Transforming our Imagination. In that book, three children’s toys - the Furby, LEGO Mindstorms and Sony’s Playstation 2 - act as entry points in an exploration of how interactive devices shape a child’s imagination. Appointed in 1997 as Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television, Pesce founded the School’s program in Interactive media. In 2003, Pesce moved to Sydney to found the program in New and Emerging Media at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, guiding postgraduates through a transition to digital production, distribution, and promotion. Shortly after arriving in Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation featured Pesce on their long-running hit series The New Inventors. Every Wednesday evening, Pesce celebrated the best Australian inventions and their inventors. A sought-after commentator, he writes a multiple award-winning column for The Register, and another for COSMOS Magazine. Pesce analyzed the impacts of media-sharing and social networks in two books: Hyperpolitics: Power on a Connected Planet (2009), and The Next Billion Seconds (2011). Pesce’s 2021 book, Augmented Reality: Unboxing Tech’s Next Big...

Autonomous agents - computer programs that can think and act for themselves - have been an impossible dream for almost forty years. Suddenly, they're easy to create - and being weaponised as agents of mass disinformation. In this final of our three-part miniseries on AI, we look at the power - and peril - of autonomous agents, a technology that will play a huge role in our NEXT BILLION SECONDS. On this final episode of a three-part miniseries, we explore how ChatGPT rose to become the fastest growing app in history, then found itself the weapon of choice in the longest running war in the technology industry - the feud between Microsoft and Google. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano Mixed by Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While everyone was going gaga over ChatGPT, Meta - the former Facebook - rewrote the AI playbook with LLaMA. Small enough to run on a smartphone, LLaMA gives us a glimpse of what the world will look like at the end of next year - with AI chatbots everywhere, inside almost everything. LLaMA and its tiny kin are amazing - but are they safe? On this second episode of a three-part miniseries, we explore how ChatGPT rose to become the fastest growing app in history, then found itself the weapon of choice in the longest running war in the technology industry - the feud between Microsoft and Google. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano Mixed by Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 30 November 2022 startup OpenAI released ChatGPT, resetting expectations for artificial intelligence. Only one year later and billions now have access to ‘good enough’ AI, resetting our expectations for what computers can do - and leaving us wondering how we’ll adapt to this latest breakthrough. On this first of a three-part miniseries, we explore how ChatGPT rose to become the fastest growing app in history, then found itself the weapon of choice in the longest running war in the technology industry - the feud between Microsoft and Google. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Cars (and The Next Billion Seconds) with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano & Alan Fang Mixed by Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While they've worked together for five years, Mark, Sal and Drew have never met face-to-face - until this show. Eyeball-to-eyball they ask one another some 'hard questions', and learn some hard truths about the state of micromobility, EVs - and the future of the transition that may be better for the auto industry than for the planet. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Cars (and The Next Billion Seconds) with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Chief Audio Officer: Josh Butt Edited by: Isabel Vanhakartano & Alan Fang Mixed by Carter Quinn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPECIAL EPISODE. We were so happy with Special Correspondent Drew Smith’s rich and powerful interview with Horace Dediu, we wanted to share an episode featuring their complete conversation. Drew Smith sat down for an hour-plus interview with Horace Dediu, the ‘father’ of micromobility - Horace coined the word! - exploring its origins and future. Along the way, Horace offers a blistering critique of the failure of the automotive sector to embody the new design possibilities offered by micromobility: transportation choice in our urban centres, and a powerful framework to rethink our transportation networks and cities. The Next Billion Cars is proudly made possible by our sponsors GIO Insurance and BMW. GIO has spent nearly 100 years continually developing our products and services to meet our customer’s needs, with dedicated team members that spend time focused on research to ensure we understand emerging vehicle technologies. This knowledge is used within our organisation to shape future products and services so we can continue to ensure your insurance needs are covered. At GIO, we know insurance, so you know you’re covered. Visit GIO.com.au for more information. BMW i. Fully Electric. It’s time to take a look at the definition of performance. True drivers will now see the world as not just fast or slow. New performance throws you back into your seat, squeezes every molecule and watt, and gets a thrill from giving back. Performance Redefined. To find out more visit bmw.com.au For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Cars (and The Next Billion Seconds) with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Want a Sonic Experience? Ask Ampel about sonic branding, audio & video podcasts and audio ads! hearhere@ampel.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is ‘micromobility’? It’s a philosophy that emphasises choice and urban-centered design in our transportation networks and transport options. Drew Smith speaks with Horace Dediu, the ‘father’ of micromobility, about its origins, his critique of the new generation of EV companies, and the way things must change in order to provide a transport future that we can all enjoy. Mark looks at the ‘wheel’ of transportation that takes developing nations from bicycles to scooters to cars - and back to bikes again? Sally Dominguez makes a heartfelt and well-observed plea for micromobility solutions that don’t favour able-bodied young men by design. In the roundtable, Mark, Sal and Drew analyse everything they’ve learned in this series: Are we any closer to autonomous vehicles? Pervasive electric vehicles? Commercial hydrogen vehicles? Micromobility solutions that work for everyone? A huge final for this series of THE NEXT BILLION CARS. The Next Billion Cars is proudly made possible by our sponsors BMW and GIO Insurance. BMW i. Fully Electric. It’s time to take a look at the definition of performance. True drivers will now see the world as not just fast or slow. New performance throws you back into your seat, squeezes every molecule and watt, and gets a thrill from giving back. Performance Redefined. To find out more visit bmw.com.au GIO has spent nearly 100 years continually developing our products and services to meet our customer’s needs, with dedicated team members that spend time focused on research to ensure we understand emerging vehicle technologies. This knowledge is used within our organisation to shape future products and services so we can continue to ensure your insurance needs are covered. At GIO, we know insurance, so you know you’re covered. Visit GIO.com.au for more information. For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Cars (and The Next Billion Seconds) with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Find out what Ampel could do for you in podcasts and audio creative! Interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast? Contact General Manager Michelle Lomas michelle@ampel.com.au or EP Josh Butt josh@ampel.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long-promised as the ‘fuel of the future’, hydrogen fails to live up to its hype. Co-host Sally Dominguez looks at the the future for big hydrogen-powered vehicles, speaking with Brendan Norman of Australian hydrogen vehicle startup H2X. Mark speaks to Romesh Rodrigo at Daimler Trucks Australia about the future of ‘liquid’ hydrogen - a fuel that needs to be cooled to within 20 degrees of Absolute Zero, and ‘bleeds off’ quickly, leaving storage tanks empty. Finally, Special Correspondent Drew Smith looks at the collapse of Toyota’s long-held ambitions to transition seamlessly from petrol-powered to hydrogen-fueled vehicles. We’re exploding with ideas on this episode of THE NEXT BILLION CARS. The Next Billion Cars is proudly made possible by our sponsors GIO Insurance and BMW. GIO has spent nearly 100 years continually developing our products and services to meet our customer’s needs, with dedicated team members that spend time focused on research to ensure we understand emerging vehicle technologies. This knowledge is used within our organisation to shape future products and services so we can continue to ensure your insurance needs are covered. At GIO, we know insurance, so you know you’re covered. Visit GIO.com.au for more information. BMW i. Fully Electric. It’s time to take a look at the definition of performance. True drivers will now see the world as not just fast or slow. New performance throws you back into your seat, squeezes every molecule and watt, and gets a thrill from giving back. Performance Redefined. To find out more visit bmw.com.au For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Cars (and The Next Billion Seconds) with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Find out what Ampel could do for you in podcasts and audio creative! Interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast? Contact General Manager Michelle Lomas michelle@ampel.com.au or EP Josh Butt josh@ampel.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of electric cars in Australia doubled in 2022 - yet it remains nearly impossible to buy the model you want, and the nation’s public charging infrastructure remains on the drawing board. Big things will need to change, quickly. Co-hosts Sally Dominguez and Drew Smith dive into the systemic changes needed to get these ‘batteries-with-wheels’ charged and charging into the future. With contributions from Richard Hackforth-Jones, Joe Simspon and Daniel O’Brien. Can you drive across Europe in an EV? Can you charge an EV in your kitchen? Are swappable batteries the answer for ‘range anxiety’ - or can we try to rid ourselves of this ‘big-is-better-ism’ that automotive manufacturers have used to lure new buyers for half a century? The Next Billion Cars is proudly made possible by our sponsors GIO Insurance and BMW. GIO has spent nearly 100 years continually developing our products and services to meet our customer’s needs, with dedicated team members that spend time focused on research to ensure we understand emerging vehicle technologies. This knowledge is used within our organisation to shape future products and services so we can continue to ensure your insurance needs are covered. At GIO, we know insurance, so you know you’re covered. Visit GIO.com.au for more information. BMW i. Fully Electric. It’s time to take a look at the definition of performance. True drivers will now see the world as not just fast or slow. New performance throws you back into your seat, squeezes every molecule and watt, and gets a thrill from giving back. Performance Redefined. To find out more visit bmw.com.au For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Cars (and The Next Billion Seconds) with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Find out what Ampel could do for you in podcasts and audio creative! Interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast? Contact General Manager Michelle Lomas michelle@ampel.com.au or EP Josh Butt josh@ampel.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Next Billion Cars Mini-Series is BACK for another mini series. In this episode about the future of Autonomous Vehicles, Mark Pesce with co-hosts Sally Dominguez and Drew Smith explore what the future holds for the car industry and how we move. In the first episode, Mark and guests explore the future of autonomous vehicles. It all started in 2016 when Tesla made a video touting their 'self-driving' software - which we soon found out was faked, but that didn't stop the industry. Every major manufacturer promised self-driving cars by 2021. But by the start of 2023, we aren't even close! Will the nirvana of driverless cars ever come - or will it remain a temping mirage, forever just over the horizon? Join hosts Mark Pesce, Sally Dominguez and Drew Smith, and guests Steven Cratchley (Pricing Manager - Advanced Technology and Future Mobility Lead, GIO) and Ken Goldberg (Professor, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, UC Berkeley) as they explore what the future holds. The Next Billion Cars is proudly made possible by our sponsors GIO Insurance and BMW. GIO has spent nearly 100 years continually developing our products and services to meet our customer’s needs, with dedicated team members that spend time focused on research to ensure we understand emerging vehicle technologies. This knowledge is used within our organisation to shape future products and services so we can continue to ensure your insurance needs are covered. At GIO, we know insurance, so you know you’re covered. Visit GIO.com.au for more information. BMW i. Fully Electric. It’s time to take a look at the definition of performance. True drivers will now see the world as not just fast or slow. New performance throws you back into your seat, squeezes every molecule and watt, and gets a thrill from giving back. Performance Redefined. To find out more visit bmw.com.au For more information about this podcast and The Next Billion Seconds, please visit https://nextbillionseconds.com. The Next Billion Cars (and The Next Billion Seconds) with Mark Pesce is produced by Ampel - https://ampel.com.au. Find out what Ampel could do for you in podcasts and audio creative! Interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast? Contact General Manager Michelle Lomas michelle@ampel.com.au or EP Josh Butt josh@ampel.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Work futurist Dom Price and resilience expert Sally Dominguez guide us through a new world of work, post-pandemic. Mark speaks with two leaders at the coalface, Julie Watkins, Chief People Officer of Uni Super, and Dr Rajkuma Buyya, Director of the Cloud Computing and Distributed Systems (CLOUDS) Laboratory, and a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne and CEO of Manjrasoft, share how both are finding unique paths to help their staff thrive in a world of work that looks nothing like what any of us have ever known. This episode of The Next Billion Seconds, What's Happening to The Way We Work, is sponsored by Oracle. To find out how Oracle Cloud Computing can help your business visit https://www.oracle.com/au "Mark Pesce - The Next Billion Seconds" is produced by Ampel - visit https://ampel.com.au to find out what Ampel could do for you! If you are interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast, hearhere@ampel.com.au If you enjoyed this show, please leave a rating and/or review on Apple, Spotify or any other podcast platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TSMC now makes the best computer chips - making Taiwan a prize that China needs in order to continue its rise as an economic and military superpower. Rebroadcast from June 7, 2021. The 2023 season of The Next Billion Cars is proudly made possible by our sponsors GIO Insurance and BMW. GIO has spent nearly 100 years continually developing our products and services to meet our customer’s needs, with dedicated team members that spend time focused on research to ensure we understand emerging vehicle technologies. This knowledge is used within our organisation to shape future products and services so we can continue to ensure your insurance needs are covered. At GIO, we know insurance, so you know you’re covered. Visit GIO.com.au for more information. BMW i. Fully Electric. It’s time to take a look at the definition of performance. True drivers will now see the world as not just fast or slow. New performance throws you back into your seat, squeezes every molecule and watt, and gets a thrill from giving back. Performance Redefined. Discover Performance Redefined For more information about this and all our other Next Billion Seconds content, please check out https://nextbillionseconds.com Mark Pesce - The Next Billion Seconds is produced by Ampel - visit https://ampel.com.au to find out what Ampel could do for you! If you are interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast, contact us at hearhere@ampel.com.au. If you enjoyed this show, please leave a rating and/or review on Apple, Spotify or any other podcast platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 2010s, VR roared back into life with Oculus, Vive, WebGL and Hololens. Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite gave millions a deep drink of the potential of the Metaverse. Facebook - renamed Meta - bet the house on the Metaverse. Where is the Metaverse headed? We hear insights from forty years of experts. For more information about this and all our other 'The Next Billion Seconds" content, please check out https://nextbillionseconds.com This podcast is sponsored by the Digital Skills Organisation. The DSO is championing an employer-led, skills-based approach to digital literacy. Our offering is designed to support future-proofing the country, growing jobs, supporting our economic growth and ensuring that Australia remains a global leader in digital. If we are to equip our workforce with the skills to meet a rapidly changing, technological future, we need a new approach. We’re working in collaboration with employers, trainers and employees. Their involvement is vital. We believe it’s a better way to create consistent journey pathways and build relevant digital skills. We define the problem this way - digital skills training must: Create value both internally and externally. Improve customer experience. Build operational capabilities. To deliver on these objectives we need to strengthen Australia’s digital workforce. It’s that simple. DSO - Digitally Upskilling Australia To find out more, visit the DSO website: https://digitalskillsorg.com.au "Mark Pesce - The Next Billion Seconds" is produced by Ampel - visit https://ampel.com.au to find out what Ampel could do for you! If you are interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast, reach out to our Director of Media and Partnerships Lauren Deighton at lauren@ampel.com.au If you enjoyed this show, please leave a rating and/or review on Apple, Spotify or any other podcast platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 2000s, the Metaverse blossomed into the foundation for a new generation of video games such as 'Ultima Online', and big data 'digital twins' like Google Earth. It's "Game On!" for Tony and Mark - and on and on and on and on... Featuring Raph Koster, Philip Rosedale, Ken Birdwell, Amy Jo Kim, Avi Bar-Zeev, Clay Graham and Justin Liang. For more information about this and all our other 'The Next Billion Seconds" content, please check out https://nextbillionseconds.com This podcast is sponsored by the Digital Skills Organisation. The DSO is championing an employer-led, skills-based approach to digital literacy. Our offering is designed to support future-proofing the country, growing jobs, supporting our economic growth and ensuring that Australia remains a global leader in digital. If we are to equip our workforce with the skills to meet a rapidly changing, technological future, we need a new approach. We’re working in collaboration with employers, trainers and employees. Their involvement is vital. We believe it’s a better way to create consistent journey pathways and build relevant digital skills. We define the problem this way - digital skills training must: Create value both internally and externally. Improve customer experience. Build operational capabilities. To deliver on these objectives we need to strengthen Australia’s digital workforce. It’s that simple. DSO - Digitally Upskilling Australia To find out more, visit the DSO website: https://digitalskillsorg.com.au "Mark Pesce - The Next Billion Seconds" is produced by Ampel - visit https://ampel.com.au to find out what Ampel could do for you! If you are interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast, reach out to our Director of Media and Partnerships Lauren Deighton at lauren@ampel.com.au If you enjoyed this show, please leave a rating and/or review on Apple, Spotify or any other podcast platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second half of the 1990s, VRML became the platform of choice for 'virtual worlds' filled with 'avatars' - digital representations of real people. The Web goes big - and stays big - yet VRML crashes back to Earth, as Second Life becomes the last best hope for the Metaverse. Featuring Neal Stephenson, David Frerichs, John McCrea, Jan Mallis, Bruce Damer, Mark Jeffrey, Christopher Caen, Linda Jacobson, Philip Rosedale and Stuart Buckland as the Narrator. Tony’s Intervista Software had a very 1997 website. Check it out here. Have a play with Jan Mallis’ Floops – an early VRML animation – here! Watch the five episodes of ‘Bliss.com’ Jan and Mark created — in your web browser, here. "VRML: The LSD of the Internet” from the May 1996 Red Herring. Mark Jeffrey co-created The Palace – a 2D avatar chat. It’s still going, here! Christopher Caen co-founded OnLive – a 3D chat with audio streaming. And Philip Rosedale created Second Life – still going strong! For more information about this and all our other 'The Next Billion Seconds" content, please check out https://nextbillionseconds.com This podcast is sponsored by the Digital Skills Organisation. The DSO is championing an employer-led, skills-based approach to digital literacy. Our offering is designed to support future-proofing the country, growing jobs, supporting our economic growth and ensuring that Australia remains a global leader in digital. If we are to equip our workforce with the skills to meet a rapidly changing, technological future, we need a new approach. We’re working in collaboration with employers, trainers and employees. Their involvement is vital. We believe it’s a better way to create consistent journey pathways and build relevant digital skills. We define the problem this way - digital skills training must: Create value both internally and externally. Improve customer experience. Build operational capabilities. To deliver on these objectives we need to strengthen Australia’s digital workforce. It’s that simple. DSO - Digitally Upskilling Australia To find out more, visit the DSO website: https://digitalskillsorg.com.au "Mark Pesce - The Next Billion Seconds" is produced by Ampel - visit https://ampel.com.au to find out what Ampel could do for you! If you are interested in sponsoring The Next Billion Seconds podcast, reach out to our Director of Media and Partnerships Lauren Deighton at lauren@ampel.com.au If you enjoyed this show, please leave a rating and/or review on Apple, Spotify or any other podcast platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.