Google is buying part of HTC's XR (extended reality) team for $250 million, along with a non-exclusive license for HTC XR IP. It's part of Google's effort to build out its Android XR platform, and feels a bit like when Google bought HTC's phone business to build out its Pixel phone brand. https://buff.ly/4jve9SC #Google #AndroidXR #ExtendedReality #VR #HTC

Vernor Vinge was (ouch) one of the greats. Coined the term singularity for the Next Big Transformation (most typically, but not necessarily, via tech). He's the first author I read who really helped me contextualize cyberpunk. (Didn't run into Stanislaw Lem's The Cyberiad until shortly after Vinge's True Names and Other Dangers.)

So it goes. Will have more to say. https://whatever.scalzi.com/2024/03/21/rip-vernor-vinge/ #ScienceFiction #SF #author #RIP #SoItGoes #cyberpunk #XR #ExtendedReality #AI #generativeAI #LLM #LLMs