Zag To The Zig #54 :: IKEA's in the game, Zuck in the metaverse & China cracks down
Don’t call this a comeback. I’ve been here for years. 🥊🥊
I’ve finally worked my through a tonne of open browser tabs and yes: there is interesting stuff going on. So my new ambition is: improve the regularity of ZZTZ. Plus, a special welcome to our new subscribers.
Let’s start in the Gaming Room, a place where we haven’t spent much time yet
On the overlap of gaming, NFTs and new value streams sits Axies. The reward model of this Vietnam-developed Pokemon-style game is constructed in such a way that people in the Philippines are playing the game to top up their income.
The idea of the younger generation embracing the idea of digital goods, and with possible digital scarcity, was expressed quite funnily by this millennial Twitter thread.
It’s clear, ‘the Metaverse’ is a thing, and the term will pop up in all kinds of trend decks. As Zuckerberg explains in this interview, Facebook is moving from a social media company to a metaverse company.
Clever. Ikea designs a range of furniture and accessories for the billions of gamers.
In the Office
A must-read on productivity and time management. It definitely rings true for me.
In the Tech Basement
Interesting read on why China would be cracking down on its booming tech companies. One interpretation is that the government seems to think these companies are not tech enough. Too much B2C superficial stuff, not enough ‘proper’ tech development.
2 weeks ago, at the SlovakiaTech conference, I met Mark Post, the scientist who engineered the 250,000$ burger a few years ago. He told me that with his company Mosa Meat, they’ve been able to bring down the price to about 135€ per kilo.
Which I thought was quite impressive.
But then this week, I picked up on this article that digs deep and picks holes in the theory of lab-grown meat. Such an interesting field with lots to learn.A lot is also happening in the digital ad space, with both Apple and Google implementing changes to the way their users can and can’t be tracked. It’s hard to understand the real impact yet, but the New York Times has a good overview.
On that note, the CIA and NSA are taking it a step further. They are deploying ad blocking technology, because they fear the digital ad networks are being used by hackers.
🏁 End note: 1 thing I’m doing this week
On that note, tomorrow, Tuesday, at 1500 CET, I’m hosting a webinar on Ransomware. The speakers are an ex-hacker-gone-to-the-good-guys and the only person in Belgium who has government clearance to negotiate with ransomware hackers. It won’t be dull.
It’s free and you can sign up here.