TECH THAT THE LATEST IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
AMAZON HEADS FOR THE STARS
Amazon is following Elon Musk’s SpaceX in setting up a low-orbit satellite-powered wireless broadband service.
The plan – named Project Kuiper – will place around 3,200 satellites circling the earth to bring internet connectivity to places where traditional services are not possible.
In order to get the satellites up there, Amazon has booked 83 launches on rockets made by various companies, including Blue Origin, the space company created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
SpaceX already has 2,300 satellites in operation, providing its Starlink broadband system, which has been used by the Ukrainian government to stay connected during the Russian invasion in recent weeks. Another satellite broadband system, this time co-owned by the British government, is OneWeb, which is also lagging behind the progress made by Starlink.
These projects are not without controversy with astronomers complaining about the huge amount of equipment orbiting the planet interfering with their work, and others questioning the safety of the crowded skies.
ZUCK BUCKS STILL IN THE PLANNING
It’s been a while since Facebook said it was dropping the idea of developing its own currency… but it apparently has not abandoned the idea altogether.
This week news surfaced of the development of a new kind of Zuck Bucks, as they have become known – a currency to spend inside the Metaverse.
Mark Zuckerberg is keen that his various networks wean themselves off advertising money, which is seen as unsustainable in the long run, and sees virtual currencies to use online as an alternative way of making money. The virtual coins, which users will be able to buy with actual money, could be used by different kinds of users in different ways – creators may earn them as rewards for their work, while fans could donate them to their favourite followers.
They could also be used to buy virtual items – like clothing and furniture – with which to flesh out their space in the future Metaverse.