a warning. Today's episode contains themes of sexual harassment and bad language

that some listeners may find upsetting or offensive.

Late last year, Mr. Z rebadged his whole vast operation.

And then going on a strange rant about how we're all going to be living in our computers

through virtual reality.

And like many other people, I was like, what?

Messer, I get. Verse, I comprehend. But what is the messer verse? Well,

ask someone who's been there. You can't help but smile. It's mind-blowing. You've entered

another realm and it feels very real and you sort of stagger around and try to touch things.

And you think, it sounds awesome, sign me up. But we've been here before, fabulous new tech

upfront, all kinds of hazards following behind. I hadn't gone seeking any of this and I was shocked

by how much appalling language and abuse there was in these spaces. So what does the metaverse

offer humanity? And if we're going to enjoy it properly, how far must it evolve before it can

be safely used by all? You're listening to stories of our times and the times and the Sunday

times, I'm David Aronovich. Today, mastering the metaverse, new frontiers or same old sleeves.

You find yourself sort of walking round in slow circles, not quite able to believe that you're

in this world. If you look down, you can see your feet, you look up, you can see the sky,

you look behind you and you can see the cafe on the slopes and you can turn around and look

down the slopes. It really is fully immersive. Luis Eccles is the consumer affairs editor of the

Sunday Times and she spent the last few weeks with one foot in the metaverse, her favourite activity

there hitting the slopes. It felt like a real adventure. I mean, how many of us have been able to

go snowboarding or skiing in the last couple of years? So it was quite an escape. I wouldn't want

...