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Destination weddings are out, and virtual weddings are in. Rather than traveling to the Amalfi Coast or Provence, Wired recently interviewed a couple who chose to host their nuptials in the place they first met and fell in love: Minecraft. Sarah Nguyen, 24, from Portland, Oregon, and Jamie Patel, 25, from Leicester, England, met at 13 years old on a Minecraft role-play server. Its the closest thing we have to a shared home, Nguyen told Wired. Most of their relationship was long-distance, lived out in the virtual world (the couple now resides together in Portland). Even Patels proposal took place atop a scenic mountain in Minecraft, delivered via in-game dialog. Nguyen and Patel arent alone. Wired reported that more couples are choosing digital ceremonies hosted in the virtual spaces where their relationships first blossomed. The pandemic marked a turning point for the wedding-industrial complex. With many weddings postponed or canceled, frustrated couples turned to the only option leftonline. Digital ceremonies became a lifeline for those unable to host in-person gatherings due to restrictions. Others fully embraced the virtual, including a 2020 Animal Crossing wedding and metaverse nuptials in 2021. Now, even without restrictions, the demand for digital nuptials hasnt slowed. In fact, an entire cottage industry has emerged to meet it. Companies like Wedfuly offer virtual wedding services starting at $800, which includes equipment and a remote production team for the day of. Even traditional event planning firms are introducing digital packages. The appeal is clearespecially as the national average cost of a wedding in the U.S. hits $33,000, according to The Knot. The global wedding industry is valued at $899.64 billion, and the average cost for a guest to attend a U.S. wedding is $610, according to Bankrate. Virtual weddings, on the other hand, let friends and family attend from the comfort of their homes. Nguyen and Patels celebration cost just $300 (including custom skins, server hosting, and a designer to script NPCs and quests) and welcomed 50 guests from eight different countries. Wired also spoke with Jessica Hu, an ordained officiant and digital celebrant based in Chicago. Hu specializes in ceremonies across Twitch, Discord, and VRChat, and has officiated more than 40 weddings in online spaces since launching her services in 2020. Its easy to dismiss it as novelty, Hu says. But these weddings are deeply sacred. Ive had couples exchange vows using emoji reactions. Ive had Discord bots cue the processional music. Ive seen Twitch chats cry in real time. Cue the heart-eyes and crying emojis.
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E-Commerce
Apple is partnering with brain-computer interface company Synchron to develop technology that lets users control devices using neural signals. Still in the early stages, the technology could significantly expand accessibility for users who are unable to operate devices with their hands, Synchron said in a press release. The partnership was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. “This marks a defining moment for human-device interaction,” Synchron CEO Tom Oxley said in a statement. “Apple is helping to pioneer a new interface paradigm, where brain signals are formally recognized alongside touch, voice and typing.” Historically, users have interacted with tech devices through keyboards, mice, and more recently, touch and voice. But these interfaces remain limiting for people with certain impairments. Apple and Synchron are now working to translate specific brain signals into actions like selecting icons on a screen. Synchrons implantable device, called the Stentrode, uses electrodes to read brain activity. It integrates with Apples Switch Control feature, which allows users to operate devices via alternative input methods. When we ask our clinical trial participants what they want to do, its always about communication and creativity, Synchron chief commercial officer Kurt Haggstrom said in a statement. And to most people, that means using their Apple devices. For Apple to recognize that need, and respond to it, demonstrates how much they value accessibility for their users.” The technology likely remains years away from FDA approval and widespread use. Synchron said limited trials with patients are expected to begin later this year.
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E-Commerce
As you sift among the various options for your short-term investments, keep these key items on your dashboard: yield, guarantees, liquidity and your individual situation. The short-term investments that promise the highest yields often come with at least some risk and/or constraints on your daily access to funds. It may be that youre just looking for the highest safe yield and dont care that much about liquidity. Or maybe having ready access to your funds is the name of the game. Also think through whether you value an ironclad guarantee or are willing to go without in exchange for a potentially higher yield. Some cash instruments are fully FDIC-insured, while others are not. On the short list of FDIC-insured investments are checking and savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts (not to be confused with money market mutual funds), and online savings accounts. Certificates of deposit CDs will typically offer the most compelling yields of all cash instruments, and theyre also FDIC-insured. Yet there are a couple of caveats. One is that minimum deposits for the highest-yielding CDs might be $25,000 or even higher. Theres also a trade-off on the liquidity front: Youll usually pay a penalty if you need to crack into your holdings before the maturity date. The longer the term of the CD, the bigger the penalty for cashing out early. Online savings accounts If you want daily liquidity, a decent yield, and FDIC protection, your best bet will tend to be a high-yield savings account through an online bank or a savings account through a credit union. The former offers FDIC protection, up to the limits, whereas credit union accounts are insured by another entity, the National Credit Union Administration. Money market mutual funds Money market mutual funds also offer daily liquidity and the convenience of having those funds live side by side with your long-term investments. But money market fund yields are still generally below those of online savings accounts today. Additionally, money market mutual funds arent FDIC-insured, though in practice most funds have done an excellent job of maintaining stable net asset values. Dont confuse money market mutual funds with brokerage sweep accounts, though both are offered by investment providers. Interest rates on brokerage sweep accounts, which hold investors cash that hasnt yet been invested, have ticked up a bit recently but are still well below other cash options. Stable-value funds Stable-value funds are another example of an investment that offers an often-decent yield in exchange for not checking the liquidity and guarantee boxes. Stable-value funds are only accessible inside of company retirement plans. They invest in bonds, so theyre not FDIC-insured; to protect investors principal, they employ insurance wrappers to help maintain a stable net asset value. Just bear in mind that stable-value funds carry drawbacks. Because you can only own such a fund within a 401(k), youll pay taxes and penalties to withdraw your money before retirement unless you meet certain criteria. So dont think of a stable-value fund as an emergency fund unless youre already retired or close to it. Honorable mention: I Bonds In contrast with the preceding investment types, I bonds are the only safe investment vehicles that will guarantee to make investors whole with respect to inflation. I bonds are Treasury bonds that pay a fixed rate of interest as well as another layer of interest that varies with the current inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. As attractive as that is, it comes with a few asterisks. If you redeem an I bond within five years of buying it, youll forfeit three months worth of interest. Purchase constraints are another drawback for large investors. Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar.
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E-Commerce
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