As technology evolves, so does our collective vocabulary.
Even if you're a Luddite who'd rather not get caught up in the latest tech trends, you still need to learn about them. That is why I am here. As in previous years, 2023 is sure to bring many technical terms that you may not have heard of. These or existing words will acquire a completely new meaning.
Anyway, you should know. You are hungry for knowledge, I think. Without further ado, let's take a look at the technical terms you need to know before changing your calendar.
Augmented reality
Reality is about to expand. Could be. Credit: Weiquan Lin/Getty Images
First of all, it's augmented reality, often abbreviated as XR. It's not a new term at all, but you may hear it in the future when companies like Meta bring the vision of Metavas to life.
Fortunately, XR is easy to understand. It's a catch-all term for virtual reality, augmented reality, and everything in between. I'm pretty sure VR is when you use a headset like Meta Quest 2 and walk through completely virtual worlds. AR involves the digital placement of virtual objects in the real world, such as a Snap filter . When they come together, we call it mixed reality, which falls under the umbrella of XR.
With Meta launching its Quest Pro mixed reality headset and Apple launching its own , the XR has a chance to succeed in 2023.
who
I always wondered what Daft Punk would be like with cats and angel wings. Credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
No, it refers to the proud Na'vi people of Pandora or the bald boys with arrows in their heads. Unfortunately, the technical definition of "Avatar" is less than cool.
At least it's simple. An avatar is a digital representation that can be performed in a video game, metaverse, or anywhere else. It could look like you or it could look like SpongeBob with a bong or something. That's the beauty of digital worlds like VRChat .
create or not I do not care. But remember, if you don't already have one, you'll need to create an avatar at some point.
stable distribution
I think it's pretty close. Credit: Stable Distribution Network
The technical details of the stable distribution are too high for me and probably for you. There's a post on Medium that explains this if you're interested, but it's more useful for understanding how the stable distribution works.
Simply put, stable rendering is a special type of AI-powered text-to-image conversion that was introduced in 2022. Unlike competitors like DALL-E , Stable Distribution can work directly with your computer's GPU (in contrast, DALL-E is cloud only) and the code behind it is open source so people can do whatever they want.
Finally, this is another way to create the image of Peter Griffin shooting a basketball in Sonic the Hedgehog. Just be aware that you may accidentally steal the work of real human artists in the process.
AI
AI is no longer just for robots. Credit: Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images
Artificial intelligence (or AI) is clearly a decade away. You'll also get an idea of what it means: the ability of machines to receive and work with data. However, AI will be widely used by 2023, so it's worth looking at at least some of the popular apps you might see.
We cover AI imaging with stable diffusion and DALL-E. Another example is the blanket term where AI can automatically edit photos taken by phones like the Google Pixel 7 or give you a GUI for automated phone call menus. There's even a new chatbot called ChatGPT that accepts all your invites. He is often wrong, but at least he tries.
affair
Apple HomePod will be compatible with Matter. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Smart home fans should probably pay special attention to this one. Did you know that Google, Amazon, and Apple all have their own smart home product lines? Did you know that you should buy products from the same brand to maximize their potential? If matter is created , the past remains.
Matter is Apple's new HomePod standard for smart home products, allowing products from different brands to work together in a single home ecosystem. The Verge does a good job of explaining how it works when metering devices hit the market, but in short, you need a device in your home that acts as a "monitor." This could be anything from an Amazon Echo to an Apple TV 4K.
The Matter controller allows you to connect and use other nearby Matter-enabled devices. While the Mater devices won't be generally available until 2023, once they're ready, you'll be able to give your Google Nest commands using Siri if you want. It is wonderful.
Quickly
Roku offers one of the most popular streaming services right now. 1 credit
What's happening with streaming services like HBO Max is less cool than Matter. Shows like Westworld have gone off the air, leaving fans wondering where they'll be able to catch them in the future. Get free ad-supported TV or Instant .
FAST is the new streaming trend that offers what the name suggests: content streaming with an ad-free option everywhere. The fastest services include Roku TV and Amazon's Freevee, for example. You won't pay a dime to watch anything on Fast, but the content won't match the premium service and you'll have to watch the ads again.
If Westworld is rumored to be in Fast World soon, you might want to check out this concept.
DLSS
But imagine 4K. Credit: Nielsen Barnard/Getty Images
No doubt 2023 will bring a lot of new buzzwords, but one current buzzword to watch out for is Deep Learning Super Sampling, or DLSS. It's something Nvidia has in mind for high-end PC graphics cards, but there have been persistent rumors over the past few years that Nintendo plans to use it for its upcoming Switch console. So what is it?
In simple terms, DLSS uses AI (that word again) to upscale images to a higher resolution than their original resolution. Something running at 720p or 1080p could theoretically use DLSS to give the illusion of running at 1440p or even 4K. Artificial intelligence can create better quality images than a simple image and even make games run better.
With the Switch languishing and the Steam Deck stealing the hearts of the people, DLSS could (again, in theory) be a way for Nintendo to move a little further in the hardware arms race.