People care what their avatars are wearing. When the virtual world Decentraland in June said users could make and sell their own clothing for avatars to wear on the site, Hiroto Kai stayed up all night designing Japanese-inspired garments.
Selling kimonos for about US$140 each, he said he made US$15,000 to US$20,000 in just three weeks.
While the idea of spending real money on clothing that does not physically exist is baffling to many, virtual possessions generate real sales in the “metaverse” online environments where people can congregate, walk around, meet friends and play games.
Digital artist and Japan enthusiast Kai’s real
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for supporting Lithuania developing ties with Taiwan during her call with Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Sherman and Landsbergis during their talk on Friday “emphasized the strength and breadth of the US-Lithuanian bilateral relationship, which is grounded in our NATO Alliance; strengthening US-EU cooperation, including on China; and our common commitment to advance peace, prosperity, security, democracy, and human rights in the Transatlantic region and across the globe,” US Department of State spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Sherman “reiterated the United States is resolute
The Presidential Office late on Friday denied some local media reports that upfront payments for a planned “quintuple stimulus voucher” program would be waived for the entire nation, saying that the plan was still under discussion.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said the Executive Yuan has clearly stated that it would further discuss the policy with legislative caucuses in the coming week.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) acknowledges the different opinions regarding stimulus vouchers, Chang said, adding that she would discuss the plan and possible changes with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Tsai and Su agree about the importance of post-COVID-19 economic revitalization, Chang
A group of 148 people departed from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday morning as Taiwan’s suspended travel bubble with Palau resumed.
A China Airlines flight took off at about 10:30am under a program in which the Pacific island country is offering up to 2,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to arrivals from Taiwan.
The “travel bubble,” which allows Taiwanese to visit Palau under eased protocols, was initially launched on April 1, but was suspended in the middle of May after a surge of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan.
While Taiwan has contained the outbreak, it still faces a shortage of vaccines.
The first group in the
A Carnival cruise on which 27 people tested positive for COVID-19 just before the ship made a stop in Belize City this week was headed back to Galveston, Texas, on Friday after stopping in Mexico.
The positive cases were among 26 crew members and one passenger on the Carnival Vista, which is carrying more than 1,400 crew and nearly 3,000 passengers, the Belize Tourism Board said in a statement.
The ship arrived in Belize City on Wednesday.
All 27 were vaccinated, had mild or no symptoms, and were in isolation, the statement said.
The tourism board said 99.98 percent of the ship’s