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9 Great Reads From CNET This Week: Metaverse, Brain Injuries, Daylight Saving Time and More

What we can expect from the metaverse, what happens with a traumatic brain injury, what if daylight saving time lasts all year long and a whole lot more besides.

CNET News staff
2 min read

Here's a simple definition of the metaverse: It's an immersive online space, probably 3D, where you'll socialize, shop and play games. But things are never really quite that simple, right? Because though we say the metaverse, it could be there'll be many metaverses, and maybe they'll sync up or maybe they won't. Maybe you'll need VR goggles, maybe you won't.

To help you sort through how all this is taking shape, we've launched a series of stories called Making the Metaverse. The first one, from Scott Stein, digs into the definition and the deeper meaning of this new digital thing. In subsequent stories, Ian Sherr looks at how games are a gateway, Queenie Wong goes shopping a la metaverse, Dan Van Boom writes about the new digital land grab, and Stephen Shankland considers the messiness of it all.

Those stories are among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don't want to miss.

The Metaverse Isn't a Destination. It's a Metaphor  

Is this the hype peak of the metaverse? Or are we seeing something emerge that's been evolving for a long time?

metaverse-metaphor
Zooey Liao/CNET

My Father's Beautiful Brain: How a Traumatic Brain Injury Changed Our Family Forever

My dad, an esteemed scientist accustomed to living in his mind, had that mind irrevocably altered in an instant when he was struck in a hit-and-run. 

Lyons family
Suzannah Lyons

Permanent Daylight Saving Time? Bad Idea, and Here's Why 

Commentary: The Senate's unanimous vote to set clocks forward year round is disconnected from public opinion -- and my family's school day routine.   

Sunrise in New Mexico
Stephen Shankland/CNET

Robert Duvall Is Looking Back at His Life as 'The Godfather' Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Classics like Apocalypse Now, M*A*S*H and Lonesome Dove are still talked about decades later, but Robert Duvall, now 91, has another old film on his mind. 

Robert Duvall in 2005
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

People Are Paying Millions For Land in the Metaverse. Here's Why

How much would you pay for digital property?

Illustration showing mountainous terrain on a grid
Artur Debat/Getty Images

Boeing's Troubled 737 Max Is Back in the Air, but the Story Is Far From Over

A 2021 book and a new Netflix documentary trace the deadly Max crashes back to a Boeing that strayed far from its cautious roots.

An Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max on the assembly line at Boeing's factory.
Netflix

'Halo' TV Show Breaks Master Chief's No. 1 Rule -- and I Absolutely Love It 

Commentary: Fans may freak out at [slight spoiler], but the Paramount Plus television version of Halo takes John 117 to new dimensions of character depth.

Halo's Master Chief
Paramount Plus

If Fish Could Cry, Would We Change Our Moral Framework?

In research on emotions, "since animals don't talk, their feelings were denied," says biologist Frans de Waal. The best-selling author discusses animal ethics.

A large group of swimming yellowfin tuna is seen from below.
Giordano Cipriani/Getty Images

Google's Rumored Smartwatch Should Take a Page From Its Pixel Phones

Commentary: Google has an opportunity to stand out in the smartwatch space by giving its expected Pixel Watch exclusive software features.

A rendering reportedly showing what the Google Pixel Watch could look like based on leaks obtained by from Jon Prosser.
Jon Prosser/Front Page Tech
Watch this: Meta Is Investing Billions to Build a Metaverse. But What Is It?