Traders set to don virtual reality headsets in their home offices
Spare bedrooms and living rooms could soon become part of vibrant trading floors as one of the world's biggest investment banks considers providing staff with augmented reality headsets.
UBS has experimented with issuing its London-based traders with Microsoft HoloLenses, which would allow staff to recreate the experience of working in a packed trading floor without leaving their homes.
Banks have been desperate to bring workers back to the office, especially for regulatory-sensitive roles such as trading, but surges in coronavirus infection rates have meant many staff are wary about using public transport.
"If people really can't come to the office, can we create a virtual presence?" Beatriz Martin, UBS UK chief executive, told the Financial Times. "We are thinking about experimenting with the tools that are out there."
UBS has set up a working group focused on "reimagining the trading floor," which has also considered setting up screens on traders' desks with camera feeds from their co-workers to encourage collaboration.
The only reality is virtual. If you're not jacked in, you're not alive.
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Monday September 21 2020, @06:03PM (2 children)
Certainly a VR guarantees much better security and privacy environment for any kind of work from home than an open camera to your living room.
The edge of 太玄 cannot be defined, for it is beyond every aspect of design
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Monday September 21 2020, @06:15PM
If your employer requires something like this [uploadvr.com], you'll have many more cameras pointed at you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkSfHCtpnHU [youtube.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 21 2020, @07:46PM
I would say they're about the same, if not worse off in the VR instance. Though, the camera is likely more hackable right now. Not sure how difficult it would be to takeover a VR Headset's camera(s) or make use of the positioning data that comes with something like the Lighthouses for the HTC Vive and Valve Index.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday September 21 2020, @06:14PM (2 children)
Free bonus VR headset for one lucky person in the crowd.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Monday September 21 2020, @07:28PM (1 child)
While we're reimagining the trading floor with wolves and stuff, can I be a shark [youtu.be]? Or at least a wolf in sheep's clothing, but wearing a sharkskin suit? Man, that would rock.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday September 21 2020, @07:49PM
That's some crazy image you conjured up. New halloween suit, Wolf mask, covered in sheep fur with sheep ears, and a nice sharkskin suit to deck it all out. I guess they'd call that a woleerk in the traditional turducken style.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by fakefuck39 on Monday September 21 2020, @06:36PM (1 child)
let's open the trading floors back up. no masks. let's pack even more people in there. let's make sure they're all protected physically and legally by packing a bunch of lawyers, cops, and DAs in there. that'll be painful short-term, but solve a lot of problems with society long-term.
In fact, I think in addition to do that it would be helpful to open the companies back up - just to upper management - the rest keep working remote.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 21 2020, @07:59PM
All the politicians should also be invited ;)
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 21 2020, @06:59PM (1 child)
Why?
Normally I struggle to understand the humans, but I'm out of my depth here.
Otoh, most humans read and type at about 10 WPM or so. Probably the deal with humans preferring video over written transcript, especially when seeking technical instructions, is similar to this. Most humans are goddamned illiterate morons. At least most of them are aware they are goddamned illiterate morons and spend 90% of their effort at work covering up this fact. VR and in-person meetings and video and SOCIAL is all meant to cover up for that fact.
And really, who needs to know how to read and write when you can live a kick-ass bourgeois life without those skills? I hear that illiterate people can even become president!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 21 2020, @10:28PM
Looks like Bot has decided to post as AC instead of actually leaving and forgot he wasn't on the Bot account.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday September 21 2020, @07:18PM
We endure austerity while they drain the treasury dry in price supports
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by corey on Monday September 21 2020, @10:45PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2020, @12:22AM
jacked in, the jacked jack around jackin it
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2020, @12:30PM (1 child)
The only reality is virtual. If you're not jacked in, you're not alive.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday September 23 2020, @10:59AM
Credit to Ashley Gable and Thomas A. Swyden.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]