Episode 081 — with Bethany Simpson — On VR, Egypt, and the Future of Education
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Hi, Zengineers!
We’re heading back in time this week to explore the wondrous and captivating world of ancient Egypt. “Wow, that’s terrific,” I bet you’re saying to yourself. So many people have been consumed by a fascination into the fantasy and reality of Egypt at some point in their lives. I know we’ve been obsessed many times.
This week we’re joined by an expert on the subject, Bethany Simpson, a real live Archaeologist and Egyptologist. “Holy moly,” you’re probably thinking now. “That’s incredible. Everything I know about Egypt I learned from Stargate.” Well, Bethany is here to set the record straight. Stargates are real … wait, what? No, they are not? Ok, well, MAYBE they are, but we actually didn’t get to them, so we’ll have to re-examine that in a later episode.
In this episode we discuss a fantastic journey that Bethany led Adam and Brian on through a virtual recreation of Nefertari’s tomb the way it looked the day she was buried in it (inside the magical VR platform, High Fidelity). We discuss this amazing experience, Bethany’s lifelong pursuit of uncovering the magic of ancient Egypt and the future of technology in both archaeology and education.
It’s a great conversation and we’re so luck to have met Bethany in VR and in, like, slightly less VR, over the internet and video chat to make this episode happen.
We hope you enjoy the conversation.
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Cheers,
Adam & Brian
Show Notes
- Bethany’s suggested translation of the book of the dead: https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Books/Papyrus_Ani.html
- Nefertari: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nefertari
- Nefertari’s Tomb Experience in Virtual Reality: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nefertaris-tomb-experience-in-virtual-reality-tickets-54323374676?aff=erelexpmlt
- High Fidelity :: Remembering D-Day: Explore a Virtual WWII Era Hangar with a Battlefield Expert: https://steamcommunity.com/games/390540/announcements/detail/1765882577131473116
- https://www.amazon.com/Mummies-Egypt-Reading-Rainbow-Books/dp/0064460118
- http://rickriordan.com/series/the-heroes-of-olympus/
- Bethany’s Egypt Travel Tips: fly into Cairo … use Uber to get good taxi prices … largest city in Africa … def hit Luxor and Karnac temple … safe but not comfy … take a nile cruise … do it with a tour, but make sure you get time to wander … no raw salads … don’t compliment actual items, make it about the person, otherwise they will try to give you their nice things… learn 1–10 in Arabic and prices will drop dramatically … scarf and sleeves to wrists are important for women when visiting temples … no skimpy clothes for anyone. Have fun and enjoy the adventure.
