[This Wired story is a first-person description of the latest presence-evoking tech for movie-going; as the author notes, it’ll be interesting to see how well it works when it accommodates the film rather than the reverse. –Matthew] What It’s Like to See Batman v Superman in Butt-Punishing 4DX Brian Raftery March 29, 2016 The sign outside of the just-installed 4DX theater in New York City warns of “motion enabled chairs” with “strong vibrations”; some “lightning, rain, [and] flashing (strobe) lights”; and a dash of “fog and strong scents.” But after sitting through a recent screening of Batman v Superman: Dawn…

[Here’s an interesting take on the kinds of presence experiences we will want; the story is from The Verge, where it includes an additional image. –Matthew] First Click: Life as a bear would be sweet in virtual reality By James Vincent on March 29, 2016 I have a theory. A pet theory, you might say. I think that if and when virtual reality finally takes off (and I realize this still isn’t a given), some of the most popular games will be animal simulators. Bear simulators. Bird simulators. Bug simulators. Games where you don’t have to think too hard or…

[Attempts to ‘get closer’ to the people and events on the screen go back to parasocial relationships with early film and TV personalities and characters. A latest example is described in this story from The Creators Project blog, where you’ll find several more images and a 1:16 minute video. –Matthew] Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’ Meets Immersive Theater in London Catherine Chapman — Mar 21 2016 Over the past month, nearly 20,000 people have been assigned new identities through the Department of Cultural Surveillance (D.O.C.S.), an organization yielding great nuclear power and the potential to launch a full-out assault on the Soviet…

[The interactive, social toy based on the Star Wars character BB-8 has the potential to not only evoke ‘medium as social actor’ presence but to help users cope with anxiety; this story is from Motherboard and includes an additional image. –Matthew] Could This BB-8 Bot Help People Cope With Anxiety? Written by Rebecca Krauss March 25, 2016 Lots of students have roommates. Lauren Dwyer, a grad student at Ryerson University in Toronto, shares her space with BB-8, the rolling bot from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Dwyer has been living alongside BB-8, and studying it, for the past two months.…

[The DIY telepresence robot RambleBot (which is available for sale by the inventor-creator for a fraction of the cost of professional products), is used to bring family members together across continents. This story is from The Sydney Morning Herald, where it includes more images and a 2:22 minute video. –Matthew] Robot dad: I built a smartphone bot to spend time with my kids March 3, 2016 Hannah Francis, Technology Reporter Divorce can be a painful experience, especially when it means one parent doesn’t see as much of their kids as they used to. When divorcee Matt Walker met his future…

[This story from IEEE Spectrum provides a thoughtful and detailed description of the history and experience of riding roller coasters that incorporate VR. Note the explicit mentions of presence, beginning in the 8th paragraph; the original story includes another image, two videos and the sidebar “Virtual Reality Rollercoasters You Can Ride Now! (or Soon).” –Matthew] [Image: Source: Los Angeles Times] Virtual Reality Roller Coasters Are Here (and Everywhere) The U.K.’s Alton Towers, which opens its Galactica ride this week, is one of more than a dozen amusement parks that are giving old rides new life with VR By Kristen Clark…