[This story from India’s MiD DAY (where it includes other pictures) describes an effort to use presence for education and social change on a vital topic. The goal and power of the approach is described in coverage from The Pioneer: “By integrating technology creatively in the work [the creators] do, they aim to connect more with the young target audience by enabling them to get a realistic immersive experience of what is intimate partner violence.” And coverage in DNA: “You might have figured out where Manoj’s initial transgressions lead, without us elaborating—but it is only the immediacy of the 360 degree experience that…

[I look forward to multiple field trips to the new presence-experience attraction VR World described in this story from Metro US; the original story includes a 16-image photo gallery and two videos. –Matthew] Giant virtual reality arcade VR World opens in Midtown With 50 stations and all the latest equipment, VR World finally gets the future of virtual reality gaming and movies in your hands. By Eva Kis Published: July 15, 2017 | Updated: July 17, 2017 Hold onto your controllers, NYC — a huge new virtual reality arcade called VR World just landed in Manhattan. “You can walk in…

[This story from CBS News details the ongoing evolution of simulator technologies used to train members of law enforcement; in addition to 360 degree immersive virtual environments, the simulators can create a more realistic “fear response” via “an electronic impulse device which can be used to deliver a mild shock to the trainee.” The original story includes a second image and a video. –Matthew] [Image: Monmouth County’s VirTra V-300 simulator in action. The simulator gives officers a 300-degree view using five different screens. Courtesy Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.] Virtual reality helps reinvent law enforcement training By Tyler Lewis, CBS NEWS…

[As this story from The Verge notes (in the second-to-last paragraph), “The goal of immersive entertainment is to bring people into fictional worlds and situations; to give them agency and presence in a way that blurs the line between fiction and reality,” and “Disney is all-in on the concept, no matter the medium.” The company’s latest project is a vivid example. See the original story for two more pictures. –Matthew] Disney wants to build a Westworld for Star Wars fans A luxury space hotel in a galaxy far, far away by Bryan Bishop Jul 16, 2017 This weekend at its…

[Even without the startling prediction that “by the year 2021, there will be more Alexa-like digital assistants on the planet than humans” the responses to and uses of Amazon’s product described in this story from The New York Times are fascinating examples of medium-as-social-actor presence. It also contains interesting analyses of the reasons for these responses. The original version of the story includes more images. –Matthew] [Image: By Sergio Baradat] ‘Alexa, Where Have You Been All My Life?’ Siri is so five years ago: How a sleek, smooth-talking cylinder from Amazon stole our hearts, bamboozled our spouses and enchanted our…

[The new film Dunkirk in full IMAX format promises to create compelling presence experiences. This short story from The Verge includes the 4 minute “Behind the Frame” featurette. A detailed story in the Los Angeles Times includes this: “[A]s Nolan sees it, ‘Dunkirk’ is not a war movie per se but rather a kind of Hitchcockian suspense thriller, and his goal for the picture, which he filmed almost entirely in IMAX, is to create an immersive white-knuckle ride that puts the viewer in the shoes of soldiers fighting for survival. ‘We’re trying to create an experience that I talk about…