[As those who know me know, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, I’m sure in part because the whole thing is about presence illusions (and very delicious pumpkin flavored foods). Here are a few Halloween Presence links – for more, see the (public) ISPR Presence Community Facebook group. Happy Halloween to all! –Matthew]

Tiffany Blaze creates scary make-up illusions

18-year-old Tiffany Blaze cultivates a disturbing mastery of gory SFX makeup looks, all of which she creates using common household items. Though the ingredients she uses (like instant espresso for road rash and banana for fatty tissue) aren’t pricey, the looks she creates are horrifyingly impressive. DIY horror makeup is her art and her passion.

• Watch a 1:08 minute video from Crypt TV
• Visit Tiffany’s YouTube channel
• Read a story about Tiffany from Metro UK

‘Twas the Night Before Halloween: 31 Photos in Focus

On the eve of this year’s traditional All Hallows’ Eve, a collection of spooky, scary, (and fun) images from recent haunted houses, zombie walks, Halloween parties, and more.… read more. “Halloween Presence!”

[This new all-virtual art museum, an apparent milestone, has the potential to provide a high presence experience that eventually will be available to more people than a brick-and-mortar museum. The story is from Bloomberg, where it includes a second image and a 1:19 minute video. –Matthew]

Virtual Reality Museum Puts Rembrandt in High-Def

Visitors can don a headset, enter an architect-designed VR gallery and view the Kremer Collection’s 70 Old Masters.

By Molly Schuetz
October 26, 2017

The Kremer Collection has spent the past two decades loaning out its collection of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art to museums and galleries around the world. As of Thursday, the collection will have a new permanent home in a virtual museum.… read more. “A new all-virtual art museum presents exclusive, high-def experience”

[This interview with Kathleen Richardson, Professor of Ethics and Culture of Robots and AI and co-founder of The Campaign Against Sex Robots, raises important and disturbing ethical implications of medium-as-social-actor presence. It’s from Conatus News, where the original includes five additional images. I’ve included two of the four comments from readers (as of this writing) that make thoughtful contributions to the discussion. –Matthew]

Kathleen Richardson, professor of ethics at De Montfort University, speaks in depth about the ethical problems with sex robots.

Terri Murray
October 25, 2017

Kathleen Richardson is Professor of Ethics and Culture of Robots and AI at the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility (CCSR) at De Montfort University. She was awarded her Ph.D. from the department of social anthropology, University of Cambridge, where she studied the making of robots in labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).… read more. “Professor Kathleen Richardson on ethical problems with sex robots”

[The technology is closer than ever to being ready, but creators and designers need to employ it carefully to evoke presence and retain users; this story from Venture Beat explains (see the original for more images and a video). –Matthew]

3 keys to improving user retention in virtual reality

Michael Park
October 23, 2017 5

Virtual reality’s failure to live up to its hype is well documented. Poor user retention plays a significant role in this matter, as it does with any other technology product. However, disappointing retention is often mainly a function of a poorly designed product and user experience. How can VR companies create better user experiences that compel users to keep using their applications?

There are three key factors that, if solved, will greatly aid the virtual reality (VR) industry with user retention:

1. Make the user experience (UX) simpler and more intuitive
2. Make great content within the constraints of the medium
3. Build experiences that are only possible in VR

In search of an answer to this question, we’ve interviewed several virtual reality and augmented reality (AR) thought leaders about how companies can use better UX design as a means of improving user retention.… read more. “3 keys to improving user retention (and presence) in virtual reality”

[Can, and should, presence-evoking technologies replace nonmediated field trips for learning about and appreciating nature? How can the technologies supplement direct exposure to the natural world? These questions are addressed in the story below from Science. –Matthew]

[Image: Digital simulations are the latest stage in the evolution of human attempts to interpret biodiversity. Credits: (Illustration) V. Altounian/Science; (Photo) Jeff Pachoud/Staff/Getty Images]

Digital nature: Are field trips a thing of the past?

Douglas J. McCauley, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.

Science  20 Oct 2017:
Vol. 358, Issue 6361, pp. 298-300
DOI: 10.1126/science.aao1919

I awoke in my cabin by the pond. Weighing my options for the day, I decided to do some bird watching, winding between white pines and blackberries along the east shore of the pond. By their songs, I was able to identify a Mourning Dove, Blue Jays, an American Crow, and perhaps a Northern Cardinal.… read more. “Digital nature: Are field trips a thing of the past?”