[Two stories on advertising and virtual reality: First, Adweek describes a new Facebook ad campaign for the Oculus Go (Variety also notes the emphasis on media consumption rather than games) and the importance of engagement by current users vs. the number of headsets sold; the story includes four of the ads, which are also available on YouTube (1, 2, 3, 4). Then, 360i reports on the first programmatic advertising (targeted, algorithm-based placements) inside virtual reality experiences, in this case to promote the second season of National Geographic’s television series Mars. See The Drum for more coverage.…

[I know from personal experience the potential value of a new program at the University of Pennsylvania that uses virtual reality and presence to reduce stress in hospital waiting rooms. This story from The Daily Pennsylvanian describes the program and plans for expanding it. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Fern Nibauer-Cohen] Virtual reality program lets cancer patients at Penn Med watch the sunrise from their waiting room By Katharine Shao November 11, 2018 Few people look forward to spending time in a hospital waiting room. There is typically bright, fluorescent lighting, a selection of sterile furniture and, if you’re lucky, a smattering…

[Presence-evoking technology is impacting the delivery of news, raising important ethical questions. This story is from Mashable, where it includes a 0:31 minute video of an “AI anchor”; for more information and a longer video, see coverage in The Verge. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Press From] China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency debuts ‘AI anchor’ to read the news By Matt Binder November 8, 2018 The state-run press agency in China, Xinhua, will now deliver news using “AI anchors” made of digital composites that use synthesized voices to “read” the news. These anchors look realistic, but are actually digital composites that are…

[This story from Variety describes a promising augmented reality app that lets students experience and interact with stories, and goes on to explore the status, challenges and potential of mobile-based AR. See the original version for four additional images. –Matthew] A Sense of Wonder: How Within Is Evolving Storytelling in Augmented Reality By Janko Roettgers November 6, 2018 The future of storytelling is happening all around us — we just have to look through the right lens to see it. That’s the idea behind “Wonderscope,” an augmented reality app for children that Los Angeles-based immersive media start-up Within is set…

[This press release from the Electronic Frontier Foundation describes and provides links to a novel, timely educational application of presence-evoking technology. –Matthew] EFF Unveils Virtual Reality Tool To Help People Spot Surveillance Devices in Their Communities Law Enforcement’s Deployment of High-Tech Spying Tools On the Rise November 5, 2018 San Francisco—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) launched a virtual reality (VR) experience on its website today that teaches people how to spot and understand the surveillance technologies police are increasingly using to spy on communities. “We are living in an age of surveillance, where hard-to-spot cameras capture our faces and our…

[Today’s midterm elections in the U.S. are the latest context for the use of augmented reality on television, as reported in the ABC News story below. See the original for more images and a 1:48 minute interactive 360 degree video of the set. Much more important: If you’re in the US please vote for reality, science, honesty, dignity, and tolerance, respect and kindness for all.  –Matthew] Behind the scenes on Election Day: 360-degree video of the ABC News election set and AR experience By Lindsey Jacobson November 5, 2018 ABC News will be covering the 2018 midterms election using a…