[This link-filled Forbes story reviews both the promise and peril of presence-evoking technologies in the area of human sexuality. For more on this topic see –Matthew] Future Of Intimacy: Sex Bots, Virtual Reality, And Smart Sex Toys By Bernard Marr, Contributor November 30, 2020 Now that we have intelligent lightbulbs, doorbells, refrigerators, and more, it was only a matter of time before our most primal and intimate lives became smarter through artificial intelligence. Since sextech was allowed to exhibit at CES 2020 among the health and wellness vendors instead of denied entry or tucked away in the back as in…

[The technology described in this press-release-based story from the Fort Bend (Texas) Independent allows children to talk to Santa Claus safely during the pandemic. See the technology in action in a 2:13 minute news report from KPRC via Click2Houston. For more on how Santas are staying safe while entertaining children this year, including via video conferencing, see coverage in The Washington Post. –Matthew] Real Santa, Virtual Santa Or Magic Santa? By Seshadri Kumar November 13, 2020 The holiday tradition of meeting Santa is not lost this year though social distancing is the norm of the day during the pandemic.…

[An intriguing project by Ziv Schneider explores responses to, and ethical choices concerning, one category of virtual beings by having an Instagram virtual influencer age and die. The original version of this Variety story and interview includes two different images; for more details and images see an earlier interview in Next Avenue, which includes this quote: “[Sylvia’s computer-generated] language actually has been pretty convincing for a lot of people to read. I think a lot of them didn’t know that it’s been automated. [snip] Most respond very positively to her, and a lot of people think that she is a…

[This story about the use of presence-evoking technologies to explore one’s gender identity comes from Dezeen, where the original includes three more images and the two short videos described in the story. More information is available on Marcel/a Baltarete’s RCA website. See also the February 2020 ISPR Presence News post “Using VR and presence to question and explore gender.” –Matthew] [Image: Baltarete’s animation shows their avatar with a translucent body.] Marcel/a Baltarete uses 3D animation as therapy for gender dysphoria By Jennifer Hahn 12 November 2020 Royal College of Art graduate Marcel/a Baltarete has created a series of short animations…