[This New York Times story describes the long history of one man’s use of virtual reality, including some intriguing examples of presence experiences and their effects; see the original version for two more images and a short video. –Matthew] [Image: Wolf Heffelfinger. Credit: Jessica McGlothlin for The New York Times] One Man’s Endless Hunt for a Dopamine Rush in Virtual Reality From Burning Man to spaceships, the technology has carried him through a 10-year fascination that delights, disappoints and continues to improve. By Cade Metz September 29, 2021 On a recent Thursday evening at the City Life Community Center in…

[The DreamCube is a headset-free presence-evoking technology that updates the earlier Cave Automatic Immersive Environment concept and tech. This Fast Company story provides the details; see the original for six more animations and a 44 second video. For more information and images see the Local Project website. –Matthew] See the DreamCube, the immersive spectacle that’s like walking into a video game It’s not sci-fi. The brand has already signed deals with the NBA and Manchester United. October 1, 2021 By Mark Wilson The room is dark. On its floor sits a solitary soccer ball. Suddenly, a glowing halo envelopes the…

[There’s been a lot of press coverage of Amazon’s new Astro robot this week, with a mix of reactions. This story from CNET provides valuable context regarding Amazon’s approach to developing innovative (and often presence-evoking) technology. For more about Astro see Amazon News and the Amazon Science blog. For a mostly negative view about Astro’s potential see a widely cited story in Vice. Here are excerpts from two other technology writers: “Astro is a magnificent feat of science and engineering. But is it actually something you would want in your home? A successful product is one that either addresses an unsolved…