[The Coronavirus pandemic is leading to innovative uses of technology to increase social connection, including the one described in this story from Mashable (the original version includes other pictures). See stories in The New Yorker and The Guardian for more information about QuarantineChat. –Matthew]

QuarantineChat is here to help us survive social distancing

By Anna Iovine
March 24, 2020

“Are there stoops outside your window?”

A stranger in Los Angeles asked me this over the phone as I peered out of my bedroom window in Brooklyn. We connected through QuarantineChat, which facilitates calls for people who are currently self-isolating.

Now that the coronavirus has reached pandemic level, many countries have instituted lockdowns; those in the United States are heavily encouraged to stay indoors and flatten the curve. With self-isolation causing people to be apart from their loved ones, coupled with the anxiety of the whole situation, it’s easy for loneliness to seep into everyday life.… read more. “QuarantineChat is here to help us survive social distancing”

[VR is providing a new way to see what the Coronavirus does to a patient’s lungs, which in addition to helping the medical community could help the public understand the seriousness of the pandemic. See the original version of this story from WJLA in Washington, D.C. for four more images, a 1:47 minute news report and another 0:34 minute video. Surgical Theater has a 1:40 minute video showing the VR rendering on YouTube, which is taken from a 13:02 minute video and podcast available from George Washington University Hospital. –Matthew]

A new perspective: Virtual reality shows exactly how COVID-19 can damage the lungs

By Heather Graf, WJLA
March 23, 2020

WASHINGTON (WJLA) – High-tech imaging is now providing a first-of-its-kind look at the damage COVID-19 can inflict on a patient’s lungs.

Dr. Keith Mortman, the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at George Washington University Hospital, used a CAT scan from an actual coronavirus patient to create the virtual reality rendering.… read more. “Virtual reality shows exactly how COVID-19 can damage the lungs”

[This post in Medium provides an industry veteran’s thoughtful perspective on the requirements for successful telepresence experiences that replace attendance at in-person conferences and in other contexts. See the original version for a different image and follow the links for more information. –Matthew]

[Image: Source: Liv Erickson blog]

Coronavirus Exposes Our Need For True Telepresence

Let’s meet nowhere

Avi Bar-Zeev, Design and Technology Leader (fmr. HoloLens, Apple, Google Earth, Second Life, Disney VR)
March 2, 2020

I’ve been convinced for 30 years that telepresence is the “killer app” for extended reality (XR). Now more than ever, it seems like it could be an important replacement for face-to-face meetings and conferences.

This same idea led to the first HoloLens prototypes and a visually rich TED Talk by my former boss, Microsoft technical fellow Alex Kipman. The first two augmented reality (AR) devices Microsoft has released aren’t yet great for representing “live” holograms of people, mainly due to their narrow fields of view.… read more. “Industry veteran on requirements for successful telepresence in virtual conferences and beyond”

[Below are two stories about efforts to use presence-evoking technology to replace the experience of in-person graduation ceremonies (and other aspects of campus life) that have been displaced by the Coronavirus. The first story, about elementary students using Minecraft, is from Parentology; SoraNews24 adds these reactions from “Japanese netizens”:

“The kids are all right.”
“Parents are doing ‘telework’ and kids are doing ‘telegraduation.’”
“I’m so jealous of what awesome things kids have these day.”
“Those who say video games are bad, look at this!”
“This will probably be an even better memory than a regular graduation for them.”

NBC’s Today adds details about the student who started the effort, and all of these stories include more pictures and/or videos. The Parentology story alludes to Purdue University’s earlier plan to add a virtual component to their regular graduation ceremony; more details about that are available from Purdue’s website.… read more. “Virtual graduation ceremonies and campuses evoke presence”

[Here are two stories about how singers are creatively using technology to evoke a sense of being together when they have to be physically separated. More about virtual choirs can be found in stories in Kent Online and CNN and a 2:48 minute radio segment from ABC News in Australia. –Matthew]

[Image: The Sofa Singers. Credit: twitter.com/@swissmiss]

[From Positive News]

Online choir spreads joy and togetherness during coronavirus outbreak

When it became impossible to run his real-life choirs as normal this week, vocal leader James Sills launched The Sofa Singers. The virtual group invites people from all over the world to connect through the power of song – from the comfort of their sofas

Words by Lucy Purdy
March 17, 2020

At 7.30pm GMT on Tuesday, a choir met for its first ever rehearsal. Starting tentatively to the sound of a few throats being nervously cleared, its members soon warmed up, grinning at each other while belting out verse after verse, before chatting excitedly afterwards over cups of tea.… read more. “Virtual choirs connect people during social distancing”