[Even without the introduction, this story from Slate is a long read, but it’s on the timely and under-reported topic of presence and children and includes extensive links to other stories and resources as well as interesting anecdotes and insightful quotes from experts. See the original story for the unabridged version. –Matthew] If Social Media Can Be Unsafe for Kids, What Happens in VR? Mark Zuckerberg recently predicted that Facebook will be a “metaverse company” in five years. What does that mean for kids? By Catherine Buni October 11, 2021 [snip] While it’s unclear whether Zuckerberg’s five-year metaverse prediction will…

[Last night (October 10, 2021) the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes aired a 14 minute report on the quickly evolving technology of deepfakes and its implications. The report and a transcript are available at the first link in the article below, which is a 60 Minutes Overtime extra feature on the topic that includes a separate 4:36 minute video. For an example of the “cat and mouse game” between those working to detect and generate convincing deepfakes see Discover magazine’s story “How to Spot Synthetic Faces Online – the Clue is in the Eyes.” –Matthew] [Image: An example of a deepfake…

[In this Forbes story “a CEO of SalesChoice, a high tech AI software company passionate about ethical AI practices” raises many of the fascinating issues and questions suggested by technologies that create the experience of seeing, hearing and interacting with loved ones and others after they have died. The story covers lots of ground using examples and a personal writing style; visit the original version for the odd but interesting and relevant experience of listening to an AI voice ‘read’ it; for more on this topic see the article “Telepresence after Death” in Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments. –Matthew] [Image:…

[Defense News reports on the US Army’s development of, and plans for, an ambitious presence-evoking training system; see the original story for a second image. See also a 2018 ISPR Presence News post. –Matthew] [Image: Soldiers use the Integrated Visual Augmentation System to train with the Squad Immersive Virtual Trainer. Credit: U.S. Army] US Army makes headway on Synthetic Training Environment By Adam Stone September 30 ARLINGTON, Va. — The first iteration of the Army’s virtual training environment is in the hands of some troops, giving an early glimpse of the tool’s promise to reshape the way soldiers prepare for…

[A new study conducted at and described in this story from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne reveals differences in how adults and children are able to interact with virtual reality, and nonmediated, experiences. See the original for a large photo gallery and a 2:46 minute video (also available on YouTube) and find more details in the Scientific Reports article. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: EPFL / Alain Herzog] Virtual reality affects children differently than adults Immersive virtual reality disrupts the child’s default coordination strategy, EPFL scientists show, something that should be taken into account when developing virtual reality rehabilitation protocols for children.…

[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…