[The pandemic has spurred presence-related innovations in many sectors; this story from The Guardian describes a very large interactive live concert event in a realistic digital replica of Helsinki, Finland and includes speculation on the future of virtual travel. Note the concluding comment from an expert: “The role of VR will increase… The tourism industry may need to consider hybrid experiences – a combination of real and virtual – in the future. And, after this forced isolation, people will be more open for virtual experience as an alternative way of socialising and enjoying life. It might be accepted as the…

[This news in this short story from Variety may portend a world where it’ll be little noticed that the ranks of elite, popular, admired and influential cultural personalities include both real and technology-generated people. See the original story for a second image; for more on the human clients CAA represents see Wikipedia, and for more on Miquela see an ISPR Presence News post from December 2019. –Matthew] Miquela, the Uncanny CGI Virtual Influencer, Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE) By Todd Spangle May 6, 2020 Here’s some real news about a fake (or, at least, unreal) star: Miquela, the digital avatar and…

[Immersive theater, where the audience can interact with the performers, moved into virtual reality before Coronavirus, but this story from CNET describes how it has expanded and may portend a post-pandemic “virtual world of communication that we’ll all be living in more.” See the original story for three different images, a 3:09 minute video trailer, and a 14 minute audio interview with the author. For more coverage see the author’s November 2019 story on this topic and coverage in Upload VR, Forbes and The Los Angeles Times (requires subscription), and for more details and videos see the Tender Claws website.…

[Airbnb is offering some of its Experiences (“one-of-a-kind activities hosted by experts”) online and writer David Pogue spent a weekend sampling the growing selection of them to see how well they “replicate experiencing another place or culture.” He reports entertainingly on his experiences and conclusions in this story from The New York Times; see the original version for four short videos, and for more see a similar story in The Washington Post. –Matthew] I Spent a Weekend Bingeing Airbnb’s Virtual Experiences. Was it Worth It? While the rest of the country was binge-watching, David Pogue went binge-experiencing, cramming seven virtual…

[This story from NPR describes a new television series that revolves around the idea of presence after death along with other presence experiences in the near-future. I haven’t seen it yet but it sounds like an excellent presence portrayal – “full of thoughtful questions and challenging ideas — even about the meaning of life itself and of death itself.” The original story includes a six minute audio version and a different picture. For more information see coverage in Engadget and the Amazon Prime Upload website. –Matthew] Inventive New Comedy ‘Upload’ Explores (Virtual) Life After Death May 1, 2020 David Bianculli…

[This story from Singularity Hub describes Virtual Market 4, underway in VRChat until May 10, 2020 and expected to be “the largest social VR gathering ever.” While current technology limits the presence experience it provides, it may represent an important step toward the Metaverse of science fiction. See the original story for three more pictures. –Matthew] The World’s Biggest Social Virtual Reality Gathering Is Happening Right Now By Aaron Frank April 30, 2020 It’s one of the most under-appreciated science fiction films of the past decade, but Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (also the most…