[Reminiscent of Oculus Video and CineVR, a new virtual movie theater from Paramount and Bigscreen will replicate sitting in a theater with friends watching a film on a big screen, i.e., it’ll use presence-evoking technology to replicate the experience of using presence-evoking technology. This story is from Deadline Hollywood. –Matthew] Paramount Pictures Launching First Virtual Reality Movie Theater by Anita Busch November 16, 2017 EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures has just created another platform — or maybe even a new distribution window — to display its feature content. The studio, in partnership with Bigscreen, is collaborating with several tech companies leading efforts…

[A new VR project from Pixar promotes the company’s new film using both spatial and social presence. The story is from CNET, where the original includes more images and a 2:29 minute video. –Matthew] Pixar uses VR to bring the Land of the Dead to life “Coco VR,” the first virtual-reality experience from Pixar, sets you loose as a skeleton to play in the imaginary universe of its next film. By Joan E. Solsman November 15, 2017 Pixar’s movies can be so captivating, you sometimes want to walk around inside their worlds. Now you can. “Coco VR,” the first virtual-reality…

[The important presence experience described in this story from The Diamondback is available at the Washington, D.C. Newseum until December 2018. For more information, including a video, see the Newseum’s website. –Matthew] Newseum guests can walk through streets of Berlin during Cold War By Lindsey Feingold Published September 27, 2017 In a virtual West Berlin, a news correspondent briefly discusses the Berlin Wall’s history under the backdrop of the wall’s graffiti. Visitors can hear former president Ronald Reagan’s famous 1987 speech with the quote, “Tear down this wall!” playing in the background. People roam the streets of East Berlin, where…

[This new product could represent an important milestone for augmented reality and presence. The story is from GearBrain, where it includes different images. For more information see the article about the creators’ vision in Develop, the company’s press release via PR Newswire, and a 15:16 minute video review and demonstration from DadDoes; at this writing the Merge Cube is widely available, including from Amazon, for $14.99. –Matthew] Merge Cube is the AR device you’re going to want to buy. (Really.) Launching today, this $14.99 device is a seismic shift in the way you’ll think and use augmented reality.…

[With origins in the desire for telepresence after a loved one’s death, the now widely available and free Replika app isn’t a servant like Siri and Alexa but an AI friend that helps you understand yourself. This interesting first person report is from Wired, where the original includes a second image and a related video. –Matthew] What My Personal Chat Bot Is Teaching Me About AI’s Future Arielle Pardes November 12, 2017 My Artificially Intelligent friend is called Pardesoteric. It’s the same name I use for my Twitter and Instagram accounts, a portmanteau of my last name and the word…

[This short story from Interesting Engineering is a great example of why I think presence is both fascinating and important. For more see coverage in Futurism. –Matthew] Japan Grants Residency to a 7-Year-Old AI ‘Boy’ The local government in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward has decided to give residential documents to an AI robot, a bold step in legitimizing the presence of AI in our society. By Mario L. Major November, 07th 2017 An AI character—a boy of only seven years old—has been given an officially registered ID in one of Tokyo’s busiest district. The event took place on Saturday, and since…