[This post from SAP Community Network provides a thoughtful consumer’s observations on prolonged in-home use of VR; it’ll be interesting to revisit these and others’ observations as presence technologies evolve. –Matthew] 3 months in Virtual Reality, what I learned so far… Posted by Patrick Willer on Sep 5, 2016 I can vividly remember my first VR experience. It was 25 years ago! It was early 1990s. I was a teenager addicted to video games. When I wanted more sensation than my Game Boy could provide, there was only one option: the arcade hall. My favorite happy place took my pocket…

[This story from The Guardian highlights one of, if not the, most important applications of presence-evoking technology, the preservation of individual and cultural history. The original version includes an additional image and a 0:51 minute video; also see “Holocaust Survivor Experiences Her Own Rescue in Virtual Reality“ (which includes a video) in TIME. –Matthew] The virtual Holocaust survivor: How history gained new dimensions Pinchas Gutter survived a Nazi death camp – and now his story will live on through a hologram that can answer your questions Thomas McMullan 18 June 2016 Pinchas Gutter goes out of his way to find…

[Presence-evoking technology continues to advance toward the visions imagined in science fiction; note especially the possibilities for fully interactive videoconferencing and entertainment mentioned in this press release from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute. –Matthew] [Image: Right in the middle of the action with VR glasses: A new camera system virtually represents people naturally and realistically. © Photo Fraunhofer HHI] Beam me up to the video conference When science fiction heroes communicate, they don‘t use landlines or cell phones. The caller simply appears in virtual form in the middle of the room; full sized and three dimensional. For…

[Now you can experience America’s controversial political campaign in virtual reality; this story is from Next Reality, where it includes more images and a 0:29 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Virtual avatars of Hillary and Trump nearly make physical contact in virtual space. Will this someday mirror reality? Via AltspaceVR] AltspaceVR’s Democracy Plaza Puts You in the Middle of the 2016 Election Adam Dachis September 22, 2016 Most of us don’t get the opportunity to see election coverage first hand, but with virtual reality, we’re not as restricted. AltspaceVR has teamed up with NBC News to let you log in on…

[As this story from ScreenCrush notes, there are many factors that can ‘break’ presence in a movie theater, including the lack of proper screen masking. –Matthew] A Small Issue at Movie Theaters Is Becoming a Major Problem Matt Singer | September 19, 2016 People texting on their phones. Exorbitant ticket prices. People talking on their phones. Sound that’s either way too loud or way too soft. People taking pictures of the screen with their phones and then posting them to Facebook in the middle of the film. Going to the movies in 2016 can be a frustrating situation. An experience…

[As the author of this piece in TreeHugger notes, mixed reality (and the presence experiences it provides) has great potential beyond the important application area of elevator maintenance and repair described here. The original story includes two videos and several more images; the press release is available from thyssenkrupp. –Matthew] [Image: © thyssenkrupp/ using hololens to look at elevator] It’s starting with elevators, but 3D tech like the Hololens will change the way we look at buildings Lloyd Alter September 16, 2016 This site has long been preoccupied with the future of work: how new technology is changing our jobs,…