[What is said to be the world’s first permanent VR theater has opened, as detailed in this story from VentureBeat; the original includes more images and a 1:40 minute video; coverage in Architectural Digest identifies the initial offerings: “Moviegoers have the option, for example, of watching In Your Face, a film specifically developed for the VR Cinema. The movie looks at the moral dilemma of the Syrian refugee crisis and asks viewers what they would do if a refugee showed up at their door, unannounced. There are lighter options, too. Invasion! is an animated film featuring a rabbit and a…

[Designing presence experiences for older people, as with any demographic, has both challenges and potential benefits. This story is from the Wall Street Journal’s Experts blog; the image comes from a November 11, 2015 press release via Hypergrid Business about the Honor 360 program, which brings “National Memorials to those aging and disabled military veterans who cannot make the trip.” –Matthew] [Image: Veteran with Google Cardboard headset (Image courtesy Veterans United Foundation)] How Virtual Reality Can Enhance the Life of Older Adults By Marc Agronin Mar 21, 2016 Marc E. Agronin is a geriatric psychiatrist at Miami Jewish Health Systems…

[In a widely praised TED Talk last month Microsoft’s Alex Kipman said “I believe our children’s children will grow up in a world devoid of two-dimensional technology… I can see holographical telepresence in our future.” This story is from IndustryWeek; there’s no video of the talk yet but for more background, see an insider’s post in the Reality Prime blog. –Matthew] [Image: From GeekWire] Augmented Reality Looks to a Future Without Screens Still in development, the Microsoft HoloLens and other augmented reality devices could send our desktops, laptops, tablets and even smartphones into the Dumpster of irrelevancy. Feb 19, 2016…

[This story from Polygon identifies a depressing use of presence (which is referenced by name multiple times), and a few ideas for countering it. Even investigating the phenomenon is challenging – despite the positive intentions I wonder about the ethics of conducting the described ‘experiment’ with an ‘unsuspecting woman.’ –Matthew] [Image: Source: GDC on Flickr] Online harassment in virtual reality is ‘way, way, way worse’ — but can devs change that? Can the problem of bullying in the virtual world be stopped before it gets bad? By Allegra Frank on Mar 16, 2016 Patrick Harris of Minority Media (Papo and…

[Presence can be used to make political statements, as described in this story from Polygon; the original story includes both of the mentioned videos, the second of which features audio from John Oliver’s recent effective and entertaining takedown of Trump, which is available on YouTube. –Matthew] Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler star in what may be virtual reality’s first political cartoon It’s not subtle, but it shows the promise of VR to make a point By Ben Kuchera on Mar 15, 2016 Tilt Brush is a virtual reality painting and sculpture program that allows people to create images in three…

[Here is a vivid and ultimately sad reminder that (in this case social) presence has a long history; the story is from Atlas Obscura and features more images. –Matthew] [Image: A close-up of the Euphonia. The Euphonia’s face was impressively realistic but was reported to look very unsettling while in motion. (Photo: Public Domain)] Text-To-Speech in 1846 Involved a Talking Robotic Head With Ringlets Meet the Euphonia, a machine that boasted the ability to replicate human speech. by Addison Nugent March 09, 2016 On a summer day in 1846 at London’s grand Egyptian Hall, Joseph Faber unveiled one of the…