[From CNN, where the story includes a photo gallery and a 1:53 minute video] [Image: Details of a new sports-based theme park in Barcelona are sketchy, but promotional images show visitors taking part in virtual swimming races.] Barcelona to host world’s first sports theme park By Barry Neild, CNN August 4, 2014 (CNN) — Fitness isn’t usually a requirement for theme parks — standing in lines, climbing into rides and screaming in abject terror require only basic levels of stamina. Not so at the world’s first-ever sports amusement park planned for the Olympic Stadium and other Olympic venues in Barcelona,…

[From RocketNews24, where the story includes the 3:11 minute video and many screenshots; for more on the meaning of otaku see Wikipedia] You can now get physical with your virtual girlfriend thanks to Oculus Rift and a dubious pillow Cara Clegg August 4, 2014 Are you starting to feel that your virtual girlfriend just isn’t real enough? Craving the feel of her soft skin against your own? With the technological leaps being made in the field of virtual reality gaming headsets, otaku are being offered the chance to get closer to their digital darlings than ever before. But can they…

[From Phys.org] [Image: This photo obtained July 31, 2014 shows creators Dr. Frauke Zeller of Ryerson University and Dr. David Harris Smith of McMaster University with hitchBOT] Hitchhiking robot thumbs its way across Canada Aug 02, 2014 by Michel Comte A talking robot assembled from household odds and ends is hitchhiking thousands of kilometers across Canada this summer as part of a social experiment to see if those of its kind can trust humans. Society is “usually concerned with whether we can trust robots,” Frauke Zeller, co-creator of the “hitchBot,” told AFP. Hollywood movies like “The Terminator” and “The Matrix”…

[From Advertising Age, where the story includes many more images. If you read nothing else, check out the last line! –Matthew] [Image: Coke put people on World Cup playing field.] Virtual Reality: Advertising’s Next Big Thing? First Movers Coca-Cola, Nissan, HBO Bet on Tech’s Future for Marketing By Cotton Delo. Published on July 28, 2014 You’re on a wooden plank. Pivoting, you find yourself on the precipice of a deep pit. Taking unsteady steps, you cross with your arms outstretched for balance. You teeter to the end, exhaling in relief—and are told to about-face and plunge in. None of this…

[From IBM’s Smarter Planet blog, where the post includes a 3:23 minute video. For a description of an IBM prototype of “a room where executives can go to talk over business problems with a version of Watson, the computer system that defeated two Jeopardy! champions on TV in 2012,” see an August 4 article in MIT Technology Review.] IBM Watson: The Future of Computers with Conversational Skills May, 19th 2014 By Michael Rhodin, Sr VP, IBM Watson Group The second in a series on the IBM Watson Platform, this blog explores the future of how computers relate to us. For…

[From The Creators Project, where the post includes more images and a 2:11 minute video; for more information see especially the “Psykopaint for iPad – The most realistic painting software” post on the Psykopaint blog] Make Your Own Monet With This Light-Simulating Paint App By Kevin Holmes — Jul 18 2014 There are many, many digital painting apps you can download for your tablet— but Psykopaint stands out from the pack. The first painting app that digitally recreates ambient lighting conditions, by moving your tablet around in realtime, you’ll see how light would reflect off your creation if it existed…