[From the FedLine blog of Federal Times; more information is available at the GSA’s telepresence web site here] GSA virtual meeting centers open to agencies October 14th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole Johnson The General Services Administration’s 15 virtual meetings centers are finally open for business after months of delays. In the face of shrinking travel budgets, GSA is encouraging agencies to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions by meeting virtually. The telepresence centers, which opened earlier this month, cost $399 per hour per location, comparable to the price of public telepresence rooms. Public meeting rooms usually cost between $400 and…

[From The Daily Mail, where the story includes many additional images] Pencil vs reality… where do you draw the line? The incredible optical illusions created by artist By Kerry Mcqueeney Last updated 26th September 2011 You have often heard about art imitating life, but an artist has taken the saying to a whole new level with an incredible collection of drawings that reveal a masterful eye for illusion. Reality meets fantasy in this amazing series of drawings which are to be exhibited at art shows in London next month. Using expertly-drawn sketches, Belgian artist Ben Heine blends pencil, photography, imagination and…

[From ScienceDaily; the article in PLoS ONE is here] Talk to the Virtual Hands: Body Language of Both Speaker and Listener Affects Success in Virtual Reality Communication Game ScienceDaily (Oct. 13, 2011) — Modern technology allows us to communicate in more ways than ever before, but this virtual communication usually lacks the body gestures so common in face-to-face interactions. New research, published Oct. 12 in the online journal PLoS ONE, finds that the lack of gestural information from both speaker and listener limits successful communication in virtual environments.…

[A press release from Nanyang Technological University] [Image: A robotic avatar with mobile video conferencing capabilities developed by NTU researchers. Photo by Ernest Chua] Enter the virtual world of avatars, dolphins and fashionistas at NTU NTU’s centre of new media research showcases discoveries that can be applied to improve everyday life Published on : 11-Oct-2011 In a room resembling an IMAX theatrette on Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) campus lies a new virtual world with practical applications that the public can immerse in and interact with – and go wow! Called the Immersive Room, it is the latest star attraction at…

[A press release from University of Navarra Hospital via Basque Research; more information, including a 1:21 minute demonstration video, is available here] University of Navarra Hospital presents new tool for facilitating diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity 2011/10/10 The team of specialists at the Neuropaediatrícs Unit of the University of Navarra Hospital has taken part, with the Nesplora company, in the design of “AULA”, a novel test aimed at providing a more precise and complete diagnosis for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The new tool is based on the development of sophisticated software that introduces the child to a virtual…

[From The Sydney Morning Herald] Cinema with a new dimension Movies that smell, blow air and shake you are just the start. Here comes the 4th dimension. Garry Maddox October 7, 2011 Sydney’s newest tourist attraction is a small cinema that appeals to more than just the usual two senses of sight and hearing. The Sydney Tower Eye has a floor that vibrates as waves crash against rocks on screen, a spray of mist as a skiff crosses the harbour and rushing wind as a father and son fly kites during a short 3D film that shows off the city’s…