[From The Stanford Report, where the story includes a 1:56 minute video also available here] New virtual reality research – and a new lab – at Stanford Cutting down a virtual redwood with a virtual chainsaw may lead you to save trees by recycling more paper. That finding is an example of how real-world behavior can be changed by immersing people in virtual reality environments – a notion that is at the heart of work under way in Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab. By Adam Gorlick April 8, 2011 If a tree falls in a virtual reality forest, will anyone…

[From I Programmer, which features a 1:01 minute video also available here] The cutting edge of touch – Slice Written by Ian Elliot Sunday, 03 April 2011 Slice is a breakthrough game that uses touch input in a new way. It is a game of skill coupled with a surprising negative feedback – you get it wrong and you get cut, virtually of course! Virtual reality is a difficult thing to get hold of. When it works, an immersive virtual environment can suddenly become real – when it fails you just get a headache. Sometimes however you can be surprised…

[From CNET’s Crave blog] [Image: The avatar me and the real me share a virtual karaoke moment. (Credit: Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)] 3D Tunes: My life as a virtual karaoke star Amanda Kooser April 5, 2011 Karaoke scares the wits out of me. I can sing in front of a crowd with a guitar and my own songs without batting an eyelash, but something about karaoke makes me want to hide under the nearest table. The only time I’ve karaoked was in a backwoods bar called The Rose in Cuba, Mo. I barely survived a shaky rendition of “Jumping Jack Flash”…

[From The Guardian] Berlin Philharmonic comes to British cinemas – in 3D Concert conducted by Sir Simon Rattle will be shown in 140 UK cinemas as orchestras hope the technology will raise funds Dalya Alberge Monday 4 April 2011 When Sir Simon Rattle brought the Berlin Philharmonic to London for a series of rapturously received concerts in February, tickets rapidly disappeared. But fans who missed out will get another chance to see the acclaimed orchestra in cinemas next month, and for the first time in 3D. Britain’s most celebrated conductor is aiming to reach new audiences by screening 3D concerts…

[From Singapore’s Today Online; more information is available here] Of empty spaces filled with sound Perhaps we are more influenced by technology that we’d like to think by Melody Lee Mar 29, 2011 A cacophony of jarring voices and sounds fill the ears, while upon a white wall, the shadows of visitors walking through the exhibit are projected. The sounds are recognisable as a mix of several local radio frequencies that somehow react to the visitors’ shadows. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Frequency And Volume, an interactive art experience by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Interestingly enough, the entire space and structure of…

[From Wired’s Underwire blog, where the story includes more images and a 0:53 minute video; a second video is available here] 360-Degree Panorama Takes You Inside Prague’s Off-Limits Baroque Library By Evan Rail March 29, 2011 PRAGUE – On a brisk but beautiful February afternoon, Jeffrey Martin and his robotic camera stand inside one of the Czech capital’s most gawk-worthy attractions: the gloriously decorated Philosophical Hall, a Baroque reading room in the city’s 868-year-old Strahov monastery library. Though he’s a photographer, the 34-year-old Martin doesn’t seem to notice the rare books, ornate marquetry or heroic statues in the recently restored…