[While Zoom and other video conferencing tools provide social presence during the pandemic, stationary webcams and drone footage let us leave our homes and experience the now mostly-empty spaces of the world. This short story from Washington, D.C.’s WTOP highlights some of the “virtual escapes” that have become more popular in these strange days (the original version includes a brief audio news report). For more examples that include photos and videos see: As world quarantines, webcams and satellites quietly watch (AccuWeather) What the world looks like on lockdown: Webcams at popular tourist spots (OZY) Visit the Grand Canyon, Eiffel Tower…

[Another activity now only available in mediated form is yoga classes; this first person story from SFGate describes the (presence) experience it offers. See the original story for six more images and a video, and see a story in The Spaces for a picture and link filled “peek inside some of the world’s most striking yoga studios” offering virtual classes.  –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Madeline Wells] I tried virtual yoga. Here’s why it may be better than the real thing By Madeline Wells, SFGATE March 21, 2020 A few months ago, I finally caved into purchasing a membership at a small…

[The tragedy of the Coronavirus pandemic is accelerating some of the major changes in how people live, work and play that many who design, create and study presence-evoking technologies have predicted and propelled. This link-filled story from The Guardian focuses on some of these changes in the arts and culture sector. See the original story for two more images and a video. –Matthew] [Image: A view of an online gallery from Art Basel. Credit: Art Basel] ‘Beginning of a new era’: How culture went virtual in the face of crisis The rise of Covid-19 has forced cultural institutions to explore…

[ABC’s Good Morning America reports on how a California teen used TikTok to share her home celebration of her high school prom and then expanded the idea to a public virtual prom event. See the original story for four different pictures and five videos. For more information see a (pay walled) story in the San Francisco Chronicle and these related stories: Teen Vogue creates virtual prom for students staying home (Adweek) How high schoolers are planning online prom parties amid Coronavirus (Time) Ellen DeGeneres is asking high-school students to share photos of their prom outfits to make up for their…

[Virtual reality and presence are playing an important role in helping the medical community fight the pandemic, as reported in this story from TechRepublic (where the original includes a 7:24 minute video); for more on the Oxford Medical Simulation system see coverage in The Guardian, and for more on how immersive technology companies are helping, see a story in Forbes. –Matthew] [Image: Two doctors talk with a patient in this animated training image. Credit: Oxford Medical Simulation] 17,000 doctors and nurses training for COVID-19 pandemic using VR technology By Todd R. Weiss in Innovation April 2, 2020 Oxford Medical Simulation…

[BBT University in Tokyo used telepresence robots and Zoom to produce a virtual graduation ceremony for its students, as reported in this story from Business Insider (based on a report from the University). Coverage in LADbible adds this detail: “The novel and innovative ceremony was the idea of Professor Shugo Yanaka, Dean of Global Business Administration at the university. He said: ‘While new coronavirus measures are required, the introduction of avatars can realise a warm online graduation ceremony. We hope this initiative will be helpful to educational institutions who are having difficulty holding graduation ceremonies and entrance ceremonies.’” Interesting Engineering’s…

[This is a short, uplifting story about an effort to evoke social presence at a couple’s wedding ceremony while practicing social distancing. It’s from WSBT TV (Atlanta) via WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, Ohio) via CNN; see the WSBT website for a 2:03 minute video news report and for more details read a story in The Herald-Palladium. –Matthew] [Image: Source: The Herald-Palladium] Couple replaces wedding guests with cardboard cutouts due to coronavirus April 2, 2020 DOWAGIAC, Mich. (WSBT/CNN) – A Michigan groom got creative for his church wedding during the coronavirus pandemic, commissioning cardboard cutouts of guests, so his wife wouldn’t have to…

[There isn’t a single overview story (yet) about the many efforts to continue to provide the comfort and therapeutic value of in-person interactions with dogs (and other pets) in a mediated format during the pandemic, but this story from the Winnipeg Free Press is a good, and heartwarming, example. Here’s a key quote: “It was like a regular real visit, but just through the phone. They (the [seniors home] residents) were just ecstatic. … They were talking to him as if he were actually here. They were just enthralled with the fact they could still see Mark-Cuss for a visit.”…

[This story from the BBC features thoughtful reflections on the nature of actual and virtual travel in and beyond the era of the pandemic. See the original for three more pictures. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: mustafagull/Getty Images] With most of the world homebound, it’s time to reflect on what it actually means to travel – and whether it’s possible to travel without, well, travelling. By Toby Skinner 31 March 2020 Against a backdrop of whistling wind and heavy breathing, a man with a Germanic accent is yelling at me: “Take your time!”. I try to focus on the ascender clips on…

[The tragedy of the Coronavirus pandemic is highlighting our need for, and the nature of, effective social presence. This personal reflection from WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, highlights some of the issues, including the effectiveness of less ‘rich’ media. –Matthew] [Image: Each text, each silly emoji, reminds me that my people are out there, their cursors blinking in the darkness just like mine, writes Whitney Scharer. Credit: Christin Hume/Unsplash] COMMENTARY All Of My Friendships Are Virtual Again March 27, 2020 Whitney Scharer I went to college in 1995, a time when — as my 10-year-old daughter was horrified to learn…

[Several stories in the press describe efforts to simulate the cancelled 2020 NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, including the one below from Yahoo! Sports (where the original includes more pictures, tweets and a 3:18:45 minute video) and stories by The Washington Post, The Indianapolis Star and ESPN. –Matthew] March Madness after all: ‘Quarantourney’ live-streamed video game NCAA tournament is what we needed Frank Schwab March 26, 2020 It started a week late, but March Madness is up and running. Virtually. The real 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled, but if you had YouTube running on Thursday afternoon, there was No.…

[The Coronavirus pandemic is leading to innovative uses of technology to increase social connection, including the one described in this story from Mashable (the original version includes other pictures). See stories in The New Yorker and The Guardian for more information about QuarantineChat. –Matthew] QuarantineChat is here to help us survive social distancing By Anna Iovine March 24, 2020 “Are there stoops outside your window?” A stranger in Los Angeles asked me this over the phone as I peered out of my bedroom window in Brooklyn. We connected through QuarantineChat, which facilitates calls for people who are currently self-isolating. Now…