[One of the reasons I think presence is so interesting and important is that it’s extending into nearly all of our activities, in this case an American holiday tradition. This story is from Digital Trends, where the original includes an interactive 1:36 minute behind-the-scenes video. Check out the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade website for more information. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Shinya Suzuki / Flickr] Turkey Day Tradition Gets Update: Macy’s Parade Adds 360 Broadcast, VR App By Hillary Grigonis — November 22, 2016 A Thanksgiving tradition is getting a modern upgrade — this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast…

[Technology is poised to provide doctors and patients with increasingly more compelling presence experiences of unborn babies; this press release is from the Radiological Society of North America via EurekAlert; more information, including additional pictures and two videos is available from the Daily Mail, and coverage from NBC raises some key concerns about how the new technology will be used. –Matthew] [Image: A 3-D virtual model MRI view of fetus at 26 weeks. Credit: Radiological Society Of North America.] Researchers generate 3-D virtual reality models of unborn babies Public Release: 21-Nov-2016 Source: Radiological Society of North America CHICAGO – Parents…

[Despite arguments about feasibility and the too-often unmentioned ethical issues it raises, the prospect of thought-based interactions with and in virtual environments is provocative. This story is from The Guardian, where it features another image and related links. –Matthew] [Image:  Brainwave-reading technology could eliminate the need for a controller when using a virtual reality headset. Photograph: Andre Kosters/EPA.] Virtual reality powered by … our minds? ’10 years from now, it will seem obvious’ EyeMynd wants to create a system in which thoughts, not handsets, will control our actions in virtual reality worlds Dan Raile in San Francisco Last modified on…

[Here’s a nice first-person report of an ambitious use of VR and presence; it’s from VR Scout, where it features lots more pictures. I’ve lightly edited it here to fix some typos. –Matthew] Jaguar Just Showed Us The Future of Car Launches The VR reveal for the company’s first-ever electric car blew our minds. by Jonathan Nafarrete November 14, 2016 During a press event at Milk Studios in Los Angeles Sunday night, Jaguar revealed the I-PACE, the company’s first-ever electric car. A competitor to the Tesla Model X, the I-PACE is a major foray for Jaguar into electric automotive transportation.…

[Now more people can create augmented reality-based presence experiences. This story is from BuzzFeed and for more information see the GoMeta blog post announcement for the Metaverse app. Quoting coverage by UploadVR, “Metaverse can be downloaded on IOS devices here and creators can also request access to the Metaverse Studio beta so you can create deeper and collections of interactive experiences.” –Matthew] Ex-Googler Debuts An AR App That Lets You Build Your Own Pokémon Go Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner and venture capital company Greylock Partners are betting on an app that sets a foundation for more augmented reality applications.…

[What will it take for VR and AR to reach mainstream commercial success? This story from IEEE Spectrum provides insights and a status report; check out the 2016 Gartner Hype Cycle article highlighted in this story for the prospects of a wide variety of additional presence-related technologies. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg/Getty Images] The Fuzzy Future of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality By Amy Nordrum Posted 15 Nov 2016 Virtual reality is having a moment, but the technology is still far from mainstream. Following the release of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in early 2016, headset sales quickly flattened…

[Wireless VR would enhance presence by removing a constant reminder of the technology from the user experience; this story is from MIT News, where it includes a second image and a link to the recent paper. –Matthew] [Image: A new cordless virtual reality device consists of two directional “phased-array” antennas, each less than half the size of a credit card. Future versions could be small enough for users to have several in a single room, enabling multi-player gameplay. Photo: MIT CSAIL] Enabling wireless virtual reality Developed at Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, “MoVR” system allows VR headsets to communicate…

[The application areas for VR and presence are limitless; this story from The New York Times (where it features more photos) describes how luxury watchmakers are taking high-end clients into their products and to related environments. –Matthew] [Image: Guests at a Roger Dubuis virtual reality event in October in Shanghai. Credit: Eric Leleu for The New York Times] Virtual Reality Takes Fans Inside the World of Watches By Victoria Gomelsky November 13, 2016 Swiss watchmakers are nostalgic by nature. How else to explain their constant reference to a golden era of timekeeping, more than 200 years ago, when masters such as…

[In the aftermath of the US presidential election, I’ve had the thought that the result, and much of what preceded it, provides unsettling support for the Simulation Argument that we’re living in someone else’s sophisticated simulation – essentially, I’ve experienced inverse presence, the sense that nonmediated experience is mediated. It turns out this idea was advanced and explained in detail back in July, after the Republican National Convention, in this story in Cyborgology; the original includes the additional images mentioned. –Matthew] Image: Source: “A MIT computer scientist created a Donald Trump Twitter bot — and it’s oddly realistic” in Business…

[Presence can be a valuable calming influence. This story is from The Creators Project, where it includes more images and a 1:36 minute video; see the link at the end below for more information, and for related coverage see “Virtual Reality experiences to escape the Trump Presidency” from VR-Zone. –Matthew] We Asked a VR Meditation Expert How To Stay Calm Beckett Mufson November 9 2016 The Creators Project team thought we’d give you some much needed R&R from the headlines, so we’ve roped together a regimen of healing and happy stories to help get you through the day. If you’re…

[Now you can have a first-person presence experience of last weekend’s 2016 New York City Marathon; this story from Sports Illustrated includes the 0:43 minute preview video. For detailed information about an upcoming Sports Illustrated VR documentary that takes users on a climb of Mount Everest see coverage in Variety. –Matthew] SI debuts first-person virtual reality experience of 2016 New York City Marathon Monday November 7th, 2016 Sports Illustrated, Life VR and CyberLink have joined forces to create a first-person virtual reality experience that allows users to see the 2016 New York City Marathon through the eyes of 10-time participant…

[This story from Bustle highlights the use of presence for social action and change. If you’re eligible, please vote today in this critically important election. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images] MTV’s “Open Your Eyes” Virtual Reality Art Show Brings To Life Everything That’s At Stake In The 2016 Election By Suzannah Weiss November 7, 2016 If you think politics are a dry subject matter, MTV’s “Open Your Eyes” virtual reality art show might change your mind. Through digital art created through the 3D painting program Tilt Brush, 18 artists have brought the most important political issues of our time…