[Another realm in which VR and presence are making an impact (pun intended), thanks in part to our colleague Jeremy Bailenson; this is from USA Today, where the story includes more images, videos and links. –Matthew] [Image: STriVR CEO Derek Belch (center) outfits Arkansas quarterback Brandan Allen (left) as Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema looks on. Photo: Walt Beazley, Razorbacks Communications.] Virtual reality becomes a reality for college football George Schroeder, USA TODAY Sports June 9, 2015 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When he put on the mask and slipped on the headphones, Brandon Allen wasn’t sure exactly what he was getting into.…

[Amazing that people are spending so much time and effort on creating these simple (presence) illusions. This story, which includes a collection of examples, is from My Modern Met from last year; more recent coverage and examples are in the Huffington Post, and there’s lots more on Tumblr. –Matthew] Incredible 3D GIFs Created with a Simple Visual Effect Posted by Pinar on February 15, 2014 Animated gifs seem to be everywhere these days, but some gif creators are taking the visual experience of viewing quick clips of silent motion to another level. By carefully adding a couple of solid-colored (typically…

[This piece about the possible roles of VR and AR in religious observance is written with respect to Christianity but the logic applies to most or all religions; it’s from Humanity+ Magazine and the original includes additional images. –Matthew] [Image: Digital reconstruction of the Guild Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon looking east. The image shows ‘The Last Judgement’ over the chancel arch, and ‘The Dance of Death’ on the north wall of the nave. (Image: Geoff Arnott/Heritage Technology)] Virtual Reality is the Future of Religion July 16, 2015 Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek 25 years ago most people didn’t imagine that the Internet would…

[The technologies that provide people mediated experiences of cultural artifacts that do or did exist are evolving quickly, raising all kinds of interesting issues and questions; this column from The Conversation (which includes a 3:00 minute video) highlights some of them and would be a good starting point for a larger discussion. –Matthew] [Image: Virtual history. Cyark/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY] Museums are using virtual reality to preserve the past – before it’s too late July 14, 2015 Jenny Kidd, Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University Cultural institutions are steeped in history and tradition, but they are also…

[This article from TechRepublic focuses on the uses of presence technology to both separate and connect people in the workplace; I think the Breakroom VR application by MureVR is particularly interesting; you can watch a 6:13 minute video about it on YouTube. –Matthew] From privacy to productivity: A look at how virtual reality could change the way we work Businesses someday getting on board with virtual reality will need to do some self-examination. Various VR tools are aimed at reclaiming productivity and improving interactions. By Erin Carson July 14, 2015 The fabled “promise” of virtual reality is expansive. At its…

[It’s hard to imagine effectively addressing the research questions in this story from E&T about how people will respond to new transport technologies without evoking (tele)presence; for first-hand details and four short videos, see coverage in oneMK. –Matthew] Virtual reality floor unleashes Oculus Rift in Milton Keynes 16 June 2015 By Tereza Pultarova Milton Keynes-based Transport Systems Catapult has installed an advanced virtual reality system to test how pedestrians react to driverless cars in a safe environment. The system uses the Oculus Rift headset, Optotrak’s motion tracking technology and a special floor that allows the user to move and walk…

[This is a nice primer on the current and possible future impacts of VR and presence on the travel industry; it’s from Bloomberg and includes lots of images. –Matthew] [Image: Thomas Cook hired Visualise VR specialists to capture 360 videos of Greece. Source: Thomas Cook Group via Bloomberg] How Oculus and Cardboard Are Going to Rock the Travel Industry As advertisers jump on VR, it may just be a matter of time before you can rack up air miles, virtually by Jennifer Parker June 19, 2015 Holy cow. My feet are planted firmly beneath me, but somehow I’m stepping into…

[The implications of this work for presence and beyond are the stuff of science fiction; the story is from New Scientist. –Matthew] Animal brains connected up to make mind-melded computer July 2015 by Jessica Hamzelou Two heads are better than one, and three monkey brains can control an avatar better than any single monkey. For the first time, a team has networked the brains of multiple animals to form a living computer that can perform tasks and solve problems. If human brains could be similarly connected, it might give us superhuman problem-solving abilities, and allow us to communicate abstract thoughts…

[This application of VR could bring a planetarium’s entertaining and educational real-time, communal immersive experience to people around the world. I wonder if the inputs could eventually be live from an earth-based or even orbiting telescope… This story is from Astronomy Now and more details are in the press release from the Royal Astronomical Society. –Matthew] [Image: An image of the sky above Edinburgh made using Stellarium open-source planetarium software. Users of the new headset will see a similar image, but will be totally immersed in the view. Image credit: A. Lawrence.] Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2015 –…

[A virtual job interview helps veterans and others get jobs – the study mentioned in this story from Motherboard (which includes more images and a 19:49 minute video) doesn’t refer explicitly to presence but it seems likely to play a role (the study is available here). -Matthew] Virtual Reality Interview Training Helped Veterans With PTSD Get Job Offers Ben Richmond, Contributing Editor June 30, 2015 Job interviews are stressful for anyone, but for people who are prone to anxiety, or who have been diagnosed with PTSD or mental illness, they can be nightmares. That’s why a software company has built…

[It’d be interesting to compare people’s reactions to watching this video of a aerial views of Wimbledon, controlling the view on a smartphone or tablet, being immersed in the experience with Google Cardboard and using the even more immersive setup at Waterloo Station. The story below is from Sport Techie and includes the 2:29 minute video; details about the Waterloo setup (pictured) are in coverage from VR Scout. –Matthew] Stella Artois Gives Viewers A Hawk’s-Eye-View In Virtual Reality Wimbledon Ad July 5, 2015 Rufus the Hawk probably has a better view of the Wimbledon action than any person paying the…