[One of many ways presence experiences can be used to bring about positive change; this is a press release from Amnesty International UK. In coverage from May 21 in Civil Society News a spokesman says “we’ve had a really good response” and that “we are hoping to use them [VR headsets] in other campaigns as well if we have the right material.” –Matthew] [Image: Last month local activists recorded at least 85 barrel bomb attacks in Aleppo city, killing at least 110 civilians © Amnesty International (Khalil Hajjar)] ‘Virtual reality Aleppo’ street fundraising campaign launched 08 May 2015 ‘This is…

[This should enhance social presence in interesting ways; the story is from MIT’s Technology Review and includes the 0:56 minute video mentioned. –Matthew] [Image: The software combines data from sensors tracking the upper and lower parts of the face and matches the result onto a 3-D model of a face.] Oculus Rift Hack Transfers Your Facial Expressions onto Your Avatar Facebook teams with researchers to transfer your smiles and frowns into virtual reality. By Tom Simonite on May 20, 2015 Virtual reality is set to get a vital dash of social reality. Researchers at the University of Southern California and…

[I wonder what Van Gogh would think about this use of modern technology to expand on his work; this is from Good magazine, where the story includes more images and a 1:23 minute video; follow the link to the Oculus Mobile VR Jam for more information. –Matthew] Explore This Gorgeous Virtual Recreation of a Van Gogh Masterpiece by Rafi Schwartz May 13, 2015 Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh is widely held as one of the most significant and influential artists of all time. Van Gogh’s explorations of light and color blazed a luminescent path upon which subsequent artists have spent…

[Along with practical and ethical concerns, this raises interesting issues regarding the boundaries of ‘medium as social actor’ presence. It’s from IEEE Spectrum; the image is from coverage by The Sydney Morning Herald (which also includes two videos). –Matthew] [Image: Three-year-old Samantha Kraft was among the first Australians to receive Sony’s AIBO robotic dog in 2001. Photo: David Gray] Robots Might Be the Necessary Future of Urban Pet Ownership By Evan Ackerman Posted 13 May 2015 We all love our pets. We love them a crazy, ridiculous amount that is often entirely out of proportion to reality: you don’t want…

[This article from The Washington Post explores how compelling ‘artificial’ social interaction can be, and the implications of that as technology evolves; the provocative film Ex Machina, which I just saw with a group of presence scholars, carries the logic even further, to a physically embodied rather than virtual technology. –Matthew] Love in the time of bots By Dominic Basulto March 17, 2015 Convincing people to have a romantic relationship with a computer might be easier than it sounds. At this year’s SXSW in Austin, a chatbot on Tinder convinced a number of users that she was a cute 25-year-old woman…

[This post from the Creative Review blog provides insights into the current and possible future status of VR music videos (it even mentions “sense of presence” in the last paragraph); you can experience the Stor Eiglass video with Samsung Gear VR headsets, Google Cardboard, on phones and tablets (I found it pretty compelling on an iPad), or via YouTube’s new 360º platform – the Android app is here; the iOS app is here; and the interactive video (and more information) is here. –Matthew] Squarepusher’s new music video guides viewers through a dystopic VR universe Posted by Rachael Steven, 13 May…

[A clever and powerful use of presence is described in this story from People; the 1:36 minute video is available via link below. –Matthew] Holograms Used to Spook Ignorant Drivers Who Illegally Park in Handicap Spots (VIDEO) By Jacqueline Andriakos @jandriakos 05/05/2015 If you’ve ever considered parking illegally in a handicap space, this message is for you. Russia-based nonprofit Dislife.Ru recently developed a powerful social experiment called More than a Sign to raise awareness of the rights of people with disabilities and to encourage drivers not to wrongfully take spaces reserved for them. The organization partnered with advertising agency Y&R…

[No mention of Cliff Nass, but this is CASA (Computers Are Social Actors) all the way; it’s from the University of Bath; the full paper is available from the Being There website. –Matthew] Why shaking hands matters (even when it’s virtual) 11 May 2015 Politicians and the public may have grown tired of shaking hands at the end of a long election campaign, but there’s new evidence that it really does matter when it comes to striking the best deal in negotiations. The process of shaking hands at the start of a conversation has already been shown to lead to…

[A demonstration of the wonders of (presence) technology… This story is from ZDNet; for more about Hawking’s appearance including video excerpts, see coverage by Business Insider Australia, and for a 5:34 minute video about the technical details of transmitting (but not projecting) the signal, see Lifehacker Australia. A video of the complete appearance is on YouTube. –Matthew] Hologram Stephen Hawking visits Australia with TelePresence Summary: A hologram of professor Stephen Hawking graced the stage of the Sydney Opera House over the weekend using Cisco’s TelePresence systems. By Josh Taylor | April 27, 2015 Professor Stephen Hawking gave his first live…

[As this story from MTV News notes, there’s reason for some skepticism about this project, but also for great excitement; the story includes many pictures and two videos including the impressive 2:16 minute ‘concept ad’; see VOID.com for more information –Matthew] Will This Virtual Reality Theme Park Replace Movie Theaters Someday? Meet the guy behind THE VOID, who’s betting a fortune that his high-tech wonderland will revolutionize your weekends. by Marty Beckerman May 7, 2015 Mark Zuckerberg wants the Oculus Rift to close the gap between virtual reality and mainstream entertainment, but he may have some surprise competition. Yesterday, a…

[Watch the 2:08 minute video of Han, the latest creation from Hanson Robotics, and see if we’ve reached Mori’s uncanny valley. The story from the International Business Times also includes another image. Coverage by Reuters includes another video and notes that Han’s female counterpart Eva is scheduled to soon interact with the public in various roles. –Matthew] Han the humanoid robot understands your facial expressions and can respond in kind [Video] By Mary-Ann Russon April 21, 2015 Hanson Robotics has debuted a humanoid robot that is able to recognise and understand people’s facial expressions, hold a conversation and respond appropriately…

[This description of an intriguing project refers to nearly every type of presence but never uses the term; The Creator’s Project story includes more pictures and a 2:41 minute video; more information can be found in coverage by The Irish Times, and a 5:41 minute interview with the artists is available on Vimeo. –Matthew] Virtual Reality Film Installation Puts a Disassociative Twist on Awkward Family Dinners By Beckett Mufson — May 3 2015 There may be two sides to every story, but in virtual reality film installation The Doghouse, which landed at the UK’s 2015 Flatpack Film Festival in March,…