[From Phys.org, where the story includes a different picture and two videos. More information is available on the “Tell Me Dave” web site] Robot can be programmed by casually talking to it (w/ Video) Jun 23, 2014 Robots are getting smarter, but they still need step-by-step instructions for tasks they haven’t performed before. Before you can tell your household robot “Make me a bowl of ramen noodles,” you’ll have to teach it how to do that. Since we’re not all computer programmers, we’d prefer to give those instructions in English, just as we’d lay out a task for a child.…

[From CNET, where the story includes a different image and a 1:25 minute video] [Image: Vi Hart] eleVR: the first web video player for virtual reality Why should gaming get all the fun? eleVR is like YouTube for your virtual reality headset — and anyone can jump in and create videos. by Michelle Starr June 24, 2014 You may be able to control a quadcopter with an Oculus Rift — but what about just kicking back and watching some videos from your favourite creators? That’s what the newly launched eleVR is for. The website, a collaborative effort between ‘mathemusician’ Vi…

[From Fast Company’s Co.Exist, where the story includes more pictures and a 2:33 minute video; see also Behnaz Farahi’s web pages for this version and the earlier version of the project] ‘s When You Move Your Hand, This Room Changes Shape By covering walls in Spandex and using a motion sensing game controller, a designer has created a magical place that is an extension of the human mind and body. Adele Peters June 23, 2014 We’re used to using gestures like swiping and tapping to control smartphone apps. But could we use the same movements to change the physical world…

[From CNN, where the story includes a photo gallery; more coverage can be found at Wired and Fast Company (the latter includes a description of the just accomplished first transatlantic “Scent Message”] [Image: Courtesy Art Science] Forget text messaging, the ‘oPhone’ lets you send smells By Kieron Monks for CNN March 17, 2014 (CNN) — Holiday albums could be less forgettable when pictures of a Mediterranean meal carry the scent of olives; a selfie on the beach contains a trace of salt spray or a rainy London scene conveys the distinctive aroma of freshly wet concrete. If the digital age…

[From The Creators Project, where the post includes many more pictures] “SKIN” Transforms Your Emotions Into Sound And Color Through Sweat Data By Zach Sokol — Jun 5 2014 This week, Harvest Works gallery in New York exhibited an installation by audiovisual artist, Claudia Robles, that gets under your skin… literally. SKIN is a project that measures gallery visitors’ skin moisture using a GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) interface and transforms that data into sound and images. Psychological states such as stress, nervousness, and even arousal become observable, external information. Be careful who you test it out around. “I’m interested in…

[From Wired, where the story includes an impressive 22 image photo gallery] [Image: Austrian photographer Reiner Riedler’s series Fake Holidays documents artificial travel destinations around the world. Here, families swim at indoor Tropical Islands just outside Berlin. Credit: Reiner Riedler] The Bizarre World of Fake Vacation Destinations By Margaret Rhodes 06.16.14 There are countless ways to travel: on a budget or in first class; on a cruise ship or at a hostel; with tour guides or nothing but a backpack and fresh pair of socks. No matter the voyage, the point is always roughly the same: to leave regular life…

[From Phys.org, where the story includes more images and a 2:32 minute IMAX video; these and more information are also available from IMAX] [Image: Director/Executive Producer Michael Bay (far right) on the China set of Transformers: Age of Extinction, from Paramount Pictures. Photo credit: Andrew Cooper] Filmmakers to get thrill-ride scenes with IMAX 3D digital camera Jun 16, 2014 by Nancy Owano IMAX has developed a 65mm 4K digital large-format IMAX 3D digital camera. Filmmakers will in turn have access to a “true” 4K stereo camera, meaning, said IMAX, that both the left eye and right eye images are captured…

[From 9News (KUSA TV), where the story includes a 2:06 minute video news report] JeffCo teachers go through active-shooter training Christine Noel — June 16, 2014 KUSA – Bear Creek High School staff and faculty are learning life-saving skills in case there is ever an active-shooter situation on campus. Jefferson County Schools has partnered with TI Training, a technology company based out of Colorado that develops training for law enforcement agencies all over the world. Through the company’s school-safety program, simulators are used to arm teachers with the training and knowledge to protect students in critical situations.…

[From Interesting Engineering, where the story includes many more images] CoeLux brings sunlight to rooms without windows June 14th, 2014 by Allison Blackburn Everyone knows that if experienced responsibly, sunlight is good for you, but in some cases people don’t get enough. For instance, this could be those who work in rooms that are windowless or people who live in the north during winter. A lack of sunlight has been attributed to a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder. One way of overcoming the winter blues as it is more commonly known is through light therapy. However the lamps on the…

[From CNBC, where the story includes more pictures and two videos; the press release is available from Lowe’s] Lowe’s 3-D room makes remodeling a (virtual) reality Krystina Gustafson Wednesday, 11 Jun 2014 It’s a question retailers everywhere are grappling with—how do they get shoppers to turn off their computers and step back into the store? Lowe’s thinks it may have found the answer: Give them something they can’t get online. The second-largest home improvement store announced on Wednesday that it will transform the in-store experience by building a 30-by-30 virtual reality room that enables customers to view a 3-D representation…

[Here are three examples of presence, not by name of course, in popular culture: First, a demonstration of Sony’s Project Morpheus on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from Road to VR, where you can watch the 4:34 minute video.] News Bits: Sony’s Project Morpheus Goes Prime Time with Jimmy Fallon and the Tonight Show June 8, 2014 by Paul James The mainstream media are slowly warning up to the advent of virtual reality, or at the very least that demonstrating new and exciting ways to play games pulls viewers of the demographics they’re interested in. Now Sony’s Project Morpheus,…

[From CBS News; a 4:13 minute video report is available here] Is “digital cloning” the future of movie making? CBS News – June 2, 2014 “Maleficent,” the story of a winged fairy turning into a wicked sorceress, brought in $70 million this weekend. The film’s special effects are state of the art. When the tiny fairies fly, you see “pixie-perfect” human faces on them. What was once filmed on a sound stage, is now shot on a “light stage,” reports CBS News’ Carter Evans. The surreal laboratory is the brainchild of Paul Debevec who heads up the University of Southern…