[From CNN, where the story includes a photo gallery and a 1:53 minute video] [Image: Details of a new sports-based theme park in Barcelona are sketchy, but promotional images show visitors taking part in virtual swimming races.] Barcelona to host world’s first sports theme park By Barry Neild, CNN August 4, 2014 (CNN) — Fitness isn’t usually a requirement for theme parks — standing in lines, climbing into rides and screaming in abject terror require only basic levels of stamina. Not so at the world’s first-ever sports amusement park planned for the Olympic Stadium and other Olympic venues in Barcelona,…

[From RocketNews24, where the story includes the 3:11 minute video and many screenshots; for more on the meaning of otaku see Wikipedia] You can now get physical with your virtual girlfriend thanks to Oculus Rift and a dubious pillow Cara Clegg August 4, 2014 Are you starting to feel that your virtual girlfriend just isn’t real enough? Craving the feel of her soft skin against your own? With the technological leaps being made in the field of virtual reality gaming headsets, otaku are being offered the chance to get closer to their digital darlings than ever before. But can they…

[From Phys.org] [Image: This photo obtained July 31, 2014 shows creators Dr. Frauke Zeller of Ryerson University and Dr. David Harris Smith of McMaster University with hitchBOT] Hitchhiking robot thumbs its way across Canada Aug 02, 2014 by Michel Comte A talking robot assembled from household odds and ends is hitchhiking thousands of kilometers across Canada this summer as part of a social experiment to see if those of its kind can trust humans. Society is “usually concerned with whether we can trust robots,” Frauke Zeller, co-creator of the “hitchBot,” told AFP. Hollywood movies like “The Terminator” and “The Matrix”…

[From Advertising Age, where the story includes many more images. If you read nothing else, check out the last line! –Matthew] [Image: Coke put people on World Cup playing field.] Virtual Reality: Advertising’s Next Big Thing? First Movers Coca-Cola, Nissan, HBO Bet on Tech’s Future for Marketing By Cotton Delo. Published on July 28, 2014 You’re on a wooden plank. Pivoting, you find yourself on the precipice of a deep pit. Taking unsteady steps, you cross with your arms outstretched for balance. You teeter to the end, exhaling in relief—and are told to about-face and plunge in. None of this…

[From IBM’s Smarter Planet blog, where the post includes a 3:23 minute video. For a description of an IBM prototype of “a room where executives can go to talk over business problems with a version of Watson, the computer system that defeated two Jeopardy! champions on TV in 2012,” see an August 4 article in MIT Technology Review.] IBM Watson: The Future of Computers with Conversational Skills May, 19th 2014 By Michael Rhodin, Sr VP, IBM Watson Group The second in a series on the IBM Watson Platform, this blog explores the future of how computers relate to us. For…

[From The Creators Project, where the post includes more images and a 2:11 minute video; for more information see especially the “Psykopaint for iPad – The most realistic painting software” post on the Psykopaint blog] Make Your Own Monet With This Light-Simulating Paint App By Kevin Holmes — Jul 18 2014 There are many, many digital painting apps you can download for your tablet— but Psykopaint stands out from the pack. The first painting app that digitally recreates ambient lighting conditions, by moving your tablet around in realtime, you’ll see how light would reflect off your creation if it existed…

[From Stuff; follow the link within the story for much more information, including images and videos] [Image: Melanie Langlotz, left, from Auckland company Augview, and Jo Russell, of Otorohanga Zoological Society, in Rotary Park where the virtual moa is being brought to life. Mark Taylor / Fairfax NZ] Virtual park bringing moa to life Rachel Thomas Waikato Times July 29, 2014 It’s proving difficult to get a photo of the moa. The towering bird crosses Rotary Park, carelessly bowling through a triceratops, stands still under a tree dotted with pigeons, stares down at us for a while, then lopes off…

[An interesting example of ‘telepresence after death’ (Lombard & Selverian) from Polygon] Son races deceased father’s ghost in Xbox racer, makes internet cry By Danielle Riendeau on Jul 23, 2014 This is the most heart-warming video game ghost story I’ve ever heard. According to a post on Motoramic, a YouTube commenter that goes by 00WARTHERAPY00 shared a supernaturally touching story about racing their father’s ghost in Xbox racer RalliSport Challenge, 10 years after he had passed. On a spooky note — The Besties actually conceived of this very scenario years before this happened — check out their total pre-cog moment starting…

[From Recombu; the Engadget report mentioned features an animated gif and 1:02 minute video; a 7:33 minute video report and a trailer for the film are available from PC Magazine; the press release is available from Philips] [Image: Slashgear] Sharknado and SyFy Sync take a bite out of Philips Hue’s smart lights By Editorial Team Tuesday, 29th July 2014 Syfy Sync and Philips Hue are working together to give you a more immersive movie experience while watching the sure-to-be-masterpiece Sharknado 2: The Second One. When viewing the B-movie sequel the Syfy Sync iPad app will communicate with your Philips Hue…

[From The Vancouver Sun] [Image: Nicole Lynch visits Tuscany in virtual reality at the launch of Vancouver’s new virtual reality studio, The Sawmill.] Vancouver tech specialists bring virtual reality to the masses At the Sawmill studio in Vancouver, anyone can rent state-of-the-art motion capture equipment By Gillian Shaw, Vancouver Sun July 23, 2014 VANCOUVER — If you can trace your way through blind alleys and dead ends to an old sawmill tucked away at the foot of Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Street, you’ll find yourself in a different world. A virtual world, and one that is realizing the dream of some Vancouver…

[From The Daily Edge, where the story includes a screenshot and the 1:34 video from the project’s FundIt page; a 12 minute interview program with Eoghan Kidney titled “The Oculus Rift and Ethics of Virtual Reality” is available on SoundCloud] You will soon be able to walk around inside James Joyce’s Ulysses* *If this Dubliner’s virtual reality videogame reaches its fundraising target. June 27, 2014 Most of us haven’t read Ulysses, with a lot of us too intimidated to even give it a go. Now a Dublin filmmaker and animator is creating an immersive virtual reality videogame designed to accompany…

[From The Press of Atlantic City, where the story includes a photo gallery and a 1:49 minute video] [Image: Human Factors Manager Kenneth Allendoerfer, of Collingswood, discusses research they do on air traffic controllers, Wednesday May 14, 2014, at the Human Factors Lab at the FAA Hughes Tech Center in EggHarbor Twp. Credit: Michael Ein] FAA lab using virtual reality to improve aviation safety By Donald Wittkowski, Staff Writer Sunday, June 8, 2014 EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Kenneth Allendoerfer donned a silly looking skullcap that had a bunch of electrodes and wires sticking out of it. While the cap might…