[From The Huffington Post] [Image: Grand Theft Auto IV from BWT] Fear of Fun By Marty Kaplan, Director, Norman Lear Center and Professor at the USC Annenberg School Posted: 12/31/2012 Some day not all that far in the future, a new kind of entertainment is going to be perfected that will either be the coolest video game ever, or the media equivalent of a lethal man-made super-virus. You can predict what that entertainment might be like just by extrapolating from technology that already exists.…

[From The Huffington Post; see also “Artificial Artificial Intelligence (And Flirting Via Committee)” also at The Huffington Post] We’re Falling In Love With Our Phones Bianca Bosker, Executive Tech Editor, The Huffington Post Posted: 01/15/2013 Siri: humble assistant — and close friend? A survey of 1,000 cell phone owners commissioned by Nuance, a provider of voice recognition software, suggests that people are developing closer relationships with the virtual assistants on their smartphones. In the past decade, we’ve embraced software as a service. Will software as soulmate be next?…

[From Popular Science, where the story includes an additional image and two videos] [Image: The Digital Embodiment Of Editor In Chief Jacob Ward Big on “tele-” but not so much on “presence.” Dan Nosowitz] Popular Science Is Building The Telepresent Robotic Boss Of The Future To overcome the physical distance between our New York offices and our editor in chief–who lives and works on the West Coast–Popular Science is exploring the cutting edge of telepresence technologies. By Clay Dillow Posted 01.28.2013 Earth circa 1993 was a radically different place. In roughly two decades, technology has completely reorganized our lives, our…

[From Discovery News] Virtual Superheroes Are More Heroic In Real Life Jan 30, 2013 // by Nic Halverson “With great power comes great responsibility” is perhaps the most famous — albeit foreshortened — phrase in comic book history, attributed to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Amazing Fantasy #15, the issue that first introduced the world to Spider-Man. However, this adage also holds true for virtual superheroes. A recent study found that having superpowers in a virtual world made people more likely to be helpful in real life. The study, conducted by clinical psychologist Robin Rosenberg and colleagues from Stanford University’s…

[From Tech News Daily] [Image: To get a flu shot or not to get a flu shot? A new game lets researchers explore why people choose not to take precautions against disease outbreaks. CREDIT: CDC/Judy Schmidt] Game Reveals Why People Skip Condoms, Vaccinations Francie Diep, TechNewsDaily Staff Writer January 14 2013 A new game, loosely modeled after the spread of gonorrhea, offers a new way for researchers to study people’s motivations for choosing whether or not to use condoms, get flu shots or otherwise protect themselves from epidemics. The game may be the first specifically designed for studying the spread…

[From Kansas State University] [Image credit: The Buddha Center] Buddhism in Second Life: Anthropologist studies spirituality in virtual reality January 28, 2013 By Communications and Marketing A Kansas State University researcher is studying how religion — particularly Buddhism — fits into new forms of virtual reality. Jessica Falcone, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and social work, studies South Asian cultures and religions, particularly Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism. Several of her current research projects focus on Buddhist communities, particularly the growing presence of Buddhism in the world of virtual reality.…

[From Gizmag] Healthspot replaces doctor’s office with a telepresence kiosk By David Szondy January 27, 2013 Telepresence physicians have been predicted since Hugo Gernsback foresaw the “radio doctor” in the 1920s. HealthSpot of Dublin, Ohio takes this idea a step further with its HealthSpot Station. It’s a telepresence kiosk that acts as an alternative to the traditional doctor’s office.…

[From AZoRobotics] Humanoid Robotics and Virtual Reality to Improve Social Interactions Published on January 24, 2013 Social pathologies, including schizophrenia, autism and social phobia, are mainly characterised by difficulties in interacting with other people. This causes much suffering both for the person and those that surround them. A new project, that aims to improve social interactions, will develop and test an innovative rehabilitation method using humanoid robotics and virtual reality. The collaborative European research team, including Dr Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova and Professor Mario di Bernardo from the Department of Engineering Mathematics at the University of Bristol, have been awarded €2.9 million…

[From The Detroit News, where the story includes many more images] Automakers put attendees virtually in the driver’s seat By Tony Briscoe, The Detroit News January 21, 2013 Detroit— The North American International Auto Show is letting consumers get a taste of what it’ll be like to be behind the wheel of many new models. In the middle of the Ford Motor Co. show floor, people can test their racing skills in the virtual simulation of the brand’s sports technology of the Focus. Technicians strap volunteers into an elevated two-seat cockpit controlled by four mechanical legs that allow the drivers…

[From Jezebel, where the story includes a link to the performance; see Aretha Franklin’s comments, including “In 2009, I wanted everything to be live and on the real side for the moment as it actually happened,” in The Detroit Free Press] Beyoncé Lip-Synced at the Inauguration, Betrayed the World [Updated] Dodai Stewart Jan 22, 2013 In the most earth-shattering piece of news since that of her own pregnancy, it has been confirmed that Beyoncé — as in, Beyoncé — LIP-SYNCED THE NATIONAL ANTHEM at the Inauguration. Oh my god how could you? According to Nico Hines, writing for the Times…

[From BBC News, where the story includes additional images] Viewpoint: The small business of 2063 By Alastair Reynolds Author 3 January 2013 Our world is changing faster than ever and, in recent years, a number of transformative technologies have moved from science fiction and the research and development R&D laboratory into the realm of practical application. These new technologies, combined with demographic shifts and globalisation, will have a profound impact on the future of SMEs. Who would have thought that advanced machinery and electronics such as GPS navigation tools, which only a decade ago would have seemed completely science fictional,…

[From Reuters, where the story includes an additional image] Disney joins JAKKS, LA billionaire to bring toys to life By Ronald Grover LOS ANGELES | Tue Jan 8, 2013 (Reuters) – Walt Disney toys are sold around the world. Now, children can find them in the cloud as well. The media giant is teaming up with toy company JAKKS Pacific and Patrick Soon-Shiong, Los Angeles’ wealthiest person, on a new line of toys – with a nifty technological twist designed to link the goodies that kids lug home from the store with Disney’s stable of well-known animated characters. “DreamPlay”, developed…