[From The New York Times’ Bits blog, where the story includes a 1:03 minute video]   Augmented Reality Comes Closer to Reality By John Markoff April 7, 2011 Last week I wrote about how cyber politics and crime on the Internet had been foreseen with eerie accuracy by science fiction writers. For example, the computer scientist Vernor Vinge’s classic 1981 novella “True Names” described the impact of the Net long before most people had personal computers, let alone an Internet connection. But it’s not just the dark side of the Internet that Mr. Vinge got right. In his 2006 “Rainbows End,”…

[From The Stanford Report, where the story includes a 1:56 minute video also available here] New virtual reality research – and a new lab – at Stanford Cutting down a virtual redwood with a virtual chainsaw may lead you to save trees by recycling more paper. That finding is an example of how real-world behavior can be changed by immersing people in virtual reality environments – a notion that is at the heart of work under way in Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab. By Adam Gorlick April 8, 2011 If a tree falls in a virtual reality forest, will anyone…

[From I Programmer, which features a 1:01 minute video also available here] The cutting edge of touch – Slice Written by Ian Elliot Sunday, 03 April 2011 Slice is a breakthrough game that uses touch input in a new way. It is a game of skill coupled with a surprising negative feedback – you get it wrong and you get cut, virtually of course! Virtual reality is a difficult thing to get hold of. When it works, an immersive virtual environment can suddenly become real – when it fails you just get a headache. Sometimes however you can be surprised…

[From CNET’s Crave blog] [Image: The avatar me and the real me share a virtual karaoke moment. (Credit: Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)] 3D Tunes: My life as a virtual karaoke star Amanda Kooser April 5, 2011 Karaoke scares the wits out of me. I can sing in front of a crowd with a guitar and my own songs without batting an eyelash, but something about karaoke makes me want to hide under the nearest table. The only time I’ve karaoked was in a backwoods bar called The Rose in Cuba, Mo. I barely survived a shaky rendition of “Jumping Jack Flash”…

[From The Guardian] Berlin Philharmonic comes to British cinemas – in 3D Concert conducted by Sir Simon Rattle will be shown in 140 UK cinemas as orchestras hope the technology will raise funds Dalya Alberge Monday 4 April 2011 When Sir Simon Rattle brought the Berlin Philharmonic to London for a series of rapturously received concerts in February, tickets rapidly disappeared. But fans who missed out will get another chance to see the acclaimed orchestra in cinemas next month, and for the first time in 3D. Britain’s most celebrated conductor is aiming to reach new audiences by screening 3D concerts…

[From Singapore’s Today Online; more information is available here] Of empty spaces filled with sound Perhaps we are more influenced by technology that we’d like to think by Melody Lee Mar 29, 2011 A cacophony of jarring voices and sounds fill the ears, while upon a white wall, the shadows of visitors walking through the exhibit are projected. The sounds are recognisable as a mix of several local radio frequencies that somehow react to the visitors’ shadows. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Frequency And Volume, an interactive art experience by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Interestingly enough, the entire space and structure of…

[From Wired’s Underwire blog, where the story includes more images and a 0:53 minute video; a second video is available here] 360-Degree Panorama Takes You Inside Prague’s Off-Limits Baroque Library By Evan Rail March 29, 2011 PRAGUE – On a brisk but beautiful February afternoon, Jeffrey Martin and his robotic camera stand inside one of the Czech capital’s most gawk-worthy attractions: the gloriously decorated Philosophical Hall, a Baroque reading room in the city’s 868-year-old Strahov monastery library. Though he’s a photographer, the 34-year-old Martin doesn’t seem to notice the rare books, ornate marquetry or heroic statues in the recently restored…

[From newStaar Media; more information, including pictures and videos, is available here] Telepresence Creates an Interactive Experience for Television Viewers By D Robert Curry March 28, 2011 As part of their annual Expedition Week on television, the National Geographic Channel announced the launch of “Mission Expedition.” Using telepresence, the internet, and a highly detailed miniaturization of places in the world, the expedition is designed to engage viewers in an immersive interactive experience and scavenger hunt. Viewers can log on to www.natgeotv.com/ expedition from March 28th to April 9th to take part in the virtual expedition. Via the internet, viewers will…

[From The Hindu] Berlin, March 30, 2011 The driving experience of the future, a blend of real and virtual In the world envisioned by conceptual architect Juergen Mayer H, driving a car is a blend of digital, virtual and conventional reality. Imagine the year is 2030 and you are driving through a virtual city named Pokeville in a free car, which you accessed from a pool. You are showing a visitor around and, in a bid to impress the person, you have decided to ban the ugly buildings, rubbish heaps and ghettos from the tour. No problem: Just press the…

[From Fast Company’s Co.Design] Condition ONE App Makes War Reporting Immersive and Scary [Video] War correspondent Danfung Dennis wants his DSLR-powered newsgathering technology to change the visual language of video journalism John Pavlus Posted March 28, 2011 DSLRs can make gorgeously cinematic images out of just about anything you stick in front of them — including war, death, and destruction. (Somehow, Hollywood-style tracking shots don’t seem an appropriate way to cover post-earthquake Japan.) Award-winning war correspondent/DSLR videographer Danfung Dennis thinks the visual language of conflict photojournalism is “dying” — and with an interactive system called Condition ONE, he’s trying to…

[From The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW); a 1:02 minute video is available here] Fruit Ninja live, bring your overcoat by Dana Franklin (RSS feed) on Mar 28th 2011 Your virtual overcoat, that is. Students in a virtual reality workshop at the FH Wedel University of Applied Sciences cloned Fruit Ninja, the best-selling game for smartphones and tablets, in 3D using the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). The result is a life-size, fully immersive fruit slicing experience that transforms the casual game into a serious workout where players slay seedy sprouts with their (almost) bare hands.…

[From DigInfo.TV, where the story includes additional pictures and a 1:41 minute video] Paranga Adding Tactile Feedback to E-Reader Devices 23 March 2011 At Interaction 2011, a research group with members from Osaka University demonstrated the Paranga, a device which recreates the sensation of turning pages when using an e-book reader. “E-books are becoming popular, but the only feedback they give you is pictures and sound. For example, if you want to skip ahead several pages in an e-book, you scroll with your finger to the desired position. But the problem is, that’s not very intuitive. The advantage of this…