[From Eye Weekly (“a publication of Eye Communications, a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited”)] Avatar fashion For those seeking aesthetic perfection, digital alter-egos may represent the final frontier BY Sarah Nicole Prickett   January 20, 2010 13:01 It’s strange that fashion has been long acknowledged to be fantasy, yet has taken just as long in turning to virtual reality. Cher Horowitz played computerized dress-up, like, 15 years ago. Why only now are there apps for that nothing-to-wear feeling? There’s iWeardrobe, which has you photograph the contents of your closet, then mix-and-match on screen. Cute, but virtual dressing shouldn’t involve…

[From This Is Bristol (“At the Heart of All Things Local”)] Bristol historians give the old world a Second Life Wednesday, January 20, 2010 Back in 1854, the life-sized replica of a Pompeian villa was one of the highlights for visitors to the newly-reopened Crystal Palace. Victorian thrill-seekers gazed in awe at the interactivity of the exhibit – though of course, they probably didn’t use the word “interactivity”. Four years after the Crystal Palace had attracted crowds for The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, it was rebuilt as an ultra-modern museum in Sydenham, south London, with a series of life-sized…

[From The Daily Mail] The 3D TV? It’s quite a spectacle, but how do they work – and are they worth the £1,000 price tag? By Robert Hardman Last updated at 10:28 AM on 18th January 2010 You’re walking past a pub and a mighty roar erupts. A crucial goal has obviously gone in, so you pop your head inside to catch the replay on television. But it’s not the sporting action that catches your eye. You suddenly wonder if you have wandered into a bad dream. The entire pub appears to be full of sun-worshippers and Bono clones. Just…

[From The Guardian] Virtual reality is coming of age If you want evidence of how virtual worlds are breaking into the mainstream, look at how commerce is taking hold within them Alexander Walters, guardian.co.uk, Thursday 31 December 2009 I’m standing outside a branch of Diesel and a colourfully dressed man is dancing the robot in front of me like Peter Crouch on steroids. Browsing through the items on offer in the window, I spot a pair of jeans that I like the look of. The price tag says £1.59. A licensed, authorised, branded pair of Diesel jeans for £1.59. The…

[From BBC News; a 1:39 video is here] Welsh ‘super-needle’ to aid pin-hole surgery training Hywel Griffiths BBC Wales health correspondent Wednesday, 30 December 2009 Virtual 3D patients could be used to train staff in pin-hole surgery, thanks to work at Bangor University. The ImaGINe-S simulator uses similar technology as computer games to recreate the feeling of guiding a surgical needle into the body. The device has already been awarded an European prize for the use of computer graphics in medicine. The team hope to see it introduced as a training tool within the health service over the next few…

[From Indiana Unversity School of Medicine] January 12, 2010 Virtual Reality Tele-rehab Improves Hand Function: Playing Games for Real Recovery INDIANAPOLIS — Remotely monitored in-home virtual reality videogames improved hand function and forearm bone health in teens with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, helping them perform activities of daily living such as eating, dressing, cooking, and other tasks for which two hands are needed. “While these initial encouraging results were in teens with limited hand and arm function due to perinatal brain injury, we suspect using these games could similarly benefit individuals with other illness that affect movement, such as multiple sclerosis,…

[From Global Times (“Discover China, Discover the World”)] Shopping in a brave new online world Source: Global Times December 30 2009 By Yin Yeping Shopping is fun and cathartic, but for many it’s hard to find the time. Online shopping helps but at the same time can be dull and impersonal. XGO is about to change all that: their 3D business world, based on a business-to-customer (B2C) platform that combines virtual reality with Internet telecommunications, aims to provide the best of both worlds. The new online shopping experience will let customers negotiate with vendors’ avatars or even go shopping with…

[From MIT’s Technology Review] Making TV Social, Virtually What happens when your online pals meet your TV? By Erika Jonietz Monday, January 11, 2010 In the 1960s, families gathered in the living room to watch Bonanza. In the 1980s, friends met at the water cooler to speculate about who shot J.R. In 2010, mom watches HGTV in the bedroom, dad cheers for the Longhorns in the living room, and the kids laugh at the new episode of Glee on Hulu.com in the study. In an effort to “make TV social again” and to bring even far-flung family members and friends…

[From CNN] Audiences experience ‘Avatar’ blues By Jo Piazza, Special to CNN January 11, 2010 8:06 a.m. EST (CNN) — James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle “Avatar” may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.…

[From Geek.com (“an online techology resource and community for technology enthusiasts and professionals since 1996”)] Orange aces augmented reality with Infinite Loop iPhone app Dec. 24, 2009 By: John Brownlee Although augmented reality has yet to transform me into the Snow Crash like techno-gargoyle I breathlessly anticipated I would be back in the cyberpunk throes of my teenage years, there’s just no denying the cool factor, and while the iPhone is a far cry from the virtual reality contacts the likes of William A. Gibson promised, there’s just no doubt that it is the premiere showcase of the form. Case in…

[From The New York Times ] Television Begins a Push Into the 3rd Dimension By BRIAN STELTER and BRAD STONE Published: January 5, 2010 Ralph Kramden can finally buy a television. It was more than half a century ago, in a 1955 episode of “The Honeymooners,” that Kramden, the parsimonious bus driver played by Jackie Gleason, told his wife, Alice, that he had not yet bought a new television because “I’m waiting for 3-D.” The wait will soon be over. A full-fledged 3-D television turf war is brewing in the United States, as manufacturers unveil sets capable of 3-D and…

[From The New York Times] A Venture Integrating Skype Into the Family Room By BRAD STONE Published: January 5, 2010 SAN FRANCISCO — There will soon be something new to watch on the living room TV: your relatives and friends in different parts of the world. On Tuesday, Panasonic and LG Electronics, two of the top television makers, are to announce that they are integrating the free online calling service Skype into their Internet-connected high-definition televisions.…