[We need more, and more institutional support and funding for, projects like the one described in this story from NorthJersey.com about the application of presence-evoking technologies to provide more access to historic (and many other) sites. See the original story and coverage from the County College of Morris for more pictures and details. –Matthew] [Image: CCM Associate Professor Hrvoje Slovec photographing The Willows] Virtual reality unlocks historic North Jersey mansion for people with disabilities By Gene Myers, NorthJersey.com March 14, 2022 There’s a lot of history to see at The Willows, the 1854 Gothic revival mansion in Morris County –…

[The pandemic has enhanced several efforts to market a holographic communication system. The bullet-pointed story below from Axios reports on a new smaller version of the PORTL holographic system (see a September 2020 ISPR Presence News post about the original vending-machine size product). For more details about the new mini hologram unit see the press release via Global Newswire (which notes that the company and product are changing names to Proto). Mashable covers Proto and a competitor and notes that: “Photos and even videos of these 2D holograms (they may look 3D, but the images are still projected onto a…

[In stark and sad contrast to the destruction and loss of life in Ukraine (and elsewhere), humans are working together to build a virtual version of the entire planet in Minecraft. As this widely cited story from Curbed reports, the largest team in the Build the Earth project is constructing a digital New York City. Here’s a key quote: “’Everyone was trapped inside their house, and so people started to meet in-game, in this new real life, where they could create the world they had known outside,’ said [team leader] Minefact in his fluent, German-accented English. ‘So it’s a bit…

[I normally wouldn’t post something as long as this unabridged essay from Wired, but it’s one of the best pieces I’ve read about the ultimate form of presence at the core of the simulation argument. Not only does it provide an overview of both scientific and popular versions and views of the argument, and assess its history and the guidance it may offer for how we choose to see the world and live in it, but it’s written in an extremely entertaining style and voice. Here’s just one key quote from the near the end: “Nobody knows—most likely, nobody ever…

[This essay from IAI (Institute of Art and Ideas) News argues that an important consequence of the medium-as-social-actor presence induced by artificial intelligence systems that can’t fully mimic the range of human expression is that we adapt to the AI’s limitations both in interacting with it and with each other. Aside from suggesting a series of research projects that test this idea, it elevates the questions of how far and how quickly AI might advance toward fully human capabilities so that it adapts to us rather than the reverse. –Matthew] AI is turning us into machines The imitation game By…

[The website described in this story from the University of South Wales may be of interest and use to presence scholars and creators. –Matthew] Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up Behind the Scenes with USW Website Story: https://www.southwales.ac.uk/news/news-2022/audience-future-how-usw-helped-create-new-chapter-wallace-gromit/ Website: https://www.uswaudienceofthefuture.co.uk/ The University of South Wales (USW) recently collaborated with a consortium of creative industry practitioners to do just that. Using emerging technologies, the team worked together to invent an innovative, all new chapter for the beloved Wallace & Gromit animation series. The project saw USW researchers working with a team of developers, including Tiny Rebel Games, Sugar Creative, Potato…

[Prospective and current university students used to have to get information from brochures, books, and telephone or in person conversations, then more recently from websites. Based on this story from Inside Higher Ed, soon they may be able to just have a conversation with an online AI-based chat bot of the university’s president that evokes medium-as-social-actor presence. Follow the link in the story for a video and to talk to the digital President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and see more coverage (including the video) in a story from UNLV. –Matthew] UNLV President Turns Himself Into an AI…

[It doesn’t use the term, but the goal of the new Ikea exhibition described in this MediaPost story is clearly presence, along of course with marketing research. See the company’s website for more information, including a longer (1:37 minute) video (which is also available on YouTube. –Matthew] Ikea Gets Immersive With Brooklyn Pop-Up By Sarah Mahoney March 3, 2022 Ikea wants to give shoppers a new way to look at the future of furniture, with an immersive design experience in its Brooklyn store. And in return, it’s hoping to get a better sense of how people really feel about storage.…

[Several recent articles highlight the use of deceptive images and videos regarding Russia’s attack on Ukraine, including the report below from Business Today. For more details see the Twitter thread from NBC’s Ben Collins and for related stories see CNN (“Fact check: Phony images masquerading as CNN coverage go viral amid war in Ukraine”); ABC 10 in Sacramento, California (“Ukraine warns Russia may deploy ‘deepfake’ of Zelenskyy surrendering”; and more coverage from Rolling Stone, The Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare at West Point, and Axios. –Matthew] Digital war: How Russia is using deep fakes in Ukraine for propaganda In…

[An ambitious project at the University of Texas is using a treadmill and virtual reality (and presence) to alter the brains of patients with epileptic seizures before they undergo dangerous surgery; as one researcher describes it, “we want to know if we can train patients to move vital [brain] functions to another area so that when the surgeon goes in, they’re operating on a circuit that is no longer as critical for memory, speech, or movement.” The story is from the University’s alumni magazine Alcalde. –Matthew] Researchers at UT’s Dell Medical School Are Using Virtual Reality and Video Games to Help…

[Cornell University researchers have developed an interesting and unusual application of presence-evoking technologies; see the original story for a 21 second video (also available via YouTube). For a related story see “Virtual tours make pig farming more transparent” from Phys.org. –Matthew] [Image: A view of the 3D model of Red Hook Farm in Brooklyn, New York, featuring a processing shed and high tunnels for vegetable production.] Virtual reality farm tour expands access to urban agriculture By Krishna Ramanujan February 28, 2022 One way farmers learn best practices is through their peers, but the pandemic has limited in-person meetings.…

[This story from Tech Monitor, which features our friend and colleague Stéphane Bouchard, considers some of the potential negative consequences of presence experiences via virtual reality; one of them involves inverse presence, the perception that nonmediated experience is actually mediated. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Photo by David McNew/Getty Images] Is virtual reality bad for our mental health? It’s touted as the gateway to the metaverse. But the impact of prolonged use of virtual reality on our mental well-being is under-researched. By Greg Noone February 24, 2022 (Updated February 28, 2022) Jeff Grover* likes to walk, a pastime suited to the landscape…