Posted by Jeffrey Martin on February 21, 2017 at 10:40 am.

Virtual reality has potential to add new dimensions to marketing

Is virtual reality the next big thing in marketing and advertising or are its advocates due for a painful dose of true reality? 
Virtual reality (VR) is the computer- and camera- generated creation of a seemingly real, three-dimensional experience using electronic equipment, such as a helmet or goggles containing a screen. In some instances, for example by using gloves with sensors, it’s possible to manipulate objects and perform actions in this simulated world.

Domaining in the Virtual Reality Space: VR Domain Investments

If you have been watching lots of Hollywood movies, you must assume that virtual reality has been around for the past 40 or 50 years! However, in spite of all the technological advancements, movies and books over the years on the subject of virtuality, true immersive and high quality virtual reality only arrived in 2016!

The eSight 3 is an augmented reality headset designed to help the legally blind see

At first glance, eSight’s headsets look a lot like any other VR or AR gear out there. But while most virtual reality systems are built to make digital worlds more realistic, the eSight aims to do just the opposite, using augmented reality headsets and digital technology to help bring the real world to individuals who are legally blind.

Why VR Analytics is Important ?

Analytics for apps or websites currently do a great job of letting you know the problem. They can assimilate the information about the user’s journey. How long were they using the content, how far ahead were they and when did they stop using it. However, it still begs a basic question, why did they drop off? We are left guessing and making the most probable conclusion.

8 VR MARKETING IDEAS: FROM PORTOFOLIO IN VR TO SOUVENIR IN VR

Only 8% of marketers are currently using VR marketing, but the results? Phenomenal. A little flashback. Years ago, some business felt like they didn’t need a web page because they thought it wasn’t important. See what’s happening today. If your business doesn’t have a web page, it’s like you’re missing a big part of your business. Now, a new technology has finally arrived, and it’s called VR. Don’t want to repeat the same mistakes, some companies, such as McD, Volvo, The New York Times, Thomas Cook, Virgin Holiday, have finally adapted VR marketing into their business.

Beaming the ‘Matrix’ into Your Eyes: Otoy CEO on the Future of Real-time Lightfield Rendering

At Unity’s Unite keynote in November, Otoy’s Jules Urbach announced that their Octane Renderer was going to be built into Unity to bake light field scenes. But this is also setting up the potential for real-time ray tracing of light fields using application-specific integrated circuits from PowerVR, which Urbach says that with 120W could render out up to 6 billion rays per second. Combining this PowerVR ASIC with foveated rendering and Otoy’s Octane renderer built into Unity provides a technological roadmap for being able to produce a photorealistic quality that will be like beaming the Matrix into your eyes.

Share HoloLens Holograms With Microsoft Spectator View Cam

Stepping into a virtual or augmented reality is a wholly singular experience; no two people will follow the exact same path. Which is great if you’re hawking a video game or interactive movie.

This Augmented Reality App Tells Indigenous Stories in Canadian Cities

Adrian Duke showed me his phone while we stood outside Vancouver’s Skwachàys Lodge. An animated raven popped up to tell me the story behind this boutique hotel, which houses Indigenous artists and their works. The raven was modelled on a commissioned painting by Garnet Tobacco, whose other paintings are on display inside the gallery.

Let’s turn off Magic Leap’s mixed-reality hype machine

There is vaporware and then there’s oh-shut-up-and-just-release-the-damn-product-ware. The latter is what many have come to think of when the name Magic Leap is mentioned. And with good reason. Founded back in 2011, the hype train for what many believe is an augmented reality headset or glasses company left the station around 2014. Since then, the company has racked up investments from the likes of Google and others amounting to over $1 billion, as well as tantalizing testimonials from high-profile names who have tried the technology and have indicated that it’s so impressive it may change computing forever.

Valve ‘comfortable’ if virtual reality headsets fail

Gabe Newell, head of the game studio, made the statement in an interview with news site Polygon.
Valve is co-developer of the Vive VR headset with phone firm HTC.
Mr Newell said, so far, interest in the technology was in line with its expectations and that some VR games had already sold well.

 

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Posted by DavidPavlicek on February 20, 2017 at 4:58 pm.

Planet Earth is amazing, no doubt about that, no matter if you prefer natural beauties over those created by men. In today’s Editors’ picks summary, you can admire both. And we’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy the ride.

 

Bergeggi Night by AndreaFacco (click the picture to open the pano)

Sure, the Milky Way panos are our favourites, but this one’s amazing. The Milky Way overlooks the coast in the northern part of Italy near the town of Bergeggi, while the sea reflects the city lights shining from a distance. Amazing!

 

Kapellbrücke Luzern, Switzerland during winter by night by Florian Lotter (click the picture to open the pano)

No doubt that Switzerland is wonderful, but this European country is popular for its mountain ranges and an untouched nature. However, as this pano shows, Swiss cities have a lot to offer as well. Such as Luzern, with its romantic bridges over the Reuss river. And it looks stunning from above!

 

Iceland Northern Lights by Flavio Di Mattia (click the picture to open the pano)

Sometimes we feel a bit sad that we do not live in an area with occasional northern lights. Flavio was lucky enough to capture this natural miracle and the result is simply wonderful.

 

Temple of The Goddess Hathor, Hypostyle Hall by Alexey Miroshnikov (click the pictures to open the panos)

Alexey took these panoramic photos in the Hathor Temple, the main temple of the Dendera complex, more specifically in its Large Hypostle hall. The earlies extant building in the whole complex was build more than 300 years BC, but the Temple was build a bit later, during the Ptolemaic period. Anyway – still a lot to admire inside.

 

There’s more, keep scrolling!

 

Twilight, City of technology by sergio rondalli (click the picture to open the pano)

Zion National Park: Canyon Overlook by Marcelo Portella (click the picture to open the pano)

Hillsborough River State Park Below The Rapids by John Hill (click the picture to open the pano)

Giraffe grazing, Crescent Island, Lake Naivasha by Martin Broomfield (click the picture to open the pano)

Osireion Temple frontview by Alexey Miroshnikov (click the picture to open the pano)

Geyser Strokkur Slow Motion by Flavio Di Mattia (click the picture to open the pano)

Rice Paddy by Ben Smart (click the picture to open the pano)

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Posted by Jeffrey Martin on February 14, 2017 at 10:47 pm.

Microsoft Now Lets You Film Mixed Reality With HoloLens Hack

Showing off what Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality can do is difficult without actually putting it on someone’s head, but the company’s new camera hack is providing a helping hand.

Magic Leap said to be ‘doing 1,000 things badly’ after raising $1.4 billion

Magic Leap has raised an astounding $1.4 billion for its augmented reality smartglasses since 2014. But the company has run into considerable negative publicity lately, including a leaked photo that showed that the technology might be further behind than its CEO has claimed.

Virtual reality (VR) in architecture

Oculus Rift, a head-mounted display (HMD) combines head-tracking sensors with stereoscopic 3D rendering techniques create an immersive virtual reality experience. Alternatively, Google Glass, a face-mounted computer (smart eyewear), has the capability to display high-resolution information, creating an augmented reality. The Hololens, a combination of Oculus Rift and Google Glass, is a stand-alone HMD capable of projecting computer-generated objects into the user’s real-world environment.

See the HoloLens and Surface Studio work together in Shared Mixed Reality

Microsoft’s vision of the computing future has all their technologies working seamlessly together to increase the productivity of users. Mixed Reality company DataMesh have posted a video which brings that vision a bit closer, showing how a designer could use the HoloLens and Surface Studio together to place their work on an even bigger canvas.

Magic Leap CEO defends his AR company on Twitter after photo leak

Shortly after a photo of company hardware was leaked, the CEO of the augmented and mixed reality company Magic Leap has gone online to correct the record. On Saturday, Business Insider published an image of what it said was “a working prototype” of the Google-backed startup’s portable augmented reality device given to it by a source. On Twitter, Rony Abovitz claimed Saturday the photo showed only a “R&D test rig.”

5 Benefits of Virtual Reality that Everyone must know

5 Benefits of Virtual Reality that Everyone must know: As we know Virtual Reality is growing very fast now a days. And It could be new revolution for this 21st century. There are a lot of speculation and anticipations about this very promising technology. After the acquisition of Oculus by facebook and several other big companies jumping in, made very clear that this VR technology is not a matter of past anymore.

11 Cheap VR Headsets Ranked from Best to Worst

There’s now a ton of immersive VR games, apps and movies to enjoy. But what if you aren’t ready to shell out over $1,000 for a home VR setup and don’t have one of the few Gear VR or Google Daydream compatible phones? We purchased several top-selling headsets under $40 that can transport you into the VR world, whether your own an Android phone or iPhone.

VR IS DEAD.

That’s it folks. Everybody go home. It’s over.  Didn’t you hear? VR is officially dead. At least, that is what some media outlets are saying. Apparently, some people consider bashing a new technology to be news. At least once a day, I read an article that states how overblown or inflated the VR industry has become, and that it is heading towards it’s ultimate demise. Some of this stems from news that analysts MAY have over estimated the market value of immersive technology in 2016 (they did.) Some of it stems from the fact that VR startups all across the globe are failing and shutting their doors (they are.)

VR is Not in Trouble!

With sales figures being released claiming accurate numbers, only to be “corrected” weeks later with drastically lower #’s combined with the recent news concerning Oculus’ troubles with lost lawsuits and demo closures, the internet seems to be jumping on the ‘VR is dying” bandwagon.  I get the need to report news as it is released, but the way that news is being broadcast just comes across as someone’s opinion of half a story skewed toward click bait as opposed to unbiased news articles that compose of actual research.

Has Facebook slipped up with VR?

I first tried the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset in the corner of a drab conference room in Las Vegas. I was convinced within seconds – despite feeling a little dizzy – that the device, held together by duct tape and hope, was destined for big things. A year or so later, I met the same company, Oculus VR, in a (slightly) fancier room at the E3 gaming event in Los Angeles. “Hold this,” I said, abruptly thrusting an audio cable into the hands of a young man who I thought was helping out – but was in fact the company’s chief executive, Palmer Luckey. Again, I was blown away by the technology.

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Posted by DavidPavlicek on February 14, 2017 at 3:26 pm.

Hi all! We’re back with our summary of the most wonderful panoramic photos uploaded to 360Cities recently! Here are some of them.

 

Bokor Hill Haunted Palace by Adam Graham (click the picture to open the pano)

We’ll start with a creepy one. This haunted house is located in Cambodia, on top of the Bokor Mountain and it certainly is a place where you don’t want to spend the night in. And as you can see in the description, it has some interesting history as well!

 

Anhumas Abyss dive by Marcio Cabral (click the picture to open the pano)

This pano is amazing, this is what you get when you take an underwater pano with some amazing light from above. How awesome would it be to dive over there and enjoy the scenery!

 

Arches National Park – Sand Dune Arch by Carsten Arenz (click the picture to open the pano)

If you’re from Utah, we’re pretty sure you know the hiking trails in the Arches national park. If not, we may well recommend it! The Sand Dune Arch is one of the cool things to see there – and if you’re not a hiking fan, you can just have a look around in this panoramic photo.

 

Сибайский каръер by Максим (click the picture to open the pano)

This huge quarry is certainly a cool thing to look at – especially from above, as in this aerial shot – but can you imagine living next to one? Not that nice anymore. But hey – this panoramic photo is really worth your time.

 

Aerial Sunset over Snowy Crete by Vasilis Triantafyllou (click the picture to open the pano)

You don’t get to see the lovely island of Crete covered in snow! Even though it’s a bit more popular for its sun and warm weather, this actually doesn’t look that bad, does it? Actually, this pano is an Editors’ pick for a reason!

 

There’s more!

Eileen’s Trees, Dining Room by Rick Collins (click the picture to open the pano)

Rhino Sanctuary, Ol Pejeta Conservancy by Martin Broomfield (click the picture to open the pano)

Bike City Copenhagen Central Station by Flavio Di Mattia (click the picture to open the pano)

On the Climb to Heimaklettur by John Wood (click the picture to open the pano)

Mosque Paramaribo Suriname by Studio Mambeau (click the picture to open the pano)

The Angel of Peace in Munich by B. Quitterer (click the picture to open the pano)

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Posted by Jeffrey Martin on February 7, 2017 at 9:46 am.

OpenVR – 1 : Story

I can’t say I’m a huge gamer. I do enjoy playing games though. But when it comes to innovative *HCI devices, I’m very enthusiastic. That’s how I got really curious about experience offered by Oculus Rift, a total new way to experience reality, in a virtual world.

Why 360VR ads are quickly becoming the best content marketing strategy

The past few years have been a constant revelation for the marketing and advertising industry with new avenues for branding coming up every few years. From buzzwords like digital, mobile, social, and content marketing, we now have the emergence of VR. Virtual Reality has created a whole new immersive relationship between the brand and the customer, something that marketers have been striving to achieve for years.

NASA Announces VR Mars Ride With Actual 90-Foot Drop

The Super Bowl is just around the corner, and unsurprisingly the multiple promotional events dedicated to the massively-popular spectacle have begun to kick off. One of the biggest of these events, Super Bowl Live, will take place nine days leading up to the big game February 5th in Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium. The festival will host a variety of attractions, but arguably the most fascinating is NASA’s VR Mars ride, Future Flight.

Obduction -VR Game Review

Obduction is an adventure game developed by Cyan which was released on 24 August 2016 by the same studio that made the 90’s hit games like Myst and Riven. Obduction is a game that truly feels and is one of the very few AAA VR game titles that actually feel like it was designed specifically for high end VR gaming. Obduction is a spiritual sequel to Myst, one of the most beloved adventure games of all time which is one of the reasons why once it appeared on kickstarter it managed to bring in 1.3 million USD!

Hands-on: Huawei VR is the First Third-party Daydream Headset

Frank He goes hands-on with Huawei’s first Google Daydream compatible headset at CES 2017, one which takes cues from both the Samsung and Oculus engineered Gear VR and its closest stable mate, the Daydream View headset.

The virtual reality ‘mirror game’ that could help diagnose schizophrenia before it’s too late

As part of the study, the researchers asked volunteers to perform a series of specific movements before mirroring those carried out by an avatar that appeared in front of them in the VR world.

Virtual Reality Has Arrived in the Art World. Now What?

When the world outside looks frightful, you might be tempted to put on the blinders.  The accelerating development of virtual reality technology — which lets you escape into another world through a blackout headset — is finally rumbling the art world, always more skeptical than cinema and television about new technologies. A new generation of artists is beginning to produce virtual-reality artworks — some for display in galleries, others freely accessible online — that plunge viewers into fully articulated spaces. Forget contemplative distance; say goodbye to Brechtian alienation. In these works, immersion is all.

Why VR Design?

For two years now, I have devoted my life to the study and production of Virtual Reality. I started with 3D 360 video, and now I am looking more and more into VR’s potential to change Human Computer Interaction. As of the end of 2016, I look at Virtual Reality software and see huge opportunities ahead.

We Went to the Weird Reality Symposium To Find The Limits of Virtual Reality

Can wearing a headset put you in someone else’s shoes? Weird Reality was home to radical work that critically examined virtual reality as a tool to create empathy.

Mixing Reality with Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is a pretty magical experience when it comes to making art. However, if you have friends in the room watching you, the magic is lost on them. They can only see the experience by looking at a distorted preview of the player’s perspective on a computer monitor.

 

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Posted by Jeffrey Martin on January 31, 2017 at 10:46 am.

Why I Only Watch Movies in Virtual Reality

Back in April, after months of trying to get the Product Hunt office a VR headset, I was excited to learn that Mark Zuckerberg was going to give one, as a gift. In the weeks that followed… I tried every app in the Oculus Store that looked interesting: lots games (GunJack is pretty cool), meditation apps, and even Facebook 360 videos sort of look cool in virtual reality. Although it wasn’t until I tried Oculus Theater, and forked over the $9.99 to watch Avatar in 3D, that VR became something I use regularly.

Scott Ross in Beijing: “China is Making Big Mistakes”

Last time I interviewed Digital Domain co-founder and visual effects pioneer Scott Ross in 2014, he was ebullient about the potential for China’s burgeoning movie industry, but spoke in no uncertain terms about the pitfalls of investing in Hollywood studios.  His warnings went unheeded.  Two years on, China is careering headlong down that perilous road.

Microsoft HoloLens isn’t a toy, creator says. At least not yet

This is Alex Kipman, the man behind Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality goggles, one of the company’s most ambitious products. That seems like a fitting challenge for someone who was admitted to Microsoft’s Hall of Legends in 2011 for his work on the Kinect motion controller.

Researchers Demonstrate 100° Dynamic Focus AR Display With Membrane Mirrors

Achieving a wide field of view in an AR headset is a challenge in itself, but so too is fixing the so-called vergence-accommodation conflict which presently plagues most VR and AR headsets, making them less comfortable and less in sync with the way our vision works in the real world. Researchers have set out to try to tackle both issues using varifocal membrane mirrors.

Best released VR Games

VR at long last feels genuine in 2016. With PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift out close by less expensive headsets Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard, you have yourself a colossal choice of both top of the line and versatile games to look over.

How to Add Closing Credits to a 360° Movie | Premiere Pro | SkyBox 360/VR Tools

Charles Yeager  shows how to add 360° closing credits over 360 footage, using Mettle SkyBox 360/VR Tools along with the built in “Titler” feature in Premiere Pro. He leads us through the whole process, including how to render the proper 360 format.

Experts Share 6 Legal Considerations to Know Before Jumping into the VR/AR Industry

Earlier this month, a panel of legal experts met at the SIXR Legal Workshop to discuss legal challenges in VR and AR development and how to navigate them. While VR and AR startups have many of the same legal needs as other tech companies, there are some challenges that are unique to the VR and AR space. While the panel focused mainly on the US legal system, some of their guidance also applies in other countries.

Welcome to the world of trolling in virtual reality

The future of VR systems may be uncertain, but as consumer-grade devices come down in price, we’re probably going to see a lot of apps that go beyond gaming. Companies are betting that VR (and, one day, AR) will become the new interface for what we’re already doing on Web and mobile: shopping, working, and socializing. Imagine Twitter in VR: thousands of trolls and idiots, screaming into your face forever. Sounds like the apocalypse, right? Maybe. Developers are already thinking about how to prevent abuse from ruining their VR spaces. But first, they have to grapple with the changing face of trolling in VR.

App for journalists: VRfix, for re-injecting 360 metadata into your videos

As more commercially available cameras such as the Ricoh Theta S and Samsung VR make filming 360-degree video easier for everyone without access to GoPro rigs and advanced editing software, publishers are increasingly experimenting with this new form of content as a way of engaging audiences in an interactive way.

A limitless canvas — three Tilt Brush artists on the potential of art in VR

Skilled artists out there are finding a whole new realm of possibility with Tilt Brush, the VR painting app! The artwork these artists are creating is absolutely mindblowing and is emerging as a whole new art style that is completely enabled by virtual reality. I interviewed three Tilt Brush artists about this new medium and why others should give it a go.

 

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Posted by Jeffrey Martin on January 24, 2017 at 9:55 am.

How to become a Unity developer for VR and AR

‘WordPress for VR’: Meet the team trying to democratize virtual reality

At a recent workshop in Dumbo’s Made in NY Media Center, I expected to be a fish out of water. The class, dedicated to covering the basics of WebVR, an experimental JavaScript API for virtual reality on the web, was billed as catering to developers. My development experience: building a makeshift personal website in HTML and CSS, plus a long-ago course in JavaScript I barely remember.

For dramatic VR to succeed, music must become the director

We’ve all experienced music’s power to change our mood or drum up feelings of nostalgia, fear or excitement. And beyond entertainment, numerous studies have proven that music can inspire action and actually impact change.

Baidu opens augmented reality lab, begins integrating AR into search

Chinese search giant Baidu is looking to further entrench itself in the world of augmented reality, announcing today that it is establishing an AR lab to research and build experiences that more tightly integrate the digital experiences we have on our devices with the world around us.

Virtual-Reality Firm Spaces Raises $6.5M

Los Angeles-based virtual- and mixed-reality firm Spaces has raised $6.5 million in series seed funding, having previously raised $3 million. The investment was led by China-based Songcheng Performance Development Co. (also an investor in the initial round), with additional investment from Comcast Ventures.

‘Dear Angelica’: A VR film that steps inside a painter’s brain

At an early point in “Dear Angelica,” you switch from watching an animated movie to living inside it. It feels a little like stepping into a dream, except it isn’t one sprung from your own mind, but that of an artist leading you into hers.

Best VR Racing Games: Feel Adrenaline Rush Every Hour

VR racing games actually give you a kick while you are playing these games sitting in your couch. Chris McCormack once quoted, “Fact One: Races are won or lost in key moments. Fact Two: Success in the sport is, above all else, about enduring suffering.” The car racing has always fascinated all of us be it be watching on television or playing it on video games or play stations.

 Virtual Reality HMDs 2016 Sales Numbers

With the first consumer VR year behind us, the sales numbers of VR HMDs are finally coming in.The VR industry is not at the same stage as the smartphone industry was when the iPhone came out. It’s more like 1997 when we had the first globally available mobile phones. When the iPhone came out we already had smartphones. But the jump from rudimentary VR HMDs to the “iPhone-status” VR HMDs will be shorter than with smartphones.

Tricking the Brain is the Only Way to Achieve a Total Haptics Solution

Deep in the basement of the Sands Expo Hall at CES was an area of emerging technologies called Eureka Park, which had a number of VR start-ups hoping to connect with suppliers, manufacturers, investors, or media in order to launch a product or idea. There was an early-stage haptic start-up called Go Touch VR showing off a haptic ring that simulated the type of pressure your finger might feel when pressing a button. I’d say that their demo was still firmly within the uncanny valley of awkwardness, but CEO Eric Vezzoli has a Ph.D. in haptics and was able to articulate an ambitious vision and technical roadmap towards a low-cost and low-fidelity haptics solution.

Here’s What We Know About ZeniMax v. Oculus VR

Over the past two weeks, ZeniMax Media and Oculus have been duking it out in the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse in Dallas, TX, and we’ve been observing and taking notes.

 

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Posted by DavidPavlicek on January 23, 2017 at 2:50 pm.

This time we are not going to travel from one place to another. Instead, we will stay and explore one particularly interesting region in Turkey – Cappadocia.

The region is located in the eastern part of Turkey and even though the name itself dates back to 6th century BC, but it’s been proven that people lived there much earlier – around 6500 BC – and that’s a lot of history that shaped the spirit of the whole region. It boasts not only cultural, but also geological heritage, as a number of places is like anything else on the planet. Whether you seek natural beauties or architectural miracles, this is the right place for you.

Heiner Straesser brings you an amazing series of panoramic photos from Cappadocia, which gives you the image of what the place really looks like. Explore ancient churches and chaples, or other buildings and enjoy some stunning views over nature which is truly special.

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Posted by Jeffrey Martin on January 16, 2017 at 7:38 pm.

Opinions on the ideal VR, AR and MR headsets for the near future

I am a co-founder of two companies (Phosphor Games and TRIXI studios) that in 2016 shipped games on HTC Vive, Oculus, PSVR, Lenovo Tango, and are wrapping up applications on Google Daydream, GearVR, and HoloLens. Making applications for these systems means spending thousands of hours with the devices; experimenting and prototyping uses that will never go public.

Fashion meets virtual reality

Ace Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra launched his virtual reality fashion show at the Innovation Centre and Training Academy of Etihad Airways airlines.

VR startups are about to die. Investors should relax.

One of the earliest VR startups, Envelop launched in 2014 as an effort to bring the traditional Windows desktop experience into VR, and drew the interest of high-profile VCs including Madrona and GV. It would have allowed users to create immersive 3D computing environments, effectively rendering screens obsolete.

Academics, researchers ponder how quickly VR and AR will impact education

Academics and researchers will gather at Harvard Friday to explore how virtual and augmented reality will be used for education. About 10 researchers will present research papers that will be compiled into a book “Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Realities in Education” that will launch in the summer. The conference is hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, The Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University, a joint venture between the University and NetDragon, and The Fujian Virtual Reality Industrial Base, an incubator for virtual reality companies.

VR as the Most Powerful Surveillance Technology or Last Bastion of Privacy? It’s up to Us.

Virtual reality has the potential to enable so many amazing utopian futures, but it also has the potential to become one of the most intimate surveillance technologies that could create a Big Brother dystopia of political and economic control. But if privacy considerations are built into virtual reality technologies from the beginning, then Accomplice investor Sarah Downey argues that the metaverse could actually be one of the last bastions of privacy that we have in our lives.

GE Just Launched a Branded Virtual Reality Series About Science

 GE hoping to bridge a storyline between science and art, has just debuted a new documentary miniseries in virtual reality. This week, the tech company released the first of five films that aim to show a different side of innovation beyond just labs. Shot by Here Be Dragons, the series—”The Possible”—aims to let people see the possibilities of science and tech within real-world settings. The films let viewers cruise across salt atop land speeders, fly high in the air on hoverboards and walk through the woods and in the lab with robots built by Boston Dynamics. (The first film,” Hello Robot,” debuted today on Within, an app that houses VR content from Here Be Dragons, The New York Times, United Nations, Vice and others.)

The Royal Shakespeare Company Paves Way For Virtual Reality Theater

Arthur C. Clarke once said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” 
If that’s true, then the Royal Shakespeare Company is well on its way to casting actual spells over its audiences.

Oculus founder headed to court over allegations of stolen tech and bogus origin story

After purchasing Oculus just over two years ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is just beginning to reap the benefit. Oculus finds itself in the fortunate position of being an industry leader in a market that’s just beginning its ascent. It’s also about to appear in court over allegations of stolen technology and a false origin story.

Believe the Hype: HypeVR’s Volumetric Video Capture is a Glimpse at the Future of VR Video

Today’s most immersive VR video productions are shot in 360 degree video and 3D. Properly executed 360 3D video content can look quite good in VR (just take a look at some of the work from Felix & Paul Studios). But—assuming we can one day achieve retina-quality resolution and geometrically perfect stereoscopy—there’s a hurdle that 360 3D video content simply can’t surmount: movement inside of the video experience.

Three VR Firms Merge to Form Virtual Content Group

In the tech industry its fairly common place for mergers to happen, companies want to use each others expertise to advance their own projects. What’s slightly more unusual is when three businesses decide to do just that, but this week the Virtual Content Group (VCG) officially announced its launch.

 

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Posted by DavidPavlicek on January 16, 2017 at 1:12 pm.

Hi all! It looks like another virtual trip over the world, thanks to some of the magnificent panoramic photos the 360Cities photographers uploaded recently. And there’s a lot to admire again!

 

Winter wonderland by Rami Saarikorpi (click the picture to open the pano)

Let’s start in Finland – and you can be sure it’s really cold over there these days. This is Kontiolahti, which really looks like winter wonderland. Even though you would not feel wonderful being down there in that temperature, would you?

 

Redwood Memorial Grove Track and Pier at Lake Tarawera by Christian Kleiman (click the pictures to open the panos)

These two panos from New Zealand give you an image of how beautiful the nature really is over there. A deep forest and a pier at a quiet lake. If New Zealand is too far for you to travel, our panoramic photos can help!

 

Dead Tool by Juan José Torrado (click the picture to open the pano)

This is a creepy one. It seems like this old windmill has not been working for a while and it could easily be considered as haunted – especially thanks to this great photo, which makes it look quite scary.

 

National Assembly of Ecuador by Santiago Salinas (click the picture to open the pano)

How cool is this place? This certainly does not look like some other national asseblies, parliaments ets. – all shiny and colourful. One would imagine how lovely it could be, working there, however, there’s some serious stuff they discuss there!

 

Berlin from Cathedral Church by luis davilla (click the picture to open the pano)

No doubt, Berlin is a wonderful city. But how beautiful is it from above, especially at night? Luis took this pano from atop of the Berlin Cathedral and the result is magnificent. The clear sky at dawn, street lights below… Brilliant job.

 

More amazing panoramic photos coming your way!

 

Berlin Gendarmenmarkt 2016 Christmas Market by Willy Kaemena (click the picture to open the pano)

Kids Visiting Vieux Quebec by Thomas K Sharpless (click the picture to open the pano)

Göynük Village by Heiner Straesser (click the picture to open the pano)

Nerik 10-3 by Heiner Straesser (click the picture to open the pano)

Pont de Bir-Hakeim by Christian Kleiman (click the picture to open the pano)

Banyan Tree by John Hill

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