Category Archives: New Media

An overdocumented life?

The researchers don’t go so far as to suggest there’s too much documentation but they do suggest there can be an impact on our memories, from an October 7, 2024 news item on ScienceDaily,

Never before have people recorded more information about their lives than today. But what does this mean for the way we remember our lives and how we talk about them? Researchers are trying to find answers to these questions.

An October 7, 2024 University of Würzburg press release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, probes further into the topic,

Just a hundred years ago, most people had – at most – a few photos of themselves and their family. What a difference to today, when we can easily capture every important and unimportant moment – from our child’s first step to a visit to a restaurant with friends to a holiday photo on the beach. And of course, the documentation of our lives doesn’t end there. Just think of the countless emails and WhatsApp messages we write every day, the experiences we share with others via social media or the data we record on our smartwatches.

“One can have very different intuitions about how this increased density of recorded life episodes should be evaluated,” explains Dr Fabian Hutmacher, a researcher at the Chair of Psychology of Communication and New Media at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany. “Some people hope, for example, that we will be able to compensate the weaknesses and to reduce the distortions of human memory in this way. Others are concerned that it will rather create new potential for surveillance and undermining our privacy.”

As it is so often the case, things are not simply black and white, but require a closer look, says Hutmacher. Together with JMU Professor Markus Appel and Professor Stephan Schwan from the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien Tübingen, he has published an article on autobiographical remembering in the digital age in the renowned journal Psychological Inquiry. The article is intended to provide orientation in this still largely unexplored field of inquiry.

Autobiographical Remembering – a Constant Interplay with the Environment

The fact that we draw on resources outside our own minds when remembering past events is not an invention of the digital age, but a constant in human history. Already thousands of years ago, people left behind cave paintings and established traditions for the oral transmission of knowledge. And if you’re trying to remember your last birthday, for example, you can of course not only use your smartphone, but also look in your paper diary – if you keep one – or ask guests who were at the party.

“What sets digital resources apart from these other options, however, is not only the aforementioned increased density of recorded life episodes, but also the fact that these digital resources create a searchable database consisting of a combination of different media sources that can often be accessed anywhere at any time,” explains Fabian Hutmacher. “Digital resources do not just provide a passive storage, but also make it possible – using artificial intelligence, for example – to adjust and rearrange recordings in order to create, among others, digital vacation or wedding albums. This can have a profound impact on how we view past experiences,” adds Professor Stephan Schwan, who leads the Realistic Depictions Lab at the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien in Tübingen.

But that’s not all: Different digital resources are suited for different purposes. For example, quantitative data, such as tracking running distances, heart rate, and sleep cycles, seems particularly suitable for discovering long-term behavioural trends. Other data such as photos and videos, on the other hand, are more likely to be used when it comes to reminiscing or reflecting on past events.

A Look into the Crystal Ball: What Does the Future Hold?

The increased use of digital data for autobiographical remembering could have both desirable and undesirable consequences in numerous fields of application. For example, there are hopes that digital resources could be used to support people with memory difficulties and dementia in their everyday lives. Similarly, digital recordings could also help to preserve memories that are important to our collective memory, as in the case of witnesses to the Shoah. “The range of digital ways of remembering is becoming broader, just think of virtual and augmented realities,” adds Stephan Schwan.

At the same time, digital data also offer the possibility of manipulation: Arguably, deepfakes could not only play a role with respect to political actors and events, but also with respect to memories about our own lives. “In most cases, we don’t have enough reliable data to draw definite conclusions regarding opportunities and risks yet,” summarises Fabian Hutmacher. “Autobiographical memories are an important part of what makes us human. This makes further research in the coming years all the more important.”

In future studies, Fabian Hutmacher would like to investigate the subtleties of the interplay between recorded data and the memories stored in our minds in even greater detail. The question of how the recorded data can be used and organised in such a way that it helps people to remember their past is also particularly important to him. The Young Academy of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, to which Fabian Hutmacher was admitted at the beginning of 2024, is funding his research.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Understanding Autobiographical Memory in the Digital Age: The AMEDIA-Model by Fabian Hutmacher, Markus Appel & Stephan Schwan. Psychological Inquiry; An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory Volume 35, 2024 – Issue 2 Pages 83-105 | Published online: 17 Sep 2024

This paper is open access.

Tactile technology for VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) users

Tactile technology is also known as haptic technology and you’ll find there are more names for this technology in a September 9, 2024 Institute for Basic Science (IBS) press release (also on EurekAlert) about some of the latest research from Korea,

A virtual haptic implementation technology that allows all users to experience the same tactile sensation has been developed. A research team led by Professor PARK Jang-Ung from the Center for Nanomedicine within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Professor JUNG Hyun Ho from Severance Hospital’s Department of Neurosurgery has developed a technology that provides consistent tactile sensations on displays.

Virtual haptic implementation technology, also known as tactile rendering technology, refers to the methods and systems that simulate the sense of touch in a virtual environment. This technology aims to create the sensation of physical contact with virtual objects, enabling users to “feel” textures, shapes, and forces as if they were interacting with real-world items, even though the objects are digital. The technology is seeing increasing uses in the realms of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), where it is used alongside visual and auditory cues to bridge the gap between the virtual and physical worlds.

Notably, electrotactile systems, which generate tactile sensations through electrical stimulation rather than physical vibrations, are emerging as promising next-generation tactile rendering technologies. The sensation of touch is mediated by mechanoreceptors, which are tactile sensory cells located in the skin that transmit tactile information to the brain in the form of electrical signals. Electrotactile systems artificially generate these electrical signals, thereby simulating the sense of touch. Precise and varied tactile experiences can be created by adjusting current density and frequency.

Despite their potential, existing electrotactile technologies face challenges, particularly in safety and consistency. Variations in skin contact pressure can lead to unstable tactile sensations, and the use of high currents raises safety concerns. To address these issues, the IBS research team developed a Transparent Pressure-Calibratable Interference Electrotactile Actuator (TPIEA).

TPIEA comprises two main components: an electrode section responsible for generating electrotactile sensations and a pressure sensor section that adjusts for finger pressure. Researchers greatly reduced the impedance of the electrode by applying platinum nanoparticles to an indium tin oxide-based electrode. This not only decreased impedance compared to conventional electrodes but also achieved a high transmittance of approximately 90%. The integrated pressure sensor ensures that users experience consistent tactile feedback regardless of how they touch the display.

Moreover, the research team conducted a Somatosensory Evoked Potential (SEP) test to quantify tactile sensations. By examining the responses of the user’s somatosensory system to variations in the current and frequency of electrotactile stimulation, they were able to quantitatively differentiate and standardize tactile sensations. The team successfully implemented over nine distinct types of electrotactile sensations, ranging from those resembling hair to those resembling glass, depending on the current density and frequency of the electrical stimulation. The team further demonstrated that the TPIEA could be integrated with smartphone displays to reliably produce complex tactile patterns.

Additionally, the research introduced interference phenomena into the realm of electrotactile technology. The interference phenomenon pertains to the alterations in frequency and amplitude that occur when two electromagnetic fields overlap. This allowed the researchers to elicit the same intensity of electrotactile sensation with a current density that is 30% lower than previously required and to achieve an approximate 32% enhancement in tactile resolution.This research demonstrates the highest level of tactile resolution among current electrotactile technologies, including the Teslasuit.

Lead researcher PARK Jang-Ung remarked, “Through this electrotactile technology, we can effectively integrate visual information from displays with tactile information,” and further expressed, “We anticipate that the findings of this research will significantly enhance the interaction between users and devices across various AR, VR, and smart device applications based on interference stimulation.”

This research has been conducted in collaboration with colleagues from Yonsei University Severance Hospital. It was published in Nature Communications on August 21, 2024.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Interference haptic stimulation and consistent quantitative tactility in transparent electrotactile screen with pressure-sensitive transistors by Kyeonghee Lim, Jakyoung Lee, Sumin Kim, Myoungjae Oh, Chin Su Koh, Hunkyu Seo, Yeon-Mi Hong, Won Gi Chung, Jiuk Jang, Jung Ah Lim, Hyun Ho Jung & Jang-Ung Park. Nature Communications volume 15, Article number: 7147 (2024) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51593-2 Published: 21 August 2024

This paper is open access.

“XR Fall” an artist-in-residence programme 29 octobre au 28 novembre 2024 à Vancouver, sur le campus d’Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Vancouver, Canada)

Not sure how I stumbled across this XR (extended reality) artist-in-residence programme but it’s been in place since 2022 (albeit with some changes). Here’s the announcement for the 2024 artist-in-residence, from the August 14, 2024 Consulate of France in Vancouver press release,

French artist Pierre Friquet, also known as, PYARé, is the latest laureate of the “XR Fall” residency dedicated to XR/AR/VR [extended reality/augmented reality/virtual reality], its third edition. He will be in Vancouver from October 29 to November 28, 2024.

This residency is a collaboration between the Consulate General of France in Vancouver, the Alliance française of Vancouver, the cultural institution of the City of “Paris Forum des Images”, Emily Carr University of Art and Design and the Institut français.

A hybrid creator based in Paris, Pierre Friquet has been designing immersive experiences (VR, dome films, AR, video mapping,) such as Spaced Out, Jet Lag, Vibrations and Patterns since 2010. His intent is to make people reconnect with their body and sense of self through art and technology.

These experiments have won awards at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, the Kaléidoscope festival and the Filmgate festival. His latest VR project, SPACE OUT, an immersive diving mask, was selected for the Sundance New Frontier 2020 festival and featured in the cultural programme of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Founder of the NiGHT collective, his projects include aquatic virtual reality.

In Vancouver, he will be working around the character of Captain Nemo, the famous warrior scientist in Jules Verne’s novel “20,000 leagues under the sea”.

The residency’s objective is to create an immersive experience allowing users to embody Captain Nemo in a VR adventure, piloting a gondola or riding a whale using intuitive VR controls. His work will focus on the symbiosis between technology and nature, marine conservation and post-colonial adventure.
Project by PYARé & INVR.

Find out more about his artistic vision and creations on his website.

JPEG

You have to have been resident in France for at least five years and speak English to be eligible.

Preparing for the 2025 calls for applications?

There are, in fact, three programmes: two in Vancouver,(1) the XR/AR/VR [extended reality/augmented reality/virtual reality artist-in-residence and (2) Arts & Sciences Quantum Studio artist-in-residence and there’s another ‘quantum programme’ in Paris, also called the Arts & Sciences Quantum Studio artist-in-residence.

The 2025 calls haven’t been announced yet but I do have the 2024 calls for applications and they should give you some idea of what questions you’ll need to answer and what materials you’ll need to prepare. These calls are in French.

Résidence « XR Fall» à Vancouver
29 octobre au 28 novembre 2024

From the France Canada Culture.org ‘Résidence ‘XR Fall à Vancouver/XR Fall Residency’ webpage,

1- À propos de la résidence XR Fall

1.1 – Introduction

Initiée par l’ambassade de France au Canada / consulat général de Vancouver dans le cadre de leur programme « Résidences Ouest-Ouest », en partenariat avec le Forum des Images (Paris), Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Vancouver), l’Alliance française Vancouver, et avec le soutien de l’Institut français, la troisième édition de la résidence d’écriture et de recherche “XR Fall” à Vancouver se déroulera du 29 octobre au 28 novembre 2024 à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique, Canada.

Ouverte à l’ensemble des réalités immersives, cette résidence doit permettre à un·e créateur·rice français·e de s’immerger au sein de l’écosystème local vancouvérois afin d’enrichir son projet d’écriture-recherche et d’étoffer son réseau professionnel. Elle sera également l’occasion de renforcer les liens et de créer de nouvelles synergies entre la France et l’Ouest canadien dans le domaine des innovations numériques. Cette résidence se tiendra à Vancouver du mardi 29 octobre au jeudi 28 novembre 2024.

Pendant la Résidence d’écriture-recherche, le·a créateur·rice sélectionné·e se consacrera au développement de son projet immersif pour lequel iel est invité·e à travailler en coopération avec des professionnel·les vancouvérois.es, ainsi qu’avec des équipes techniques et des sociétés de production locales. Le programme a également pour but d’aider le·a créateur·rice sélectionné·e à renforcer son réseau et ses compétences.

1.2 – Déroulé de la résidence

Du 29 octobre au 28 novembre 2024 à Vancouver, sur le campus d’Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

1.3 – Objectifs

  • Impulser ou consolider un projet d’écriture-recherche.
  • Favoriser la découverte de l’écosystème numérique de l’Ouest canadien, ainsi que des collaborations structurantes.
  • Une attention privilégiée sera portée aux projets ancrés dans le contexte local.

À l’issue de la résidence, l’artiste devra proposer un compte-rendu de son expérience, de son travail et de l’évolution du projet durant cette période.

1.4 – Avantages

Ce programme garantit, notamment, à la lauréate / au lauréat :

  • Un vol A/R France – Vancouver
  • Quatre semaines d’hébergement à Vancouver
  • Un espace de travail au Basically Good Media Lab
  • Une bourse de résidence à hauteur de 2.000 € (correspondant aux per-diem et à la participation à trois demi-journées de conférences/classes de maître
    durant la résidence)
  • Mise en réseau et relations avec l’écosystème local
  • Participation à des événements en Colombie-Britannique

Autres contreparties (conditions à définir ensemble) :

  • présentation du projet dans le cadre de NewImages Festival 2025
  • accréditation pour les Journées pro de NewImages Festival 2025
  • Présenter le fruit de son travail en résidence (prototype, work-in-progress) dans le cadre de V-Unframed 2025 (Vancouver)

1.5 – Équipement et accompagnement

Au sein d’Emily Carr University of Art + Design, ce programme garantit, notamment, à la lauréate / au lauréat :

  • L’accès au Basically Good Media Lab en tant qu’espace de travail sur une base régulière. Il s’agit d’un espace collaboratif et partagé avec des chercheurs des premier et deuxième cycles et des assistants de recherche.
  • L’accès à un ordinateur de pointe : un Dell Precision 3660 ; 32 Go de RAM ; i9-12900K (16 cœurs) ; NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080.
  • Appui technique : support technique ponctuel pour aider l’artiste à réaliser son projet.
  • Mentorat d’Emily Carr University of Art + Design pour fournir un retour sur le projet et les approches de l’artiste, aider à faciliter l’utilisation des ressources et fournir des opportunités potentielles de mise en réseau avec la communauté.
  • L’accès à d’autres installations sur le campus, en fonction de leur disponibilité, y compris l’Integrated Motion Studio pour une utilisation en tant qu’atelier ou espace boîte noire. Le Basically Good Media Lab dispose de casques de réalité augmentée et virtuelle, avec des caméras 360 grand public et prosumers.

L’artiste sera également accompagné durant la résidence par les équipes de l’ambassade de France au Canada présentes à Vancouver et par celles de l’Alliance française Vancouver.

2- Conditions d’éligibilité

2.1 – Profil des candidat.e.s

Ce programme est ouvert à tout·e artiste, créateur.rice ou porteur.euse d’un projet XR en écriture-recherche.

  • Âgé.e d’au moins 18 ans
  • Résidant en France depuis au moins 5 ans
  • Parlant anglais
  • Professionnel.le confirmé.e, justifiant de premières expériences dans le domaine des réalités immersive

2.2 – Projets acceptés

Ce programme est ouvert aux réalités immersives dans toute leur diversité (réalité virtuelle 360° ou interactive, augmentée, mixte, installation incluant des technologies immersives, en lien avec la création sonore ou la technologie 4D, etc.).

Les projets devront être reliés à au moins l’un des grands thèmes suivants :

  • Durabilité environnementale
  • Justice écologique et action climatique
  • Justice sociale, santé et bien-être de la communauté
  • Recherches portant sur le territoire et les lieux

3- Processus d’inscription

3.1 – À propos de l’appel à candidatures

L’inscription du projet :

  • Doit être faite en anglais
  • Doit être faite en ligne à https://zhx2xeql.paperform.com jusqu’au dimanche 30 juin 2024 (23:59, GMT)
  • Doit être envoyée en un seul PDF
  • Est gratuite pour l’ensemble des postulant·es

À noter également :

  • Les inscriptions incomplètes ne seront pas prises en considération
  • Il n’y a pas de temps limite imparti pour compléter (https://zhx2xeql.paperform.co/)
  • Vos informations sont automatiquement sauvegardées en local ; vous pouvez donc fermer et/ou revenir ultérieurement au formulaire depuis le même
    appareil et le même navigateur (hors fenêtres de navigation privée)

Nous vous conseillons vivement de ne pas attendre les derniers jours de l’appel à candidatures pour soumettre votre projet, afin d’éviter tout problème technique.

En inscrivant un projet, vous reconnaissez détenir les droits afférents à celui-ci ou être habilité·e par tou·te·s les autres ayants droit. Le Forum des images, l’ambassade de France au Canada / consulat général de Vancouver, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, l’Alliance française Vancouver et l’Institut français ne peuvent en aucun cas être tenus pour responsables en cas de réclamation, conflit ou poursuite en lien avec l’inscription du projet.

3.2 – Informations requises

Avant votre inscription, nous vous invitons à prendre connaissance des informations et pièces demandées dans le dossier de présentation devant être joint à votre inscription (dans le même ordre que ci-dessous) :

  • Formulaire d’application-Résidence XR 2024 (en anglais uniquement) : https://zhx2xeql.paperform.co/
  • Une copie de la carte d’identité ou du passeport
  • Une biographie et un CV
  • Un portfolio des précédents projets
  • Une lettre de motivation
  • Une note d’intention développée du projet
  • Le plan de travail envisagé pour la résidence (prévisionnel)
  • Des visuels du projet (le cas échéant)
  • Une lettre de recommandation et/ou une lettre d’une institution culturelle française accompagnant le projet en vue d’une future exposition ou production de l’œuvre (facultative)

That’s the gist of it, you can find all of it on the ‘Résidence « XR Fall» à Vancouver/XR Fall Residency’ webpage.

Résidence Arts & Sciences « Quantum Studio » à Paris 9 au 30 septembre 2024

From the France Canada Culture.org résidence arts-sciences “Quantum Studio” à Paris webpage,

1- À propos de la résidence arts-sciences

1.1 – Introduction

L’ambassade de France au Canada, en partenariat avec le Quantum Information Center Sorbonne (Sorbonne Université), le CENTQUATRE-PARIS (Paris) et le programme des résidences internationales Ville de Paris aux Récollets, lance le volet français de la résidence arts-sciences “Quantum Studio”. Cette résidence d’artiste aura lieu du 9 au 30 septembre 2024 à Paris, France. Elle s’adresse à un ou une artiste canadien.ne résidant en Colombie-Britannique explorant les croisements entre arts et sciences.

Ouverte à l’ensemble des pratiques artistiques, la résidence cherche à construire des échanges entre arts et sciences quantiques (physique quantique, informatique quantique, physique de l’infiniment petit, sciences des matériaux, physique fondamentale).

Le Quantum Information Center Sorbonne (Sorbonne Université) et le CENTQUATRE-PARIS offriront à l’artiste sélectionné.e un espace de réflexion dans lequel artistes et chercheurs pourront se réunir, échanger sur leurs pratiques, apprendre les uns des autres et réfléchir ensemble à un projet créatif à la croisée des arts et des sciences. En amont de la résidence à Paris, plusieurs rencontres en ligne seront organisées, afin d’établir et d’entretenir un premier contact entre l’artiste lauréat.e au Canada et l’équipe hôte (institutions et scientifiques) de Paris.

1.2 – Déroulé de la résidence

Du 9 au 30 septembre 2024 à Paris (hébergement au couvent des Récollets).

1.3 – Objectifs

  • Impulser ou consolider un projet créatif.
  • Le ou la lauréat.e a une obligation de restitution de recherche ou de rendu artistique (projet écrit, esquisses et croquis, œuvre, etc.) pendant leur séjour.
  • Partager son travail lors de séminaires arts et sciences co-organisés avec le Quantum Information Center Sorbonne et le CENTQUATRE-PARIS.
  • Favoriser la découverte de l’écosystème scientifique et artistique parisien, ainsi que des collaborations structurantes. Une attention privilégiée sera portée aux projets ancrés dans le contexte local.

1.4 – Avantages

Ce programme garantit, notamment, à la lauréate ou au lauréat :

  • 3 semaines de résidence à Paris.
  • Un hébergement au sein du Couvent des Récollets (Ville de Paris), un bureau de travail au Quantum Information Center Sorbonne et un bureau de production au CENTQUATRE-PARIS.
  • Prise en charge complète (vols Vancouver-Paris, logement).
  • Un cachet de résidence à hauteur de 1.635 € (correspondant aux per-diem et à la participation à trois demi-journées de conférences/classes de maître durant la résidence).
  • Mise en réseau et relations avec l’écosystème local.
  • Participation, durant la résidence, à des rencontres avec les équipes de la 104factory, à des ouvertures de résidences au CENTQUATRE-PARIS et à des événements se déroulant au CENTQUATRE-PARIS.
  • Possibilité de participation, en post-résidence, à des événements en lien avec Némo-Biennale internationale des arts numériques de la Région Île-de-France, produite par le CENTQUATRE-PARIS.

2- Conditions d’éligibilité

2.1 – Profil des candidat.e.s

  • Artiste porteuse ou porteur d’un projet artistique en écriture ou en développement,
  • Âgé.e d’au moins 18 ans,
  • De nationalité canadienne ou titulaire d’une carte de résident permanent au Canada
  • Résidant en Colombie-Britannique,
  • Justifiant idéalement de premières expériences de création mêlant arts et sciences (les candidatures d’artistes ayant déjà travaillé ou travaillant en lien avec les sciences physiques seront appréciées).

2.2 – Projets acceptés

Ce programme est ouvert aux pratiques artistiques dans toute leur diversité (écriture, arts visuels et plastiques, arts numériques, design, danse, performance, réalités immersives, création sonore, etc.).

3- Processus d’inscription

3.1 – À propos de l’appel à candidatures

Le dépôt de candidature :

  • Doit être fait en français ou en anglais,
  • En un seul PDF,
  • Doit être envoyé par courriel à SCACVAN@GMAIL.COM
  • Jusqu’au 21 avril 2024 (23:59, heure de Vancouver).

3.2 – Informations requises

Pour candidater, nous vous invitons à envoyer les documents suivants :

  • Le formulaire de candidature 2024,
  • Une copie de la carte d’identité ou du passeport,
  • Une biographie et un CV,
  • Un portfolio des précédents projets (avec liens vidéo, le cas échéant)
  • Une lettre de motivation,
  • Un synopsis précis du projet,
  • Le plan de travail envisagé pour la résidence (prévisionnel),
  • Des visuels du projet (le cas échéant),
  • Une lettre de recommandation (facultative),
  • Une lettre d’une institution culturelle canadienne accompagnant le projet en vue d’une future exposition ou production de l’œuvre (facultative).

You can find all of it on the résidence arts-sciences “Quantum Studio” à Paris webpage.

I have more information about the Quantum Studio artist-in-residence in Vancouver programme in an October 7, 2024 posting, scroll down t the ‘Quantum Studio’ subhead.

Metacrime: the line between the virtual and reality

An August 15, 2024 Griffith University (Australia) press release (also on EurekAlert) presents research on a relatively new type of crime, Note: A link has been removed,

If you thought your kids were away from harm playing multi-player games through VR headsets while in their own bedrooms, you may want to sit down to read this.

Griffith University’s Dr Ausma Bernot teamed up with researchers from Monash University, Charles Sturt University and University of Technology Sydney to investigate what has been termed as ‘metacrime’ – attacks, crimes or inappropriate activities that occur within virtual reality environments.

The ‘metaverse’ refers to the virtual world, where users of VR headsets can choose an avatar to represent themselves as they interact with other users’ avatars or move through other 3D digital spaces.

While the metaverse can be used for anything from meetings (where it will feel as though you are in the same room as avatars of other people instead of just seeing them on a screen) to wandering through national parks around the world without leaving your living room, gaming is by far its most popular use.   

Dr Bernot said the technology had evolved incredibly quickly.

“Using this technology is super fun and it’s really immersive,” she said.

“You can really lose yourself in those environments.

“Unfortunately, while those new environments are very exciting, they also have the potential to enable new crimes.

“While the headsets that enable us to have these experiences aren’t a commonly owned item yet, they’re growing in popularity and we’ve seen reports of sexual harassment or assault against both adults and kids.”

In a December 2023 report, the Australian eSafety Commissioner estimated around 680,000 adults in Australia are engaged in the metaverse.

This followed a survey conducted in November and December 2022 by researchers from the UK’s Center for Countering Digital Hate, who conducted 11 hours and 30 minutes of recorded user interactions on Meta’s Oculus headset in the popular VRChat.

The researchers found most users had been faced with at least one negative experience in the virtual environment, including being called offensive names, receiving repeated unwanted messages or contact, being provoked to respond to something or to start an argument, being challenged about cultural identity or being sent unwanted inappropriate content.

Eleven per cent had been exposed to a sexually graphic virtual space and nine per cent had been touched (virtually) in a way they didn’t like.

Of these respondents, 49 per cent said the experience had a moderate to extreme impact on their mental or emotional wellbeing.

With the two largest user groups being minors and men, Dr Bernot said it was important for parents to monitor their children’s activity or consider limiting their access to multi-player games.

“Minors are more vulnerable to grooming and other abuse,” she said.

“They may not know how to deal with these situations, and while there are some features like a ‘safety bubble’ within some games, or of course the simple ability to just take the headset off, once immersed in these environments it does feel very real.

“It’s somewhere in between a physical attack and for example, a social media harassment message – you’ll still feel that distress and it can take a significant toll on a user’s wellbeing.

“It is a real and palpable risk.”

Monash University’s You Zhou said there had already been many reports of virtual rape, including one in the United Kingdom where police have launched a case for a 16-year-old girl whose avatar was attacked, causing psychological and emotional trauma similar to an attack in the physical world.

“Before the emergence of the metaverse we could not have imagined how rape could be virtual,” Mr Zhou said.

“When immersed in this world of virtual reality, and particularly when using higher quality VR headsets, users will not necessarily stop to consider whether the experience is reality or virtuality.

“While there may not be physical contact, victims – mostly young girls – strongly claim the feeling of victimisation was real.

“Without physical signs on a body, and unless the interaction was recorded, it can be almost impossible to show evidence of these experiences.”

With use of the metaverse expected to grow exponentially in coming years, the research team’s findings highlight a need for metaverse companies to instil clear regulatory frameworks for their virtual environments to make them safe for everyone to inhabit.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Metacrime and Cybercrime: Exploring the Convergence and Divergence in Digital Criminality by You Zhou, Milind Tiwari, Ausma Bernot & Kai Lin. Asian Journal of Criminology 19, 419–439 (2024) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-024-09436-y Published online: 09 August 2024 Issue Date: September 2024

This paper is open access.

Catching up with Twitch, livestreaming, and science communication

I hadn’t heard of Twitch until stumbling across a Sep 18, 2024 article by Nicole Carpenter for Polygon (gaming and entertainment news source), Note: Links have been removed,

The atmosphere of Halo’s arid planet Sanghelios or the science of Valorant’s Alpha Earth aren’t the only explorations of space you’ll find on Twitch [emphasis mine]. The livestreaming platform is best known as a hub for games like League of Legends, Valorant, or Minecraft, but today, it’s also a place for people to learn: about science, space, and the planet we live on. Science and technology have their very own category on Twitch [emphasis mine], which hosts everything from NASA livestreaming a total solar eclipse to a group of enthusiasts monitoring seismic waves.

It’s also where you’ll find Twitch partner and space, science, and astrobiology communicator Moohoodles, who shares space news, like the first images from the Euclid space telescope or watching the Odyssey spacecraft land on the moon, and plays video games while chatting about science to her viewers.

Ahead of TwitchCon, Polygon emailed with Moohoodles (who asked Polygon to use her handle for privacy) about her long career on Twitch, science’s place on the platform, and building an engaged community.

Moohoodles talks about how her start on Twitch and her start as a science communication on Twitch, from the Sep 18, 2024 article,

Polygon: Can you introduce yourself? What’s your niche on Twitch?

Moohoodles: I’m a pioneer of science communication on Twitch, covering astrobiology while serving up engaging and animated reactions to the latest news about outer space. Imagine Ms. Frizzle crossed with Carl Sagan, contagiously snort laughing. My community loves our fun and safe corner of the internet where we can nerd out about astronomy and increase our scientific literacy. When I’m not gushing about space, sharks, conservation, or programming, you can find me gaming everything from retro to new releases. My content is informed by a decade of live-streaming experience and energized by my passion for encouraging and uplifting women in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics].

What brought you to Twitch? How long have you been streaming?

I have been streaming since May of 2014! Twitch was very different over a decade ago, and to be honest I started streaming because I thought I was funny and had good reactions to video games! I never would have imagined back then what my stream would turn into and how impactful it could be. As far as I remember, Twitch didn’t have any non-gaming categories in 2014, so I would just talk about all my passions and interests while I played video games. In 2015 while I played Fallout 3, I remember my community was really excited to talk about the future where humans could land on Mars, and also talk about the possibility of life out there in the universe. To keep a long story short, after non-gaming categories were added I would bring more lecture based materials (with powerpoints I created for talks to my college’s Astronomy Club that I ran) and do deep dives into specific Astrobiology topics on my stream.

In 2018, Twitch created the Science & Technology category and it was a huge win for all of the science communication streamers! I was so happy to pave the way for that category to be created, and it’s the main category I stream in now as I cover current news in outer space and astrobiology, plus rocket launches! Of course, I still do a bunch of variety gaming, and I love bringing in new viewers to the educational side of Twitch through space themed games!

You can find science communication anywhere, eh?

From AI to Ancient Greece; the 2024-25 theatre season at Concordia University (Montréal, Québec)

An October 30, 2024 Concordia University news release by Vanessa Hauguel announces the upcoming theatre season, which features a focus on how current technology and historical narratives intersect, Note: Links have been removed,

The Concordia Department of Theatre recently announced its 2024-25 season, featuring a diverse lineup of scripted and devised works. The program delves into themes relevant to today’s world, from artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes to the timeless human experiences and societal change.

Two upcoming productions highlight the department’s wide range of creative approaches. The first is Concord Floral by Jordan Tannahill, directed by Emma Tibaldo. The second is a devised adaptation of La vida es sueño (Life is a Dream), based on Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s classic play, directed by Peter Farbridge.

While these two productions kick off the season, additional performances are planned throughout the year until April 2025, continuing the department’s exploration of contemporary and classic themes. Directors Farbridge and Tibaldo, as well as this season’s artistic producer, Noah Drew, share the creative vision behind the shows and the thematic connections between them.

Modern ghost story

Concord Floral, by Canadian playwright Tannahill, is a modern ghost story set in an abandoned greenhouse where a group of teenagers face a buried secret. Directed by Tibaldo, a Concordia theatre graduate, 99, and artist-in-residence, it incorporates cutting-edge technology to navigate themes of guilt, adolescence and the weight of collective silence.

Concord Floral is a play that sticks with you,” Tibaldo explains. “It speaks to growing up, discovering yourself and grappling with your accountability to others. The haunting or ‘plague’ in the play is represented through movement, lighting and sound, creating a visceral embodiment of guilt and regret.”

The play draws on The Decameron as a point of reference, adding a sense of timelessness to the teenage experience. “During our teen years, we often react or make impulsive decisions, as we’re discovering or aiming to break boundaries, and sometimes they come with lasting consequences,” Tibaldo says. “This play will resonate strongly with many, as it captures that intense, confusing period of early adulthood.”

La vida es sueño: mixing AI, deepfakes & philosophy

Meanwhile, La vida es sueño offers a reimagining of Calderón de la Barca’s work, making allusions to contemporary issues like AI deepfakes. Farbridge, MA 22, explores the philosophical themes of illusion and reality in this adaptation, examining how modern technology manipulates perception.

“At the heart of the play is the idea that our lives are shaped by false narratives, a timeless concept that feels increasingly relevant in today’s world,” Farbridge says.

“Our adaptation looks at how political systems manipulate truth on a massive scale. And the deeper question we’re asking is, if belief in what we see and hear in online media collapses, where will we land?”

Farbridge’s production will use a combination of video screens, shadow-play and physical performance to explore these themes. “We’re experimenting with form and trying to find new ways of engaging with the audience. It’s an exciting process, and unnerving too, as we won’t know the full impact of it until the public is in the theatre with us..”

A season of learning and innovating

As this season’s artistic producer, Drew sees the productions as essential learning experiences for students. “A big part of students’ education has to come from ‘stage time’ — those moments when a live audience is experiencing their work,” the associate professor says.

“These two productions offer a chance to engage with classic stories radically reinvented —Concord Floral reinterprets The Decameron, while La vida es sueño rethinks a Spanish Golden Age play. I hope it gives students the opportunity to see how historical narratives can connect with today’s issues, and grasp a deeper, more personal understanding of how history loops and cycles.”

Drew also points out the importance of technology in both productions.

“Lighting, sound and video are used all the time in many forms of art and entertainment media. What’s special about their use in theatre is that audiences get to see them in a real three-dimensional space interacting with our species’ original ‘technology’ — the human body. This liveness and immediacy can create almost-hallucinatory images that make audiences rub their eyes and wonder if the haunting moments in Concord Floral or the manipulations of truth in La vida es sueño are illusions or are really happening.”

Reflecting on the broader significance of theatre, Drew believes that storytelling plays a vital role in addressing the challenges of today’s rapidly changing world.

“We live in a time of war, climate crises, political polarization, flawed AI, and many forms of injustice,” he says. “Theatre can help us step outside of our routines, wake up, and yearn for more. It’s a way to make sense of a complicated world and spark inspiration.”

La vida es sueño (Life is a Dream) runs from November 14 to 16 [2024] in room 240 of the Molson (MB) Building, 1450 Guy Street.

Concord Floral runs November 27 to 30 [2024] at the Concordia Theatre in the Henry F. Hall (H) Building, 1455 Boulevard De Maisonneuve West.

Should you be in Montréal and able to attend the performances, you can find more details via Concordia University’s PUBLIC PERFORMANCES 2024-25 webpage.

Nominees for new SETI ‘Art and AI’ Artist in Residency (AIR) program announced

Not exactly an art/science (or sciart) story. let’s call it an art/technology (or techno art) story. The SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute issued an October 22, 2024 news release (also on EurekAlert but published October 23, 2024) announcing the six nominees for SETI’s new artist in residency (AIR) program ‘Algorithmic Imaginings’,

The SETI Artist in Residency (AIR) program announced Algorithmic Imaginings, a new residency that explores how AI technologies affect science and society. The residency focuses on creative research topics such as imaginary life, human-AI collaboration, AI futures, posthumanism, AI and consciousness, and the ethics of AI data. It also connects with current SETI Institute research, including exoplanet studies, astrobiology, signal detection, and advanced computing. The two-year program offers $30,000 in funding and an exhibition at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Germany.

“AI is on everyone’s mind right now, be it ChatGPT4, text-to-video generators such as Sora, and discussions surrounding fake news and copyright,” said Bettina Forget, Director of the AIR program. “AI is a phenomenal tool, but it also comes with opportunities and concerns that should be addressed. This residency allows artists working at the intersection of art and technology to explore new avenues of thinking and connect them to SETI Institute research.”

Internationally recognized media art curator Zhang Ga, SETI AIR program Director Bettina Forget, and SETI AIR program Founder and Senior Advisor Charles Lindsay lead the SETI AIR Algorithmic Imaginings residency. Andrew Siemion, the SETI Institute’s Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI Research, and AI researcher Robert Alvarez, who collaborates with the SETI Institute as a mentor for its Frontier Development Lab program, bring their science and technology expertise to this residency.

The residency’s team of advisors selected six outstanding media artists and invited them to submit a project proposal for the SETI AIR Algorithmic Imaginings residency.

“These artists are notable voices with a solid track record of critically and inventively confronting the pressing issues raised by a pervasively technological world,” said Zhang Ga.

“SETI AIR is uniquely poised to participate in the AI zeitgeist that is exploding in San Francisco and Silicon Valley,” said Charles Lindsay. “We will support the most innovative artists of our time. It is time. Now.”

The SETI Institute will announce the winning artist later this fall.

The six nominees of the Art and AI residency are:

Tega Brain
Tega Brain’s work examines ecology, data, automation, and infrastructure. She has created projects such as digital networks controlled by environmental phenomena, schemes for obfuscating personal data, and a wildly popular online smell-based dating service.

Dominique Gonzalez Foerster
An experimental artist based in Paris, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster explores the different modalities of sensory and cognitive relationships between bodies and spaces, real or fictitious, up to the point of questioning the distance between organic and inorganic life.

Laurent Grasso
French-born artist Laurent Grasso has developed a fascination with the visual possibilities related to the science of electromagnetic energy, radio waves, and naturally occurring phenomena.

HeHe (Helen Evans, Heiko Hansen)
HeHe is an artist duo consisting of Helen Evans (French, British) and Heiko Hansen (German), based in Le Havre, France. Their works are about the social, industrial, and ecological paradoxes found in today’s technological landscapes. Their practice explores the relationship between art, media, and the environment.

Terike Haapoja
Terike Haapoja is an interdisciplinary visual artist, writer, and researcher. Haapoja’s work investigates our world’s existential and political boundaries, specifically focusing on issues arising from the anthropocentric worldview of Western traditions. Animality, multispecies politics, cohabitation, time, loss, and repairing connections are recurring themes in Haapoja’s work.

Wang Yuyang
Wang Yuyang is a renowned contemporary Chinese artist teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Focused on techno-art, his work explores the relationships between technology and art, nature and artificiality, and material and immaterial through an interdisciplinary and multimedia approach.

About the SETI Institute

Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity’s quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the Universe and to share that knowledge with the world. Our research encompasses the physical and biological sciences and leverages expertise in data analytics, machine learning and advanced signal detection technologies. The SETI Institute is a distinguished research partner for industry, academia and government agencies, including NASA and NSF.

Caption: The six nominees for the SETI Institute’s Algorithmic Imaginings residency. Credit: SETI Institute [top row, left to right: Dominique Gonzalez Foerster; HeHe (Helen Evans, Heiko Hansen); Laurent Grasso; bottom row, left to the right: Tega Brain; Terike Haapoja; and Wang Yuyang]

Good luck to the artists.

Critical Networked Experience (part of the international Leonardo LASER series) event on October 10, 2024 in Toronto, Canada

Toronto’s ArtSci Salon, one of the hosts, has announced (in an undated notice) an upcoming event,

LASER Toronto – Critical Networked Experience – Jonah Brucker-Cohen – Oct 10, 2024

Critical Networked Experience. An artist talk with Jonah Brucker-Cohen

Thursday, October 10, 2024
5:30-7:30 pm [ET]
The Fields Institute for research in Mathematical Sciences
222 College Street

Register here

Jonah will discuss his projects and work in the theme of “Critical Networked Experience” that challenge and subvert accepted notions of network interaction and socialization. His presentation will cross themes related to social justice and police surveillance, Artificial Intelligence and the loss of human skills, environmental artwork that challenges notions of sustainability, critical networked interfaces and more. Some projects he will discuss include “BumpList”, an email community for the determined, “Weapon of Protest”, a modified game controller that protests gun violence in the US, “To Protect and Server” a critical modification of Google’s ReCaptcha software to emphasis police brutality and social justice, “Killer Route” a GPS navigation system that integrates live crime data, “Human Error” a series of works that emphasize humanity’s inability to understand technical interfaces, “ContactRot” an iPhone app that challenges our reliance on the cloud, “Alerting Infrastructure!”, a website hit counter that destroys a building, “WordPlay” a public installation for the New York Hall of Science, and he will end with his interactive SMS visualization, “Rhetoricall”, that everyone in the audience can participate in.

About the Artist:
Jonah Brucker-Cohen, Ph.D., is an artist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Lehman College / CUNY in the Bronx. He was a visiting artist at Cornell Tech and designer in residence at the New York Hall of Science. He received his Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin. His work focuses on “Deconstructing Networks” with works that challenge and subvert accepted perceptions of network interaction. His artwork has been exhibited at venues such as SFMOMA, Canadian Museum of Contemporary Art, MOMA, ICA London, Whitney Museum of American Art, Palais du Tokyo, Tate Modern, Ars Electronica, Transmediale, and more. His artworks, “Bumplist” and “America’s Got No Talent” are in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. He has written for WIRED, Make, Gizmodo, Neural and more. His Scrapyard Challenge workshops have been held in over 15 countries in Europe, South America, North America, Asia, and Australia since 2003.
Projects and Work: http://www.coin-operated.com

This event is part of the international Leonardo LASER series 
LASER Toronto is hosted by Nina Czegledy and Roberta Buiani

About Leonardo and more

For anyone curious about LASER and international Leonardo, here’s the scoop starting with international Leonardo. From the “Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology” Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed,

Leonardo, The International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (Leonardo/ISAST) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed in 1982[1][2][3] as an umbrella organization for the journals Leonardo and the Leonardo Music Journal. In 2018, Leonardo/ISAST was awarded the Golden Nica Prix Ars Electronica[4][5] as Visionary Pioneers of New Media Art.[6]

Leonardo/ISAST existed before it became a registered nonprofit according to the About Leonardo webpage on the Leonardo.info website,

Fearlessly pioneering since 1968, Leonardo serves as THE community forging a transdisciplinary network to convene, research, collaborate, and disseminate best practices at the nexus of arts, science and technology worldwide. Leonardo’ serves a network of transdisciplinary scholars, artists, scientists, technologists and thinkers, who experiment with cutting-edge, new approaches, practices, systems and solutions to tackle the most complex challenges facing humanity today.

As a not-for-profit 501(c)3 enterprising think tank, Leonardo offers a global platform for creative exploration and collaboration reaching tens of thousands of people across 135 countries. Our flagship publication, Leonardo, the world’s leading scholarly journal on transdisciplinary art, anchors a robust publishing partnership with MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] Press; our partnership with ASU [Arizona State University] infuses educational innovation with digital art and media for lifelong learning; our creative programs span thought-provoking events, exhibits, residencies and fellowships, scholarship and social enterprise ventures.

I think Arizona State University (ASU) is effectively housing Leonardo/ISAST but they don’t describe it that way, from the About Leonardo webpage,

ASU-Leonardo Initiative(link is external)

The ASU-Leonardo Initiative drives innovation at the intersection of arts, sciences, and technology. As an enterprising think tank, ASU-Leonardo integrates hybrid, creative inquiry and practice as catalysts to solve compelling problems, explore timeless mysteries, and shape a finer future. We build on the history of Leonardo, the International Society of Arts, Sciences, and Technology, and forge new pathways forward for all.

LASER Talks

Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) was an initiative started in 2008 by cultural historian Piero Scaruff (according to this now defunct call for papers). The initiative seems to have grown into a series of programmes including LASER Talks.

Finally, LASER Talks is this, from the Leonardo.info/lasertalks webpage,

Leonardo/ISAST LASER Talks is a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of LASER is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 50 cities and 5 continents worldwide.

Upcoming LASER Events

For some reason the Toronto event is not listed as an upcoming LASER event. One more thing, the Toronto event seems to be an in-person only event.

Pillars of Creation in new 3D visualization

A June 26, 2024 news item on phys.org announced a visualization of the Pillars r Creation,

Made famous in 1995 by NASA’s [US National Aeronautics and Space Administration] Hubble Space Telescope, the Pillars of Creation in the heart of the Eagle Nebula have captured imaginations worldwide with their arresting, ethereal beauty.

Now, NASA has released a new 3D visualization of these towering celestial structures using data from NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. This is the most comprehensive and detailed multiwavelength movie yet of these star-birthing clouds.

A June 26, 2024 NASA news release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, provides detail about the pillars and the visualization, Note: The news release on EurekAlert has its entire text located in the caption for the image,

“By flying past and amongst the pillars, viewers experience their three-dimensional structure and see how they look different in the Hubble visible-light view versus the Webb infrared-light view,” explained principal visualization scientist Frank Summers of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, who led the movie development team for NASA’s Universe of Learning. “The contrast helps them understand why we have more than one space telescope to observe different aspects of the same object.”

The four Pillars of Creation, made primarily of cool molecular hydrogen and dust, are being eroded by the fierce winds and punishing ultraviolet light of nearby hot, young stars. Finger-like structures larger than the solar system protrude from the tops of the pillars. Within these fingers can be embedded, embryonic stars. The tallest pillar stretches across three light-years, three-quarters of the distance between our Sun and the next nearest star.

The movie takes visitors into the three-dimensional structures of the pillars. Rather than an artistic interpretation, the video is based on observational data from a science paper led by Anna McLeod, an associate professor at the University of Durham in the United Kingdom. McLeod also served as a scientific advisor on the movie project.

“The Pillars of Creation were always on our minds to create in 3D. Webb data in combination with Hubble data allowed us to see the Pillars in more complete detail,” said production lead Greg Bacon of STScI. “Understanding the science and how to best represent it allowed our small, talented team to meet the challenge of visualizing this iconic structure.”

The new visualization helps viewers experience how two of the world’s most powerful space telescopes work together to provide a more complex and holistic portrait of the pillars. Hubble sees objects that glow in visible light, at thousands of degrees. Webb’s infrared vision, which is sensitive to cooler objects with temperatures of just hundreds of degrees, pierces through obscuring dust to see stars embedded in the pillars.

“When we combine observations from NASA’s space telescopes across different wavelengths of light, we broaden our understanding of the universe,” said Mark Clampin, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The Pillars of Creation region continues to offer us new insights that hone our understanding of how stars form. Now, with this new visualization, everyone can experience this rich, captivating landscape in a new way.”

Produced for NASA by STScI with partners at Caltech/IPAC, and developed by the AstroViz Project of NASA’s Universe of Learning, the 3D visualization is part of a longer, narrated video that combines a direct connection to the science and scientists of NASA’s Astrophysics missions with attention to the needs of an audience of youth, families, and lifelong learners. It enables viewers to explore fundamental questions in science, experience how science is done, and discover the universe for themselves.

Several stages of star formation are highlighted in the visualization. As viewers approach the central pillar, they see at its top an embedded, infant protostar glimmering bright red in infrared light. Near the top of the left pillar is a diagonal jet of material ejected from a newborn star. Though the jet is evidence of star birth, viewers can’t see the star itself. Finally, at the end of one of the left pillar’s protruding “fingers” is a blazing, brand-new star.

A bonus product from this visualization is a new 3D printable model of the Pillars of Creation

. The base model of the four pillars used in the visualization has been adapted to the STL file format, so that viewers can download the model file and print it out on 3D printers. Examining the structure of the pillars in this tactile and interactive way adds new perspectives and insights to the overall experience.

More visualizations and connections between the science of nebulas and learners can be explored through other products produced by NASA’s Universe of Learning such as ViewSpace, a video exhibit that is currently running at almost 200 museums and planetariums across the United States. Visitors can go beyond video to explore the images produced by space telescopes with interactive tools now available for museums and planetariums.

NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Pasadena, California, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, California.

Enjoyr: