Dec 9, 2022The One Earth ModelGeographic Interoperability in the Real-World Metaverse — In 2011, I gave a presentation at the MIT Media Lab called Place Representation and the One Earth Model, based on a 2009 Class at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunication’s Program called Representing Earth. From the MIT presentation description: Representing actual places presents unique opportunities and challenges because, unlike fantasy places, actual…VR8 min readVR8 min read
May 24, 2022Big Tech’s Race to the Ground (View)Same old (yet fixable) problems. Bold new game-changing possibilities. Billions of dollars at stake. Have you ever wondered why Google has both Google Earth and Google Street View? The reason is that Google Earth is, like most video games, a 3D computer model, with unconstrained navigation but often with distortions…Metaverse11 min readMetaverse11 min read
Dec 6, 2021Where’s Planet Earth in the Metaverse?How many Metaverse experiences map onto the four basic real-world coordinates of Planet Earth: latitude, longitude, altitude, and time? Here’s a thought experiment for you. Whatever you’ve heard about the Metaverse and where it can take you — to fantasy game worlds, meetings and conferences, classrooms, hangouts and parties, and…Metaverse4 min readMetaverse4 min read
Jan 8, 2021A Cheap Simple Hack for Improving Your Online Classtime Experienceswith David Santiano, Deyin Mia Zhang, and Xinran Azena Fan, NYU Shanghai; Barak Chamo, New York; Paolo Salvagione, Sausalito. We’ve developed a cheap and simple way to mount a smartphone directly above a laptop display and dedicate it primarily to “Speaker View” during live teleconferences. …Online6 min readOnline6 min read
Sep 18, 2019Member-onlyHow the 62 Year Story of Art at MIT Shaped the Media Lab EthosOn the opposite end of the Media Lab complex from the Director’s office resides MIT’s Program in Art, Culture, and Technology (ACT), a long-unrelated program which spent 30 years on opposite side of campus, by choice. In 2010, after the Media Lab tripled its size with an expansion, MIT leadership…11 min read11 min read
Aug 5, 2018Increasing VR Creativitymore risky research, less master classes — [March 2019: This article, and the entire VR/AR Series, is now available bilingually in Chinese and English courtesy of NYU Shanghai.] [October 2020: Additional VR/AR class projects from NYU Shanghai since publication can be found here.] Shanghai The first half-semester was pretty easy on the students. They sat back through…Virtual Reality12 min readVirtual Reality12 min read
Mar 9, 2018VR / AR Fundamentals — 5) Live & Social + EpilogueBeing immersed in live events and with other people. [March 2019: This article, and the entire VR/AR Series, is now available bilingually in Chinese and English courtesy of NYU Shanghai.]Virtual Reality16 min readVirtual Reality16 min read
Mar 3, 2018VR / AR Fundamentals — 4) Input & InteractivityUsing our effectors and intentions as inputs and how they shape interactive experiences. [March 2019: This article, and the entire VR/AR Series, is now available bilingually in Chinese and English courtesy of NYU Shanghai.]Virtual Reality14 min readVirtual Reality14 min read
Feb 16, 2018VR / AR Fundamentals — 3) Other Senses (Touch, Smell, Taste, Mind)Fooling the non-audiovisual senses. [March 2019: This article, and the entire VR/AR Series, is now available bilingually in Chinese and English courtesy of NYU Shanghai.]Virtual Reality15 min readVirtual Reality15 min read
Feb 9, 2018VR / AR Fundamentals — 2) Audiovisual Spatiality & ImmersionFooling two eyes and two ears, moving around, and with an unframed image. [March 2019: This article, and the entire VR/AR Series, is now available bilingually in Chinese and English courtesy of NYU Shanghai.]Virtual Reality17 min readVirtual Reality17 min read
