Google Manhole
Koert van MensvoortPeculiar object of this week: A Google Manhole, via Bruce Sterling's Beyond the Beyond .
Search results for virtual-for-real
Follow The Money
Koert van MensvoortIf you happen to be in the neighborhood, you may want to attend the lecture I will be throwing at the Follow the Money – The database as a narrative form conference this Thursday …
![Visual of Manko & Escape [#10]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-escape-10/a8f06ba912-1602632753/manko10-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Escape [#10]
Aston RevolaThe children looked startled. 'Leaving?', Askr asked. 'But it's not time yet!', Embla said. Manko had no clue of what was going on. Not yet time for what? The red ball turned …
Consuming Illusions
Koert van MensvoortSo you thought the 'consumption of illusions' was a typical digital world activity of second life residents and gaming addicts? Never underestimate virtuality in everyday life. …
Google tracks flue spread via sick searchers
Koert van MensvoortThis Tuesday, search giant Google released an experimental tool that tracks the intensity and movement of the influenza virus across the United States by monitoring the number of …
Virtual Transgender Suit
Koert van MensvoortA study by psychologists at Nottingham Trent University has found that 54 percent of all males and 68 percent of all females "gender swap" – or create online personas of their …
When Facebook gets Physical
Koert van MensvoortWhat would it be like if the communication on a social networking site like Facebook was actually played out in everyday life? Hilarious sketch by Idiots of Ants (thanks Martijn ).
Real Mario (video)
Koert van MensvoortThese college students perform a "live-action" skit of the old school Super Mario Brothers video game at a talent show. Virtual for real in a high school musical (hilarious …
Digital Gastronomy
Koert van MensvoortThe food printer seems to be one of those lustrous concepts that continues to pop-up in the fantasy of techno-connoisseurs. Some years ago James King already proposed a printed …
Doll Box Coffins
Koert van MensvoortThis interactive piece called Boys & Girls was made by artist Job Koelewijn , who invites people to take place in the life size coffin–style Barbie & Ken packages, where …
iBookshelf: Simulation before Extinction
Koert van MensvoortAs technology progresses we constantly have to adapt ourselves to an ever changing media landscape. Designers try to smooth the changes with a ' progressive nostalgic ' strategy: …
Mirror Neurons – Simulation at the basis of Human Civilization
Koert van MensvoortWithin our society, imitation and simulation are typically seen as inferior symbols of a distorted mediated culture – think of fake Rolexes, plastic Christmas trees, silicone …
South Korea Rules 'Virtual' Money on Par With 'Real' Money
Koert van MensvoortOur regular readers know that whenever we write about money in these quarters, we always feel obliged to write the words 'virtual' and 'real' between brackets, as money is by …
Browsing the Technological Sublime
Allison GuyIn this video, Geert Mul uses online photos to tap into the divine presence in image search #powershow http://bit.ly/uk79b0
![Visual of Manko & Soup [#6]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-soup-6/b9aa51ad29-1602632753/manco-7-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Soup [#6]
Aston RevolaWhen Nada returned as promised with a small bowl of soup in her hands, Manko was sitting upright with a grumbling stomach. Even now that Manko could see normal again, Nada's hair …
![Visual of Manko & The Children [#9]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-the-children-9/3d8fe20352-1602632753/manko9-868x486.jpg)
Manko & The Children [#9]
Aston RevolaAs they went down the elevator shaft, going deeper underground, neither Nada nor Manko spoke a word. To Manko it seemed to take forever. In his mind, he went over the long …
![Visual of Manko & Time [#13, The End]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-time-13-the-end/ad243e97e0-1602632753/manko13-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Time [#13, The End]
Aston RevolaMany things have been rumored about the artist called Manko since he vanished about a year ago. Some even went so far as to claim he had died. So it was all over the news when …
Pixelated Nature
Koert van MensvoortWhat happens if your childhood experience of your environment has been solely through video games? According to artist Shawn Smith, "pixels became a sort of map from which to …
Remote Kissing Device
Arnoud van den HeuvelNobuhiru Takahashi, student at the Kajimoto Laboratory of the University of Electro-Communications in Chofu City, Tokyo, invented this Internet French kissing device. When a …
Resizing Daddy
Allison GuyA little girl gets angry at her father, and uses her index finger and thumb to make a pinching motion . No, she's not trying to hurt him. She's using iPad sign language to say, "I …
Social Microbial life
Marco van BeersMyMicrobes , interestingly dubbed "Fecesbook" by ABC News , is the new social network for your gastrointestinal bacteria. For only $2,100 and a bit of poo you can become a member …
Timon and Pumbaa
Koert van MensvoortMore real than you think. Peculiar image of the week. Via . Thanks Ton .
Video Game Logic Wins This Round
Allison GuyAdapting video games to real life has become a fairly common, jokey way of exploring the games' surreal aspects. I saw kids with balloons playing Mario Kart on my college campus, …
Virtual Offline Shopping
Marco van BeersAs the second most hardest working people on this planet, Koreans obviously dread their weekly shopping for groceries. It is therefore that Home Plus (Tesco in Europe) plastered …
A Computer that Nods and Waves When You Do
Allison GuyEver wish you could express yourself better over Skype? Tired of being a disconnected head-in-a-box? A team at Stanford University has rigged a Mac computer screen to shake its …
A More Realistic Mermaid
Koert van MensvoortAfter being denied permission to reproduce the famed Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagen, the authorities of Vancouver decided to go for something more realistic.
Millions Mourn After Massacre Leaves City Littered with (Virtual) Dead
Jack"Earlier today, certain realms were affected by an in-game exploit, resulting in the deaths of player characters and non-player characters in some of the major cities," wrote a …
Where Games are Made
Rolf CoppensFor his Made of Myth series, Marc Da Cunha Lopes goes back to the places where the elements of great game classics were made. You really didn't think it was all virtual, right? …
3D Pizza Printer for Astronauts
Alessia AndreottiPrintable pizza. The next big food innovation after sliced bread.
A Lifetime of Questions through Google
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkGoogle becomes the authority on existential questions about aging.
Interact with Friends (in Real Life) with Facebook Monopoly
Alessia AndreottiA Facebook version of Monopoly forces players to interact with each other in meatspace.
3D Print Your Thoughts
Alessia AndreottiHow incredible would it be to imagine a thing and have it magically appear in concrete form? After food , organs and virtuality , here comes the thought printer! Thinkerthing , …
Roulette for Your Facebook Account
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA new game lets you play chicken with your life on Facebook.
Six Tweet Under: Live Forever via Twitter
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA new company analyzes your personality and writing style in order to keep producing tweets after you die.
Hangout for Digital Natives
Koert van MensvoortThe Progress bar is where digital natives, icon fetishists , gold farmers , sufferers of augmented reality disease and other lovers of boomeranged metaphors meet. Via The …
Transfer a Loving Tap Via Bluetooth
Alessia AndreottiA bracelet able to transfer a touch between two people.
Angry Birds in Real Life
Koert van MensvoortEvery bird spotter that encounters the real Northern Cardinal bird nowadays, at least for one second will think: "Hey! Isn't that the one from angry bird?".
Innovative Nostalgia Can Afflict Anyone
Alessia AndreottiHanx Writer, an app that digitally simulates the experience of typing on a typewriter.
Falling in Love According to Facebook
Alessia AndreottiFacebook data science analyzed what happens to our virtual life when we fall in love.
Virtual Reality Headset for Chickens
Alessia AndreottiA virtual reality headset could give chickens the freedom to roam without the roaming.
3D Holography: the Future of Medicine
Yunus Emre DuyarA new technology aims to provide doctors with a true hologram of organs.
Analogue vs Digital: Add to Shopping Cart
We don’t have to leave our homes to do groceries, buy new clothes, furniture, or anything. We can buy everything online!
Analogue vs Digital: Los Santos
NextNature.netLos Santos is a big, fictional city in the state of San Andreas inspired by the City of Los Angeles.
"The End": a Virtual Opera Singer, Millions of Fans and the Meaning of Death
Alexandra BremersSixteen-year-old Japanese singer Hatsune Miku grew in short time to a worldwide popstar. With her colourful appearance she counts millions of followers on social media, she …
Facebook Turned into a Real Toxic Drug
Alessia AndreottiThe popular social network icon has been turned into a potentially lethal narcotic substance.
Hospitalised Veterans Experience Virtual Parade
Alexandra BremersGoogle filmed the most recent NYC Veteran’s Day Parade in 360-degree video and created a VR version that would allow disabled or ill-healthed veterans to experience the parade as well.
Musical Journey Through the Human Body
Alessia AndreottiDe Motu is an interactive music app that let you experience your body through music and influence the sound with your own body.
Pac-Man Boomeranged in the Real World
Alessia AndreottiA life-size replica of the fammous1980s arcade game, complete with big ghosts and pac-dots.
The World's First Virtual Reality Park
Alessia AndreottiA virtual reality theme park where visitors can explore the virtual world in a physical environment.
Solutions to Virtual Reality's Big Problem
Erik van der VeenIf you experience virtual reality sickness, here some solutions for you.
Virtual Nose for Video Game Players
Stefan FinckenNausea is a common feeling while playing video games. A solution would be to add a virtual nose to VR experiences.
Virtual Reality Can Intensify Emotions
Margherita OlivoResearchers discovered that people's reactions to 3D images of facial expressions are more emotional than the responses to classic 2D images.
Virtual Reality Dining Experience
Alessia AndreottiUsing immersive virtual reality and aromatics to make the brain believe we are enjoying a delicious dish.
Microsoft Is Betting on Mixed Reality
Ruben BaartThe Microsoft HoloLens is a holographic computer that enables you to interact with high-definition holograms through augmented reality.
A.I. Can Guess Exact Locations of Images
Margherita OlivoGoogle's PlaNet will be soon able to tell you where a photograph was taken by simply looking at its contents.
The Digital Life Project
Alejandro AlvarezResearchers are creating accurate 3D models of living organisms to preserve the heritage of life on Earth.
Experience a Real Safari, Google-Style
Margherita OlivoGoogle launched the Mzansi Experience, a virtual tour to South Africa through Street View.
Technology: Intrusive or Supportive?
Ioana TomiciIs the use of personal devices becoming a replacement for the spectrum of emotions that make us all humans?
Explore Mars with NASA's VR Experience
Margherita OlivoExploring the surface of Mars at least 15 years before a human being in flesh and blood will be able to, this is the new ambitious idea of the people at NASA.
Photoshop Hacks Become In Real Life Art
Nadine RoestenburgUV Production House reflects on popular online platforms for maker culture.
How Rare Is Virtual Gold?
Lewis JustPart one of a ten part series exploring the design of an invisible technology: money.
VR as a Tool for Social Change
Monika KozubUnited Nations aims at turning a playful technology into a serious medium.
Farming in Silico
Jack CaulfieldFarming is more than manual labor. The hard part is knowing how to get the best yield. Thankfully, there’s an app for that: growing crops in silico.
FarmVille Turns into Real-Life Agriculture
Julie ReindlA Japanese Start up brings Farmville back into real life by letting players grow physical food.
Virtual Baby Acts and Looks Impossibly Real
Charlotte KuijpersA rosy-cheeked kid learns her first words, cries when her babysitter leaves, smiles when she’s happy, but she’s not real. BabyX is an AI research-in-progress by a company named Soul Machines.
A Virtual Cure for the Socially Withdrawn
Julie ReindlUsing alternative reality as a cure for the socially excluded.
Virtual Networking, the Future Social Media
Megan Ray NicholsVirtual reality is already becoming a part of the conversation surrounding social media. Will it become the next popular social network?
Interview: Jeremy Bailenson on his latest book "Experience on Demand"
Katherine Oktober MatthewsVirtual reality has come a long way. Like most technological leaps, it’s had a huge push from the entertainment industry, but current applications span a wide range of social and …
Next hospitals: How virtual reality is shaping the future of medicine
Jack CaulfieldAnd it’s already showing incredible results. VR transports us to faraway worlds without even asking us to leave our chairs. Yet we usually hear about it in the context of video …
Face the future of intimacy with Kiiroo
Ruben BaartMeet the teledildonics, an ingenious species of bi-directionally controlled sextoys from the future, available today. These touch emulating vibrators find each other on social sex …
Researchers are using VR to help teachers understand autism
Rachel KaserResearchers are using VR as an empathy tool to help neurotypical teachers understand their students with autism. There have already been attempts to use VR to help autistic …
How Pokémon are affected by climate change
Ruben BaartYou know climate change is real when dead coral Pokémon start to wash up on (virtual) beaches. Behold, Cursola, world’s first dead coral Pokémon. On the origins of Cursola While …
3 ways Virtual Reality is revolutionizing teaching
John PickavanceYou’ve probably heard how Virtual Reality (VR) is going to change everything: the way we work, the way we live, the way we play. Still, for every truly transformative technology, …
Netflix is the new symbol of quarantine
Claire OuwejanSince the 16th of March 2020, the government of the Netherlands applied new measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Schools, cafes, restaurants and sport …
How emojis represent the past, present and future within Next Nature
Britta de VriesIt's that time of year again; the Unicode Emoji 13.0 has announced that 117 new emojis are to be implemented in the second half of 2020. It got us curious of what these new emojis …
The Invention of Morel is a techno-lovestory from the future
Ruben BaartOctavio Paz says calls The Invention of Morel , “ without exaggeration… a perfect novel. ” According to Borges, “ to classify [it] as perfect is neither an …
ABN Amro's virtual branch in Second Life
Dutch banking group ABN Amro has set up a virtual financial advice center in Second Life, the Internet-based role playing game. According to a Reuters report ( who recently opened …
Biojewellery
Koert van MensvoortDesigning Rings with Bioengineered Bone Tissue. Married couples used to wear a ring as a symbol of their affective relationship. But with these bioengineered rings made out of …
Designing for Next Nature (workshop report)
Koert van MensvoortThe extent to which new technologies are intervening with everyday life can hardly be underestimated. Virtual realities, nano- and biotechnology are increasingly providing new …
Dreamkeeper
Koert van MensvoortSkin conductivity sensors are used to deduce the emotional state of the sleeper. This information is brought to 3-D studio where a script is used to transform this into physical …
First Second Life Millionaire announced
Koert van MensvoortAnshe Chung is an avatar, or onscreen graphic character, created by a Chinese-born language teacher living near Frankfurt, Germany has proclaimed herself the first second life …
Google Mapping in Physical Space
Koert van MensvoortAram Bartholl's Map project converts Google map markers into physical objects that can be moved around public spaces. The size of the rebuilt red Marker in reality corresponds to …
Klima Kontrolle
Koert van MensvoortKlima Kontrolle (video) is a project by Roel Wouters and Luna Maurer . A fan is placed in front of a computer screen and accelerates until it blows away the entire desktop. …
Virtual missing limb
Arnoud van den Heuvel"Many people who lose a limb experience the sensation that it is still attached to their body. This is also often accompanied by a feeling of pain in the missing appendage. …
my death space
Rolf CoppensWhat happens to your digital presence when you die? Does your website, MySpace and Second Life live on? Nope, it goes to mydeathspace.com Funny enough, the Amsterdam based …
Anti-Protection Vest
Arnoud van den HeuvelLet us pretend you are a soldier and you are being sent to war. One of the first questions that should pop into mind: how will you prevent yourself from getting shot? Armor that …
Brain-computer interface for Second Life
Dr NaturalWhile recent developments in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology have given humans the power to mentally control computers, nobody has used the technology in conjunction …
Candyfab
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis home-built hot air gun printing in sugar has great potential for making all kinds of interesting foods. Imagine getting tired of your second life avatar --> just print out …
Car Navigation - Just Follow the Red Cable
Koert van MensvoortJust follow the yellow brick road ... thin red cable and you know where to go! Instead of looking at a small 6 inch screen, or listening to less than exact turn by turn …
Delete-Key-Eraser
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkRemember no-tech? Back in the days, we would ocassionally write down things with a pencil on paper. If we made a mistake, we would rub something that looks like an delete button …
Fake for Real: Actress Plays Virtual Character
Koert van MensvoortTomb Raider, featuring superwoman Lara Croft, was one of the most successful video games of its generation. Although many computer games had previously been created as spin-offs …
Fake for Real: Digital Trashcan
Koert van MensvoortAt the beginning of the digital era, several metaphors from the physical world were transferred to the digital environment in order to make, otherwise incomprehensible, technology …
Fake for Real: Disasters like from a Movie
Koert van MensvoortTwo disasters in New York, with the Emirpe state in view. In The Day After Tomorrow, a Hollywood blockbuster about climate change, New York is submerged by a catastrophic flood. …
Fake for Real: The Real Life of flat Characters
Cartoon characters fuel our imagination. For the duration of the book or movie, they supply us with an alternative playful identity; an escape from the dull monotonous everyday …
Fake for Real: The Money Matrix
Koert van MensvoortIt's fascinating how stock traders can get so excited about a few abstract numbers on an electronic display. These numbers represent real money, and every small fluctuation can …
Fake for Real: Redefining Nemo
Koert van MensvoortAfter having seen Disney's blockbuster 'Finding Nemo', every scuba diver that happens to meets with the original white orange striped clownfish underwater, will unmistakable think …
Fake for Real: Sim City
Koert van MensvoortAt right is a picture of the city of Toronto seen from a 45-degree angle. At left is a screen shot from the computer game Sim City, in which the player's objective is to develop …
Fake for Real: World View
Koert van MensvoortIn ancient times, heroes like Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus explored unknown territories of the globe. The climax of these terrestrial explorations was reached at the …
Forbidden Girl
MarcoYou don't have permission to access girl on this server. It's a pitty. But it is a good idea for a campaign against violence on women.
How to print an Organ?
Koert van MensvoortWhat to do about the shortage of human organ donors? An emerging branch of medicine, called organ printing (future vision alert) , takes a patient's own healthy cells and uses a …
Human Tetris
Dr NaturalA tribute to the virtual world boomeranging back to the physical world by Mega64 . Or do you rather prefer the corny japanese gameshow version? Via Engadget ,
Modernistic Vaginas
Dr NaturalThe influence of modernism and its trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape the world, along with its clear universal style of …
iBiogenetics
Arnoud van den HeuvelIn 1998 at the introduction of the iMac , Apple declared that the "i" stood for "internet". Apple later adopted the "i" prefix across its consumer hardware and software lines. …
Out of Body Experience
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDid you have your Out of Body Experience today? We knew already that our nature is merely how we perceive it, but now scientists from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne …
Pixel shirt
Rolf CoppensThe Ironic Sans blog brings you Pre-Pixelated clothing! Stop worrying about whether or not the producer of that Reality TV show you're on will pixelate your carefully chosen …
Printing virtuality
Arnoud van den HeuvelPhone, internet, television, photography, even books or music: today it is hard for the mind to escape from virtual worlds. A day without communication or interaction could make …
Second Life is not Sustainable
Koert van MensvoortWhat has a virtual world got to do with CO2 emissions? Electricity. Second Hype creator Linden Lab consumes an enormous amount of electricity on its 4,000 servers that support …
Spatial planning - Learning from Second Life
Written by Joop de Boer from Studio Golfstromen - strategy, planning and design on the city. In the virtual world 'Second Life' everything is possible. That's most obvious in the …
TeleBombing
Koert van MensvoortThe MQ-9 Reaper is loaded, but there's no one on board. Its pilot, as it bombs targets in Iraq and Afghanistan, will sit at a video console 7,000 miles away in Nevada. Although …
The Metaverse Roadmap
Koert van MensvoortIn ancient times heroes like Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus explored the unknown territories of the globe. Today world traveling has become a teenage tourist activity, but …
To boldly Google...
Hendrik-Jan Grievink...where no one has googled before! Of course this would be possible one day: browsing the universe from your desktop. Google did it again and unlocks space, the final frontier …
You only live Twice
Koert van MensvoortYes, I understand the media interest in Second Hype (Of course we don't take it serious as a virtual reality concept. Steering a mouse, sitting behind a flat screen, moving 3D …
Animator vs Animation
oustamanWhat happens if the user interface becomes a landscape? Watch the short film by Alan Becker.
Car tech makes reality look like a game
Rolf CoppensTech company Fuijtsu released a new way to look around you while driving a car. Following the old fashioned neck turning and mirroring this tech has cameras around the vehicle to …
Catch and eat fishing by phone
Dr NaturalFor mobile gamers in western Japan, a hearty seafood dinner awaits just a few key clicks away, thanks to a unique new cellphone fishing game that rewards successful players with …
Fake for Real video
Video of the Fake for Real Memory Game , presented by Hendrik-Jan Grievink & Koert van Mensvoort at the Style First exhibition in the museum Mudac , Lausanne, Switzerland. …
Faked Fireworks at Beijing Olympics
Koert van MensvoortA local Chinese newspaper, The Beijing Times , revealed some of the staggering fireworks at the opening of the Beijing Olympics were actually not fireworks, but computer graphics. …
If avatars could vote
Koert van MensvoortDemocratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has made a play for online gamers, placing in game campaign advertisements in a series of popular titles from video game giant …
Light weeds
SaraLightweeds is a project by Simon Heijdens and currently exhibited at the MoMA - part of the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition . The organisms - plants, weeds, trees - exist …
Lion and giraffe fooling around
Rolf CoppensThis is the peculiar image of the week, sorry Koert ; ) Excuse my crap quality.
Not just Second Life, but Multiple Lives
MTHow real is World of Warcraft? When lines get blurred and people voluntarily throw themselves in a state of digital schizophrenia; current values and norms change in ways …
PacMan's Skull
Koert van MensvoortPacMan's skeleton is our peculiar object of the week. It was created by Le Gentil Garcon , in collaboration with Fransois Escuilia, palaeontologist, from the comparative …
Remember nature? Fake or real?
SaraVisiting the American Natural History Museum in New York, I pictured myself in about, let's say 150 years from now, trying to explain my younger family members what nature looked …
Scientists Extract Images Directly from Brain
Arnoud van den Heuvel(Extracted directly from Pink Tentacle , thanks!): Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can …
Search Engine
Arnoud van den Heuvel"Google has stationed approximately a million computers worldwide to be able to process the 40 billion searches per month. One search request uses as much energy as a low-energy …
Self Control Freak
Koert van MensvoortWARNING: Spending too much time behind the computer, may cause the leaking of elements from the digital environment into everyday life. Self control freak Olivier Otten is …
Tail communicator
Sara'The LED Dog Tail Communicator' is an initiative of James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, and it is part of the larger 'Augmented Animals' project. Its focus points to technological …
Third Life
Diogo CorreiaLong after Second Life servers have been shutdown, Augmented Reality is a common place . Thanks to our bioengineered eyes, or our electronic contact lenses , and years of data …
Wear Your Social Network
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkGet Wickd (props for the name boys – totally wicked!) is a tech-fashion brand that sells basic clothes with barcodes that can link your mobile phone to any page on the web, from a …
World of World of Warcraft (WOWOW)
Arnoud van den HeuvelVideogame players celebrated this week as a hotly anticipated sequel to the popular online video game World of Warcraft hit the shelves. The nine million gamers can now play a …
Your grand-grand-parents new media
Koert van Mensvoort19th century people needed some explanation to understand the difference between the regular candlelight and the electrically simulated candlelight. Note the disclaimer at the …
A.T.R.E.E.M.
Arnoud van den HeuvelMeet A.T.R.E.E.M. (acronym for Automated Tree-Rental for Emission Encaging Machine), a device that compares daily activities, energy and products to the growth of a tree. "From an …
Cursor Kite
Dr NaturalCursor Kite brings the desktop of your computer outdoors. Nerdy? Yep, but the youtube video of the mouse pointer exploring the beach is fun to watch. Related: Boomeranged …
Everything is Fake
Rolf CoppensThis is the first viral internet movie I've seen that's actually aware of being a viral. I just can't wait until this happens for real -including the car stunts- when will virals …
Foldable Icons
Koert van MensvoortIn response to the Boomeranged Metaphors post of last week, visual wizard Ton Meijdam sent us these foldable icons. Print them, fold them and use them to decorate your 3D desktop …
Games Become Jobs: Gold Farming in China
Koert van MensvoortChinese workers slaying monsters to earn gold for western consumers. It sounds surreal, but it is a far from virtual reality for the so-called 'gold farmers', who are working in …
Inorganic Flora
Arnoud van den HeuvelBy highlighting the geometric and mechanical structure of flowers, computer graphics illustrator Macoto Murayama produced these beautiful renderings. These flowers must not be …
Pantonebow
Arnoud van den HeuvelNever believed in pots of gold anyway. Related: Credit on Color - rainbow of credit cards | Datafountain - money translated into water | Ceci n'est pas une Roche | Faked Fireworks …
The Internet Mapping Project
Arnoud van den HeuvelKevin Kelly -- senior maverick at Wired -- asks people how they see the internet and if they can, visualize it. Here is how: "The internet is vast. Bigger than a city, bigger than …
Virtual Characters tortured for Science
Koert van MensvoortIn the classic Milgram Experiment conducted in the 1960s, volunteers were told by an authority figure to deliver electric shocks to another person as punishment for incorrect …
Virtual Money Is a Pleonasm
Koert van MensvoortHave you heard the buzz on virtual money in online games? Some years ago the first virtual millionaire was announced, yet there have also been reports on people being practically …
Wallpaper Escape
Arnoud van den HeuvelFound sportswear a d, will be reality some day... (with magical goggles of some sort) Related: Recreation in NextNature | Big Ass Search Engine | If Giraffes lived in the US | …
Augmented (Hyper)Reality
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkAugmented (hyper)Reality offers a glimpse of an alternate universe, with augmented reality cranked up to the next level.
Breathe, Believe, Surf the Web
TimoA while ago a plan was proposed within the European Union to add a “Three Strikes, Out” law regarding to copyright infringement. After three accuses of copyright infringement by …
Digital Trashcan in a Physical Office
Koert van MensvoortThe Swedish design group Front brings the principle of the digital computerdesktop trashcan back to the physical world. When your trashcan basket is full it bulges outward. When …
Fat/slim magnifying label
Arnoud van den HeuvelWith an optical trick, this German bottle of water is trying to prove its effectiveness for the body. Though drinking water is a necessity for life, the downside of this product …
Invisibility Cloak Hides Objects Visible To The Naked Eye
Koert van MensvoortSome years ago scientists managed to build a rudimentary invisibility cloak, which was an impressive device but it had some important limitations, not least of which was that it …
Living with First-Person shooter disease
Koert van MensvoortNow how is this for a Boomeranged Metaphor ? Gene suffers from first person shooter disease, also known as Duke Nukem’s disease. It is such a sadness. See also: When Facebook gets …
![Visual of MANKO & Plagiarism [#1]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-plagiarism-1/b50dcc7ae7-1602632753/manco-530-868x486.jpg)
MANKO & Plagiarism [#1]
Aston RevolaIn this first review of the works of Manko, we'll discuss the complex sorts of plagiarism in Augmented Reality art that are typical for our contemporary art scene. This introduces …
![Visual of Manko & The Invitation [#3]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-the-invitation-3/a58a0af2b6-1602632753/manco-2-530-868x486.jpg)
Manko & The Invitation [#3]
Aston RevolaLast month we discussed how the vacuum played a big role in Manko's life since he lost his right leg. Soon he developed this idea further, beyond the mere notion of extensions …
![Visual of MANKO & Vacuum [#2]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-vacuum-2/3276be3198-1602632753/manco-3-530-868x486.jpg)
MANKO & Vacuum [#2]
Aston RevolaI should tell you the story of how Manko lost a leg. You need to know about this incident to understand his recent works. So please forgive me, I first have to go back to that …
![Visual of Manko & Zero [#4]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-zero-4/c2cefab16a-1602632753/manco-51-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Zero [#4]
Aston RevolaThe way down was slow and somehow greasy. Total darkness surrounded them. Gill turned on the car radio and the LED's lit up their faces in a green pulsating glow. 'Jovi Rocks!', …
MyWebwill.com – Serving your last online wishes
Koert van MensvoortWe live an increasing amount of our lives online, but what happens to our digital identity after we are gone? Until now our blogs, photos and social network accounts have lived …
Norwegian boy saves sister from moose attack using world of warcraft skills
Koert van MensvoortHans Jørgen Olsen, a 12-year-old Norwegian boy, saved himself and his sister from a moose attack using skills he picked up playing the online role playing game World of Warcraft.. …
Pixel Terror in New York City
Koert van MensvoortUnsure whether this video by Patrick Jean should be interpreted as an allegorical vision of the utterly transmuting effect the digital has on the physical , or that it is just an …
Search Stories
TimoOnce upon a time humans told stories by painting on cave walls, showing plays in an amphitheater, pressing text on paper and shining light trough pieces of film. Today we tell our …
Smart vending machine
Arnoud van den HeuvelAt Tokyo's Shinagawa Station visitors can now select beverages from a 47-inch touch panel. An embedded camera will recognize your gender and age, allowing the machine to …
The world according to data
Rolf CoppensA map of the world, drawn in two layers: the red for population density (over 2 persons per square mile) and the black overlay for connections between Facebook friends. Made by …
Twitwee Clock
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkHaroon Baig from Germany has figured out a way to key up the amount of 50+ Twitter addicts. This progressive nostalgic cuckoo device displays new tweets from any twitter stream or …
When Dreams become a Commodity
Koert van MensvoortAs neuroscience progresses, we gain access to previously inaccessible and unexplored areas of the human mind. Consequentially the intricate processes in our brain are cultivated …
Alex Gross
Koert van MensvoortIndulge in the paintings by Alex Gross . There is 'something' next nature about them... If happen to have more information on what that 'something' is, feel free to enlighten us …
An Ecstatic Dialogue with Richard Doyle
Jason SilvaWhen techno–optimist and fellow at the Hybrid Reality Institute , Jason Silva, meets with Richard Doyle, author of Darwin's Pharmacy: Sex, Plants and the Evolution of the …
Angel with Cellphone adorns Cathedral
Koert van MensvoortTo mark the twelve-year restoration of the Sint Jan cathedral in Den Bosch, a new statue of an angel carrying a mobile phone was added to the building. The angel joins the many …
Back to the Tribe
Koert van MensvoortTraditionally, technology is seen as a force that diminishes our instincts and puts us at a distance of nature. Increasingly however, we realize technology can also energize and …
BitFriday - First Crash for Digital Currency
Allison GuyOn June 10, the digital currency Bitcoin lost 30% of its value in a few hours, dropping from US $28.92 to $20.01 per coin. Bitcoins are a largely untraceable form of money, …
Brainscan App
Arnoud van den HeuvelBy hooking up a commercially available EEG headset to a Nokia N900 smartphone, Jakob Eg Larsen and colleagues at the Technical University of Denmark in Kongens Lyngby have created …
Effortless Learning
Stefan FinckenMatrix-style learning sounds like an impossibility, yet new research suggests it might become reality. Boston University and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto …
Games become punishment: Gold farming in prison
Allison GuyRemember the gold farmers in China who put in eye-straining hours to earn virtual money in World of Warcraft? Gold farming has now made the leap to the country's corrupt penal …
Michael Najjar – High Altitude
Koert van MensvoortThe rock formations in the High Altitude photo series don't exist physically, yet they are very present in our society of simulations . The photos visualize the development of the …
Let the Algorithms Roam Free
Bastiaan EkelerIn this TED talk, Kevin Slavin explains how computer algorithms are breaking free of their virtual habitats and changing the physical world to their liking. Through algorithms, …
![Visual of Manko & Dinner [#7]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-dinner-7/fa6279d39a-1602632753/manko9-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Dinner [#7]
Aston RevolaManko blinked. Then blinked again, and again and again. While he did, he went through various layers at once and he was dazzled and amazed, his jaw dropped at all that he saw. He …
![Visual of Manko & Life [#8]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-life-8/f762250e48-1602632753/manco-8-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Life [#8]
Aston RevolaManko sighed. Nada: 'Did you like it?' Manko: 'I have to admit that if this is the starter, I'm not sure I'll survive the main course.' Everyone at the table laughed. Manko: 'Let …
![Visual of Manko & Nothing [#5]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-nothing-5/8f13acd5d1-1602632753/manco-4-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Nothing [#5]
Aston RevolaManko was completely cut off from everything around him, virtually dead, buried alive inside of his own body. He remembered Zero's advice not to panic, but to no effect. He had no …
Mastering Bambi
Allison GuyIn the film Mastering Bambi, artists Persijn Broersen and Margit Lukacs have stripped the landscape of its cuddly, anthropomorphic characters. Over the course of the film, the …
Morphing Cutlery
Koert van MensvoortImagine a world where the shapes of all objects around you would be able to change on the fly. Envision a future where nanotechnology and morphing become ubiquitous and blend in …
Occasionally Extinct and Virtually Alive
Allison GuyJapanese researchers are currently working on cloning a mammoth, and plan to produce a fluffy new prehistoric calf within four or five years . The bucardo, an extinct subspecies …
Sin free for just €1.59
Marco van BeersFor just £1.19 ($1.99, €1,59) you can download an app for your iPhone which offers tips and guidelines with the sacrament, "the perfect aid for every penitent" as the description …
The Non-Human Noosphere
Allison GuyThe definition of the noosphere as "the sphere of human thought on earth" is woefully anthropocentric. It ignores that fact that our fellow sentient organisms have noospheres of …
The Woods Smell of Shampoo
Koert van MensvoortNamed after the story of a city girl that washes her hair with pine-needle shampoo and one day walks in the woods with her daddy says "Daddy! The Woods Smell of Shampoo", this …
Biosphere meets Technosphere
Koert van MensvoortNow who's gonna scare who? Our peculiar image of the week was sent in by Béla Zsigmond .
Complete Computer Simulation of a Bacterium Holds Hope for Medicine
Allison GuyResearchers at Stanford and the J. Craig Venter Institute recently created the first complete computer model of an organism. The simulation models the genome and life processes …
Don't turn that page, it's patented
Rolf CoppensApple's recent work on iOS has been using as much references to "natural" elements as possible, making the digital as physical as possible. Doing how they do, they have been …
iPhone Entertainment for Pets
Lisa van der VoortChildren can be effortlessly entertained for hours thanks to tablet and smartphone games, but these technologies also provide a solution for the lazy pet owner. More videos of …
Just Browsing
Rolf CoppensDutch designer Boris Rijksen experiences a culture shock when he enters the real world after a day of screen work. Before, the ‘digital immigrant’ struggled to understand digital …
Monkeys Fall into the 'Uncanny Valley' Too
Koert van MensvoortThe uncanny valley, a phrase coined by Japanese robotic researcher Masahiro Mori nearly three decades ago, describes the uncanny feeling that occurs when people look at …
Sight – As Second Life becomes First Life
Koert van MensvoortSo you thought your live was already pretty much media-saturated? Indulge in the design fiction film Sight and you'll realize you ain't seen nothing yet.
That Website Smells!
Jesper van den ToornDo you ever miss being able to smell the woods in an online travel journal? The odor of a new leather jacket in an online shop? Or perhaps you just couldn’t find the words in an …
The NBIC Convergence: When Machines and Matter ‘Have Sex’
Rachel ArmstrongThe Singularity , as popularized by Ray Kurtzweil, refers to a near term, theoretical time when machine intelligence greatly surpasses our own. At this point we will experience a …
Using a Robot to Virtually Attend School
Tom DerksThere are many people in the world for whom, for various reasons, it is impossible to leave the house or hospital. This means these people are not able to go to work or school. …
What do AR-Burgers taste like?
Arnoud van den HeuvelAugmented Reality is supposed to be just over the "Peak of Inflated Expectations" of Gartner's hype cycle . This video, however, is vaulting the technology directly onto the …
Can This Virtual World Save the Real One?
Alessia AndreottiA Dutch artist designs a Utopian eco-socialist online society.
Computer Algorithms Are Already Replacing Human Journalists
Allison GuyWill writing software eventually replace journalists?
Dad Hires Virtual Hitman to Kill Son's Online Avatars
Allison GuyA 23-year-old in China was recently puzzled why his online avatars were being killed off at disproportionate rates. After asking around, the young man eventually discovered that …
Now Dads Can Experience Pregnancy Too
Alessia AndreottiA new device replicates the kicking and moving of a baby inside a mother's womb.
Deliver us from Digital Bluntness
Stephen PerryPeoples attitudes online are wholly different from their behaviours in real life
Digital Sharing Becomes Physical
Wout KregtingThe embedded "share" button in the new Playstation assumes that sharing is at the center of our existence.
Exploring the Offline World, if It Still Exists
Bram de VogelThe surprising results of a year offline in the "real" world.
Filling Vacant Lots with Augmented Reality Grocery Stores
Allison GuyA Chinese company wants to transform vacant lots into virtual shopping centers.
From Street View Pics to Real-Life Ghosts
Alessia AndreottiThe pictures of Google Street View come to life.
Gamers Care as Much for Their Avatar as for Their Best Friend
Koert van MensvoortEmotionally the avatar has a similar position as ones best friend, despite its "virtual" presence and the often longer lasting relationship with ones best friend.
Ghost Imaging: Taking Pictures of the Invisible Thanks to a New 3D Technique
Alessia AndreottiBritish research group created anew scanning technique permits to obtain 3D images and detect wavelengths that our visual system is not able to see.
Google Birdhouse Shows Birds Their Way
Alessia AndreottiPutting the birds into the bird's eye view of Google Maps.
Google Travels to a Place in Your Memory
Insoo HwangGoogle Maps preserves a place that's too dangerous to visit.
Internet Archeologists Reconstruct Vanishing Digital Artifacts
Jonathon MarkowskiData doesn't live forever – and a new breed of archeologists are trying to recover it.
Killing Cancer Cells, Arcade-Style
Alessia AndreottiA speculative nanotech pill that lets you virtually rove your body, zapping cancer cells as you go.
"News Machine" Illustrates the Effects of Media Distortion
Alessia AndreottiThe News Machine is a contraption that explains the news distortion that happens when a message is broadcast through different media. The starting point is a tweet sent from a …
Serious Gamers Assist Society
Martijn PeetersNew citizen science games are bringing gamification to serious issues.
The Anatomy of Mickey Mouse
Koert van MensvoortFinally a full anatomical model of the renowned comic figure.
The Hedonometer Uses Social Media to Measure Global Happiness
Orfeas LyrasScientists are using Twitter, blogs, and news sites to categorize the global psyche.
The Virtual Makes an Entrance into Reality
Alessia AndreottiDraw to unlock, a virtual experience seeping into physical world.
The World Responds to Bitcoin
Rick Dutour GeerlingFrom small stores to the US government, what the world thinks of bitcoin.
Treating Mental Illness with Video Games
Ken ChenNeurofeedback shows promises in treating a range of mental ailments.
Twitter Gets Real in the Form of a Hotel
Alessia AndreottiA hotel where all communication is conducted by Twitter hashtag.
Tykkään or En tykkää? Digital Voting Takes to the Streets
Silvia CelibertiHelsinki tested out a Facebook-like interface to get public opinion on a new construction project.
Virtual Reality Treats Nicotine Addicts
Jing GuScientists are using virtual reality environments to help people quit smoking.
Visualizing Drone Attacks
Alessia AndreottiThe visualization of every known drone attack in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Wi-Fi Visualization: Surrounded by Waves
Alessia AndreottiAn artist visualizes WiFi waves across landmarks in Washington, DC.
A Jewel That Stops You From Checking Your Phone
Rolf CoppensFor every smartphone user to recognize, is that merely the lighting of your screen, a vibration or ring distracts you from almost every activity. Even when you are spending time …
Drone Diver's License? Get it Online!
Alessia AndreottiThe online course to get your drone driver’s license for civil use.
Electronic Make Up
Koert van MensvoortIf this technique become widely accessible it could allow you to regain anonymity in webcam and facetime conversations.
Emoticons Among US
Alessia AndreottiWhat if emoticons were not just a replacement for the written word, but creatures looking for a place in society?
In Memory of New Materials Gone
Koert van MensvoortA deceased scrollbar in a Church. What does it mean?
Land Art in Minecraft
Koert van MensvoortIf Mindcraft is our next landscape, should do land art there as well?
Now Wait, Did Tanks Have Lasers WWII?
Koert van MensvoortRealistic WOII movie Fury had to cater to the gaming generation with hyperrealistic Star Wars style laser shooting tanks.
OpenWorm: The First Digital Organism
Alessia AndreottiThe first digital life form is an interactive worm based on its real biology.
Signs From The Near Future
Lotte BiesheuvelWill these futuristic signs become part of our near future?
The Evolution Of The Desk 1980 - 2014
Francesca BarchiesiObjects that normally used to surround us became more and more virtual, radically changing the aspect of our workplace.
Touching your Unborn Child
Marco van BeersThanks to 3D Babies and a mere $600,- you can now experience that excitement of holding your baby in your hands before he or she is born.
Turning Objects into Musical Instruments
Alessia AndreottiMogees: the device that can turn everyday objects into unique and unusual musical instruments.
Up in the North: the Rising Kingdom of Google Earth
Koert van MensvoortNation states and geographical borders. But for how long?
WikiGalaxy
Alessia AndreottiTurning 100,000 entries from the Wikipedia into a growing nebula of human knowledge.
An Adblocker for Your Eyes
Rolf CoppensMost VR concepts and products are coming from big tech companies. With their ad-driven business models they are likely to fill your Glass, Hololens or Oculus with ads at some …
Analogue vs Digital: Augmented Reality
NextNature.netNo longer is the perception of the analog limited to its physical elements.
Analogue vs Digital: Digital Pets
NextNature.netIn 1996 Tamagotchis were the most bought pets in the world. More than 40 million(!) were sold.
Analogue vs Digital: Handwriting
NextNature.netWill handwriting soon be history? Or will we always prefer a handwritten love letter from our beloved?
Analogue vs Digital: Information Storage
NextNature.netIn search for information people once used to go to libraries.
Analogue vs Digital: Innovative Nostalgia
NextNature.netBrowsing through your virtual bookshelf gives you the feeling of having an easily accessible collection of books, just like your good old analog one.
Analogue vs Digital: Messenger Service
NextNature.netSocial media empowered the mass by providing them with a tool to spread their voices.
Analogue vs Digital: Simulated Farming
NextNature.netWant to grow some vegetables but don’t want to get your hands dirty? There is an app for that!
Analogue vs Digital: Thumbs Up
NextNature.netWill the children of the future think Mark Zuckerberg came up with the thumbs-up gesture?
Art Experiment Allows to Kill with a Click
Hessel HoogerhuisFlorian Mehnert, A German artist, has launched an experiment that will give internet users the power to shoot a rat with a single click on their keyboard or smartphone. A …
Artificial Intelligence Able to Create Music
Tijs DuelEmily Howell is an interactive interface able to compose and perform her own pieces of music.
Artworks that Look Virtual, but Are Completely Hand Painted
Alexandra BremersThese paintings by Johnny Abrahams look almost computer made - except they are not. Working mainly with black and white acrylic paints and with a lot of patience, the American …
Death Threat by a Twitter Bot
Louise HuyghebaertDutch developer Jeffrey van der Goot got questioned by the police after one of his Twitter Bot released a tweet containing a death threat.
Digital Mountains Shouting Your Tweets
Yunus Emre DuyarEver feel the need to hear two digital mountains read your tweets aloud with deep and sonorous voices?
Drone Maps Christ the Redeemer
Yunus Emre DuyarThe current technology has not been able to replicate Christ the Redeemer perfectly, until now.
Eventually, Drones Will Be Everywhere
Hessel HoogerhuisCity of Drones puts you in a first person view of a drone drifting through an abstract futuristic cityscape.
Experience Van Gogh in Virtual Reality
Abby QinAmerica artist Mac Cauley created a new way to experience the painting in virtual reality.
Experiencing Animal Vision Through Virtual Reality
Margherita OlivoEyes of the Animal is an interactive project that invites the public to an uncommon virtual reality setting conceived especially for experiences in actual forests, giving the opportunity to see the world as an insect would.
Hunger Games for Robots
Yunus Emre DuyarHow would you feel if robots inherited ethical complications of existence?
Living Underground with Fake Sunlight
Rolf CoppensCoelux skylight recreates natural sunlight using Nano Technology.
Meet the Modern Miners
Koert van MensvoortA visit to a massive, secretive Bitcoin mine that is said to make 800.000 Euro per month.
Nasa's Projections on Global Warming
Margherita OlivoResearchers at Nasa's Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) in Maryland can deploy a supercomputer called the "Discover".
Australians Wake Up One Hour Early Due to System Error in Their Mobile Phones
Koert van MensvoortThe glitch meant many woke an hour earlier than usual, leaving not just phone customers but whole households unhappy about rising early.
We Are What We Like
Alessia AndreottiAccording to a study our PC, equipped with a list of things we "Like" on Facebook , knows us better than our friends.
You Can Be the Avatar by 2040
Yunus Emre DuyarAlthough it still is a theory, nanotechnology might enable us to control the elements, except fire.
AI Teenage Girl Hit by Depression
Ruben BaartAn AI was intended to improve human-like experiences in regards to the company’s customer service chatbots, but has fallen into a suicidal depression instead.
Who Are These Trolls Invading China?
Margherita OlivoChina's government fabricates about 488 Million social media posts every year as a strategy to distract from critics to the regime.
Coming Soon: Video Face Hacking for All
Alejandro Alvarezteam of computer scientists at the universities of Germany and California has created what they call photoshoping videos in real time.
Father Hires Gamers to Virtually Kill His Son
Margherita OlivoThis father in China hired some professional gamers to find his son on online games and kill his avatar.
Geography Class via Smartphone
Ruben BaartA new Google Maps app is designed to get kids exploring the Himalayas without having to actually go outside.
Internet Open Daily from 7:00 to 22:30
Koert van MensvoortSymbol of the stalled development in the socialist state, or design for silence, quietude and meditation?
Japan Is Ready to Pay Bills with Bitcoins
Alejandro AlvarezJapan is the first country to accept the bitcoins as payment method for basic services.
Mapping the Online World
Ingmar NieuweboerThe world looks quite different online, based on the country-code domains
Medieval VR Headset
Koert van MensvoortHow will the future perceive our so-called modern VR technologies?
Tangible Money in Digital Currency Era
Alejandro AlvarezThe Scrip, a new universal cash device is bringing back the old metallic sparkle of the money and mixing it with today’s technology in order to fill the deficiencies of our credit and debit cards.
Racist Robots and Bloodthirsty Crowds
Daniel FragaIt took less than 24 hours for Twitter to corrupt an innocent AI bot and teach it morally repugnant things.
The Movie Written by Artificial Intelligence
Margherita OlivoSunspring is a Sci-Fi short movie entrirely written by an artificial intelligence.
Bringing The Web into Real Life
Margherita OlivoWeb 0.0 is sa project by street-artist Biancoshock where web apps are contextualized in real life.
AI & VR Impact on Architects and Engineers
Megan Ray NicholsFuture workspace, human interaction and unique experiences: here’s how artificial intelligence and VR impact on architects and engineers.
Ad Blockers Go Real Life
Koert van MensvoortThe Brand Killer augmented reality headset boomerangs ad blocking into the physical realm.
The Birth of a Digital Nation in Estonia
Daniel FragaDue to its digital citizenship program, something interesting is happening in Estonia. In July there were more new applications for e-citizenship than newborn babies. Are we …
Experience Death with VR
Julie ReindlVirtual reality experiment tries to help people frightened of death with outer-body experience.
Cyborg Cabin Crew
Ruben BaartAir New Zealand is equipping its flight attendants with AR headsets to explore in-flight optimization, giving its passengers a glimpse of what the future air travel service might look like.
Work Remotely in VR Nature
Julie ReindlBreakroom is a VR app that lets you fill your daily working tasks in a simulated nature surrounding, enhancing productivity and mental balance.
Make the World Your Office
Megan Ray NicholsImagine being able to enter your office through a digital representation of reality. It sounds crazy, but it’s possible with augmented and virtual reality.
The Next Nature Guide to Games in 2017
Jack CaulfieldIn the next nature, many people spend as much time in the digital world of gaming as they do in the real world. We have covered video games before, but this year we thought it …
Selfie Time with Your Dead Beloved One
Julie ReindlForever by your side. Elrois a South Korean firm developed an app that allows you to engage with your dead friends lovers or idols.
A Virtual Counselor for Mental Health
Siebren de VosA Facebook chatbot that offers interactive cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s called Woebot and it's your personal virtual counselor.
Virtual Poetry Museum Opens in Amsterdam
Ruben BaartA virtual museum for poetry opens "its doors" at Museumplein in Amsterdam.
AR City: Paving the Way for Augmented Reality Navigation
Belen MunozAugmented reality applications are a promising alternative to GPS. At least that is what Blippar’s AR City app claims to be.
Slowing down to start up: Here's the first chapter of our crypto deep dive series
Koen WeselIt takes years to design a new banknote, having hundreds of people working on every little detail, all done under the watchful eye of governments and professionals. However today, …
The Dictionary of Online Behavior adds a virtual layer to your vocabulary
Ruben BaartTo some extent, it's a chicken-and-egg question: Are you unable to think about things you don't have words for, or do you lack words for them because you don't think about them? …
Digital islands: How this tiny country is embracing e-governance
Gudrun JakupsRecent years have proved that if you want to look for which countries are adopting innovative digital governing solutions, you don’t look at the usual tech suspects like the US or …
Here’s what manufacturing enhanced with virtual reality will look like
Megan Ray NicholsRobots are coming for our jobs. Virtual reality is coming to make the jobs that remain easier to accomplish. All of the world’s manufacturing sectors are in the process of …
The new Next Nature book is here!
Next NatureWe live in a world in which we control the biology of a tomato at such precision, you could think of it as a product of technology, instead of a product of nature. Think about it, …
This artist carried 99 smartphones and caused a virtual traffic jam
Claire Ouwejan“ Google choose the fastest route to home.” Today, drivers are better informed about routes and traffic than ever before . Using 'mapping apps', drivers can see traffic before …