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December 2, 2008 4:14:56 AM CST

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virtual reality news stories

9 Stories

 Virtual Affair Ends 
 in Real Divorce 

Digital cheating destroys UK marriage

Guardian (UK) Guardian (UK) Nov 14, 08 12:54 PM CST
(Newser) - When a UK woman discovered that her husband had fallen for another woman, she took the not-so-unusual step of filing for divorce. The kicker here, reports the Guardian , is that the cheating took place not in real life, among real people, but in the virtual world of Second Life. The woman had already forgiven her real-life husband once when she caught his online alter-ego having sex with a virtual prostitute. But the emotional betrayal of his second digital relationship was just too much. More »

More about:  divorce • online dating • Second Life • virtual reality

 'Virtual Iraq'
 Helps Vets
 Face Stress 

Treatment drags soldiers back to moments of crisis

New Yorker New Yorker May 18, 08 5:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Therapists are plunging US war veterans back into the horrors of battle—as therapy. A virtual reality treatment is helping them cope with post-traumatic stress disorder by returning them to scarring events until their shock value wanes. "When the ground starts vibrating and you smell smoke and hear the AK-47 firing, it becomes very real," said one veteran. "When it was over, I’d go home and cry.” More »

More about:  veterans • PTSD • Iraq veterans • therapy • Vietnam veteran • virtual reality • Afghanistan veterans • cognitive behavioral therapy

Digital Tutors May Edge Out
Real Thing

Virtual educators don't get frustrated and kids aren't afraid of errors

LiveScience LiveScience Feb 22, 08 3:33 AM CST
(Newser) - The best education available these days may be a virtual one, scientists are finding. Today´s digital educators can teach anything from social to language skills—and don't get tired, bored or irritable, LiveScience reports. The programs are a perfect match for autistic kids, who often find face-to-face interactions overwhelming. More »

More about:  science • education • autism • virtual reality

Growing Pains Yield Virtual Reality Check

Second Life founder answers critics, promises improvement

Der Spiegel Der Spiegel Feb 1, 08 3:18 PM CST
(Newser) - The paparazzi have left, but the party isn't over for Second Life, the virtual world's founder says in a combative interview with Der Spiegel . Philip Rosedale acknowledges that the media hype has all but dried up but says he hopes new voice and education tools will turn the spotlight back on. Making the system crash less, however, is his "number one mission." More »

More about:  Second Life • virtual reality

Ghosts and Ghouls Invade Virtual Worlds

Digital realms like Halo and Second Life are getting in the Halloween spirit

Wired Wired Oct 30, 07 12:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Take a break from scarfing candy to join in silly spookiness online. Wired gives you the inside scoop on special events and areas in your favorite virtual worlds dedicated to the holiday: Halo 3: A seasonal addition to the matchmaking playlist should keep players entertained for the 27 hours surrounding Halloween. Lord of the Rings Online:  Until November 11, you can compete in horseraces, bob for apples, pick geodes, or dance the night away at the Harvest Festival. More »

More about:  list • Halloween • Second Life • World of Warcraft • Halo 3 • virtual worlds • virtual reality

3D Pioneer Delivers Lecture of a Lifetime

Beloved prof evokes ovations, tears with inspiring farewell

Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal Sep 22, 07 4:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - The "Last Lecture Series" is an academic task for some, but computer science prof Randy Pausch - who will live only 3 months with pancreatic cancer - took this talk to be literally his last, the Wall Street Journal reports. Yet he was exuberant as he showed photos of his life and admitted to "a deathbed conversion. I just bought a Macintosh." More »

More about:  higher education • virtual reality • Carnegie Mellon University • Randy Pausch

Out-of-Body Experience Induced in Lab

Study unlocks clues
to near-death phenomenon

BBC BBC Aug 24, 07 4:13 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists researching out-of-body experiences have discovered ways to trigger the phenomenon in volunteers, the BBC reports. Researchers using virtual reality goggles and  body images were able to trick participants into thinking they had moved several feet away from their bodies. The results, published in the journal Science , offer intriguing neurological clues to a phenomenon reported by people near death or in drug-induced states. More »

More about:  science • robotics • virtual reality • illusion

Man Treats Virtual Wife Better Than Real One

Second Life getting in the way of first lives

Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal Aug 11, 07 8:49 AM CDT
(Newser) - A man who spends up to 20 hours a day playing the virtual-reality video game Second Life may be getting more fulfillment from his online wife than his real one—and his non-cyber-spouse isn't feeling fulfilled at all. Ric Hoogestraat, a 53-year-old ex-teacher, says his virtual matrimony is only a game, even as his real wife talks separation. The Wall Street Journal looks at the surprising emotional power of virtual relationships. More »

More about:  Internet • marriage • video game • affair • infidelity • Second Life • virtual reality

Real Priest Urges Virtual Soul-Searching

Second Life fertile ground for new Catholic converts, Jesuit says

Reuters Reuters Jul 29, 07 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Jesuit academic is encouraging fellow believers to take the word of God to a new world—virtual reality. In a Roman Jesuit journal, Father Antonio Spadaro urges missionaries to preach the good life in Second Life, describing the online simulation game as packed with real souls to save, Reuters reports. More »

More about:  Internet • religion • Second Life • spirituality • virtual reality

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