AR has lots of benefits, such as portability, interactivity, and personalization. But an under appreciated feature is that it can be a stealth contributor to cultural literacy while it pushes a marketing agenda. By including the arts and other cultural offerings and previews in the line-up of “attractions,” AR has the potential to increase awareness about the fine arts. By including accessible information about artists, musicians, and performances, AR can demystify, humanize, and normalize appreciation for the fine arts into a Main Street rather than Park Avenue experience. In the world of “money is no object” and "larger than life," who better to engage the use of augmented reality to show people around town than Las Vegas? The MGM Mirage properties has launched Vegas’ first AR iPhone apps available through, you guessed it, iTunes. This is just a taste of things to come for the hospitality industry sectors willing to make the investment in creativity and innovation. … [Read more...]
Sneaking in a Little Culture Amidst the Marketing in Las Vegas using Augmented Realty Apps
Gesture Interface for Augmented Reality Apps
Taking AR to a whole new level, gesture interfaces allow the user to participate in the AR experience. http://www.switched.com/2010/05/21/colorful-gesture-interface-gloves-look-like-an-80s-throwback/ … [Read more...]
Social Media Addiction: Engage Brain Before Believing
Previously published in Psychology Today "Positively Media." When you see the headlines about social media addiction, take a deep breath. Exhale. I know this sounds radical, but don’t go by the news articles. Find the actual study and read it. Don't just read the results; see how the researchers define what they are measuring. This is important because 1) sometimes studies just don’t make sense, 2) sometimes things that are only correlated get reported as being a 'cause', and, 3) the people writing the articles don’t always read the actual studies before they write—even whey they are real journalists. Psychologists, parents, educators and politicians frequently talk about how important it is to teach kids media literacy so they can critically use, produce and evaluate media. Evidence suggests that this is not a skill that should be reserved for the young. There has been a little flurry of news articles and blogs recently about social media addiction. First of all, it … [Read more...]
