The @thevrara VRARA Storytelling Committee is pleased to welcome Tam McDonald and Thomas Flynn of Immersive London as our presenters on Thursday, September 15th. Co-chair @michaeldowen Michael Owen will host their presentation on Immersive London and how @cradleofenglish Cradle of English use technology to reveal London’s invisible history, including a 3D virtual walkthrough of @guildhallArt The Guild Hall “a municipal building in the City of London, England. The current building dates from the 15th century; however, documentary evidence suggests that a guildhall had existed at the site since at least the early 12th century.” See more information on Tam and Tom below. We look forward to seeing you Thursday, October 15th at 2PM ET. Join the call at: us06web.zoom.us/j/8567129683… Meeting Passcode: 799995 See you on Thursday! Thomas Flynn Thomas is an independent consultant to the heritage sector specialising in 3D digitisation & publishing, co-chair of the IIIF 3D Community group, and editor of The Spatial Heritage Review. He recently led the Heritage 3D Data at Risk (H3DAR) project, delivered in partnership with Wikimedia UK and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.  Thomas leads 3D digitisation at Cradle of English, the first output being guildhall3d.com, creating a digital 3D record of the Great Hall at London's Guildhall. Previously, Thomas was Cultural Heritage Lead atsketchfab.com, co-founder of museuminabox.org, and initiated publication of the British Museum's first open access 3D data. Tam McDonald Founder and chief executive of Cradle of English in 2019, Tam was inspired by what was achieved over four centuries by 15th century print technology in evolving English from a minor European noise into a global language. The business is poised today to play a vital and similar role in another revolution, given the wonders and challenges of AI and 3D technology in the 21st century. Tam is devoted to longer-term thinking and to enterprises that celebrate innovation while attending to the dynamics of scalability and sustainability. This commitment applies both in terms of businesses and for wider humanity.

Join @immersiveriggs, noted author/experiential innovator/former Disney Imagineer, on @thevrara VR AR  Association (VRARA) Storytelling Committee, on Thursday, October 1st at 2:00 pm ET, when she presents ‘Beyond the Pyramid: Unlocking Quantum Narratives in XR.’ @michaeldowen, co-chair of the Storytelling Committee, will host Stephanie. Stephanie will explore the centuries-old Western storytelling reliance on linear Aristotelian frameworks - including three-act structures and t4he Hero’s Journey - to build narrative arcs. But, when applied to immersive, spatial, and interactive media, these classical models create an unavoidable conflict: the Narrative Paradox. The more control an author exerts over the plot, the less agency the participant retains. This is the paradigm shift for spatial storytelling. Stephanie draws from physics human-computer interaction, and decades of boundary-pushing experimental design, breaking down how to design narrative systems instead of scripts, forces instead of beats, and emergent worlds where user agency is built directly into the fabric of the story. Join the call at: us06web.zoom.us/j/8567129683… Meeting Passcode: 799995

Your Messages for Jeff wqxr.org/story/your-messages… via @WQXR Congrats, Jeff, on a great career! We met a few times (at the Montclair Art Museum, and after an Orpheus concert at Carnegie Hall). You have defined classical cool on the air, and have reinvigorated classical listening for countless many. My wife and I will miss hearing your soothing, wry tones in the morning. And, of course, 'Old School' with you as host. But, the memories will live on. Again, thanks for your calm, measured hosting.

Join me and @eveweston , renowned writer/performer/producer, for 'Hacked on a Feeling: How Virtual Tech Triggers Emotions' on the @thevrara VR AR Assocation Storytelling Committee call, this Thursday, September 3rd at 2 pm ET (11 am PT).  Join the call at:us06web.zoom.us/j/8567129683… Passcode: 799995 Spatial computing has conquered the visual, and the next frontier is visceral - how do we code feelings into a digital experiential canvas? Eve Weston shares experiences and frameworks to transform users from passive observers to emotional participants in technology-driven experiences. Eve's peer-reviewed taxonomy shows how to map technology into human emotion.  See you on Thursday! EVE WESTON Eve Weston is a writer and performer in Los Angeles. For television, she’s written for ABC’s Better With You and Disney Channel’s Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja and Wizards of Waverly Place. For Wizards, she wrote and choreographed the “Funky Hat Dance,” which became a symbol of girl friendship worldwide and a YouTube sensation with more than a million views. Eve has sold a pilot to ABC Family (now Freeform) and a web series to AwesomenessTV. And she has contributed jokes to Better Off Ted, The Megan Mullally Show, Will & Grace, and Yes, Dear. Eve has an MFA in screenwriting from USC and has taught television writing for the respected writing website Mediabistro.com.

Philippe Lewicki, co-founder of AfterNow, joins me tomorrow - Thursday, August 6th - on the VRARA (VR AR Association) Storytelling Committee call at 2:00 pm ET for 'Building XR Solutions for the Open Source AI Era.' Philippe Lewicki is a renaissance man in the XR world: a developer of location-based experiences; multi-device solutions, and AI tools. He is leading the fusion of AI and XR. You can join the call at: lnkd.in/e2qUibGf Meeting Passcode: 799995 See more about AfterNow below. See you on Thursday! ABOUT AFTERNOW AfterNow has worked with Marvel, Disney, Warner Bros. Qualcomm, Hershey, T-Mobile, Boeing, and Hyperloop. AfterNow is one of the few Microsoft partners for mixed reality, with experience building solutions for Hololens, Magic Leap, Mira Prism, Google Tango, and Apple ArKit.

Join me and Volodymyr Kolbasa, director of the acclaimed mixed reality (MR) piece, 'Lionia is Leaving,' on the @thevrara VR AR Association (VRARA) Storytelling Committee call tomorrow, Thursday, July 9th, at 2:00 pm ET. 'Lionia is Leaving' premiered at @sxsw 2026. It is an immersive drama based on the true story of Lionia, a retired engineer from Okhtyrka, Ukraine, who survived the bombing of his home in 2022. The viewer moves through photogrammetric fragments of a Ukrainian house, where characters appear only as animated shadows and voices. The space reveals scenes from before and at the invasion's start, including family dinners, hurried packing, breaking news, and a neighbor at the window. A crucial moment involves the viewer trying to move a stubborn Lionia from his sofa. After the strike, he stands in the snowy night and calls his family. Volodymyr balances documentary reality with fictionalized immersion, creating emotional and empathetic tension. You can join the call at: us06web.zoom.us/j/8567129683… Meeting Passcode: 799995 See you tomorrow! - Chris

Great hosting Kris Hofmann on today's @thevrara Storytelling Committee call. She presented her recent VR piece, 'Out of Nowhere,' and discussed her impact-driven work. You can watch the entire session at: youtu.be/A3nqorxxfqY

Norway brings rock to the stage at @Eurovision

Italy goes pop ballad. At @Eurovision

The Tin Man got loose in Vilnius and somehow made it to the @Eurovision finals for Lithuania.

Poland slaying it. At @Eurovision

Finland smolders. Lordi meets Jesus Christ Suoerstar. At @Eurovision

Okay, Moldova is like a bad parody of a Moldovan song. Cue all the Romanian jokes about Moldovans. At @Eurovision

The UK serves up Gordon Ramsay having a bad acid trip. A Brit singing Ein Zwei Drei?!? And “a slice a pepperoni.’ Only at @Eurovision

Hey, Serbia! The 14th-century wants its song back! Goth-folk pagan death march. Only thing kissing was a virgin sacrifice. At @Eurovision

Amazing performance from Malta. A potential winner at @Eurovision

Death metal is alive and well in Serbia. @Eurovision

Australia has reincarnated Olivia Newton-John for @Eurovision

Damn! Albania bringing the heavy. @Eurovision