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Thank you to Patrick Curry of Unity for discussing Austin’s role as a major hub of VR innovation, creativity, and prosperity.
View presentation slides. Check our website for video soon.
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The Austin Forum Celebrates 10 Years!
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What's your Austin Forum story?
Whether you've been a long time friend or a new fan, let us know your story!
What is your favorite moment, speaker, or topic over the past 10 years? How has the Forum influenced your interests, business, or community relationships?
We're interested. Tell us your story!
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Kicking off the 10th anniversary, founder and Director of the Austin Forum, Jay Boisseau, announced the new website, tagline, member database, and Membership Support Program. Check out the website and look for more details soon on how to become an official member of the Austin Forum on Technology & Society. Benefits and swag are all part of the deal!
It was a totally full house and set an Austin Forum attendance record. Thank you to all of our friends, sponsors, volunteers, family, and techies who have supported this event so near and dear to our hearts for the last 10 years. We love bringing this Forum to the Austin community and look forward to many more years of impact, opportunities, and fun!
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Quite the experienced technologist, Patrick Curry is also one entertaining dude. Curry's talk on Virtual Reality (VR) began with stories of his early interest in gaming and technology. Stories ranged from "sick fanny packs!!" to begging, borrowing, or stealing (OK- not really stealing!) from mentors and anyone with software he thought was cool.
"Which software are you running? Can I have a copy if it? Do you have a SCSI drive? Can I borrow it? Do you have a CD drive? Can I use it? Do you have any blank CDs?"
Curry ran through a brief history of VR beginning with Nintendo's Virtual Boy which had blurry graphics and was not exactly wearable since it came with a kickstand. Even so, as a young developer, he thought, "VR is going to be real!!"
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Next came the Apple Newton, "a whole computer in your hand." As some of these grand innovations often take time, the Newton idea became the iPhone, of course, which led Curry to surmise that the future of VR success can be attributed to a few things:
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1) smart phone technology-- thanks Newton!
2) heavy investment by many companies that are betting on VR by developing hardware (Facebook + Oculus, Google, Microsoft, Sony PlayStation, etc)
2a) and developing software-- like franchises such as Batman, Batman, Star Wars, Minecraft, Resident Evil, etc.
3) authoring tools that are more readily available and easier to use
4) more tech savvy people that are making games and apps.
See what modern VR looks like here.
And here.
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All of this makes VR more accessible and more widely adopted for other uses than just gaming. Medicine, education, travel (including outer space!), security and armed forces are just beginning to see and adopt the innovative uses of VR. Students can travel to the center of a volcano or learn about other cultures without the expense of leaving their classroom. Companies who produce dangerous or potentially harmful products which need to be evaluated before use can test their product within a virtual environment with no risk to their employees.
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Virtual reality is even being used in the treatment of PTSD and with burn victims to reduce the pain of wound care and other procedures. In fact, clinical trials show dramatic reductions in pain and anxiety during painful procedures.
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During the Q&A from audience members, Curry summed up his predictions on VR: we will see tremendous growth in this technology and industry. But it is currently the "wild west" as far as differences in platforms and controller hardware, operating systems, etc. He predicts VR will become mainstream this time, and he believes that will be soon. Just like he did as a kid when the first gaming console was released, customers will experience the new generation of VR devices and software and head straight to the nearest store to purchase them no matter the cost.
See the job simulator trailer.
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Keep the conversation going!
Join the Austin Forum LinkedIn Group!
Feel free to join now and post comments, suggestions, and other items of interest to carry on the conversation.
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Wanuh's mission is to connect people based on their actual wants and needs. Instead of wasting time and energy shuffling around events making endless small talk, Wanuh makes meaningful connections happen faster.
Log into the Austin Forum’s Wanuh and submit what you want to talk about so that we can help you find the right people!
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GigaOm Change is a three-day conference that explores the business impact of AI, robots, VR/AR, 3D+ printing, nanotech, cybersecurity, and human-machine interfaces. Speakers include CTOs and tech leaders from Dell, IBM Watson, HP Labs, Sapient, and Softbank. Sign up today and save $500 with the special code FORUM500!
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The WaveVR is empowering artists and music lovers alike by transforming the way people connect through music. Music creators can fully customize how their audience experiences the music – whether it's by transforming the venue from a realistic nightclub to outer space with a click of a button - or putting on the most unimaginable light show ever. Fans won’t have to travel the globe or miss out on their favorite DJs, musicians or festivals and can experience the music like never before, while socializing in totally new ways alongside their friends.
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Congratulations to our lucky winners for correctly answering the SXSW Interactive trivia. Two people won a FREE badge to the 2017 festival!
Join us next month for a chance to win one of two badges given away by Hugh Forrest of SXSW Interactive.
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Join us in October at the Stateside Theater for
What is a patent troll? How do they infringe on technology innovation? Can you protect your intellectual property (IP)?
You’re invited to an advanced screening of THE TROLLS, written & directed by Austin filmmaker, Lex Lybrand (SUMMER LEAGUE, MEET ME THERE), starring Rob Gagnon (GOOD NIGHT, TX), Lisa Friedrich (MEET ME THERE), Pat Dean (VICE), and Katie Pengra (PRETTY AWFUL), and executive-produced by Cesari & Reed, LLP.
Following the screening, learn more from the expert panel about the effects of patent trolls on technology businesses and inventors. Learn how companies and inventors can protect their IP and their innovative ideas from these malicious practices.
WEDNESDAY, October 5, 2016
Stateside Theater
719 Congress Ave.
Downtown Austin
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Special thanks to Virtual Reality Check ATX for the fantastic mobile VR demo.
If you're looking for a unique and entertaining experience, look no further!
Virtual Reality Check offers a fully mobile VR gaming center for ages 8+ with a wide variety of fully immersive games and experiences.
Your time will be supervised by a trained attendant to ensure you and your guests have the ultimate experience.
Perfect for your next event!
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Special thanks to Easy Tiger for the fantastic catering.
Easy Tiger features artisan bread (including baguettes, croissants, pretzels), locally roasted coffee, housemade meats (sausages, corned beef, pastrami), a patio whiskey bar and more than 30 local and boutique draft beers. Bake shop is open from 7 am to 2 am; beer garden is open from 11 am to 2 am.
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