For the longest time, terms like virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) cooked up an image of a utopian (or dystopian, depending on who you’re talking to) reality where technology becomes the primary environment for human life. But, the reality is that both these forms of technology are already a part of our lives, expanding into interesting growth trajectories we wouldn’t have considered before

What Is Virtual Reality and How Is it Going to Change Our Future?

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that appear to be incredibly real, immersing you in the digitally generated environment. VR applications are evolving fast, emerging in industries as varied as healthcare and automobiles. But perhaps the most creative industry that is poised to be revolutionized by this technology is the gaming industry. 

Through VR headsets, virtual reality gaming now allows for a truly immersive experience where players can become one with their characters, interacting with the in-game environment exactly how they would in real life. Read on to learn what Guy Constantini, the man behind the critically acclaimed VR game “The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners,” has to say about the future of VR.

Prefer listening to the podcast instead? Here’s the link: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i-know-this-guy-with-norm-farrar/id1518495668 

What Is the Difference Between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality?

While the average person may use both terms interchangeably, AR and VR are different technologies. While VR creates a completely virtual world, AR (Augmented Reality) is essentially a presentation method wherein objects in the real world are supplemented with artificial digital objects, which can be either constructive (i.e., adding to the real-world objects) or destructive (i.e., masking the real-world object). 

A prime example of AR? The Pokémon Go game that was all the rage during its release in 2016. A classic example of a constructive AR experience, the game had computer-generated characters overlaid into the real world, whereas an application that appears to show renditions of objects inside of another would be an example of destructive AR.

So the primary difference between AR and VR can be summarized as follows:

• VR creates the whole world that users experience using the headsets, while AR incorporates the world we live in with artificial objects, images, sounds e.t.c
• Users need to wear headsets to enjoy VR, but for AR, this may not be necessary.

During his interview, Guy Constantini mentioned that “VR is all like inside-out tracking. I think, eventually, you will have the seamless ability to sort of make certain parts of your experience transparent, so you can see the outside world and the people around you.”

“You can have a sort of virtual office and still see the world around you. So I can wear my headset and still interact with you, and I’ll feel I’m isolated, and you do not feel like you can mess with me,” he further adds.

Expectations are high from this industry, with IDC research suggesting that VR and AR investment will multiply 21-fold over the next four years, reaching 15.5 billion euros by 2022 (idc.com). VR and AR allow game developers to meet the insatiable need by diversifying the options available on the market and creating over-the-top virtual experiences.

The Evolution of Video Games

A popular entertainment option in many homes all over the world, video games have a long history behind them, dating back to the 1950s. Video games did not start as what we see on computers today. Games originated across a wide range of platforms, from arcade systems to home consoles, handheld consoles, and mobile devices and are often at the forefront of computer technology.

A good example of this was in 1962 when Steve Russell at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology invented Spacewar!, a computer-based space combat video game for the PDP-1 (Programmed Data Processor-1), then a cutting-edge computer mostly found at universities. It was the first video game that could be played on multiple computer installations.

According to Constantini, the visual leaps being made in the VR gaming industry often end up challenging the player’s understanding of reality. Some of these changes are mental milestones, such as turning a corner visually (without actually turning a corner in reality) and working with 2D images to give them the illusion of 3D. 

“Finally, 3D happened, and then when we started filtering textures and then started getting rid of the screen door effects, and started having video cards that would allow you to sort of not tax the processor, but have a chip specifically designed to make your visuals better. I think that when you go back, you see some of the magic of game design from way back when it was still present.”

Another interesting trend within the industry has been with game designers going back to the basics by studying board games. “If you look further back….Germany has been playing board games for hundreds of years. Big family tradition, and that’s where a lot of game designers that  [are] sort of going back to the traditional are trying to learn everything about game design, that they’ll start with German board games and card games”. 

Big gaming companies are going back to where it all started in a bid to do more in terms of innovation. Simply put, innovators in the industry are tracing back the original blueprints of board games, among other games. By doing this, they can include the history, the now and the future to deliver mind-blowing creations to eager gamers all over the world. Why so?

“Because the mechanics and the math behind it and the way that you engineer fun and attention, and you grab attention, and you design progression, all come from there, and they’ve been brought into the digital space, obviously, and there’s been more innovation,” Constantini says.

What Is the Future of Virtual Reality?

Projections in the VR gaming industry as a service in 2019 indicated that the industry earned $286.7 million last year. SuperData Research figures also estimated that the same could grow to a $2.3 billion industry by the end of 2020. 

This was just before COVID hit the world. Due to restrictions of movement, working from home, and other government directives, the figures skyrocketed. It is worth noting that the industry has a 118% compound annual growth rate, which makes VR one of the fastest-growing industries on the planet.

Here are some of the changes that are expected in VR gaming in a few years to come:

• Affordable gadgets and devices: As VR games become mainstream, providers must innovate and develop pocket-friendly devices to capture market share. 
• Improved interfaces: Defects, such as clipping that causes solid objects to appear ‘permeable’ are eliminated.
• Better gaming experiences: With a focus on reducing side effects like motion sickness, which is common in games with a lot of movement.
• Cable-free headgear: Tired of all the cables that come with your VR headsets? The good news is that game developers are now working toward releasing wireless headgear. As a plus, the headgear will have 3D features, allowing users to get the most out of the gaming sessions.

Game companies are also developing Virtual Reality headsets in 8K with much more powerful processors for optimized experiences. There is even talk that they could integrate Artificial Intelligence into the VR gaming experience in the next few years.

Another expectation by industry analysts is that with the implementation of 5G, more devices and larger user communities are expected to connect. In addition to this, its almost imperceptible latency will make it possible for consumers to receive images in real-time, almost as if they were seeing them with their own eyes.

In Conclusion

The VR Gaming industry is raring to go, and Guy Constantini has even more to say during his episode on the podcast, which you can listen to here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i-know-this-guy-with-norm-farrar/id1518495668

“I Know This Guy” is an exciting new podcast where father and son duo Norman Farrar and Hayden Farrar get together to interview some of the most fascinating people in the world, bringing their interesting stories to the forefront. Don’t miss out on their next interest story — subscribe today!

This year, lockdown restrictions due to the global pandemic made many of us feel trapped. Some even protested such restrictions, citing personal liberty as a primary right. A common conversational refrain was the comparison of these restrictions with imprisonment. But, thinking critically, how much do we know about incarcerated life? Does this kind of language help or hurt any attempts to humanize inmates? Why is reframing this dynamic important?

These questions often unearth feelings of ignorance and even prejudice, but some select individuals are tackling them head-on. Mariannita Luzzati, a Brazilian painter and social activist, is one such individual. She sits down with Norm and Hayden Farrar on their podcast, “I Know This Guy,” to discuss her work providing art to prisoners to elicit introspection and awareness around prison reform issues, humanity and artistic expression.

Prefer listening to the story instead? Check out Mariannita’s account of how she’s using art as a means to bring about prison reform in this episode of “I Know This Guy” – https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/how-can-music-change-world-w-marcelo-bratke-i-know/id1518495668?i=1000499672714

Mass Incarceration in the United States

The United States has a reputation for embracing the prison industrial complex, and incarceration statistics certainly uphold it. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, there are over 2.3 million incarcerated people across several systems of confinement: 

• State and federal prisons and prisons in U.S. territories
• Local and Indian Country jails
• Juvenile correctional facilities 
• Immigration detention centers
• Military prisons
• Civil confinement centers
• Psychiatric hospitals

The majority of these prisoners — nearly 1.3 million people — are housed in one of the country’s 1,833 state prisons, followed by over 631,000 people in local jails and 226,000 people in federal prisons. This means that nearly 0.7% of the U.S. population is held in a prison or a local jail. Put another way, for every 100,000 people in the United States, 698 are incarcerated.

Furthermore, U.S. imprisonment rates are anomalous on the global scale. While the United States has under 5% of the world’s population, it holds 20% of the world’s prisoners. 

Prison’s Deep Impact on American’s Lives

Even with these numbers at hand, people fortunate enough to distance their lives from prison or crime might not understand the profound impact mass incarceration has. In reality, there are 113 million adults in the United States, with an immediate family member who has been to or is currently in prison or jail. That’s just over a third of Americans who must regularly confront the criminal justice system and whose relationships have been permanently shaped by prison. 

The concept of prison reform is gaining momentum, not only in the United States but globally. 

Evaluating Prison Reform

Conversations around reform are often charged with emotion and loaded with misinformation. It can be a challenge to separate fact from myth, evidence from guesswork. To that end, the United Nations outlines the following considerations in the attempt to overhaul the current systems of imprisonment internationally:

• Human rights: Each prisoner should maintain all fundamental human rights beyond their right to liberty; prisons should respect and provide access to these rights across the board. Currently, prisoners face regular discrimination, neglect and abuse.
• Imprisonment and poverty: Prisoners are disproportionately from low-income, at-risk demographics. This means that the families of prisoners are often left with drastically reduced income, and as such, are only more susceptible to poverty. Furthermore, prisoners face enormous costs when released and may face employment scarcity. In this way, prisons contribute directly to the cycle of future imprisonment.
• Public health consequences: The prevalence of disease, infection, psychiatric disorder and malnutrition are significantly higher inside prisons than in the general public. This poses acute challenges for national health resources.
• Social impact: Separating prisoners from their families and communities creates a deep rift in their social relationships. Moreover, the people on the outside must live without their relatives and friends.
• Cost: There is an extreme national cost to house, feed and sustain prisoners throughout their sentence. According to the Marshall Project, the United States alone spends $80 billion annually on prisons. The worldwide cost represents an overwhelming burden on global finances.

There is no question that the American prison system requires urgent reform, although it’s tough for the average person — someone unaffected by prison — to know where to begin. Moreover, beyond complete reform, how can an everyday civilian better understand the footprint of incarceration? How can we learn about prisoners’ lives to help improve them?

Social Justice: Luzzati’s Work in Prisons and With the Public

This is where Luzzati’s work comes into play, as she strives to answer such difficult questions. Together with her husband, concert pianist Marcelo Bratke, Luzzati created the Cinemúsica project to bring art and music to Brazilian prisons. The project features:

An immersive, multimedia concert
Piano performances by Bratke
Music written by Villa-Lobos and other notable Brazilian composers who were inspired by nature
Images and video footage of Brazilian landscapes, as chosen by Luzzati
The opportunity for every prisoner to view, react to and appreciate contemporary art and classical music

Cinemúsica Inside Prisons

“I always wanted to do something with prisons in Brazil, and so I created Cinemúsica to bring nature inside of the prisons,” Luzzati says. “We created this concert where I had this huge screen in the background of a room in one of the prisons…Marcelo would play pieces by Villa-Lobos inspired by nature and in the background. I would project the forest of the Amazon or the Pantanal, the seascapes.” 

Healing Through Nature

Weaving the beauty of natural images with music and contrasting them against the hard walls of confinement, Luzzati has made a powerful statement about the restricted lives of Brazilian prisoners. She aims to do her piece of the work that today’s prisons are simply not equipped to accomplish: heal incarcerated individuals, restore positive thought patterns and behaviors and, finally, prepare them for life outside their cells.

“I believe if you don’t have contact with nature, you cannot recuperate yourself and be reintegrated again into society. So nature, I think it’s a very important step for you to regrow feelings and rethink life,” she explains. Without her and Bratke’s exhibit, it would be immensely challenging to inculcate the restorative virtues of the natural world into the prison environment.

Luzzati was thrilled to learn that her concert achieved its desired effects with prisoners, even if just for the short term. “They were much calmer and focused on their jobs there…we received many letters from them after that, saying how important it was for them,” she explains.

Cinemúsica Beyond Prisons

Luzzati’s scope is not limited to prisons, though. “We had this experience in 10 prisons in the state of Sao Paulo. After that, we did this concert in many theaters as well, but with the normal public, not prisoners,” she says. 

The Cinemúsica exhibit became a documentary that aired at several international film festivals and won an award at the Sarajevo Winter Festival in 2014. Furthermore, Cinemúsica has been performed in concert in over 50 concert halls across Brazil, the United States, England, Bosnia, Germany and Switzerland.

Her intention with the large-scale distribution of Cinemúsica was to encourage civilians to ponder the state of prisons in Brazil and worldwide. If they could relate to a prisoner’s life through experiencing her concert, perhaps they could better understand the imperative of prison reform. 

Luzzati remains aware of standard biases against prisoners. The typical mentality is to distance oneself from individuals in prison rather than understand them. In this way, Luzzati’s work brings to light just how far we have to go in genuinely granting humanity to imprisoned people.

Art and Social Justice Activism

How does art, then, help the greater public humanize prisoners? How does it help prisoners reclaim their humanity when the typical mentality withholds it? 

Sharing the Artist Title

In prison, the access to education, training and work is restricted — if not barred — and is controlled more or less by prison bureaucracy. Prisoners must watch as the world progresses around them while they remain stifled, static and suppressed. 

Humanize the Numbers

Humanize the Numbers is a project from the University of Michigan that brings photography students into state prisons. The project works to share the title of artist among the students and inmates, who act as artistic directors. The inmates can tell the students what they want photographed on the outside and instruct the students on the different composition elements. At the project’s conclusion, the inmates own the rights to their final photographs.

By working together in this socially engaged way, the students and inmates work towards the same goal, collaborating at every stage of the process. This necessitates respect between parties, and students often come away feeling better able to relate to prisoners. Moreover, it removes the power dynamic typical of “outside world” intrusions on the prison dynamic. Prisoners get a rare seat at the table and are treated as contributors, not helpless recipients of benevolent intervention.

Representation for Prisoners

Another project out of the University of Michigan is the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP). PCAP works to humanize inmates through art in the following ways:

• An annual exhibit showcasing art made by hundreds of prisoners among Michigan’s 26 correctional facilities
• 100% of the money from sales of the exhibit’s pieces is sent back to the inmates 
• An array of art programs for inmates across Michigan prisons, including a literary review, creative writing classes and visual art workshops
• A podcast, “While We Were Away,” to give formerly incarcerated individuals a platform to share their stories
• The Linkage Project, which uses art to help inmates reintegrate into society

Each element of PCAP serves to offer prisoners a chance to share their voice with an ill-informed public. Much of the prisoners’ artwork depicts daily life inside the correctional centers. Some of the art is surreal, while some is photorealistic. Through every piece in the exhibition of art, the inmate’s unique story is granted an audience, and the viewer learns a little more about what makes each inmate human.

Better Lives Inside and Outside Prison

The access to creativity, nature and other crucial resources provides so much more than  comfort; it offers opportunity. It follows, then, that prisoners who have access to art workshops or who participate in an art program tend to lead improved, more developed lives, both within prison and outside it. 

Consider the following findings:

• 74% of participants in California’s Arts-in-Corrections Program had clean records after exiting prison, compared to 49% of non-participants, according to an article from Rutgers’ Institute for Research on Women
• The same article reported that after two years outside prison, only 31% of participants had reoffended, compared to 58% of non-participants
• An 89% decrease in in-prison infractions resulted from participation in the Actor’s Gang Prison Project (which offers theatrical arts programs to inmates), according to the Washington Post
• A review paper from the University of San Francisco cited that arts programming in prisons cultivates empathy, discipline, enhanced emotional self-regulation and positive behavioral changes

Some numerous other studies and reports point to the benefits of arts programs for people in prison. These findings show that the collective results of creative expression, artistic education and interdisciplinary training lay the groundwork for humanizing inmates.

The Final Composition: Artwork, Humanity and Prison Reform

In the face of our temporary lockdowns this year, we each had a taste of the restricted lives that millions of people across the world endure every day. There has never been a better chance to think deeply about the effects that our current incarceration system has on the prospects of leading a normal, humanized life.

With that in mind, Luzzati and Bratke know the value of their work and hope to continue improving the lives of inmates, despite immediate challenges. PCAP and the University of Michigan have adapted to pandemic measures, too. Their annual exhibit was held entirely online this spring.

“For 20 years…we met murderers,” Bratke says, “…and it was amazing to see the impact of music and art through that project, and very touching. I never had, in my entire life, the sensation of music and art being so strong, in terms of liberating people that are suffering that don’t have liberty in their lives; the impact and importance of music on that level — that was shocking to me.” 

Though we are still a long way from total prison reform, it is clear that we must invest in creative programs in prisons. We must explore the personal narratives of imprisoned people and champion the goal of humanizing people inside and outside the correctional system.

To learn more about Luzzati and Bratke’s work and find more information about social justice, listen to the “I Know This Guy” podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i-know-this-guy-with-norm-farrar/id1518495668. Farrar’s podcast brings the most interesting people he knows onto his platform, where they can discuss their personal successes, life’s work and most insightful lessons. 

Forgive, but don’t forget; this describes Rwanda’s journey towards restorative justice 16 years after its brutal genocide. On Episode 9 of I Know This Guy, Matthew Shedd, a retired US soldier and international security executive, reflects on his own time in post-genocide Rwanda, where he witnessed the country’s efforts to implement reconciliation policies. He describes Rwanda as a community-first nation, juxtaposing its identity to American ideals of individuality. Shedd aims to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes,” with the intent to gain perspective on humanity through the appreciation of contrasting value systems.

Rwanda’s History: The Lead Up To Genocide 

It’s imperative to understand the centuries-long struggle between Rwanda’s Hutu and Tutsi social groups. Here’s a brief account of the nation’s history. 

• Kingdom of Rwanda: Rwanda existed as a nation-state whose bounds were drawn entirely by the migration of its citizens, rather than by European powers. Under a Tutsi monarchy, the Hutu majority was subjected to forced labour and cession of land.
• Colonial rule: Germany colonized Rwanda in 1894 and continued to foster a Tutsi hegemony. Belgium overtook Rwanda in World War I, and a growing sympathy for the Hutu resulted in the development of an educated Hutu clergy. Belgium officially segregated Rwanda’s population into three ethnic groups – Hutu, Tutsi and Twa – in 1935.
• Rwandan Revolution: Anti-Tutsi sentiment birthed the Bahutu Manifesto, which called for Hutu liberation from the Tutsi elite, and brought the eventual election of the Party for Hutu Emancipation. At the same time, Rwanda was achieving independence as a Republic. Thousands of Tutsi refugees fled to neighbouring countries.
• Rebel Civil War: The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Tutsi rebel group, invaded Rwanda in 1990, igniting a civil war. A ceasefire was achieved, and the following year, under the peaceful Arusha Accords, Rwanda effectively reinstalled power in Tutsi citizens. This sparked further anti-Tutsi ideology among Hutu extremists.
• Genocide: Rwanda’s president was assassinated on April 6, 1994. Hours later, Rwanda’s prime minister, Tutsi leaders and prominent Hutu moderates were hunted and killed by military authorities. Hutu extremists armed civilians with machetes and incited them to attack their Tutsi neighbors. One million people were murdered and millions of refugees fled to other nations. On July 4, 1994, the RPF successfully secured Kigali, Rwanda’s capital. The genocide ended as a new government emerged.

Restorative Justice: Confession, Conviction and Forgiveness

In the wake of the genocide, Rwanda utilized three judicial platforms to try genocidal perpetrators. The UN assembled its International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to try the conspirators of the genocide, while Rwanda’s national court system, ravaged though it was by the genocide itself, processed thousands of individuals for more serious atrocities. 

The third judicial response emerged out of the necessity to handle the innumerable remaining genocidal implementers; in Shedd’s words, “there were so many people who committed an act of genocide that they couldn’t try them all.” The Gacaca courts, named after the Kinyarwanda word for grass, relied on community participation and elder adjudication to try individuals accused of murder and property crime. The accused were encouraged to confess before and after their trials; the surviving community was encouraged to forgive.

By the time Shedd arrived in Rwanda in 2011, the Gacaca courts had processed over 1 million cases, achieving the conviction, imprisonment and subsequent communal reintegration of genocide perpetrators. “Some people went to jail; some people were found not guilty and were allowed to continue living in their communities…for me, it was almost beyond comprehension,” Shedd says of the grassroots justice system. He recalls the shock displayed by his American colleagues when they first witnessed this community-first dynamic. Shocking though it was, Shedd knew he had to consider Rwandan history, culture and values to reach an understanding of its reconciliation system; to apply American ideals would be to dismiss Rwandan identity. “If we apply our mindset to what they do,” he says, “you’re never going to be able to reconcile the two.” 

Reconciliation: “It’s Not We Should, It’s You Will”

The Gacaca courts are just one aspect of Rwanda’s goal to bring justice, peace and healing to its communities. In 1999, it formed the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) which, at first glance, is seminal. It hosts solidarity camps that provide peace education to civilians. It offers grassroots training seminars for future leaders. It promotes Rwandan history and identity as a force to combat, rather than instigate, genocidal ideology. 

Shedd notes these policies still have their problems, though. For one, Rwanda is “still a police state by most people’s measure,” and its president is under fire for imprisoning political opponents. As such, citizens likely don’t have much say in their participation in reconciliation programs. Another issue lies in the writing of the genocide’s historical record. The Gacaca courts, which closed in 2012, had no jurisdiction to try RPF suspects accused of retaliatory violence; this created a narrative that exonerated Tutsi criminals, perhaps furthering inequality between Hutu and Tutsi victims. 

Despite these issues, Rwanda has made considerable advancements at the community level. In reconciliation villages, where survivors and perpetrators live side-by-side, citizens are taught to forgive, share experiences and view each other not as Hutu or Tutsi, but as Rwandan. 

It’s still hard for Shedd to fully understand the community dynamic today. “Even if people have that in their cultural fabric,” he says of Rwanda’s conciliatory values, “people are still people. And if someone killed your family member, is it that easy to forgive and forget?” Regardless, he withholds judgement, and instead chooses to appreciate the cultural differences he’s seen throughout his career.

Shedd’s insightful interview is full of surprising reflections, tragic history and observations of human nature. Listen to his story at the link below.

https://iknowthisguy.com/episodes/09-matthew-shedd/