We know that you’ve just been itching to sit back and soak up a nice long video about augmented reality, the future and the evolution of technology. Well, your wait is over as we have for you another keynote from Augmented Reality Event 2011 in Santa Clara, California. This time, we’ve got Jaron Lanier who spoke for a good 40 minutes at ARE for the attendees.

Lanier is a computer scientist well-known for ushering in the term “virtual reality.” He helped develop some of the first VR goggles and gloves, and in recent days has worked with Second Life and Xbox Kinnect. He also is a music composer, connoisseur and instrument collector, and he showed off one of his unique instruments at ARE.

At the beginning of his talk, Lanier plays a khene, an ancient Laotian instrument. Lanier says the khene is possibly the first example of digital technology because sounds are created by air flowing through a series of open and shut (on versus off, 1 versus zero) switches. He uses this as a launching point for his discussion of technology, making for a very interesting talk.

As we begin to wrap up our series of videos from Augmented Reality Event 2011, it seems fitting to feature now the closing event of ARE. This year the conference was punctuated by a “fireside” chat (there was no flame in sight) with two science fiction authors whose work has had a profound impact on the augmented reality industry: Bruce Sterling and Vernor Vinge.

Vinge is the author of numerous science fiction novels including Rainbows End, and is a former professor of computer science and math at San Diego State University. His work and vision of the future has greatly influenced those developing augmented reality technology, including right here at Layar.

Bruce Sterling needs no further introduction to those familiar with Layar and this blog, but just in case, Bruce is a sci-fi/cyberpunk author who has similarly been highly influential in the direction the AR industry. He has come out to speak at several AR events and is currently teaching a Layar-sponsored summer session on AR design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

That said, any chance to hear one of these brilliant minds speak is certainly a privledge, let alone hearing them both at once. So here it is, our latest video from ARE 2011: Vernor Vinge and Bruce Sterling sitting down for a friendly chat to close out the event.

One of the reasons we love augmented reality is that as a new form of media it creates a whole new world of possibilities for telling stories. It’s an entirely new medium of experience, and it requires a different perspective when approaching story telling.

Telling stories with augmented reality is the forte of designer, researcher and artist Helen Papagiannis. After all, her Twitter handle is @ARstories and she authors the blog Augmented Stories. Helen is currently completing her Ph.D. in at York University in Toronto where she is a Senior Research Associate at the Augmented Reality Lab. Her presentations on AR Storytelling have been well received, even making Gary Hayes’ Top Ten AR & Gamified Life Talks list.

In May, Helen presented at Augmented Reality Event 2011 in Santa Clara, California, and we’ve got video of it for you today. So check out Helen’s talk below, and see her Slideshare page to follow the slides.

When was the last time you picked up a newspaper? Maybe there was one laying around on the train during your morning commute, but this day and age, a physical print newspaper is a form of media being consumed less and less.

With the countless number of better ways to receive up-to-the-minute news and information, newspapers just don’t stand a chance. The problem for most news organizations is that newspaper subscriptions and advertising have made up a significant chunk of their revenue, and those two areas have been struggling with the rise of new media.

So it makes sense that those interested in preserving journalism are concerned with finding ways for it to connect with readers through new media. Enter Adriano Farano, who spoke at Augmented Reality Event earlier this month about the topic of augmented reality and journalism.

To hear how Adriano thinks these two industries can come together, check out the video of his talk embedded below!

We’re churning out videos from Augmented Reality Event 2011 like a machine, and today we have a rather special one for you. ARE opened again with a keynote from sci-fi author and futurist Bruce Sterling, but this year, things didn’t exactly go as planned (or did they?).

Before Bruce could begin his speech, he was interrupted by an organization calling themselves the Space Liberation Front. Their origins are, shall we say, mysterious. The group rushed the stage dressed in white hazmat suits and preceded to dramatically read their manifesto for the freeing of space.

Sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?

It’s all quite entertaining to witness, so have a look in the video embedded below. Following their brief interruption, of course, is Bruce’s keynote to open the festivities at ARE, so enjoy that as well! We’ll be back with even more ARE 2011 videos as the week continues!

Photo by akihitok1973 on Flickr.