#176 - 3 D Technology

The 3D TVs are arriving on our shores. The spectacular special effects movie AVATAR wows theater goers with its 3D displays. So what is 3D and why are we now getting this technology in our homes?

There have been 3 D movies in some form since the beginning of motion pictures. The hey day of 3D was in the 50s. I remember as a child going to a theater and putting on one lens red and one lens blue glasses to see the film. In all it was great for a kid, not so much for adults.

The old method of 3D production is called Anaglyph. This method has the movie makers taking two images and superimposing them through two filters, one red and one cyan. The two images are then printed in the same complementary colors on white paper. Glasses with colored filters in each eye separate the appropriate images by canceling the filter color out and rendering the complementary color black.

A newer method, Polarized, uses two separate images are projected superimposed onto the same screen through different polarized filters. Two separate cameras record the images at the same time from slightly different perspective. Special polarized glasses are used to display the 3 D effects.

The move of 3D to TV has taken much longer. Phillips developed Lenticular technology which uses a lens to send different images to each of your eyes. This technology requires you sit directly in front of the screen. Good news is you don't need special glasses. Hyundai developed the passive glass 3D system which has two overlapping images. You have to wear special glasses for this technology. A fairly new technology called active glass system is similar to the passive system but puts the all the technology in the very special (and expensive) glasses.

We don't' have 3D computers yet, but I'll bet that will come soon.

#175 - Is that a Hoax or what?

An interesting show that I like to watch is Myth Busters. The show takes several premises (legends?) and by scientific method proves or disproves them. Great entertainment and usually good use of science.

Unfortunately on the Internet, there are lots of Hoaxes. People can say anything and send you an email or Facebook message that has no factual basis. How can you tell if a message is truth, lie or worse - a virus!

There are several sites on the Internet that are there just to help you determine exactly that. We like SNOPES, ABOUT and Truth or Fiction. We also will just type an Internet claim into google and see what comes up (on our MAC of course!).

About once a month some friend will forward to me some fantastical message meant to scare or upset people. Items like "Facebook to charge fees", "Cell Phones explode when ....", "And every lie you can think of about our President. This isn't meant to be about politics, I'm just saying that there are hoaxes being put out and you should check them out before worrying about them and/or passing them on to your friends.

If it sounds outrageous, it is; If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. If it makes you angry then someone may be pulling your chain. Forewarned is Forearmed.