Re: Rent-DrT or Visit-DrT?

[P3D Paul Talbot <ptww@xxxxxxxxx>]

Re: George Themelis counters Sam Smith's clever "Rent-a-George"
suggestion with a discussion of the "Visit-DrT" alternative.  I
told the good Doctor that I was reluctant to mention my visit on the
list, for fear of causing a stampede to his front door!  But I see
the word is already out.  George, I suppose, would be thrilled to
have all 950 or so P3D subscribers enroll in the Visit-DrT program.
I have to wonder, though, how MrsT (aka "Saint Liz") would react.  I
suspect she has *already* earned enough points for cannonization...
for being so cheerfully accommodating of DrT's fanatical pursuit of
everything stereoscopic.  :)

George already mentioned many of the highlights of the Visit-DrT
program, like projecting 400 slides in 2 hours (it went by so fast
I never would have guessed it was that many!) so I have just a few
points to add.  One unintended effect of watching a well-executed
slide projection at the DrT museum one night, and the slide of the
year entries at Detroit the next night, was being made painfully
aware that expensive equipment and a bunch of letters after your
name don't automatically make you a good stereo projectionist.  DrT
at the controls of a humble TDC 116 made for easy stereo viewing,
quite in contrast to Detroit the following night.  (Note that the
regular Detroit projectionist--P3D's own Derek Gee--was regrettably
*not* given the projectionist duties that night.)

Jim ("10 bucks or less") Motley brought along several of his hundreds
of free NBC Pulfrich glasses, leading George to experiment with them
(unsuccessfully) in the car.  Being away from my PC for several days,
I did not know this had been briefly mentioned on the list recently.
Some experimentation soon led to the realization for me that Pulfrich
in a moving vehicle (dark lens over trailing eye) creates a hyperstereo
motion picture effect in real-time.  Fences and trees along the side
of the road appear shrunken and seem to pass by much more slowly with
the Pulfrich glasses in place.  When advised of these specific effects,
even Pulfrich-naysayer DrT admitted they were happening for him too!
(Please do this as a *passenger*, not as the driver!)

"Seeing DrT in action" consisted of much more than watching him frost
halogen bulbs!  He disassembled *both* of my Realists for different
adjustments at 2am after the Detroit meeting; demonstrated his "Albion
guide mount" mounting technique; deployed his finely-honed wheeling
and dealing abilities to try to acquire 3D equipment and images; and
even interacted with the P3D list!  I intended to take a stereo photo
of DrT at the keyboard, but it was apparent it would be futile to
attempt indoors at night with my Realist.  If you've ever seen "ghost
people" in a time exposure, you can imagine what I mean: it would have
been impossible to catch even a blur of DrT's fingers without the fast
shutter speeds of an RBT, and I didn't have my club's loaner RBT with
me! ;)  (Missed my chance at an award winning "After Hours" photo!)

And of course it was great to meet, "live and in-person," DrT, his
good wife and charming kids, and some of the Detroit club members,
including several from P3D.  Yes, you can consider this an unsolicited
endorsement of the "Visit-DrT" program.  One bit of advice, however:
even if, like me, you are used to keeping hours comparable to DrT's,
try to avoid arriving already exhausted from two days of family
visiting/partying!

Paul Talbot, VDT Phase I graduate


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