P3D Re: DIRDS not SIRDS (how about BIRDS? ;-) )

[Larry Berlin <lberlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 
>From: roberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (John W Roberts)
>..........(quoted).........
>>Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 07:44:56 -0700
>>From: jacob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Gabriel Jacob)
>>Subject: P3D Re: DIRDS not SIRDS (how about BIRDS? ;-) )
>
>>Meet Carl Pulfrich
>
>>[Quote]
>>Perhaps the most interesting thing about this illusion is that it was
>>predicted before it was discovered. Carl Pulfrich, the man for whom it
>>is named, understood vision so well that he knew this illusion would
>>exist before anyone had ever stumbled onto it. He ran the whole thing
>>in his head. Then told his laboratory assistants exactly what to do,
>>exactly what to expect, and he was exactly right. Pulfrich, incidentally,
>>never saw the illusion himself. He was BLIND in one eye!
>
>Thanks for the answer to my question. I think it illustrates that both
>reasoning and observation of phenomena are legitimate ways to make new
>discoveries. Once the discovery was made, the Pulfrich technique could
>be employed fairly inexpensively.

****  I still maintain, based on elements of the story alone, that he must
have had some sort of partial vision in his *blind* eye which allowed him to
have a real life experience with the phenomena. What is unique is that he
was able to notice, understand and translate what for him was common
experience to a method that worked for those with good vision in both eyes. 

I started with a natural interest in stereo imaging, but didn't *take off*
till stereograms came along. Much of what I know about stereo anything has
derived from *playing it in my head*, then working it out in reality. That's
part of the excitement for me. I've never considered the process to be
really unique or unusual though it might seem that way to some who may not
do such things. 

>
>Similar cases:
>- Buckminsterfullerene (C60) was proposed before it was manufactured.
>  Then it was discovered that it isn't all that rare.
>- Helium was discovered on the sun before it was discovered on earth.
>- The existence of aluminum was known before it was extracted from its
>  compounds. (And for a while, it was more expensive than gold. :-)

****  I think our current basic model of electron orbits and atomic
structure arrived in a dream on the part of a dedicated researcher... a
dream that changed the world.

I'm dreamin of more 3D in 98... :-)

Larry Berlin

Email: lberlin@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.sonic.net/~lberlin/
http://3dzine.simplenet.com/


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