P3D "Terminology for two cents, Alex!"

[ddd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

 I remember this thread a occurring a couple years ago; I'll repost my opinion. 
 
  When i shop for stereo antiques, i too experience trouble with clerks thinking in the most basic terms. "Got any three dee stuff?" usually is met with a blank stare.  If they look experienced in their field of employment, i.e. older and visibly of a higher mentally-functional level <oh man, THAT'S a loaded one,...>, i'll have asked for "Stereocards or the like" and they'll 'get it'.If not,without whipping out an instructional pamphlet ("...that's 'Stereo Vision Explained,' Pueblo Colorado, 60619!") i try to reference quickly what it seems they might be most familiar with; something that would help them think of anything 3D (That's 'Stereoscopic', folks! ; ) ).  If the clerk is the "average Joe",  i have to go thru a list like the previous post-er, because if i just say, "You know, ViewMaster kind of stuff," they almost always only think of the disks or their hand viewers. They usually won't even realize the box of Vectographic eye test films under their hand or the box of 3D!
!
 comic books they're resting their foot on or the stack of lenticular postcards right next to the cash register are considered "3-D"
 
   Come to think of it, there really are a *lot* of different types of items utilizing fused binocular mental stereoscopic synthesis. After all, how many different ways of reproducing 3D vision are there? Look at lenticular prints; tons appear on the market as soon as theyre easily produced [xographs]. They even appeared on a monthly magazine. I consider these 3D, but people generally don't think of lenticulars thusly. This illustrates part of the problem with public perception of stereo vision. *Too Many Variables*
  There's just too much minutiae for the collector, relative to peoples understanding of things that don't impact their lives directly.

   Which brings me around to the thread ("...a gasp and a cheer of 'finally!' was heard among the crowd!" :-) )-
 
      *Let's just call it all _STEREO_ *
 
   Historically, 'stereo' meant 'stereophonic', but only after it became abbreviated. 'Stereophonic' followed 'Hi  Fi', itself abbreviated from 'High Fidelity.' (Anyone notice how 'HiFi' now refers to the imaging circuitry in a VCR now? It seldom means Stereophonic.) Time has a way of thinning down words (Unless they're German,... ;-) );
 Let's just jump the gun and shorten the term 'stereoscopic' now and help create the *image of a cipher* <IMPORTANT PLOT POINT!>. Calling it simply 'stereo' begs clarification for those who don't understand inherently, and prods those may be curious. You know, something to actually _give pause_ to the uninformed, to create an interest. Even the briefest break in peoples mental routines could open the door for learning about something they feel "left out of."  If they look quizzical, even if it's just a twitch of the eyebrow, that means the brain is switching into gear, and you can bet they'll ask what you mean. A *Quick And Concise* definition of stereoscopy is likely to register in their minds, perhaps even leaving a seed in their long-term memory to grow into an interest like We the Afflicted have.
    (*Quick and Concise* is the key; no one wants to be force-fed trivia by a blithering zealot. [self-deprecating-humor alert!] And you gotta admit, we as a group _do_ have a propensity to sport pocket protectors and/or exhibit what Society could term  'unusually strong convictions for their interests'. Especially the Elitist among us would bore the casual listener expressly to elevate (alienate?) himself among his peers.) <...Oh Man! Will he EVER cut that stuff out?!> 
 
   After all, don't words only represent abstract thoughts? Well, let "stereo" represent the original Greek derivative of 'solid' and let the Public Mind catch up to _us_. I totally agree that "dumbing down" is  ultimately a society-damaging problem.
 
   Whatever we call it, i believe we're just gonna have to tough-it out, and pleasantly and patiently explain it to people who care enough to listen (Of course, they have to _want_ to learn something: 'Bevis' just isn't gonna care unless there's something directly impacting his existance or interests). After all, we, as "3-D" fans and verbal humans, really are somewhat set apart from the "Average Joe" <oh man, there's ANOTHER one,...>. I believe if we share an interest in something without forcing it, we can help to enlarge peoples perspective and do a service for the Gods of Greater Technical Understanding :-).
 
 
 tc
 
 
 P.S., "stereopticon" is actually a lantern projector for large (4"x4" +/-) two-dimensional glass slides, the kind of apparatus that displayed scenes between films at early-era theaters.More misinformation, uncorrected, that helped confuse the publics facts.


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