At the Reuben H. Fleet in San Diego, their gift shop was a cornucopia of curiosities and knick-knacks for the Space Age. Including astronaut food, I got some amazing stuff there.
Once in the 1980s, their Science Center had some impressive hologram exhibits. There were vivid 3D images that you could walk around and inspect and marvel at. I was seriously amazed. So of course I felt compelled to purchase a hologram from the gift shop.
Well, the "hologram" I purchased was legit. It was a laser-produced headshot of a female model and it was 3D just like in the exhibit. Sadly, it was not really viable once I got it home.
You see, it was sold to me on a sheet of film, and that's it. It was totally inexpensive for them to produce, but it wasn't complete! The instructions or whatever, they said that it needed to be mounted and viewed in a cylinder with a strong light-source mounted inside! In other words, the enclosure and fixture equipment, not included, was essential to a good experience.
As a kid I really did feel cheated by that. Selling those films was sensational but utterly useless. I held onto that thing for years, though. You could kinda see it by holding it near a lightbulb and bending it. But it was a far cry from the exhibit that had commanded my childlike interest. Sadly.
Once in the 1980s, their Science Center had some impressive hologram exhibits. There were vivid 3D images that you could walk around and inspect and marvel at. I was seriously amazed. So of course I felt compelled to purchase a hologram from the gift shop.
Well, the "hologram" I purchased was legit. It was a laser-produced headshot of a female model and it was 3D just like in the exhibit. Sadly, it was not really viable once I got it home.
You see, it was sold to me on a sheet of film, and that's it. It was totally inexpensive for them to produce, but it wasn't complete! The instructions or whatever, they said that it needed to be mounted and viewed in a cylinder with a strong light-source mounted inside! In other words, the enclosure and fixture equipment, not included, was essential to a good experience.
As a kid I really did feel cheated by that. Selling those films was sensational but utterly useless. I held onto that thing for years, though. You could kinda see it by holding it near a lightbulb and bending it. But it was a far cry from the exhibit that had commanded my childlike interest. Sadly.