| Also, back in 1838, Charles Wheatstone reveales the secret of scratch-holograms, but he never followed up on it. http://amasci.com/amateur/holowhtstn.txt He did say that the 3D light-effect seen in lathe-turned metal plates led him to discover human stereopsis, to draw stereo pairs, ending up as the stereo camera and stereopticon. So, that Stereopticon-path of research, it attracted Wheatstone away, and changed the history which mighta-been. We ALMOST had Victorian steampunk holography, a century before lasers existed. Ever heard of the Rose-engine lathe? Ever heard of a "ruling engine?" That's how diffraction gratings were made, back in the day. A similar sort of precision machine, equipped with some Jaquard-loom punchcards, could have been turning out giant scratch-hologram masters. (Then stamp out copies, just like vinyl or lac or wax records!) Someone discovered it all, back in 1979. Built a joystick-controlled motorized scriber-machine. Produced some 3D artwork. Then died without releasing the secret. 1979? 1838? the big question is, did The Masons know about scratch holograms? Encoding secret messages in polished metal surfaces? Gaze into the works of centuries-old silversmiths, held out under sunlight, see if some little "sandpaper marks" produce tiny words or pictures, floating down inside the metal ...unsuspected by all non-initiates! |