Surprising Science — August 17, 2010

World’s First 3D Camera

A new digital camera unveiled today presents pictures in three dimensions without the use of special glasses. The photos can be printed or viewed on the camera’s digital display.

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A new digital camera unveiled today presents pictures in three dimensions without the use of special glasses. The photos can be printed or viewed on the camera’s digital display. “Photographs on Fujifilm’s new FinePix camera can be printed on special 3D paper, ready to stick in the family photo album or be instantly viewed on the camera’s built-in display. Unlike the 3D films in cinemas, special glasses do not need to be worn to show the 3D image. Fujifilm’s camera takes two photos simultaneously from its two lenses which are fixed a similar distance apart to human eyes. Using ‘lenticular’ technology, the separate left and right eye images are interlaced on a furrowed surface to create the stereoscopic illusion.”

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Selfies and the Corrosion of Human Memory

In an attempt to be original, to stand out amongst the almost 300 million other selfies on Instagram, we actually fade into the background. We become mundane. Photos are no longer about remembering an event; they’re about displaying. They’re about showing the world who we are, who we wish to be. And it’s damaging our ability to remember.

A person in a suit embodies the Five Ps—poise, precision, performance, presentation, and passion—as they play a trumpet and hold a cloth against a plain background.

Business

Why great communicators listen to the music of “The Five Ps”

Radically improve your work-life speaking and presentation skills with a technique used by musicians and brand-name politicians.

The cover of "Beyond Stoicism" by Pigliucci, Lopez, and Kunz masterfully blends historical philosopher portraits into a circular design, reflecting the depth and timeless relevance of stoicism.

Thinking

Navigate to the “three ports” of ancient philosophy to find the good life

Pleasure, virtue, and doubt are necessary, but each is insufficient on its own.

Three historical documents: Two titled "Reflections on the Weekly Bill of Mortality" surround an illustration of a plague doctor in a bird-like mask holding a staff, with a cityscape in the background. The scene captures the dark brilliance of an era grappling with mortality.

The Past

The dark brilliance of John Graunt: “Father of modern statistics”

An extraordinary haberdasher obsessed with buttons, lace collars, and death pioneered modern statistical analysis during the Age of Reason.

Starts With A Bang

25-year update on the “Millennium problems” in physics

In the year 2000, physicists created a list of the ten most important unsolved problems in their field. 25 years later, here’s where we are.

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Creative Financing

With federal interest rates already near zero, the Federal Reserve is using an unconventional tool called quantitative easing—buying large assets to inject more money into the economy.