Holograms: Proof Lasers Can Do More Than Kill Aliens

Thanks again, Mela.  You've now given me ideas for two entries.  We still don't know each other that well and you're already an official sponsor of "A Year of Positives", with all the rights and privileges afforded that title (which consist of being mentioned in this sentence and the keywords at the bottom.)

Holograms are fascinating bits of artistry.  I'm no physicist, so I won't even attempt to explain how they work (mainly because I don't know.)  There are plenty of sites out there to confuse you thoroughly on the subject.  I'll just point out the obvious.  Holograms are 3D images captured on a 2D display medium using lasers and interference patterns.  Stare very carefully at the text in this entry.  Notice how it appears in full, unremarkable 2D?  That's because it isn't a hologram.

Now here's the part that will really bake your noodle.  If you take a true hologram (the image on your credit card won't work) and cut the image in half, you're left with two full copies of the entire image.  Cut both of those halves in half and you're left with four copies of the full image.  It doesn't matter how small you cut the pieces.  Regardless of the size or where the pieces are cut from they will always contain all the information from the original image.  Somehow the whole is contained in each piece.  How?  Black magic, clearly.

Now imagine this.  Any information can be captured holographically.  Instead of capturing a photo we could just as easily capture data.  Digital data,  like the information we currently save on computer hard drives.  Saving data holographically would revolutionize digital storage, completely precluding the need for back ups.  If a segment of your holodisk gets damaged, no big deal.  The remaining piece still contains all the information from the original.  Need to give someone a copy?  Just break off a chunk and hand it to them.  That tiny piece still somehow manages to contain everything the larger parent disk held.

It's mind-boggling, I know, but it's absolutely true.  Holograms are another example of just how astounding the physical universe is.

As an aside, I hope I never have to see that clown hologram close up.  CREEPY!