An hilariouslly optimistic precursor to the Occulus or VR helmets : the ViewMaster

[sarahtasher]

I'm sure most Americans will recognize it, but a plastic version of it was very well known in the Québec of the sixties, where it got a new lease on life with the production of countless pious slides that were ''given'' to meritorious students. My dad ended up with dozens of slides on stuff like ''the return of the prodigual son'', ''Jesus wrecks the temple''...

The amusing point ? First, it was marketed as giving full three dimensions vision ! You could see in 3D Job ulcers and sores ! (Yeah, not really)

The second point ? Even in the prudish Québec of the 1960, there was a pornographic black market of illegal ''pinky'' slides. People used that device to...ahem....spice up their life. The desperation of times before the Internet....

(Then again, the second movie made by Méliès, likely the second movie ever produced, was a woman in her bath. I'm surprised it was not the first one)

(The high tech 3D machine)

[Powerogue]

I remember having one of these. That's certainly one of the weirder ways to push your religion. Mine just had kid's books because I was 6 years old.

[Nerdgasm]

I had something similar, full of religious slides about dinosaurs.

[sarahtasher]

The point is that this VR did not exactly worked.

[Kalis]

I remember these from when I was a kid, but we did not have religious stuff on it.

Is there a point to this thread? What are we supposed to discuss?

[sarahtasher]

What was sold as ''full 3D experience''in the fifties ?

[SL1200]

That was one of the best toys we had when I was a kid. Loved looking at disney cartoons in that. Me and my sister lived our view masters. It was a popular toy that had a 30 year plus run. I'm pretty sure I saw a modern one at a toy store recently.

[Milchshake]

What was sold as ''full 3D experience''in the fifties ?

You mean the 1850's? I present Oliver Wendell Holmes's American Steroscope.

[Reeve]

You mean the 1850's? I present Oliver Wendell Holmes's American Steroscope.

My grandparents have one of these. I used to love it as a kid. I think it might even have the same scrollwork on the sides.