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These are all of the old posts from the first two years of the forum. They are locked.
Updated: 2005-03-28 by HoloM (the god)
Gary

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Post by Gary »

Um...
>>I feel that if anyone here wants to become commercial, they should state it.

Ok. I want to become commercial.
Not that it's actually going to happen, around here there's about as much market for art holography as there is for fluorescent pink butt-prints on irrigation motors. The next time I get back with the beam I think I'll try doing some cool little religious icons and see if anybody likes those enough to give me a couple dollars for one. Or I'll just give them away. Lately I'm fiddling with large format photography and anodizing and still can't seem to remember to cut a chunk of film to mail to Michael, and am nowhere near rationalizing the cost of the equipment for doing DCG. I might actually be able to make enough money doing anodizing to pay for the equipment and supplies I bought (<$150), but the cameras will probably always be a losing proposition.

If we'd never shared ideas we'd still be eating the bugs we picked out of each other's fur.
John, keep posting, good idea or bad, technical info, silliness, whatever.
Dinesh, you've been an incredible fount of information, but don't forget that when an aficionado is seen as knowledgeable or expert it takes some of the load off the rest. Much of the technical info you post is so far over my head I can't even hear it go by, but that's no reason to stop.
If some glean info from this forum and use it to make money, so be it. Couldn't Tesla have been defined as a hobbyist that ended up making money? It happens. If I post an idea and anyone takes it and makes money with it, they should feel obligated to cut me a token check when the net income passes the seven figure mark, based on how much the idea had to do with the final result. shrug If I post such a thing here, neither Dinesh nor anyone else should hesitate to seize upon it. In another venue I might patent or sell the info, but not here because I see a larger purpose in this and it is inevitable that some will give more than they take, and vice versa. I'm assembling process info in another discipline that I hope to sell later, but that field is already self-supporting.

The market for non-essential items has been poor for the last couple of years, a thing I am painfully familiar with. I'd wish upon Dinesh and Joy a lucrative GM or Ford Aerospace contract, but have no more contacts to initiate such. All I can suggest is trying to enter a few more niche markets, preferably those that already exist, as I've been doing in my own field. Remember to avoid confining yourself to a "holographic-only" position...
Competition in a narrow field can be problematic, as you've found.

I could go on for another few thousand words, but I'll just say this:
Some people will come here looking not for information on making holograms, but where to buy them, or more importantly, have them made. Why is there no "Buy Holograms" link right up at the top, where those people can find it? Designated for commercial sales (legal business entity) only, perhaps only for sales by actual holographers rather than resale shops, even if Dinesh is the only one listed. If we want to keep holography alive, shouldn't we make at least a minor effort to support one of our major contributors?

Jon (holodisc) had much to say on this subject, and while I didn't agree with him on every point I do miss the occasional grenade-in-the-stewpot.

-Gary
danny bruza

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Post by danny bruza »

but not for this forum
Kaveh Bazargan

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Post by Kaveh Bazargan »

I feel I need to say a few words after recent exchanges here. The reason for the delay in replying is that I am 'on the road', with bad internet access. Normally I check the forum around 10 times a day with excitement and anticipation to see something new. So I write this post with the aim of helping keep the forum as it is.

Dinesh referred to his and John Pecora's articles which I should comment on.

Dinesh's article

Dinesh submitted an article on Silver Halide processing. It had a lot of information, and I spent a lot of time reading and copy editing it, but in the end I felt it didn't fit in with the 'informal' and 'alternative' feel of the Holographer. The instructions for authors are clearly set out on the site and I specifically ask authors to take note of them.

I did mention to Dinesh that my decision not to include it was in no way due to lack of accuracy or quality. I also mentioned it would make a great chapter in a book which Dinesh could and should write, with his encyclopedic knowledge of holography and the related technnical background.

John's article

I happened to mention in an exchange with John Pecora some months back that perhaps he would like to contribute an article. He said he could not contribute much, but perhaps a short set of tips for holography might be made into an article. He wrote it and I thought some of the tips were useful, and it fitted into the 'tips and tricks' department which I was keen to have. So I was happy to publish it. It's a light-hearted and easy to read article, but of course contains nothing earth shattering.

Mathematics

On this point, I do hold the opinion that math should be used minimally when explaining concepts, and only when it is really needed. Perhaps it's just because my math isn't that strong, and I 'switch off' when I see gobbledygook!

Discussions about dispersion, etc

I have no complaints about John pressing the point about the dispersion in the vodka bottle hologram. I enjoyed the challenges of working out what the image would look like in white light, with different recording geometries. The exchanges might have been useful to other holographers, and might be good to have in the archives of the forum. I for one have no problem if John makes millions out of it. In the end it will be to the benefit of holography. The hologram was of superb quality I thought.

The Holographer

I did think twice about posting updates to the forum, i.e. using the forum as an advertising medium. I made sure I asked in the same post that people register on the site so that in future updates can be directly communicated to those interested.

I would say that the Holographer is in no way a competition to Network54 as it deals with self contained articles, and is not a forum. I should say I hope to have forums, but ones related to specific articles, so people can discuss an article as soon as it is published.

I derive no income from the Holographer. On the contrary, I have spent a lot of money trying to make it professional in look and content. The logo itself cost $1000 from original concept. This might seem a lot, but I believe in giving graphic designers the freedom to create, and I wanted to have a logo which could stand the test of time. I have just given the go ahead for an $800 revamp of the 'look and feel' of the site. Also, all articles have to be processed and typeset, copy edited etc. These are done at my company, so effecively the companny is subsidizing it. I have no plans to derive income from the site. So if I 'advertise' the site, at least it is not for commercial gain, but to provide a professional medium for display holography which deserves to live on and flourish. I do agree that using 'Home page for holographers' as the signature is too much, as presently I would consider this forum to be the home page, so I have removed that line.

Anyway, a bit of background to dispel any misconceptions.

Like others, I look forward to more postings from John, Dinesh and others. It is people's contributions that have made this forum so successful.

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