3D was better in the 1950s

This year I've seen various companies having a crack at 3D and I'm yet to be convinced. 3D TV remains little more than an irritating gimmick, 3D cinema often spoils films and 3D gaming has been so unpopular it has sent developers scurrying for cover. A couple of weeks ago I came across a piece of technology from the 1950s that does 3D rather well...

I was recently back at my old family home having a nosey around the very hot, very dusty attic. Behind the Christmas tree decorations and old books and journals I found something rather unexpected; a View-Master 3-Dimension Viewer Model E. This is 3D...1950s style.

Made from beautiful brown bakelite, the View-Master Model E was made in the 1950s in huge numbers. I've even tracked down the original box and a large collection of images to view in it.

The images are contained on a circular disk and the 3D effect works by combining the two images, one for each eye, into one. This is the same technique that is used in a lot of 3D technology today. To view the images, place a slide into the top of the View-Master, hold it up to your eyes and pull down on the lever on the side to move between images.

Even after half a century the pictures are still bright and crisp; even the 3D effect is really effective. There are images of France, Austria, Italy, England, Norway and Sweden along with some strange picture-stories such as Alice in Wonderland and Hansel and Gretel.

Not just a great piece of history, but a reminder that sometimes 'new' technology isn't all that new at all...