They are all the rage these days. Movies in 3D. Soon it will be hard to see a movie at a cinema without having to wear those silly glasses. It’s also a new excuse to add to the ticket price. But in reality it is all just a gimmick, yes, even for those ultra-gimicky movies like Avatar.

That’s right. I’ve said it. I didn’t really enjoy Avatar. It went on and on and frankly I’m kind of annoyed that the humans didn’t wipe out the blue guys. Sure the movie was visually very fancy and there were lots of ooing and ahing about the 3D visuals (which I agree were spectacular), but in adding the third dimension to the visuals the movie lost one of the most important dimensions, substance.

And that’s where the problem really lies. The addition of 3D to the movie world has just given the movie makers of today yet another distraction from actually making a good movie. You know, one where you actually care about the characters.

The other thing that bugs me about movies in 3D is that it can make it very difficult to focus on what is going on. Although I will give credit to The Last Airbender which made only very subtle use of 3D and I could actually read the text when it appeared without straining. Piranha on the other hand made the text almost impossible to read.

I seriously question the need for presenting films in three dimensions. Movie makers have been using a simple two dimensional screen for years and doing just fine. They use lighting, shadows and other fancy tricks to provide the illusion of depth and when you are caught up in the movie you don’t even really notice. So I think that’s where the problem really is. In 3D movies all I notice is that it is in 3D and it becomes harder to recognise and interpret the story that is actually happening on the screen. It sounds odd, but I find it harder to actually immerse myself in a 3D film.

I suppose one big reason the studios might be pushing for more 3D film releases apart from the increased ticket prices is that it might be a way to thwart some camcorder piracy of their movies. Although It would probably be fairly simple to put a filter on the camera so that’s probably a stupid reason.

And if the kids out there want to really play with the whole three dimensional thing, I suggest placing two objects one behind the other. Close one eye and line up your sight so that the back object is obscured. Now alternately close and open each eye. It’s like magic.

Photo courtesy of William Denniss. Used with permission.

I’ve been getting progressively more and more annoyed at the use of Instant Messaging in the workplace. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a fantastic way to get quick messages across to people and for communicating across boundaries (such as across the other side of the building), but I feel that there are a few rules that should be followed if Instant Messaging is going to be an effective form of communication.

1. If you want something or are asking a question put it in your first message.

Every time I am interrupted by an instant message that just says “Hi” or “Rhys” I scream a little inside. This “handshaking protocol” has broken my concentration and I am now trying to work out what the person wants. I can even see that they are feverously trying to type their actual message. Why waste my previous cycles by forcing me to process a single useless “header” and wait for the actual body. Send the header and the body at the same time!! As an example:

Hi Rhys, do you have time for a quick test review?

This message is concise, expresses the point and can easily be responded to, like so:

I’m busy. Go away.

Ok, in reality it would probably be more like this:

Sure

Or if I really am busy:

Can it wait? I am in the middle of something and should be ready in about 20 minutes.

2. Send complete messages

The last example leads us into the next rule, send complete messages. Don’t leave the recipient of your message guessing. Sure, you can’t answer all possible questions at once, but at least answer the most obvious ones. Empower the person you are communicating with  by giving them the information they need to make a decision so that the conversation can end quickly.

3. Don’t let conversations drag on

If an Instant Messaging conversation is going on too long it is a good indication that the process has broken down. If possible it may be time to get up and speak to the person the old fashioned way. You’ll be able to get more information processed more quickly. If you can’t speak in person, use a telephone or if there is just a lot of information that you need to pass, write an email.

Final words

I’m sure there are more rules that could be applied, but I know that if everyone could follow the first rule I’d be much much happier.