Part of my THE WAY I SEE IT series, where I quick-hit a few topics per week.

Okay, that would be extreme, but who’s to say someone isn’t going to think how cool it would be to see their dwindling balance as if they were Michael Douglas’ character in Disclosure? They’re already going at it with games on mobile devices. There would be nothing like bobbing your head around while standing in line at Starbucks playing fighter pilot on your smartphone, right?

I’m not totally against 3-D, but, I have to be honest, the big wave of demands and production lines is of serious concern. I know the technology is so much better than it was when I watched (and was utterly disappointed, I might add) JAWS 3-D, but it’s still not something I want to become a standard in my life. I can assure you, if 3-D games, movies and television shows become the standard, I’ll be watching and liking these forms of entertainment a whole lot less, and here’s why:

  • I get eye strain as it is. I don’t care what anyone says, watching inanimate objects flying at you for a long period of time can’t be good.
  • Too many people won’t take it in moderation, then they’ll drive. Ever play Tetris for hours on end? The after-effect of seeing shapes floating all over the place, even while at the grocery store, is a major distraction.
  • It will take too long to pass any laws banning it’s use in vehicles, and even then, people will do it anyway.
  • People already text and watch YouTube clips while driving. Do you get where I’m going with this? Dodge, duck, drive, duck, drive, dodge…
  • Call me old fashioned, but I still believe in “treats” and I have always found 3-D to be a treat. It’s like enjoying Purdy’s truffles during the holidays. It’s something I look forward to and if I did it every day, they’d wind up being no better than a Snickers bar.

It’s my hope that networks, film companies and game producers realize that there are plenty of people who don’t want to be tied to 3-D and create options. And, that somehow, front-seat mounted screens in vehicles are 3-D disabled.

On a funny note, during July 4th festivities they were passing out special glasses so you could watch the fireworks in 3-D. We asked, “Aren’t the fireworks already in 3-D?” We got confusing looks in return. Turns out they were prism viewers, and thus just added rainbow bursts to each white or yellow light source. I could stand it for about 20 seconds.