| Holography, on the other hand, simulates the function of the brain behind the scenes. The brain is where the action is. After all, what do the eyes know! Much of the interest in holography is due to the fact this technology may be imitating the brain, as Karl Pribram argues, and much of the interest in the holographic theory of the mind is due to the fact that the brain, in turn, may be imitating the universe, as David Bohm argues.9 This is not so surprizing - the brain is designed to know and understand the universe and is thus probably constructed according to the same principles.
The big dis advantage of holography is that it is based on coherent light whereas photography is based on incoherent (that is, natural) light. New developments suggest that holography may make a breakthrough in overcoming this problem.10 Coherent light is, of course, of only one colour. The step forward into a 3-D image would require a step backward into a monochromatic image. This is being solved by the use of three separate pulsed lasers to achieve a full colour image. To remain coherent, the light must not be submitted to any vibration. This is being solved by increasingly powerful lasers and increasingly faster emulsions. Coherent light can be perceived from a very limited vantage point. This is being solved by projection screens which multiply and focus the projected image to each member of the audience.
The time dimension can be introduced into the hologram through the movements of the viewer. Visitors to the Images in Time and Space exhibition at Expotec in Montreal in 1987 may remember a hologram blowing them a kiss. However, this is minor foray into the fourth dimension. The fourth dimension of time which holographic movies add to traditional holography requires vast amounts of memory. Stephen Benton of M.I.T. is exploring a digital-to-hologram converter, a computer peripheral device which would receive, send, and interpret holographic information within a computer network environment. Once again, fiber optics and optical storage devices may be able to transmit and store the vast amounts of information required for holographic TV.
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