If you enjoyed Avatar back in 2K9 or Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over or Mission Impossible or James Bond or The Great Gatsby or Hugo (Martin Scorsese) or Terminator or Titanic (1996) or Top Gun or Jurassic Park/World or Harry Potter or Hobbit movies or Planet of the Apes movies or Fast & Furious movies or Need for Speed or Steven Spielberg movies or horror movies or any animated movie or any Comic-Book movie or the Nintendo 3DS and its over 1,500 Games in 3D as a child and/or adult in these past several decades and beyond, you can probably thank Valerie Thomas for those experiences. A Black woman, she was the NASA scientist who made 3D movies possible. During her time at the aeronautics institute, she worked on several groundbreaking projects and earned herself numerous awards including the Goddard Space Flight Center Award of Merit and NASA's Equal Opportunity Medal. She gave back to her community too, by mentoring young folks through NASA's various programs. It all began when she gained an interest in science as a young girl herself.
Early Life
Thomas observed her father working on the television as a child. Her interest in STEM was first sparked when she saw the mechanical parts inside the TV. Then, at the age of eight, she read The Boy's First Book on Electronics. Despite her father's own interest in electronics, he refused to help his daughter with the projects in the book. In addition to this, she was not encouraged to pursue science at the all-girls school she attended. Nonetheless, she managed to take one course on physics. Although she did not receive much support at home or from school, Thomas went on to study at Morgan State University, where she was one of only two women majoring in physics. After excelling in her mathematics and science courses, she graduated and went on to work for NASA.
Career with NASA
When Thomas first began her stint at NASA in 1964, she joined as a data analyst. Until 1970, she developed real-time computer data systems to support satellite operations control centers. From then to 1981, she oversaw the creation of the Landsat program and went on to become an international expert on Landsat data products. The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise for the acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. Additionally, the scientist led a team of about 50 people for the Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE) project. LACIE demonstrated the feasibility of using space technology to automate the process of predicting wheat yield on a worldwide basis. She eventually worked her way up to associate chief of the Space Science Data Operations Office at NASA, shattering several challenges as an African-American woman.
3D Technology
In 1976, Thomas attended a scientific seminar where she chanced upon an exhibit that demonstrated an illusion using a light bulb. Using concave mirrors, the exhibit fooled the viewer into believing that a light bulb was glowing even after it had been unscrewed from its socket. This inspired the scientist, who began experimenting with flat and concave mirrors. While the former would have a reflection on a certain object that would seem to be behind the glass, the latter would have a reflection that would actually be in front of the glass, producing a three-dimensional illusion. This is what formed the basis of 3D technology. Four years later, on October 21, 1980, Thomas obtained the patent for the illusion transmitter, a device that NASA still uses today.
Later Life
Thomas, who has authored several scientific papers, retired from the agency as the associate chief of NASA's Space Science Data Operations Office, manager of the NASA Automated Systems Incident Response Capability, and chair of the Space Science Data Operations Office Education Committee at the end of August 1995. The former NASA scientist is now 78-years-old.
And looking at movies released in the past 6 years, you can tell that Cinematography and Choreography have abnormally skyrocketed, thanks to soo many new movies being made with 3D in mind. So Valerie Thomas has had a much more bigger impact on the American (and Chinese etc.) Filmmaking industry then people realize. If she didn't give the 21st Century 3D Movies with technology that makes the experience enjoyable for 90+% of people (since 2K5) then no one would have invented D-Box seats to add to the experience, and the South Koreans would have never made 4DX to further add to the experience, and companies would have never try to tackle the issues of Headaches, Nausea, Eye-Strain and Disorientation; which are Literally the Only reasons why Laser Projectors and HDR (High Dynamic Range) were ever invented/made at all whatsoever in the first & only place. Not to mention "Valerie Thomas" is most likely also why Lightfield displays have been invented. Its called the Domino Effect, and 1 proud Black Woman is the cause of all this.
........So if you're wondering why its so common for Cis White Male Heterosexuals to hate 3D and everyone else to predominately like 3D, well white males telling other white males who tell another white male (talk about 6 degrees) their "talking points" about 3D being about things flying out of the screen and being a roller coaster ride (despite NO 3D Movies being like that these past 10 years); that they most likely got such talking points from alt-right and/or Evangelical Christian sites. (Evangelicals really hate 3D, which seems weird until you find out that 91% of all Evangelicals are white nationalists)
So if you're wondering why white people who hate 3D make up 80% of people who don't like 3D, while 80+% of us P.O.C.'s (people of color) love 3D, well now you know why. Just look at the 2 least popular continents in the world for 3D, i.e. North America and Europe. But don't worry because half of all Caucasian people do like 3D, which ironically reflects percentage numbers of each ethnicity voting for what presidential candidate during a general election, funny enough.
So let's try to hold over age 50 white people in Hollywood; known as Studio Boards (Executives, Vice President, CEO etc.) accountable for excluding America from 3D Screenings of movies they have in 3D; by Signing + Sharing the Petition:
Click Here to Sign and Share Petition
Don't forget The Batman is said to be Matt Reeves latest 3D Movie coming out this March 4th. Valerie Thomas continues to contribute to people's lives all the time even now that she's retired, LOL but true. So if you're black and/or a woman, you have a lot more to be pride of your peoples creation and accomplishments, inspirations and innovations then whatever little actually gets mentioned in the media and our schools.
Thursday, Feb 10, 2022 · 7:49:36 AM +00:00
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Kaizar
Disclaimer: I got the 91% of Evangelicals being White Nationalist information from Real Time with Bill Maher via Bill Maher, so its most likely much lower then 91%, since Bill Maher is a horrible source of information. In my defense; he said this like 5 years ago when a lot of people use to watch his show.