Posted by Christina Folz, OPN Managing Editor

According to a well-known sociological theory, everyone on the planet can be linked to any other person through six connections, or "degrees of separation." How well can you apply this concept to make connections between the following popular celebrities and optical pioneers? Please post your answers here as a "comment" or send them to us via e-mail at opn@osa.org.

1. Connect Edwin Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation and inventor of the Polaroid camera (and namesake of OSA's Edwin H. Land Medal) to Dolly Parton, queen of country music, by no more than five people.

2. Connect Sir Arthur Eddington, an astrophysicist who brought the theory of relativity to the English-speaking world, to baseball great Joe DiMaggio, by no more than five people.

3. Connect Max Born, Nobel prize winner in physics (and namesake of OSA's Max Born Award), to socialite Paris Hilton, by no more than five people.

4. Connect Nicholas Negroponte, tech guru and 2007 OFC/NFOEC plenary speaker, to Ralph Lauren, famous American fashion designer, by no more than five people.

5. Connect Robert Metcalfe, Ethernet inventor and 2008 OFC/NFOEC plenary speaker, to martial arts star Chuck Norris, by no more than five people.

These puzzles were first published in Insight, OSA's staff newsletter. The OPN team would like to thank Annabella Goff and the OSA marketing team for allowing us to use them for OPN.

2008-11 November, Optics history optics history, puzzles, scientists

Posted by Christina Folz, OPN Managing Editor 

The Nov. 11 Kojo Nnamdi show on NPR featured a fascinating interview with OSA member Tung H. Jeong, professor emeritus at Lake Forest College. Jeong discussed the technology of holograms as part of the show's "Tech Tuesday" segment. Jeong was asked about CNN's use of a so-called "holographic" technology when it beamed 3D images of its guests into the network's studio on election night. Jeong pointed out that those images were not actual holograms--and explained why. In fact, he said, "there is no relationship between the two except showing images." Jeong was later joined by physicist Hans Jurgen Kreuzer of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. The two described how the field of holography is advancing to include new applications in data storage, cellular manipulation, and holographic 3D TV. Regarding the latter: Because everyone would have to wear their own special glasses to see the holographic images, a key advantage is that "you don't have to fight for the remote," Jeong said.

2008-11 November, Miscellaneous Optics television, holography, 3d, optics

Posted by Christina Folz, OPN Managing Editor 

I recently heard from OSA Fellow Pablo Artal about his cool blog, Optics Confidential. Artal is a topical editor of JOSA A and a professor at Murcia University in Spain. His blog is presented in a Q & A format. Artal answers confidential questions from graduate students about optics, science, technology, ethics, and more. Although much of the content is focused on Artal's own research and interest areas (visual and biomedical optics), he also provides general advice on how to give a good scientific presentation, for example, or how to ensure that your work is correctly cited. Check it out! 

2008-11 November, Biomedical optics social networking, social media, blogging, osa, biomedical optics, vision, ethics