Fixit: 3-D glasses trick your brain

Q How do 3-D glasses work? Will we ever be able to view 3-D movies without them?

A Probably not soon. In fact, we might be donning even more gear to see a 3-D show.

We see our world through eyes that are about 2 inches apart, so when we look at an object, we see two slightly different angles of the same image, according to How Stuff Works (www.how stuffworks.com). The brain has the ability to interpret and synthesize these images into one image, giving us a realistic view of what we see, including depth and distance.

3-D glasses and movies exploit these natural abilities so that we see moving images on a flat screen as if they were three-dimensional.

3-D movie screens and televisions actually display two images, shot by cameras from different angles. 3-D glasses allow one of the images to be seen by only one eye and the other to be seen by the other eye. The brain then combines them into a single image that has depth.

3-D movies were first popularized in the 1950s, but the technology has improved and will continue to advance. For example, University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed a vest with solenoid actuators that gives the wearer the feeling of percussion or touch. Tuned to an action movie, a wearer would feel a gunshot or slice of a knife, precisely where it would occur on the body, according to PhysOrg.com. If it catches on, you might be dressing for the movies in the lobby.

Brushing up on VOCs

A Until recently, most paints contained high levels of volatile organic compounds to enhance their performance. These VOCs produce an odor and gas that could be inhaled and is a health and environmental concern.

But they aren't necessary to get a good-quality paint. New paints use fewer or none of these chemicals. The paints are more pleasant to use and are less of a health and environmental hazard.

Latex paints tend to be lower in VOCs, which makes them less smelly than oil-based paints. But not all latex paint is low-VOC. If the paint is labeled as low-VOC, it gives off significantly less gas than other products. Some oil-based paints are low-VOC because their formulas have been altered.

Most paint manufacturers produce no-VOC paint.