I've been hearing rave reviews about AVATAR over the past several weeks. Some friends and family have been raving about it over the holidays. So, naturally I had to go and see the crazy film. I have to admit, I was impressed. It certainly was the highest quality in 3D I have ever seen, including the old Michael Jackson 3D movie I saw. I believe it was Captain EO. Certainly the world of 3D is and will explode in, first in digital signage and finally in the consumer segment as well. But is all this expansion healthy?

After the movie I was speaking to a friend who referred me to the following sites. The first site is an introduction into what is called "Post-Avatar Depression." The video, put together by CNN, has some interesting thoughts from those who were so engrossed by the film, they could not stay in reality:

"When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed ... gray. It was like my whole life, everything I've done and worked for, lost its meaning...It just seems so ... meaningless. I still don't really see any reason to keep ... doing things at all. I live in a dying world."

Similarly, Second Skin, a movie which delves into those caught in the "gamer" world, speaks of similar problems of people who cannot live a real life because they are so caught in a virtual "skin" while they play their games for hours on end.

While the digital signage blog regularly speaks of getting into more interactivity and technology in the realm of "cool," I do believe that in some respects we  may be getting a bit extreme in our expectations. While all this stuff is incredibly "cool" it certainly is not reality. We--myself included--need to be sure we're grasping reality and not seeking after some false world. In short, let's be happy in the skin we're in, take some time away from the computer and get out and see the world. That said, I'm going to stop blogging right now.