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Environment-blocking glasses

Use of polarized glasses and computer screen to block out surrounding field of vision
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Using a special polarized computer/laptop screen and sunglasses polarized in a particular way, block out all of the local field of view besides the computer screen.

I often work on my laptop at a coffee shop, which is very convenient and stimulating. However, there are times which I would like to focus a little more on my laptop, say while working on a thesis.

Wearing a pair of (designer-quality, of course!) sunglasses, polarized in coordination with my laptop screen, I could block all of my surroundings besides the laptop screen and focus just a bit better.

jongreen, Jan 07 2008

Instrument Training Hood http://www.ifrhood.com/
So you can't see out the windows. [baconbrain, Jan 08 2008]

[link]






       No, i don't think you could (block out surroundings completely). Polarization works by blocking out all but one orientation of wavelength - so that would still get through from your surroundings.
Think of it like this: To prevent seeing your surroundings, you need to block "all light". How will we make your laptop light different from "all light"?
Consider also:
The importance aspect (falling things, muggery, attractive mates)
or simply facing a wall or a corner.
  

       note: You could make it so that everything around you was darker, not blacked out, but your laptop light was almost fully bright. Do this with normal polarized glasses and a laptop screen that is designed to output light to only orientation.
Note: this has been conceptualized for laptops for security purposes. excess light is pumped out of a "secure" screen that has light at all the wrong angle wavelengths for a pair of glasses. So the screen looks like garbage to anyone not wearing the glasses.
ericscottf, Jan 07 2008
  

       Think of it like this: No amount of creativity in a coffee shop, on a laptop, or without, will give us the next seven volumes of Harry Potter drivel.   

       The other day I heard a great saying: " To a worm in a horseradish, the world is horseradish." And now you want to limit you world?
4whom, Jan 07 2008
  

       This is one of those wishes that requires a halfway workable method to become an idea. Using a optical term isn't enough.   

       Lots of alternative ways to block out the world exist, from VR goggles to a pilot's instrument-training visor. Oh, and staying home.
baconbrain, Jan 07 2008
  

       OK, here's what you do. You need to replace the backlight on your screen with a high-brightness, high-frequency strobe (for example, 200Hz with a 0.1% duty cycle). The average light level from the screen needs to be the same as normal, but in the form of very short pulses.   

       Then, you need a pair of high- frequency LCD goggles, synched to the strobe frequency (ie, open only for the 1/1000th of the time that the strobe backlight is on). The result is that (a) your screen will look perfectly normal to anyone else (b) your screen will look perfectly normal to you (c) the real world will look 99.9% less bright than it normally does, to you.   

       The problem will be in making LCD goggles work at that frequency. You might instead need goggles with high- speed motorized disc-shutters. This would be dangerous - an added bonus.   

       ====OR====   

       A second solution: an optical comb- filter. You will need glasses with a cunning set of filters, designed to pass only three different colours, with very narrow bandwidth. These colours need to correspond exactly to the emission wavelengths of the three pixel types on your screen. The result is that your screen will look normal to you (and to everyone else), but the real world will appear significantly dimmer than it would otherwise do, to you.   

       ===OR===   

       A third solution. Go to Starbucks in Milton Keynes. The result will be that (a) your screen will look normal to you (b) your screen will look normal to everyone else and (c) everyone around you will look 99% dimmer than they would elsewhere.
MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 07 2008
  

       ---- OR ----   

       Instead of polarised goggles, you wear goggles consisting of diffraction gratings.   

       Your screen emits two photons at a time, phased to interfere to produce part of the image. It does this quite quckly, so that persistence of vision produces an image on your retina.   

       Because of something (probably a bit sort of Quantum), the diffraction grating will scatter most of the random images around you, and as a bonus, if any sneaky spy person steals one of your photons, it's no good without the other one..........
8th of 7, Jan 07 2008
  

       Sp: ===OR===.   

       But otherwise, and ingenious Fourth Way.
MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 07 2008
  

       Why don't you just have a pair of glasses that has a display built into them, displaying the information on your laptop screen at absolute focus. You could have a cable which plugs from the glasses to your laptop, or (if more ambitious) a wireless link.
Brett-Blob, Jan 07 2008
  

       I saw some show where a guy is selling a little tent that houses his laptop and blocks sunlight. That should work here. I looked for the link, but couldn't remember the snappy title, "laptent" or something.
MisterQED, Jan 08 2008
  

       Well, there's the Lapstix, the Viziflex, the Screen-Shade, and the CompUshade, but none of these names quite rise to the same degree of double entendre.
jutta, Jan 08 2008
  

       [UnaBubba] That's a good idea, but I think you would look very strange and it might attract attention from other coffee shop patrons who could distract you further from your work.   

       One way this might work is to find an opaque material to cover your sunglasses, but to cut a rectangular hole in each eyeglass of the same ratio of your laptop's screen. You would then arrange your head and laptop so that the laptop screen is all you can see. Holding your head immobile in a state of Zen-like meditation, you would attract quiet admiration from the public and few interruptions.
Srimech, Jan 08 2008
  

       //opaque material to cover your sunglasses, but to cut a rectangular hole in each eyeglass// That's another version of the pilot's instrument-training "hood".
baconbrain, Jan 08 2008
  

       How do you see where your croissant and cup of coffee are, if you can only see the laptop screen ?
8th of 7, Jan 08 2008
  
      
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