PODCAST: Preserving the Holy Word of God in Space: Part One
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"To bring Scripture to areas of the world where the Christian Holy Bible is banned." The Hologram Bible is shown hidden under a postage stamp in this experimental test.
The Hologram Bible Project
Publishing Notes:First Published: May 2012
Updated: April 2018
ABOUT The DeFreitas Hologram Bible
UPDATE ON TECHNOLOGY: APRIL 2018
As of April 2018 (and a new laser system at my retirement residence), I have been able to reduce the size of the Hologram Bible even further, down to 1mm in diameter. This 1mm area contains the entire King James Bible -- 1,245 individual pages, and 773,746 words. However, its size is just the beginning of what makes it different from every other Bible in the world today...
-- INTRODUCTION --
Back in May of 2012, an entirely new way of experiencing the Holy Bible took place in a humble row home in a small Pennsylvania town. This Bible is unlike ANY other Bible before it, which is a rather bold statement, but true. You are not likely to read about it in popular magazines, nor see it on national news. I, Frank DeFreitas, created this Bible in my laser holography studio/lab, which I founded back in 1983. Today, in 2018, I am retired after 35 years of working with the Nobel prize-winning fields of lasers and holography.
Q1. Is it really a Bible?
Yes. This Bible is a real Bible stored as a real laser HOLOGRAM. The hologram contains all 1,245 individual pages, and 773,746 words of the King James Bible. It is the size of an average snowflake (as of April 2018, the size has been reduced even further to 1mm in diameter). It is not an electronic chip, nor does it contain any electronic information. It is not a computer file. Nor is it a big image that is made really small through reduction. Holographic information is stored onto a special laser sensitive photopolymer emulsion. As a laser hologram (Nobel prize, physics, 1971), it is one of the smallest, and most scientifically and technologically advanced REAL Bibles in the world.
Q2. What is a hologram?
Holography is a Nobel prize-winning field of physics. It allows objects to be recorded in true 3-dimensional fidelity called holograms. It is also used in various technical applications, such as data storage and non-destructive testing. The Hologram Bible project shows that vast amounts of information can be stored in a very small space when stored holographically.
Q3. What else is true about The Hologram Bible?
It is amazing to note that every word of the Bible is contained within a single laser beam, all at the same time. To the eye, there is nothing on the hologram film at all.
Another interesting fact is that the image of the Bible is not located in the same "space" as the hologram. The Bible itself floats out in space, at a specific angle and distance away from the physical holographic film. The geometry, laser orientation and distance measurement data are known only to myself.
DID YOU KNOW? . . . The Hologram Bible is recorded onto a material known as photopolymer. Photopolymer is what I would call a transformational material: once it experiences light, changes take place within, and it is transformed into something new. Before it comes into the light, it is vulnerable to outside forces and thus is unstable. After it receives the light, it becomes stable, and is no longer vulnerable to outside forces. Therefore, it is transformed into what it was initially created to be, and ultimately reaches its full potential, through its presence within the light of the laser.
Q4. What is the Bible made of?
Although the hologram itself is physical (holographic photopolymer film), the Bible, scripture or images that it contains exists as only pure laser light. In other words, the Bible contains zero mass. The information is stored so densely, that the Bible glows when held in the light at certain angles. This is known as diffraction.
Q5. How does one read The Hologram Bible?
In order to "see" The Hologram Bible, a laser, optics, and a vibration isolation system are needed. Remember: the actual Bible itself is not in the same space as the physical hologram. If you were here in the lab you would see what I mean with your own eyes, which would make it much easier to understand. Let's see if this helps (see next paragraph):
The holographic reconstruction of the Bible is not located in the same physical space as the hologram film. The Bible is actually several inches away from the physical piece of holographic film. The optical information (also stored within the hologram), along with a laser beam, reconstructs the Bible out in space. It is this reconstructed laser holographic image -- not the physical hologram -- that must be projected to view.
All that is required in most cases is a simple laser pointer. Why? Because the enlarging optics are encoded directly into the hologram (since the hologram can record 3-dimensional objects/space, it is possible to also encode / record the 3-dimensional optics that enlarge the image). These holograms can be camouflaged within the design elements of such common items as greeting and birthday cards. This is an analog form of laser holographic steganography. They cannot be detected by the unaided human eye, but when you touch the right area with a laser beam (a laser pointer will do), Scripture and/or Bible-based images are holographically 'projected' onto any wall, ceiling or screen in a darkened room. The hologram size can be as small as the diameter of a human hair. They very well may be the smallest images ever recorded in the world today.
Q6. What is the history of The Hologram Bible?
Miniature Bibles date back to the 19th century. The history of The Hologram Bible dates back to 1964 and the New York World's Fair. Many futuristic technologies were introduced to the public at this two-year event. The NCR pavilion provided visitors with a glimpse into the future of information storage and retrieval, and how vast amounts of information can be stored in very small spaces. The subject that NCR decided to use for a public demonstration of their new technology was none other than what was then known as the world's smallest Bible. At the time (1964) it was the most scientifically / technologically advanced Bible in the world.
Q7. Was this the Bible that went to the Moon on Apollo?
Yes. The NCR microform Bible was the Bible that went to the moon with the Apollo astronauts. About 500 of the NCR microform Bible's landed on the moon's surface. There are many modern-day copies of this Bible available today, but only a finite number of originals from the days of Apollo. It is possible to still get one of the original NCR Bibles, as they were sold through Edmund Scientific in Barrington, N.J. at the time. In fact, the 500 NCR Bibles that went to the moon were purchased from Edmunds!
Laser Micro Holography / Steganography
DID YOU KNOW? . . . As we begin to meet groups of people concerning this project, it has become very clear that the main focus has been on how "small" the Hologram Bible is. This is understandable, since it is the most readily understood aspect. However, it would be a mistake to think of the hologram Bible as just another "really small" Bible. Its size is just the beginning of what makes it different from every other Bible in the world today. The greater interest should be in the holographic aspect itself: that every Word of God is located at every point in space, and all at the same time. Unlike the NCR Bible of NASA / Apollo, or even your printed or electronic Bibles at home, the "Words" of the Hologram Bible are not physical in their existence. And they are not "localized" to a given place, such as a location on a page (electronic or otherwise). The Words in the Hologram Bible do not physically exist, in the physical sense that we know it. They exist as pure light only. They are not "on" the hologram, they float in free space. You can pass your hand through the light that contains every Word of God. You can project this light into a darkened room, and have the room itself lit with every Word of God. This is truly the most important aspect of the Hologram Bible project. It has never been possible to do this before, and the people who see it are the first in the world. Ever.
-- Laser Nano Holography / Steganography--
This stealth technology can also encode nanoscopic
images within the hologram. Only a simple laser
pointer is needed to see the pictures. This image
is the size of a single human hair, self-magnified
and projected onto a wall.
Q8. How advanced is The Hologram Bible?
The Hologram Bible is many, many times smaller than the NCR microform Bible of the 1964 New York World's Fair (the world's smallest Bible, previous to 1964, was from the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago). There are other technologically advanced Bibles today: some that are *smaller* contain only the Old *or* New Testaments, while others contain *both* the Old and New Testaments, but are *larger* in size. Techniques range from nano-etching, to vapor deposition, etc. I propose that in utilizing the Nobel prize-winning method of laser holography, the Hologram Bible is one of the smallest, and most scientifically and technologically advanced Bibles in the world today . . . and that it will remain so for many years to come.
Q9. Who is involved with the Hologram Bible?
The Hologram Bible was not created in a large corporate research laboratory or university. It is a project of my wife and me as a collaborative team, Frank and Debi DeFreitas, out of our (then) modest row home in a small town in Pennsylvania (Note: since 2017 we have moved into a retirement residence). I (Frank) am a holographer with a background in printing technologies, and my wife is an RN (registered nurse) and works in geriatrics. I have had my laser holography lab here since 1983 (I no longer have my "big" lab and now have a small, portable laser and holography system).
Q10. Do You Provide Presentations?
Yes I do, but now after retiring after 35 years, it is on a limited basis. I can bring a presentation of the Hologram Bible Project to your church group, school or organization. I travel within a reasonable distance from Allentown, PA. This would include areas such as Philadelphia, Scranton, Harrisburg, Lancaster, northern Maryland, areas of New Jersey, etc. I can travel farther with overnight accommodations. I do not charge a fee for Hologram Bible presentations. I rely on the kindness of an honorarium or freewill offering of any amount. Please call me at: 484-387-5320 to discuss. Ask for Frank. I have spent 35 years providing award-winning educational services for The Franklin Institute, New York Hall of Science, the Smithsonian Institution, schools and universities. I would love to provide a program for you. From small to large groups.
Q11: Can I visit you?
Not any more. From 1983 until 2017 I welcomed visitors from all over the world. But now I am retired, and we are living in our retirement residence.
Frank (right) with WBYN FM morning host John Yoast (left) back in 2012.
Frank and Debi with WBYN FM afternoon host
Kathy Piepmeyer (right), back in 2012.
The latest Scriptural holograms with foreign languages.
Q12: What's next for the Hologram Bible?
There are certainly a few technical difficulties to overcome. Due to current limitations to the resolving power of the photopolymer, the text is "there" but not clearly readable. However, one can clearly see and count the pages, so I know that as storage technology advances, this issue will resolve itself. It is certainly a "Bible of the Future" ... not necessarily a "Bible for Today". Remember how photography, motion pictures and television got started. With that being said, anyone who sees the Hologram Bible today is seeing the future. And that, in and of itself, is worth more than words could say!
Sincerely, Frank DeFreitas
Phone: 484-387-5320
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