14 Responses:

1. Ashley Glassel says:

   4 years ago at 7:40 pm

   Another interesting fact, if you turn the glasses or the screen 90 degrees you can see the images on the screen, the polarizing effect is only effective at certain angles. The wikipedia page has a nice image of a polarizing filter being rotated and showing the light from an LCD being blocked. I had a pair of sunglasses once that had one of the polaroid filters aligned vertically and one horizontally; they were freaky to wear.

   • mattyJ says:

     4 years ago at 11:14 pm

     This is the concept behind the more common 3D TV/movie projections. If you happen to be like me and are one of the last five people to have a 3D TV (passive glasses), put those bad boys on, look at a mirror and close one eye.

     3D TVs (passive) interlace a vertically and horizontally polarized image (I'm dumb about this, not sure if that should be the real terminology) then the glasses filter out one or the other by having one horizontally and one vertically aligned lens.

     My guess is that these IRL glasses have two lenses that polarize in the same direction, whichever one is the opposite of what monitors usually do. It's such a simple and ingenious idea I'm surprised someone hasn't thought of it before now. Mad props to these guys for thinking of it.

     If your friends want to go to a 3D movie but they usually give you headaches, you can probably whip out your IRL glasses and watch it in 2D. Everyone wins!

     • Lloyd says:

       4 years ago at 6:04 pm

       3D TVs and movie systems using passive lenses use left- and right-circular polarization, not horizontal/vertical. This means that you can tilt your head and still watch.

       Monitor polarization can vary and be at an angle... try lenss looking at a variety of smartphones.

2. zipwut says:

   4 years ago at 7:43 pm

   I want this polarization as an option when I purchase new glasses.

3. Russ says:

   4 years ago at 8:33 pm

   I love watching people turn a phone to landscape mode, and then back to portrait, and then back to landscape, over and over trying to figure out why the screen keeps turning off when they turn it to landscape.

   • Jeff Bell says:

     4 years ago at 10:52 pm

     My phone is polarized at 45 degrees, probably for this exact reason.

   • Editer says:

     4 years ago at 10:14 am

     My phone and sunglasses go the other way -- I have to turn to landscape mode to see the screen clearly. It took me a while to figure this out. I have a nonpolarized pair I wear whenever I know I'll be looking at my phone outdoors a lot.

   • Jasa Print Kain says:

     4 years ago at 1:58 am

     Someone may change to landscape mode only at certain times, for example playing games to get a wider screen.

4. Editer says:

   4 years ago at 9:22 pm

   The design for IRL Glasses is unique and iconic, inspired by the 1988 cult classic film, 'THEY LIVE,' where a magical pair of glasses blocks ads.

   Yes, that's exactly what they did in the film.

   • k3ninho says:

     4 years ago at 5:17 am

     I note the title of this post -- can you confirm if it has anything to do with the movie?

     K3n.

5. margaret says:

   4 years ago at 1:54 pm

   i had a dashboard and radio that became invisible when i drove with my sunglasses on. that was a great fucking design.

   • Lloyd says:

     4 years ago at 6:05 pm

     has anyone checked the polarization of the Tesla touchscreen?

   • David Hoover says:

     4 years ago at 4:30 pm

     Years ago, my dad once felt like a complete idiot calling a gas station attendant out for help because it turned out the pump had TWO screens for different things, they were polarized differently, and he was completely unaware the second existed at all.

     When I wear my good sunglasses, I've got the unconscious tick of tilting my head back and forth a tiny bit just to make sure I'm aware of screens.

6. Bill Paul says:

   4 years ago at 7:34 pm

   This happens to me with my sunglasses and BlackBerry Leap (something something unfrozen caveman). I have prescription sunglasses with polarized lenses. If I look at my phone while holding it in portrait orientation, it's fine, but as soon as I rotate it 90 degrees to landscape orientation, I can't see shit, captain.