3D TV - is it worth it? Our Upside columnist has a moment of clarity

I have seen the future -- and it's in 3D.

The prevailing opinion in the Blabbersphere seems to be that 3D television is too expensive and cumbersome and we all feel silly wearing sunglasses inside like Kanye West. I understand the feeling -- I'm one of the few sentient beings on earth who still hasn't watched Avatar because I've already seen both Pocahontas and the Blue Man Group. But I still thought I should see 3D TV for myself.

Ninety seconds at Manhattan's Sony Style Retail Store was all it took to change my mind. That's because the store's 3D sampler begins with footage of a polar bear swimming at Japan's Asahikawa Zoo, footage so clear that I could make out every hair on its body -- which isn't something I necessarily wanted to see. But when the beast swam up to the glass it was as if there was a real bear inside a tank. Likewise, a scene of a landscape with melting snow actually had me glancing at the ceiling to see if there was a leak.