Among the flotsam if the itunes app store - and in the case of the iPad - one rarely finds apps that are totally unique not just to the platform, but the form factor.
One such app is Holographium (App store link), whose purpose is not immediately apparent, even after a brief twiddle.
Presented with oversize controls, Holographium first prompts you to enter a phrase, then it asks you to choose one of several neon style colours. You then set a 'depth', then a duration.
The app then does a little calculating before flashing up a bizarre sequence of bright lines and rectangles.
At first, it makes no sense whatsoever, until you realise that the flashing imagery is not meant for human consumption - at least not initially.
No, the idea is startlingly simple. What Holographium wants you to do is move the flashing sequence in front of a camera with an open shutter.
The long exposure captures the animation as it move across the cameras field of view, spelling out the phrase you first keyed into the app.
The results are surprising.
