As I was pondering what emerging tech arcana to throw your way or which big picture concept to grapple with this week, I left  my computer and sat down in front of our other trusty household glowing box–the television.

I figured a little mind candy might shake something loose. I settled in for the gripping season finale of my favorite show, CSI: Miami. Nothing inspires reverie and torpor like Jerry Bruckheimer’s self-indulgent visual landscapes. The houses are out of Architectural Digest, regardless of what occupation the victims or suspects ply. I also don’t think it’s ever rained in a show, which is pretty hard to pull off in the tropics. Bottom line: When I willingly suspend my disbelief, I go all the way.

Anyway, some twisted-genius serial killer with a chip on his shoulder is on a spree. The killer keeps leaving clues about his murders with CSI just in time for them to find the bodies but not in time to stop the murder. Gripping, eh?

Well, the second victim’s clue is a card with an odd bar code on it. One of the CSI sharpies realizes it’s an augmented reality (AR) icon and flashes it at his webcam on his office computer. A 3-D image of a pool shows up, and the water turns to blood. The CSI lab rats don’t know the location of the pool, but they adjust the perspective of the AR image, and voila, they identify the location from a landmark. The guy still dies. But the AR hook is very cool. Never mind why a secure computer could read AR tags–that’s a huge lapse in the crime lab’s cybersecurity.

AR apps are spreading like kudzu for the iPhone; they’re in all the hip tech magazine ads and are even invading newspapers.

The concept is pretty simple. Say you download an AR app from Heineken to your iPhone. You’re in an unfamiliar city on business, and you’re looking to slake your thirst after an annoying meeting . You walk out to the street and activate the phone’s camera; the app will announce any taverns serving Heineken as along your route.

Or imagine using a history app in Berlin that gives you a tour of the city as if it existed in 1945. Such an app could also show you what Jerusalem looked like 2,000 years ago while you walk the streets in real time. AR is an extra layer of reality–or data–that augments current reality.

Conceptually, this technology eclipses television in its powers to inform, assist and entertain–and in its dark powers to seduce, sell and exploit. I’m going to avoid any value judgments and stick to the fact that AR is going to be huge.

And one reason it’s going to be huge because it’s both revolutionary and evolutionary. Most people are reasonably adept at using computers, and many people have smart phones.

The ease of adoption is helping the sector blow up. Chris Grayson, a colleague I follow on Twitter, is one of the nation’s leading authorities on AR scene–a veritable font of AR info. I’ve been trying to get him to pen a piece on AR for me–and you–but the stars haven’t aligned yet.

I’m still getting my head around the investing implications. Right now a lot of big companies are using AR to feature their products or stores. Small companies are looking to break into the space with new apps.

Consolidation will begin sooner rather than later. In the interim this is a cool tech space to watch grow and evolve. I follow one big player in the game, a company we recommend in Portfolio 2020 that builds graphics chips for smart phones and tablets. It’s a major tech player–AR won’t make or break its future–but the firm’s commitment to this new technology suggests that the firm remains on the vanguard.