Optical illusions
November 6th 2007 22:44
Shadow dancer
Is the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?
-- Probably from the Herald Sun (Tuesday 9 October 2007).
Allegedly: -- If you saw clockwise, you use right brain more than left; if anti-clockwise, you're more left than right; and most people see anti-clockwise.
I suspect if you freeze the image, and study it frame-by-frame, you'll find that, at every moment, it's ambiguous as to how to interpret it.
I first saw clockwise, but can swap perspectives if I stare at the shadow. The switch involves a sort of headachy moment of dislocation, like putting on or removing spectacles, like gear shifting into a different mode.
(Implications for everyday life? -- Switch to left brain mode before doing logic, and right brain before creativity? -- Maybe you can train yourself.)
Mr Angry and Mr Calm
From your seat, Mr Angry is on the left, and Ms Calm is on the right. But walk back two or three metres, and the figures will swap position.
-- Probably by Phillippe G Schyns and Aude Oliva. Check out other "hybrid images" at their website.
"Hybrids combine the low-spatial frequencies of one picture with the high spatial frequencies of another picture producing an image with an interpretation that changes with viewing distance."
The green dot
Click here to view.
Stare at the black plus sign, and the moving dot will turn to green. Keep staring, and all the surrounding pink dots will slowly vanish.
-- Probably created by M Bach & JL Hinton. Visit Michael Bach's website for 73 other optical illusions, with explanations.
Some more notes on the shadow dancer:
-- When I first looked at it, there was a moment of blur, instability. For a split second, the image seemed to shake. My mind paused, vacillating between possibilities, and tried to decode.
-- How do you make it reverse? What do you do?
What are the apparent mental techniques here? What is the phenomenological experience of what you're doing?
Do you somehow "will" it to be so? (What does it mean to will? -- To clench your body, furrow your forehead? To focus, and block everything else out? To persistently say, "Go the other way, go the other way"?)
Or do you "imagine" it to be so, and keep doing that, and then, suddenly, that's what you "see"?
The Beggar Woman of Naples
by Max Jacob (translated by John Ashbery)
When I lived in Naples there was always a beggar woman at the gate of my palace, to whom I would toss some coins before climbing into my carriage. One day, surprised at never being thanked, I looked at the beggar woman. Now, as I looked at her, I saw that what I had taken for a beggar woman was a wooden case painted green which contained some red earth and a few half-rotten bananas. ...
Notes
-- Thursday 15 November 2007: The easiest way to make the dancer change direction seems to be to close your eyes, imagine her moving the opposite way, then open your eyes.
Is the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?
-- Probably from the Herald Sun (Tuesday 9 October 2007).
Allegedly: -- If you saw clockwise, you use right brain more than left; if anti-clockwise, you're more left than right; and most people see anti-clockwise.
I suspect if you freeze the image, and study it frame-by-frame, you'll find that, at every moment, it's ambiguous as to how to interpret it.
I first saw clockwise, but can swap perspectives if I stare at the shadow. The switch involves a sort of headachy moment of dislocation, like putting on or removing spectacles, like gear shifting into a different mode.
(Implications for everyday life? -- Switch to left brain mode before doing logic, and right brain before creativity? -- Maybe you can train yourself.)
***
Mr Angry and Mr Calm
From your seat, Mr Angry is on the left, and Ms Calm is on the right. But walk back two or three metres, and the figures will swap position.
-- Probably by Phillippe G Schyns and Aude Oliva. Check out other "hybrid images" at their website.
"Hybrids combine the low-spatial frequencies of one picture with the high spatial frequencies of another picture producing an image with an interpretation that changes with viewing distance."
***
The green dot
Click here to view.
Stare at the black plus sign, and the moving dot will turn to green. Keep staring, and all the surrounding pink dots will slowly vanish.
-- Probably created by M Bach & JL Hinton. Visit Michael Bach's website for 73 other optical illusions, with explanations.
***
Some more notes on the shadow dancer:
-- When I first looked at it, there was a moment of blur, instability. For a split second, the image seemed to shake. My mind paused, vacillating between possibilities, and tried to decode.
-- How do you make it reverse? What do you do?
What are the apparent mental techniques here? What is the phenomenological experience of what you're doing?
Do you somehow "will" it to be so? (What does it mean to will? -- To clench your body, furrow your forehead? To focus, and block everything else out? To persistently say, "Go the other way, go the other way"?)
Or do you "imagine" it to be so, and keep doing that, and then, suddenly, that's what you "see"?
***
The Beggar Woman of Naples
by Max Jacob (translated by John Ashbery)
When I lived in Naples there was always a beggar woman at the gate of my palace, to whom I would toss some coins before climbing into my carriage. One day, surprised at never being thanked, I looked at the beggar woman. Now, as I looked at her, I saw that what I had taken for a beggar woman was a wooden case painted green which contained some red earth and a few half-rotten bananas. ...
***
Notes
-- Thursday 15 November 2007: The easiest way to make the dancer change direction seems to be to close your eyes, imagine her moving the opposite way, then open your eyes.
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Comment by Louie
Climate Red
randomthoughts
Phil's Wellness Tips
cool post
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
That lady frustrates me, however, the green/pink dots fascinate me ...
*lol* so one has to wonder, who was getting Max's money then?
Lilla ...
Comment by Damo
One minute clockwise the next anti clock wise.
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
My dancer goes clockwise... I`m trying to make it go the other way too!
Ash
Comment by Damo
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Fun test, thank you Nonomous.
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
I saw the dancer on Ian's funnyphotos.net.au and this is what I reckoned:
I really don't think it has anything to do with the brain and 'concentrating' to make it change direction. It is just changing direction surreptitiously.
You can tell for sure from the shadow: When she turns anticlockwise, when she has her back to you, you can see the shadow of her extended foot away from you. When she changes direction and rotates clockwise, when she has her back to you the shadow of her extended foot is no longer there, because of the direction of the light. Instead you see it on the near side when she faces you. Even if you only look at the shadow and cover the rest, you can tell when she changes direction.
I don't think it's saying anything about anyone's brain.
Unless I'm completely wrong, because then it's saying a lot about my brain - that I don't have one. Lol.
It's fun though
Michaelie
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
It just randomly switches from clockwise to anti-clockwise from my perception on different frame out of the 34 frames that comprise the animation. So it looks like it is an optical illusion.
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
If I cover the dancer and just watch the shadow of her feet, I can guage when she's turning clockwise because the shadow of her second foot is only visible when she is facing forward, and when she's turning anteclockwise it's only visible when she has her back turned.
Does this mean I'm losing my mind??
Michaelie
Comment by Henrah
InsightBlog
I look at the text below the animation, and concentrate periphally on her outwards-pointing foot. When it passes the center, I think to myself that it is passing behind the still leg. When it passes from left to right, it is going clockwise. When it passes from right to left, it is going anti-clockwise. Therefore when I think about it passing behind the still leg when it moves from left to right, I look up at the animation and I perceive the rest of her body as rotating clockwise. I notice my perception very quickly and undoubtedly. Once I do I immediately center my view on the text I was looking at before, I think about when I peripherally see her outwards-pointing leg move from right to left that I am seeing it pass behind the still leg, and when I look up I perceive her entire body to be rotating anti-clockwise.
I am able to switch between the two perceptions to the same beat as her outwards-pointing leg moving. It took two tries to perfect this technique. Anyone reading this, please give this technique a try and let me know how you get on.
I had trouble with the method mentioned in the Notes, the method of closing your eyes and imagining her to be rotating in the opposite way. So it seems everyone is different! Also I just noticed that if I switch myself to perceiving her rotating anti-clockwise and obscure most of her body so I can just see her lower foot, it reverts back to rotating clockwise. I guess this means my brain prefers creativity over logic. No wonder I haven't any commen sense! ^_^
Comment by Henrah
InsightBlog
Is this a fault in my brain? Have I neither a logical side nor a creative side? Or have I transcended human ability and become supernatural?
...I'm getting very confused now...
Comment by BenyMak
Later loosers
Comment by leftNright
Actually the image rotates in clock wise direction. You can realize by looking at inward leg's toes.
Comments pls:
Comment by John Morris
Dude!! You nailed it. I tried what you said and I can change how I perceive it rotating every other second or so. Sweet!
Comment by lalala
the dancer changes from clockwise
to counterclockwise?
It's not an optical illusion.
It's actually changing from clockwise
to counterclockwise.
For proof, look at which leg she is holding up.
When her right leg is up, she's moving
counterclockwise.
However, unless you watch closely, you will
not see that she actually puts the right leg down
and picks up the left, while changing to counterclockwise.
RIPOFF!
--not really an optical illusion at all.
Comment by Po
Comment by Right Brainy person
Comment by Anonymous