Comments on: Optical illusion: impossible anti-grav ramps http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 25 May 2013 13:59:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Xopher http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-785996 Xopher Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-785996 I agree with Scott. Very bad placeholder frame. I wonder how convincing the illusion is if you're actually in the room with the object. Still, very cool stuff. I agree with Scott. Very bad placeholder frame.

I wonder how convincing the illusion is if you’re actually in the room with the object.

Still, very cool stuff.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786022 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786022 Ahhhh! My brain! Ahhhh! My brain!

]]> By: No Imagination http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786052 No Imagination Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786052 @Xopher - Probably not convincing at all, unless you can only see the piece through a hole with one eye. Part of the illusion comes from having no real perspective, causing your brain to make assumptions about the position and arrangements of the parts. If you can see it with both eyes, the perspective becomes that of four differently sized, differently shaped, and differently oriented ramps. Even using just one eye, if your head moves much at all, you lose the illusion as the distortion begins to become apparent. This reminds me of a film I saw in a high school class where a wedge shape cut to resemble a window frame rotated on an axis. Because of it's shape, it looked as though the window was cycling back and forth. When a red bar was placed through one opening in the window frame, the illusion was mind boggling. Some viewers saw the bar "jump" through the side of the frame when it started its retrograde motion - others saw the bar stretch into an "S" shape to accommodate the two different aspects of the "reality" we saw before us. @Xopher – Probably not convincing at all, unless you can only see the piece through a hole with one eye. Part of the illusion comes from having no real perspective, causing your brain to make assumptions about the position and arrangements of the parts. If you can see it with both eyes, the perspective becomes that of four differently sized, differently shaped, and differently oriented ramps. Even using just one eye, if your head moves much at all, you lose the illusion as the distortion begins to become apparent.

This reminds me of a film I saw in a high school class where a wedge shape cut to resemble a window frame rotated on an axis. Because of it’s shape, it looked as though the window was cycling back and forth. When a red bar was placed through one opening in the window frame, the illusion was mind boggling. Some viewers saw the bar “jump” through the side of the frame when it started its retrograde motion – others saw the bar stretch into an “S” shape to accommodate the two different aspects of the “reality” we saw before us.

]]> By: sweetcraspy http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786078 sweetcraspy Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786078 I think it could work in person. These Dragon illusions http://www.grand-illusions.com/opticalillusions/dragon_illusion/ are just as amazing in person as they are in online videos. You just have to keep it a couple feet away and not walk around too much. I was disappointed by the default frame too. I thought they were going to roll out of the center and up the sides when I pressed play. As you see it rotate, it's neat how the supports look square on the illusion side, and how many paper tabs on the back side that took. I think it could work in person. These Dragon illusions

http://www.grand-illusions.com/opticalillusions/dragon_illusion/

are just as amazing in person as they are in online videos. You just have to keep it a couple feet away and not walk around too much.

I was disappointed by the default frame too. I thought they were going to roll out of the center and up the sides when I pressed play.

As you see it rotate, it’s neat how the supports look square on the illusion side, and how many paper tabs on the back side that took.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-785824 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-785824 Does anyone recognize the music? What is it? Does anyone recognize the music? What is it?

]]> By: tuckels http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-785828 tuckels Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-785828 Tripping balls right here. Tripping balls right here.

]]> By: Nadreck http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786340 Nadreck Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786340 There's a hill in Nova Scotia, and a couple of other "Magnetic Hills" around the world, built on similar principles. You take your brakes off at the "bottom" of the hill and your car trundles "up" it. There’s a hill in Nova Scotia, and a couple of other “Magnetic Hills” around the world, built on similar principles. You take your brakes off at the “bottom” of the hill and your car trundles “up” it.

]]> By: Jack Zhang http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786894 Jack Zhang Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786894 first shot first shot

]]> By: dculberson http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-785870 dculberson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-785870 That is far more convincing than I expected. I was grinning like a mad man when the piece rotated to expose the forced perspective. That is far more convincing than I expected. I was grinning like a mad man when the piece rotated to expose the forced perspective.

]]> By: MadRat http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-785874 MadRat Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-785874 Ladies and gentlemen... start your Insane Clown Posse references! Be nice if there were plans online to make your own. Ladies and gentlemen… start your Insane Clown Posse references! Be nice if there were plans online to make your own.

]]> By: Bevatron Repairman http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786130 Bevatron Repairman Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786130 Even with the spoiler, it's so well done I *can't* make myself see it when in the start position. Even with the spoiler, it’s so well done I *can’t* make myself see it when in the start position.

]]> By: Xenu http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786132 Xenu Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786132 My head exploded. BoingBoing owes me a new head. My head exploded. BoingBoing owes me a new head.

]]> By: Scott Wetterschneider http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-785881 Scott Wetterschneider Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-785881 Is this an example of Youtube's Spoilermatic auto function? The placeholder frame for the video is the giveaway view of the sculpture... Is this an example of Youtube’s Spoilermatic auto function? The placeholder frame for the video is the giveaway view of the sculpture…

]]> By: adwkiwi http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786910 adwkiwi Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786910 I was a bit disappointed actually - VSS (the Vision Science Society) hosts this illusion showcase every year and this is far from being all that compelling - usually they pick a better one. This one breaks with any variation in point-of-observation (lots of modern illusions are more robust than this) and you can see that it's wrong even from the right perspective, because the balls take different times to travel apparently identical distances. I'm not just a grumpy old man on the internet, for what its worth :) I study perception (and action) for a living and visual illusions aren't as interesting as scientists think; they do reveal some boundaries on vision, but they only ever work by breaking a key rule and so don't tell us anything about vision 'in the wild'. I was a bit disappointed actually – VSS (the Vision Science Society) hosts this illusion showcase every year and this is far from being all that compelling – usually they pick a better one. This one breaks with any variation in point-of-observation (lots of modern illusions are more robust than this) and you can see that it’s wrong even from the right perspective, because the balls take different times to travel apparently identical distances.

I’m not just a grumpy old man on the internet, for what its worth :) I study perception (and action) for a living and visual illusions aren’t as interesting as scientists think; they do reveal some boundaries on vision, but they only ever work by breaking a key rule and so don’t tell us anything about vision ‘in the wild’.

]]> By: Orky http://boingboing.net/2010/05/12/optical-illusion-imp.html#comment-786677 Orky Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-786677 Very well done. My optics are thoroughly illuded. Very well done. My optics are thoroughly illuded.

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