Moving Mobius Strip

Below is an animated Mobius Strip. I can imagine this being used in an assembly plant somewhere in the States.

Picture it, chocolates coming off of the Mobius conveyer with Ethel and Lucy manning the packing stations at the chocolate factory.

What is a Mobius Strip well The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 says the following:

Mobius strip \Mo"bi*us strip`\, Mobius strip \M["o]"bi*us
strip`\, Moebius strip \Moe"bi*us strip`\, n. [From August F. M["o]bius, a German mathematician.]
A mathematical object, or a physical representation of it, which is a two-dimensional sheet with only one surface. It is constructed or visualized as a rectangle, one end of which is held fixed while the opposite end is twisted through a 180 degree angle and joined to the fixed end. It is a two-dimensional object that can only exist in a three-dimensional space.

The moebius strip was the subject of a famous woodcut by M. Escher, published in 1963.


Mobius Strip
Escher, M.C.
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com

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Hydrogen Side-effect Illusion

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

They said the only product of a hydrogen powered automobile is water. But I never imagined it would be this much. I guess it takes a lot of hydrogen to move a car.

On the plus side sales of umbrellas and raincoats should skyrocket.

Well this is early in the formation of the Sci-Art bloggers. A group that frequently covers that area where art and science overlap.

I would like to welcome Poligraf of The Daily Poligraf to the group. He lives in Quebec, Canada and officially accepted the invitation to join this week with a post explaining the Impossible Triangle.

Below are some postings from our members that I picked for our fourth Friday Favorites set.

From:

Bibi's Box "Die kleine Bananenrepublik"
Inner_Muse "Stained Glass Picture Window"
She Dreams in Digital "Prisma"
What Is It? "Pseudoscope"
Artsy Science "Dragon Skin"

As our group grows I will only put posts here that are submitted by the members. But until then enjoy some fascinating posts for this week.

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Fractal Spiral Poster Art

If you didn't read the caution above please do so now.

I found this optical illusion on a poster art site. For it's size it has a lot of motion in it.

Now picture this in a 2' x 3' size.

At that size I would recommend the standard at least one foot on the floor while looking at it to keep the room from spinning.

With all of the students starting college this week I thought this might make the perfect accessory for a new dorm room.

This poster art is sure to help keep you alert during those long study sessions.

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Land Shark Optical Illusion

The cleverest species of them all.

This was featured in the Economist Magazine article titled "Top Ten Signs" and was a finalist for an Epica Award in 2003.

All this time I thought the "Land Shark" skits on Saturday Night Live were just comic fun. Little did I know at the time that this might happen.

It starts out innocently, a caring relative gets an exotic pet for their niece or nephew. The beast gets big enough to take off a fingertip and flush it's gone. But being the cleverest species of them all, they adapt and the next thing you know you have a land shark as big as a bus.

Heard on the radio, a brief about the terror known as the "Land Shark."

...considered the cleverest of all sharks. Unlike the great white, which tends to inhabit the waters of harbors and recreational beach areas, the Land Shark may strike at any place, any time. It is capable of disguising its voice, and generally preys on young, single women. Experts at the University of Miami's Oceanographic Institute suggest that the best way to scare off the shark in the event of an attack is to hit or punch the predator in the Nose. Now for the weather..

Knock Knock!
Who is it?
Candygram........

Read the complete transcript.

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Frog Spawn Optical Illusion Art

The below image was created by Julian MacDonald. Julian said that this piece was "inspired by M C Escher's 'Reptiles', this is meant to be an image of a painting 'spawning' frogs - while the artist disappears for a cup of coffee, the frogs come out and play!"

Copyright Julian MacDonald (email)
Used with permission

He created this image with the "Art of Illusion" and details some of what he did on this page.

What is the Art of Illusion?

The Art of Illusion is a free, open source 3D modeling and rendering studio. It is written entirely in Java, and should be usable on any Java Virtual Machine which is compatible with J2SE 1.4 or later. You can get your copy of this software for free here.

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Plumber's Vehicle Trompe l'oeil Illusion

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

This is a fun optical illusion. Have you ever seen something similar in your travels?

If you have seen an illusion like this around your town snap a picture and e-mail it to me.

Well this is early in the formation of the Sci-Art bloggers. A group that frequently covers that area where art and science overlap.

I would like to welcome Bibi of Bibi's Box to the group. She lives in São Paulo, Brazil and is the second member of this group outside of the USA.

Below are some postings from our members that I picked for our third Friday Favorites set.

From:

Bibi's Box "Color Portrait of the English Language"
Inner_Muse "HoneyDew"
The Daily Poligraf "Rained In"
She Dreams in Digital "Photo and Media Festival - Davison Michigan" Stacy will be exhibiting her work at this festival, Good Luck Sya.
What Is It? "This weeks photos"
Artsy Science "Cobalt Cushiness"

As our group grows I will only put posts here that are submitted by the members. But until then enjoy some fascinating posts for this week.

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The Global Consciousness Project

Has science discovered a peek into the future?

Real or Illusion?

Wikipedia

The Global Consciousness Project is one of the most significant of current research projects into parapsychology. Based at Princeton, the project researches into the theory that the human consciousness may create an external field which is not detectable via conventional means.

Working on the assumption that while the field of an individual's consciousness is not measurable, the combined field of a large number of people who are experiencing similar thoughts or feelings is measurable, the GCP research asserts that such a field exists.

Their research works by examining the output of hardware random number generators located around the world. The current theory holds that events that have a significant human impact affect the randomness of these generators in a statistically significant way.

Roger D. Nelson started by reviewing two decades of experiments from the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab (PEAR) which repeatedly show that random event generators (REG's) seem to be intentionally influenced to bring about a less random sequence of data - in other words, that human intention can reduce natural entropy and create greater coherence within a random series of events.

Credit NASA

Analysis of some recent events would seem to indicate that these random event generators might actually react to an event before it happens. This might signal that time flows both ways.

RedNova discusses the random event generators:

The machine apparently sensed the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre four hours before they happened - but in the fevered mood of conspiracy theories of the time, the claims were swiftly knocked back by sceptics. But last December, it also appeared to forewarn of the Asian tsunami just before the deep sea earthquake that precipitated the epic tragedy.

Now, even the doubters are acknowledging that here is a small box with apparently inexplicable powers.

Science is still studying this phenomena, I would love to know the what, why and how this effect occurs. Hopefully the crew at Princeton will have more info in the next decade.

What do you think? Can mind effect matter?

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Real Model Triangle or Optical Illusion?

I don't know where I acquired this but it is a fascinating impossible figure. It looks like a real photo.... I have seen photos of other impossible triangles and understand how one can be made then photographed from a particular angle to look real, but I can't see it in this image.

How do you think this was done?

Does anyone know who created this image? The creator of this piece contacted me and below is the full image from the Gallery of Jörn Gollob. He has given me permission to post his complete image and copyright below. Thank You Jörn.

Copyright 2004 Jörn Gollob
Used w/permission
Click picture for larger image

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How Many Meteors Do You See?

Another great optical illusion effect. Here we see a photo of the Perseids Meteor shower that is phenomenal.

I would marvel at photos like this and think that he must have very special equipment or be at very high altitude to see this many meteors in such a short exposure. The truth is that this image was shot over six hours in multiple 30 second exposures. Then digitally combined to form this image. Absolutely amazing!

How many meteors do you see? (Click on the image for a high resolution version)

Credits for this photo and the answer to this question are below the image.

Raining Perseids
Credit & Copyright: Fred Bruenjes

Explanation: Comet dust rained down on planet Earth last August, streaking through dark skies in the annual Perseid meteor shower. So, while enjoying the anticipated space weather, astronomer Fred Bruenjes recorded a series of many 30 second long exposures spanning about six hours on the night of August 11/12 using a wide angle lens. Combining those frames which captured meteor flashes, he produced this dramatic view of the Perseids of summer. Although the comet dust particles are traveling parallel to each other, the resulting shower meteors clearly seem to radiate from a single point on the sky in the eponymous constellation Perseus. The radiant effect is due to perspective, as the parallel tracks appear to converge at a distance. Bruenjes notes that there are 51 Perseid meteors in the composite image, including one seen nearly head-on. This year, the Perseids Meteor Shower will peak in the early morning hours on Friday, August 12.

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Illusion in the Night Sky

Last night was the peak of this years Perseid meteor shower. Below is a photo taken 3 years ago of the same shower that was concurrent with and exceptional display of northern lights. This was featured on the Astronomy Picture of the Day on August 15, 2002. Credits and info on the image are below.

Meteors and Northern Lights
Credit & Copyright: Wade B. Clark Jr.

Explanation: Skygazers report that the annual Perseid meteor shower went pretty much as predicted, producing a meteor every few minutes during the dark early morning hours of August 12 and 13. And as the constellation Perseus rose above the horizon on the night of August 11, astrophotographer Wade Clark was anticipating recording images of the flashing meteor trails from the Mt. Baker Ski Area in northwest Washington, USA. But Clark was also treated to a colorful display of northern lights. As a result, the stars of Perseus are arrayed near the center of his well composed skyscape along with trails of Perseid meteors all viewed through the auroral glow. The alluring scene might look familiar to watchers of bygone Perseids. For many, views of the meteor shower in 2000 also coincided with auroral displays, courtesy of the active Sun.

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DVD Rewinder Illusion

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

I think that this is a great illusion. What do you think? Should I hunt down a supplier and start selling these from the yet to be formed Optical Illusions Etc... store? Don't be fooled, only DVDs with writing on one side have to be rewound!

Well this is early in the formation of the Sci-Art bloggers. A group that frequently covers that area where art and science overlap. Below are some postings from our members that I picked for our Second Friday Favorites set.

From:

Inner_Muse "Devil's Tower"
The Daily Poligraf (A Canadian Site) "Done!"
She Dreams in Digital "The Straight and Narrow"
What Is It? "This weeks photos"
Artsy Science "Yikes, I'm a winner!" Congrats to Tracy for a winning photo in the 2005 Nikon Small World Competition

As our group grows I will only put posts here that are submitted by the members. But until then enjoy some fascinating posts for this week.

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Pen & Ink, Collage Optical Illusions

The below photo is of artist Noli Novak creating a self portrait of herself using the stipple technique first created by Kevin Sprouls working for the Wall Street Journal in 1979.

Read the following from the Smithsonian Institute: National Portrait Gallery

The Wall Street Journal's resistance to photographs is legendary. "I always thought that one word was worth a thousand pictures," retired executive editor Fred Taylor told a reporter on the occasion of the Journal's one-hundredth anniversary.

But in 1979, while the Journal was in the midst of a makeover, artist Kevin Sprouls devised a technique for illustrating the paper that did not disrupt its "gray and wordbound" appearance. The stipple, or dot-laying, technique produced pictures that resembled the engravings on stock certificates and currency. "I've always thought it was a pretty good match for the Journal," says Sprouls. "They're like fine engravings."

© Noli Novak 2004

Noli Novak has been creating these pen and ink drawings since 1987 and her art is "acclaimed for it's intricate detail and emphasis on capturing likeness." She is also an accomplished collage artist as seen here using bits of magazines and paper to create amazing watercolor like images.

© Noli Novak 2004

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Hand Art Optical Illusions

Many of us have seen optical illusions created by body painting before. I have hesitated to place these here before because I didn't know who the artist was or what they were created for. Well I have finally found the origin of these photos.

These illusions were created for an ad campaign for Schroeders - Investment Management. The hands were painted by Guido Daniele. Not all of the below were used in the campaign but I thought I would include the entire set.

Guido Daniele
Born in Soverato (CZ - Italy) and now lives and works in Milan. Since 1964 until 1968 he attended Brera artistic High School and he graduated from Brera School of Arts (major in sculpturing) in 1972. He lived in India since 1972 to 1974 where he attended the Tankas school in Dharamsala. Since 1968 he has been painting and participating to personal and group art exhibitions. In 1972 he started working as hyper-realistic illustrator, in co-operation with major editing and advertising companies, using and testing different painting techniques. Since 1986 he has been working and improving his personal usage of airbrush: he paints back-stages in different sizes (the biggest ones can be 400 square metres) for artistic and advertising pictures, tv commercials and tv programmes. He also creates trompe l'oeil, both in private houses and public buildings. In 1990 he added a new artistic experience to his previous ones: using the "body painting" technique he creates and paints models bodies for different situations such as advertising pictures and commercials, fashion events and exhibitions. His personal artistic research has recently led him to the combination of the two traditional portrait techniques, which are photography and oil painting.

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Wacky Squares Optical Illusion

I found this image on a rather large optical illusion site.

The interesting thing wasn't the below illusion, but the fact that they just didn't get it. They had this wonderful description of how this wasn't an illusion but was just distorted squares reminiscent of some of the spiral optical illusions that are out there.

The truth however is that this is a great optical illusion. The above "distorted squares" aren't distorted at all. Each side is perfectly straight meeting at a 90 degree angle with the other perfectly straight sides.

To prove this to yourself use a sheet of paper and place the edge against the screen. Another way of seeing the truth about optical illusions where the lines appear crooked or bent is to get up close and personal with your monitor. Go to the edge of your monitor and look across the screen, you will see that the lines are indeed straight.

I won't mention the site that I found this on out of respect for their otherwise great site. Also when I went back to the site I couldn't find it again so I may be confused about which large optical illusion site it was.

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Shyster Optical Illusion

This is an interesting illusion. My question is would you trust this man? You may have noticed by the title that I wouldn't trust this man.

Created by Paul Agule

For those that are unfamiliar with the term Shyster here is a short definition:

Shyster \Shy"ster\, n. [Perh. from G. scheisse excrement.]

A trickish knave; one who carries on any business, especially legal business, in a mean and dishonest way. [Slang, U.S.] [1913 Webster]

If you still wonder why I wouldn't trust this guy tilt the image over to the left and read the word that appears.

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The Mammoth Camera

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

The Mammoth Camera of George R. Lawrence

Well this is early in the formation of the Sci-Art bloggers. A group that frequently covers that area where art and science overlap. Below are some postings from our members that I picked for our first Friday Favorites set.

From:

Inner_Muse "Rising Of The Serpents Tongue"
The Daily Poligraf (A Canadian Site) "Glass Flowers"
She Dreams in Digital "Just that moment"
What Is It? "This weeks photos"
Artsy Science "Fluid Craters"

As our group grows I will only put posts here that are submitted by the members. But until then enjoy some fascinating posts for this week.

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Make Poverty History Optical Illusion

Here is another masterpiece by Julian Beever. Julian says that this "drawing was requested by Live8 to support the pressure campaign on the G8 in Edinburgh. It was done in Edinburgh City Centre."

Look at the people next to the image. Judging by the girl in the white shirt it seems that this image might be 6 feet across. Since it looks like a circle, how is it that the artist at the top of the globe is so small?

The interesting thing about these drawings is the fact that they only work from one specific angle. Below Julian shares with us that rare image that actually shows us one of his drawings from a different angle.

As it turns out this drawing is actually about 40 feet long.

Other Julian Beever works can be found at his site or from any of the links below.

• Pavement Optical Illusions
  
• Treasure Hunting
  
• The Real Thing
• Politicians Meeting Their End
• World's Biggest Fly-Spray
• The Rescue
• Portable Computer
• Swimming-Pool In The High Street
• Self-Portrait Of The Artist
• Arctic Street
• Rembrandt

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American Flag Optical Illusion

I was wandering around the web looking for a way to share this site with more people and came across the American Flag League. This is a blog alliance that the only requirement to get on the list is to have an American Flag on your site. So I thought it would be a good time for this optical Illusion.

This is the first after image optical illusion that I have placed on this blog so here are some instructions. Stare at the red dot in the center of the flag image for 30-60 seconds then look at the center of the white spot below or any white surface in the area.

Why did you see a red, white and blue American flag? Those colors are the negative of the above black, blue and yellow image. The negative is what is left after you stop staring at the image. If you were to take the above image and open it in MS Photo Editor and select negative from the effects menu you would have a nice bright American flag.

Here is the current list of American Flag League members.

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Face in the Beans Optical Illusion

According to Mr. Peabody it takes the average person 10 X 1.618 seconds to discover the face in the beans below.

The image below "Sweet caffeine" is from the "Subtle Changes 2" photoshop contest on Worth1000. Can you find the face hiding in the beans? Just like every illusion of this type once you find the face you will always see the face..

Sweet caffeine
By furitsu

How long did it take you to find the face?

Added bonus: What is the name of the machine that Sherman is adjusting in the top picture?

Double Bonus: Did you spot the optical illusion in the Mr. Peabody and Sherman picture above?

Answer to the double bonus:

There isn't a great mind bending optical illusion in the Mr. Peabody and Sherman picture above. There is however an effect that could make one think that this image is floating above the background.

Compare the Peabody & Sherman picture with the face in the beans picture. What effect does one image have that the other lacks? That's correct the Peabody image has a drop shadow that gives it a sense of depth.

What..... you scoff, that isn't an illusion at all. How can a simple shadow be called an illusion? What would happen if we varied the shadow, increasing and decreasing its size, would it have an illusion effect then? Check out this post and then tell me that a simple shadow isn't worthy of the title of optical illusion.

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Perceived Distance Optical Illusion

Below is an optical illusion that seems simple enough.

Which distance is longer? Is the distance between the tips of the first two opposing triangles pointing away from each other (A-B) on the left longer? Or is the distance between the points of the second two triangles facing each other (B-C) on the right longer?

Which distance (tip to tip) is longer (A-B) or (B-C)?

You don't need me to tell you that it appears that the tips of the second two triangles (B-C) are further apart. It also seems that the tips of the first two triangles (A-B) are closer together.

If it was that easy though this image wouldn't be here would it? The truth is that the distance between the two sets (A-B) and (B-C) are exactly the same.

Go ahead get out your fine point marker and a ruler and see for your self, you know you want to. BTW don't use a Sharpie.

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