Disappearing Fluff Optical Illusion

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

Here is a great optical illusion that relies on after-image effects and the fact that your eye is always making small movements. Stare at the black dot in the center. What happens to the various colored fluff? How can so many various colors all disappear?

(C)2005 D.White
Skytopia

Well this is the Sci-Art bloggers Friday Favorites. The Sci-Art bloggers are a group of bloggers that frequently cover that area where art and science overlap.

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

From:

Bibi's Box "Cute bento boxes"
Inner_Muse "Scarab"
She Dreams in Digital "Cream Petals on Red"
What Is It? "This Weeks Photos"
Artsy Science "The end...?" This might be the end of his Blogger blog. Next Stop, "fancy-dancy super-improved Movable Type weblog"
The Daily Poligraf "Already"

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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Optical Illusion Stroller

Here is an optical illusion that might twist your view on the world. Below we have a stroller that has the three left most wheels on the ground then cleverly the right most wheel group is off of the ground and the shadow for that wheel group is out of place.

Thomas Michael Corcoran
Used w/permission
Copyright 2004

How was this effect created? Was this done with 3-d modeling software. Was it just manipulated in an image processing program like Photoshop? Or could this be some freak of nature, a place where physics is warped and the universe doesn't play by the rules.

Let me know what you think.

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Salt Mine Fractal

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

Mid-August I was hunting around the web for possible web sites to invite to join Sci-Art Bloggers when I came across Hexposure, a photoblog that has great potential. The only hitch was it was only updated once every month or so. While I was looking over the nice selection of pics I noticed this image of a salt mine. Very cool, another example of a naturally occurring fractal.

About a week later the below image was the Fractal of the Day. Maybe it's just me but I saw a similarity between these to images.

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 eighth Friday Favorites set.

From:

Bibi's Box "Cookies!"
Inner_Muse "Bloomong"
She Dreams in Digital "What's Hip?"
What Is It? "This Weeks Photos"
Artsy Science "Changes..."
The Daily Poligraf "Self-server"

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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Old Robot Rest Home Optical Illusion

In the future we might see rest homes for old robots. I think Stefano might have hit it right on the mark with this architectural dream.

The above optical illusion is obviously inspired by M.C. Escher. It was created by Stefano Selleri (copyright 2003) with Blender 3d software and the YafRay (raytracer) plugin.

Blender is the open source software for 3D modeling, animation, rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. Available for all major operating systems under the GNU Public License.

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Size Distortion Optical Illusion

I have become a little jaded by the various size distortion illusions. Each time view them I think yea so what's the big deal. Well the below optical illusion is one of the better examples of size distortion.

By now you must have guessed it. The two lines A-B and A-C are the exact same length. This is a very good optical illusion, I had to measure to make sure this was accurate prior to placing it here.

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Animal Face Optical Illusion

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

I've seen this animal face in many places. One site stated that there are 30 animals in this picture. I counted 25 easily identifiable animals and part of one that I wasn't sure what it was. Maybe you can find more.

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 seventh Friday Favorites set.

From:

Bibi's Box "Pluto's Heaven"
Inner_Muse "Geminii"
She Dreams in Digital "Divinity Lies Within - Wallpaper"
What Is It? "This Weeks Photos"
Artsy Science "A specimen's perspective"
The Daily Poligraf "lundi"

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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Bart Simpson, Friend of Optical Illusions

Let this be a lesson to all of you.

Do not fool around with optical illusions this school year or this might happen to you. Optical Illusions are strong mojo and not to be taken lightly.

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Student Union Optical Illusion

I work for a University in the Southeastern United States, this past summer we installed a new bell tower and the below outdoor building construct just off of the Student Union complete with Wi-fi computer access.

Update: This is
"Going Up?"
©Walter Wick, 1998
Used w/permission

What do y'all think of the new facility?

Update: You can see how this was done by clicking here.

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Bullet Through Apple

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

The below photograph was taken by Doc Edgerton the father of "the first electronic stroboscope device that would produce enough light in controlled flashes of short duration and of proper actinic quality for "stopping motion" on photographic film." Doc Edgerton was the first that combined the art and science of photography. But those who mistakenly referred to him has an artist were forcefully reminded that he was not an artist, but that he was an Engineer.

Edgerton learnt photography as a boy and studied electrical engineering at the University of Nebraska. After graduation in 1925, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. From the early 1930s he conducted pioneering research in stroboscopic photography, which permitted him to freeze exceedingly fast movement and make exposures between 1/10,000 and 1/1,000,000 of a second. The famous photographs that resulted revealed to the world for the first time some of the lost mysteries of everyday motion.

(from The Grove Dictionary of Art)

.30 Bullet Piercing Apple
© Harold Edgerton

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 sixth Friday Favorites set.

From:

Bibi's Box "Good Girl Art"
Inner_Muse "Blowing Bubbles"
She Dreams in Digital "And Every Time I Wake Up Screaming!!"
What Is It? "This Weeks Photos"
Artsy Science "Crystal Elegance"
The Daily Poligraf "Méchoui"

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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Impossible Triangle Illusion Revealed

Three weeks ago I posted a version of the Oscar Reutersvärd's Impossible Triangle. That version looked real and I wondered who created it and how it was done.


Follow The Groove
by Oscar Reutersvärd
The creator of that version, sent me an email today with an explanation of how he did it. He also threw in a bonus, the below animated file that exposes how his triangle could have been photographed. I say could have because he created the image with CINEMA 4D from MAXON.

Jörn Gollob Copyright 2004

Jörn did a great job of recreating Oscar Reutersvärd's "Follow the Groove" image with CINEMA 4D and it certainly looks like it could be constructed but with any good optical illusion, once constructed the reality would break down quickly upon changing the angle from which you were viewing it.

=============================================================

For another look check out the below version built by Alan Brix of New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. This is part of The New Trier Connections Project, which is a collection of hands-on exhibits gathered and created by faculty and students at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, to illustrate connections among art, math and science.

They gave the following description:

The "impossible triangle" is a triangle with THREE RIGHT ANGLES! It was invented in 1958 by mathematicians R.L. and S. Penrose. It appears to be an Escher-like triangle that can be drawn but not constructed . . . But as you can see below, we constructed it!

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Extreme Environmental Catastrophe Illusion

Like so many other extreme environmental claims this one is (although 100% true) just an illusion.

It has been a while since I visited my favorite environmental web site. Pass this info on to a fellow environmentalist today. Click Banner to go to DMHO.org.

Click Banner to go to DMHO.org.

Don't hesitate, contact your representative in Washington, move on this today. We have to make everyone aware of the danger that exists right here at home. If we do nothing 2x more people will die in the United States in the next year then casualties suffered by the U.S. so far in the Iraq war. Hard to believe but over 3600 U.S. citizens die each year due to DHMO.

What are the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Act Now, Save Lifes! With your help we can make a difference.

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Up Skirt Optical Illusion

Sci-Art Bloggers Friday Favorites

What could this person be looking at?

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 fifth Friday Favorites set.

From:

Bibi's Box "The Original Illustrated Catalog Of ACME Products"
Inner_Muse "Underworld"
She Dreams in Digital "Genuine Advantage, My Ass!!"
What Is It? "This Weeks Photos"
Artsy Science "Cavatappi"
The Daily Poligraf "A=A+1"

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.

READ MORE - Up Skirt Optical Illusion

Flowing Rivers Optical Illusion

Another interesting optical illusion effect. Looking at this image you may very well see a scintillating effect along the light grey rivers. Presenting the illusion of movement along those paths.

Update:© 1998, Sarcone and Waeber

Update: When I posted this image I had no idea where it originated. Since then I found that this image is copyright 1998, by Gianni A. Sarcone and Marie J. Waeber, co-founders of Archimedes' Laboratory.

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