Custom Backyard Deck Will Make You Dizzy

Posted by John Farrier in Architecture on November 19, 2009 at 3:58 pm


Photo: Digited Image Company

Apple executive Jeff Dauber has a backyard deck that will not, despite initial impressions, suck you into a wormhole and then throw you back in time. He had architect Thom Flauders design the piece to create an optical illusion of curves where there are only flat surfaces:

“I wanted someone to barf when they look at it,” says Dauber, a senior executive at Apple. “The deck looks like it is sloping away from you.” Dauber is not your standard-issue Silicon Valley techie; he’s covered in tattoos and owns an impressive, challenging collection of contemporary art (including a mosque made out of gun parts, by the sculptor Al Farrow). Five years ago, he hired Faulders to transform his Potrero Hill residence into a bachelor-pad-cum-art-gallery (see “Puzzle Master,” June 2006). The architect gave the space visual interest while still preserving it as a backdrop for Dauber’s art. Notably, the ceiling and walls, which appear to undulate, are made of a smooth pattern of interlocking CNC-milled MDF panels.

Link via Fast Company

 
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Neatorama Shop » Toy & Games » Science Toys

BuckyBalls Magnetic Toys are 216 rare earth magnet balls that can be shaped and molded into virtually any shape.

Tear 'em apart and snap 'em back together in unlimited ways for hours of fun! Watch the video for a quick demo of what BuckyBalls can do.

Remember to get two for twice the fun! Link
See more Science Toys »

Optical Illusion - Impossible Object With a Twist

Posted by Queuebot in Everything Else on November 6, 2009 at 11:11 pm


[YouTube - Link]


If one looks closely at the construction of this figure, it quickly becomes apparent that something is just, well…wrong with it. 

This initially-baffling video exhibits how the human visual system can subconsciously interpret and thoroughly "see" a three-dimensional object even though it is impossible for such an object to exist.  Thankfully, the creator reveals how it was constructed.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by flagler.

 
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Town-Sized Optical Illusion

Posted by John Farrier in Arts & Crafts, Pictures on October 28, 2009 at 2:37 pm


Photo: Today and Tomorrow

Swiss artist Felice Varini is known for his massive art installations that show different images depending on the viewer’s vantage point. Recently, he created an optical illusion that covered the entire Swiss town of Vercorin. In the picture above, it looks like rings have been drawn over an image, but what Varini has done is painted walls and roofs at particular angels to give this impression. Click on the link for pictures that show how Varini crated this illusion.

Link via Make | Artist’s Website | Previously on Neatorama: Felice Varini’s Ellipse Anamorphic Art

 
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Optical Illusion - Shades of Difference

Posted by Minnesotastan in Everything Else on October 5, 2009 at 7:26 pm

This video demonstrates that the human eye (and the visual cortex of human brain) are better at detecting edges and contrasts than they are at determining actual shades of colors.  There is a discussion thread about this illusion at Reddit.

YouTube link.

 
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Four Perfectly Round Circles

Posted by Miss Cellania in Everything Else on August 11, 2009 at 8:47 pm


Look closely, can’t you see four perfectly round circles? Or maybe you’ll want to stand way back to see them. Don’t scroll up and down; that might make you queasy! -via I Am Bored

 
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Neatorama Shop » Food & Drink » Offbeat Mints & Candies

Tile Illusion

Posted by Miss Cellania in Everything Else on July 12, 2009 at 11:48 am


Look close: there are no bent lines in this tile collection. In fact, when I saw this, I thought how cool it would be to floor a room with this tile pattern! Link

 
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The Darwin Optical Illusion

Posted by Alex in Pictures, Science & Tech on June 26, 2009 at 1:49 am

If you like the neat color optical illusion posted by Neatoramanaut Minnesotastan from the Upcoming Queue, check this one out by Rob Jenkins of the University of Glasgow and Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire:

The picture below shows two monkeys. Set your computer monitor to maximum brightness and then stare at the centre of the picture for about 30 seconds without moving your eyes. Next, look to a white wall and blink a few times. The monkeys should suddenly transform into a perfect picture of Darwin!

Link

Previously on Neatorama: 10 Fun Facts About Charles Darwin

 
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Blue and Green? No, They are the Same Color.

Posted by Queuebot in Everything Else on June 25, 2009 at 1:22 pm

The spiral appears to have arms of green, blue, and pink/magenta – but what appears to be blue and what appears to be green are actually identical colors, confirmed by spectrometry.

The reason they look [like] different colors is because our brain judges the color of an object by comparing it to surrounding colors. In this case, the stripes are not continuous as they appear at first glance. The orange stripes don’t go through the “blue” spiral, and the magenta ones don’t go through the “green” one.

If you don’t believe it, see the closeup view at Bad Astronomy. Link – via j-walkblog

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Minnesotastan.

 
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Inhale Exhale Flipbook by Matt Shlian

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts, Video Clips on June 1, 2009 at 7:04 am

Remember the flipbook you had as a kid? Well, paper engineer (that’s what he calls himself) Matt Shlian has just turned that concept upside down. Technically, that may be inside out. Or maybe front to back. Who knows! Just take a look at his mind-blowing Inhale Exhale cutout Flipbook and weep: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube]

 
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Optical Illusion - Why A Curveball Confuses Batters

Posted by Queuebot in Science & Tech on May 14, 2009 at 11:11 am

A curveball will slowly shift by a couple of feet at most, but to the batter it seems to suddenly jump several feet.  Watch this animation of the Best Visual Illusion of the Year winner to experience how this occurs.

In baseball, a curveball creates a physical effect and a perceptual puzzle. The physical effect (the curve) arises because the ball’s rotation leads to a deflection in the ball’s path. The perceptual puzzle arises because the deflection is actually gradual but is often perceived as an abrupt change in direction (the break). Our illusions suggest that the perceived “break” may be caused by the transition from the central visual system to the peripheral visual system. Like a curveball, the spinning disks in the illusions appear to abruptly change direction when an observer switches from foveal to peripheral viewing.

Link – via josephfosco

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by josephfosco.

 
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Neatorama Shop » By Artist » Mike Jacobsen T-Shirts
Wizard of Oz, the Short Version

Invisibility, the Old Fashioned Way

Posted by Queuebot in Arts & Crafts, Car & Vehicle on May 3, 2009 at 3:03 pm


While the magic of Photoshop has made it easier than ever to doctor photographs to portray the improbable or impossible, nothing quite matches doing a double take in real life.

British art student Sara Watson parked a donated Skoda Fabia car outside her art studio and painted it so that, from just the right angle, it looks invisible. Shadows on the ground and the slight contours of the car give it away, but other than that, it’s as if it were draped with Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility or a cloaking device from Star Trek.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by tempeh.

 
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Ames' Window

Posted by Miss Cellania in Video Clips on May 1, 2009 at 9:18 am


(YouTube link)

Is this weird or what? This optical illusion known as Ames’ Window was developed by Adelbert Ames, Jr. {wiki} Just watching it made me dizzy! -via reddit

 
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Bose Ads by Nirmalya Chakraborty

Posted by Alex in Advertising, Gadget, Music on April 2, 2009 at 8:34 am

Nirmalya Chakraborty created a series of fantastic print ads for Bose, featuring many of their sound equipments to create faces of famous musicians: Link | More at La pubelle blog

 
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The Optical Illusion Girlfriend

Posted by Alex in Funny on February 23, 2009 at 3:38 am

Just like the FedEx arrow, once you’ve seen it – you can’t unsee it. Here’s a short and funny clip from College Humor about the Optical Illusion girlfriend: do you see an ugly witch or a beautiful girl?

Link

 
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Hidden Message by Brad Troemel

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts on January 16, 2009 at 3:24 am

Ooh, it’s there all right. It’s a hidden message by Brad Troemel – the question is: can you see it? See the bigger version at today and tomorrow blog.

 
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Andreas Aronsson's Impossible Figures Optical Illusion

Posted by Alex in Arts & Crafts, Pictures on December 31, 2008 at 2:09 am

Andreas Aronsson is a professional IT technician by day and an awesome optical illusion artist at night: he made a series of cleverly drawn "impossible figures" that at a glance look perfectly fine, but upon closer inspection will give your mind some sort of a Twilight Zone moment.

These are awesome, trust me: Link

 
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Cool Optical Illusions

Posted by Alex in Everything Else on August 9, 2005 at 4:51 pm

Optical Illusion A very, very cool collections of optical illusions – wait, it may just be you going crazy…

Be sure to check out the rotating face mask, the Thatcher Illusion, and the Face in the Bean. Link
 
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