Comments on: You spin me right round http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:50:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Marilyn http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-195204 Marilyn Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:02:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-195204 Well, for the life of me, I can only see it spinning counter-clockwise. It seems to stop for a fraction of a second every once in a while, but I don't see any change in rotation. Now I'm going to stay awake nights wondering what *that* means . . . Well, for the life of me, I can only see it spinning counter-clockwise. It seems to stop for a fraction of a second every once in a while, but I don’t see any change in rotation.

Now I’m going to stay awake nights wondering what *that* means . . .

]]> By: OWER COTO http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40172 OWER COTO Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:40:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40172 LA SOMBRA DE LA CHICA NO TOCA EL SUELO, QUE RARA VISIÓN DE LA INFORMATICA.... LA SOMBRA DE LA CHICA NO TOCA EL SUELO,
QUE RARA VISIÓN DE LA INFORMATICA….

]]> By: Anne http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40171 Anne Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:26:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40171 The first time I saw the dancing girl she spun clockwise about five times and then spontaneously went off in the other direction. I thought she was programmed to do that, so I began counting rotations, but she kept on her anti-clockwise track. I then tried to make her go the other direction--and she did. Now she is completely under my control. I can just think "other way" and she switches. I can get her to swing her leg while facing me, until I release her. One of the tricks is to concentrate on her frontal view, thinking "Face me." I haven't been able to make her change directions when her ponytail is facing me. This is all fun, but I wish I could figure out how the image is constructed. I understand that it does not change. The change occurs in my brain--a bit disturbing, as it represents a disconnect between what is out there and what I think I'm seeing. The first time I saw the dancing girl she spun clockwise about five times and then spontaneously went off in the other direction. I thought she was programmed to do that, so I began counting rotations, but she kept on her anti-clockwise track. I then tried to make her go the other direction–and she did. Now she is completely under my control. I can just think “other way” and she switches. I can get her to swing her leg while facing me, until I release her. One of the tricks is to concentrate on her frontal view, thinking “Face me.” I haven’t been able to make her change directions when her ponytail is facing me. This is all fun, but I wish I could figure out how the image is constructed. I understand that it does not change. The change occurs in my brain–a bit disturbing, as it represents a disconnect between what is out there and what I think I’m seeing.

]]> By: The same color illusion « Mind? What mind? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40170 The same color illusion « Mind? What mind? Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:34:51 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40170 [...] called the same color illusion, illustrates that purely human observations in science may be ambiguous or inaccurate. Even such a seemingly direct perception as relative color. Similar illusions exist [...] […] called the same color illusion, illustrates that purely human observations in science may be ambiguous or inaccurate. Even such a seemingly direct perception as relative color. Similar illusions exist […]

]]> By: Seed's Daily Zeitgeist: 7/2/2007 » Chymistry http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40169 Seed's Daily Zeitgeist: 7/2/2007 » Chymistry Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:50:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40169 [...] Spinning Sihouette Optical Illusion This one’s a doozy. (via Phil) [...] […] Spinning Sihouette Optical Illusion This one’s a doozy. (via Phil) […]

]]> By: Irishman http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40168 Irishman Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:38:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40168 Oh, yeah, the shadow can be important. The shadow foot shows up when the foot is nearer to you than when it is farther away. This only happens if she is spinning clockwise, right leg raised. When spinning anticlockwise, left leg raised, looking at the shadow is one of the things that breaks the image for me. Oh, yeah, the shadow can be important. The shadow foot shows up when the foot is nearer to you than when it is farther away. This only happens if she is spinning clockwise, right leg raised. When spinning anticlockwise, left leg raised, looking at the shadow is one of the things that breaks the image for me.

]]> By: Irishman http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40167 Irishman Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:35:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/06/29/you-spin-me-right-round/#comment-40167 Charles, it was very difficult for me to get her to change directions. It took isolating what I could see to just her pivot foot, using another window to block the rest of the page. Then watching her foot and consciously perceiving the foot rotating the opposite direction. Just like convex/concave images, you have to pick which direction is in and out of the page, so with the foot I picked which direction was in and which was out as the toes swung around. That reversed the foot rotation direction. Then uncover the rest of the image and see the lady rotate the opposite direction. May have to repeat the process a couple of times before it works right on the whole. Charles, it was very difficult for me to get her to change directions. It took isolating what I could see to just her pivot foot, using another window to block the rest of the page. Then watching her foot and consciously perceiving the foot rotating the opposite direction. Just like convex/concave images, you have to pick which direction is in and out of the page, so with the foot I picked which direction was in and which was out as the toes swung around. That reversed the foot rotation direction. Then uncover the rest of the image and see the lady rotate the opposite direction. May have to repeat the process a couple of times before it works right on the whole.

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