|
Akiyoshi Kitaoka is an associate professor of psychology at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. His site, available in English and Japanese, includes a variety of astounding optical illusions that will boggle and amuse you. Even better, many of the illusions include explanations as to why you're seeing what's not really there, such as movement when there is none, straight lines that look bent, and other tricks of the eye. Very fun. From This is True for 26 September 2004 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Colin Ord List Price: $8.95 Amazon Price: $8.95 Editorial Review: Gaze in wonder as mysterious images transform into magical animations. Make the horses gallop, a flag wave, 3D objects turn, and see London landmarks come to life. Many other familiar objects spin, rotate and animate through the pages of this book. All that is needed is the special acetate overlay (provided in the book) to bring the images to life Moving images first appeared in the 19th century as simple optical devices such as the Thaumatrope and the Zoetrope. The process of displaying sequences of still images in rapid succession - to show apparent motion - is the basis of early film animation and motion pictures.  By: Al Seckel List Price: $17.95 Amazon Price: $12.21 Editorial Review: Rings of seahorses that seem to rotate on the page. Butterflies that transform right before your eyes into two warriors with their horses. A mosaic portrait of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau made from seashells. These dazzling and often playful artistic creations manipulate perspective so cleverly that they simply outwit our brains: we can’t just take a quick glance and turn away. They compel us to look once, twice, and over and over again, as we try to figure out exactly how the delightful trickery manages to fool our perceptions so completely. Of course, first and foremost, every piece is beautiful on the surface, but each one offers us so much more. From Escher’s famous and elaborate “Waterfall” to Shigeo Fukuda’s “Mary Poppins,” where a heap of bottles, glasses, shakers, and openers somehow turn into the image of a Belle Epoque woman when the spotlight hits them, these works of genius will provide endless enjoyment.  By: Al Seckel List Price: $14.95 Amazon Price: $10.17 Editorial Review: Prepare to be amazed! Inside the covers of this incredible, colorful collection are hundreds of the world’s most powerful optical illusions. They’re beautiful to behold, and stunning in their trickery. Some of the mind-boggling images seem to spring into action, vibrating, pulsing, and spinning like a hula hoop. Other ambiguous illusions feature two subjects in one: the fun is in finding them both in the single picture—including a mouse playing hide and seek in a cat’s face and a strange desert mirage where palm trees imperceptibly morph into camels. And still more, like “The Impossible Terrace,” which couldn’t exist off the page: just try to figure out if you’re viewing the space from above or below. Every one is astonishing.  By: Magic Eye Inc. List Price: $12.95 Amazon Price: $12.95 Editorial Review: This paperback treasury is perfect for the insatiable Magic Eye fan. Its proportions are the same as the best-selling Magic Eye hardcover books, the paper is the same high-quality stock, but it contains three times as many images - 88 in all! Magic Eye Gallery is a collection of art from Magic Eye calendars; none of the images have ever appeared in book form before. With a retail price of $12.95, it's a bargain that can't be beat - a 96-page book filled with state-of-the-art Magic Eye images for the same price as the 32-page hardcovers! The same fans who put Magic Eye on the bestseller list will be tripling their pleasure with this striking collection.  By: Magic Eye Inc.Marc Grossman List Price: $14.99 Amazon Price: $10.19 Editorial Review: When Magic Eye images hit the publishing world in the 1990s, the response was as magical as the 3D images popping from their colorful backgrounds. Viewers couldn¿t get these best-selling books fast enough. In fact, Magic Eye I, II, and III rode the New York Times best-seller list for 34 weeks and eventually sold more than 20 million copies. Now Beyond 3D: Improve Your Vision with Magic Eye takes this phenomenon to another level.Beyond 3D examines the medical benefits and scientific possibilities related to viewing these remarkable images. Clearly explained in lay terms and through the use of numerous Magic Eye illustrations, the book not only helps readers ¿see¿ the images, it identifies and demonstrates the many physical and performance-related enrichments that may result.Magic Eye has long been a worldwide hit. Besides North America, Japan has been a highly receptive market for the Magic Eye way of seeing. Magic Eye Inc. has already produced a similar scientific-based book for that market¿with a notable reception. Beyond 3D promises to bring its benefits to a wider audience, a group eager to experience results ranging from reduced computer eyestrain and diminished stress levels to improved overall vision and lengthened attention spans. Magic Eye continues its fascinating run! |
About the Site
About This is True About the Authors
Prev: College Finances Next: Clever Media |