Look at the adorable GIF above. What you're seeing is nothing more than a blob of disconnected, alternating smaller blobs. So why do our brains tell us that we're looking at a trotting dalmation? It's all because of a little trick our brains are playing on us known as the Law of Closure. Read More >>
This is kind of what I think warp drive must feel like from the inside. All swirling, spinning, like being fired through a wormhole to another world like Rapture. In fact, it's making me feel a bit sick. Don't stare too long; we don't want you making a mess of your keyboard. Read More >>
This board of tiles (or Azulejos, which is a form of Portugese artwork that involves tilework), is making my brain lose its gray matter. The tile board somehow maintains the same number of tiles even when some individual tiles are removed. How did all the tiles fit in the first place? How does it still fit after getting rid of three tiles? Where is the missing square? What sorcery is this? Read More >>
Featured comment by Shorty:
"They're not complete tiles at the end though.
The count isn't really relevant, it's the angles that matter, they leave you with tiles that aren't ..." More »
Viewer discretion advised! Do not scroll down unless your brain is made of steel and your nerves are Teflon. Some people simply cannot stand optical illusions. For the rest of you, check these beauties out. Read More >>
After a Monday like yesterday, it's not easy to get your brain back in gear for the rest of the work week. So consider this two-and-a-half minute collection of optical illusions a mental boot camp with Richard Wiseman serving as your overly-pleasant drill sergeant. Read More >>
Looking at Roberta Rampazzo's Illusion Side Table, you can't help but fall into a vortex of heavy thoughts. Are the legs crossing? Are they bent? Are there three legs? Four legs? Five legs? Does this still adhere to the platonic ideal of what a table is? Will I be a better person for having one? Would my parents approve? Is it more valuable than significant others in my life? Can I take it with me into the afterlife? Read More >>
Your mind is not playing tricks on you. These amazing animations were done on transparencies. A pair of images were printed on separate plastic sheets your high school math teacher used and one was slowly dragged over the other, resulting in crazy moving pictures, like PacMan eating bullets, or a cat running. Read More >>
Featured comment by lee:
"Agreed, as great as these illusions are, this one is so basic, easy to understand (and even produce your own) and so old that this article may as well..." More »
Gah! No, this isn't an animated gif but so help me god it won't. Stop. Moving. The full-sized, square version does it even more. If you stare hard at one point it'll kinda quit it, but really, you know it never stops. Ever. [BuzzFeed] Read More >>
Want to add more wrinkles to that ol' brain of yours? Stare at the colored dots on the girl's nose in the photo above for 30 seconds. Then look at a white surface (blank browser, mayhaps) and start blinking. You should see a non-negative image of the girl. WHAT. BRAIN. MELTING. WHAT. OHMYGOD. Yep, that jiggly stuff in your head just processed a negative image. Sweet. [PetaPixel] Read More >>
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