Home | Contact | Site Map
 Cards | Magic |  Illusions | Strange Stuff 02/06/12 
 
   
  Strange Stuff ...



Answer Me This





Great Card Tricks
verticaldivide
   Optical Illusions and Oddities
img
We are such visual creatures ... experiencing much of the world thru our eyes. The creation of magical moments often depends upon the workings of the eye ... with respect to both is wonderous capabilities ... and it's known limitations. The fundamental concept of misdirection is wholly based on where your eye is focused at a given point in time ... and the ability to control that focus.

See the seperate section on The Eye to get a more technical background on how the eye works ... and where it's limits are. Below are some interesting links to sites that highlight some of the strangest optical puzzles and illusions.

Cafe Express
Cards, Posters and T-Shirts w/ optical illusion themes. There's quite a few interesting items on this site ... and they're not all related to optical illusions. Check it out to see for yourself.
Journal Of Optical Technology
Here's the Journal of Optical Technology. This is a site for the serious types involved in the optical business. There's some pretty heady stuff here ... so navigate at your own risk. Looks like some of the publications may cost you if you're not already a member.
Sandlot Science
This is Sandlot Science ... The Art and Science of Vision. Everything optical illusion here. Plenty of content to amuse and a bunch of links to other things optical.
Grand Illusion Dot Com
Optical Illusions, articles, toys, etc. Lots of various products with some being of the optical type. Many of the toy products are educational in some form or another.
Crazy Spirals
Here's a site that is exactly what this page is about. Crazy spiral optical illusion that will change your perspective following your gaze. Things start moving that don't move at all.
The Geometry Junkyard
Here's a nice list of links of strange and interesting optical illusions. Enough here to keep you busy for a while. You'll be bug-eyed by the time you're done here.
Planet Perplex
Illusions, Imagery, Puzzles and wordplay. A variety of interesting items to tease the mind. Worth a check to see if anything interests you.
Rotating Illusions
This stuff will bug you out ... are they moving or not? Here's probably the classic page that best represents this page. They're all static images ... but you'd never know it by looking at this page.
Ophtastuff
More Optical and Visual illusions. Here's some more great examples of how the eye can fool. Don't believe anything your eye tells you ... it may not be real.
Optical Illusions by ColorCube.com
Nice site w/ lots of cool stuff. Blink effects, chromatic adaptation, color blindness check, dithering, and contrast issues are all outlined here.
Illusion Works (Al Seckel)
Nice site w/ lots of cool stuff ... including some serious research content on the subject. (interactive illusions were being redone as of 9/1/07; not available)
EyeTricks.com
Nice site w/ lots of illusions and puzzles. Many varied categories of content here ... although most of it appears to be links to other sites. Plenty of google ads for those that need more.
Exploritorium Online Exhibits
Here's a nice site w/ lots of cool stuff. Quite a few good optical illusions to test the eye for accuracy and a check against reality. There's even items touching on the mind and the ear as well.
Final Notes:
Hopefully those crazy visual anomolies didn't bug you out too much. I've included the subject of optical illusions since the eye is so critical in the process of creating illusion. Magicians rely a lot on the limitations of the eye and the optic nerve ... not so that the hand can be faster than the eye ... it doesn't need to be ... but rather ... so that I can shift your limited and narrow focus just enough to slip by what I don't want you to see.

Last Updated: 12/13/08