Last week I staged a battle of the clever stuff, and put a good T-shirt logo against a nice illusion photograph. The photograph won by a narrow margin. So, it stays on, and this week is up against a great optical illusion. Have a look at them both….here is the photo….
and here is the illusion (thanks @JediMindTrickso from Twitter). It simply consists of squares arranged in circles)…..
Which do you think is more impressive? Vote now and explain your choice in the comments section. The winner will stay on and fight again. Feel free to send me stuff that you think could beat it in next week’s battle.
Advertisement
August 11, 2009 at 6:44 am |
It’s still the photo for me. It’s just unique and clever.
August 11, 2009 at 6:50 am |
The illusion. It took greater intellect to create it.
August 11, 2009 at 7:02 am |
I’m definitely more impressed by the photo – the illusion may have taken greater intellect to create, but I feel the photo required more imagination.
August 11, 2009 at 7:04 am |
Photo is cool, but most people can photoshop. I could never design an optical illusion like that. Besides, would look great on a t-shirt.
August 11, 2009 at 7:05 am |
That optical illusion is awesome. Probably took a lot more time to create.
August 11, 2009 at 7:10 am |
Illusion. Because it’s making me buggy and made two of my best friends say, “Oww…”
August 11, 2009 at 7:12 am |
The photo is great! But the ilusion makes remind a simetrical flower made with spirals
August 11, 2009 at 7:27 am |
I love 2D optical illusions, but in this case I’m going to award points to those who go out and stage an elaborate illusion in the real world over those who sketch something on paper.
August 11, 2009 at 7:39 am |
Once you’ve worked the photo out, it’s no longer a trick, it is clever though. The illusion is hard to look at and keep coherent even when you think you know what’s going on. It continues to decieve your brain.
August 11, 2009 at 7:48 am |
Photo for sure. Did a double take. Didnt think photoshop, made me think.
August 11, 2009 at 8:32 am |
Surely photo is not photoshopped! They are bracing themselves in bizarre positions to achieve those angles. Is v. clever and so gets my vote.
August 11, 2009 at 8:40 am |
The photo makes me smile, and when I look at it longer it starts to suggest something about how we look at the world and our expectations, so it works on more than one level. The optical illusion is not something I can get any more out of the more I look at it. So I voted for the photo.
August 11, 2009 at 8:42 am |
The illusion by miles, the photo is just a bunch of people lying in the ground with their feet on a wall…
August 11, 2009 at 8:56 am |
The optical illusion can be appreciated at first glance. With the photograph, you have to look for a while before you notice what’s so strange about it (the “sideways” stuff isn’t exactly dominant).
Also, the illusion is just more visually appealing, whereas the photograph is rather ugly with the graffiti and everything.
I know I haven’t exactly answered the question “which is more impressive“, but the illusion is the one that I prefer.
August 11, 2009 at 8:58 am |
The photo for me, it made me do a double take where as I still don’t get the illusion.
August 11, 2009 at 9:04 am |
Definitely the illusion. The photo is clever, but even when you understand how and why you are being deceived by the illusion your mind still has trouble accepting what it knows to be the truth.
August 11, 2009 at 9:05 am |
the illusion. It is clever and your eyes are tricking you all the time. The photo is just a nice picture with a good idea, but you see through by the first look. The illusion not
August 11, 2009 at 9:06 am |
illusion for sure. incredible. would it work with colour?
August 11, 2009 at 9:12 am |
Richard, this should interest you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poCB0j-0Jf8&feature=PlayList&p=DCFE333DC8DD439D&index=3
August 11, 2009 at 9:13 am |
They are both optical illusions. I prefer the black and white optical as I like the movement/confusion created by the squares arranged in circles. A simple concept.
The photo is a classic photoshop montage. It’s well done but didn’t fool me
August 11, 2009 at 9:17 am |
photo. takes a lot of effort to hold yourself up!
i like the illusion but it just feels like it’s been done before many times. sorry!
August 11, 2009 at 9:17 am |
They are both optical illusions. I prefer the black and white optical as I like the movement/confusion created by the squares arranged in circles. A simple concept.
The photo is staged to trick you. It’s a fun idea, the 3 men are propping themselves up to change our perspective. It’s not photoshopped.
August 11, 2009 at 9:31 am |
I am far more impressed with the clever photo.
It may be simply because the squares in circles illusion is just too simple to stand against the thought that went into the photo.
Not sure why… but the photo definitely gets my vote
August 11, 2009 at 9:49 am |
I went for the photo in the end.
Usually I’d go for the optical illusion[1] but the photo really stood out for me because I wasn’t really paying attention and didn’t spot the illusion for a few seconds… that’s great as it shows me more about my mind then something that just makes my eyes go a bit funny
[1]: http://yourtrillionrobotteam.tumblr.com/tagged/illusion
August 11, 2009 at 10:05 am |
Photo! Illusion makes me feel a bit unwell.
August 11, 2009 at 10:37 am |
The photo is the more impressive, because it’s managed to trick so many people into assuming it’s photoshopped.
August 11, 2009 at 10:41 am |
Being a photographer myself, I have to go with the photo. It required not only a lot of creativity but also effort to stage it. For those who think it is photoshopped, you didn’t look close enough. There are telltale signs that the guy in the foreground is lying on his back (like the top of the newspaper falling “up”) and the other two are doing one-handed handstands. Note also that their feet are all right up against the curb, their coats and collars are leaning towards the wall and the guy sitting is at an odd crouch angle and not actually sitting on anything as you can see a shadow under his bum.
August 11, 2009 at 10:42 am |
er.. that should have been one-handed pushups.
August 11, 2009 at 11:30 am |
I went for the photo as it took me a while to figure out what the optical illusion was supposed to be doing.
August 11, 2009 at 12:46 pm |
the photo is clever but you can see how it’s done, the pattern is trickier to see and unsee and interpret
August 11, 2009 at 12:50 pm |
definitely the optical illusion. i don’t quite get the fascination about the photo. it’s nice but it’s nothing that completely stuns me, and from my point of view it’s quite easy to figure out. the illusion is a lot trickier; it fascinates me how simple objects can confuse your brains just by the way they’re aligned.
August 11, 2009 at 1:23 pm |
All about the optical illusion. The photo is quirky but I was looking at that optical illusion for ages and it was still baffling me.
August 11, 2009 at 1:25 pm |
I like the photo better. I haven’t seen something like that as much as I have the fake spiral optical illusion.
August 11, 2009 at 1:49 pm |
The optical illusion. The photo is too easy to see through , too obvious. I suppose for people who do not play games or read science fiction, the photo might be something new or unique though.
August 11, 2009 at 2:22 pm |
It’s easy to work out how the photo was taken (no it’s not photoshopped, but I had the trick worked out in about 3 seconds) – like Hilary says, even when you understand how the optical illusion works, it keeps trying to fool your eyes.
August 11, 2009 at 2:24 pm |
I went for the graphic, the photo is interesting for about 3 seconds, then becomes boring. I really just want to replace it so I don’t have to look at it again. Also, I find that I cannot force myself to reconcile the graphic into concentric circles instead of interlocking spirals.
August 11, 2009 at 2:52 pm |
The photo is lovely, but I’m voting for the optical illusion because I could have come up with the photo myself but I’d never have imagined something as clever as the illusion.
August 11, 2009 at 3:36 pm |
Definitely the optical illusion. The photo was interesting when I first saw it, but after looking at it further, the small details bother me too much. The newspaper falling toward the seated man’s face. The other two in poses which are too similar. The illusion deceives the eye even after you know how it’s achieving the deception. You can’t help but be tricked. Plus, it kinda hurts to look at, and that makes me want to send it to my friends.
August 11, 2009 at 4:16 pm |
The photograph is so clever in idea and execution. Though, once figured out, a certain level of mystery is no longer there.
The amazing thing about optical illusions like the circles of boxes, is that even when we know what is going on, and how they are created (technically speaking) – the illusions continue to persist! They intrigue our scientific and artistic curiosities, and are wonderful examples of how the sum is greater than the parts.
August 11, 2009 at 5:55 pm |
The photo. Yes the illusion keeps on working after you’ve figured it out, but the photo has many more marks for effort!
August 11, 2009 at 6:20 pm |
Photo!
August 11, 2009 at 7:00 pm |
The photo. It amuses me. The optical illusion just makes me cross-eyed
August 12, 2009 at 8:39 am |
The photo is clever, but the optical illusion raises questions about the workings of the brain.
August 12, 2009 at 2:05 pm |
I like the swirly patterns of the circular illusion. The other is too obviously contrived.
August 12, 2009 at 4:07 pm |
For me the most impressive is the optical illusion because i,ve never known how it´s done and I have the impression that you must to think a lot to do it.
The foto is nice and no too dificult to do, and I´ve seen some picts like that before.
August 12, 2009 at 4:15 pm |
both is cool but i prefer the odd photo,,, the illusion makes me dizzy and i dont like it (the dizzy feel)
August 12, 2009 at 5:08 pm |
Illusion has much greater staying power – I could look at it for ever. Photo: it’s obvious what’s going on really quickly and it looks really wrong. The second person “leaning” against the “wall” was a mistake. Furthermore – the textures of the “floor” and “wall” and the graffiti are all wrong in the photo – it would irritate me very quickly, whereas I’d have hours of fascination studying the illusion.
August 12, 2009 at 5:12 pm |
The optical illusion is the clear winner in my mind because I don’t fully understand how it works. The mind hack will always win over a clever manipulation of perspective.
August 13, 2009 at 8:35 pm |
Definitely the optical illusion. I agree with ViolaMaths – the 2nd person leaning against the ‘wall’ in the photo was definitely a mistake and, although it has an initial quirkiness, the interest is lost in a few seconds and you just notice the anomalies (the coat flaring in towards the wall, the man not actually sitting down, the odd angles of shoulders etc).
The optical illusion however is fascinating – you know what you SHOULD be able to see but your mind just won’t let you see it!! I spent ages trying to see circles instead of spirals. Clever – makes you wonder how and why your brain behaves the way it does… (yes, I know there are scientific answers but they don’t take detract from the mystery!)
January 2, 2010 at 8:28 pm |
I admit that the photo is impressive. But as i have said before it has flaws, another one would be the man sitting (supposedly) his but is not even touching the cement.
November 22, 2011 at 2:48 am |
[...] you see here is the square circle spiral optical illusion first made popular on the internets by a Dr. Richard Wiseman. What I’ve done is implemented the illusion using d3.js, a powerful [...]