Yesterday was amazing. WordPress kindly featured us on their homepage again, so a large amount of traffic on the site. Following on from the coffee bean image, Martinus kindly submitted this great image from AwkwardFamilyPhotos. It is wonderful because it shows how we are attracted to people’s eyes and so can sometimes miss the obvious….
Did you manage to spot the hidden person?
This is simply wonderful. Take a look at the illustration below and see if you can spot the face. Once you have seen it you won’t believe that you once didn’t see it…
Don’t say where it is, but feel free to say if you spotted it and long long it took. This probably says something about you, but I have no idea what.
Update: If you are stuck, there is a clue after the break….
I was recently emailed this, with the comment ‘ I got this pic from my niece. The original pic was taken with a camera phone. ‘
Any ideas?
On Friday I posted this puzzle….
A man enjoys smoking cigarettes, but doesn’t have enough money to buy them. However, he realises that if he collects cigarette butts, he can make a cigarette from every 5 butts. So, the man goes around and finds 25 butts. How many cigarettes can he enjoy as a result?
If you haven’t tried to solve it, have a go now. For everyone else, the answer is after the break.
The last couple of puzzles have been a tad tricky, so here is something a bit more straightforward….
A man enjoys smoking cigarettes, but doesn’t have enough money to buy them. However, he realises that if he collects cigarette butts, he can make a cigarette from every 5 butts. So, the man goes around and finds 25 butts. How many cigarettes can he enjoy as a result?
As ever, please do not write your answer, but do feel free to say if you think you have solved it and how long it took. Answer on Monday.
So, yesterday. According to my mate, most people should have selected blue. The slight problem is that they didn’t. Perhaps the Glasgow Science Center logo confused matters, perhaps it doesn’t work on the web or maybe it doesn’t work at all. Who knows. Anyway, thanks for joining in.
Yesterday I came across this great photo, taken around 1910. I had never seen it before, but it is a lovely example of how our perceptual system automatically groups objects. The question is…..are the two guys on the right of the image really good friends or is their friendship all in your mind?
Any thoughts? Which way did you first see the photo?
Yesterday’s Battle of the Clever Stuff is close, so please keep voting.
Also, for those of you in and around Glasgow, I will be presenting my ‘Investigating the impossible’ talk (about the paranormal) today at the Glasgow Science Center. Details here.
Today’s offering is somewhat odd. Someone showed me a little psychological thing the other day, and I would like to see if it works on lots of people. All you have to do is….
Count as quickly as you can from 1 to 16.
OK, now look after the break….
Last week I staged another battle of the clever stuff, and put the trippy thing against the strobe illusion. The strobe illusion won hands down, so it stays on. This week it is up against a great spider illusion (thanks to Ian Broadhead – the illusion is that the image is simply flicking from positive to negative with just a tiny movement of the spider, but it gives the impressive of dramatic zooming). Have a look at them both….
…. to experience the strobe illusion click here….
and the spider illusion is after the break (note, it contains flashing images and a big scary spider)… Read the rest of this entry »
On Friday I posted this puzzle…
On a table, arrange ten coins like so….
Now, can you move just two coins to form two rows, each containing six coins.
If you have not tried to solve it, have a go now. For everyone else, answer after the break. Read the rest of this entry »
On a table, arrange ten coins like so….
Now, can you move just two coins to form two lines, each containing six coins.
As ever, please do not post your solutions, but feel free to say if you think you have solved it and how long it took. Have a good weekend, answer on Monday.
This comes via the talented magical duo @barryandstuart…..take a look at this…..
So, say whether you are male or female and whether you saw a shoulder or bottom in the center of the picture….
Last week I staged another battle of the clever stuff, and put the weird purple moving thing against the strobe illusion. The strobe illusion won hands down, so it stays on. This week it is up against a wonderful trippy thing (thanks @brianhalliday). Have a look at them both….
…. to experience the strobe illusion click here….
and here is the wonderful trippy thing….
Which is better? Vote now and explain your choice…..
The British Psychological Society recently invited a group of psychologists to describe one nagging thing they still don’t understand about themselves. I was fortunate enough to be asked, and this is what I said….
“I have no idea why I occasionally think funny things. For example, the other day I was watching the film “District 9″, which is about an alien race known as “prawns”, and thought “I wonder if the alien in charge is called a king prawn?”. I would be the first to admit that it was not the world’s greatest joke, but still, where did that moderately amusing idea come from? And why are some people so skilled at creating funny stuff, whilst others wouldn’t recognise a proverbial custard pie, even if it hit them in the face? My guess is that the creation of comedy will remain a mystery for centuries, although at some point in the not too distant future, I suspect someone will carry out functional MRI scans of comedians creating jokes, and claim to have identified the part of the brain responsible for producing humour. Now, that will be funny.”
You can read the other contributions here.
Any thoughts? Where does humour come from and, perhaps more importantly, what do you not understand about yourself?
On Friday I posted this puzzle….
A millionaire tells his two sons to buy two horses and ride to a town 5 miles away. The one whose horse is slower wins and will inherit his fortune. After thinking about the race for days, the brothers ask a wise man for guidance. Upon receiving the advice, they jump on their horses and race to the town as fast as they can. What did the wise man say to them?
If you have not tried to solve it, have a go now. For everyone else the answer is after the break.
I know that some of you struggled with the clock puzzle last week, so here is an easier one….
A millionaire tells his two sons to buy two horses and ride to a town 5 miles away. The one whose horse is slower wins and will inherit his fortune. After thinking about the race for days, the brothers ask a wise man for guidance. Upon receiving the advice, they jump on their horses and race to the town as fast as they can. What did the wise man say to them?
As ever, please don’t post your solution, but feel free to say if you have a solution and how long it took. Answer on Monday.
