Comments on: Hack #103: See more with your eyes closed

By: Shortcipher

Shortcipher — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 03:59:56 +0000

Isn’t this an optical effect rather than a cognitive effect? It’s the stagecoach wheel phenomenon, in which the wheels of a stagecoach in old westerns appear to be turning backwards because each film frame has photographed the wheels at positions slightly *behind* their positions in the previous frame. If each blink coincides with the fan blades being in the same position, then the fan will look like it’s standing still because you are only looking at the blades when they happen to be in the same spot.

By: JussiR

JussiR — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:26:19 +0000

If you don’t have anything to crunch you can get the same effect by making a “BRRRR…” sound with only your lips. Not recommended if you are surrounded by colleagues who might think you have become crazy.

By: DanneMann

DanneMann — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 19:30:11 +0000

Try this; When sitting by a computer monitor (CRT), take a bite off a piece of hard bread, hard snack or similar. While chewing, look at the monitor indirectly (corner of your eye). You will notice that the picture will start flickering wildly. This will also work on some TV:s. I guess the crunching during chewing makes the light coming into the eye move very quickly in different directions than when the eye is relatively still.
If you got a really crunchy piece, it will flicker even when you look straight at the monitor/TV.