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The Homunculus

steve_icon_medium.jpgThe Omnibrain is a psychology graduate student at an online university. He hopes that the three weeks and $29.95 that he is spending on his Ph.D. will get him a job at a Tier 1 research university. Do online universities have postdocs? Ok...just kidding, The Omnibrain is a real graduate student at a real school somewhere in the continental United States - or maybe Europe.

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The Purple Nurple Optical Illusion

Category: ArtPsychologyVision
Posted on: December 23, 2007 8:05 AM, by The Omnibrain

I've entitled this illusion 'The Purple Nurple' Exciting eh? I haven't actually seen this particular one before today so I thought I'd throw it up.... so here it is:

purple_optical_illusions.jpg

I've finally figured out where the heck this illusion has come from! It is actually called "Sea Sickness" and is by Walt Anthony.

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Comments

1

"I haven't actually seen this particular one before today so I thought I'd throw up...."

Corrected.

Posted by: Syckls | December 23, 2007 8:57 AM

2

Interesting that it only works when I don't look at it. As soon as I focus on it, especially the center, it stops vibrating.

Posted by: Bob | December 23, 2007 4:51 PM

3

If you hold your eyes still it stops moving, but if you flick your eyes about the page, it starts up again.

Posted by: Steve | December 23, 2007 5:30 PM

4

I only see it shift a little when I move my focus to and from the very center. I assume it's supposed to be one of those that constantly moves?

Posted by: Andrew | December 24, 2007 7:22 AM

5

...that illusion is making my eyes itch. x_x

Posted by: M | December 24, 2007 4:57 PM

6

It only moves a little bit for me... but thats enough.

Makes me feel like a bad night in Tijauna.

Posted by: alcoolworld | December 24, 2007 5:45 PM

7

Er... The Purple Nurple is the name of a gay club themed area on Furrymuck :>

I cant get it to work. It looks perfectly stable to me, wherever I point my eyes and however fast or slow I move them.

Posted by: Suricou Raven | December 25, 2007 5:39 AM

8

Cool illusion! Interesting that it stops when eyes are fixed in the middle.
Try to circle your eyes around the outermost layer of diamonds.

Posted by: Martin | December 26, 2007 5:27 AM

9

About the ugliest illusion I've seen yet. The garish colors must have something to do with the minor illusion. Color fatigue? I only noticed some "movement" when I moved my eyes across an outer area, such as around the circle of diamonds.

Why not have a ranking of illusions by: 1) perceived movement, 2) aesthetics, 3) color fatigue, and 4) patterns?

Posted by: joekdoe | December 26, 2007 10:19 AM

10

Very cool illusion!

Posted by: Eyes for Lies | December 26, 2007 11:57 AM

11

Great as a desktop background.

Posted by: Brennan | December 26, 2007 2:51 PM

13

I'm w/o my printer at the moment. Does it work the same color printed onto paper?

Posted by: BJ | December 30, 2007 6:13 PM

14

Sorry. It just sits there doing nothing. I've tried everything. Hmmmmm...

Posted by: Myqlkc | December 31, 2007 11:52 PM

15

If you open up your eyes wide (as if beeing extremely surprised) and look at it, it appears frozen for me.

Posted by: Jürgen | January 3, 2008 3:46 AM

16

it breathes!


giving away my "age/generation" --- it has an LSD-like effect...


not that i would know what that might actually be... ; )

Posted by: mike/ | January 3, 2008 8:10 PM

17

I get no effect whatsoever. I gather it is supposed to move in some fashion. I can't even get it to muster a tic.

Posted by: Perry | January 3, 2008 8:52 PM

18

Joekdoe: do you sit around watching Simpsons episodes and then pronounce each and every one of them "Worst. Episode. Ever."?

Yeesh.

Posted by: Radio Free Atwater | January 3, 2008 8:53 PM

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