illusion

So, I'm riding on a tram today looking out of the window observing the cars go by (so much for public transport!), and I notice that as each car accelerates the more visible becomes the brake discs and calipers behind the rotating spokes of the wheels, apparently. At slow speeds the said parts...

This is kinda driving me crazy as clearly this broad is spinning clockwise but everyone else swears she's going CC. Supposedly, seeing it go clockwise means you're right brained, and CC means left brained. Anyone have any info on this / how it works?

I followed a link on a Jerry Andrus-affiliated optical illusions website and saw this video of an illusion that amazed me - very nicely done. Hope you will agree. http://www.grand-illusions.com/images/articles/opticalillusions/head_trick/head_trick.wmv

The Skepticism in the Classroom thread wandered into the territory of optical illusions. I'm sure there are other threads that deal with this, but it's a topic worthy of a periodic refresh. A whole class of excellent optical illusions rely on receptor fatigue. Articulett points us to a Jerry...

http://www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion.html

The Bad Astronomer linked to this interesting color illusion: http://www.johnsadowski.com/big_spanish_castle.html Good illustration of how the mind can see things that are not objectively there.

Just out of curiosity, do you believe that true faith must acknowledge the possibility that God does not exist? In other words, if you're genuinely interested in the truth, can you do so by claiming that God must exist, or is there wiggle room on this? My own belief is that if you are...

By Robert Kagan in the Washington Post Good commentary but it leaves out the Sharansky idea of linkage between human rights and trade. CBL

The following dilemma applies equally to everyone interested in making a significant change. It applies equally to the philosopher and the theist. I am speaking from the point of view of the person that I am. God is an illusion. You cannot have God without that which is not God (e.g. The...

Well, when we're all dead gone, what is there to believe in? Certainly not in the fact that we exist, correct? So, what I would like to know, is who is this grand illusionist -- and certainly it must be nothing but grand -- which makes life so believable while we're here?

From the thread, Your thoughts on atheism ... My thoughts on Atheism? Atheism is just a set of beliefs, just like any other religious set of beliefs. No need to, have already established that man is a creature of belief. You know, where does the belief of this real world go when we die...

Ever tell anyone the story of your life? Does that make you a fictional character too? I've never heard of you before, so does that just make you imaginary to me? So, do you realize that for 99.999% of the people who exist on this planet that you only exist as a concept? ... Or, not even that...