my brain is spinning

[cluebyfour]

I thought this optical illusion (via Marginal Revolution) was fascinating and wanted to test its hypothesis.

Take a careful look at the picture, then answer my first poll in nearly a year!

Poll cluebyfour's random poll: spinning dancer test

Comments

[ilcylic]

Moreover, I can't even see how the dancer could be turning the other way.

If there wasn't a reflected shadow, and thus, a solid indication of front vs: back, and due to the direction of travel of the shadow, left vs: right, I might be able to make my brain see it the other way. As it is, the shadow indicates when the outstretched leg is "in front", and since it is in front when it is, and the leg passes from right to left... her direction of spin isn't up for much interpretation.

Ironically, they are claiming that by seeing it clockwise, I'm displaying more intuition than logic, but it's the logical analysis that drives my interpretation.

In short, I strongly suspect they are FOS.

[jonathonjones]

I also can't see how a person could see it going counter-clockwise.

I am NOT right-brained.

[ilcylic]

I even tried putting a terminal a window over my browser window to cover up the shadow. At which point the order in which her breasts become visible is the dominant clue.

At this point I'm trying to come up with definitions of "counter clockwise" under which there could be a perspective shift to make them relevant, but I'm pretty much failing there too.

[cluebyfour]

I finally got the dancer to switch direction--I looked only at the shadow, first, then scrolled up. It then appeared to be spinning counter-clockwise to me. But in an instant, my perspective would shift and she appeared to be going in the opposite direction.

No, I don't know if this supports their hypothesis at all, but it's still freaky.

[perich]

I answered "counter-clockwise" but meant "clockwise," since the direction of an analog clock's hands is no longer an intuitive direction for me.

Her foot starts on the right, rotates toward me, and ends on the left. That's what I meant.

[cluebyfour]

You can change your vote, if you like. (Not that I'm striving for scientific accuracy, or even IPCC accuracy.)

[noisyparker]

and with the dancer going CW and the shadow visible, I feel just a tad unright.
I hadn't noticed that until you mentioned it, but that is very true.

[noisyparker]

err, no... now I must retract that since it is looking natural for either direction. I wonder if is possible to have each appear to be going in opposite directions at the same time.

[admirari]

i havn't seen this icon and name for a couple of years! i used to be Req and had a purpley woman icon called "cocaine" she looked sad and had big eyes

[dragon_smoke]

Weird, this morning when I first looked at it, it was going counter-clockwise, and when I tried this a few days ago I could NOT for the life of me get it to be counter-clockwise. But then my focus shifted, and she was going clockwise and now I can't get it to be any other way. But just a few seconds there, I saw the different directon! That doesn't surprise me too much though. When I read the descriptions of right vs. left brained, I feel that more of the left-brained traits belong to me, but I am mostly left handed, so I know for a fact I have used a lot of right-brained thinking in my life.

[noisyparker]

It switches for me if I look at just the feet and try to picture it going the other way, but it seemed quirky enough that it made me want to examine the animation to make sure they weren't playing some trick on me. ^_^7 That is a pretty amazing illustration of... something (I dunno how they go on to the left-brain right-brain conclusion). It seems so perfectly natural no matter which way my brain is seeing it go.