Comments on: Dancing on the pin of a head http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/ Same old blog, brand new place Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:02:37 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: tom matrullo http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-76076 tom matrullo Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:53:04 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-76076 Infuriatingly funnish. It started counter, then switched, then refused to switch. The knee-high thing did seem to get it to reverse direction. Only, every time it/she reverses, there has been a slight pause, a momentary hesitation. Making the change seem the result of some sort of programmed manipulation. Only, it's now shifting as I squint at the left and right edges. Can't see it going both ways at once, but now I'm sure I "know" it is. Like the old "rabbit or duck?" image - something requires us to subordinate one "aspect" or the other, but in fact both are concurrent. Infuriatingly funnish. It started counter, then switched, then refused to switch. The knee-high thing did seem to get it to reverse direction. Only, every time it/she reverses, there has been a slight pause, a momentary hesitation. Making the change seem the result of some sort of programmed manipulation. Only, it’s now shifting as I squint at the left and right edges.

Can’t see it going both ways at once, but now I’m sure I “know” it is.
Like the old “rabbit or duck?” image – something requires us to subordinate one “aspect” or the other, but in fact both are concurrent.

]]> By: Yule Heibel http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75685 Yule Heibel Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:12:29 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75685 I think I "got" it (how to make it change). First, the image *always* moves clockwise at first, and looking at the head, I noticed that this meant that she "leads" with her ponytail if she's going clockwise. So I viewed only the head (blocked the rest with my hand) and decided on letting the nose/profile be the "leading edge" (vs. the ponytail). Do that for a few seconds, and she starts to change direction (goes counterclockwise). I.e., basically you can force a change by focusing on a different "leading edge." The rest then follows. I think I “got” it (how to make it change). First, the image *always* moves clockwise at first, and looking at the head, I noticed that this meant that she “leads” with her ponytail if she’s going clockwise.

So I viewed only the head (blocked the rest with my hand) and decided on letting the nose/profile be the “leading edge” (vs. the ponytail). Do that for a few seconds, and she starts to change direction (goes counterclockwise).

I.e., basically you can force a change by focusing on a different “leading edge.” The rest then follows.

]]> By: Sheila Lennon http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75676 Sheila Lennon Sat, 09 Aug 2008 03:29:42 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75676 Okay, weirder: This page (http://ofb.net/~whuang/imgs/spin/) has three of these whirling women that you can click on and off. I've tried clicking the outer two on, all three -- they all change together, even if I'm only focusing on one. (I can't see one going ccw and two cw, for instance.) My brain is running off without me. Disconcerting. Okay, weirder: This page (http://ofb.net/~whuang/imgs/spin/) has three of these whirling women that you can click on and off. I’ve tried clicking the outer two on, all three — they all change together, even if I’m only focusing on one. (I can’t see one going ccw and two cw, for instance.)

My brain is running off without me. Disconcerting.

]]> By: Chip http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75669 Chip Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:18:57 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75669 OK Further old eyes Saw both No stopwatch on switch but would swear there is switch (somebody dive into the code) Watched several times, about 10-15 sec into...OK sometime not - browser issues seeing the switch??? BTW - good that us old farts still notice the female form I think there are server issues Ciao Da Curmodgen OK
Further old eyes
Saw both
No stopwatch on switch but would swear there is switch (somebody dive into the code)
Watched several times, about 10-15 sec into…OK sometime not – browser issues seeing the switch???

BTW – good that us old farts still notice the female form

I think there are server issues

Ciao
Da Curmodgen

]]> By: christopher carfi http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75668 christopher carfi Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:13:17 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75668 started out clockwise. after about a minute or so, could get her to change pretty much at will. if i focused knee-high at the left border of the picture, she'd spin anti-clockwise, and then if i'd focus knee-high at the right border of the picture, she'd snap to clockwise. started out clockwise.

after about a minute or so, could get her to change pretty much at will. if i focused knee-high at the left border of the picture, she’d spin anti-clockwise, and then if i’d focus knee-high at the right border of the picture, she’d snap to clockwise.

]]> By: Phil http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75613 Phil Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:43:43 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75613 Doc, Watch her feet. Stare for a bit then blink. That seems to have worked for me. Yes she does have feet...Or didn't you get down that far? Doc,

Watch her feet. Stare for a bit then blink. That seems to have worked for me. Yes she does have feet…Or didn’t you get down that far?

]]> By: Doc Searls http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75575 Doc Searls Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:33:05 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75575 So my wife and I just stared at the same image and we both saw her spinning both clockwise and counterclockwise, though she shifted for both of us at different times. We tried suggesting changes by saying "clockwise" or "counterclockwise" over and over, both when we actually saw what we said and when we saw differently. Couldn't detect a pattern. Strange. So my wife and I just stared at the same image and we both saw her spinning both clockwise and counterclockwise, though she shifted for both of us at different times. We tried suggesting changes by saying “clockwise” or “counterclockwise” over and over, both when we actually saw what we said and when we saw differently. Couldn’t detect a pattern. Strange.

]]> By: Doc Searls http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75570 Doc Searls Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:19:05 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75570 I'm pretty good with optical tricks involving the eyes. I can look at those stereoscopic pictures and quickly see the 3-d image. I can consciously force my eyes to rack in and out of close or distant vision rangefinding to make images diverge and converge. I'm expert at placing offset objects in my blind spots. Yet I can't get the dancer to spin any direction other than clockwise. Interesting. I’m pretty good with optical tricks involving the eyes. I can look at those stereoscopic pictures and quickly see the 3-d image. I can consciously force my eyes to rack in and out of close or distant vision rangefinding to make images diverge and converge. I’m expert at placing offset objects in my blind spots.

Yet I can’t get the dancer to spin any direction other than clockwise. Interesting.

]]> By: Sheila Lennon http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75540 Sheila Lennon Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:09:30 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75540 The animation doesn't change direction. After I blogged this, four journalists gathered around a screen to check it out, and some saw a shift, some didn't, at different times, no matter what direction they were perceiving. Some people see it always one way, some find it easy to consciously shift perception. Without getting hung up on whether this has anything to do with a dominant thinking style, I'm trying to figure out how the perception shift happens. I almost always see her twirling clockwise, until suddenly she isn't, then she flips back again. But I can't make it happen. Some people say they can force the shift by staring at her feet. The animation doesn’t change direction. After I blogged this, four journalists gathered around a screen to check it out, and some saw a shift, some didn’t, at different times, no matter what direction they were perceiving.

Some people see it always one way, some find it easy to consciously shift perception.

Without getting hung up on whether this has anything to do with a dominant thinking style, I’m trying to figure out how the perception shift happens. I almost always see her twirling clockwise, until suddenly she isn’t, then she flips back again. But I can’t make it happen. Some people say they can force the shift by staring at her feet.

]]> By: docduke http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/comment-page-1/#comment-75391 docduke Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:40:55 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/08/07/dancing-on-the-pin-of-a-head/#comment-75391 Doc, I'm with Flip and with you. I see it spinning both left and right, and it appears to be a real change, not an illusion. However, I'm puzzled by some of the commenters. They want to describe it as clockwise or anticlockwise -- but are they looking up, or down? There is no "clockwise" sense if you are looking at it from the side! Doc, I’m with Flip and with you. I see it spinning both left and right, and it appears to be a real change, not an illusion. However, I’m puzzled by some of the commenters. They want to describe it as clockwise or anticlockwise — but are they looking up, or down? There is no “clockwise” sense if you are looking at it from the side!

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