Is the open book facing you or facing away?
The above is an example of an optical illusion.
An optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source. There are three main types: literal optical illusions that create images that are different from the objects that make them, physiological ones that are the effects on the eyes and brain of excessive stimulation of a specific type (brightness, color, size, position, tilt, movement), and cognitive illusions, the result of unconscious inferences.
Now isn't that interesting?
Here is another one.
What do you see?
You might see some black splotches, or you might see the word LIFT.
How about this one?
Do you see a face or a word?
There is another type of illusion I've been mulling over; I call it a philosophical illusion.
For example:
A dedicated believer in the Christian religion perceives the lives of human beings as a mass of individual biological creatures, created by God, blindly following a divine plan administered by this God, while believing wholeheartedly that this personal perception is undeniably what life is all about.This dedicated believer can 'see' (with his mind's eye) only one of possibly many options available within the discernible continuum we know as the universe.
A second individual believes that there is no God and humans exist only due to definite chemical processes and then evolve over time into even more complex examples of these biological containers (human bodies) for housing dynamic chemical actions and reactions. This atheist cannot 'see' (with his mind's eye) the Christian's view.
That is the basic philosophical illusion.
Or perhaps a better term for it would be delusion. I'll have to give it some more thought.
Oh well . . .
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HISTORICAL EVENT
On May 8, 1988 Stella Nickell was convicted on two counts of murder by a Seattle, Washington, jury. She was the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules in an effort to kill her husband.
Nickell was given two 90-year sentences for the murders of her husband and Susan Snow. She will be eligible for parole in 2018.
More details
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WORD FOR TODAY
illusion
noun
- something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.
- the state or condition of being deceived; misapprehension.
- an instance of being deceived.
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people.
The term illusion refers to a specific form of sensory distortion. Unlike a hallucination, which is a distortion in the absence of a stimulus, an illusion describes a misinterpretation of a true sensation. For example, hearing voices regardless of the environment would be a hallucination, whereas hearing voices in the sound of running water (or other auditory source) would be an illusion.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
A
certain member of my family has a birthday today but I'm pretty sure
she would not want me to name her or post her photo on my blog. So I
will just say,
"Happy Birthday!"
Ricky Nelson was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor, starring alongside his family in the long-running television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–66) as well as co-starring alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin in Howard Hawks's western feature film Rio Bravo (1959). He placed 53 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973, including "Poor Little Fool," which holds the distinction of being the first number one song on Billboard magazine's then newly created Hot 100 chart.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert
(born May 8, 1964)
(born May 8, 1964)
Melissa Gilbert is an American actress and television director. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1984, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several popular television films including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker.
Donald Jay "Don" Rickles
(born May 8, 1926)
(born May 8, 1926)
Don Rickles is an American stand-up comedian and actor. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Rickles has acted in comedic and dramatic roles, but is best known as an insult comic.
Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille
(born May 8, 1940)
(born May 8, 1940)
Toni Tennille is one-half of the 1970s Grammy Award-winning duo Captain & Tennille. Tennille has also done musical work independently of her husband Daryl Dragon. Tennille has a contralto vocal range.
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Tradition is the illusion of permanence.
--Woody Allen
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