h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I found this one, as well - the Ames Room.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ames_room

Watch the video.

The fun part of the 'Amers Room' story is this Honi phenomenon - if Wikipedia isn't pulling our legs. The idea that women don't think their husbnads are as distorted as all the other fun-house visitors is frankly pretty weird...

I have witnessed the phenomenon when I was in Pembrokeshire examining succession of animals on a rocky littoral zone ... rocky coast where the sea formed one part of the horizon and coastal rocks formed the other side of the horizon ... I had to move slowly and carefully because I was unable to gauge what was horizontal visually very well. Of course the brain has other tricks that kick in etc. I suppose rock climbers would be very well aware of this type of visual phenomenon.

I'll bet they are - it might be important for their survival.

Apparently, this Honi phenomenon is real. They did *studies*. (Why not? It was reaining, and they didn't want to go out.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1271208

Well the Honi effect must be based on how the brain maps our surroundings and objects ... familiar objects would probably be snapped into an existing map / model whereas less familiar / unfamiliar objects would need to be mapped sort of fresh (making use of the various brain tricks).

There is a well known effect in which psychology interacts with object mapping in the brains visual field. The more important we think someone is - the taller they appear to be. This also works in reverse: tall people are more likely to be selected into important jobs than shorter people ... everything else being the same. I seem to recall Dukakis stature being made to be an important feature in the 1988 presidential election (in which there was also a famous piece of negative campaigning involved).

holyroses! This will give me something more than breakfast to chew on! .

I always did wonder about the science behind optical illusions, in fact I've often tried to find out about it, but I've never understood the answers. .

This could be no exception, , but I'm going to give it a go, because it's deeply fascinating, I love it.

Thanks for all this info!! I'm going to chew on it for at least a week. haha. It will take longer than trying to chew muesli with false teeth. .

I know what you mean, Elektra, about the peacock sound. Awww, I'm thinking of you as a little kid, being all spooked like that, about the peacocks crying help!

OK off to learn some things.

You know what guys n' girls? I'm upset. wah. upset girl I am.

I want to remove my own posting, number 2351.

Can I request to remove my own posting? At least to remove a link. I'll tell you for why ..

I'm really disgusted by the comments in Metro, that appear in the link I included, concerning the cyclist on the level crossing.

The video was published by the police, supposedly as a warning to be vigilant on the roads, and there's all these really cruel insults directed at the poor lady in question.

As if anyone there hasn't themselves had a lapse of concentration, in a car or on a bike or in some situation.

Is there any kindness or compassion left in this world?

I was going to go in and add a comment in Metro, voicing my thoughts on this, but I have no idea how to do that, and I don't want these people to have my email address.

This does nothing for my faith in internet forums, and human nature in general. I feel upset.

But I'll get over it.

Can the hootoo mods remove a link from a posting? Shall I yikes it?

Yes yikes it darling and explain in the form

Hullo luv! Really? I can do that? Yikes my own posting? that's good, I will.

I don't want anyone reading this thread to think I said something offensive, if they see a posting removed, so I'll have to make it clear that I myself pulled it, in objection to another website.

Thanks. I've never pressed the yikes button before. heheh. I guess there's a learning in everything.



I could start now, on another rant. But I won't. Because I'm upset.

Cor honestly. What cyclists have to put up with. Offensive comments from passing motorists, and stupid frights to try to make one fall off, and ....

I said I wouldn't start.



OK, back to the science of optical illusions. Far more interesting.

Thanks luv.

I wouldn't worry about it Cactus ... I prefer to see all of humanity in all its "glory" ... try to understand it ... they could be our neighbours ... forgive them for they do not know what they do - apart from those that do - but forgive them too - with the caveat that forgiveness could be seen as a form of arrogance - so forgive yourself too - er um

With regard to optical illusions ... it's a broad field ...there are "real" optical illusions, then there is brain mapping processes (creation of our personalised visual field), then there is psychology and attention focusing processes. So it can appear to be complicated if your unclear in how to separate out the phenomena.

Well, I yikesed the posting, 2351, but it didn't disappear. I thought postings disappeared as soon as you yikesed them. heheh. I know nothing. Anyway, I reported my complaint, and it was accepted. Did I do it right?

Thanks Mods if you got my message.

Thing is, I don't want my posting to be there any more even if the offensive link doesn't break house rules, I want to pull it as a protest. hurrumph. I can't stand the manners of those comments on that outside website, and I'm not going to link out outside websites any more, well, not those type. So there.

And there we are, and everything, and now I'm going to go and get some coffee and think about nice things. Like, sticky fig cake. And false teeth. I have the dentist later. .

hey SA, we did simulpost! Can I find the dancing smiley. Will check your thoughts later, as out the door for sticky fig cake. I think you are wise, and thankyou.

I'm probably a bit over sensitive. hmm

heheh. hurrumph,

OK well I've got over it a bit now. . Nothing like a trip to the dentist to remind me that all that was once as sharp as toothache can become as soothing as an injected mountain stream, made of stuff that numbs the pain. .

My mistake, I forget sometimes to be internet-vigilant, then get hurt. I know I dislike many aspects of it, so why do I go there? hmmm.



Yes, forgiveness. Now there's a subject. . (Checks memories of black eyes and emotional scars).

Obviously I aspire to it, like most people, and I often get there, like hey, I'm not so perfect myself.

For me, it has been a bit of a raw journey sometimes, especially in my youth, like, you insult me or my father or my integrity or ... etc .. or if you take advantage of my brother, who is vulnerable and can't defend himself, it's splat pow blood sweat tears biff pow splat mess chaos.

But then, those blessed moments that appear like a hallucinated lotus blossom from a lake of mud and slush

a what???

sssh, I'm on a roll here

and its all human and in it together, and who is perfect anyway, and lets go for a drink and try to sip our cider through bleeding lips.



I don't know about large scale forgiveness, like the really big stuff, like after a terrorist attack or a war, if you've lost your entire family or something, that must be tough, I don't know about that. Let's hope my spirit guide will see me through that.

My imaginary spirit guide of course, haha, unless he/she is really real,

or maybe an optical illusion.

Optical illusions! Yes! I must study.

Splendid! Post 2351. The Mods were able to remove the link, and keep the rest of my brilliant, learned and world changing text. haha.

haha. as if. And it would also have been OK if the whole post had to be removed.

Really grateful for that. Thankyou Mods!

For anyone reading this, who hasn't got a clue what I'm on about, erm ... ...

I included a link in a posting, that I later regretted, because I realised that I objected to some of its content, and didn't want to be associated with it.

So I yikesed my own posting, and requested that the link, at least, be removed.

So happy about that. And thankyou. I learn, I learn.

>> Yes, forgiveness. Now there's a subject. <<

Yes you are right - forgiveness is context and time duration specific. You can't "forgive" someone while they are robbing an old lady, you have to act if it is in your power to act ... either to stop the robbery or to get the stolen goods back etc.

ps If one viewed humans as "wild animals" or as a "species from an alien world" then the concept of forgiveness loses some or all of its meaning.

That's it! You have this great way of expressing things concisely, SA. I wish I could do that, come up with neat phrases, useful in debates.

I go on for about seventy five paragraphs of raw steam and dream, , you can coin a phrase like 'context and time duration specific'. And it gets to the point!



I need coffee

I'm very interested, in fact, to hear about peoples' experiences on the subject of forgiveness.

You did just right, CC. And I agree with you. Too many judgemental people.

Thanks friend. I'm well out of that one, it made me very unhappy.



Good to know I still have my assertive antlers when I need them. . Oh, no, wait, not antlers, I'm Aries the ram, so it would be my curly horns. heheh.



Today I wrote a lot of patterns. And I took some very peculiar Autumnal mushroom photos through a funny filter on my camera. Mushrooms are very photogenic, they like funny filters, they told me. Well, OK they didn't tell me, I might be a bit flaky, but mushrooms don't speak to me. Except for the one I photographed recently, that recited the entire text of Hamlet, in thirty six languages.

This was meant to be a very serious and intense posting.

Was one of the languages Klingon?

oo, I love your curly horns, I have straighter ones meself, being a goat

end of my serious and intense posting