When kirk did the effect it did not look like a flashlight on a dimmer with some special makeup. I saw kirk do it a number of times. It truly freaked people out. I think the secret was that when he did it, the change was of a nature that created this non sensation/sensation that something was going haywire with your eyes. Then, you realized that it wasn't your eyes, that he had changed. And just when you thought that's what happened, the room went black and that non sensation sensation happened again and you thought maybe you didn't see what you thought you saw.

There is a reason this perception occured - it was (no pun intended) hardwired into the specific mechanics of kirk's device.

Sadly, or perhaps not, this experience was only replicable live (rods and cones and tigers and bears and stuff).

I would love to have one of kirks boxes. I miss him.

I have one for sale if anyone is interested

Kirk's or Borodin's?

I had borodin's but its now sold.