My favorite is the one where you stare at the rotating black and white disc. Then you look at your hand and your flesh moves!

Andrew

That's the Tri-Zonal Space Warper by Jerry Andrus

A table-top "executive toy" version is being produced by Binary Arts.

[outdated link]

A brief explaination of the illusion can be found Here!

An online java-script animation of a similar "after effects" counter rotating spiral can be found Here!

My favourite one was called "Currents" I believe, I don't know where to find it on the web now. It was just a bunch of vertical, wavy lines that varied in thickness. But it was so powerful the second that you looked at it, you could see it "swimming". More than 5 or 10 seconds and your eyes would actually hurt! It was awesome— I'd love to paint my house that way!

-Reg {*}

My favorite is "The Magic Eye" book(s) produced several years ago. Stare into a picture and 'see' a different, but related picture within it.

Only problem is you get sick after doing it a few times.

Steve,

Wasn't there a set of cards "marked" by means of the Magic eye effect? You could only read the marks if you stared at the backs like a Magic Eye picture.

0pus

Opus,

I'm not familiar with said deck. I will say that some of the marked decks I've seen (e.g., Deland) have made me sick just like the Magic Eye.

Steven

I found an illusion similar to the one I mentioned above here. It uses the same line thickness variation to create the effect, but produces a radial illusion instead of the linear one I was referring to (which actually looks like currents flowing through the picture). The rest of that site has some other good ones as well, but there are a lot of pop-ups.

-Reg {*}

I loved the Magic Eye Books. It was almost like traveling into a new world once you got the image. Kinda trippy, only I've never "tripped", so I'm just going by hear-say. Do they still produce those books? I haven't seen a new one in a long time.

The nut and bolt thing by Jerry Andrus. Way Cool! Does anyone know where you can purchase this? I tried making one but it was not the same.

Actually I guess it was just a nut that you stuck a broom through.

I saw a Magic Eye book, one I hadn't seen before in a Barnes & Noble the other day.

And Jerry Andrus' Broom and Nut illusion can be reconstructed easily by watching Vol 1 of his Life in Magic series. I have to tell you, the optical illusions in the 3 volume set are worth the price of admission. There's about 6 of them, if I remember correctly.

I am really glad there is a section on optical illusions at the Café now. I just noticed it. Has it been here long?

I have a couple of favourites. I like the Spiral. I also like the picture where, when you look at it from far away, it looks like a skull and when you go close it is a picture of a woman brushing her hair in the mirror.

There are a couple more which I will post later today. I have to go as my mate wants me to sart on our University assignment.

See you.

Ivan

I am back.
Well as I was saying, there are a couple more which I like.

There are the old/young lady and "The Bird in the Bush" ones.

I really like the one of the old man and the couple kissing. The latter are very difficult to spot.

Keep them coming. I am looking for rare ones to put in my collection.

Ivan

I've been trying to see the one that niva was talking about (the old man, and the couple kissing) and I finally saw it. I've been trying to see it for sooooo long.

Night_Crawler

My favorite kinetic optical illusion is Andrus' Tri-Zonal Space Warper, already mentioned.

My favorite static one is Adelson's Checkerboard Shadow Illusion. I like it so much I reproduced it (with permission) on the cover of my first book, but a better, full-color, interactive version can be seen at http://www.johndamien.com (go to the "experiences" section).

... Doug

Look here:

http://www.grand-illusions.com/index.htm

There are some nice illusions, especially the missing people one.

When it comes to certain illusions of optical confusion, there are none better than the work of M.C. Escher.

His "Ascending and Descending" is classic. His works in symmetry were ground breaking, aside from amazing. If you do stop to look at his symmetric works, think about the patterns as they might relate to magic...say like vanishing an object in plain sight.

See him here

http://flash.pixelmethods.com/modules.ph......p;pid=13

watch this....

Lee

Te Incredible Growing and Shrinking Head Illusion I purchased from http://www.hocus-pocus.com/

Audiences love it and so do I!

There are a set of magic eye marked playing cards and they work pretty well.

Also on the Grand Illusions website referenced above is my favorite optical illusion. It's hard to find the link on the site, though, so here it is: http://www.grand-illusions.com/dragon.htm

It's a cute little dragon sculpture you cut-and-paste together, designed by Jerry Andrus.

I have one in my office in a cabinet. I ask visitors if they want to see something really weird...and make them close one eye. The illusion of the dragon moving his head around and looking at you is perfect.

Doug

You can find a deck of Magic Eye cards here:
http://unitedvisions.com/3dcards/index.html

There may be other manufacturers and I've not seen these in person etc etc.