There is a long thread going on this in the digital projectors forum. I find it especially fascinating because when ever someone posts something like this, many people refuse to believe it could be there brain, and insist it is a trick.

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22492511-5005375,00.html

Before someone corrects me, this is not the placebo effect per se, but it is a perfect example of the fallibility of our perception and how we do not necessarily hear or see what we think we do. I don't expect this to change anyones opinion on the cable debate, but I think it provides some valuable insight into how easily our brains can be tricked. Even to the point that some people seeing it refuse to believe that when they see the direction change that it is their brain, and insist the image is changing direction.

BTW, I think the whole left/right brain thing in the article is pop psychology gibberish and has nothing to do with it.

Of course I could be wrong and the image could actually be changing directions ;).

All I can see is her moving counterclockwise. No matter how hard I try to envision her dancing/spinning clockwise, it don't happen.

QQQ, I am right with the that last statement that you made. Who is to say that the image is not randomly switching.
The internet is a place where few things can be trusted. This would not be one of those few things.

Steve,

Try looking off to the side, reading some text etc. I watched it for 3 minutes and at first saw NOTHING but counter clockwise. Now I can see it change quite a bit.

bballer123, I've analyzed it frame by frame, there are 34 of them. It's NOT randomly switching. I just got done testing it with another person in the room as well. They'll see it moving one direction and I see it moving another direction, at the same time.

It's not randomly changing directions. Stare at it and you can make it change directions whenever YOU want.

Sanjay

If I can make it change whenever I want then it is not a test at all now is it. It's simply an amusement toy to keep you entertained.

edit:qqq- I see that now. I looked at it for quite some time and did not want to change it. The girl kept spinning clockwise.

:p I have her doing jumping jacks now. :eek::eek::eek:

If I can make it change whenever I want then it is not a test at all now is it.Sure it is. When you first look at it, you'll see her moving in a particular direction. That's supposed to tell you if you're right-brained or left-brained. That's the test

Later, you can make her change directions if you want, but it does take a little effort on your part to do so. It can be used as an amusement toy at that point.

Sanjay

it's a trick, sometimes it's her left arm up, then it's her right arm up????

Cross post. This thing is tremendous fun. We've done a couple of experiments here and here is what we have found.

1. Definitely NO trickery involved (I guess it depends on what you mean by "trick"). The image is composed of 34 frames that move gradually. In other words, the "direction" of the frames never changes so to speak.

2. We just recorded it on a camcorder until someone saw it change. Watching it on the camcorder it never changed, i.e. it's happening with our brain.

3. As someone else said, I've stood here and seen it going one way while another person is seeing it go the other way. So if it's trickery, I'd say that's a damn good trick!

I've never seen this happen at a strip club.

Interesting, but certainly not involving the placebo effect.

Oh, and I see regular reversals.

Interesting, but certainly not involving the placebo effect.

Same here...

Oh, and I see regular reversals.

This is what I see. She is spinning one way then after a few minutes starts to go the other way...but then again, my head also went through the windshield of a van once. :o

I first saw it going clockwise then got it to switch counter-clockwise.

I can say for a FACT that I am more left brained that right so what it says I am more inclined to is wrong...although looking at the characteristics of both sides, I think I am closer to even brained than large one sided bias.:)

The reason I say I am more left brained is I am constantly using logic, facts do rule for me, I comprehend, I am knowing, I acknowledge, I understand and accept reality, etc.

Just opened the site fresh and this time it started to go counterclockwise right away.

Crazy brain....

It is an animated gif of 34 frames, in the first 10 frames she is turning counterclockwise, in the remaining frames she turns clockwise.

It is an animated gif of 34 frames, in the first 10 frames she is turning counterclockwise, in the remaining frames she turns clockwise.
I don' think so. The images are ambiguous by nature and the brain has to make a decision. There is no correct or incorrect direction at any time.

She's moving clockwise to me. If I concentrate, I can make her go counterclockwise. But if I look away for just a moment, and then back, she's turning clockwise again.

On a side note: Has anyone else here seen the Strobed Dancing Statues at the Blue Man Group show in Vegas?

I looked at for a long time, no matter how long I stare at her she still has a flat ass.

Art

I don' think so. The images are ambiguous by nature and the brain has to make a decision. There is no correct or incorrect direction at any time.

think in terms of 1950's style paranoia....

"This mind manipulating animated GIF could destroy the world!!!" :D

http://www.adultitis.org/media/woman_screaming.gif

I have seen this many times now and I have always seen her go clockwise. I have never been able to do otherwise...

Rutgar, yes I've seen the Blue Man Group show a couple of times...

I looked at for a long time, no matter how long I stare at her she still has a flat ass.

Art


Mebbe I'll send you a moving photo of me dancing so you can flatten my ass, too!!!@@:D:D:D

out of curiosity I would be interested in a poll to see what percentage of those who see her moving clockwise are right or left handed and vice versa for those who see her moving counterclockwise

FWIW I am left handed and presumably am right brain dominant--hence clockwise rotation. Most of those who posted here saw her move counterclockwise --hence left brain dominant....but the majority of the world is right handed. Just a thought. Nothing more

I've never seen this happen at a strip club.


But are you seeing the stripper pole in the image?:p

out of curiosity I would be interested in a poll to see what percentage of those who see her moving clockwise are right or left handed and vice versa for those who see her moving counterclockwise

FWIW I am left handed and presumably am right brain dominant--hence clockwise rotation. Most of those who posted here saw her move counterclockwise --hence left brain dominant....but the majority of the world is right handed. Just a thought. Nothing more

I guess I'm an oddball then. I see her moving clockwise, but I'm right handed. I suppose the OP could add a poll with the 4 different possibilities.

What's interesting to me, is that if you look at her shadow, it is always indicating that the girl is rotating clockwise because of the way it enters and leaves the frame.

I try not to. 'Course, you've got to go to better establishments, otherwise you wind up seeing something like this.

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/8465/cowstripperok7.gif

Dammit, I hate it when amateur pictures of my ex show up on the internet.

Stare at this,think about which direction you would like it to spin.


http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p146/CarlosMeat/Keira-Agustina_Photo_147.jpg

Stare at this,think about which direction you would like it to spin.


http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p146/CarlosMeat/Keira-Agustina_Photo_147.jpg

not bad for an orthodontist so here's my smiley as an OBG for your post
:D

not bad for an orthodontist so here's my smiley as an OBG for your post
:D

Yes, I've often wondered if after a while it got to be, if you've seen one you've seen them all.:)

Art

i can see her moving clockwise but i am right handed in writing and playing tennis

but when i was young playing soccer i used my left foot and once i tried golf my swing was left handed.

must have split personality and thats bad

same when i set up my 2 channel system i made sure the speaker cables are of same made and same length. with my separate ht system i use different cables of different length and brands and i dont care

what do you say docs?

lets hold off with those jokes Art... My wife was on of his patients! :D

One thing i noticed is that it spins much slower with IE over Firefox

Yes, I've often wondered if after a while it got to be, if you've seen one you've seen them all.:)

Art


not sure if you are referring to mouths or ???;)

I have seen this many times now and I have always seen her go clockwise. I have never been able to do otherwise...



Me too.
I'm lefthanded, somewhat creative with ZERO artistic bone in my body. Very numbers oriented, hence the EE degree.

I have seen this many times now and I have always seen her go clockwise. I have never been able to do otherwise...

Rutgar, yes I've seen the Blue Man Group show a couple of times...
If you are using IE try Firefox. For some reason the gif moves at twice the speed in FF at which point I think the change of direction might be more likely to be seen. Try focusing on some text and looking back.

I use Safari but tried Firefox and indeed it was twice as fast. Which just made her go clockwise that much faster. Hmm. Well, she's alright, but not enough so to make me stare at it forever :)

"It is an animated gif of 34 frames, in the first 10 frames she is turning counterclockwise, in the remaining frames she turns clockwise."

The true direction is not definable w/o the 3rd, depth dimension, it's definitely a brain thing.

I see CCW, to get her to reverse I look at what seems to be her right foot moving to the left and think of it going behind her back.

Wow, interesting... only see clockwise here and cannot get her to turn the other way.

If you watch her planted foot, i dont see how u can see counterclockwise motion.

I see movement in both directions. Left arm down right leg extended turns counterclockwise. Right arm down left leg extended turns clockwise

This site is fantastic for samples of visual phenomena:

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/index.html

Click on any of the samples on the right side of the screen.

- Andy

Stare at this,think about which direction you would like it to spin.


http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p146/CarlosMeat/Keira-Agustina_Photo_147.jpg
I like Arts test shot better:D

out of curiosity I would be interested in a poll to see what percentage of those who see her moving clockwise are right or left handed and vice versa for those who see her moving counterclockwise

FWIW I am left handed and presumably am right brain dominant--hence clockwise rotation. Most of those who posted here saw her move counterclockwise --hence left brain dominant....but the majority of the world is right handed. Just a thought. Nothing more

Just a thought, yes..but it is the correct thought. The more balanced one is, the less difficult it is to have the figure change directions.

I too am a southpaw, or more correctly, multi-dexterous.


Try this:

Think strongly, of things involving logical function. have it turn in the proper direction, that is involved in that 'spin'-mental state direction.

Think emotion, of highly emotional things, and the physical aspects of emotion. IE, Art's comment....!

It is likely to spin in the opposite direction.


QQQ: You cannot bring a casual connection to the table and point a specific, all enveloping finger. That's pure bullcrap at it's finest. A typical sales technique.

Everyone is not fooled by everything; you are not our saviour. We have far too much of this kind of simplistic analysis overtly connected to religion and politics. I personally feel all of that needs to be anchored to the bottom of some lake somewhere.

Looking at Art's test shot it appears I'm left handed and right handed...

That's pure bullcrap at it's finest.
You seem resentful. Where all that Buddhist balance you always talk about? As far as your comment about bullcrap, you accusing someone else of bullcrap is like $hit accusing someone else of stinking. How would you even know?
Everyone is not fooled by everything; you are not our saviour. We have far too much of this kind of simplistic analysis overtly connected to religion and politics. I personally feel all of that needs to be anchored to the bottom of some lake somewhere.
I'd tell you to go jump in one as soon as the doctors let you out, but I'm opposed to pollution.

now boys......

If you're interested in how different people perceived the dancer spinning along with information like occupation look over at: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/which-way-is-the-dancer-spinning/

Looking at Art's test shot it appears I'm left handed and right handed...

Yea, I agree me too I wish I had posted that one.:D

Art

I was truly puzzled by the spinning image.

At first, I could only see it spinning clockwise, which didn't match my "profile" according to the test.

I then focused on her extended foot and suggested myself into thinking this is not actually a circular movement, but a pendular one.

Bingo!!!

I can now change the direction of the "spin" anytime she reaches one of the extremes.

Anyone else can see it this way?

but I'm opposed to pollution.

Qubster,
Unless our Ken is made of Kevlar and carbon nanotubes, I'm pretty sure he's biodegradable. ;)

The one thing i find the funniest of that thing is tha fact that the dancer is naked with some pretty pert nipples!

What does that say about my personality?

It says you're in dire need of more of Art's pictures for one.

The picture is not spinning at all, so the left and right hand side of my brain must have reached an equilibrium :D

It has to do with depth perception. It is really just an image with appendages moving back and forth on the screen. The brain adds depth to it and sees it as a 3-dimensional shape. Once that shape's direction is fixed it becomes hard to change it perceptually.

Sometimes I open the page and it is going clockwise, other times anti-clockwise. I can get it to change directions while watching it if I stop looking at it as a three dimensional object and instead look at it as an ink blot, at which point it will switch sometimes when I go back to identifying it as a three dimensional object.

If I keep it in the background while I do other things, it switches fairly often.

BTW, touching some scroll bars causes it to freeze, so you can play with it in stop-motion and slow-motion.

it helps if you blink your eyes right when the figurine is perfectly 2-D in plane with your eyes, if you blink at the exact instance, then the figurine can be thought to have reversed directions. I've studied the .gif and it doesn't randomly change.

I can now change the direction of the "spin" anytime she reaches one of the extremes.

Anyone else can see it this way?

I can now that I tried it.

In my case the picture is not spinning since I have disabled animations for web browsing. Animations, like use of Macromedia Flash, is generally abused and very annoying.

I do not put any credence to the article's claim that perceived left/right rotation is a test of which part of the brain one uses.

In my case the picture is not spinning since I have disabled animations for web browsing. Animations, like use of Macromedia Flash, is generally abused and very annoying.

I do not put any credence to the article's claim that perceived left/right rotation is a test of which part of the brain one uses.

yeah that is not a claim that i would think easily proved unless it showed MRI results etc.

I have seen this many times now and I have always seen her go clockwise. I have never been able to do otherwise...


Me neither. I don't know how to "make" her go counter clockwise.

I can now change the direction of the "spin" anytime she reaches one of the extremes.

Anyone else can see it this way?Yup, see post #5 in this thread.

Sanjay

Me neither. I don't know how to "make" her go counter clockwise.

Try this, perhaps it will help: Cover up everything but the bottom of her standing foot. Then watch the shadow and her foot. Watch the foot and try to see it, not as a foot rotating in one direction, but as a foot moving to one side then back in the other direction to the opposite side, not in circles but along the same path (like the pendulum trick mentioned earlier).

Another thing that has improved my ability to make it switch directions is watching the shadow and the swinging foot at the same time. For some reason trying to focus on both at once makes it very easy for me to switch the directions back and forth.

I wonder how much of the ease of switching is related to spatial reasoning.

I can only see her spinning clockwise. After staring for a minute, I noticed that she has pretty good nipples for an animated silhouette.

It seems to me that her shadow is completely illogical.

The shadow indicates a 'clockwise' spin. Which is what I believe I key on when I see the image. If I stare long enough, I can make her go counter clockwise. But the moment I look at the shadow, she's clockwise again.

The shadow indicates a 'clockwise' spin. Which is what I believe I key on when I see the image. If I stare long enough, I can make her go counter clockwise. But the moment I look at the shadow, she's clockwise again.

The shadow does only move from right to left, but it still works for either direction because it switches depth from the front of the field to the back of the field when she switches direction. I initially thought that what you were saying was true when I noticed it before my last post, but realized that the shadow switches from being in the front to being in the back when I get her to switch directions.

Can anyone open two pages and make them both move in different directions?

It used to be a little harder for me to switch from clockwise to anti-clockwise, but using that pendulum technique on the standing foot makes it really easy for me to switch from any direction now to the other direction. It only gets easier the more I do it. I can switch back and forth every time now.

For someone with even elementary knowledge of computer graphics (and the 3D projection pipeline), this effect is well known and easily explainable. In fact, I believe the ancient Japanese shadow plays sometimes use a similar effect ;-)

I got her spinning counterclockwise for about 5 rotations then i saw her shadow and bam right back to clockwise. I am right handed a philosophy major formerly an engineering major. The farther down the list it goes I slowly start going to the other side.

I guess after all of the responses the question needs to be does it mean anything ?

Art

I guess after all of the responses the question needs to be does it mean anything ?

Art

People on this forum like cheap entertainment as well as expensive entertainment?

I was drunk when I first saw this and could only see her spinning clockwise. But now I can see her reverse back and forth.

hmm

clockwise for me!

though Arts picture....... ambidextrous!!!

I looked at it for quite a while....CLOCKWISE, that was it. I couldn't see any other way. Cool test though.

Fun, fun, fun...

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5675247,00.gif

I only see her spinning clockwise and no matter how hard I concentrate I cannot make her go the other way. :mad:

I'm an art major, but oddly enough am right-handed.

edit: I can get to a point where her planted foot starts going back, counter-clockwise. But then as soon as it is fully profiled to the left, it always goes clockwise again. Argh.

edit2: Oh yeah, I did it! For a couple seconds then it went back to clockwise. I stared at the shadow for a while and somehow it switched, but not for long.

See attached

now she bounces back and forth

The direction she spins is largely related to her body position when you first look at it.

you can make her spin a different way by closing your eyes ,visualising her spinning a particular way and then opening your eyes.

also try visualising her left hand as leading in the spin, and then her right hand leading in the spin.