Message-Id: <l03102800b23703d7bd48@[209.142.19.160]>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 13:54:45 -0800
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: Ronald Wong <ronwong@inreach.com>
Subject: Mindworks
If you ever find yourself with a few hours to kill and want to do something
entertaining as well as enlightening, you couldn't go wrong by pointing you
browser to:
First, You'll find a very large collection covering a wide range of illusions -
visual and aural, two and three dimensional, multi-media, interactive,
etc.
Second, They are organized on the basis of current explanations regarding how
the way the information is processed produces the illusion.
Third, The explanations for all the illusions are offered on two levels:
a. Introductory: For those who aren't interested in knowing every
thing there is to know about perception - this section was designed
so that it would appeal to all visitors.
b. Advanced: For those who want to know everything they can.
Fourth, Regardless of what level used, the you will come away with an even
greater understanding of how researchers think the mind works when it
"looks" at the world around it. Very interesting stuff here.
Fifth, For the teacher in all of us, there are recommended activities
associated
with a number of the illusions.
Sixth, Some of the illusions require applets (Java and Shockware). Fortunately,
Illusionworks has included links to sites where the free software can be
downloaded, enabling a visitor to downloaded and install the necessary
material in a convenient manner.
Whenever I have visited their site I was unable to get the section
involving aural illusions to work on my system. I notice that it is
presently "off line". Hopefully, they'll have it up and running in the near
future. If they are like any of the aural illusions that I am familiar
with, they'll knock your socks off. The Nova program, "What is Music?", had
a section involving Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique Symphany" that just boggled
the mind (what was heard is what Tchaikovsky wanted one to hear but it is
not "written in the music").
Check it out. - ron