Gizmodo: optical illusions

Apple Exec Wants You To Puke All Over His Mind-Bending Backyard Deck

Sean Fallon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST

Senior Apple Exec Jeff Dauber's passion for technology is matched only by his passion for contemporary art, which is why he called on architect Thom Faulders to build him a backyard deck that is a mind-bending combination of both.

The Japanese maple in Jeff Dauber's San Francisco backyard is not at the center of a carbon-sucking vortex. Sorry, sci-fi fans, but the Berkeley-based architect Thom Faulders's perfectly flat deck only looks like its far corner has its own warped gravity. Ever since Francesco Borromini's Gallery Spada, in Rome, forced perspectives and architectural patronage have gone hand in hand, but whereas the Renaissance architect employed a mathematician to make that arcade seem longer through foreshortening, Faulders used 3-D–modeling software to achieve Deformscape's dipping effect.

"I wanted someone to barf when they look at it," says Dauber

So Dauber serves guests burgers on the built-in grill only to get a perverse satisfaction when they puke it up later on. Nice. But the weirdness doesn't end there. Faulders also designed much of the interior space of the home, turning it into a bachelor pad/art gallery with crazy walls and ceilings that appear to undulate. Needless to say, if you suffer from motion sickness don't hang out with this man. [Metropolis via Fast Company]

Samsung Entertained Us Enough to Post Their Commercial

Mark Wilson — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:30:00 EDT

You got us, Samsung. We're suckers for optical illusions, and your "10 Optical Illusions in 2 Minutes" is—even with the Soul advertisement—extremely entertaining. So we're not going to feel used as we post a commercial without any clever commentary picking it apart. Though, to be honest, our brains are still hurting too much from the faces trick to write much of anything. It's just too bad that you clearly hate homosexuals. [via engadget]

The Illusion PC is a Hellraiser

Sean Fallon — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:40:49 EDT

There are quite few entries in this year's Microsoft Next-Gen PC Design competition, but the Illusion PC is one of the standouts due to a unique magic trick. A 3D object appears to be hovering inside of the case—giving the impression that there are no internal components. According to the designer, this effect is fully customizable and a website could be developed for theme support.

Outside of the 3D effect, the PC can also include optional components like a built-in 6" TFT LCD monitor, Matrix Orbital MX222 2x16 character VFD display and a TV tuner card—additions which give the user further options for visual customizations or data display. I don't know if it will make the cut when Microsoft announces the winners in May, but if aesthetics mean anything, it certainly has a shot. [Next Gen PC Design and TechPin]