Creative Dissonance Episode 1
The first in what we hope will be a long series of poor decisions caught on film. Remember to give your suggestions for future episodes below or send them to @StudentofWhim on Twitter. »
Neurology
This is Why Art People Don’t Like Science
It’s articles like this one right here. For some reason, media outlets all over the place are snapping up a story that uses a 20-year-old study to explain why Adele’s “Someone Like You” is a magnificent, emotionally moving song. If you’re guessing that it’s because Adele and Dan Wilson wrote the melody to forge the perfect interplay between tension and release w... »
Sunday Morning Illusion: Magic Eye
“Magic eye” pictures are sort of reverse illusions. Where most optical illusions challenge the brain to see what is actually there, a magic eye illusion requires the viewer to force their brain to do things differently to see a hidden image. For those that don’t know, they work by taking advantage of the nuances of stereoscopic vision. To see the three dimensional image, you must... »
Making Apple Pie From Scratch
A wise man once suggested that if you truly want to make an apple pie from scratch, you had to start at the beginning—the very beginning. Back when Carl Sagan uttered that famous line, all the while butchering that poor pie*, he was speaking of taking elementary particles and constructing atoms in which to bind into chemicals. This is sort of difficult. But what if we met Carl halfway? »
Your Sunday Morning Illusion
Here’s a cool demonstration of how our brains deal with conflicts between what we hear and what we see by picking favorites and going with the visual cortex. The eyes have it, as it were. Does this work on you? They say in the video (and in Penn Jillette’s tweet, where I found this) that it’s impossible to turn it off even after you know what’s happening. Personally, I foun... »
Two New Studies Say Musicians Are Way Better Than You’ll Ever Be
Just kidding. You can’t blame me for wanting to join in on the fun that is awful science journalism. Two recently published studies caught my eye this week as I perused my facebook feed the heaps of science journals I have surrounding me at every given moment. Both involve a couple of my favorite things: music and neurology. Mmm. Put those two together and you’ve got a recipe for aweso... »
Desperately Seeking Science (PS: I Found It.)
Oh, Radiolab. Let’s never fight again. Jad & Robert have finally made some amends for their past sins (including, but not limited to, this one, this one, and this one) and produced a marvelous piece of podcastery filled with science, backed by evidence, and, best of all, bucking the claims of conventional wisdom. Before I continue, check out this spine-tingling video accompaniment to the... »
AI: If You Gaze Long into the Paint, the Paint Gazes Back (But Not Really)
I painted a picture, just for you. Enjoy it! Oh wait, I have a task for you as well. I want to try to induce pareidolia in your brains. Pareidolia involves the brain interpreting a vague or random stimulus as significant. Please take a few moments to stare at this more or less random arrangement of color and form on a two dimensional surface. Do you perceive anything ‘hidden’ in the pa... »
