Illusion

I received a forwarded message, which claims that the above image could be read comfortably by blurring eyes, but not with the clear vision. It is true in fact. If you close your eyes 90% then you are able to read it.

This image was constructed beautifully. Initially our brain tries to construct the letters using white blocks. But white blocks are just gaps. The letters are really constructed by black blocks.

Second thing is the shading creates an illusion that the white blocks oriented roughly 30 degree to the left of our straight eye site and you are viewing the blocks from slightly above. This is the predominant view. But this is exactly opposite when you consider black blocks. The black blocks are oriented roughly 30 degree to the right of your straight view and we are viewing that from below. This is a hidden view. We can't have both views simultaneously, because they contradict each other.

You can ask your brain to switch view instead of closing the eyes to 90%. It's little bit hard, but not impossible. First you should train the brain, for that you should tell the brain that the letters are made up of black blocks, they are oriented 30 degree to the right and we are watching it from slightly below. Once you keep all this in mind and then you are able to see the words.

Try this also, close your eyes to 90% then slowly open your eyes and see at some point the word will disappear. It is quite interesting to watch it disappearing. Then try to force your brain not to switch the view, even after completely open your eyes. It is possible, but you can't hold that view for long time. I try to see how fast I can switch the view back and forth with out closing the eyes. It's hard.

The Matrix Reversed

Recently I happened to listen the talks presented at the 30th anniversary of the book "The selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. I haven't read the book yet, but still I got some idea, what is it all about. I have ordered the book and looking forward read it.

It is all about the gene centered theory of evolution. "The evolution occurs not just to favor the species, but to favor the gene; we are just a mechanism created by genes in order to make sure a successful and safe propagation of gene by transcription and transmutation." This is the basic idea of the book. We are just machines controlled by this tiny little genes and now we try to over power them by human genome project and genetic engineering. This is something similar to the situation, when the machines took control over us(like in the movie Matrix). But now we are machines fighting against our masters, so the matrix is reversed.

Some people criticized that this book is really depressing. This book arguers that human life is nothing and its just a traveling vehicles for genes. In a scientific stand point this may be true. If that's the way nature is going to work, we should accept it. Any way let me first read the book and then I'll give complete review.