At the age of 10 or 11, I was reading things that a kid that age really shouldn’t be reading, like Alan Watts, Siddhartha, The Joy of Sex [while true, that last link was totally gratuitous] and Carl Jung. As a result of my early exposure to the concept of Maya because of this kind of reading, I tended to generally perceive reality as an illusion, and lived a life based on that idea. Until, of course, I was about 20, and it became apparent that the stack of bills piling up on the coffee table was definitely not a mirage of some sort. I’ve since adjusted my perception, but remain fascinated with various kinds of illusions. The Tower of Pisa trick at left (not to be confused with the classic tourist gimmick) is a favorite, because it so simply and dramatically demonstrates how expectation literally shapes the way you see things. Explanation here. DarkRoastedBlend.com has gathered some cool 3-D representations of familiar 2-D effects here, and this one says a lot about why eyes in paintings can seem to follow you. Want to see a fun visual trick you can do right now at your computer keyboard? Check this out. And for more pleasing illusions while you’re out on the town, just put on the Beer Goggles.