Editorial & Opinion
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »WANTED:A More Accurate Police Sketch
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 22, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Friday, August 22nd, 2008EVERYONE looks like a criminal in a police sketch…
I am about to help waste an hour of your life. This police sketch tool has been around for a long time, but when I ran across it yesterday, I found myself as obsessed with it as I was a year or two ago when it last crossed my path. After about 45 minutes of selecting, resizing, and rearranging eyes, hair, chins, and noses, I feel like I finally captured the essence of me. The essence of me if I joined the Monkees, grew a moustache, and wore glasses, that is. It’s a disguise, you see. I’m a criminal, okay? Let’s face it, no-one really looks like a police sketch, except maybe Marc Brown of KABC in LA, who had the misfortune of reporting on a rapist who – viewing the police sketch – may have been him. And check out this accurate but useless Thai police sketch of a bank robber. In spite of all this silliness and inaccuracy, apparently police sketch artists still take considerable pride in their work.
Guess The Goober
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 21, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Thursday, August 21st, 2008I mean, uh, “Guess the Google”
Can you guess what search term was used to find the image at left? If your guess was “president goober” you’re right, and have already scored points. Now try Guess-the-Google, a simple Flash-based game in which you’re presented with a grid of images and have twenty seconds to guess the search word that generated them. You get bonuses for guessing quickly. More addictive than you’d think. By default the game launches in a smaller window; try this link to open the game full-size in your browser, which I found much easier to view. My best score so far was 310. Yes, that’s a challenge. Bring it on people.
Spinning Ballerina Silhouette Illusion
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 14, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Thursday, August 14th, 2008A very cool perceptual phenomena
People often don’t believe that this spinning ballerina image changes direction because of your perception. Most people see it spinning clockwise at first, and then perhaps changing direction. For some people it ONLY spins clockwise or counter-clockwise. See the original full-size image here for better viewing. If it won’t change direction for you while you’re staring at it, try looking up, down, or to one side and then looking back. Or if you’re capable of consciously changing your thought processes, try switching between conceptual/non-verbal thoughts and linear/verbal thinking. According to everything I’ve read, this shouldn’t affect my perception, but it does. Most of the more reputable sources I found suggest the illusion is simply a result of Multistable Perception. Which to me is like saying “I know how gravity works…it makes things fall!” The original creator of this image, Nobuyuki Kayahara, has some other interesting stuff here.
Sultan-Peppered Ad Sheiks Djibouti
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 13, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008Racism or humorous truthiness?
A new Nissan commercial being broadcast in Israel is causing a little resentment in Arab Gulf nations. In the commercial (left) Saudi oil barons are shown leaving a hotel, and upon noticing the new fuel-efficient Nissan parked nearby, begin pounding on the car shouting “Hawks should peck at you day and night” in Arabic. The voiceover concludes with “It’s clear the oil companies won’t like you”. Offensive, or truthiness in advertising? You decide. For more offensive car commercials, see the booby-jiggling Nissan Pathfinder ad, Jeep’s Bouncy & Fun, Toyota’s nipple-stimulating air-conditioning, and the accidently leaked VW Polo ad, Small But Tough.
Joo Till Me After Play Teh Game
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 12, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008Free, Two, Won!
Too Tyoot! LOL. Have him get eat an make a’splode.
