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Early astronauts often reported nausea as they moved about their cramped quarters, turning this way to view one instrument, and then maybe doing a 180-degree flip to view another. NASA was baffled until a psychologist solved the problem. "When you move to a new orientation, say to yourself, 'THIS way is UP,' and point in that direction." It worked. No more nausea. We not only see. We interpret what we see, generally without thinking about it. The interpretations arise from evolution (with gravity we don't even have to think about which way is up) and from culture (where black in one culture means grief, in another white may be the color of loss). Only when confronted with the small category of visual experience called "optical illusions" do we for a moment confront the arbitrary and sometimes erroneous interpretations we place on what we see. These entertaining little puzzles act as nudges, reminders that maybe we should stop and think more often about what our eyes are supposedly telling us. So, below the Magellan's Log guide to optical allusion. We start simple, with a few of your basic, well-known Mr. Wizard drawings. But, this being Magellan's Log, we of course don't wind up quite where you might expect. A Note About the Music: 1. Cube.
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