What your eyes 'see': from the iPlacebo effect to other optical tricks!

I'm coining a new phrase, the "iPlacebo effect". This guy took an iPhone 4S and pretended it was one of the new iPhone 5's. At the time that he carried out his stunt, the new model had yet to be released. Yet he could fool people on the street...

Here's the full story, in TODAY:

http://www.todayonline.com/Technology/EDC120916-0000056/US-talk-show-pokes-fun-at-iPhone-5

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Liane sent me this optical trick picture...

Focus on the red dot on the girl's nose for about 30 seconds. Then shift your gaze to a blank wall (preferable white). Amazing, huh?

That exercise got me trawling the Net. Here's three more:

For this one above, what do you see... victory? That's all? You sure? As for the one below, I love it! Hope you saw what I saw.

And if you want to risk getting fired from your job (for time-wasting), by checking out this Huffington Post (UK) story while in the office rather than at home, you have been forewarned:

"60 amazing optical illusions -- don't believe your eyes"

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/14/60-amazing-optical-illusions_n_1883909.html?utm_hp_ref=uk#slide=more250385

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Finally, this insing.com story -- nothing to do with optical illusions but everything to do with what I have previously dubbed the Singaporean "just follow hor/just follow lor" culture -- is so black-humour funny...

Kiwi restaurant investigated by police for staging flash mob

http://news.insing.com/tabloid/kiwi-investigated-staging-flash-mob/id-055f3f00

A New Zealand-themed restaurant ran afoul of the law because it staged a flashmob-style "haka" dance as a publicity stunt. As insing.com put it,

However, any public performances in Singapore, including flash-mobs, require a public entertainment licence, and the restaurant did not have one.

And this very contrite restaurant spokesman's quote is so good!...

“We admit we were not clear on local regulations around haka-style performances and are sincerely sorry for any offence caused."

If you have had a good laugh, read the comments that were posted too.