Zoetropia

Shout-out to Megan W. for a tip and a kind note: “Thank you so much for being the bright spot in a dark world news year.” Thank you and you’re welcome.

Now for something different: Recently, the website Colossal highlighted a new form of zoetrope, the centuries-old animation toy. Rather than using a flickering light, this zoetrope consists of a single 3D-printed shape that displays animation when light hits it from the side.

(oops, this video is gone!)

If that wasn’t strange enough, this illusion featured on Gizmodo consists of cutouts outside a cylinder that appear to be inside.




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32 thoughts on “Zoetropia

  1. Murray C. July 15, 2016 / 5:31 pm

    I always loved zoetropes and thaumatropes – all kinds of illusionary toys – thanks, Mike.

    • Phred's Mom July 15, 2016 / 7:54 pm

      Thanks for teaching me a new word.
      The English language is so rich, having
      been a word sponge for centuries. My
      favorite class in high school was philology,
      great fun. My teacher spoke Anglo-Saxon
      to us one morning and I fell in love.

  2. Duckie July 15, 2016 / 5:42 pm

    Beautiful. Now I’m seasick.
    Is there an emoji for seasick?

    • allein July 15, 2016 / 5:45 pm

      ?

      • Murray C. July 15, 2016 / 9:12 pm

        Allein, you are, as they used to say way back when, a panic.

        • allein ? July 15, 2016 / 9:44 pm

  3. allein July 15, 2016 / 5:43 pm

    Beautiful!

    • 6rabbits July 15, 2016 / 7:09 pm

      EXACTLY!!

    • Murray C. July 15, 2016 / 9:13 pm

      What’s “woah”? I know “whoa” but not “woah”.

      • Phred's Mom July 16, 2016 / 6:49 am

        There for while, “woah” replaced “wow” in popular usage.
        It has faded a bit. You’ll hear it out there among them English.

        • Murray C. July 16, 2016 / 11:15 am

          Thank you, Phred’s Mom, for enlightening me.?

          • Phred's Mom July 16, 2016 / 11:26 am

            As you did me with “thaumatropes”.
            Your turn . . .

            • Murray C. July 16, 2016 / 11:36 am

              Oooh, a slapdown. I don’t really have tons of unusual words at my fingertips, tho’ I do love them. I have one that is particularly germain to me as a water instructor, from Old Scottish. It’s “curglaff”, meaning the “frisson” one feels as you enter cold water.

              • Murray C. July 16, 2016 / 11:40 am

                I think it should be “germane” – sorry. Didn’t give me time to edit! Waah!

  4. fkaWaldenPond July 15, 2016 / 6:55 pm

    Magic! 🙂

    • murkle46 July 15, 2016 / 8:10 pm

      She’s a witch!Burn her!Burn her!

      • fkaWaldenPond July 15, 2016 / 8:41 pm

        But does she weigh the same as a duck?!

        • Kar July 15, 2016 / 9:07 pm

          She turned me into a newt!!

          I got better.

          • Muppet2171 July 15, 2016 / 10:03 pm

            We did do the nose…and the hat. She has got a wart!

        • Duckie July 15, 2016 / 10:21 pm

          Huh?

          • Muppet2171 July 15, 2016 / 10:34 pm

            Go watch Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

          • Murray C. July 15, 2016 / 10:48 pm

            Yeah, me, too, Duckie. Wha’???? thanks, Muppet, I guess you’ve explained it. I even saw that movie and don’t know what’s going on. It has been a long time.

            • Muppet2171 July 15, 2016 / 11:02 pm



              • Murray C. July 15, 2016 / 11:18 pm

                Merci. In your general direction.?

              • fkaWaldenPond July 15, 2016 / 11:25 pm

                It’s still magic though. 🙂

                • murkle46 July 16, 2016 / 3:08 pm

                  It is a wonderful effect,I agree.

        • Duckie July 19, 2016 / 1:48 pm

          Great. I’m a duck.

  5. Kar July 15, 2016 / 9:08 pm

    Nerds are fun.

    I resemble that remark.

    • Murray C. July 15, 2016 / 9:15 pm

      Oh, yeah. Me too.

      • fkaWaldenPond July 15, 2016 / 11:26 pm

        🙂

Comments are closed.