Scientific American blogs are reporting that the Best Illusion of the Year Contest is now open for submissions, and the voting will be held online:
...the Contest will become an annual online event, in which anybody with an internet connection can participate! No matter where you live, you can participate as a contestant, and/or vote for the Top 3 winners yourself!
Contestants are invited to submit 1-minute videos featuring novel illusions (unpublished, or published no earlier than 2014) of all sensory modalities (visual, auditory, etc.), in mp4 format. The content of the 1-minute video presenting your illusion is solely up to you, and the only requirement is that it wows all viewers!
The main website for the competition (plugin heavy to view the illusions, obviously) also includes links to the finalists from 2005 to 2014, and associated publications providing the details behind many of the illusions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:01PM
whoever designed that web page should die.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ikanreed on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:05PM
The greatest illusion I've seen is how we're all deceived into thinking our internet comments matter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:28PM
That's all the more reason to get rid of the moderation system here and at other online discussion fora.
If all comments are unimportant, then none should be modded up and none should be modded down.
The very act of rating comments means that some have importance over others, which obviously implies they have importance, which contradicts with your claim.
(Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:35PM
it's a matter of degrees
(Score: 2, Insightful) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:52PM
I predict that you will be modded up just to prove you are wrong.
I always support ironic moderation... even when those moderators will mod me down for saying it.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:06PM
Here's my entry for the illusion contest:
(insert every promise a politician has ever made)
Obviously it'll be a big entry.
(Score: 2) by Fluffeh on Wednesday March 04 2015, @09:13PM
It's only an illusion if you think something that didn't happen in fact did. I don't think there are too many folk left that take what politicians say while gurgling down a cool-aid...
(Score: 2) by francois.barbier on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:11PM
I have a picture of a blue/black dress here (or white/gold, depends on who you ask)...
Is it enough or do I have to submit a video of myself wearing it?
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:13PM
please go kill yourself in it.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by rts008 on Thursday March 05 2015, @01:11AM
Using a chainsaw!
(Score: 4, Funny) by Pr. L Muishkin on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:20PM
Honestly, you should see me at my regular job, you'll swear it looks like I'm actually working.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Ryuugami on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:39PM
Just checked the "main website for the competition". Some highlights:
- Support the contest! - The Contest relies on your donations.
- Post your ad here
- The Illusions Gift Shop - Buy a t-shirt with your favorite illusion to support the contest
- Trophies - Trophies donated by renowned sculptor Guido Moretti
(I don't know if there are any actual ads at the moment and I'm not about to unblock it to check.)
So, to summarize, they receive submissions for free, choose winners, send them trophies they didn't pay for, sell stuff with those free submissions on it, ask for donations, and STILL show you ads. Well.
They seem to be lacking micropayments, though. Want to see the next illusion? Only 10c!
If a shit storm's on the horizon, it's good to know far enough ahead you can at least bring along an umbrella. - D.Weber
(Score: 4, Funny) by MrGuy on Wednesday March 04 2015, @07:13PM
It's even worse than that - they're going to declare themselves the winners for making the ad money disappear.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 05 2015, @05:15AM
they win already. they created the illusion of a contest that isn't.
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday March 04 2015, @06:53PM
It was such a great illusion that we did not realize it was not an illusion.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Dunbal on Wednesday March 04 2015, @07:07PM
I hereby submit the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 04 2015, @07:12PM
You won't even realize they don't exist until after they've been stolen from you.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday March 04 2015, @08:25PM
This glass of beer, is the illusion that its half full, or half empty?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Pr. L Muishkin on Wednesday March 04 2015, @08:54PM
With all due respect to the question you actully posed I feel I have to ask why on earth you're not simply finishing the beer and sourcing another
I am sometimes no better than an idiot but i can't be the only one asking this question.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday March 04 2015, @09:20PM
So the illusion in that case would be a beer glass that appears to be empty. I could see that.
This does open the obvious category of illusions WRT "beer goggles". That would be a handy augmented reality appliance.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 04 2015, @10:31PM
And I'm here to help.
Best lie/illusion ever.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Wednesday March 04 2015, @11:51PM
Consciousness.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by fleg on Thursday March 05 2015, @04:02AM
did you type that in your sleep?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 05 2015, @05:34PM
Of course not, that's impossible. You merely imagined reading it in your sleep.
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Thursday March 05 2015, @12:14AM
"Welcome to the grand illusion, Come on it and see what's happening, Pay the price, get your tickets for the show!"
Oh, wait. That was for 1977.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Hartree on Thursday March 05 2015, @12:19AM
It's not at all new, but this dragon video is one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyALAuKiKug [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 05 2015, @07:16AM
Oh, the illusion you can see those illusions on a tablet. Flash die!