Sharon is studying General Psychology and pointed out to me that this optical illusion is called the "Devil's Tuning Fork." I had not known that, and had totally forgotten that I had made this animation out of one for my very first website, "L'esprit d'escalier."
Normally you see them with just plain straight ends. But through the magic of the internet, mine has somewhat cheesy turning threaded ends.
As an aside, I always liked the concept of "L'esprit d'escalier." It's a French term that translated literally means, "stairway wit" which in English use describes the predicament of thinking of the right comeback too late.
The phrase can be used to describe a riposte to an insult, or any witty, clever remark that comes to mind too late to be useful — usually when one is already on the "staircase" leaving the scene.
"Treppenwitz," the concept's German translation, is also used to express the same idea.
As in the French counterpart, Treppenwitz literally means "the wit [or 'joke'] of the stairs."
It is the fitting reply that crosses your mind belatedly, for example on the way home.
People are often angry with themselves because they did not have the perfect response during a conversation, and inevitably think of it later when it's too late.
I was first introduced to this concept in one of Neil Gaiman's comics.
The phrase can be used to describe a riposte to an insult, or any witty, clever remark that comes to mind too late to be useful — usually when one is already on the "staircase" leaving the scene.
"Treppenwitz," the concept's German translation, is also used to express the same idea.
As in the French counterpart, Treppenwitz literally means "the wit [or 'joke'] of the stairs."
It is the fitting reply that crosses your mind belatedly, for example on the way home.
People are often angry with themselves because they did not have the perfect response during a conversation, and inevitably think of it later when it's too late.
I was first introduced to this concept in one of Neil Gaiman's comics.
Here are a couple more; the tri-stair, which I always thought should be at the doorway of M.C. Escher's house....
and who could forget the wiggy spinning spiral.
There was actually a version of this that stood on a three-legged easel in our optometrist's office when I was growing up that I assume was an optometry tool. It looked more like something that belonged in the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices.
There was actually a version of this that stood on a three-legged easel in our optometrist's office when I was growing up that I assume was an optometry tool. It looked more like something that belonged in the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices.
I always wanted to have him pull it out just to see what you did with the thing, but he never did. Probably for the better.
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