Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE, now available - take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

illusion

Pop Culture

Bizarre optical illusion has people either seeing a car door or the beach

What do you see?

Photos combined from Pixabay.

Car door and the beach.

Ancient sage Obi-Wan Kenobi once remarked, "Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them." Well, he's right, kinda.

Our eyes bring in information and it's our brain's job to decipher the image and determine what we're seeing. But our brains aren't always correct. In fact, sometimes they can be so wrong we wonder if we are accurately interpreting reality at all.

After all, our brain can only label things if it knows that they are. If you lived on a deserted island your whole life and a cow showed up on the beach, you'd have no idea what to label it.

The latest baffling image that's making people across the internet doubt their senses is a picture tweeted out by Twitter user nayem. "If you can see a beach, ocean sky, rocks and stars then you are an artist," the comment reads.

But some people who see it also think it looks like a car door. What do you see?

Beach or a rusty door?

via nxyxm / Twitter

If your brain told you the picture is of a lovely evening laying on the beach then you're definitely an optimist. But, according to the person who posted it, the photo is of the bottom of a rusted out car door. Not very romantic, is it?

The tweet has since gone viral, earning over 5,000 likes.

via nxym /Twitter

Here's what Twitter users thought about the illusion.

twitter trolls, twitter responses, twitter fights

Yum.

via Twitter.

This guy must be hungry.

viral images, social media, common questions

A clever call back.

via Twitter.

This guy is having flashbacks to 2015.

sense of humor, learning skills, spacial relationships

Knowing the difference through skills.

via Twitter.

Your perception determines your reality.

Drawing skills.

via Twitter.

This guy explains it perfectly.

creative thoughts, community, Twitter chat

Boat on the beach.

via Twitter.

This guy has a great imagination.

This article originally appeared on 8.16.21

From Your Site Articles

comedy

Pop Culture

Magician shocks 'America's Got Talent' audience with incredibly smooth costume changes

Imagine being able to get dressed this fast in everyday life.

America's Got Talent/Youtube

That was so fun to watch.

The art of quick change has captivated viewers since the 17th (or perhaps even 15th) century. Perhaps it’s one of the more enduring styles of illusion because it can adapt along with ever changing fashion trends. Or maybe the concept of taking mere seconds to do any mundane task will always baffle us. Either way, it’s an act audiences love time and time again.

And yet, even if you have seen quick change magic before, Solange Kardinaly’s “America’s Got Talent” audition offers a fresh take.

The Portugal-born magician, who just so happens to hold the Guiness World Record for most costume changes in a single minute, stunned the crowd with a number that had 5 seamless outfit swaps, along with a color changing purse and money that appeared out of nowhere. Talk about living the dream.

Besides the quick changes, part of what makes the act so magical is Kardinaly’s charisma and stage presence. She’s clearly having so much fun strutting to Madonna’s “Material Girl” as her character goes on a shopping spree.

Watch:

After her performance, Kardinaly got nothing but praise from judges Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell, who agreed she was “the best quick-change artist [they] had ever seen” and voted for her to move on to the competition’s next round.

Of course, the judges weren’t the only ones who were impressed. Check out some of these lovely comments from online viewers:

“She's not doing quick change only,but she's a magician as well.this is mind blowing

Great concept and great storytelling. Awesome job!”

“If this isn’t magic, I don’t know what is! Absolutely enchanted by your performance!”

“Even when slowed down to 25% speed you cannot see how she does it, incredible.”

“Not many people know how much work n how much detail goes into a quick change act like this , she truly a wonderful craft lady.”

“Even though I understand how this sort of trick is performed, I was still very impressed. She pulls it off flawlessly. Her transitions are lightning fast with no pulling or bunching. It is obvious that she has spent A LOT of time perfecting her technique.”

“Freaking awesome...She is really good and knows how to present her craft to the audience.”

Now, if you please excuse me while I take at least 45 minutes to get into ONE outfit today…

From Your Site Articles

america's got talent

Family

Dad and kid demonstrate a simple-yet-impressive illusion to wow your friends and family

Get the timing right on this magic trick and a kid will “appear” out of nowhere.

@MindBlownMagicIllusion/YouTube

Anyone can do this trick with a little practice.

Magic tricks and illusions never fail to fascinate us, even in the age of the internet when the secrets how many of them work are available to anyone with reasonably good Googling skills. But even when we know how a trick works, it's still delightful to witness a flawless execution that allows our minds to sit in that sweet suspension of disbelief for a bit.

There are still some tricks that true masters of illusion have managed to keep completely secret, but you don't have to get that complex to wow your friends and family. In fact, with just some cardboard and gift wrap and a little practice to get the timing down, you can make a child seemingly appear out of nowhere.

In a split-screen video shared by @MindBlownMagicIllusion on YouTube, a dad and child demonstrate what the audience sees during the trick and what's happening behind the scenes to create the illusion at the same time.

In the audience view, the man opens a door on a gift-wrapped box, revealing nothing inside of it. Then he walks around the back and opens the back door, showing that no one is behind it, either. He walks through the opening, then back around the whole thing, closing both doors. Then he walks around to the back of the box, opens the front door, and voila! There's a kid inside!

Watch the "Front View" on the bottom of the screen first to see what the audience sees, then rewatch again focusing on the "Back View." It's quite simple, but the effect is impressive nonetheless.

It wouldn't take much work to build a box like this and could be a fun little party trick at friend and family gatherings. And it doesn't need to be Christmas-themed, either. The kid just needs to be old enough to know the cues and move in such a way that people won't see them, but it's not terribly complicated.

People in the comments loved the family fun as much as they did the magic. There's just something about seeing a dad and kid doing something like this together, taking the time to get it down and enjoying the heck out of the whole process, that is surprisingly touching.

"This is the most wholesome family moment I have ever seen I love this a dad and son having fun is so precious," wrote one person.

"This is the wholesome content I need in my life. Thanks for sharing," wrote another.

"That is truly one of the best dads in the world. You can tell with the look on the child's face that he was having an awesome time," wrote another.

"Just imagining the planning and preparation for this moment gives me so much joy. You know they loved it the whole way through," shared another.

Here's to awesome dads, willing kids and the joy and wonder of magic. Follow @MindBlowingMagicIllusions on YouTube or visit mindblownmagic.com for more free magic trick and sleight-of-hand tips.

From Your Site Articles

magic

illusion

Bizarre optical illusion has people either seeing a car door or the beach

What do you see?

Magician shocks 'America's Got Talent' audience with incredibly smooth costume changes

Imagine being able to get dressed this fast in everyday life.

Dad and kid demonstrate a simple-yet-impressive illusion to wow your friends and family

Get the timing right on this magic trick and a kid will “appear” out of nowhere.

Astronaut shares the profound 'big lie' he realized after seeing the Earth from space

Study discovers people don't age steadily, but in dramatic bursts at two specific ages

Researchers studied kindergarteners' behavior and followed up 19 years later. Here are the findings.

Watch: Joyful 18-month-old toddler learns how to do the Maori haka dance

Someone asked if 80s kids really 'roamed freely.' After 40,000 answers, the truth is clear.

A story about two pairs of boots illustrates how rich people get richer in ways poor people can't