Illustration of Derek Powazek by Adam Ellis

Context is Everything

illusionWeb visitors might notice a new header. Take a moment to examine it and ask yourself, which orange dot is larger, the right or the left?

The answer is, neither. They’re exactly the same size. It’s called the Ebbinghaus illusion. The perceptual size of each orange dot changes because of what’s around it.

I like the Ebbinghaus illusion because it’s a reminder that context is everything, and perception is relative. If you can’t figure out what you’re looking at, examine what’s around it instead.


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Hi, I’m Derek. I used to make websites. Now I grow flowers and know things. I’m mostly harmless. More.