In optics, Fraunhofer diffraction is a type of wave diffraction which occurs when field waves are passed through an aperture or slit, causing the size of an observed aperture image to change due to the far-field location of observation and the increasingly planar nature of outgoing diffracted waves passing through the aperture.

In the image above, the vertical blinds in a window form slits which bend the rays of the sun and influence the shapes of the shadows projected on the wall.  The vertical blind acts like a diffraction grating with a set of parallel slits.  As the ears approach the shadows of the vertical blinds, the shadow of the ears stretches toward the shadow of the vertical blind to produce elongated ear shadows.

Fraunhofer diffraction is named after the German physicist Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787–1826), the inventor of the diffraction grating.  Fraunhofer started the field of stellar spectroscopy and transformed it into a quantitative science by measuring the wavelength of light accurately.  He discovered the absorption lines in the optical spectrum of the Sun which are named after him.  The Fraunhofer absorption lines can be used to determine the chemical composition in the upper layers of the Sun and the stars because each chemical element absorbs light at specific frequencies.

Overactive Imagination

Akashic Records, whose name is derived from the Sanskrit word “Akasha” meaning “space”, are supposed to contain all knowledge from all human experiences in the Universe. The Akashic Records are frequently described as a library that is constantly updated whenever any person anywhere thinks a thought. The mystic Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) claimed to be able to answers questions about health, astrology, and reincarnation by accessing the Akashic Records when he was in a state of self-induced trance. The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) based in Virginia Beach, offers a variety of therapies in keeping with the spirit and philosophy of the Edgar Cayce readings. Edgar Cayce Centers are now found in 25 countries and each year attract thousands of curious people, scholars, researchers, philosophers, and even health care professionals.

Interest in mysticism and paranormal phenomena seems to fulfill a human need for absolute knowledge which science cannot provide. Some companies are running very profitable businesses by encouraging people to explore the power of their subconscious by tapping into the Universal Energy which is within the reach of enlightened individuals. There is a web site that for $98 Dollars will sell you six cassette tapes to teach “remote viewing”, a technique to access subconscious and universal mind information in space and time so that present, past, and future events are revealed.

Akashic Records, Collective Consciousness, and Remote Viewing are philosophies for which there is no proof and which cannot be scientifically verified. Remote viewing (the current version of “clairvoyance”) is a fancy way of doing thought experiments, or brainstorming about something that you know nothing about. Any findings produced through remote viewing or access to Akashic Records without physical observations or background knowledge cannot be much better than wild guesses. We can have a greater awareness of our surroundings and can even make some insightful predictions by paying close attention to our perceptions and by using our power of deduction.

One Million Dollar Challenge: The James Randi Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit organization which was established in 1996 to promote critical thinking, offers a prize of one million Dollars to any person who can demonstrate any psychic, supernatural or paranormal ability of any kind under mutually agreed conditions. To date, the prize remains unclaimed.

Is this a front view or a back view of the lady?

Silhouettes and shadows are two-dimensional images that can confuse us. We live in a three-dimensional world which provides us with depth-perception clues that disambiguate what we see. Much of our visual input today comes from movies, television, and computer screens that give us just a two-dimensional focal plane that can result in ambiguities which cannot be resolved by our brain.

Ever since fire was invented, we have used the shadows formed on walls for entertainment. Here are some books that show you some simple tricks.

Synesthesia is a rare neurological condition in which two or more senses intertwine. For people with this condition, ordinary black digits on a white background may elicit highly specific color experiences, or specific tastes may elicit unusual tactile sensations. Some people not only see colors, but they can also feel, taste, hear, or smell them. One person out of about 1000 has synesthesia of some sort. Behavioral neuroscientists are discovering the neurological basis of synesthesia using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).[1]

The prevalent theories about the causes of synesthesia share the basic idea that neural connections within the brain link areas of the brain that are normally not interconnected. The theories differ on whether these interconnections arise before birth or during brain development after birth.

There are different types of synesthesia. Among the people who associate letters and numbers with color, there are “projector” synesthetes where the color can fill the printed letter or it can appear directly in front of their eyes as if projected on a screen, whereas “associate” synesthetes see the colors in their mind rather than outside their bodies. For “Perceptual” synesthetes the phenomenon is triggered by sensory stimuli like sights and sounds, while “conceptual” synesthetes respond to abstract concepts like time.

The terms “musical color” or “musical coloration” which combine visual and auditory terminology may seem perplexing to many people, but for people with synesthesia these terms may represent reality. Some interesting books have been written about synesthesia, including “The Man Who Tasted Shapes“.

[1] Daniel Smilek & Mike J. Dixon,
Towards a Synergistic Understanding of Synaesthesia
Combining Current Experimental Findings With Synaesthetes’ Subjective Descriptions

Reality is the result of our perceptions as interpreted by our brain. If you don’t believe it, here is the proof: A simple checkerboard consisting of black and white squares. There are no curved lines in the picture.Why do we see curved lines and what appears to be a bulge in the center of the picture? The picture elements combine to create crossed diagonal lines which interfere with our perception of the straight horizontal and vertical lines. Squint to see the diagonal lines that form a cross in the middle.If you still do not believe that there are no curved lines, take a ruler and check the edges. Even after we understand that there are no curved lines, we still see the curved lines. That is reality.