Friday Illusion: How a cheetah can hide its spots

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV

Be careful if you're walking in the jungle: what may seem like moving spots could actually be a cheetah. Now new animations by Stuart Anstis and his team from the University of California in San Diego illustrate the effect by showing how our brain can interpret a moving scene in different ways.

The video starts with couples gazing into each others' eyes. As they rotate, you are likely to keep seeing four distinct couples as we are primed to recognise male-female pairs. However, in the next clip, where faces are replaced with dots in a similar arrangement, what initially appear to be groups of rotating dots will probably soon turn into two floating squares. A third animation demonstrates that by adding more pairs of dots, the motion of the whole takes over as most people will see two pulsing octagons. A final clip shows that linking the pairs of dots makes the smaller groupings stick out from the overall formation.

These animations demonstrate that our brain can favour either the overall shape or its components depending on the arrangement. In many cases, we can perceive a scene in different ways and alternate between the configurations. However, Anstis and his team showed that over time, our brain usually favours one arrangement over the other by remembering how it has previously processed information in the scene.

Typically, we see the motion of the smaller groupings first before perceiving an overarching shape. "In our view, the grouping of moving spots into local motion clusters is an early, fast, pre-attentive event, while grouping them into global motion clusters is a slower, high-level process," write Anstis and colleagues.? "Reverting to the cheetah example, it is a modest visual achievement to group some of the moving spots locally into legs or a tail, but a prey's actions and survival will ultimately depend on organizing them globally into a whole cheetah."

If you enjoyed this post, see how an artificial shadow can trick your brain or watch how an animated Pac-man can create phantom shapes.?

Journal reference, Journal of Vision, DOI: 10.1167/11.3.13

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Dueling speeches: Obama, Romney go at it in Ohio

CLEVELAND (AP) ? President Barack Obama cast his re-election race against Republican Mitt Romney as the economic choice of a lifetime on Thursday, seeking to stir undecided voters and asking the nation to buy into his vision for four more years or face a return to the recession-era "mistakes of the past."

Said Romney: "Talk is cheap."

From opposite ends of Ohio, a state vital to both of their political futures, Romney and Obama dueled in economic speeches that set the tone for a fierce, final five months of debate. At the core, the pitches were the political foes' familiar, fundamentally different takes on how get to an economically aching nation soaring again.

"That's really what this election is about," Obama said in his most detailed case for a second term. "That's what is at stake right now. Everything else is just noise."

Romney went first from Cincinnati, a Republican stronghold in the state, and he described Obama's administration as the very "enemy" of people who create jobs.

"Look what's happened across this country," Romney said. "If you think things are going swimmingly, if you think the president's right when he said the private sector is doing fine, then he's the guy to vote for." But he questioned why anyone would do that, saying if the job isn't getting done, pick "someone who can do a better job."

The backdrop was Ohio, seen by political strategists as a state that could swing the election.

It went to Obama last time, and George W. Bush before that, and it remains crucial for both competitors this year ? particularly Romney. No Republican has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio.

Romney gave what amounted to his standard speech, albeit realigned as a prebuttal as Obama was pulling into his event site at the top of the state. Given the tight presidential race and the enormous interest in the economy, the two speeches offered anticipation of a big campaign moment, but the substance yielded little new.

This was Obama in professor mode, filling his speech with budget numbers and history and talk of independent analysts. It was an economics case, yet hardly one of roaring rhetorical lift. The goal for Obama was not to uncork new proposals but to define a contrast. He is still pushing tax credits and other jobs ideas that have awaited action in Congress for months.

On Thursday, he said the election is an opportunity for voters to step in and "break the stalemate."

In essence, Obama said Romney would gut government and cut taxes for the rich at the expense of everyone else.

Romney said Obama is crushing the free market with regulation.

Obama said, "If you believe this economy grows best when everybody gets a fair shot and everybody does their fair share and everybody plays by the same set of rules, then I ask you to stand with me for a second term as president."

He made a concerted push for independent and undecided voters by pledging anew to work with anyone "who believes that we're in this together."

Despite what had seemed to be a speech showdown, the two events were not of the same scope.

Obama spoke for more than 50 minutes, more than doubling Romney's comments, in what his campaign called the first in a series of major economic speeches. The settings offered different optics as well; Romney went coatless with his sleeves rolled up before about 100 people; Obama gave a formal address to 1,500 people.

Romney's reference to Obama's statement about the private sector "doing fine" recalled what was largely seen as a presidential gaffe last week. Even though Obama's aides said he was taken out of context, Obama conceded his misstep on Thursday, joking "It wasn't the first time. It won't be the last."

The president also appealed for more time to let his ideas work. Citing the monster American recession, he said most countries in the past have needed 10 years to recover.

The economic focus came at a grim time in the American economic recovery. The country produced just 69,000 jobs last month. And Europe's financial crisis is eroding confidence around the globe.

Politically, both Romney and Obama used Europe as a foil.

For Obama, it was to say while the economies of many European nations aren't growing, America's is because "we acted fast." Romney said Obama had amassed crippling debt. "You want four more years of that?" he said. "You call that forward? That's forward over a cliff. That's forward on the way to Greece."

___

Steve Peoples reported from Cincinnati. Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Kasie Hunt contributed from Washington.

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BlogABull.com :: Chicago Bulls Offseason, 2012 NBA Draft: Dreaming of Quincy Miller

The 2012 NBA Draft is so full of depth that the Bulls could have a shot at one of the players with the biggest gap between their status quo and ceiling -- if not one of the highest ceilings at his position -- in 19-year-old small forward Quincy Miller. I place Miller at being chosen by the Celtics as the 22nd pick in my first Mock Draft, simply because that team's two picks and status quo talent will still allow them to gamble on potential, with a coaching staff and roster to lower his bum potential.

For lack of better words, Miller killed everyone at the AAU level. He spent his freshman season at Baylor last year rehabbing his knee and showcasing his length, handles, and halfcourt scoring ability, but also going 30-8 alongside fellow draft expectees Perry Jones III and Quincy Acy. His play was wildly inconsistent, but there's little question that he can be a good shooter and high post ninja in the NBA after being a dangerous shot creator in the NCAA at a young age on a talented team:

Season	School	Conf	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2011-12	Baylor	Big 12	37	24.4	3.7	8.4	.447	0.6	1.9	.348	2.5	3.1	.816	4.9	1.4	0.7	0.6	1.8	1.9	10.6
Career	Baylor		37	24.4	3.7	8.4	.447	0.6	1.9	.348	2.5	3.1	.816	4.9	1.4	0.7	0.6	1.8	1.9	10.6

Season	School	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
2011-12	Baylor	19.4	.541	.485	7.5	16.1	12.0	11.6	1.7	2.9	15.4	23.9
Career	Baylor	19.4	.541	.485	7.5	16.1	12.0	11.6	1.7	2.9	15.4	23.9

He is "one of the most polarizing players in the 2012 NBA Draft," according to SB Nation Dallas. Chad Ford has his stock "slipping dramatically" from being the 26th pick before the Combine to the second round and he's not alone in thinking Miller will be available for the Bulls. Sam Amick's Mock Draft agrees, adding the comment:

He has enough talent to make you wonder if he could eventually [be a starting small forward]. Miller, whose torn ACL during his senior season in high school set him back after he was Slam magazine's top prospect of the 2011 class in 2010, said he expects to go anywhere from the late lottery to "the 20s." But he could also fall into the second round.

I was convinced that Miller would a steal in the 20-to-25 range with the Bulls having no chance at him, but may be very, very wrong. A circulating narrative that he "should have stayed in school" in a draft of so many bigger or more NBA-ready players has to be killing his stock.

Though he's described as being able to play either forward position, his low post and rebounding deficiencies expose his lack of strength to establish positioning, as also shown my Mike Schmitz's scouting report with words from Baylor coach Scott Drew (h/t: DraftExpress.com):

Miller can score

Looking only at his freshman year at Baylor, it can make one wonder how he isn't 'just a guy'.

But he measured in at 6' 10" with a 7' 1" wingspan and a 36" vertical leap for a maximum vertical reach of almost 11' 9". He doesn't have good speed, but his agility measurement of 11.05 with his handles are behind that body control and shot creation to make people call him a "natural scorer", as Walker Beeken wrote at DX in February:

Inside the paint, Miller has excellent potential, as he is able to get his shot off almost whenever he wants against collegiate-sized (or even most NBA-sized) small forwards. Despite not always having the strength to establish great position, he can simply rise up off either shoulder and throw the ball in the basket in a variety of ways, be it with jump-hooks, floaters and turnaround jumpers, using the glass, and even when off-balance. As he continues to get stronger and learns to become more physical with opponents, this is a part of his game that could really blossom.

Miller's most impressive attribute might be his ability to create shots off the dribble. He doesn't have the most explosive first step, but he has outstanding scoring instincts, doing a nice job utilizing shot fakes and showing terrific ball-handling skills for a player at 6-9. He's able to put the ball on the floor with either hand and utilize crossovers, hesitations, spin moves, jukes, and step-back dribbles to create separation to get his shot off, with superb body control and very polished footwork.

Watching him grab a rebound and take the ball coast to coast, weaving his way fluidly in and out of traffic, really hammers home how unique his skill-level is at his size.

Not sure how much adding beef will take away from his strengths, but his size will create too many mismatches that he will lose value and waste himself without learning a post game.

Defense

Baylor played zone pretty much all the time, so the isolation stats are from an almost irrelevant sample size. His IQ obviously needs help, but he wouldn't be the primary helper in a Bulls defense at the three. The bigs prevent penetration and with the Bulls' quartet of bigs, he'll simply need to use his length to force wider angles on penetration to give more time for helpers to establish position and recover back to shooters after making the 3rd effort to rotate in helping the primary helper.

What hasn't been questioned about Miller is his high motor. Length and energy are awesome skills for the Bulls defense if the IQ is utilized to become a foul machine.

"Poor Man's Kevin Durant"

It's understandable to grant the "poor man's" prefix to good players -- and I'm equally guilty of the clich?, saying that Austin Rivers' ceiling is to be a Poor Man's O.J. Mayo. But to call him a "Poor Man's Kevin Durant" is too vague for the ceiling many are placing on him and it drove me crazy at the Draft Combine last week in Chicago. Using that prefix before a great player's name begs the question: what the hell does that mean?

It doesn't mean that instead of being the highest scorer in the league, Miller can be a perennial 20 PPG guy on a contender. It means that Miller is a forward who handles the ball very well, can make the moves to create good shots, using his length to be difficult to defend those shots and keep his body between his defender and the ball, nail jumpers, and hit his free throws, but is cursed with being so tall that people will constantly wonder why he doesn't defend in the post very well, can't be a primary shot blocker, and won't ever be an elite rebounder.

That's it. That really is it.

But if he is going to be that guy, Miller's 3-point shot can't be so wildly inconsistent.

Uncertainty

And just about every question relating to his potential volume has to be answered: I don't know.

It's unsure if Miller can ever put together three- or-four-season stretches of 2,500 minutes because of his knee; that he'll ever be dependable for long strings of games with the long shifts typically played by primary or secondary scoring options on the wings. But it isn't unsure of whether or not he can 'get you buckets' in an efficient manner surrounded by talent lead by great coaching.

I rolled my eyes entertaining the possibility that Miller is available for the Bulls as recently as last week. But his 'rawness' and the patience required to get what you paid for -- relative to a draft class that is much deeper than usual after the lottery picks -- is apparently making his stock fall.

If he were three inches shorter, his versatility would be a plus as an all-around winger, but his inability to gain faith as an NBA four is becoming an irrational knock against the strengths he actually does possess.

If this happens to the extent of the Bulls advantage, he should be taken with the 29th pick. Playing behind Jimmy Butler until Luol Deng returns -- and as the backup three with Butler as the backup two when Deng returns -- on a team where Miller will never have to play like the biggest man on the floor will aid to best maximize his high potential. When Deng's contract is up, the Bulls will then have a more developed Miller as the extra option with Butler having more experience and Nikola Mirotic in Europe.

There's a much higher project element to drafting Miller than Orlando Johnson (scouted here) or Will Barton (scouted here) because there's less 'what you see is what you get' with him. It really will be a testament to Miller's will power, work ethic, and also the abilities of Tom Thibodeau. But he's everything the Bulls say they want -- shooting, ball handing, shot creation skills, length, and defense -- except his height induces wild fantasies of being something that he isn't.

But I still carry heavy doubts that he will pass the Cavaliers at #24.

Stats Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table; Generated 6/14/2012.

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Microsoft to Buy Yammer for $1 Billion (The Wall Street Journal)

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Real estate foreclosures?What You should Fully understand ...

Pertaining to home investors and those thinking of buying a residence, a foreclosure property or home might be a relatively inexpensive option. In contrast to the price of custom-built homes and those for sale privately, real estate foreclosure homes are an excellent deal, selling between 10 percent and 40 percent down below market value.

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But bargain basement charges appear some conditions. Foreclosure homes, while having a lower priced sticker price, might cost far more in restorations. There are additional likely items to look for apart from refurbishing costs. Having a professional real estate professional on your side can certainly help you keep away from many situations.?

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Sending sexually explicit photos by cell phone is common among teens

ScienceDaily (June 13, 2012) ? A significant number of teenagers are sending and receiving sexually explicit cell phone photos, often with little, if any, awareness of the possible psychological, interpersonal, and sometimes legal consequences of doing so. Even many of those who believe there could be serious legal consequences are undeterred and still choose to engage in 'sexting'. These findings by Donald Strassberg, from the University of Utah (US), and colleagues are published online in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

New communication technologies play an increasingly important role in the lives of young people, especially adolescents. Instant access to others via online social networks has dramatically changed when, how, and what teens learn about each other and the world. In addition, sexting -- the transfer of sexually explicit pictures via cell phones -- is a new way in which adolescents are exposed to sexual material. In many US states, those sending or receiving nude pictures of individuals under 18 risk charges as serious as possession or distribution of child pornography, carrying penalties that include being listed on a sex offender register. In addition, for those featured in the photos, there may be serious psychological consequences.

Strassberg and team looked at how prevalent sexting is among adolescents and how aware, or not, teens are of the potential consequences. They recruited 606 students from a private high school in the southwest US, who completed a questionnaire about their experiences of sexting and their understanding of what consequences they believed were associated with being caught sexting. The students were also asked about their feelings on sending sexually explicit cell phone pictures, for example, in what context it might be right or wrong.

Nearly 20 percent of the students, some as young as 14, said they had sent a sexually explicit image of themselves via cell phone, and nearly twice as many said that they had received a sexually explicit picture. Of those receiving such a picture, over 25 percent indicated that they had forwarded it to others.

In addition, of those who had sent a sexually explicit picture, over a third had done so despite believing that there could be serious legal and other consequences if they got caught. Students who had sent a picture by cell phone were more likely than others to find the activity acceptable.

The authors conclude: "These results argue for educational efforts such as cell phone safety assemblies, awareness days, integration into class curriculum and teacher training, designed to raise awareness about the potential consequences of sexting among young people."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Springer Science+Business Media, via AlphaGalileo.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Donald S. Strassberg, Ryan K. McKinnon, Michael A. Susta?ta, Jordan Rullo. Sexting by High School Students: An Exploratory and Descriptive Study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2012; DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9969-8

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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