This amazing illusion to the right was created by Akiyoshi Kitaoka. It already looks quite 'wavy', but try slowly moving the mouse cursor up and down the center of the image - and focus on the cursor. You should see the picture 'waving' in an incredible way.

Also created by Akiyoshi, the lines in this picture below are completely parallel would you believe?

Look into the centre (white point) and stare for a while. How many colours can you see altogether in the object? You should see a purplish circle... and the 4 rotating 'wings' are tinted green. Make sure you always keep focused on the centre.
Once you've done this, read on...

Are those four wings really green? Amazingly, they are exactly the same colour as the circle inside. Don't believe me? Well try following one of the wings round. You'll see that the colour matches the inner circle perfectly.

What line is longer;
from a to b, or from b to c?


Amazingly, they're both the same length. This is perhaps the most extreme example of I have found that distorts perception of length

Which semicircle is brighter - the left or the right half?

Can you see dark blotches on the white 'junctions' in between the corners of these black squares?

One of the most famous optical illusions, reproduced in colour!

(The Shimmering Dots) Do you find that the white dots shimmer?

The blue/cyan colour chart to the right isn't part of the illusion, but there to demonstrate that the ultra cyan you have just seen is not in the monitor's color palette! It should be, but isn't.
It's an amazing effect and something I created whilst researching the problem with monitors and their inability to display real cyan. These 2 colours (red and this exact shade of cyan) work better than any other colour combination for many reasons

The Crooked Skyscraper.

All of the red lines are completely parallel

If you can cross your eyes, so that both pictures slide 'into' each other - to form a third, 3D image between them, the effect you will see is truly stunning!

The idea is to focus on the dot in the centre and then move your head constantly towards and away from the monitor. You should see the circles rotate spookily!

stare intently at the red dot in the center of the left block for about a couple of minutes.
Once you've done this, look over to the center of the right block. It should act weird - by fading out and 'flickering'. If you move your head closer and further from the monitor (while focussing in the center), you should see some interesting interference effects too.

both A and B are the same shade of grey. These type of optical illusions usually just use simple contrast to fool the brain, but this illusion employs two effects. First of all, it plays tricks on the mind thanks to the dark shadow contrast around B - but the effect is reinforced by the bright white background contrast near A.
With some 'training', it is possible to see both A and B as the same shade, but otherwise you might want to import the picture into a paint package to prove it to yourself.

Stare at the black dot for a minute (the longer the better), and watch the colored 'fluff' disappear!

Close your left and eye and just focus your right eye on the tiny cross. At some point the big circle will disappear as it crosses your 'blind spot'. If you can't see this effect, then try sitting closer/further from the screen

which way this is meant to be up..