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This “disappearing picture” is a neat optical illusion we’ve never seen before. If you stare at it long enough, it disappears! Now to me, that sounds suspiciously like the time during my first year of middle school when the teacher sent gullible little me to ask the teacher next door for a “long stand”. (Incidentally, did you know the l’s are silent? The correct pronunciation is goo-ible.)

But I digress. This disappearing picture trick is pretty cool, and it really does work! All you need is your eyes and a little patience.

The internet suggests this is actually an old favourite, rather than a new-fangled invention, but that’s no reason to enjoy it any less. Stare at the centre of the image below, and keep your focus there. The entire picture should start to fade away into white!

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For me, the blues disappear first, then the red tones, and finally the yellow Simpsons-type splodges. If it didn’t quite work for you on the first try, try moving closer to the screen.

Some people said the trick works better for them if they concentrate hard on making it disappear, but I find the opposite – if I relax my eyes the image quickly starts to fade away to empty space; glorious, terrifying nothingness … So here are some things to think about while you’re gazing into the abyss:

  • In the digital era, what is the value of human memory?
  • Will children of the future know what paper money looks like?
  • And, will there ever be a boy born who can swim faster than a shark?

Source: byoukan sunday