Links for 8 Nov 2005

• The military applications of Silly String.
• Optical Illusion o' the Day: Tom Stafford and Matt Webb explain the mechanism for this effect in Mind Hacks. Movement processing happens earlier in the visual system than does color processing, and movement processing is more effective at the periphery of your vision than is color procesing. Evolutionarily, it makes sense to notice something at the edge of your vision that's moving, and not to worry about what color it is.
• More visual system effects by Stuart Antsis at UCSD.
• Buzz Game: Old news by now, but worth a look if you haven't seen it.
• From Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools: Shapelock and Friendly Plastic. Dave Boulton says: "ShapeLock and Friendly Plastic are repackaging a polyester-like stuff called polycaprolactone (PCL). This particular formulation is sold by Dow as TONE P-767. It is inert, FDA approved bio-compatible, and biodegradable. Tensile strength is around 3500 PSI. Melts at 60 C,and is WAY fun to play with."
  
• More cool tools: the car chip.