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Can Twists, Turns, and T-Rex Hold the Key to Unraveling Reality through Perspective and Perception?

It’s all about perspective, especially when it comes to unraveling complex information. From M.C Escher’s mesmerizing graphics, to a Data-driven dinosaur, to our own brain chemistry, our perception of reality, the conclusions we come to are intricately tied to how we interpret and visualize information.

Discover the Datasaurus Dozen, a graph about a dinosaur.

Scientific American

“Why can’t a ceiling be a floor?”

Popular Mechanics

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Quanta Magazine

Welcome to the September 10, 2023 edition of the Digest.

Discover the Datasaurus Dozen, a graph about a dinosaur.

While mathematics and calculations are exact, graphing that data is more of an art. Summary statistics alone tell a pretty inadequate story when left to their own devices. Depending on the way data is visualized, we can draw very different conclusions; so to do better science, we have to get creative. Check it out. Link.

“Why can’t a ceiling be a floor?”

Asked M. C. Escher, the artist famous for the geometric artwork that hangs in every middle school art room (well, at least in mine) and that boggles the mind with its seemingly endless and mind-bending patterns. His goal? To represent infinity through graphic design.Although his intricate creations were rooted in a deep comprehension of mathematical principles, Despite Escher’s almost-zero mathematical training, his intricate designs are rooted in a deep comprehension of mathematic principles. With that in mind, prepare to have your perspective changed—I sure did. Link.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

It turns out  our brains are constantly asking and answering these questions. Whether it's decoding optical illusions or navigating vivid dreams, our brains are the maestros of our daily experiences, using complex mechanisms in the process. This narrative serves as a poignant reminder that our sense of reality is a dynamic interplay between our senses and the intricate neural pathways of our brain. Link.