Symmetry Explorer

August 4, 2008 5:22 PM

Symmetry Explorer grabs photos from Flickr on any subject you like (e.g. kittens, hamsters, whatever) and then presents them as pairs of mirrored halves. Other cool examples; Pencils, Owls, Babies. [via mefi projects]
posted by Effigy2000 (43 comments total)

Wow, dude, it's totally like that one scene in The Song Remains the Same.

I'M TRIPPING BALLS!!!!!
posted by Tube at 5:30 PM on August 4, 2008

Do not search for any theme/idea/thing/item that turns you on; there are things in this world that a person was never meant to see, and cannot unsee.
posted by Science! at 5:39 PM on August 4, 2008

Yeah, those baby ducks freaked me out too.
Creepy and disturbing, thanks!(?)
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 5:42 PM on August 4, 2008

weird, but good.
posted by not sure this is a good idea at 5:43 PM on August 4, 2008

*clicks on kittens link*

WELL HELL-O THAR NIGHTMARE FUEL I'LL BE SLEEPING UNSOUNDLY FOR MONTHS OH THANK YOU IS THAT A TWO HEADED KITTY WITH THREE MOUTHS AAAAAARGH IT HAS TOO MANY LEGS AND TEETH BURN IT WITH FIRE OH MY GOD
posted by loquacious at 5:51 PM on August 4, 2008

Looks like loquacious and I will be in therapy together. That kitten thing? yeah, fuck that. I mean, yeah, it's cool. HOLY HELL though, fucking TERRIFYING. I'm still trying to get up the courage to try other ones after that mental fiasco.
posted by Stunt at 6:18 PM on August 4, 2008

Cool, but it pegs the CPU in Firefox 3.
posted by greenie2600 at 6:18 PM on August 4, 2008

The burning man symmetry pics are pretty.
posted by mullingitover at 6:21 PM on August 4, 2008

OHGODHAMSTERSRUNRUNRUNRUN
posted by Stunt at 6:23 PM on August 4, 2008

greenie2006 - fine for me on 3.0.1 32bit (on 64bit linux).
posted by not sure this is a good idea at 6:25 PM on August 4, 2008

Some predictable but good results in both eyes and stare.

But I think this is my favourite so far.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:38 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

I was fully prepared to hate on this, but it's very oddly compelling.
posted by cmoj at 6:41 PM on August 4, 2008

Everything looks like a vagina.
posted by puke & cry at 6:42 PM on August 4, 2008 [3 favorites]

Whoa. You'd think pasta would be simple and easy on the eyes since it's, you know, pasta. But I'm never eating noodles again.
posted by Science! at 6:47 PM on August 4, 2008

Everything looks like a vagina.

Except the things that look like inappropriate cocks.

Like Science! indicated up above, don't search for "thong".
posted by yhbc at 7:02 PM on August 4, 2008

I had to do it.
posted by ooga_booga at 7:15 PM on August 4, 2008

sunsets were pretty safe. the kittens will give me nightmares though.
posted by desjardins at 7:49 PM on August 4, 2008

you know, the obama logo thing isn't treated kindly by the Symmetry Explorer
posted by thisisdrew at 7:53 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

So many dynamos!
posted by subgear at 7:57 PM on August 4, 2008

UNSEE! UNSEE!
posted by arcticwoman at 8:12 PM on August 4, 2008

life imitates art, art imitates 4chan
posted by kaytwo at 8:30 PM on August 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

Even "bunnies" is enough to invoke nightmares.
posted by konolia at 8:39 PM on August 4, 2008

Dude, my country is like, trippy.
posted by signal at 8:50 PM on August 4, 2008

What immortal hand or eye...

Obama poster

Graffiti

Favorite: Horse race
posted by hippugeek at 8:52 PM on August 4, 2008

This'll give you a black eye.
posted by subgear at 9:00 PM on August 4, 2008

MetaFilter. More MetaFilter.
posted by Sailormom at 9:10 PM on August 4, 2008

For some reason, this is terrifying.
posted by sonic meat machine at 9:14 PM on August 4, 2008

Yeah, erm....
posted by Jimbob at 9:18 PM on August 4, 2008

Well this is horrifying.
posted by xchmp at 9:18 PM on August 4, 2008

Whoa, that kittens link is trippy. Rorschach on DMT.

And fun to play with too.

The heart one is surprisingly interesting. Buddha. Blood. Geometry. Death. Papaya.
posted by nickyskye at 9:48 PM on August 4, 2008

Under the "baby" link, there are some photos from a mud-wrestling competition, and every single one of them looks like some horrific Lovecraftian god-thing. It's neat!
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:50 PM on August 4, 2008

In fact: http://mud.wrestling.symmetry.sytes.org/
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:06 PM on August 4, 2008

Blimey! Iä, Shub O'Niggurath
posted by fallingbadgers at 10:38 PM on August 4, 2008

Doh! I meant
posted by fallingbadgers at 10:40 PM on August 4, 2008

I didn't think much of this until I saw the white-furred kitten turned into a vulva.

AND NOW I WILL NEVER SLEEP AGAIN. The kittens have a vagina dentata! Oh god.

Seriously, though, this is cool. I like on the buddha link, posted above, how this kid's face becomes a (very thin) kabuki mask, on the left-hand side.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 10:57 PM on August 4, 2008

Things they don't teach in engineering school: 747
posted by salishsea at 11:35 PM on August 4, 2008

Symmetrical symmetry is boring.

(But this one is cool.)
posted by Knappster at 12:34 AM on August 5, 2008

Trippy, eh, not so much. HDR, though, is pretty neat. "Macro" has a few neat ones, but is kinda blah otherwise.

Oh, and Gaudi and Gehry.

I don't know, Science!. It's not so bad.
posted by HE Amb. T. S. L. DuVal at 1:33 AM on August 5, 2008

War and peace give interesting results.
posted by electricinca at 3:34 AM on August 5, 2008

I liked this bicycle.
posted by cccorlew at 8:17 AM on August 5, 2008

I expected this to be horrifying, just not in the way that it is.
posted by qldaddy at 11:24 AM on August 5, 2008

ooh Knappster, that Falling with Grace one is cool.
posted by nickyskye at 11:31 AM on August 5, 2008

Ultimate Reality may be of interest.
posted by zoinks at 12:45 AM on August 6, 2008