Month: October 2025

Chances are you’ve encountered some version of the “Ebbinghaus illusion,” in which a central circle appears to be smaller when encircled by larger circles and seems larger when surrounded by smaller circles. It’s an example of context-dependent size perception. But is this unique to humans or are some animals susceptible as well? According to a new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, it might depend on the specific sensory environment, since the illusion relies on contextual clues to be effective.

Prior research has produced mixed results on the question of animals and their susceptibility to optical illusions, per the authors. Dolphins, chicks, and redtail splitfins seem to be susceptible, for example, while pigeons, baboons, and gray bamboo snakes are not.

Perhaps the best-known example is cats’ undeniable love of boxes and squares—the “if it fits, I sits” phenomenon documented all over the Internet. This behavior is generally attributed to the fact that cats feel safer when squeezed into small spaces, but it also tells us something about feline visual perception. Both a 1988 study and a 2021 study concluded that cats are susceptible to the Kanizsa square illusion, suggesting that they perceive subjective contours much like humans.

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Two Falcon 9 rockets lifted off from spaceports in Florida and California on Sunday afternoon, adding 56 more satellites to SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network.

The second of these two launches—originating from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California—propelled SpaceX’s Starlink program past a notable milestone. With the satellites added to the constellation Sunday, the company has delivered more than 10,000 mass-produced Starlink spacecraft to low-Earth orbit.

The exact figure stands at 10,006 satellites, according to a tabulation by Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who expertly tracks comings and goings between Earth and space. This number includes dozens of Starlink demo satellites, but not the dummy spacecraft carried on SpaceX’s recent Starship test flights.

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Wer seine Systeme auf Sicherheitslücken abklopfen möchte, benötigt passende Werkzeuge und viel Erfahrung. Letztere erhalten angehende Pentester durch wiederholte Einbrüche in vorgefertigte Trainings-VMs. Eine Anleitung von Tim Schürmann (Security, Virtualisierung)

Tesla shareholders should reject a compensation plan that could pay Elon Musk more than $1 trillion over the next decade, proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said in a report Friday.

The plan is designed “to retain Musk and keep his time and attention on Tesla instead of his other business ventures,” but “there are no prescriptive elements within the award to ensure his focus and time remain on Tesla as opposed to his other ventures, undermining the award’s primary rationale,” the advisory firm said in a report for its clients.

The “astronomical grant value” awarded to Musk could dilute value for other shareholders “due to the extreme value and number of shares being granted,” and it is questionable whether the award “is necessary or appropriate to further align his interests [with Tesla] when he currently holds a 19.8 percent ownership stake in the company,” ISS said.

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Müssen chinesische Mitarbeiter Anweisungen aus den Niederlanden befolgen? Nexperia und der Ex-CEO sind unterschiedlicher Ansicht. (China, Politik)

Mit der Govee-TV-Hintergrundbeleuchtung holt man sich dank des Angebots echtes Ambilight-Feeling zum kleinen Preis ins Wohnzimmer. (TV & Monitore, LED)

Bei Amazon gibt es den Bestseller Ugreen 90541 im befristeten Angebot mal wieder zum Bestpreis und das nach langer Wartezeit. (Solid State Drive, Speichermedien)