6 ms·

I'm very sad I can't view the figures, which appear to include at least a couple of shots of cats sitting in things. It looks like the Kanizsa square illusion t

by agency 5y ago

I'm very sad I can't view the figures, which appear to include at least a couple of shots of cats sitting in things. It looks like the Kanizsa square illusion they're referring to is this: https://puzzlewocky.com/optical-illusions/kanizsa-square-and-triangle-illusions/ https://puzzlewocky.com/optical-illusions/kanizsa-square-and...

vitus 5y ago
Ars Technica has the pictures from the paper: https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/what-cats-love-of-boxes-and-squares-can-tell-us-about-their-visual-perception/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/what-cats-love-of-bo... But, also, I was able to find a PDF download through Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=9555924703847749513 https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=95559247038477495...) -- for whatever reason the HTML link provides me with a "Download PDF" link even when in incognito.
- est31 5y ago
  > for whatever reason the HTML link provides me with a "Download PDF" link even when in incognito. That means that you likely use university/college internet and your institution has purchased institution access. This access is usually implemented in the form that everyone from the institution's network can download the paper, without having to log in at the publisher's website or anything. Basically an ip based whitelist.
  - vitus 5y ago
    I could believe that, if I were living on a college campus. But no, I'm using a residential ISP, and every geoip site I've checked in the past agrees re: my ISP. I recall in the past when I was on a university connection, I was also greeted by some sort of affiliate banner indicating that I was getting access through the university.
- isatty 5y ago
  While I appreciate the article (it’s not on scihub) - why is Ars such garbage now that either it autoplays something with sound or permits such ads?
  - dylan604 5y ago
    Probably has something to do with being owned by Conde Nast
  - jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago
    Ken sold Ars to Conde Nast quite some time ago. I've not been active on the ars forums in years, but my understanding is Aurich runs the community these days, but does not have total decision making power over the biz side.
  - e3bc54b2 5y ago
    That has not been new for a while now. Arch was always some of the top reporting brass imo, what with having subscriptions since very early on. But sometime 5-7 years ago when I ultimately stopped reading it, I distinctly remember a truly giant, fully scrolled and obnoxiously obtrusive ad for LG television that went and moved the page everywhere you scrolled. It was full of bright colors and strokes of lights going across the page and I remember it being in extreme contrast with the white-on-black plain text article. It was then I realised that Ars, apart from slightly longer articles, is not much different that average publication. Then they launched their own 'video platform' which is what you are seeing promoted left and right.
    - astrange 5y ago
      Almost no website has full control or preapproval of the ads on it. They accept sales on an open platform and sometimes bad ads sneak on there. It's not even always possible to report them.
      - e3bc54b2 5y ago
        That one particular instance was memorable because it was very unlike any other ads on Ads before. I remember there was some official post later about 'new type of ads' but I fail to find it currently. That particular incident was a result of explicit cooperation and not some random ad placement.
rsj_hn 5y ago
All the cats I had immediately sit on any new item brought into the house, so there may be some confounding variables.
- gattilorenz 5y ago
  The article mentions a control shape (made by turning the "pacmans" around, thus making the illusory square disappear)
  - rsj_hn 5y ago
    I didn't notice that, thank you.
- agency 5y ago
  My cats do the same thing. Any novel surface will be sat on. Cardboard boxes (full or empty or collapsed) especially but their favorite seems to be clothes. I personally chose to believe it's because my clothes smell like me and they love me and I will not be accepting alternative explanations at this time.
gwern 5y ago
Mirror: https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/2021-smith.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/2021-smith.pdf
mcbishop 5y ago
Sadly, it's beneath scientific journals to feature a picture of a cat sitting proudly in a pretend box.

by agency 5y ago

vitus 5y ago

Ars Technica has the pictures from the paper: https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/what-cats-love-of-boxes-and-squares-can-tell-us-about-their-visual-perception/ https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/05/what-cats-love-of-bo... But, also, I was able to find a PDF download through Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=9555924703847749513 https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=95559247038477495...) -- for whatever reason the HTML link provides me with a "Download PDF" link even when in incognito.

est31 5y ago
> for whatever reason the HTML link provides me with a "Download PDF" link even when in incognito. That means that you likely use university/college internet and your institution has purchased institution access. This access is usually implemented in the form that everyone from the institution's network can download the paper, without having to log in at the publisher's website or anything. Basically an ip based whitelist.
- vitus 5y ago
  I could believe that, if I were living on a college campus. But no, I'm using a residential ISP, and every geoip site I've checked in the past agrees re: my ISP. I recall in the past when I was on a university connection, I was also greeted by some sort of affiliate banner indicating that I was getting access through the university.
isatty 5y ago
While I appreciate the article (it’s not on scihub) - why is Ars such garbage now that either it autoplays something with sound or permits such ads?
- dylan604 5y ago
  Probably has something to do with being owned by Conde Nast
- jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago
  Ken sold Ars to Conde Nast quite some time ago. I've not been active on the ars forums in years, but my understanding is Aurich runs the community these days, but does not have total decision making power over the biz side.
- e3bc54b2 5y ago
  That has not been new for a while now. Arch was always some of the top reporting brass imo, what with having subscriptions since very early on. But sometime 5-7 years ago when I ultimately stopped reading it, I distinctly remember a truly giant, fully scrolled and obnoxiously obtrusive ad for LG television that went and moved the page everywhere you scrolled. It was full of bright colors and strokes of lights going across the page and I remember it being in extreme contrast with the white-on-black plain text article. It was then I realised that Ars, apart from slightly longer articles, is not much different that average publication. Then they launched their own 'video platform' which is what you are seeing promoted left and right.
  - astrange 5y ago
    Almost no website has full control or preapproval of the ads on it. They accept sales on an open platform and sometimes bad ads sneak on there. It's not even always possible to report them.
    - e3bc54b2 5y ago
      That one particular instance was memorable because it was very unlike any other ads on Ads before. I remember there was some official post later about 'new type of ads' but I fail to find it currently. That particular incident was a result of explicit cooperation and not some random ad placement.

rsj_hn 5y ago

All the cats I had immediately sit on any new item brought into the house, so there may be some confounding variables.

gattilorenz 5y ago
The article mentions a control shape (made by turning the "pacmans" around, thus making the illusory square disappear)
- rsj_hn 5y ago
  I didn't notice that, thank you.
agency 5y ago
My cats do the same thing. Any novel surface will be sat on. Cardboard boxes (full or empty or collapsed) especially but their favorite seems to be clothes. I personally chose to believe it's because my clothes smell like me and they love me and I will not be accepting alternative explanations at this time.

gwern 5y ago

Mirror: https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/2021-smith.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/catnip/2021-smith.pdf

mcbishop 5y ago

Sadly, it's beneath scientific journals to feature a picture of a cat sitting proudly in a pretend box.