Ben Balas
@bjbalas.bsky.social
Vision Scientist, Dad, Would-be artist & dreadful chess player. Check out my new #visionscience textbook here: https://www.routledge.com/Practical-Vision-Science-Learning-Through-Experimentation/Balas/p/book/9781032691121 All opinions my own.
Pinned
Ben Balas
@bjbalas.bsky.social
· Nov 4
Practical Vision Science: Learning Through Experimentation
This workbook provides a collection of experiments and observations that use physical materials (rather than digital displays or resources) to reveal fundamental properties of the human visual system....
www.routledge.com
Hey there #visionscience and #psychscisky friends! I wanted to take a moment to (finally) do a proper promo 🧵 about my new textbook: Practical Vision Science, which is now available from Routledge books. <1/n> www.routledge.com/Practical-Vi...
Reposted by Ben Balas
C. Coles Phillips was an illustrator born in Springfield OH, a longtime staff artist at Life magazine & Good Housekeeping’s sole cover artist from 1912-14. He was famous for his “fadeaway girls,” figures which use the background color & negative space to fill in the blanks.
#historyofillustration
#historyofillustration
October 21, 2025 at 5:49 PM
C. Coles Phillips was an illustrator born in Springfield OH, a longtime staff artist at Life magazine & Good Housekeeping’s sole cover artist from 1912-14. He was famous for his “fadeaway girls,” figures which use the background color & negative space to fill in the blanks.
#historyofillustration
#historyofillustration
Movie night at home with WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. We were waaaay past due for showing this to the kiddo and it was absolutely as funny as I remembered. #movies
a group of people dancing on a stage with a cloud in the background
ALT: a group of people dancing on a stage with a cloud in the background
media.tenor.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Movie night at home with WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. We were waaaay past due for showing this to the kiddo and it was absolutely as funny as I remembered. #movies
My Mid-Western Dad streak continues: First, I was interviewed about snow shoveling a few months ago. Now, I'm lurking in the background of the photo accompanying a local news story about the Kiwanis Pancake event I volunteered at today. #dadenergy
Kiwanis Pancake Karnival Returns for 68th Installment - KVRR Local News
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – A time-honored tradition returned to the Fargodome this Saturday for breakfast delights and community fundraising. The 68th annual Kiwanis Pancake Karnival once again brought in r...
www.kvrr.com
February 15, 2026 at 3:25 AM
My Mid-Western Dad streak continues: First, I was interviewed about snow shoveling a few months ago. Now, I'm lurking in the background of the photo accompanying a local news story about the Kiwanis Pancake event I volunteered at today. #dadenergy
Excellent #ValentinesDay post from @blaisebalas.bsky.social about #HorrorMovies and #Romance and why they go together so well. Go read and subscribe for your regular fix of great pop culture writing! buttondown.com/blaisebalas/...
Bloody Valentines: Horror and Romance as the Perfect Combo
Hi all, and happy Valentine’s Day! On this most romantic day during what is objectively the worst month, I thought I’d take this opportunity to discuss the...
buttondown.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Excellent #ValentinesDay post from @blaisebalas.bsky.social about #HorrorMovies and #Romance and why they go together so well. Go read and subscribe for your regular fix of great pop culture writing! buttondown.com/blaisebalas/...
Reposted by Ben Balas
Anna Atkins' blue algae and the dawn of photography boingboing.net/2026/02/12/a...
Anna Atkins’ blue algae and the dawn of photography
Every architect knows what a blueprint is. Fewer know the process behind it — cyanotype printing — was first used not for buildings but for algae. In 1843, English botanist…
boingboing.net
February 13, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Anna Atkins' blue algae and the dawn of photography boingboing.net/2026/02/12/a...
The #scicomm content creation journey continues with another short #visionscience video! In this one, I take apart some upside-down goggles to show you how they flip everything you see. Enjoy (and don't forget to subscribe)! www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcB9...
How do upside-down goggles work?
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:31 AM
The #scicomm content creation journey continues with another short #visionscience video! In this one, I take apart some upside-down goggles to show you how they flip everything you see. Enjoy (and don't forget to subscribe)! www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcB9...
New post over on my Substack - this time about #solitaire instead of #chess! I got kind of into learning new Solitaire games recently and decided to try inventing my own - if you want to read about it (and maybe try it out) go check out the article here.
The 11th hour - or how I invented a card game that might even be fun
Learning a bunch of new solitaire games got me wondering how you design one
benbalas.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:22 AM
New post over on my Substack - this time about #solitaire instead of #chess! I got kind of into learning new Solitaire games recently and decided to try inventing my own - if you want to read about it (and maybe try it out) go check out the article here.
I've been in a bit of a #chess slump lately (esp. in Bullet and Blitz) but I'm super proud of this 10-minute game today: 6 Brilliant moves in the endgame! Surely not going to happen again anytime soon, but at least makes me feel like I'm learning a little something.
February 7, 2026 at 8:29 PM
I've been in a bit of a #chess slump lately (esp. in Bullet and Blitz) but I'm super proud of this 10-minute game today: 6 Brilliant moves in the endgame! Surely not going to happen again anytime soon, but at least makes me feel like I'm learning a little something.
I've got a new #visionscience video for you! Today I'm showing off how to see the hidden object in Magic Eye stereograms without worrying about getting your eyes lined up the right way.
If you're interested in reading why this works... <1/2>
If you're interested in reading why this works... <1/2>
How to Hack a Magic Eye Stereogram!
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:58 PM
I've got a new #visionscience video for you! Today I'm showing off how to see the hidden object in Magic Eye stereograms without worrying about getting your eyes lined up the right way.
If you're interested in reading why this works... <1/2>
If you're interested in reading why this works... <1/2>
Great perspective by @juliafstrand.bsky.social on building an undergrad lab! I've mostly worked with undergrad RAs throughout my career and I think we've done a lot of work and made the lab a good place to gain skills and experience for a lot of different next steps. #PsychSciSky #visionscience
Just out—a piece I wrote a piece for the APS Observer (@psychscience.bsky.social) in which I share recommendations and resources for running a research lab at a small, liberal arts college. I hope it helps others in the same boat! www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...
How to Set Up and Run an Undergraduate Research Lab
APS Fellow Julia Strand offers resources and recommendations to run a productive research lab.
www.psychologicalscience.org
February 3, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Great perspective by @juliafstrand.bsky.social on building an undergrad lab! I've mostly worked with undergrad RAs throughout my career and I think we've done a lot of work and made the lab a good place to gain skills and experience for a lot of different next steps. #PsychSciSky #visionscience
New post from @blaisebalas.bsky.social at So Desensitized about Catherine O'Hara's passing and her wonderfully weird and always hilarious work on-screen. buttondown.com/blaisebalas/... #Movies #FilmSky
Catherine O'Hara: An Absolute Legend
Hi all, and welcome back to So Desensitized! Today’s post was going to be about something else, and then Catherine O’Hara died and I just didn’t feel right...
buttondown.com
January 31, 2026 at 9:40 PM
New post from @blaisebalas.bsky.social at So Desensitized about Catherine O'Hara's passing and her wonderfully weird and always hilarious work on-screen. buttondown.com/blaisebalas/... #Movies #FilmSky
Great #visionscience question from @michaelanes.bsky.social! The more you can get students to work on looking at things and talking through what they see, the more I think you can steer them away from thinking of learning as just the accumulation of facts.
New quiz question just dropped. Students better bone up on their Gestalt principles.
I write qs like this usually to try to pit G principles against one another but here in this new one many are just straight-up violated. @bjbalas.bsky.social
I write qs like this usually to try to pit G principles against one another but here in this new one many are just straight-up violated. @bjbalas.bsky.social
January 30, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Great #visionscience question from @michaelanes.bsky.social! The more you can get students to work on looking at things and talking through what they see, the more I think you can steer them away from thinking of learning as just the accumulation of facts.
Reposted by Ben Balas
Reposted by Ben Balas
After a rather long delay, I've finally got a new Science of #Chess post up on lichess! This time I'm looking at a very neat #neuroscience paper (co-authored by @hansopdebeeck.bsky.social) using chess as a model for studying expertise. Enjoy! #cogneuro #PsychSciSky
Networks for expertise in the chess players' brain
Chess can be an important way of investigating how learning and expertise are manifest in the nervous system
lichess.org
January 29, 2026 at 4:32 PM
After a rather long delay, I've finally got a new Science of #Chess post up on lichess! This time I'm looking at a very neat #neuroscience paper (co-authored by @hansopdebeeck.bsky.social) using chess as a model for studying expertise. Enjoy! #cogneuro #PsychSciSky
I stand with @melville-society.bsky.social on this one! Moby Dick is in my top 5 of all time and I will defend Ishmael's long discourse on cetology to anyone at anytime.
ExSQUEEZE me?!
January 28, 2026 at 1:55 PM
I stand with @melville-society.bsky.social on this one! Moby Dick is in my top 5 of all time and I will defend Ishmael's long discourse on cetology to anyone at anytime.
Oof - you guys, making videos people might actually want to watch is NOT easy. Spent most of today working on a ~10min video and now that I watch it, it is soooo freaking dull! Gotta work on talking without lecturing, among other things. #learningcurve #onward 👓🧠🎥
January 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Oof - you guys, making videos people might actually want to watch is NOT easy. Spent most of today working on a ~10min video and now that I watch it, it is soooo freaking dull! Gotta work on talking without lecturing, among other things. #learningcurve #onward 👓🧠🎥
Reposted by Ben Balas
January 24, 2026 at 4:00 PM
The #scicomm content creation journey continues! Here's a new short video showing off one of the benefits of living someplace horrendously cold: Sun dogs! #visionscience
Geometric Optics at -29F in FARGO, ND!
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:57 PM
The #scicomm content creation journey continues! Here's a new short video showing off one of the benefits of living someplace horrendously cold: Sun dogs! #visionscience
Reposted by Ben Balas
The Psychonomic Society is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Mid-Career Award, which recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to experimental and cognitive psychology and are currently in the middle of their careers. The deadline is March 31. Submit today: buff.ly/Pct3kUM
January 20, 2026 at 6:04 PM
The Psychonomic Society is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Mid-Career Award, which recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to experimental and cognitive psychology and are currently in the middle of their careers. The deadline is March 31. Submit today: buff.ly/Pct3kUM
I am beyond excited about the Cow Tools discussion happening now. Will definitely tune in to hear @cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social talk about this!
big things happening
@cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social Hi there! I'm a producer with NPR's Weekend Edition. Would you like to talk to us about the news about cows using tools? (www.npr.org/2026/01/19/n...) Let me know! You can send me an email at dhensel at npr dot org.
Thanks!
Thanks!
January 23, 2026 at 6:01 PM
I am beyond excited about the Cow Tools discussion happening now. Will definitely tune in to hear @cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social talk about this!
Quick #behindthescenes confession about the last YT video I posted: I once had a student who combined reflection & refraction into the amazing word "reflaction" on a test and I ended up saying that like, 3 times before I got an acceptable take. I'm already debating a #visionscience outtakes channel.
January 23, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Quick #behindthescenes confession about the last YT video I posted: I once had a student who combined reflection & refraction into the amazing word "reflaction" on a test and I ended up saying that like, 3 times before I got an acceptable take. I'm already debating a #visionscience outtakes channel.
Reposted by Ben Balas
Ben is starting a YouTube channel and if you like cool perceptual science explained clearly, you'll definitely want to subscribe.
This past weekend, I was excited to visit @museumofscience.bsky.social to start my work as a Science Communication fellow. Now that I'm back home, the #scicomm begins, starting with a new YouTube channel! Just published my 1st video & stay tuned for #visionscience content coming soon.
@SeeingScience waits out the Earth's rotation in Boston!
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Ben is starting a YouTube channel and if you like cool perceptual science explained clearly, you'll definitely want to subscribe.
This past weekend, I was excited to visit @museumofscience.bsky.social to start my work as a Science Communication fellow. Now that I'm back home, the #scicomm begins, starting with a new YouTube channel! Just published my 1st video & stay tuned for #visionscience content coming soon.
@SeeingScience waits out the Earth's rotation in Boston!
YouTube video by SeeingScience
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:40 PM
This past weekend, I was excited to visit @museumofscience.bsky.social to start my work as a Science Communication fellow. Now that I'm back home, the #scicomm begins, starting with a new YouTube channel! Just published my 1st video & stay tuned for #visionscience content coming soon.
If you're a fan of #DavidLynch (and even if you aren't), go check out @blaisebalas.bsky.social's post to mark the first anniversary of his passing.
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema
David Lynch Appreciation Post
If any of you know me in real life (which I know a lot of you do), you know that David Lynch is one of my favorite people ever. This past Friday marked a...
buttondown.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:31 PM
If you're a fan of #DavidLynch (and even if you aren't), go check out @blaisebalas.bsky.social's post to mark the first anniversary of his passing.
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema
"Don’t feel any obligation to be understood by anyone."
#FilmSky #MovieSky #Movies #Cinema