Edward Piercy

Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror

Wednesday, 26. November 2008, 21:19:28

Magic mirror that is without
Magic mirror that is within

-- Gaelic rhyme

I was watching a television commercial the other night and there was
this girl on the commercial using a laptop computer. On the screen there
appeared to be what looked like a mirror. So I thought, hey, they
actually have a software now where you can call up a mirror on the
screen of your computer and look at your own face and stuff?

So today I went in search of such. As it turns out, the only thing I could
find was something called the Makeup Mirror that you can download off
the Cover Girl Makeup site. But as it turns out, this isn't a mirror at all,
it's a program that lets you look at various Cover Girl makeup colors.

And then I got to thinking about it. A mirror on a screen? How exactly
would that work? It really seemed impossible.

A normal, modern day mirror of the type that we have in the bathroom
or hallway is basically a pane of flat glass that has been given a rear
coating of metal -- usually a combination of tin, silver, and aluminum.
To be honest, I wasn't able to find out how this works exactly. It has
to do with reflectivity, but such concepts go beyond my feeble brain.
What is clear with today's mirrors though is that somehow the combination
of the glass surface with the metal backing produces the reflection.

But if you take a piece of glass and put black construction paper
behind it, it doesn't become a mirror. Colored surfaces do reflect
light (black cloth reflects less light than white cloth, which is why
white clothing is cooler in the summer). But there seems to be a
difference between that reflectivity and the type of reflectivity that
operates with metals. You can see your face reflected in a silver teapot.
You can't see your face reflected in a pane of glass (the glass of your
computer monitor) and a silver background.

Here's an example.

Not much reflectivity in that, of course. That's because it is the color
silver (RGB 191, 191, 191) represented by pixels on the screen, not
the actual silver metal.

So it seems that there could be no computer software that brings up a
mirror that you could use to put on your makeup or comb you hair. You'll
just have to use a little mirror that you keep in your bag. Or perhaps
resort to a true magic mirror -- better be damn careful with that one.

But there is one other possibility. Computers are a new technology. So
maybe we have to look at new means to make mirrors. Like cameras, for
example. For laptops that have webcams mounted on them, it might be
possible to create a quickly accessible program that takes the image
from the webcam (i.e., your face) and just feeds it back to you onto the
screen of your computer. And in fact there would also be the possibility
of using this method to eliminate the old glass mirror bugaboo -- that
you are always looking at a reverse image of yourself -- by flipping
the image horizontally. And I would suggest creating the software so that
it puts a nice little attractive mirror-type frame around the image --
take your choice of a variety of frames, of course.

Here is something quite similar to what I am talking about, though this
one seems needlessly complicated with the facing glass and ring of lights
features. It seems to me that the developers of this software weren't
quite able to leave the past behind. It is also far too large to take
with you on the go. Hell, you might as well use an old-fashioned glass
mirror as that thing.

Well, so much for that. Looking into all of this I discovered that certain
animals seem to be able to comprehend mirror images and some don't.
Here's a list from Wikipedia of those that do:

Asian elephants

Bonobos

Common chimpanzees

Dolphins

Magpies

Orangutans

Pigs

Llamas

Humans

They don't say anything about dogs. But I do know that I've found my
dogs Baron and Sasha occasionally looking at the glass door at the
bottom of my television cabinet. I can't think of what they'd be looking
at if not the reflection, especially Sasha, who actually will bark
looking at it. That's hardly formal research, but I thought I would
throw that in.

Marilyn RevisitedHappy Thanksgiving (Not Worried At All)

Comments

Aqualion # 26. November 2008, 21:38

This 'mirror' concept of yours seems like a good idea. To actually be able to see your own face. I like that. Would also be practical while shaving or doing your hair. And for some reason I'm sure women would be crazy about it. I predict that a device like that will become extremely popular. In a few years you might find one in every home.

edwardpiercy # 26. November 2008, 21:42

Hmmm. And you know, there might also be applications to mirrors for motor vehicles as well. Although it's my theory that objects in those types of mirrors would be closer than they appear. Call me crazy, and most of you probably have, but I think that would be the case.

Aqualion # 26. November 2008, 22:07

On the other hand, what if you are but ugly? Beyond repair, I mean. Beyond make up and hairdo. Best not to look at yourself too much if that's the case. Maybe a 'mirror' that will make any man look like Clark Gable (he was handsome, wasn't he?) and every woman like our very own Marilyn...

edwardpiercy # 26. November 2008, 22:18

My own flaws are so numerous that I have no choice but to make things up and tell me how much like Robert Mitchum I look. Don't need any software for that!

BTW I've added some new paragraphs to the post since the time you read it. I did come up with a few ideas.

I_ArtMan # 26. November 2008, 23:06

got a lot of time on your hands these days eh? ed?

the camera is the best idea you had. forget about the silver content in the pixels... too much trouble for the purpose. that's a good picture of nicole.

@martin,
but then it wouldn't be you... duh.

my reflection has changed a lot. and not for the better. i think that's why i stopped shaving.

edwardpiercy # 26. November 2008, 23:15

Oh yeah. Lots of time. All the time in the world...

Aqualion # 27. November 2008, 00:09

I have no problem with the man in the mirror, but sometimes I have the feeling that he has a problem with me. Something in his eyes, I guess. That all familiar look, you know. Good thing, he seems to be stuck in the frame somehow. I wouldn't want any trouble with him. He seems like a man who knows how to beat the shit out of things.

edwardpiercy # 27. November 2008, 00:17

The guy in my mirror seems obsessed with shaving for some reason. Almost every time I look in the mirror, there he is again, shaving.

He must live a pretty depressing life.

Well, I hope the buy in your mirror doesn't beat the mirror and break it. Cause then you'd have to go to the expense of replacing it.

ellinidata # 27. November 2008, 01:25

my mirror (before this past summer) it was with light that gave you 99.9% the actual lighting of the real world...
this way I would put my make up to look more natural (if that is possible),

I left one morning for the office and I forgot to turn the light off,

it burned my comforter and part of it melted,
I was lucky that my house help found it before a fire broke,

now I got a mirror with special light again ,
this time the light emphasizes the phrase that is written on the top of it: "You look fabulous today"

I suspect my next mirror it will be 5X since the older I grow the more lights I need !!!

edwardpiercy # 27. November 2008, 03:43

And maybe also put it on a vanity instead of the bed? --

What's that Vincent Price thing from -- ???? !!!!

ellinidata # 27. November 2008, 04:52

Mirror Mirror of course !

I do more than sleeping on my bed...including spreading all my make up on it and my mirror too! the Vanity has this Italian old mirror that I never use...I like electric mirrors

edwardpiercy # 27. November 2008, 05:02

Poor old Italian mirror! "She never uses me anymore!"

ellinidata # 27. November 2008, 05:12

10,000 spend in old good times,
when is sold money that my kids one day will use who knows in what!!
I hope they keep it for their kids but I don't see it happening

none of them is in antiquing

wickedlizard # 27. November 2008, 13:31

What an interesting concept! But there is such a thing!

I posted sometime ago...

edwardpiercy # 27. November 2008, 17:52

Well if you would give me the link please, I'd like to read about it.

ellinidata # 27. November 2008, 19:46

me too!!!! Issy please give us the link...

Aqualion # 27. November 2008, 20:02

A friend used to have a label on his mirror saying: 'Image distortion due to monitor disorder'. Always brought a smile on my face.

wickedlizard # 27. November 2008, 20:46

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4DI2J4O1-k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAI9mF_cBu0&feature=related

Here ya go!

ellinidata # 27. November 2008, 21:09

I got it Issy,
I know Ed will enjoy this!!!
thanks for leaving it in my neck of the woods too!
many will visit as well! *hugs*

edwardpiercy # 27. November 2008, 23:32

No no no, that's nothing close to what I'm talking about. That is simply a real mirror (pane of glass, actually) that they project the computer images onto. I've seen that on CSI: Miami for the past year.

What I'm talking about is something that you could have on a laptop computer so a woman could put on her makeup on the bus or something.

But what the hell do I know. Maybe it's possible for a computer screen as well.

I was thinking that if I could draw in my bathroom mirror like that, it would mask the fact that I need to clean it!

Thanks for the links, they were very interesting!

(It would help if the person that made that first vid could spell "mirror" correctly. --

)

wickedlizard # 28. November 2008, 09:24

well close enough... for now...

edwardpiercy # 28. November 2008, 20:16

Don't these computer programmers understand the importance of being able to put on your eyeliner?

Well, probably not.

wickedlizard # 28. November 2008, 23:30