Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Apxi said 2:39AM on 4-10-2008
the shadow proves that its going counter clockwise. if you look at the shadow for a second you can see it moving counter clockwise. i saw it clockwise at first, then i was able to switch back and forth, but once i saw the shadow i knew that it was counter clockwise.
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Rob said 2:43AM on 4-10-2008
I just decide which leg she is spinning on. If I think it is her right leg, she spins counter-clockwise. Then I imagine she is spinning on her left leg and all of a sudden she is spinning clockwise. Try it.
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Mo said 2:46AM on 4-10-2008
Crazy.. so when i look at it it goes clockwise.. as soon as i think hard on a math problem it goes counter clock wise
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j said 3:03AM on 4-10-2008
Funny:
when I look at her boobs its counter clockwise
when I look at her booty its clock wise ;-)
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gary said 3:54PM on 6-19-2008
No matter what I do, and I tried everything in the comments. she spins clockwise. My 50 questions test is 64/36 right brain. Interesting, I thought I was a logical person - I am mathematician by education and a software architect by occupation. Interesting....
Paul said 6:00AM on 4-10-2008
It's going clockwise anyway. Open the gif and it has a 1 frame glitch to possibly confuse you. But no matter it is going clockwise.
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superted said 7:16AM on 4-10-2008
I see both, I see it clockwise, then when i read the text in the article it starts spinning anticlockwise
very odd indeed!
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Joe Maki said 8:39AM on 4-10-2008
What bothers me is her center of rotation isn't passing through her center of gravity.
She should fall over!
WHY DOESN"T SHE FALL!!!!
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Coy said 9:03AM on 4-10-2008
At first glance I saw her spinning counter-clockwise (as I would expect) but I can also see her spinning clockwise if I really look, then its hard to make it go back to counter-clockwise. Does this mean that my brain doesn't have a dominant side and I'm perfect in every way. I think yes.
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Corey Brodie said 9:13AM on 4-10-2008
Anyone can see this thing spin both ways! It just depends on what you are focused on. Try focusing on the shadow below her feet. I can make her spin any way I want at will!
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LiqwidZero said 9:23AM on 4-10-2008
I see both.
Scored a 55% right and 45% left. Woooooo!
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DonGabagoo said 9:49AM on 4-10-2008
Look at her ARMS and rotation, it changes. The best way to detect the change is to follow the arms pointing L or R when we see her from the back POV.
If she goes clockwise( >) the R arm is up, if counter clockwise the (
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Nasr said 10:21AM on 4-10-2008
I can only see clock-wise. I took the test and it does agree with the image to be "right-sided" but someone explain to me this:
Your percentage score for the right brain is 51%.
Your percentage score for the left brain is 50%.
Am I just so awesome that my brain has more power than others?!?
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Mnsw said 11:33AM on 4-10-2008
I believe I have the solution to this conundrum.
I can see the girl spinning both ways - as many other people have - though most seem to be focused on the mechanism - how you can see her going both ways - rather than the reason. Well, here is my theory:
When you focus on the big picture - she spins clockwise. When you focus on the details, she spins counterclockwise. And for a good reason...
If you look at the girl with a 'logical' eye - focused on how the parts apperar as she spins from a front view to a side view - as in which boob appears from the shadows first, etc, you see her spinnning counterclockwise.
If you abstract yourself out from the details to where you are looking at a spinning girl - rather than her body parts, she apperas to go clockwise. Because, your 'creative' brain is filling the blanks that your eyes are not capturing. And perhaps, we are wired to see things go clockwise, so when the brain fills in the blanks, it fills them in a way that the girl goes clockwise.
Conclusion - it is indeed a good test for whether you are more creative or more logical. A more logical person will scientifically observe the moving parts and conclude one way, a more creative person... you get the drift.
Those on the borderline - well then it all depends, does it not!
Cheers.
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jordanolson said 4:51PM on 4-10-2008
If you can't see both, try covering up her upper body so you can only see her legs.
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Tommy J?nsen said 3:15PM on 4-10-2008
This is bull...
This is not an illusion. It could have been, but it is not. The original illusion is the classic 2d representation of 3d rotation without perspective. And people seing clockwise or not does not say anything about left or right hemisphere. I don't have a clue where the makers got that idea from, but I suspect it has monetary origins.
The animation is flawed, as it is indeed 3D WITH perspective rotating clockwise (you can analyze each frame - believe me, it's clockwise). Underneath they have placed a reflection that is moving counter-clockwise. I guess they have though, that if you think this otherwise clockwise moving animation rotates counterclockwise, it must be because you deduce it from the shadow underneath. And if your deduction overrides you intuitive (and correct) observation of clockwise rotation, you must be left-hemisphere dominated.
But that's too far fetched. Neuroscience is faaaar more complicated than that! Don't fall for pseudoscience crap!
- Tommy (medical student, former 3D graphics dabbler)
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cobjones said 7:15PM on 4-10-2008
Are you kidding me.. just a cheap graphic trick. Watch without blinking and it slows down and switches. Why is this on here?
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tim said 8:23PM on 4-10-2008
I see clockwise at first, but if I stare at it for a while I get an uncomfortable feeling in my brain for a sec, and it spins counter-clockwise.
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dk said 7:45AM on 4-12-2008
not an optical illusion, but a "Silhouette Illusion."
http://www.procreo.jp/labo/labo13.html
hey switched, how about a little google search before posting...
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Fred said 12:01AM on 4-13-2008
Okay, for all of you that think is a hoax or trick. My wife and I were watching it for a while and it would swap directions on one of us but not the other.
This is really cool.
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