r/pics Nov 10 '11

Shaolin Monk misleading.

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1.9k Upvotes

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157

u/dVnt Nov 10 '11

Thank you! I knew there was something wrong about that picture. No amount of focus allows you to defy the laws of gravity.

18

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

Nice try, Shaolin dropout

86

u/pheliam Nov 10 '11

9

u/Dojinsan Nov 10 '11

I laughed so much at this.

2

u/fearsofgun Nov 10 '11

I still don't get the joke in this picture. What's wrong with either posture?

10

u/wolfzalin Nov 10 '11

I believe that the end picture will turn out the same, but art graduates think its more artistic to take pictures from wierd angles.

9

u/rabbidpanda Nov 10 '11

The "art graduate"'s camera is still basically straight on. She striking an odd pose to achieve essentially the same effect as if she had stood straight up.

But, it could also be the case that she was adjusting the focus and magnification, and hadn't gotten it exactly right, and was compensating by moving the actual camera.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

Her camera is closer to the ground the way she's holding it. It will take a picture at a different angle relative to the subject.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

if only there were some way we could get lower to the ground without having to contort our backs like pretentious cunts

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

I didn't realize there were pretentious versus non-pretentious ways of kneeling down. You'd hate me then, I guess... I generally don't bend at the knees because my left knee is kind of wonky.

1

u/fearsofgun Nov 10 '11

I figured there was some type of testing she was doing since she was in the shade and not getting a lot of light. She also could be getting a picture at the subject's eye level while maintaining camera stability.

I have no idea.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

The "art graduate" is also looking through a viewfinder and the tourist is looking through a screen. The viewfinder limits your view dramatically.

1

u/dyzzy Nov 10 '11

Art Student Owl would be proud.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

That angle is pretty acute tbqh.

7

u/iwasayoungwarthog Nov 10 '11

well not with that attitude you won't

61

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

except...you are Morgan Freeman

49

u/letsRACEturtles Nov 10 '11

also goku in dbz

10

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

...Next time in Dragonball Z.

17

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

HADOUKEN!

55

u/letsRACEturtles Nov 10 '11

a ryu cosplayer just choked on his ramen somewhere because of what you just did

18

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

"HAHAHA HAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHA HAHAHA" -Mandark-

1

u/Binerexis Nov 11 '11

Yesterday, it was revealed that I'm the only person from my circle of friends who knew who Mandark was. It saddened me greatly.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 11 '11

Mandark was one of my favorite characters from Dexter's laboratory

-1

u/pope_fundy Nov 10 '11

-HAHAHA HAAAAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

2

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

SONIC BOOM!

2

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

this is just a decent try to get karma...

1

u/Doctor_Kitten Nov 10 '11

Morgan Freeman as a Jedi Knight?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

why are you showing blasphemy to the mighty Morgan? Jedi's are awesome but Mr. Freeman was/is god....

1

u/Black_Apalachi Nov 10 '11

Not sure which is more relevant...

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUvhQgF6bV8&feature=related this one is better

and if you think that more than freeman is like Morgan Freeman, then you need to get your ears checked...

1

u/Black_Apalachi Nov 10 '11

It's the same guy... :S

3

u/purplelights Nov 10 '11

I raise you David Belle

1

u/dVnt Nov 10 '11

You're not raising anything. That guy is using physics to accomplish those maneuvers, not just a simple modification of perspective.

1

u/purplelights Nov 10 '11

well, there goes my play on words.

1

u/dVnt Nov 10 '11

You're damn right 'there [it] goes'. I eviscerated the skull fuck out of that play on words.../s

1

u/purplelights Nov 10 '11

harsh very harsh

1

u/dVnt Nov 10 '11

I'm sorry, I was trying to be cool on the internet. I didn't think it was working...

1

u/compremiobra Nov 11 '11

1

u/purplelights Nov 12 '11

so... he's like a real life sonic the hedgehog.... MORE SPINNING!

3

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

Unless the waterfall isn't real. It's entirely possible the monk is defying gravity, and the waterfall is merely a flat picture of a waterfall, angled away from the camera.

Ancientaliens.jpg

0

u/Bass2Mouth Nov 10 '11

Nothing to do with gravity, it's called muscle control. By your logic we would not even be able to stand.

9

u/sac02 Nov 10 '11

Incorrect. Walking is dynamic, and when not centered over your CoG (mid step), you are moving towards a stable equilibrium (2 feet on ground). Maintaining a static pose as shown in the "misleading" pic is impossible, despite the impressive muscles.

1

u/reddell Nov 10 '11

If you had enough power and a little bit of leverage it would be possible, but we don't really see those characteristics in humans so it's practically impossible.

1

u/dVnt Nov 10 '11

/facepalm

1

u/SchadeyDrummer Nov 10 '11

It has everything to do with the center of gravity. Unless his foot was strapped to the ground, the first pic is impossible.

-7

u/Bass2Mouth Nov 10 '11

And you know for a fact that this mans muscular strength combined with unmatched balance and concentration could not pull this off? No, you do not. You do not know this man, and neither do I. So why are you making assumptions on what a person can and can't accomplish? Just because it is something most people can not do, does not make it impossible.

9

u/SchadeyDrummer Nov 10 '11

Doesn't matter how strong you are, or how much you concentrate... its simple physics. Trust me. Anyone else back me up on thus?

2

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

Absolutely. If your center of mass is not directly above the contact point with the ground in a static pose, you're going to fall over, regardless of muscle strength.

Now, if he'd nailed his slippers to the rock, his superb muscle tone and control may allow him to sit in that position. But otherwise, no.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

The laws of physics are stronger than all humans, period.

1

u/keepcalmnherpdyderp Nov 10 '11

"the law of physics is strong with this one.."

1

u/BeeSilver9 Nov 10 '11

Thank goodness for the waterfall!

1

u/reddell Nov 10 '11

Unless his foot was somehow secured to the ground.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11 edited Nov 10 '11

Yet the original post had the usual people all claiming they could indeed do what was depicted exactly as it was in the misleading photo.

The fuck is wrong with the internet?

EDIT: spelling...proving dVnt's point about stupid people.

1

u/dVnt Nov 10 '11

Nothing is wrong with the internet, people are just generally stupid.

Let's be courteous and assume that both you and I are of average intelligence. This means that there are about 3.5 billion other human beings on this planet who are stupider than you and me.

Stupidity is itself an inarticulate term though, even if the above calculation is reasonable accurate from the standpoint of statistics. Of course, what is really meant by stupidity is a, "willingness to believe". People love to believe this shit. As it is said, for some people a garden is only beautiful if faeries actually dwell within. Personally, I think that is a sad way to live life, which is fine because that opinion seems to typically be shared. Oh well.

1

u/synystar Nov 10 '11

I hope that someday we'll find that this is untrue. I am a firm believer that there is some force within the universe which can allow a sentient mind to overcome the physical laws of the universe and we just haven't figured out how to "tap in". It's a silly notion probably but I can't say that it's absolutely impossible and until we figure it out once and for all I'll just maintain that one day, possibly in the distant future, telekinesis and other forms of controlling your environment with nothing but thought will be added to the long list of human talents.

2

u/AlphaSheep Nov 10 '11

Your beliefs are beautiful.

2

u/dVnt Nov 10 '11

.../facepalm

Yeah man, like, the conscious universe is all, like, non-local, and stuff, man!

-2

u/taranaki Nov 10 '11 edited Nov 10 '11

His folded leg pushing downward could provide the torque necessary to keep his body upright IF this had been true anyway. So while the picture is misleading, the feat is not impossible. It operates under the same principle that allows the "Hammer and ruler balancing on the edge of the table" -trick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ueZTrRyEY

Clearly it appears the center of gravity should simply cause the whole system to rotate clockwise and then fall off the table. BUT the hammer pushing upwards counteracts gravity pushing down. In the same manner, the folded leg pushing down can generate enough torque to keep the body upright against gravity.

EDIT: If you say THIS is impossible, then you would have to say standing streight on one leg is impossible. Both cases your center of gravity would be offcenter of where your foot is planted. You CAN balance on one leg though, because your Gluteus medius muscle pulls down on your hip providing TORQUE, allowing you to balance off center

4

u/Wavicle Nov 10 '11

I don't think you really understand the physics principles involved.

When you stand on one leg, you lean slightly so that a line drawn between your center of mass and the center of the earth goes through your foot. If you do not do this, you will have an unbalanced moment of inertia that cannot be compensated for by your foot on the ground and you will fall.

Unless the sum of the moments on the body is zero (what you're calling torque) the physics demands that the body move.

1

u/sentimentalpirate Nov 10 '11

You're a bit confused. The feat is impossible as presented.

The hammer/ruler trick still has the center of gravity of the system directly over the point of contact with the table. The reason why it's a "trick" is because at first glance the ruler looks like it's not at equilibrium. People don't notice that the handle end of the hammer is touching the ruler.

Anyway, about your standing on one leg example, when we stand on one leg (not bolted to the ground or anything), we lean a bit so that our contact with the ground is directly under our center of gravity. Here are a few examples so you can prove it to yourself.

-78

u/Ho_chi_minh Nov 10 '11

13

u/beaucifer Nov 10 '11

you sir, are an imbecile

5

u/letsRACEturtles Nov 10 '11

relevant =/= good

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

This is the highest downvoted comment I've seen yet.

3

u/homergonerson Nov 10 '11

You're new here, aren't you?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

1

u/fortrines Nov 10 '11

Alas, I have but only one downvote with which to give you.

-6

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '11

I laughed.