[Saka]

I forgot to post an update. I received my set of covers, currently I am waiting with using then until I get my right side working again.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Those look lovely. I hope the colour depth was captured right, your drawing had a bit more vibrant colour palette, I think. Maybe it is the lighting.

I wonder why one of them is not mirrored? I thought one of them would be a mirrored version, right/left symmetry-wise. Interesting that it is not the case.

[mostak]

@DoctorEldritch😅 No, they are typically the same but the color tone difference seems to be due to the effect of lighting or camera

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch The left side had light on it, the right side is in the shade, so that's why the difference of the lighting. The colour palette is indeed slightly muted compared to my original design, but that's partly on me as I didn't ensure CMYK compatibility for printing. It was just a rather quick drawing under time pressure, I wasn't exactly expecting to win. It's nice though.

These plastic covers don't have a left or right variant, they are the same. From third party decorations, some stickers (skins) come mirrored, but it depends. It can be just the behind-the-ear part that gets mirrored and the coil area staying the same for both sides.

Here are two sets of skins from my stash, one of them has a mirrored coil, the other one does not:

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Oh nice, pokemon! I don't know what it is, but I like the mirrored ones better. Not just because of the sea, but I like the symmetry. I am a bit like Death the Kid this way.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch But on the head it's more common than not that the implants are not symmetrical. Mine are not and after multiple surgeries due to complications symmetry was far from being a priority.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka That is true, the functionality of these devices by far outweighs whether or not they are symmetrical. I am just wondering by what logic the developers decide to either mirror the image or not for dual devices.

And while symmetry is not majorly important here, we must not forget it lest we end up like Rapture's Dr. Steinman:

[Saka]

I recall reading that actual symmetry is not perceived well by human brain; and most of the symmetry in the world is not real symmetry but something "close enough". For example bodies aren't two mirrored halves - your brow might be slightly pointier on one side, the hairline a little bit lower or higher on either side and a random mole on one cheek that isn't on the other. I also have one leg marginally shorter than the other. Enough to cause some issues, but nobody ever notices that except my physiotherapist. It doesn't affect my life much, I just have to deal with some annoyances.

As a gaming-related note, vanilla models in World of Warcraft were mirrored. That led to some lines being visible in the center of the chartacter models and particularly the faces looked a bit odd. The new models are drawn to look the same on both sides (minus some features, like freckles - those are not symmetrical), but are not mirrors. In the dev interviews around the time the models were released (so ages ago, Warlords of Draenor was almost a decade ago, I feel like a gaming grandma now) they brought the same points about symmetry. Genuine symmetry feels artificial.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka reminds me of that Big Bang Theory bit towards the end of the series:

I think you're right, pure symmetry would probably be a bit disturbing. I do not know much about mirrored images in gaming, though I would think it is more common than WoW as it is not as costly resource-wise as drawing two similar body halves?

But I do know that Cameron's Titanic set only had one side built, the starboard side. This means that the shot with Titanic in port is not historically accurate, but more interestingly, as they were "mirroring" the image for the outside scenes on the port side, every little detail had to be changed to be in reverse. The text had to be written backward, costumes had to be altered, and even Kate Winslet's hat had to be lifted on the opposite side. It was a lot of work, but still cheaper than building both ship sides would have been.

On a more modern note, one of my favourite directors is Wes Anderson, I mentioned him and his films a couple of times before. And he is known for using to bring visual equilibrium to his compositions for harmonious effect, and I quite like how he does it:

Goes to show what role attention to this composition detail can play...

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch That's a really interesting video. And yeah, I was already aware of some ways of building composition. I probably mentioned it before that I was originally studying to be an architect, but some events at school made me rethink my life choices rather quickly.

Those "composition mirrors" are not like complete mirrors though, they build the same situation using different elements. I think the non-mirrored ear decorations would fit in the theme, as realistically you don't see both sides at the same time.