In all likelihood, you have seen this figure before and can instantly recognize it as a common optical illusion.

Just for fun, using only Notepad and 30 words or less, how well do you think you could describe the figure in enough detail so that if you sent that text file to me, I would understand exactly what you are seeing?

If you said: “The figure is one of the most popular examples of an impossible figure and is called a Penrose Triangle.” Then you cheated. Try again without using “Penrose”, “optical illusion”, or “impossible figure”...

Okay, I think I made my point. Sending a screenshot is far easier than trying to type a long, detailed description of what we think we are seeing on the screen.

Whether you choose to post an iQuestion or Report a Problem, or contact anyone about a technical issue for that matter, consider including a screenshot of what you are seeing.

Both Windows 7 and Vista include the Snipping Tool which makes this task pretty easy. If you have not used it before, simply go to the Start menu and type in “snip” to find it. To learn how to use it, Microsoft posted a little video about it on their website: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/snipping-tool.

If you have Windows XP, unless you have a 3rd-party application, you'll have to use a combination of the PrnSc button and a graphics editor like MS Paint. If you don't know how to do this, no worries. I found a great article on the Microsoft website that includes steps to creating a screen shot: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/tips/screenshot.mspx.