In a public bathroom, a person stands at the basin washing
their hands. Above the basin hangs a small mirror - it is
rather
battered and tired, and the silvering has failed in places,
producing several irregular black blotches.
As they glance up at the mirror, they are horrified to see a
large, gaping gash down their left cheek. Their hand
automatically goes to their face, but they feel nothing
wrong
and, looking again, the gash has gone.
Some time later, another person stands washing their hands.
As they check their hair in the mirror, for a split second
their
reflection's lips curl back to reveal teeth filed to points, and
their bloodshot eyeballs pop forward. But only for the
briefest
of instants.
The Disconcertion Mirror is, of course, a high-resolution
display. One of its black blotches hides a camera which is
connected to a hidden computer that can perform fast
image
analysis, gaze detection and image generation. Normally,
the
screen simply displays a left-right reversed image of the
face
in front of it, until the computer judges the moment right to
disconcert the viewer. Naturally, the camera also records
the
response of the victim, for the amusement of others at a
later
time.