ABSTRACT
As explained in Section VI of this chapter, the sine-wave grating patterns that have provided so much useful data are not ideally suited to studying the spatial properties of human vision. I spent many years seeking an ideal (or at least greatly improved) stimulus for this purpose. As this chapter recounts, I believe I eventually succeeded, but only after several interesting detours and a dead-end or two. Eventually I was able to make something which a young colleague calls, only half-jokingly, "the optimum stimulus." But the early parts of the story are of interest, too.
