> -----Original Message----- > From: Vivec [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 6:38 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Keith Barry does Brainmagic. > > So....those geniuses on CF-Community... > Can you explain any of these? :) > > http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/keith_barry_does_brain_magic.html
I've not watched it yet... but I will start by stating the obvious: Not knowing how something is done does not make it magic. ;^) Also I would bet that everything I'm about to see is old hat. Common carnie tricks in use by other magicians. Very little is really "new" - at best much of it using the same old gimmicks in new ways. Now, I'm watching the thing, if I know the tricks... here be spoilers! 1) The trick with the hands is just that: a trick. Trying watching the trick with the volume off - it's easier to see without the vocal distraction. This one needs a bit of practice (my fat old arms don't turn as smoothly as his) but it's clear when you actually watch his hands (they actually change position during a camera change which makes this a quasi "camera trick" but I doubt he needed it). It's similar to the old dare where you present something awful (a glass of urine, a plate of feces or something similar) and claim that you'll taste it on a bet. The trick is to quickly dip a finger (usually your ring finger) into the substance but then lick your index finger (you can wipe of both fingers as if you're wiping off your saliva). If done fast enough, with confidence (maintaining eye contact helps immensely) most people will assume that you've actually tasted the substance. They see a movement (sticking a finger into the glass, putting your hands together) and assume either habit or symmetry. All the performer has to do is alter that while allowing you to keep your assumptions. 2) The blindfolded drive one is just an old carnie trick. Note that he maintains complete control over the blindfold. In most cases this is with a two-sided blindfold and hood: put them on one way and it's opaque, put on another way (usually reversed, backwards) and it's not. So it's easy enough to "prove" the power by placing the blindfold on somebody and asking "can you see through"? You then just place the gear on the "right" way and you can see and do anything you like. In the carnie trick the performer (often a one-eyed man who can "see with his spirit eye") will ask for something personal to read, like a wallet, and amaze the audience by offering up information only available via sight when it's clear he "couldn't be seeing". The very fact that the performer in this case maintained complete control over all the gear in use argues perfectly for this old trick. Note that it also features a common deceptive element: over guarding of non-important elements. Cameras covered the car, care was taken to show that the person didn't know him, etc. This is similar to the magician's habit of having people pull, knock, smack and otherwise test the chains, the box and the bag before the classic escape trick... when all he really needs is the key that his assistant hands him as she helps him into the box. 3) I'm not sure but my guess is simply shills. Magicians will tell you that they never met these people... but guess what? Magician's lie. In this case they may not be shills (but they still could be). Note that during the "invisible touch" gag his hand disappears behind her back quite a while before he makes a show of "not touching her". He could have tapped her then. When he "doesn't touch" her arm he gets quite close and is moving rapidly: more than enough for air to "tickle" the hair on her arm (note that she really doesn't answer him - he provides the description and she just confirms it). Next notice that the table cloth of the table is draped all the way to the floor and that the performer sits next to him - it would be easy for the performer to cue the subject with a foot tap (and in fact we see movement). Even if the subject isn't a shill note the phrases used: if the performer were just pressing on the subject foot with his (hidden foot) the trick would work the same way. The subject would move when "pressure" was applied - all they need to do is follow instructions, perhaps thinking that this was a prelude to the "real trick" - before they know it, they're being ushered off stage: job well done! With the bottle, as with the blindfold: the performer completely controls everything making the trick incredibly suspect. A bottle may be treated to break in a lot of ways (especially if the subject is in on the trick). Some people have suggested that the bottle was prestressed in a such a way that it maintained its strength from the outside, but was fragile from the inside (even a small crack would extend and shatter the bottom). Others have suggested that the "shard of glass" was actually something else. In any case it's impossible to consider this as proof of actual "mind over matter" when some many variables are left open. 4) The simplest explanation to me for the spike trick is marked equipment. Again we see a blindfold "tested" by the subject (we know that's suspect to begin with). A small mark, easy enough to spot when you know what you're looking for would suffice to let him know where the spike is. It doesn't even have to be a specific mark: these are wooden discs: a distinct grain pattern is all that's needed. Magic is great... but it's not "magic". It's not mental powers or ESP or anything other than people with a tremendously vested interest in fooling other people. Penn Jillette once said something to the effect that most magic works because normal people will never believe that anybody is so obsessive or dull as to waste their lives perfecting such silly tricks. ;^) Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;203748912;27390454;j Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:264840 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
