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Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
Yesterday both my visa card and another card stopped working. They can no longer be scanned.
Those in the knowledge can guess what happened. If someone do not make the connection PM me, and I´ll explain. Keep this in mind... I also thought this knowledge could be used in mentalism or bizarre magic... I´ll say no more, but let you react on my idea, and if I receive any interesting input here, I´ll tell you what I was thinking about... Mikael |
Didier Chantome New user FRANCE 57 Posts |
Thanks Mikael for this advice.
A few years ago, while learning this effect, I had a similar problem with a personnal item : MY pocket watch ! So I forgot this experience and never did it ... To deal with a spectator's watch, there is Banachek's Psychokinetic time which IMO is a great effect ... Without risk for the watches ! I try to imagine myself being the spectator and a magician crushed my watch... Didier |
Mr Amazing Special user 617 Posts |
(this message is now, after editing, irrelevant)
Nothing personal (obviously), but please be careful of direct exposure of secrets! I recommend editing your message (and I will too). /Matias |
mysticz Special user D.C. metro area 680 Posts |
"...my visa card and another card stopped working. They can no longer be scanned..."
"I also thought this knowledge could be used in mentalism or bizarre magic..." Only if you plan to really ***** off your intended victim/spectator. Purposely destroying the usefullness of other people's property is not mentalism or psychic entertainment. It is more like a nasty practical joke, regardless of how you might try to justify it. Think about choosing better material -- effects that amaze, astonish, and entertain. At least if you want to work for real people as a paid entertainer.
Joe Zabel
"Psychic Sorcery" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. -- Shakespeare's Hamlet I.v. 174-175 |
MichelAsselin Veteran user 20th century, 3rd dimension 326 Posts |
Mysticz is right. However, the thought did cross my mind as well a few years ago. Eventually, there will be a movie script about a man stranded somewhere on earth, is a foreign country; and the man will be trapped because his electronic $$ and identity systems will have been erased... Sort of a thing one would see in a contemporary 'Mission:IMPOSSIBLE' tevevision series.
I am reminded of the scene of the Sting, in which Robert Shaw wallet is picked prior to a Poker game with Paul Newman (as Henry Gorndoff)
" , ? ; !!! "
- Marcel Marceau, Feb 30, 1945. |
Mr Amazing Special user 617 Posts |
While not entertaining, it could definitely be used if you claim to be the real McCoy. I recall reading about Geller mysteriously erasing computer disk drives etc.
/Matias |
Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
Well, Matias, I thought about it when I wrote it, and I was not going to express it in the way I did. If you check all my earlier posts regarding any subject I have written about, you´ll notice that I have been VERY careful with this. This time however, reading the threads about stopping watches, I noticed that both the m and the TT were mentioned several times and in more exposing ways than I mentioned them, so I thought it was not any damage to write like I did. I have actually been a little confused over the fact that secrets are mentioned as open as they are. Maybe we should start a new thread about what rules we should follow?
Anyhow, I have edited my message in a way I think everyone will be pleased with. Mikael [quote]On 2002-05-19 15:47, matias wrote: Quote:
Nothing personal (obviously), but please be careful of direct exposure of secrets! |
Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
mysticz, If you thought I was going to use this in regular performance, you misunderstood me. Of course I´m not going to destroy things for people.
Michel, thanks for sharing the thought had crossed your mind too! Matias, this was one of the things I meant. Thanks. I also wrote like I did to "shake people up" a little... I´ll wait another day, and then I will let you all in on my evil thought about how to use this idea... Quote:
On 2002-05-19 22:46, matias wrote: |
Philemon Vanderbeck Inner circle Seattle, WA 4694 Posts |
On a related note:
Back when I was doing the "Psychic Fair" circuit on a regular basis, I noticed that several querents would ask permission to tape-record the reading for review afterwards. Of course, I had no problem with this, but I got to thinking what if I had placed a certain something underneath the table where the tape recorder was? Then I could activate it anytime I spoke during the reading, so that my interpretations were just blank spots on the tape, but the querent's questions (and my introductory remarks) were still heard...? :evilgrin:
Professor Philemon Vanderbeck
That Creepy Magician "I use my sixth sense to create the illusion of possessing the other five." |
saglaser Loyal user Champaign, IL 248 Posts |
Hah!
Philemon, I love it! I'm not sure if it could be made to work over such a localized area that it would blank out only your speaking without scrambling the whole tape, but if it could, it would be the perfect kicker to the reading. The only drawback being that you couldn't be there later that night when they discover the Nixonizing. |
Andy Leviss Inner circle NYC 1179 Posts |
I love the idea, but I can assure you that the only way it would work is if you could get your certain something inside the tape recorder, (you'd need it to be a second erase head after the record head). Otherwise it'll either erase the entire tape, or random spots where the tape wrapped around one/both of the reels came into the hot zone of the thing.
Of course at that point you could just have a remote controlled switch in the recorder to mute the mic. One other option that might work, but I wouldn't guarantee it, is if you had a noise cancelling system built into the table. Basically, you'd have a microphone placed right where the mic on the recorder would be placed, and your mic is wired to produce an inverted signal of what it picks up (in other words, it's wired backwards). If it came out a speaker right next to the recorder's mic, at just the right level, the inverted signal from the speaker would cancel out with the signal from the room and the recorder would hear nothing. It's the same principle those fancy noise-cancelling headphones work on.
Note: I have PMs turned off; if you want to reach me, please e-mail [email]Andy.MagicCafe@DucksEcho.com[/email]!
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Mr Amazing Special user 617 Posts |
Andy is right, regarding the exact erasing of specific spots. I know - I successfully managed to destroy my little brothers ZZ-top tape when I was younger by placing a X on it.
I was thinking however... perhaps it's possible to tamper witht the mic using the same principle. I imagine it should work. /Matias |
Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
Here is my idea. Take it as you like.
Sometimes we encounter people that are a pain in the ***. For example people who say things like: "You can´t do magic!" "It´s only cheating!", or similar. Sometimes it would feel nice to take "revenge" on them... I heard the following true story about such an individual. It was in Sweden, and it was a group of people who spent their holliday in the mountains, I think. One of them were an amateur magician. When that came to the knowledge of the pain in the ***-person (from now on called PITAP), the PITAP started to behave bad. "You can´t do magic!" "It´s only cheating!", and so on. The magician paid no attention to him. The PITAP continued. Eventually the PITAP, who wanted to expose the magician´s methods in front of everyone, said: "Here, cut my tie!" The magician took a scissor and cut the tie. Then the PITAP said: "Now restore it again!" The magician said: "I can´t do that, I can´t do magic...". What if you met one of these persons, and after they had misbehaved for a while, said to them: "You don´t think I can do magic? Okay, I´ll show you. Give me your credit card..." Then you took the card, concentrated intensively, and then said: "Now you have no money left, your card will bounce!" Then you would leave him standing silent and confused, not knowing what to believe. Imagine when he tries to use his card... Mikael |
mysticz Special user D.C. metro area 680 Posts |
Yeah, great idea. And what did you prove? That you were even more obnoxious than the PITAP.
The first thing you should do is to objectively look at how you come across to your audiences. This can possibly account for why these kind of people act out during your performances. In my own experience of performing magic and mentalism to paying audiences for the past 25 years, I have never come across a heckler or rude audience member that I would consider "punishing" in the way you suggest. I believe a true professional always treats his audience with respect -- you have the priviledge of performing for them, not vice versa. It should be noted that likeable, more sophisticated conjurers face this kind of heckling far less than other more confrontational or egocentric tricksters. You have to expect that every once in a while a rude spectator will be there, and it's your job as an entertainer to present an enjoyable show. That's the part and parcel of show biz, and you are being paid for it. But an audience should never have to tolerate a harmful practical joke or worse. Even if they are rude. As long as you keep these silly, destructive ideas to yourself, I suppose no one will be hurt by them. Especially other legitimate performers who must try to live down the bad rap we inherit from thoughtless, negative-thinking tricksters. JZ
Joe Zabel
"Psychic Sorcery" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. -- Shakespeare's Hamlet I.v. 174-175 |
A l a i n B e ll o n Veteran user 302 Posts |
I agree with mysticz wholeheartedly.
Yes people can be a pain in the butt. Nevertheless, this does not grant any negative action on our part. The credit card idea is amusing as machiavelian fantasy. If our approach towards our audience is one of respect, they will correspond. They are giving us the opportunity for sharing something with them. Indeed a priviledge, and if we have that mindset, it will make a difference. It has for me. Then again not doing it this way might be a matter of elegance. -Alain Bellon |
Tony Razzano Inner circle South River, NJ 1600 Posts |
Mysticz hit the nail on the head. No need for me to repeat it. Well put, Joe.
I have found that sometimes, you can make the heckler an ally. If ignoring them doesn't help, smile at them, speak nicely. Make them part of the show. The few nasty hecklers I've had were drunk and the audience took care of them for me.But that's because by the time the heckler started, I already had a rapport with the audience. In other cases the heckling was good natured and I had the person share the spotlight with me in an effect. Have fun with the person...really like them. The heckler can turn into your best ally. In extreme cases, you can have the house take care of the problem. I've not had to yet, but it is a solution. But never get nasty. It will take experience, but I think it is well worth it. Best regards, Tony Razzano
Best regards,
<BR>Tony Razzano, Past President, PEA Winner of the PEA"s Bascom Jones and Bob Haines Awards |
Mikael Eriksson Inner circle None of your business 1064 Posts |
Wow, this seems to be the great misunderstanding-day...
I wrote "Take it as you like". I thought everyone understood what I meant. Ok, it was a direct translation from Swedish, and apparently it means something else. This is clarification of what it means: "Interpret this any way you like, as a joke or seriously." I thought everyone felt the strong atmosphere of fantasy in my post. mysticz, read my post again. I was not the magician in the story... and by the way, everyone, even the PITAP´s friends, applauded the magician´s acting. They thought the PITAP was acting like a pig, and that what happened was his own fault. Only children have acted like this in my performances. If you know something about children you know why that can happen. Alain, you wrote: "The credit card idea is amusing as machiavelian fantasy." This is mainly what I meant by writing it... Don´t take everything literally... Mikael |
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