Some preliminary ideas

--> test some pub tricks on friends (what's a good statistical sample here? Think of age range, education, gender, stage of sobriety, etc.)
--> compare expectations (performer and audience) with results, make a post-performance text reading with test subjects
--> do a Q&A with participants?
--> what are (un)controllable factors: can you predict certain failures by knowing the uncontrollable ones?
--> how much can you influence the environmental factors (determine levels of distractions in surroundings)

Experiments

Testing Physical Riddles

<id>p034r_1</id>
To tell someone that if he keeps holding his finger on his forehead, you will be able to stop him from going out of a room

Hypothesis: this is a pub trick, there is no way this would work if you're sober or older than 8 years.

First test subject: Louise -- friend, personally known to point out logical flaws in movies, constantly, two PhDs (why not), level of sobriety: 1 beer
Date: March 25th, 3 or 4pm, Park

Execution: The manuscript suggests you challenge someone that they are not able to leave a place just by touching their elbows. I mixed that one up and challenged her that I can prevent her to leave the place just by her holding her nose (Freudian intellectual slip, perhaps). She figured it out as soon as we walked towards the thin tree near our table. My timing and delivery could have been better. Then again, she knows me for some years by now. (That explains her markedly enthusiastic appearance in these pictures.)

Discussion: We discussed the trick and she coined the term "physical riddle" for it (being disappointed with it being referred to as a magic trick). I quite like the term, will adopt it, and find it adequately describes this form of entertainment.

Ideas: We started discussing how many different distortions you could do (elbow, nose, bum, etc.) as a variation of the general idea of you being stuck at a pole by you touching some part of your body. Still counting.

First, preliminary Analysis: this is a confidence game. The unpredictable part of this is twofold. First: is there a pole nearby matter of factly. It's not helpful it you have to physically walk there, even if it is just one meter. Spoils the trick and people will count to two pretty quick. Second: the test subject. How much is the person paying attention to the sturcture of the trick? It;s a memory thing of what the expectation is, what seems impossible first time hearing... and what is given away by the setting (pole). I want to test the text subject variations further.

Observing Tricksters

Comedy (Live)

Date: March 25-26th, approx. 11pm-1am, Burlesque Bar

Another friend told us (Louise B. and me, several beers later) about an apparent magic performance in a club after he heard of our magic trick reenactment that day. So we went. Unbeknownst to us, it turned out to be a Burlesque show (the documentation of this field trip has been edited for content). But there was a magic show inbetween. Sort of. The performer (a NYC version of Christopher Walken) mocked magicians by pretending to expose their tricks. I was intrigued. I was also quite glad that, given the venue, he kept his clothes on.

The exposure of tricks was more of a mockery of the audience's expectation of what magic tricks are. Ordinary objects were used to create an imitation of what we think we see in magic performances (a vanishing wand was a measuring tape that was automatically rolled in and "hidden" under a cloth). It was actually quite funny. Partly because the delivery was so deadpan (Chris Walken style). Partly because we really were drunk. The audience loved it (given the danger of stating the obvious: it, too, was rather drunk).

Compared with my observation of real magic tricks before this (and the annotations): it could have been a travesty, and any professional magician may not have appreciated this. I, however, found it rather clever. He was less mocking the magician than the audience's expectation. But that was not that obvious to most parts of the audience.

Overall, I can imagine this to be the sort of tavern or raunchy venue in which some tricks of the manuscript would have been applied. Not only p034r_1 but also p033r_1 (Knife to cut a nose or a finger). Given some of the characters in the background, I could have tried my luck with that one, too.

Documentary (Film)

March 30th 2016, about 11pm-1am

Deceptive Practices: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2013)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2654360/

Reenacting a Trickster

Date: March 26-27th, 10pm - 2 or 3am (?), Opera Bar

After reading a great piece on attention and how the creation and diversion of attention is the great trickery tool of magicians (here:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/01/07/a-pickpockets-tale ) I decided to try my luck with some minor approaches. How much do people pay attention? How predictable are responses? How to use your environment to divert attention from parts of your movements or direct them to other parts?

---
Preparations: I started observing how people walk around on Columbia campus. In short: most people are not only oblivious to their surroundings (e.g., people around them) but also not really aware of their own body (spatial distance to others, directionality of walking). It may be partly because of the increasing number of phone zombies but also seems to be a much more general phenomenon. That'll make things easier than expected.
---

So I went with a group of friends to a bar -- which was quite crowded, in front of us a larger posh birthday party (one out of three that day, perfect venue). They also had live opera performances, creating a constant sensory environment (source of general room focus, despite everyone chatting around with drinks). I decided to nick a piece of chocolate cake from the neighboring table - the party was slowly breaking apart and the cakes were close to becoming disposable leftovers (I am not an evil bastard, just a bastard, mind you).

Two trials (first unrecorded, second recorded)

First Trial

For some reasons, you feel more closely watched when you try not to be watched. That seems to be much more of an illusion (people usually just don't care). Also, you behave differently when thinking you may be watched, resulting in awkward movements, attracting attention... and so on. Weird vicious cycle.
How to avoid this? No concrete plan. No idea. I go with the Star Trek... "to boldly go"... approach. Just go with confidence. Needless to say, I had Dutch courage. Lots of it.

Locating a place at the end of the table that gives me a greater view of the singer. It exposes me more, too -- but I reason people will assume that I just want to see something of the stage as I am a rather small person (travel size, I beg to differ). It seems a matter of timing. The actual act must be quick. Don't take too long. Don't hover.
The cake was good. Results were shared.

Trial Two

This time a friend filmed. As part of the historical reenactment documentation.
Incriminating evidence to follow.

Learning & Doing Magic Tricks

Cards

Getting to Know my Deck

Date: March 31st 2016, near and on Columbia Campus (about 10.30-11am)

After watching "Deceptive Practice", the documentary on Ricky Jay, and his way of talking about cards, I bought a deck of playing cards at a local art supplies store. The deck I got was the only one they had. The friendly clerk was quite surprised that I took it as it was rather pricey ($10). However, I was determined and interpreted this as a Harry Potter thing: "The deck choses the wizard, Dr Barwich..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX9H9InPWHk



The package said "silver cards", and I first thought that may apply only to one side of the cards. Turns out they are entirely silvery and quite fancy looking... I felt very excited about unpacking and getting 'a feel' for them. So far I have heard various magicians speak of their cards as an extension of their body and how each deck requires some time to handle and get used to until they feel it is "theirs". Some magicians almost speak of their cards in a way others speak about friends or lovers. It all sounds very intimate. You should watch the Ricky Jay documentary, he is not the only one, though, but he will give you just an idea of the obsessive and personal nature magicians can develop with their deck of cards.

I once saw a magician friend just when he got a new deck (a copy of the oldest deck of cloister cards of the 15th century: http://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2016/world-in-play ). He was just feeling them again and again, putting them into their box and taking them out again and again (very carefully, though, the box had an expensive cloth to save them from any damage by transportation or accident). He was very proud of this deck but it was unusually shaped and he told me he really struggled getting a hang on how to deal (with) them. I think it took him over a week before I heard him say that he finally feels they are part of his body and movement and that dealing (with) them felt right.

So I wondered sitting in front of my newly acquired deck: How would the cards feel? Would I like playing with them or just feel like a fool? How double-left handed am I really?




Unwrapping the deck I was extremely surprised how light it was. The cards are extremely thin (as you can see below, the wind was bending them in fact). They have a very smooth surface but you can feel the printed patterns on the front and back (and the different textures). The edges are very soft and even, making them slightly slippery - but only just.

The cards feel, as strange as this may sound, rather nice. They sort of feel right on my hand - I don-t have big hands or long fingers but am surprised how unproblematically everything seems just to fit. The cards make a sharp, almost metallic, noise when you shuffle them, somewhat dividing your movement into sound blocks. I bet you can use that in a trick to guid =e and (mis)direct the attention of the audience, at least unconsciously.

Learning the first Tricks

March 31st 2016, 7-11pm, home

Trick 1: Action at a Distance

(notes forthcoming)

Trick 2: Mind Reading

(notes forthcoming)

Testing the first Tricks

Note in Hindsight: I should have video recorded the following trials (however, that would have required another, third person and most of them happened spontaneously, so there was some hasty documenting -- will do proper video recording for the next trials on Thursday April 7th 2016)

April 1st 2016, 2pm and 7pm, Fairchild/Biological Sciences

Trial 1: Firestein&Chalfie Labs

(Lunch with the postgrads and postdocs from the Firestein and Chalfie Lab in the 'Fishbowl')

Level of sobriety: sober.

We, about 7 people, all commented on how it is April 1st and no one does tricks! I have been running around with my deck since I bought it, so I spontaneously put my cards on the table (literally) and daringly offer to guess someone's pick of a card. Everyone is up for it (it's Friday after all).
First try (with trick 1) is with Terese, PhD student from the Chalfie Lab. She does everything precisely as instructed. It works. Anna Maria, also Chalfie lab, almost freaks out. Everyone asks how the trick works. I won't tell. They ask for another one.
Second try (with trick 2) is with Narmin, our PhD student at the Firestein lab. Our new rotation student make a comment that could have almost revealed the working principle (no, I really won't tell). I make a joke, so it gets covered up (phew!). Narmin asks whether the trick is methodological or psychological. I tell her that the part that looks like mind reading or some sort of behavioral/psychological study of the test subject is merely smokes and mirrors. It's pure method. She wonders whether I know one with behavioral clues. I actually do but have not tried it yet and do not think I'd be prepared for it. Anyway, the trick works. I feel relieved, to be honest.

Trial 2: Erwan @HappyHour

(Postgrad and Postdoc Happy Hour at the Biology Department)

Level ob sobriety: ... there was some wine, er, "tasting"...

Never try tricks on a French man. He tries to sabotage my instructions wherever he can. So he messes up one big time -- but since I observed him closely, I am able to "counteract" his mischief in the final revelation. Almost got it wrong, but did not. Do not ever trust the French. Especially if you're German. I try the second trick, works, too. He pretends he's grumpy, we move on to beer.

--> Overall and so far reactions have been divided by three kinds: excitement and astonishment (at something that eludes first and maybe further understanding), rejection and puzzlement (I don't like what I don[t understand), hackling and sabotaging the magician (as usual, the French)


April 4th 2016, 3pm, Chandler 260

Trial 3: Donna

(Note: If this part of my field notes speaks of Donna being my master magic scholar - be sure she has used her power as a instructor and edited it...)
Donna and magic is like water and oil. You cannot mix 'em into one nice solution. No matter how hard you try. (And I tried... these are the recordings of my failure.) -- Oh, and also do not be surprised if you give her the camera to record one try (assuming she takes 1 to 2 pictures) and find about 50 (?) on your phone when you upload everything later that day... (WTF, Donna?!) )

Trick 1:

Step one: SHUFFLING
"Shuffle the cards (in whatever fashion)."
Ok, let's just start with Donna's shuffling. That'll give you a good idea how everything went on from here...
(the following picture of Donna's shuffling technique is a crude re-enactment... the original moment left me in awe... not in the positive sense -- it's the wild method of messing with the cards in no systematic fashion or the "mesh whatever can be meshed with two hands in any different direction on the table at once" technique)



The description of the following steps are a combination of what went wrong (2 times!!) before the third, successful trial.
This is Donna being thrilled, excited and in keen with anticipation and optimism of our third trial... after she shuffled the cards, er, effectively.




Step 2: PREPARING THE DECK
"Divide the deck into three equal stacks."



Make sure your instructions aren't taken too literally, or you sit the next 10 minutes trying to prevent her from equalling out the stacks...
I call this series "Donna is showing signs of OCD"



"Now pick one of the three decks, look at the card on top without me seeing your card... "
... and if possible, make sure *not* to destroy your three stacks while picking one...




"Put the card back on the top of the deck, now turn your deck face up."
"Out the deck face up on one of the two remaining stacks."
"Put the third on top (like a sandwich.)"




"Not cut the deck into half and give it a riffle shuffle..."



WAIT... let me do the riffle shuffle - this time...!"
(As this is where trial 1 stopped... and failed - as all cards landed at various ends of the table. To be fair, the deck is rather slippery as it has a very smooth surface.
Anyway: The following pictures happened in 5 to 10 seconds... where I gave Donna my camera, expecting her to take 1-2 pictures. Now this is what Donna recorded - I kid you not! - I call this series "Donna should play shooter games")

First of all - this is a riffle shuffle (on the table):



And this is Donna's, well, meticulous documenting of my ridiculously clumsy riffle shuffling: (this happened in just a few seconds, I kid you not!!)









(Again, WTF, Donna...??! We must play COD together one day...)

"Now cut the deck in half - and close the cut."
"Do this as often as you like - until you feel certain that there is no way I could have possibly remembered where the card could have been if I had some weird observation skills... or memory."



I explain what we have done so far, emphasizing that (in theory) that I have not touched the cards thus far, I have not chosen a card, I have no chance of dealing with them, etc etc...
(except for the riffle shuffle in this case... but trust me, we tried this with Donna twice... it failed and ended there...miserably...)
Again, you give Donna the camera for just a second... However, I realize I may need Botox soon if I continue pulling these faces.




Now the big reveal.

"Let me find your card."
(I feel almost too tired to do a little show(wo)manship of ... huh, i feel something here... or is it over there... etc etc" (I am hungry by now)



"As you can see, there's no apparent order to the cards, everything is quite mixed and in chaos through the shuffling..."
"Now, do you remember your card? What was it?"

Of course, not counting in Donna: she forgot the card in trial 2. (She felt bad... I felt... worse. Though, trial 1 did not even get this far...)

We now recall trial 3: "The three of clubs."



DONNA REMEMBERED HER CARD! Given how long it took us to get there, please apologize my feeling of legally insane happiness.
(Little did I know that this streak of bad luck would continue... see below...)



Trick 2:

(note forthcoming)

Trial 4: Bella

Bella does the same as Donna and starts out with something different from the instructions. First the riffle shuffle goes wrong. Then, instead of cutting the deck into two and closing it (after shuffling), Bella cuts it into three. I realize I need to be very, very precise with my instructions. Do not give the slightest room for misinterpretation.
I give up for now, amused, exasperated, at the end of my wits, and offer to try again another day...

Trial 5: Naomi

Naomi does everything right! (Despite saying that she feels distracted by the shiny-ness of the cards... Naomi is in cat mode again.)
It still goes wrong. Naomi feels bad... I, however, am intrigued (in addition to frustrated).
We try two times. I have not the faintest idea what went wrong at the first try (of trick 1). Second time of trick 1 I could identify an ambiguity I had been unsure of first time I learned the trick. So I learned something and got puzzled as well.
Not my day. I feel defeated. I am off to the opera. We agree to try again on Thursday.

Harrrg.