Research carried out at Durham University claim that if we turn into magicians we can better understand how humans think and act.
Durham univerity researchers claim methods used by magicians like David Blaine, Derren Brown, Criss Angel and Daivd Copperfield to manipulate perception could be used to improve the next generation of computers.
They developed a series of magic tricks as part of a research project with colleagues from British Columbia.
The team say attempts to link magic and human cognition have been largely ignored by modern psychology. The researchers say their findings have potential long-term applications in activities which aim to grab people’s attention, such as human-computer interfaces, which are thought to become increasingly more complicated.
‘Laws of physics’
Dr Gustav Kuhn, who works in Durham University’s psychology department but is also a practising magician, said: “Magicians are in some ways miles ahead of scientists.
“For example, imagine a ball tossed into the air that suddenly disappears, or someone successfully predicting what you will do next.
“These tricks may seem like they defy the laws of physics and logic but they are actually created through a combination of skill and a deep knowledge of human psychology.
“By drawing upon the practical knowledge and experience of magicians, scientists may obtain new insights into various areas of human perception and cognition that we are still struggling to understand.
“Although the methods we have developed are proving very useful in investigating the mind, in our dual roles as scientists and magicians, we take great care in protecting the mysteries and secrets of magic.”
Hello again, we hope you are well. We know we only emailled you last Friday and it is unusual for
us to write to you again in such a short space of time but we wanted to inform you of an exciting new
effect which has been released by us today and give you the first chance at getting your hands
on it before we advertise it and send press releases out to the magic media.
Colin Gilbert, the Inventor and Maker of the original Linking Polo, has just brought out
his brand new effect called Easy-Monte and once again, Magictricks.co.uk are the exclusive dealers for this item! This brand new trick, is an easy modern version of one of the most classic
con/gambling effects such as The Pea and Shell Game. Easy-Monte doesn’t require any skill but
looks like incredible sleight of hand. It uses 3 specially made bottle tops and a 10 pence piece.
No matter which bottle cap the spectator believes the coin to be under they will ALWAYS be wrong!
What we liked so much about this item, apart from it having an extremely clever method is that
it really is an effect that can be used in so many genres of magic. It can be used as a gambling
demo, a piece of street magic, a pub trick, but it would also go down really well at a professional
corporate close up gig or trade show. This effect is ideal for beginners to pro’s and will last a
lifetime. It is a trick that you will always perform because it plays big, can be performed surrounded
and is not stressful to perform. We are sure you will always be carrying it around in your pocket!
Since I received the first one from Colin I have not stopped performing it (Keelan). Please take 2 minutes to have a look at the new demo video we filmed for it and you will see for yourself how straight forward and amazing it looks.
Regarding our last email.
We have had an unbelievable response regarding the last email we sent out launching the New Alex Lourido products. The UK version of Silver Impression, which now has been purchased by some of the UK’s most famous magicians is down to its last remaining few of this batch. Once these are gone, there is going to be several weeks wait before we can get our hands on more, so be sure to grab yours today to ensure you’re not disappointed!
If you haven’t already seen it, the Silver Impression is an incredible trick that allows you to take a 10 pence piece, get a spectator to sign it and in front of their eyes you appear to melt and stretch the coin and then finish the trick by smashing your thumbprint into the melted coin and leave an impression melted onto the 10 pence piece. Personally, we love the look of the stretching part of the trick, it is so visual that the spectator really believe that you have some hot device up your sleeve or something! Again have a look at the demo online to see it for yourself. Alex Lourido provides two version of the effect, one with a thumb print and one with a playing card impression. Both gaffs come as part of the set, which is great if you are asked to repeat it, as you can do something slightly different! Magictricks.co.uk have the exclusive on this product for the UK coins.
Phork is definitely for the professional and is unusally more expensive then the other items we stock, but once we saw it we had to stock it as it is so good! This incredible new trick, is a break through in mind bending technology! It allows the fork to actually bend in the spectator hands!
You take some forks and ask a spectator to hold one in his hands. You instruct the spectator to gently rub the fork and imagine it getting soft, like rubber. Slowly, the fork bends over until it is almost bent in half on your spectators hands. This is a remarkable experience that your audience will remember forever. It can be fully examined, there’s nothing to find out. A true miracle.
Please don’t confuse this with similar fork bends: After the setup Phork will remain straight at room temperature. It will slowly start to bend only when touched with body heat
That’s all for now. If you have bought products from us, then please feel free to write a review of them and send it to us, as it lets us know what you think of the products we provide, along with your fellow magicians before they buy the products. We don’t just put the positive reviews up on the site, we put all reviews, as long as they aren’t offensive, so you can get a non bias view when buying from our site.
We hope you are well. It has been almost a month since we last emailled you, we can’t believe how quickly time flies by! We just wanted to let you know that we have teamed up with magic inventor Alex Lourido to bring you some new MT exclusives!
For those of you who do not know who Alex is, he is the creator of the Butter Coins, Rainbow Coins, Model Bottle and Time Perception along with many more fantastic products. Alex has just agreed that he will provide the UK coin versions of his brilliant effects exclusively to Magictricks.co.uk!
This means that you, as our email subscribers get to hear about it first and have first chance at ordering these unique gimmicked coins! We now have the full Alex Lourido range in stock, including his excellent bottle effects. These can be found in our new Alex Lourido Section.
Despite having the exclusive on the UK coins we are still determined to bringing you excellent value for money and making them affordable to everyone! There are limited supplies available, so make sure you get your order in today to ensure your one of the first to get your hands on these beautifully engineered coins and incredible tricks.
Magictricks.co.uk are proud to have the exclusive on the UK coins for Alex’s Silver Impression, Butter Coins and Rainbow coins. All of which come with a fully instructional DVD and everything you need to get started straight away.
The coins are aimed at anyone with an interest in magic from beginners to Pro’s because they are easy to handle but the better you are with them the more you can get out of the effect! However, don’t just look at the coins though, check out Alex’s other excellent products such as Glass Mirage, Model Bottle, Time Perception and Osmosis.
We also have some other new products which we think you will love too!
Rainbow Coins UK 10p - Another of our Exclusive Products. Alex Lourido has produced coins that make difficult coin manipulation easy for everyone! These beautifully manufactured coins will continue to impress you as your skills improve, the coin tricks just get better and better!
Twister Continuum - This is the latest DVD from BBM, featuring Stephem Tucker and his excellent card routines, which look impossible, but are unbelievably easy to perform! The secret is all in the gaff cards which are supplied!
Water to Beer - You will be the favourite at any pub or party! You have the ability to magically turn normal water into what looks and tastes like real Beer - the spectator can even drink it to check!
We also want to make you aware that we are having a clearance on some of our Own Brand DVD’s, numbers are limited to 100 of each DVD and once they are gone they are going back to normal prices. We are offering Flirting with Magic, Office Magic, and Forced Reality plus many more titles for just £5 each. These DVD’s all retail from £14.99 to £19.99 so hurry up and get your significantly reduced copy today! These can all be found in the £5 and Under section on our site. Not only that there are other bargains to be found in this category too, so check it out and make sure you get the cheapest prices!