This is a video of engineer and Youtuber The Q building and demonstrating a sitting on air illusion, which involves constructing a leg brace that can double as a chair after being slid into a hidden bracket on the floor. Even knowing how it’s done it’s a cool illusion to
This is a video of Youtuber Daniel LaBelle (previously: getting his equipment confused) appearing to use the Force to accomplish everyday activities around the house. It was pretty cute. “Like a kitten?” Haha, not that cute. “Like a puppy?” Wait — you think puppies are less cute than kittens? “Huh?”
This is a video of the winner of the ‘Best Illusion Of The Year’, as created by mathematician Kokichi Sugihara of Meiji University in Tokyo. The 3D Schröder Staircase “looks exactly the same right-side-up and upside-down, its left end looking taller than its right.” It was pretty fun to watch,
Because magic is all around us, you just have to know where to look (PROTIP: look behind doors marked ‘FOR WITCHES AND WIZARDS ONLY’), this is a video of The Action Lab’s James Orgill demonstrating two chemical reaction tricks: one which creates very realistic looking fake blood, and another that
This is a photo of Twitter user @aleashuhh’s cat performing a fairly convincing version of the detachable thumb trick — except with an entire leg — thanks to a tucked paw and the fortuitous position of a dog bone. In @aleashuhh’s own words: “Nearly had a heart attack.” Obviously, I
This is a video of Youtuber The Q building a chair based on tensegrity (aka floating structural compression, links to Wikipedia) that’s large and strong enough to support the weight of a relatively lightweight adult human and a Coca-Cola can. Now I read the Wikipedia article I linked to above
This is a video from the Moscow Metro of a man casually demonstrating his contact juggling skills. His one-ball routine is impressive enough, but the three and four ball skills starting around 1:30 are where the real magic happens. How are some people so smooth with their fingers and hands?
This is a short video of a pitcher throwing a clever sleight-of-hand pitch for a strike. That’s cool, but you still need two more for an out, and I think the jig is up with this pitch. I’d mix it up with maybe something behind the back or between the