# Magic powers you apparently have **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990 "2021-02-15T21:57:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/61 "2021-02-18T14:27:18Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > You know who we haven’t heard from in quite a while … is @kitap > > 😉 Who is that? Look out for those quite ones I say. 👻 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/62 "2021-02-18T14:56:53Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > I can fade into the background without even trying. People rarely if ever remember or notice me. I figure I’m safe in a hostage situation - they’ll never even notice me. I evidently have this to some degree. I remember one time when I was in grad school when someone came in, looked around, didn’t see anyone (I was the only one there), sat down at the desk opposite mine (which faced mine – so he would be looking straight at me, if he simply looked straight ahead), found a notepad, and started writing a note. I coughed, and he jumped. It was the first time he realized I was there. I can’t count the number of times my wife has walked into the room and not noticed me. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/63 "2021-02-18T15:51:42Z")
Back in USAF we had an intel officer like that. His actual job wasn’t spy-ish at all; more like a librarian of the secret books and telegrams. But he could come and go at will without being noticed. We’d be 4 folks eating lunch at a square table with him one of them. By the end of the meal he’d disappeared while sitting in plain sight within arm’s reach. It was magic. But damn would he have been preternaturally good as a clandestine spy. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/64 "2021-02-19T03:15:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Back in USAF we had an intel officer like that. His actual job wasn’t spy-ish at all; more like a librarian of the secret books and telegrams. > > But he could come and go at will without being noticed. We’d be 4 folks eating lunch at a square table with him one of them. By the end of the meal he’d disappeared while sitting in plain sight within arm’s reach. It was magic. > > But damn would he have been preternaturally good as a clandestine spy I’m not quite that good. But people definitely don’t recognize me/remember having met me before, even if they’ve met me multiple times. We met some friends of the family for dinner once. No one except the waiter noticed me or spoke to me. Except survey people. I am a survey magnet; especially at Disney Parks. I even got hit up to take a survey at the luggage carousel at Fiumicino. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/65 "2021-02-25T07:46:53Z")
I’ve said for years I’m invisible. When meal plans, movie choices and fun entertainments are discussed no one ever notices me. It’s like I’m not even there. Let them need cash for these things and I’m real popular. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/66 "2021-02-25T07:50:46Z")
I can tear/rip paper (and some other materials) in a straight line. I can find my way back to anywhere I have ever been once. I can hear almost anything in my head if I’ve heard it once before. ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/67 "2021-02-25T09:01:44Z")
I can still tear/rip paper (and some other materials). I can find my way back to anywhere I have never been. I can almost hear anything in my head if I’ve heard it once before. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/68 "2021-02-25T11:34:30Z")
I can reliably put a t-shirt on backwards in the dark. You’d think it’d be 50-50, i.e. half the time I’d put the shirt on correctly, and half the time I’d put it on backwards. But nope, it almost always goes on backwards the first time. I could earn a handsome salary as some kind of textile sorter in a dark room. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/69 "2021-02-25T14:49:22Z")
Yeah. I get up pre-dawn and much earlier than my wife most days. Getting dressed in the dark brings some challenges. As Bill Cosby once said while he was one of the good guys, “Did you ever try to _feel_ the difference between a black and a brown sock?” ---
**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/70 "2021-02-25T17:08:34Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I can reliably put a t-shirt on backwards in the dark. You’d think it’d be 50-50, i.e. half the time I’d put the shirt on correctly, and half the time I’d put it on backwards. But nope, it almost always goes on backwards the first time. I could earn a handsome salary as some kind of textile sorter in a dark room. I have a similar ability with finding the long side of a bedsheet. Either I can transpose the long dimension and the short dimension merely by attempting to put a sheet on my bed, or the theory that a rectangle has two short sides and two long sides needs to be revisited. Quantum mechanics is at work here since this is not a certainty. But it’s more than 50/50. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/71 "2021-02-25T18:34:44Z")
I once heard somebody describe that as a “50/50/90 situation”. You’ve got a 50/50 shot at getting it right, so of course 90% of the time you get it wrong. Sounds about right from my experience. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/72 "2021-02-25T18:57:50Z")
My mere presence can apparently cause disasters to strike, especially earthquakes. I was personally responsible for the 1964 Alaska quake and the 1976 Guatemala quake. I also caused the crash of AA625 in St. Thomas, VI in 1976. Two disasters in one year! Then there were the forest fires here in OR last summer and the biggest ice storm in Oregon history this past winter. It’s a talent that is not appreciated by many. I also have the Power of Sentience. I can walk into a room that is completely empty except for the one item I am looking for, and I won’t be able to see it, regardless of whether it is just sitting there or is playing the accordion while tapdancing. I’m convinced that this is because my Ability has caused the object to suddenly acquire sentience and is then able to deploy a masking device. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/73 "2021-02-25T19:31:57Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I once heard somebody describe that as a “50/50/90 situation”. You’ve got a 50/50 shot at getting it right, so of course 90% of the time you get it wrong. Standard practice for inserting a USB-A plug is to try one way (and fail), flip it and try the other way (and fail again), and then flip it and try it the first way again, this time with success. I have heard this offered as proof that USB-A connectors exist in four dimensions. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/74 "2021-02-25T19:46:54Z")
I can fill a completely empty room with people in a matter of seconds. To successfully perform the incantation, all I have to do is fart. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/75 "2021-02-25T20:03:24Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I can fill a completely empty room with people in a matter of seconds. My wife and I apparently have the ability to precipitate people standing around into lines. We’ve frequently noticed that no line exists until we start standing at the front of it. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/76 "2021-02-25T20:12:12Z")
I can do the queue stopping thing. And i can make people veer into my ‘lane’ when walking along the pavement/sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/77 "2021-02-25T20:15:05Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I can fill a completely empty room with people in a matter of seconds. To successfully perform the incantation, all I have to do is fart. This spell is especially effective in elevators. ---
**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/78 "2021-02-25T21:35:14Z")
Ha 🙂 Two of my teeth are very close together; if I try to insert the corner of a piece of paper between them I can’t. But the skin of a popcorn kernel, while seemingly much thicker, goes in there without a problem. People whose teeth are touching each other and need braces to separate them should just eat popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/79 "2021-02-25T23:25:22Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Then crazy stuff happens, newsworthy crazy stuff. We need those stories, please! > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I am able, in a supermarket, bank or any other type of establishment, to make the movement of a line come to a screeching halt I always apologize for this to the people I’m in line with. Annnd then, _voila,_ the shopper in front of me tries to pay with Danish kronar, then their credit card is declined (“Oh, it’s from Kharazystan, but it _should_ work…”), and wait, they think maybe they have a couple of Susan B. Anthony dollars somewhere… ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990/80 "2021-02-25T23:32:41Z")
> [@digs](#): > > We need those stories, please! For your reading enjoyment , I give you . . . > [@Ask The Guy Who Was Stabbed Next To His Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-was-stabbed-next-to-his-heart/660127): > > It’s been six months since it happen, I am now (mostly) healed and the person who stabbed me is going to prison. It happened after a night of drinking, my girlfriend blacked out and I said something that set her off; not unusual, but this time she came at me with a steak knife and planted it four inches into my chest right next to my left nipple and pointed downward towards my heart. Another two inches and I would have been dead on the spot. Talking about it actually helps. I have seen the c… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/magic-powers-you-apparently-have/932990.md?page=5)