The current mailbag article reminded me of something I encountered years ago. I’ve thought about it off and on ever since, and it occurs to me I could throw it to the 'Dope and see if someone figures it out.
Years ago, back in my college days, I took a very interesting class called “Cosmology.” No, it wasn’t related to astronomy; the teacher was an old ex-hippie, and I guess he figured by using the root “cosmic” in its most basic sense, he could teach a class that encompassed whatever he wanted to talk about. We studied some fascinating stuff, such as the mathematical bases of various ancient constructions, as well as the limitations of human perception with respect to optical illusions and the like. We also got into some rather woo-woo areas, which made me roll my eyes, but the factual stuff we learned (how to do math in Mayan, astronomical alignments of British-isle megaliths, etc.) outweighed the New Age B.S. and made the class an overall positive experience.
One of the woo-woo bits was a demonstration of supposed psychic abilities. (It followed from the “limits of human perception” thing.) It was an impressive display, and I’ve never come up with a satisfactory explanation of how it was done. Note that by “impressive” I mean in terms of it being a well-executed trick of some sort, and by “no satisfactory explanation” I’m not suggesting any kind of supernatural basis. I just haven’t figured out the mechanics of the trick yet.
Here’s how it went.
A woman came into the classroom and told how she could “see” without seeing. According to her story, she and her sister, ever since they were kids, never bothered to turn on the lights at home, because they could “see” just fine even in pitch black. So far, just an unfounded assertion.
Then she proceeds to demonstrate her “seeing” abilities. The instructor gets from his desk a pack of playing cards, the box still wrapped in the original plastic. (Yeah, I know. Playing cards: first clue this is a trick.) A square table is moved from the corner of the classroom to a cleared space in the middle. The woman sits at the table. A blindfold is fashioned from a square of heavy burlap, folded over three times. She tips her head back, and cotton balls are placed on her closed eyes. The blindfold is then draped over her eyes, tightened, and securely fastened in back. I know some of the tricks magicians do with blindfolds (years of being a Penn & Teller fan), and I’m reasonably satisfied she couldn’t see.
While two students are helping with the blindfold, another student has picked up the box of cards (the woman never touched it). The student unwraps the plastic, takes the cards out, and shuffles them. When the “psychic” is done with the blindfold, seated and ready, the student puts the deck on the table in front of her.
The “psychic” reaches out and picks it up (interestingly, without having to feel around for it). Then she begins turning cards from the top, and quickly and efficiently sorts them into red and black piles. She also sets the two jokers aside.
The most interesting performance detail was as follows: Midway through the sorting, the two piles of red and black were getting a little messy. She stopped, put the as-yet-unsorted stack down in front of her, and leaned to one side to shuff the pile together into a neat stack. The instructor stepped in and said, “Let me.” She waited while he gathered up the piles, making them into stacks. He then put the two stacks out toward the corners of the table, out of the way. She then resumed sorting. And when she was done, she took the second-half piles, shuffed them up, leaned forward, and put them directly on the previously moved stacks, which she hadn’t touched in any way and supposedly couldn’t see.
I’m extremely clear on all of these details because I was running the video camera. No, we didn’t just tape this demonstration; we had always videotaped the class, and put the tape in the library, for the benefit of students who weren’t there that day. The fact that this demonstration was taped was a happy accident. Anyway, I was impressed enough by the demonstration (again, as a performance) that I went back and looked at the tape a couple of times, verifying details, and seeking clues.
Facts: The table had been in class from the beginning, weeks before, and had been used by us. The playing cards were a cheap off-market brand with a muddy blue-green flower pattern on the back, rather than Hoyle or Bicycle. At no time did the “psychic” touch the blindfold; neither did she handle the cards until she was blindfolded and seated, and the freshly unwrapped and shuffled cards were handed to her. Nobody was touching the “psychic” during the demonstration (e.g., an assistant watching from behind with hand on shoulder, giving physical cues), or even standing within two or three feet, except for when the instructor stepped in to neaten the piles. All of this was confirmed on the videotape.
Observations: The instructor had, in previous weeks, demonstrated interest and credulity regarding supposedly inexplicable phenomena, and seemed legitimately impressed by the “psychic”; I don’t believe he was in collusion with her. The fact that the demonstration was conducted using playing cards, though, is a big red flag. Also, I can’t remember who provided the blindfold materials, but they were inspected to the students’ satisfaction and deemed to be real burlap and ordinary cotton balls, and the blindfold was assembled and applied by students.
Theories: The first place to focus is, of course, the blindfold. If the “psychic” could really see, then all bets are off. Again, though, this was a substantial blindfold, with cotton balls over the eyeballs, held tightly by heavy burlap with no gap at the bottom (the videotape shows students checking the bottom edge, where it rested on her cheeks, by tugging lightly), and secured with safety pins in the back. Given all of this, I’m satisfied she could not actually see.
The next area of suspicion is the cards. The shrinkwrap could be a performance detail; it’s not hard to have something re-wrapped. Another performance detail comes from the deck having been placed in the instructor’s desk; it seems more legitimate than if she produces the pack herself, even if she just gave the pack to the instructor ahead of time and he temporarily stashed it in his desk. Also, the off-market nature of the cards leads me to believe they may have been purchased in a magic shop, and that the two colors are somehow textured differently, allowing her to separate them by feel. If it’s subtle, it’s possible the student who did the shuffling wouldn’t have noticed. I didn’t want to be an asshole and ask to physically inspect the cards to see if I could distinguish any textural difference. (The tape doesn’t show what happened to the cards afterward; my guess is that she took them with her.) One possible downside to this theory is that she went really fast, and didn’t seem to allow a lot of time to sense a subtle difference in touch, but of course speed and sensitivity can be accomplished with practice.
Collusion also comes to mind. It’s certainly possible to set up some kind of signal from an observing confederate, such as, for example, a slightly noisy inhalation or exhalation while the cards are red, and letting the breath go quiet while the cards are black. It seems risky to do this in close quarters, but then humans aren’t very good at noticing things they normally take for granted. (Ever do the “<clear throat> The South shall rise again” trick at a party? Works like a charm.) Also, there wasn’t anybody extra in class, so the only candidate is the instructor, but as I said he had already demonstrated a lack of critical thinking with regard to other supernatural phenomena and seemed truly impressed by the “psychic” and her “powers.”
My best theory goes back to the cards, and some kind of textural trick. The shrinkwrap and the student shuffling are, I believe, performance details designed to misdirect us from suspecting the cards as the source of trickery, and to make us assume the cards are “fresh from the store” and therefore “safe.” The other effects (in particular, being able to reach directly to an unseen pile of cards) could be achieved simply through extensive practice. I mean, come on: Cards? If she really wanted to convince us she could “see” while blindfolded, she would have played catch with someone, or driven a car, or something. Or if she insisted on using cards, she would have asked us to tell her how we wanted her to separate them (e.g., odds, evens, and face cards), since she was supposed to “see” them and everything.
So: Like I said at the beginning, this demonstration was impressive at the time as a performance piece. In retrospect, obviously, the opportunities for trickery are numerous. What I’m looking for is any 'Doper who has had experience with fake psychics (i.e., misrepresented magic), and who can attest to the possible methodology of this demonstration. Anyone able to confirm first-hand (and provide details about) the textured cards? Anyone know how the blindfold described above could be faked? Anyone seen this particular demonstration? Any other theories? (If you think “maybe she really was psychic” is a theory, you’re on the wrong message board, dude.)
I’m not a fan of revealing magicians’ secrets. However, when a magician uses those techniques to falsely represent supernatural powers (Uri Geller, anyone?), I think those techniques do deserve airing. Mostly, I just want to know if my own personal theories about how the demonstration was accomplished hold any water, or if there’s a better (or easier) way to achieve the same effect.
