From time to time I will be posting about the books, people, films and performers that have inspired and shaped my thinking. Today it is James Randi’s Flim Flam. I have had my copy of this seminal book for over twenty years, and it still inspires me to this day. It is not just about the contents of the book, but also about the way in which I came to possess my copy….
A few posts ago I showed some development footage of a new, and somewhat dangerous, stunt that I am trying to perfect. Well, things have moved on….
Want to test your mood? What does this say…….
All is revealed after the break…..
We have just made it into the WordPress Top 50 most popular blogs! A big thank you to everyone who has visited, commented, linked and sent supportive emails. Keep it all coming. To celebrate, here is a puzzle involving a cake.
I have been thinking about unusual ways of using Twitter. The night before last I posted a message offering a free signed copy of Quirkology to the person that emailed me the picture that made me laugh most within the hour. This is what happened….
Here we go again….
What letter, apart from ‘E’, can be added to the following to complete this word?
As ever, feel free to say if you think you have solved it, and how long it took, but please don’t give the answer.
Also, let’s get the ‘one sentence at a time’ stories finished (female thread here, male thread here), so feel free to add a line even if you have contributed already.
Update: I was originally shown this at a conference and so assumed that it was public domain. However, it was created by Lloyd King (his site contains lots of other great puzzles and is here).
I am speaking here today (if you do come along, say hi) so this will be brief.
Update: Nice to see so many people at the event. Thanks for supporting CFI.
Also, this is a great video of the stunning stunt in slow motion, showing that (i) it can be performed and (ii) it looks great in slow motion. Enjoy.
Comedians Jimmy Carr and Lewis Black have recently made their thoughts known about the LaughLab project. It isn’t pretty.
Yesterday I posted a puzzle and promised the solution today. If you didn’t try it, take a few moments now to give it a go before looking at the answer. For everyone else, read on….
Read More “Solution to puzzle: Are you a logical or lateral thinker?”
Wonder what your handshake, music collection, or bedroom says about you? Or want to be able to tell a person’s personality from their living room? Test your snooping abilities here.
Thought that you might enjoy a puzzle to help pass the time today. The image on the left shows the number 9 in Roman numerals.
Your task is to draw one single continuous line and turn this into a 6. Feel free to say if you have solved it and how long it took you, but no giving the answer. I will reveal the solution, and source, on Monday. Enjoy.
Quick Update: Someone has just emailed me another solution, so there are TWO ways of solving the puzzle.
The answer to this puzzle, and 100 others, can be found in a new kindle ebook called PUZZLED, and is available in the UK here and USA here.
So I am rehearsing a new (and as it turns out, somewhat dangerous) stunt for an unusual talk that I have to give next month. All you need is a big stick, two wineglasses, and an even bigger stick…
Over the break I finally got around to watching ‘Andrus: The Man, The Mind and the Magic’ – a DVD documentary about the renowned master of illusion, Jerry Andrus. Try his amazing Tri-Zonal Space Warper for yourself, and find out more.
I came across an interesting music video some time ago, and I played around with using the same technique to create a visual puzzle. This is the result.
The Quirkology Colour Changing Card Trick has now had almost 3 million views on You Tube. However, it was tricky to film and everything did not always go to plan…
Richard Wiseman 