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Friday Magic Trick

By denialism on October 26, 2007.

In honor of Phenomenon and the fun of talking about magic tricks check out Ramana, aka Wouter Bijdendijk who has been doing the levitation trick shown below, only he's doing it in front of the Whitehouse.

Here he is doing a similar piece standing on the side of a building - more performance art really.

I think the only one who can't figure this one out is the current White House resident. It's clearly a terrorist attempt to bring the executive to a standstill as he tries to puzzle it out.

Spoiler below.

This, is of course, very simple. The two clues are that you never see him actually going from the ground to the levitating position, and of course you have that carpet and stick (or in the case of the building that suspicious white canvass). Why if you really are levitating would you need a stick? Or to always be above something other than the solid ground?

You all have it now, right?

Tags
Wasting your time

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For those who didn't get it, the cane is actually cemented (or at least weighted) to the ground, and there is a seat attached to the can upon which he sits, and allows his robes to cover.

for the second version (on the wall, which I must say was a _terribly_ clever variation on this old trick) its likely there is a seat attached to a long pipe which is hidden under the canvas, the pipe then hooks over the top of the building.

~~Joe

All I see is a guy sitting on a platform on a very short pole.

Flagpole sitting was a fad in the late 1920s. He's trying to bring this back? He should research his subject better: it was the height of the flagpole that impressed people. How would pay money to look at eye level to see a flagpole sitter?

By Watt de Fawke (not verified) on 26 Oct 2007 #permalink

The local newscaster here in D.C. area showed this and he was amazed He said things like, "Wow. That was pretty neat. He said he learned this after years in India. Amazing."

I emailed the newscaster with the explanation (they expose this in "GuruBusters"-avery good video.) On the 11pm edition of the news,he showed the guy again, but this time the newscaster said, "I know how he did this, but I'm not telling."

He should have. I guess he felt like a fool.

Boy, I dislike local news, except for the weather, of course.