Interesting and Unbelievable

An email from ZG asks…

I have vague memories of an article you did on the site, with a thesis statement was something to the effect of “ by making my premises so outlandish, if anyone tries to point out the premise is impossible, they look like the idiot“

Specifically I’m looking to send this article to a friend because we had a conversation to this effect:

Him: when you perform in the jerx style does anyone ever stop you in the middle and just say isn’t this a magic trick?

Me: well no because what I’m doing doesn’t look like what they think magic tricks look like it has more of an immersive theater vibe

Him: well don’t they ever just stop in the middle and ask is this a piece of immersive theater then?

Me: they might internally, but they recognize that would break the spirit of the game.  Now sometimes they ask questions about the world we have created together, which is them playing along and gently poking the experience, which to me means they are in the right headspace for having a fun experience. I will have to dig and see if I can find the article where he explains the exact question you’re asking.

Basically anyone stopping to point out “hey I don’t think you really do have a leprechaun live in your house” isn’t  really saying something that anyone in the room doesn’t already recognize. So there’s no point in saying it and they don’t”

And after that I looked at the article and couldn’t find it so I’m reaching out to you. —ZG

Yeah, I’m not sure which post you’re referring to, but it’s something I’ve addressed a few different times over the years.

Does anyone ever say, “Isn’t this just a magic trick?”

No. Because essentially everyone who sees me perform knows it’s a trick. They know of my interest in magic and they’ve been gradually acclimated to weirder and more immersive presentations.

I’m not meeting someone for the first time and telling them I have a leprechaun in my house.

Initially, they’re seeing stuff that’s much more low-key and traditional. Then I start to ramp it up over time.

I’ll tell you why I’m drawn to the stranger premises.

Imagine we judge a presentation on two criteria. 1 - Is it interesting or not. 2- Is it unbelievable or not.

In my opinion, the best intersection of these possibilities is in the green square here:

When your presentations are too believable, I think it can put your spectators in an awkward position. If they don’t believe your believable presentation, they may assume you want them to believe it. Which is uncomfortable for them.

If they do believe your believable presentation, then you have a weird situation where your friends/family are walking around thinking you can really psychologically influence them. Or that you can really memorize a deck of cards in a manner of moments. This should put you in an uncomfortable position. You shouldn’t want people thinking you can actually do things you can’t really do.

So when a premise is too believable, I think it’s often uncomfortable for the performer or the participant or both. Especially, if you’re performing for friends or family. (It’s a different dynamic if you’re performing professionally.) And there are ethical questions tied up in it.

For that reason, the “believable” column is not something I pursue.

That leaves us with “Unbelievable-Interesting” and “Unbelievable-Uninteresting.”

You would think people would want to avoid anything uninteresting. But many of the presentations in magic are uninteresting. They wouldn’t be a story you’d tell without a magic trick attached to them.

“The Ace of Spades is the leader ace and the other aces follow him.”

“This big rope is the daddy bear, this medium rope is the mommy bear, and this little rope is the baby bear.”

“This ace is going to do a somersault in this little packet and turn face up.”

These are all uninteresting stories. I think everyone—even the people who use these types of presentations—would agree to that.

I think their argument would be, “Yes, the presentations aren’t interesting. But it doesn’t matter. I’m doing the impossible. That’s the interesting thing. The presentation is just there to give it a little storyline.”

For them, the “impossible” is interesting enough. If someone sees cards changing into other cards, it doesn’t matter what the premise is.

To a certain extent, I agree.

But with social magic, where you’re often performing for the same people with some frequency, the “impossible” becomes less interesting over time.

For most people, seeing something impossible loses its impact the more they’re exposed to it. Depending on how often you perform for someone, you can’t rely on demonstrating something impossible to carry their interest.

But if you put the trick in an unbelievable, interesting context then you are essentially using the trick as a tool to tell a fun or bizarre or compelling story. And an interesting story never gets old.

Now, getting back to the original question, let’s say I’m telling someone about something weird that’s been occurring recently with someone who I thought was an invisible friend I made up in my childhood. Does anyone ever stop me and say, “Hey, wait. Isn’t this just a magic trick?”

No. For the same reason when a magician says, “The Ace of Spades is the leader ace,” no one stops that person and says, “Hey, wait. Is that true? Isn’t this just a magic trick? Or is the Ace of Spades really the leader ace?”

People understand there’s a layer of fiction on top of magic tricks. The goal, I believe, is to make that layer as interesting as possible.

Building a Social Magic EDC

Here’s my philosophy about building an EDC for the purpose of performing social magic in casual environments.

Generally, I think you want to focus on things that fall into these three categories:

• Invisible

• Imperceptible (as a magic prop)

• Intangible

Invisible - These would be things like Loops, thumbtips, nailwriters, etc. These are gimmicks that the audience never sees.

Imperceptible - These are things that would not be immediately perceived as some special magic prop. Think of things like gimmicked keys, gimmicked coins (standard pocket change type coins), gimmicked wallets, etc. These items mimic things that everyone carries every day.

Intangible - A subset of tricks and knowledge that don’t require you to carry anything extra with you to perform. I’m not talking about propless effects. I’m talking about, for example, the knowledge of how to do Quinta with anything around you. Apps on your phone. A repertoire of effects with borrowed objects like rings, normal coins, or business cards.

As a minimalist, my preference is for effects that fall into the “intangible” category. I like knowing that I can go into a trick whenever the opportunity presents itself, and yet if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, my family doesn’t have the extra heartache of finding my pockets stuffed with a bunch of weird objects.

Here are the types of thing I avoid:

• Jumbo coins

• ESP Cards

• Little Tenyo tricks

• Safety Pins

• Packet Tricks

• A little clear stick with gems on both sides

Among 1000 other things.

Why do I avoid these things for a social magic EDC?

For a few reasons.

First, if you’re carrying around a very specific prop, you’re going to be tempted to use that prop even in situations where it might not be the best option for what you should perform at that point in time.

Second, I think it looks a little goofy to pull out things you’re obviously carrying solely for the purpose of showing people tricks. I know there are people who feel differently. Their position is, “We’re magicians! We use weird objects and do fun things with them. That’s what we do.” But for me, it feels kind of corny and try-hard.

Imagine you meet a psychologist and the two of you are having a conversation and you talk about some different psychological experiments and she demonstrates some psychological concepts or you play a quick verbal game that illustrates some quirk of the mind. That might come off as a fun and fascinating interaction.

But if she starts pulling out little props and objects from her pocket that were only there so she could demonstrate these things, would that not feel a little different to you? Wouldn’t you think, “Oh…she really wanted to do this thing. She was prepared.” Would that strike you as mildly desperate?

Which brings me to the third reason I avoid any props that are clearly “props.”

When we talk about Every-Day Carry in social magic, we’re talking about being prepared to perform at the spur of the moment. When you pull out your jumbo coin, or your special Mystery Box, then you’re losing one of the most powerful aspects of that sort of performance: the sense of spontaneity. The sense that this is something special, that could only happen between this group of people who are here at this moment in time.

The strongest reactions I ever get come when I can make it feel like we’re stumbling over something weird and fun together in the moment. That’s hard to establish when you’re pulling out a chop cup and a little crocheted ball.

That’s why I stick to an EDC of invisible, imperceptible, or intangible items. These tools allow me to always be ready to perform, but in a manner that feels less planned and more personal.

Prepping for my EDC Post

The question I’ve been getting most in my email the past year or so is in regards to my EDC (Every-Day Carry).

To get inspired to answer this question, I decided to visit the EDC Magic page on facebook. It took me some time to visit there because I don’t have a facebook account.

(I don’t mean that to sound like, “I’m so much better than you… I don’t even have a facebook account.” The reason I don’t have social media is that I find it so easy to spend hours on it at a time, and yet it’s not something that brings me any fulfillment. So, because I lack the discipline to spend just a short amount of time a day on social media, I just cut myself off from it completely. If you’re in a similar situation, I can’t recommend enough just ditching it altogether. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Yes, to be fair, sometimes I find out things much later than other people in my social circle. “Oh… that guy died? I hadn’t heard. Two years ago? Really?” But for me, that’s been a small price to pay. Of course, if you have a healthier relationship with social media than I do, there’s no need to make that sacrifice.)

So I waited until a friend was visiting—a friend who is on facebook and a member of that page—and went scrolling through.

At first I was very confused.

One of the first posts I came across was this person’s picture of his EDC.

Really? Multiple wallets? Rope? Brass cups? Old coins? A lemon? ANOTHER LEMON???

You carry this stuff every day??

As I continued to scroll, I saw many more photos with ten or fifteen items pictured in people’s EDC.

What kind of pants are these people wearing to hold all this stuff? I wondered.

I soon realized where the disconnect was.

I was assuming people were using the term Every-Day Carry in the usual sense of the word. “This is the stuff I carry with me every day.”

But it turns out a lot of the people were posting pics of what they carried with them to gigs.

While that’s kind of interesting, that’s not quite the idea behind EDC. Some would say it’s the opposite of EDC, which wikipedia defines as, “a collection of useful items that are consistently carried on person every day.” Generally, to fall into the category EDC, you’ll want something that’s relatively small and multifunctional and that you can see yourself using in a myriad of situations. One lemon wouldn’t really fall into that designation, much less two.

Of course, a facebook group is going to become what the members decide it is. So if people are posting what they bring with themselves to gigs, then it might be because that’s what people are more interested in posting/talking about.

Ultimately it’s just another example of the vast difference between performing professionally and performing socially. That picture above represents a perfectly reasonable set of props for a professional. But if an amateur was carrying that stuff around with them, they should be institutionalized.

Tomorrow I’ll discuss my “EDC philosophy” specifically for casual/social performers. It’s not a list of tricks, but rather a way of thinking about the type of things I want to have on me that has served me very well the past 5-10 years.

Mailbag #76

How about this idea?

You have the spectator write down the name of a dead guy.

And 4 living people.

They each go in a different envelope.

You then place a deck of cards on top of each envelope.

5 envelopes/5 decks of cards.

And then one of the decks cuts to a card.

And that is the deck that is on top of the envelope that contains the name of the dead guy.

In this case the idea of a Haunted Deck is implied rather than said out loud, which I think makes it spookier. —JM

It’s a good idea, but maybe too much stuff required, for my taste.

I’d get rid of the envelopes and get rid of all of the decks but one. Have your friend write down the name of one dead person and four living. (The dead one is marked in some manner.) They’re mixed up and laid out on the table name-side down. The deck is placed near one of the names, you turn your back to the set-up for a few moments and then turn back around… nothing has happened.

Then it’s moved to the next name. You turn around. Again, nothing happens.

This is building up anticipation. What is it, exactly, that you’re expecting to happen?

Of course, on the third or fourth try, when you turn back around, the deck is now cut to the spectator’s selected card. And when you turn over the name, it’s revealed to be the dead person.

This would use one of the remote controlled haunted decks. The nice thing about this is that it would get the spectator touching the deck and moving it from name to name. So they’d be handling the deck a fair number of times, but not doing anything that would be likely to expose the gimmick. They’d just be picking up the deck and moving it to the next person’s name.

You might want to ask if they have a relative who has passed who was a regular card player. That would make the idea that we’re manifesting their presence through a deck of cards make a little more sense because it’s something they used regularly when they were alive..

Of course, you’d want to be careful who you perform this for and in what situation. If your friend’s mom died last week you don’t want to be like, “Hey, she played cards a lot, right?”

But I don’t think most people would be bothered if you invoke a card-playing great-uncle they once had for the purposes of some mildly spooky entertainment. But if you think the person you’re with might be bothered by that, you could always ask them to look up the name of a famous dead gambler or magician or whatever. That could be the name that’s written down.

And I wouldn’t frame it like a challenge, e.g., “I’m going to determine which one is the dead person!” Or even, “The deck of cards will determine which name is the dead person.” I would just suggest the other names are a way of making this ritual or this test/experiment extra fair. It lets us know we’re really making a spirit connection with the person we’re hoping to. Or something like that.

The original idea would work well in a more formal show. But for hanging out with a few friends, the multiple decks and envelopes might be too much.

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I really enjoyed your blog on Iteration Testing Peek Wallets. Your observation that wallets are not something people tend to consider as gimmicked is validating of something I've long believed. 

[…]

I'm curious, have you found books to elicit suspicion of gimmicking? In a context where they belong my guess is, like wallets, they are less likely to raise suspicion than the other items that you mentioned. —BC

Unfortunately, a good number of people do intuitively guess the idea of a specially printed book. We’ve only tested book tests a couple of times, that I remember. And only once since we really nailed down our testing protocols. And while, “gimmicked book” was not the sort of thing that was suggested as frequently as “trick cards” for a card trick, it was something that was suggested with some regularity. (Of course they didn’t say, “gimmicked book.” They would just suggest there was maybe something unusual about the book.)

Obviously which book you’re using in your effect is going to make a difference with how suspect it is. Harry Potter will garner less suspicion, but it’s not completely above doubt. People “get” the idea of a specially printed book in a way they don’t get the concept of a specially constructed wallet. So you can’t just rely on them saying, “Oh, Harry Potter, I’ve heard of that. I’m sure it’s just a normal book.”

But at the same time you’re definitely better off using a book they’ve heard of rather than something like this goofball stuff.

As I once wrote about these books from the Flashback book test…

"Now I'm sure this trick is very clever and I'm sure a lot of thought went into it. Unfortunately though, you're expected to convince people you have psychic power by using the most totally bogus looking book I've ever seen. Check out the cover for "Band of Brokers," have you ever seen anything so completely shady in your life? That picture looks like it belongs on the cover of the "3M Corporation's Guide to Team Building and Diversity Training," or in an ad for an insurance company, "Our agents are waiting to handle your claim." The one thing it doesn't look like is the cover of any legitimate book published in the history of book publishing. "Stained Justice" is pretty shoddy as well. But "Band of Brokers" is so obviously phony it's amazing. That thing couldn't look more suspect if it had a bright pink cover and was titled ‘Gimmicked Magic Book’ by Fakey Authorton."

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Help A Father Out

I received an email from supporter and new father, PG who asks:

So now in my new house I have space to practice magic, but with my new baby I have no time! I used to sit in front of the TV and practice getting into lateral palm or perpendicular control, or semi-relatedly on your advice the Giraffe switch. Now there's always a baby in at least one hand. Did I buy a used Rene Lavand book on Ebay? Yes! Do I have any time to read it? Definitely not.

What advice do you or your readers have for continuing to practice magic while juggling a tiny human?

Personally I have no advice, because I’ve successfully navigated through life without leaving any “little humans” in my wake. (As far as I know.)

So I’m asking any of the parents out there if they have any advice for this situation. It’s too late for my advice (pull out) but maybe some of you have some words of wisdom for a new dad on how to devote some time to his hobbies while not ignoring the kid. If so, send it to me and I’ll pass it along.

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Help a Brother Out

This weekend I’ll be staying with some friends at a place that has a pool table. Do you have any pool table-based stunts, tricks, or bets that you’d recommend? If so, send me an email and let me know. Thanks!

Using Artificial Intelligence to Uncover Erdnase's True Identity

AI has been a common subject in my email recently. Mainly because of Wednesday’s post and also the popularity of ChatGPT, an AI that is optimized for dialogue that blew up online recently.

I think it’s good to check in from time to time and see how close AI is to taking over our creative endeavors. I was listening to someone on a podcast recently, and he said something like, “In the future, if you want to watch a new season of Cheers, you’ll just be able to ask AI to create it for you and you’ll be able to watch it instantly.”

I don’t really buy that. I think there’s some elements of the creative process that aren’t replicable by even the most advanced computing. But maybe I’m wrong.

I’ll keep an eye on things and let you know once or twice a year where AI stands on its abilities to create a magic trick.

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With that in mind, here are some examples from ChatGPT that people have sent me this week…

First we have the response to this prompt:

“Explain an innovative new magic trick, done with everyday items.”

🤖 One possible way to perform a magic trick using everyday items is as follows:

1. First, gather a few items that you might find around the house, such as a pencil, a rubber band, and a coin.

2. Have the spectator choose one of the items, and then place it on the table.

3. Next, pick up the other two items, and place the rubber band around them so that they are tightly secured together.

4. Hold the items in your hand, and then ask the spectator to focus their attention on the chosen item on the table.

5. Slowly and carefully, use your other hand to lift the items (with the rubber band still attached) up and over the chosen item, making sure to keep the items hidden from view.

6. As you do this, you can use a simple misdirection technique to distract the spectator's attention away from what you are doing. For example, you could ask them a question, or make a comment about something else.

7. Once the items are lifted up and over the chosen item, quickly and smoothly remove the rubber band and release the items, allowing them to fall onto the table.

8. The spectator will be amazed to see that the chosen item has somehow disappeared, and the other two items are now lying on the table in its place!

This simple trick is a great way to entertain and surprise your friends, using only everyday items that you might have lying around the house. It's also a great way to practice your sleight of hand and misdirection skills. 🤖

I like how that had numbered steps. Like it was a very specific process you had to follow in order to do this magic trick which was just utter gibberish.

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Is mentalism more your thing? Well how about this clever way to use your mental powers to reveal someone’s birthday.

Propless mentalism at it’s finest.

“Note, this trick will not work every time.”

Well, I’m going to have to disagree with you there, robot. Determining the month someone was born, and then the day, is actually a very efficient way to find out their birthday.

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My conclusion is that magic creators are safe for the time being.

So far the trick ideas generated are either unworkable or not magic. You literally can’t do worse than that.

(Thanks to CF and JH for sharing these responses.)

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Okay, but what about presentations as opposed to methodologies?

I tried to tease out some ideas from the AI in a few different ways.

First I asked:

What would be a good presentation to go along with the Ambitious Card magic trick?

🤖 A good presentation to go along with the ambitious card magic trick could involve telling a story or creating a narrative to engage the audience. For example, the magician could start by introducing themselves and explaining their passion for magic. They could then talk about the history of the ambitious card trick, highlighting its origins and the famous magicians who have performed it over the years.🤖

Yeah, no thanks. That’s some Ricky Jay shit that only he could make interesting.

So I tweaked the question:

What would be a good analogy to present along with the ambitious card magic trick?

🤖 A good analogy to present along with the ambitious card magic trick could be the analogy of a plant growing towards the sun. The magician could start by explaining that, just like a plant, the chosen card has an innate desire to rise and reach for the top. Despite the magician's attempts to keep it in place, the card will continue to strive for greatness and rise to the top of the deck.🤖

Okay, that’s still garbage. But not worse than many presentations for the Ambitious Card that you see magicians actully do.

Could I generate a Jerxian presentation for the Ambitious Card?

I asked:

How could I present the Ambitious Card magic trick in a way that it would feel like an emotionally affecting immersive experience for the person watching?

🤖To present the ambitious card magic trick in a way that it would feel like an emotionally affecting immersive experience for the person watching, you could focus on creating a personal connection with the audience and using the trick to tell a heartfelt story. For example, you could start by introducing yourself and explaining why you love magic. You could then talk about a specific time in your life when you felt like the chosen card, struggling to rise above your circumstances and reach for your goals.🤖

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Then I considered an incredible short-cut to greatness. What if I just asked AI how a particular famous magician might present a trick (say, the Ambitious Card). Then I could just steal whatever it suggested.

So I asked:

How might Penn and Teller present the Ambitious Card magic trick?

🤖 Penn and Teller are well-known for their unique and entertaining approach to magic. If they were to present the ambitious card magic trick, they might approach it in a way that challenges the audience's expectations and subverts traditional magic conventions.

For example, Penn and Teller might start by explaining the rules of the trick and asking a member of the audience to choose a card. They might then perform the trick, but with a twist: instead of making the chosen card rise to the top of the deck, they might make it disappear entirely. This would surprise and intrigue the audience, and set the stage for the rest of the trick.

Next, Penn and Teller might reveal that the chosen card is actually inside a sealed box that was on stage the entire time. They might then open the box and show the audience the card, proving that it is not a trick and that the card really did disappear. This would add an element of mystery and suspense to the trick, and keep the audience guessing.

Finally, Penn and Teller might conclude the trick by revealing the true secret behind the ambitious card: the chosen card was actually a duplicate, and the real card was hidden in the box all along. This would surprise and delight the audience, and leave them with a sense of amazement and wonder. Overall, Penn and Teller's unique and playful approach to magic would make the ambitious card trick feel fresh and exciting. 🤖

Now, here’s where the AI really began to show it’s bullshit. I then asked how Criss Angel might perform the Ambitious Card, and it said.

🤖 Criss Angel is known for his high-energy, larger-than-life approach to magic. If he were to present the ambitious card magic trick, he might use his signature style to create a thrilling and impressive performance.

For example, Criss Angel might start by asking a member of the audience to choose a card. He might then perform the trick, but with a twist: instead of making the chosen card rise to the top of the deck, he might make it disappear entirely and then reappear in a different location. This would shock and awe the audience, and set the stage for the rest of the trick.

Next, Criss Angel might take the trick to the next level by performing the ambitious card in front of a live audience, in a public location like Times Square or the Las Vegas strip. He might also incorporate other elements of magic, such as levitation or mind reading, to add to the sense of wonder and amazement.

Finally, Criss Angel might conclude the trick by revealing the secret behind the ambitious card: the chosen card was actually a duplicate, and the real card was hidden in a secret location all along. This would surprise and delight the audience, and leave them with a sense of amazement and wonder. Overall, Criss Angel's energetic and dynamic style would make the ambitious card trick feel like a high-stakes performance and an unforgettable experience.🤖

This bitch is already out of ideas. It had one shitty idea for how Penn and Teller would perform it, and then it recycled the same dumb idea for Criss Angel. I’m not impressed.

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I decided to try and get some definitive answers, because the creative stuff wasn’t working. So I asked who S.W. Erdnase’s real identity was and the chat app was like, “This can’t be known.”

So then I went to the art app and asked it to draw S.W. Erdnase and here were the results…

These are clearly four different people. So perhaps I needed a more direct prompt. So I asked instead for a portrait of the guy who wrote The Expert At The Card Table.

And finally, after 120 years, we have our answer.

Here’s what he looked like.

Mystery solved!

Case Study: Bottle

Let’s take a look at the trick Bottle by Michael Chatelain and see how we might approach it from the amateur’s perspective.

It’s a coin in bottle effect where the coin penetrates into a corked, squat, square bottle.

It looks good and it’s been getting generally positive reviews.

If there’s an inherent weakness in the effect, it’s that the coin is going into a bottle whose mouth is far larger than it needs to be for the coin to easily fit inside. Part of the “wonder” of coin in bottle isn’t just that the coin is outside the bottle and now inside, but that it’s a bottle the coin could not get in any other way than by magic. If someone walked in after the trick and saw the coin in the bottle, that would still be amazing on some level if the bottle’s neck is too small for the coin. With this bottle you don’t have that inherent impossibility.

But that’s not absolutely necessary for a successful coin through glass routine. I’m just pointing out that’s a feature that’s lacking from this version.

The other issue is, of course, you’re not grabbing a beer bottle from the bar and performing this. You’re bringing out your own personal jar. If you’re carrying around a special jar with you, you might as well fill it with your feces. At least then you’ll have a reason for carrying around the jar. And it won’t make you look any crazier than carrying around an empty jar. In fact, my mind would be put at ease a little bit if it was filled with shit. If someone just brings out an empty glass jar that they’re carrying around with them I would think, “This person’s crazy. I wonder what weird thing they’re doing with their shit?” At least if it was in the bottle I’d have my answer.

So for the amateur performer this really needs to be an at-home piece.

What kind of presentation would I use with this trick?

None. Well, none of any significance. You can’t hang too long a presentation on a fast and visual piece like this. This trick isn’t a long, seductive striptease. It’s the flash of a titty. You don’t want too much build-up for it.

If I was going to extend it in any way, I would do so at an earlier meeting with my intended spectator. I would take a glass and a quarter and say, “Tell me how this looks.” I’d slap the quarter against the glass but it wouldn’t go in. I’d maybe try again. “Ah… it’s not going to happen I don’t think. I was getting it last night for a little while. If you line it up right, it goes right through the glass.”

This plants the seed and it tantalizes with the explanation. “If you line it up right”? Line what up right? The atoms???

So, anyway, that’s really the only way I’d extend the trick.

But how else can we polish this up a little for the social performer?

I received an email from Craig W., with an idea…

I have started using this Chatelain coin through jar gimmick as an apparently jury-rigged incense burner full time.

I like that. It’s a good start. But can we put something in the jar to further justify it? What about matchbooks? That would give the jar a bit more purpose. You could even put little mini incense sticks in it. It would look like a little self-contained incense station.

So this is on your coffee table or end table.

You’re hanging out with a friend watching some tv, having dinner or whatever. “Oh, I want to try something. Do you have a quarter?” They give you one or you grab one from somewhere.

You pick up the glass you’ve been drinking out of and sip the last of the liquid from it.

“Okay, I’m going to try and push this quarter through… actually, no… this is too wet. Uhm….” You set the glass aside.

You notice your incense jar. You open the jar, and dump out the matchbooks.

“I’m going to try and make the coin go through the glass. Hmmm…actually….let’s do this…”

As a “spur of the moment” decision, you take the cork (remove the incense stick) and put it on the jar. You don’t have to explain this. Don’t be like, “I’ll do this to make it more impossible!” Let it speak for itself.

Give them a good look at the empty and sealed jar. You can’t rush this point. Once that’s soaked in, pick up the coin and penetrate it through the bottle.

Their first guess will be a slit or hole in the bottle (because a slit or hole in the cork would be more easily evident). Remove the cork. Tell them to cup their hands. Pour the coin in their hands. Then place the bottle in their hands as well. As you do those things, switch out the cork (maybe the examinable one is behind a pillow on your side of the couch). Then set the cork on the table too. Don’t bring too much attention to it. You don’t want them to remember a gap in time between you giving them the coin and bottle and you putting the cork down. If you say, “Here, look at this too.” You’re accentuating that gap.

That is, I think, a way to sand off as many rough edges of the trick as possible in order to present it in the most casual, spontaneous seeming way.

Retirement Planning Update

As regular readers know, my plan is to turn over the creation of this site, the monthly newsletter and the books to artificial intelligence as soon as possible.

So far the writing output produced by AI has been… less than impressive. The “tricks” it comes up with are steaming hot garbage. And the way it describes the tricks reads like shit.

AI art, on the other hand, seems to be significantly far ahead of AI writing.

Which has me thinking that perhaps I can ditch my long-time friend and creative collaborator, Stasia, who has illustrated all my books, and replace her with an AI robot artist.

Here are my initial tests.

I wanted to start out simple and see how AI would replicate this image from my third book.

I simplified it by just asking for an image of two hands holding a sheet of paper with 6 Post-Its on it.

I got this.

Okay, that’s literally the wrong number of hands and Post-Its. But it’s at least somewhat recognizable as hands and things that could be post-its. So I’ll consider that a win.

Next I tried to see if I could replicate this image from my second book. Here’s the original photo and Stasia’s illustration.

I asked AI for an image from behind of a girl holding a playing card in her outstretched hand. I got this.

I guess the concept of “outstretched” hasn’t reached the AI consciousness yet. And I’m pretty sure this girl has six fingers. Why are the fingers so often messed up in AI art? And why couldn’t they get the number of hands I asked for in the previous image correct? Getting the number of things correct seems like it would be the easiest part of an AI generated image.

Wait, I want to test something. I’m going to ask for an image of a guy with 8 fingers on his right hand. Let’s see what they give me.

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON??? Why can’t it handle this simple request? AI can generate the most surreal images, but not this? I don’t understand it.

Sadly, I just don’t think the AI does a great job at depicting what I’m trying to illustrate. Like, what do you think were the prompts that generated these images…

If you said, “a playing card sticking out of a toilet tank,” “a snowball with a D’lite stuck in it,” and “a tampon with a $5 bill wrapped around it.” You’d be right. You’d also be lying because there’s no way you thought that.

These concepts were all easily understood by my human artist.

So, sadly, it looks like I’m going to have to stick with a real human for the time being.

I guess we’re still some ways away from making this site and the various publications completely self-sustaining via AI. I’m hoping to turn everything over to the computers by next March (I want to have nothing on my plate so I can watch the NCAA tournament uninterrupted. Fingers crossed!)

Just to test one final thing, I asked the AI to generate a portrait of “Andy the writer of the Jerx blog.”

And it gave me this…

So flattering!!!