Does anyone know of where I could get (or download) a good sized copy of this poster (advertising the fictional magician Li H'sen Chang), seen in the classic Dr Who story 'The Talons of Weng Chiang'? I'd love to get a large sized copy to frame for my living room for some subtle geek chic!
posted by timpollard on Mar 14, 2008 - 3 answers

I reckon an expert magician can "trick the public" most of the time - with disappearing/switching watches, coins, jewellry etc.
Given that...
1) would the normal magician-like techniques work in real life situations? In other words could a competent magician go through their life just thieving from us innocents?
2) Have any magicians ever been exposed as using their skills for "evil"? By evil I mean non-performance fraud/theft/short-term monetary gain?
A very poor example: early on in The Grifters, John Cusack gets the crap beaten out of him for trying to switch a large denomination $bill for a smaller one in a bar when he paid for a beer.
posted by selton on May 15, 2007 - 20 answers

How is this card trick done? It freaked me out. [more inside]
posted by meerkatty on May 8, 2006 - 68 answers

The Boomerang Card Trick: While in Vegas over the weekend, I saw a magician throw a playing card such that it went around is body and returned to his hand. Didn't look like a "trick" so much as a very specialized way of throwing a card. Supposedly Ricky Jay has written about this in the past, but the book in which it is described is out of print. Anyone know where I can learn how to do this?
posted by aladfar on May 10, 2004 - 12 answers