M M M M Sleights of Mind（M M M M拼的精神）.pdfVIP

M M M M M M M M INTRODUCTION CLARKE’S THIRD LAW: “Any suffi ciently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” NIVEN’S LAW: “Any suffi ciently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.” AGATHA HETERODYNE (“GIRL GENIUS ”) PARAPHRASE OF NIVEN’S LAW: “Any suffi ciently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science!” ave you ever wondered how magic effects work? Coins materi- Halize out of thin air. Cards move through a deck as if pulled by an invisible force. Beautiful women are cut in half. Spoons bend. Fish, elephants, even the Statue of Liberty disappear before your eyes. How does a mentalist actually read your mind? How can you not see the gorilla in the room? Really, how can someone catch a bul- let in his teeth? How do they do it? Don’t bother to ask a conjurer. When joining an or ga ni za tion of professional magicians, the initiate may be asked to take an oath: “As 2 SLEIGHTS OF MIND a magician I promise never to reveal the secret of any illusion to a nonmagician, unless that person also swears to uphold the magicians’ oath. I promise never to perform any illusion for any nonmagician without fi rst practicing the effect until I can do it well enough to maintain the illusion of magic.” It is a code. A brotherhood. The magi- cian who breaks this code risks being blackballed by his fellow magicians.