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James Randi: Performing a Magic Trick | Big Think
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May 20, 2011
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May 20, 2011
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Close-up card magic by the master.
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JAMES RANDI:
James Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi began his career as a magician, but when he retired at age 60, he switched to investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims, which he collectively calls "woo-woo." Although often referred to as a "debunker," Randi rejects that title owing to its perceived bias, instead describing himself as an "investigator". He has written about the paranormal, skepticism, and the history of magic. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and is occasionally featured on the television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Question: Would you perform a feat of conjuring?
James Randi: I’m a bit of an amateur at shuffling cards. Ho, ho, ho. But when a deck is as thoroughly mixed up as this one is, many people think that there’ll be a red, black, red, black. I’m not talking about suits, now just the color, you see. Red, black, but it doesn’t happen that way. For example here, we’ve got three reds; we don’t need the joker in there.
James Randi: Yes. And we’ve got oh, there’s another three reds. No, this is pretty good, the colors – I’m just looking at the colors now. The colors are pretty well mixed in here other than here’s another joker that we won’t use in there. All right. Now. What I’m going to do is, first of all. We suspect that the colors would be pretty well sorted, or alternated all the way through the deck. But I’m going to show you something rather remarkable. Here we have a well shuffled deck, very well shuffled deck. And I want you to come over here and just give me your hand, if you’d be so kind. Step over and join me on the set. Okay? Now just hold, like that with the palm up, a little closer—I see you have a rich future. Yes, well in any case. I want you to hold half of the cards for me, would you please. And I’ll hold the other half. And I’m going to show you something rather remarkable. Look at this.
When I turn the back over, watch this. One black card on the top and then all of the rest of them red. Every last one. Wow! And taking a look. Hold those for me, please. One black card on the top just to disguise it, but in this case, each and every one of them black.
Recorded April 16, 2010
Interviewed by Austin Allen
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