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Cargando... Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind (2012)por Alex Stone
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Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. In this book, author Alex Stone describes his love affair with magic and how magic is tied with human perception and cognition. Along the way, he tries to compete in this magic competition and craft the perfect trick. It's pretty interesting, but I don't really know about reading it more than once. Personally, I thought the author was a bit of an odd duck, which I guess happens when you obsess over something as much as this guy does. Not that I am any more normal or anything, but I don't know if I would drop my course load at Columbia just to pursue magic. Then again...if it was something else, like anime or computers or something I would probably be in the same boat, but I don't really know. ( ) From the back rooms of New York City age-old magic societies to cutting-edge psychology labs, three-card monte games on Canal Street to glossy Las Vegas casinos, Fooling Houdini recounts Alex Stone's quest to join the ranks of master magicians. As he navigates this quirky and occasionally hilarious subculture populated by brilliant eccentrics, Stone pulls back the curtain on a community shrouded in secrecy, fueled by obsession and brilliance, and organized around one overriding need: to prove oneÂs worth by deceiving others. But his journey is more than a tale of tricks, gigs, and geeks. By investing some of the lesser-known corners of psychology, neuroscience, physics, history, and even crime, all through the lens of trickery and illusion, Fooling Houdini arrives at a host of startling revelations about how the mind works--and, why, sometimes, it doesn't. 3.4 stars. This book is perfect for all those magic hobbyists out there. I do think the lay person might enjoy it, but might miss some of the finer references. I did thoroughly enjoy the mixture of science and magic. This is something that hits home for me, although I never followed through with either. It certainly explains my interest in both as well as never-ending search for knowledge and secrets. This excellent book is more than just a book about magic. It's a mashup of topics and styles, each of which make for fascinating reading. It's a coming-of-age story, a phoenix-rising story, a marvelously in-depth multi-disciplinary discussion (the gorilla experiment showed up yet again in yet another book that interests me!), an excellent exercise in immersive journalism (my favorite genre of all), and, well, magic. What's not to love?
Eventually the book gets a shade too technical. By the time Mr. Stone goes to clown school, his authorial judgment has become iffy. A cornball need for a narrative arc drives “Fooling Houdini” toward its finale. Mr. Stone enters another high-stakes competition, the 2010 IBM Gold Cups in San Diego, where he has to perform for the same judge who shamed him in Stockholm. Distinciones
When Alex Stone was five years old, his father bought him a magic kit, sparking a lifelong love. Years later, living in New York City, he discovered a vibrant underground magic scene populated by a fascinating cast of characters: from his gruff mentor, who holds court in the back of a rundown pizza shop, to one of the world's greatest card cheats, who happens to be blind. From New York City's century-old magic societies to cutting-edge psychology labs, Fooling Houdini recounts Stone's quest to join the ranks of master magicians. But his journey is more than a tale of tricks, gigs, and geeks. In trying to understand how expert magicians manipulate our minds to create their illusions, Stone investigates some of the lesser-known corners of psychology, neuroscience, physics, history, and even crime.--From publisher description. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)793.8092The arts Recreational and performing arts Indoor games and amusements Magic tricks, juggling, ventriloquism Biography; History By Place BiographyClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
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