Tag: Magic

Penn & Teller's nail gun trick

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Nail gun trick in sync - Penn & Teller are professionals

Every now and again, I fall down a Penn & Teller rabbit hole. They articulate the way magic works in a fun and engaging way and their famed nail gun trick is a fine example.

The basic premise of the trick involves Penn using a nail gun to flit between nailing a long block of wood and shooting it into his hand. But the trick lies in remembering when that’s safe to do so as a “magazine” of nails has gaps in it, at which the nail gun just shoots air—safe for a hand to withstand.

The video shows two examples of the trick synced together and it’s impressive how that even works. I can’t even put IKEA furniture together without making a mistake, let alone handing a nail gun without needing a hospital visit or a tetanus shot.

David Blaine floating in the sky with helium balloons

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David Blaine Ascension

This is one of those blog posts where the title sums it up. David Blaine—well-known illusionist and “endurance performer”—floated over 24,000ft into the sky attached to some helium balloons yesterday.

David Blaine redefines magic once again for an unprecedented live event at a time when the world could use a positive distraction. Bringing wonder, hope and untethered possibility, David tackles his most ambitious and revolutionary feat yet.

This production was filmed in strict accordance with all CDC and OSHA Covid protocols and safety guidelines including testing, social distancing, use of PPE, quarantining, disinfecting and good hygiene practices.

“Ascension” wasn’t as weird as I expected. But then, the last time I paid attention to David Blaine was in the early 00s when he was really weird. I wonder if the air is cleaner up there.