talkmagic.co.uk

I feel like this new invisiblity technology being developed now might ruin the effect of certain illusions used in magic. I predict that mentalism will become a lot more popular in the near future, and for many reasons.

Infact, I think I ought to lock that prediction in a metal box and hang it off the top of my house. Maybe a couple of cool looking gaurds can stay with it. Then I'll have this big TV special.

-Ben

I actually think the opposite about mentalism. I think it will become obsolete as technology gets more advance.

This may be a problem for younger people (myself included) starting in mentalism but ... magic/mentalism can be and must be altered to fit the changing times so for now, I'm not worried.

I have to disagree Ian. I think it's pretty certain that 'magic' effects are under more threat than 'mentalism' effects. Technology that replicates magical-seeming effects is far more likely than technology that replicates actually reading sophisticated thoughts from someone's mind or predicting future events.

Not that I think magic OR mentalism are under significant threat from science.

as technology advances - so will magic.

i assume everyone was worried when electronics and microchips became available but now they've been embraced and form a part of various effects.

Nah. No way will Invisibility technology ruin magic.

It has never done so in the past.

eh? I hear you ask..

yes that right, invisibility technology has so far not ruined magic.

Mirrors, Have for a long time been used to hide things . And theyre old style invisibility technology.
Black art... Also old style invisibility technology.

this new fangled stuff.Wow think about it. you could cover an elephant , and be seen to walk behind it, when its there , standing right in front of your audience!

You're saying that a new means of doing the same thing will ruin it? I'm not sure what you mean. If anything, wouldn't new technology enhance magic - if (as always) properly performed? Aren't new technologies just new tools or new twists on old tools?

You know one of Arthur C. Clarke's laws of prediction?

any sufficently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Just thought I'd throw that in there...seems relevant

For anyone who hasn't seen the University of Tokyo's demonstrations of invisibility material, here's a great compilation:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JKPVQal851U

That's not real, surely?

Lady of Mystery wrote:That's not real, surely?

It's absolutely real. Good, innit?

On a wider point, I'm not sure technology will change the dynamics of magic or mentalism too much, just bring about new possibilities. After all, the real magic happens in the mind of the spectator.

I don't think technology will ruin magic, magic will just adapt. I'm pretty sure that magicians 100 years ago were probabaly thinking the same about electricity.

Those Tokyo chaps are dead clever.

My mind is currently boggling.

I saw that video about 8 years ago..

When they were discussing this in "Have I Got News for You", it was explained that the fabric works by taking the image of whatever's behind you and projecting it in front of you. It's being worked on as camouflage for tanks. To which Paul Merton added, but what if you're in a tank and there's another tank behind you?

If you were to look through some of the older publications of the Magic world you will see similar fears discussed and thus far, movies, TV, the Radio... none of it has destroyed magic... it was just changed and modified so as to "fit"

Yes, much of the new technology that's coming out could make things more challenging but I can assure you, it won't kill the craft. A prime example of this is the show "Le Grande David" which has been running for over twenty years now. Everything in the show deals with magic from the late 19th and early 20th century and nearly every performance comes with a full house... and we're talking about a major theater (owned by the producers of the show).

Yes, some of the technology brings to us the challenge of proving that it is NOT what we are employing (even though there are times that this is exactly what we are doing ). The thing is, this is a false fear and we are running when not being chased.

Sure, technology such as the new cloaking fabrics and contact lenses that give you full internet access or the new cellular technology that can be built into your own mouth and mandible (mic in a tooth with receiver mounted in the base of your skull -- now being developed for the military), However, these are not things that will hurt our craft so long as we continue to strive towards adaptation in the same manner our predecessors did.

It's not something we need to worry about in that most of the really cool stuff is 15+ years before it becomes a matter of common accessibility.