A pixellated sculpture by Banksy

"Cardinal Sin" by Banksy

"I'm never sure who deserves to be put on a pedestal or crushed under one," said the artist.

A simple elevator prank involving superpowers

Yes, a Dalek would be another 

reason to take the stairs.

Usually, there are two things a good prank needs - proper preparation and proper execution. In this prank, the idea is simple and brilliant, so the pranksters could skimp on the preparation.  Brilliant. My congrats to JesterLads.

Star Wars Elevator Prank


Graphic from Boyce Duprey, Flickr>>

When real clouds look fake

Mammatus Clouds

Nature likes to mess with our concept of what we think looks real.

Cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds

Roll Clouds

Undulatus Asperatus Clouds

See more real clouds, here: Beautiful strange and rare cloud formations (23 pictures), Memolition>>

Harry Blackstone, World's Master Magician

A Blackstone souvenir program

Harry Blackstone was a famous stage magician in the middle part of the 20th Century. I think if you watch him perform, you might be able to figure out why.

Harry Blackstone's philosophy on magical deception: 

“Magic overcomes frustration. It doesn’t need to be sleight of hand. It’s nothing but pure psychology applied in the right place."

One of his illusions, also known as the "Afghan Bands", is a topological magic trick based on the Möbius strip, a one-sided surface discovered by mathemeticians in 1858. It's what magicians call a "self-working" trick, which means that the magical part of the trick is so simple that pretty much anyone can do it. What makes it magical, however, is how it's presented. Blackstone called it "Santa's Necktie."

Harry Blackstone Sr. "Santa's Necktie"


During much of Blackstone's show he was silent while he performed larger illusions. Here's an example.

Harry Blackstone Magic Illusion


Blackstone's "Bunny Trick" showcases his masterful interaction with a young audience volunteer.

Harry Blackstone Sr. "Bunny Trick"


Here, Blackstone performs three illusions on the CBS TV show "It's Magic!" in 1956: "The Drum That Can't Be Beat", "The Dancing Handkerchief" and "The Buzz Saw Illusion."

Harry Blackstone Sr. - It's Magic! 1956


Harry Blackstone Senior's son, Harry Blackstone Junior, was also a magician. Both men have passed away.

- Möbius strip, Wikipedia>>
- Harry Blackstone, Sr. (1885-1965), All About Magicians>>
- How Harry Blackstone brought magic to Michigan, The Detroit News>>

Pixellated Minecraft costume

Playing a bit too much Minecraft, maybe?

Writer Gloria Oliver took this photo at Animefest 2011.

GloriaOliver>>

Once a deceiver, always a deceiver?

Jeremy Johnson

Maybe you shouldn't act like a deceptionist when you're trying to prove you're not a deceptionist.

I've mentioned the fraud case against Jeremy Johnson once before, over a year ago, when The Salt Lake City Tribune did an article on him. (He gave, and he took away - the fraud and charity of gambling addict Jeremy Johnson, Deceptology>>)

Mr. Johnson is accused of using his former company, called I Works, of scamming people who thought they were getting a cheap CD-ROM about getting government grants but instead were having their credit cards repeatedly charged with ongoing "membership fees."

He's accused of cheating people out of more than $275 million.

He also set up over 50 shell companies so that credit card companies investigating customer complaints (and there were many) would find it difficult to close him down.

Many people also see him as a very generous person. For instance, he flew his own helicopter on a personal aid mission to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

The New York Times updates the progress in the U. S. government's case against him.

The entire article is a great read, but I love the kicker at the end.

Mr. Johnson has tried to defend his worsening case and reputation by registering websites to defend himself and attack the government, including one named EvilFTC.com, saying it was going to uncover “Dirty Deeds by Big Government.”

Mr Johnson had registered 30 domain names (such as FTCscam.com and FTCCorruption.com). Government lawyers called his activities "shenanigans" and "harassment" and wanted a judge to shut the sites down.

Judge Roger L. Hunt refused, saying Mr. Johnson was free to express his opinions. However, he did offer some advice:

“You need to understand, sir, you are accused in this case of using the Internet to deceive people... When you use this procedure, process of multiple Web sites, which, in the court’s view, deceive or intended to misrepresent or deceive or mischaracterize the court, its appointed receiver or a governmental agency, it’s going to be difficult for you to convince me that you do not use the Internet to deceive at the time of trial.”

Read the article: In Utah, a Local Hero Accused, The New York Times>>

The live Photoshop bus stop prank

I think someone might be messing with me...

If you want to prank innocent people at a bus stop, you'll need a camera with a telephoto lens, a screen disguised as an advertising billboard, a wireless connection, and a man in a van with mad Photoshop skills. At least, that's what these guys in Finland needed.

Photoshop Live Street Retouch Prank