But what does having 20 or so idiots all bend spoons at the same time using simple magicians tricks actually prove? Doe it prove that it's possible to convincingly bend spoons using magic tricks? Yes. Does it prove that Geller used magic tricks to bend spoons? No Right now, I am miming a Beatles song. Actually, it's "Hey Jude". Does that mean that the beatles were fakes and mimed their songs? Grow a brain Jon. You're not as smart as you think you are.
Geller bends spoons with the power of his hands, not the power of his mind. He is a conjurer, just like David Copperfield and David Blaine. The ONLY difference is that he does not admit it publicly.
Your "mime" argument is the stupidest argument I have heard on this forum (And that is quite an achievement).
The spoon bending is easy, all you have to do is distract someone for a second as you bend it. There were a couple of clips on YouTube when the camera caught him doing it. (It can be hard to misdirect a camera, unless you're in charge of the show !)
I'm just a bit dismayed that after more than 30 years people still think that the cutlery mangler is some kind of Superman !
All credit to Geller for becoming rich by learning sleight of hand and misdirection, but his act is getting so tired now.
The spoon bending is easy, all you have to do is distract someone for a second as you bend it. There were a couple of clips on YouTube when the camera caught him doing it. (It can be hard to misdirect a camera, unless you're in charge of the show !)
I'm just a bit dismayed that after more than 30 years people still think that the cutlery mangler is some kind of Superman !
All credit to Geller for becoming rich by learning sleight of hand and misdirection, but his act is getting so tired now.
S'ok Sunshine!
I haven't seen the quoted videos so can't comment on them...But have seen others...One of which a key is bent and it bends upwards...A spoon is easy to bend with two fingers...The key is bent with one...
I find that interesting...perhaps not conclusive but still interesting.
Also I have yet to hear an explanation of the 'watch stopping/starting' that adequately explains the phenomonena.
The Big Ben episode I thought very interesting...Can't see that being faked.
But what does having 20 or so idiots all bend spoons at the same time using simple magicians tricks actually prove?
Does it prove that it's possible to convincingly bend spoons using magic tricks? Yes.
Does it prove that Geller used magic tricks to bend spoons? No
Right now, I am miming a Beatles song. Actually, it's "Hey Jude".
Does that mean that the beatles were fakes and mimed their songs?
Grow a brain Jon. You're not as smart as you think you are.
I hope this is Uri Geller ;D its ironic you accuse 20 people of being idiots for bending spoons, yet defend Geller for performing the exact same action. Geller has been secretly filmed bending material before, he said when confronted, he knew about the hidden cameras and was just playing a trick. The blatent lies of that one trick conjurer are consistently staggering
I haven't seen the quoted videos so can't comment on them...But have seen others...One of which a key is bent and it bends upwards...A spoon is easy to bend with two fingers...The key is bent with one...
I find that interesting...perhaps not conclusive but still interesting. Also I have yet to hear an explanation of the 'watch stopping/starting' that adequately explains the phenomonena. The Big Ben episode I thought very interesting...Can't see that being faked.
We may be talking about different things here, I used to bend house keys, quite easily. I had a long shafted key with a hoop at the end, wrap the hoop with string, stick it up your sleeve, when the moment is right insert the house key into the hoop and give it a quick bend. If you bring the house key up at just the right angle it still looks straight, touch it with your finger and turn it slightly, looks like it bends. It sounds easy, it's actually quite difficult to get the moves and the timing right. (I was shockingly bad at doing it ! Thats why I stopped ;D )
As for starting watches, try it yourself. Next time you're in someones house ask if they have an old watch stuck in the back of a draw. Hold it tightly in your hands and get everyone to shout START ! Chances are it will soon be ticking away. Most old watches are jammed or just forgotten, the heat of your hand can make the oil flow, the movement of showing it around can free the mechanism, many apparently "broken" watches will move again, even if it is only for a few seconds (Just right for a TV guest spot) Never seen him do it with a digital watch...
Ah now, Big Ben stopping. As far as I know he's claimed this a couple of times. The first time I just happened to be on holiday in London at the time, a lot of people noticed it had stopped. Of course Geller was in the papers the next day, he's used his powers to stop it ! ! ! Wonderful ! Only problem is, I don't recall him being in the papers the day before telling us what he was about to do
Also, there's that thing he does where he gets someone to draw a picture on a piece of paper. Then he acts out receiving the image from their minds, and draws what he gets. He makes much of the fact that not only is the picture he draws the same as the one the person has drawn, but also it is to exactly the same scale and measurements. This is obviously a trick of some kind, but how does he do it?
'All through this short life we give of ourselves, giving and giving and slowly diminishing. Leaving a mark that will gradually fade, ash in the breeze, snowballs in negative.'
Also, there's that thing he does where he gets someone to draw a picture on a piece of paper. Then he acts out receiving the image from their minds, and draws what he gets. He makes much of the fact that not only is the picture he draws the same as the one the person has drawn, but also it is to exactly the same scale and measurements. This is obviously a trick of some kind, but how does he do it?
Can I answer your question with a question please ?
Why does the person have to draw the picture ? Why can Geller not just "read" an image they have in their mind ? Surely there is no need for pencil and paper to show mind reading ability. And don't let anyone tell you its to "concentrate the mind" or "So the person cannot change their choice". It's a trick and without pencil and paper it cannot be done, just like bending a spoon without holding it.
I haven't seen the quoted videos so can't comment on them...But have seen others...One of which a key is bent and it bends upwards...A spoon is easy to bend with two fingers...The key is bent with one...
I find that interesting...perhaps not conclusive but still interesting. Also I have yet to hear an explanation of the 'watch stopping/starting' that adequately explains the phenomonena. The Big Ben episode I thought very interesting...Can't see that being faked.
We may be talking about different things here, I used to bend house keys, quite easily. I had a long shafted key with a hoop at the end, wrap the hoop with string, stick it up your sleeve, when the moment is right insert the house key into the hoop and give it a quick bend. If you bring the house key up at just the right angle it still looks straight, touch it with your finger and turn it slightly, looks like it bends. It sounds easy, it's actually quite difficult to get the moves and the timing right. (I was shockingly bad at doing it ! Thats why I stopped ;D )
As for starting watches, try it yourself. Next time you're in someones house ask if they have an old watch stuck in the back of a draw. Hold it tightly in your hands and get everyone to shout START ! Chances are it will soon be ticking away. Most old watches are jammed or just forgotten, the heat of your hand can make the oil flow, the movement of showing it around can free the mechanism, many apparently "broken" watches will move again, even if it is only for a few seconds (Just right for a TV guest spot) Never seen him do it with a digital watch...
Ah now, Big Ben stopping. As far as I know he's claimed this a couple of times. The first time I just happened to be on holiday in London at the time, a lot of people noticed it had stopped. Of course Geller was in the papers the next day, he's used his powers to stop it ! ! ! Wonderful ! Only problem is, I don't recall him being in the papers the day before telling us what he was about to do
It is possible to bend the longer shafted keys,though a shorter 'normal' front door key is much harder.This is the type I was referring to.
I concede that this type of key can be bent using trickery. Actually most Paranormal events can be faithfully reproduced by Magicians. I just don't think I can dismiss Gellar at this moment in time.I don't believe there is enough negative evidence in at the moment to do so.
Whether others wish to do so.Is of course up to them.
As for the watches.I must disagree that most old watches are jammed...Most have just wound down though some are 'gummed up' with oil residue,where the oil has dried up ...Holding in hand and shouting start will not make them restart.
Watches also have many types of movements.I used to buy watches from auctions a few years ago.Most had stopped working.
Oil temperature or whether it flows or not will not have an effect on whether the watch restarts or not. Watches that have stopped because they have wound down cannot restart 'magically' in any manner.Also watches that have stopped because they are 'gummed up'...heating the oil won't make a difference as there is no oil left to heat just a sticky residue.
As for the Big Ben episode have looked into it a bit more.Gellar claimed he stopped Big Ben. He claims he faxed a games company BEFORE this happened.Haven't seen the fax claim...Would be interesting to see if is around on net.
I can understand people dismissing Gellar,fair enough.But I still believe there is some stuff that still requires explanation.
Also, there's that thing he does where he gets someone to draw a picture on a piece of paper. Then he acts out receiving the image from their minds, and draws what he gets. He makes much of the fact that not only is the picture he draws the same as the one the person has drawn, but also it is to exactly the same scale and measurements. This is obviously a trick of some kind, but how does he do it?
Can I answer your question with a question please ?
Why does the person have to draw the picture ? Why can Geller not just "read" an image they have in their mind ? Surely there is no need for pencil and paper to show mind reading ability. And don't let anyone tell you its to "concentrate the mind" or "So the person cannot change their choice". It's a trick and without pencil and paper it cannot be done, just like bending a spoon without holding it.
Yes, I know it's a trick, but how does he do the trick? I don't expect you to have all the answers, I just wondered if you knew. Also, if I'm going to be picky, I suspect that Gellar's argument would run like this - if Gellar has an impressionable person as his 'subject', and asks them to think of an image which he claims to then get from their mind and draw, there is nothing to stop the person from agreeing to the picture that Gellar has drawn being correct, whether it is or not. Conversely, if the person having their mind 'read' by Gellar wishes to discredit Gellar for some reason, what better way than to claim that the picture he has drawn is incorrect whether it is or not? Without the picture being drawn by the subject, there is no 'evidence' for the trick to work off. This is the same as a magician getting a person to pick a card, and then show the card to the audience, prior to the magician 'guessing' the identity of the card. The audience is the essential third party in the trick.
'All through this short life we give of ourselves, giving and giving and slowly diminishing. Leaving a mark that will gradually fade, ash in the breeze, snowballs in negative.'
Have a quick scout around the internet, there are many methods for the drawing stunt.
Not sure which method Geller uses, probably a variety, for different situations. But the most common method (which doesn't involve props like carbon paper or see-through envelopes) is pencil reading. Simply observing the movement of a pencil (even just the top of it) can give a lot of information, as can the sound it makes. As I said, the pencil and the paper, and sometimes the envelope, are essential devices for the trick to work. The ONLY thing you don't need are supernatural powers.
There's a wealth of evidence on the Net that exposes these magic tricks. There are also two books I'd recommend, Tony Corinda: 13 Steps to Mentalism James Randi (yes, him !): The Truth about Uri Geller.
If geller had any of the powers he claims he could do SO much more than simple magic tricks, it would be such a tragic waste if the most amazing, unique and special man on the planet had wasted his life in such a manner !
But No-one is arguing that these things can't be done via magic tricks.
Just that there may be other ways they may be done.
As the old saying goes 'There is more than one way to sakin a fox'...Not advocating this by the way...
If you had the power to read minds, why use magicians methods to show it ?
Geller says he bends spoons by the power flowing from his fingertips. One of his usual lines is "look I'm hardly touching it !" OK, so lay the spoon on the table and lightly pass your fingertips across it. Bend it in a way no magician could do, but in a way you could if you are genuine.
Not THAT argumentative. ;D
