A Pickpocket's Tale

Post by jufo » Tue, Jan 01, 2013, 9:05 AM UTC

mmahemoff wrote: post #15

I've been reading this book about the neuroscience of magic - http://www.sleightsofmind.com/ . The authors worked with magicians like Teller to understand the neuroscience behind their tricks.

Post by wging » Tue, Jan 01, 2013, 10:06 AM UTC

rdtsc wrote: post #26

kjackson2012 wrote: post #11

Fascinating article! The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I'…

> I've conditioned myself to put all my things in my front pockets, My friend got his wallet stolen from his front pocket on his shirt. The pocket was buttoned down and he was also wearing a winter jacket on top of it as well. It happened in a crowded city bus. That is really just a goldmine for pickpockets. Well usually. It hasn't worked out for that particular group really as we managed to catch one of them (crowde…

Post by gregschlom » Tue, Jan 01, 2013, 10:11 AM UTC

sharkweek wrote: post #17

GuiA wrote: post #4

Thanks, great article! Pickpockets fascinate me. A recent hobby of mine has been to steal people's straws in drinks at parties (a way to practice without being arrested when you fail :-) )- it's a fascinating thing to do: you have to observe how people behave, how they react when you talk to them, when you point at something with one finger, etc. I recommend trying it.

Not entirely related, but a fun psychological party trick. When someone is telling a story and you're standing next to them, start handing them random things to hold. You'll be surprised how many people will just start holding whatever you hand them; and by the end of their conversation they're normally confused, wondering why they're holding a bunch of random stuff, and you'll get a good laugh.

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jan 01, 2013, 10:42 AM UTC

rdtsc wrote: post #26

kjackson2012 wrote: post #11

Fascinating article! The one thing I've learned about pickpockets is not to let people get so close to you so that you are confused by all the "noisy" touches. That's how pickpockets work, either by getting large groups of kids to surround you and they start putting their hands in all your pockets (like what almost happened to me in Rome), or in crowded places like subways or tourist areas (like the Eiffel Tower). I'…

> I've conditioned myself to put all my things in my front pockets, My friend got his wallet stolen from his front pocket on his shirt. The pocket was buttoned down and he was also wearing a winter jacket on top of it as well. It happened in a crowded city bus. That is really just a goldmine for pickpockets. Well usually. It hasn't worked out for that particular group really as we managed to catch one of them (crowde…

Post by StavrosK » Tue, Jan 01, 2013, 11:33 AM UTC

lucian303 wrote: post #31

theory11 wrote: post #8

Apollo is a friend of mine - and he's without a doubt one of the most talented, intelligent performers working today. He has a frighteningly sharp understanding of misdirection, and how to control where you are looking and when. While a magician of sorts, Apollo's talent is unique from magic in that the secret is just as entertaining as the effect. Our company [ http://theory11.com ] is a collective of artists in the…

Nice. Putpocketing. I'd say that's easily just as if not more so valuable than pickpocketing. I'll leave the reasons up to your imagination.