A Pickpocket's Tale

the article shares a title with a pretty good book about crime and punishment in late 19th century new york. I recommend reading it, it's a pretty good example of how some things have not changed in the last 100 years (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0393329895/)

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.

Strange the article is dated January 7, 2013. Did I miss something?

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 magic industry, but Apollo's expertise extends much further, to applications in law enforcement and military intelligence.

Apollo practices not only pickpocketing, but also putpocketing, where he plants an object on the spectator (in their pocket, etc). Their reaction, upon reaching into their pocket to discover a random, rubber shrimp, is pretty funny.

Interesting to note is that when Apollo is doing a stage performance, the audience often KNOWS he is a pickpocket. The participant on stage KNOWS he is going to try to steal something. But the more they consciously try to prevent it, the easier he can divert their attention right where he wants.

Most impressive about Apollo isn't what he does, though - it's how he does it, and how deep his understanding is of why it works. If you're interested in that sort of thing, definitely check out the book Sleights of Mind (featuring Apollo's insight on the neuroscience of magic) and the television special Brain Games, with Apollo and David Copperfield. Both are fascinating.

- jonathan bayme

What a bizarre thing to ask!