REVEAL THE SECRETS BEHIND FAMOUS MAGIC TRICKS

Magic is the alleged ability to manipulate supernatural forces. More specifically, stage magic is the art of making things happen that appear to be impossible. 

It is an ancient art, used over the centuries for both entertainment and deceit, and knowledge of magical techniques figures heavily in the modern skeptical community as a means of detecting fraud amongst those who claim paranormal powers or phenomena.

Rational Wiki notes that several of the best-known skeptical authors, including Martin Gardner, James Randi, and Penn & Teller are trained magicians, as is debunker Derren Brown. Skeptical magicians have been critical to exposing the bad behavior of alleged psychics and faith healers; Randi’s two biggest trophies are Uri Geller and Peter Popoff. Randi’s team has, at various times, convinced serious and well-regarded scientists that they are psychic or possess other paranormal powers, while simply using the tricks of a magician. These men, among others, believe that while scientists are generally logical folk, they do not necessarily understand the trickery used by magicians, and can therefore be still fooled by it.

Let’s take a look at a few famous magic tricks and see how they work.

How to Bend a Spoon

To successfully perform this trick, you first need to hide a small silver coin in the palm of your hand.

When you’re ready to ’’bend’’ the spoon, hold the coin in such a way that only the tip of it is visible.

Place the coin on top of the spoon’s handle so that it will look as though you are simply holding the spoon.

Press the oval end of the spoon against the table and try to make an impression of putting a lot of effort into ’’bending’’ the spoon. As you’re doing this, let the handle drop from the back of your hand.

Since the tip of the coin will still be showing, it will look like the spoon is actually starting to bend!

How to Cut a Person In Half

This trick starts with a woman climbing into a box. After some song and dance, the magician starts to saw/cut the woman in half. What is this sorcery? How could she survive such an ordeal!?

Here’s the trick: there’s more than one woman.

Often, the chamber that they sit in is deep, but the audience can’t see this. This provides both women with room. Sometimes, the magician asks the assistant to wiggle their feet after the cut has already taken place to further enhance the illusion.

How Indian Yogis (Street Performers) Levitate

If you’ve had the opportunity to travel around the world, then at some point you may have encountered “levitating” street performers. The “floating man illusion” is usually set up with one or two people. In both cases, it’s made to look like the performer is floating in mid-air, supporting his or her entire body weight with strength of their hand…

In the one-man version, the mystic will appear to float above a carpet or small garden in the sitting position while holding the top of a rod with his hand. To the onlooker, he’ll have the strength to do this for hours on end…

Indian yogis claim to have mastered the powers of this “levitation”. In reality, they’ve simply managed to trick unsuspecting bystanders by employing fundamental design principles and little bit of physics.

In short, the floating man illusion is accomplished via the strategic placement of steel rods and plates. And though the performers appear to be defying the laws of physics, the structure is remarkably stable and contains only three parts; 1) the seat, 2) the shaft, and 3) the plate.

Of course, there’s always a rug or garden to cover up the plate, and the street performer would also require long sleeves or baggy clothing to help hide the shaft.

Here’s some variations of the same trick, which work in similar ways:

How the Floating Woman Trick Works

The trick begins with an assistant laying on a table in front of the magician. The audience is amazed when the magician suddenly removes the table and assistant appears to levitate. The magician will then pull a hoop over the assistant to “prove” there are no devices or strings attached.

There are a few tricks of the trade the magician uses to pull off this crowd favorite.

The woman involved in the trick usually wears a long flowing dress that covers up – you guessed it — a mechanical levitation device hooked onto the magician. It’s up to the magician to distract the audience so they don’t clue into the existence of the device…

That’s where the hula hoop comes in.

To convince the crowd that nothing is attached to the woman, the magician moves a large hula hoop along the length of the woman. The location where the lift device attaches to the magician allows for the ring to pass smoothly over her body

Facebook security breach allowed hackers to control the accounts of up to 50 million users

An attack on Facebook discovered earlier this week exposed information on nearly 50 million of the social network’s users, 

The attackers exploited a feature called “View as” that lets users see their Facebook page the way someone else would. They could then potentially use it to take over the accounts and use them exactly as if they were the account holders.

Facebook said it does not know who the attackers were or where they were based. It also said it has already fixed the issue and informed the FBI and other law enforcement. It has also informed the Irish Data Protection Authority about the breach, a step required by Europe’s GDPR regulations.

More than 90 million users were forced to log out of their accounts on Friday for security reasons. Users do not need to take any additional security precautions or reset their passwords, said Facebook. All logged out users will receive a notification about the issue from Facebook.

The company says it does not know if the affected accounts were misused in any way or if any user information was actually accessed. It has turned off the “View As” feature that the attackers exploited while it investigates.

Facebook says the vulnerability is the result of three distinct bugs, and originally appeared in July 2017 when the company made a change to a video uploading feature. The company first detected some unusual activity — a spike in user access to the site — on September 16, 2018. It launched an investigation and uncovered this attack on Tuesday of this week. On Wednesday it notified law enforcement and on Thursday evening it fixed the vulnerability and began resetting login tokens.

The attackers stole Facebook “access tokens” which keep a person logged into their Facebook account over long periods of time so they don’t have to keep signing in. Facebook reset all 50 million, as well as tokens for an additional 40 million people who had used the feature in the past year as a “precautionary step.”

“The reality here is we face constant attacks from people who want to take over accounts or steal information…. we need to do more to prevent this from happening in the first place,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a call with reporters shortly after the announcement.

The announcement is the latest issue for the company, which has struggled with security breaches, privacy issues and misinformation in recent years. Facebook says it is investing heavily in security going forward, and increasing the number of people working on security from 10,000 to 20,000.

“Security is an arms race and we’re continuing to improve our defenses,” said Zuckerberg.

This baby chimp eating your papaya will fill you with sweetness just by watching it

With his big, round eyes, this baby chimpanzee has melted thousands of hearts around the world while eating a papaya.

The four-month-old ape can be seen in the video enjoying the sweet and juicy papaya alone as the camera records him eating.

The heartwarming video quickly made rounds on the internet after it was shared by user Tara Hoda on Facebook on September 10.

Tara Hoda took the advantage of the video to share what the baby chimpanzee has gone through at such a tender age.

Behind the round eyes and naive facial expression, the baby chimpanzee is actually one of the many wild animals who are lucky to be rescued by the chimpanzee sanctuary

Those primates who are not lucky enough to get to the sanctuary usually have their lives ended at the hand of illegal poachers or die during illegal pet trades.

The critically endangered species have dramatically decreased in population since the last twenty years.

To give a new hope and to conserve the chimpanzee population, a sanctuary was built in  Côte d’Ivoire to house the chimpanzees who are rescued from the illegal poachers, like this baby chimpanzee

Tara Hoda hopes that this video of baby chimpanzee will touch many hearts as well as to raise awareness about the welfare of this endangered species.

Watch this adorable baby chimpanzee eating a papaya in this video here

Woman runs hospice for abandoned dying dogs to give them the end of life they deserve

A woman from Mansfield has set up a hospice which treats pups who have less than six months to live.

Imagine being a dog, abandoned in the twilight years of your life, and left to die in the pound.

Heartbreaking, isn’t it?

Dog lover Nicola Coyle thinks so, which is why she set up The Grey Muzzle Canine Hospice Project – a hospice for dying, abandoned dogs.

46-year-old Nicola runs the hospice from her home and gives dogs the end of life they deserve by looking after them and helping them complete their bucket lists.

She takes in dogs from pounds and animal shelters, rescuing dogs who would otherwise be left to die there, or put down.

The retired nurse takes up to two dogs at a time, welcoming dogs who have six months or less to live.

Eating ice cream on the beach (Picture: SWNS)

Instead of living their final days locked away, dogs are treated to birthday parties, ice creams on the beach, steak pub dinners, and unlimited cuddles.

She even takes them through the McDonald’s drive-thru.

When the dogs’ final day comes, Nadine has them cremated and buries them in a special plot at her Nottingham home.

Eating ice cream in the park(Picture: SWNS)

Each dog has a different story, but Nicole thinks most of the dying dogs are abandoned by owners unwilling to pay for expensive vets bills or are ‘working dogs’ no longer considered useful.

One charity she regularly helps said they ‘couldn’t be more grateful’ to Nicola who has given some of their most desperate pets ‘love and care like they have never received’.

Eating ice cream on the road (Picture: SWNS)

‘It can be an utterly heartbreaking job, but someone has to do it,’ says Nicola.

‘I’m a complete animal lover and I just can’t bear the thought of them spending their final days, weeks or months without the love they deserve.

‘It can be really tough, but ultimately it’s so rewarding when you can make those times special.

‘I normally have a maximum of two dogs at any one time.

‘We’ll only take them in if the vet says they’ve got less than six months to live, so we’re focusing on end of life care.

‘I think the longest I’ve had one is around one year and the shortest was about two weeks.

‘I don’t know when their birthdays are so we make sure we throw all of them birthday party. If they’re well enough, we take them for a day at the seaside, they get fish and chips on the beach and ice cream.

‘We’ll also take them down to the local pub, it’s really dog friendly, and they’ll get a steak dinner too.’

Getting to ride in a police van (Picture: SWNS)

Nadine spends up to £500 on each dog, and pays for that with her own money, and cash raised through fundraising.

She’s been running the hospice out of her home for years, but only gave it an official name a year ago after caring for one of her favourites, Dougie the bulldog.

‘Dougie was found tied up outside a vet surgery one morning, and only given weeks to live after they found he had lymphoma.

‘He had the best temperament and just wanted to feel loved and safe,’ she says.

‘He was really poorly and not with us for long, but the difference I saw in him once he came with us from the pound, in just a matter of days, was incredible.

‘He was a totally different dog.

‘Dougie was about a year ago and that’s when I decided I didn’t want to see any more dogs go through that. I really believe they should get a nice ending.’

Living his best life at the Macca’s drive thru (Picture: SWNS)

Nicola asks the local vets, charities and pounds in the Sheffield and Nottingham area if they have any dying dogs that need end of life care.

Most are taken from places where they will be put to sleep if they are not re-homed within seven days.

Take Bumble, for example – a German Shepherd who was found as a stray, struggling to walk, with matted fur and an extremely painful back, in December 2017.

He was taken to Helping Yorkshire Poundies, a rescue and re-homing charity for abandoned dogs, but was extremely distressed and about to be put down when Nicola stepped in.

She threw him a birthday party and took him to the beach, before he passed away six weeks later.

Dogs are given love and cuddles that they may not otherwise receive in their end days (Picture: SWNS)

‘Bumble spent last weeks being spoilt in a comfortable home, and I couldn’t be more grateful,’ says Joanne Snaith, from Helping Yorkshire Poundies.

‘Nicola does an amazing job, taking in dogs when they’ve been kicked out by their owners right at the very end of their lives – giving them the love and care most have never received previously in their lives.

‘I absolutely admire the work of The Grey Muzzle Project.

‘Rescue is a very difficult “business to be in – it’s never ending hard work, and it’s heart breaking, but the majority of the time there’s a happy ending when the dogs find their new homes.

‘But for Nicola, she has to put herself through the emotional wringer with every dog, I can’t imagine how difficult that is.’

Scientists Make Incredible Discovery Inside Great Pyramids Of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza was built thousands of years ago, around 2500 BC, and is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 

Despite years and years of research, its properties and mysteries still fascinate scientists, who are discovering new things about it all the time.

The Pyramid, which stands at 481 feet tall, was built for Pharaoh Khufu, and as a result was also believed to contain mythical qualities and ancient secrets. However, scientists are now also trying to ascertain its physical properties too.

The latest discovery is no different, as researchers have found that the Egyptian Pyramid can concentrate electric and magnetic energy in

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 its chambers and below its base, creating pockets of higher energy within its walls.

Dr Andrey Evlyukhin, scientific supervisor and coordinator of the research, said:

Egyptian pyramids have always attracted great attention. We as scientists were interested in them as well, so we decided to look at the Great Pyramid as a particle dissipating radio waves resonantly.

Makes total sense, right? I know you all understand, but just for the sake of clarity, what that means is the researchers, from ITMO University, were checking out the electromagnetic energy in the Pyramid’s hidden chambers, including where the Pharaoh’s remains are.

They found that, for some reason, the Pyramid seems to be able to concentrate electromagnetic energy inside its hidden chambers.

Again, just for clarity, according to ScienceStuck, electromagnetic energy is:

The energy source required to transmit information (in the form of waves) from one place (material) to another. This information can be in the form of light, heat, or in any other form.

PA

The researchers said:

Facebook Launches Their Dating Functionality

Facebook Dating has launched in Colombia today, providing singles with a new data-driven way to meet a partner.

The platform avoids swiping, and limits users to showing interest 100 times per day. Dating profiles are separate from main profiles, as expected, but the dating functionality is housed within the main Facebook app.

On opt-in, singles can build a profile with up to 12 images. They can answer up to 20 questions about themselves, OKC-style, and add in details like religion, workplace and gender identity.

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A search function helps to filter results by religion, age, height, and whether or not individuals have children. Users can also specify a maximum distance, which is set at 100km by default.

It is also possible to ‘unlock’ specific events and groups and see Facebook Dating users who have done the same. This feature helps people to connect around shared interests, and may be a uniquely powerful offering in the space given Facebook’s data on user ‘likes’.

Facebook Dating has a separate interface to Messenger, and messages sent through the service will not be marked as ‘read’ once they are received. Recipients have chats land in their ‘interested’ tab, before moving to the ‘conversations’ tab if they choose to reply.

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Opening messages should be tied to a feature of the recipient’s profile, cutting down on generic first lines. Pictures cannot be sent via the in-app messenger, helping to reduce instances of lewd images arriving unsolicited. Further, singles will not be able to send multiple messages to someone who has not responded to their first message.

The service is geared towards long term, meaningful connections, and does not aim to compete directly with apps like Tinder and Bumble.

Adult Facebook users will receive a notification at the top of their news feed encouraging them to try Facebook Dating as it rolls out in their region.

Finding a romantic partner is deeply personal, which is why we built Dating to be safe, inclusive and opt-in. Safety, security and privacy are at the forefront of this product. We worked with experts in these areas to build protections into Facebook Dating from the start, including the ability to report and block anyone; prohibiting people from sending photos, links, payments or videos in messages; and by providing easy access to safety tips. These features and others give you more control and peace of mind. Learn more about privacy and Facebook Dating here.