Zipcode Man
Street performer David Rosdeitcher has developed a most unusual talent. He has committed ZIP codes and their associated locales to memory and can tell you instantly where you are from when given the ZIP code. His initial street performing talent was juggling, and he developed the ZIP code memory feat when he moved to Boulder, Colorado, and found, since there were already some very talented jugglers performing in the area, he needed something new to help set him apart from the other entertainers.
Mr. Rosdeitcher’s earlier street performing had brought him to many different towns around the United States, and he was able to use his knowledge of the landscape to help him remember all the different ZIP codes, aided by the fact that they do have some logic to the way they are designated, i.e. the numbers start low on the East Coast and get higher as you move West. As the act proved successful, he started spending more and more time memorizing ZIP codes as well as pertinent facts about each location. Mr. Rosdeitcher has also taken to traveling abroad in order to expand his repertoire and currently can even perform the feat with many foreign countries’ postal codes and even say something in the person’s native language!
Our director, Bill Kalush, was on hand to witness one of Mr. Rosdeitcher’s performances. Bill was sure that he was going to see the Zipcode Man stumped, as he was in the company of Lennart Green, one of the premier masters of magic in the known and unknown universe and also a resident of Sweden. Both were shocked when Mr. Rosdeitcher, immediately upon hearing Lennart’s ZIP code, correctly guessed the magician’s place of residence (Gothenburg).
If you are interested in learning more about Zipcode Man, check out the interview he did with NPR (transcript available here): NPR Interview
Winston the Water Fountain
Here we have a young man performing a feat of water spouting on par with the Bellagio’s fountains! Okay, maybe not quite, but just as impressive considering the considerable differences in technological requirements. He showcases his novel ability in a couple of splendid feats including a complete brushing of his teeth, sans sink and faucet.
Sleight of Sand
A surprisingly beautiful demonstration of the esoteric art of sand painting by Kseniya Simonova, performed for Ukraine’s Got Talent. It’s a wonderful piece fluid and graceful. The morphing of one image into the next can be startling and rather magical. In fact, sand painting and magic share some history, as there have been numerous performers who featured both in their acts.
One of these was S. S. Henry, known for his “Vanishing Goat”, who, in addition to sand painting and magic, featured rag painting, smoke pictures, and chalk cartoons. Incidentally, Henry taught sand painting to Melba Dew, wife of magician Danny Dew, and the two of them performed an act together showcasing both of their talents.
For those of you that are interested, and can travel through time, here is an Abbott’s advertisement from the Sphinx purporting to give all the secrets away for just $3! (click image)
The Sound of the Voice
Greetings from Conjuring Arts! Our intrepid internet explorer, Steve Cuiffo, recently discovered that some other people, scientists, have discovered a way to levitate objects: with sound. Watch the fascinating video here or read the article first at: Acoustic Levitation.
Conjuring Arts Tries to Fill Steve Forte’s Shoes!
As many of you may have heard, Mr. Steve Forte recently put a large portion of his collection up for sale and auction. We managed to acquire several salient pieces which we have assembled at the Research Center and are exceptionally excited about. One item that particularly stands out is a pair of boots used for counting cards in the game of blackjack.
These boots allow the user to code the values of the cards that appear during the game through the use of the toes! As the cards are depleted, the user can receive information pertaining to the upcoming cards and bet accordingly. This can result in a considerable advantage. One can only hope that Nike will soon put out their own version of Nike Air Steve’s for public consumption. Can you imagine the commercial?
Handcuffs: A Rogue’s Gallery
An interesting collection of photos of handcuffs and restraints. We are not sure who owned this collection. If you know please let us know. Enjoy.
