Old magician who likes old cars, and old whisky
TL;DR: I had a perfectly functional HTML file. It worked in every browser. It was beautiful. Then I decided to turn it into an Android app.
I’ve updated the Three Card Mystery trick to support remote performance via a phone call. Here are the key improvements:
Continue reading “Three Card Mystery: Remote Performance Edition”First let me describe the classic Hummer Trick.
It’s a beautiful card trick that looks like genuine mind reading, yet requires no sleight of hand, no marked cards, and practically no skill. All you need are three cards and an understanding of simple logic.
Continue reading “The Three Card Mind Reading effect as a phone app”I’ve used AI to create a tool for card magicians who work with deck stacks. This web application was inspired by Lloyd Barnes’s MAXIM app, which unfortunately kept crashing on my device. Rather than wait for fixes, I decided to create my own web-based alternative that captures the core functionality while adding some unique features.
Continue reading “Stack Reveal Helper: A Web-Based Card Magic Companion”Have you noticed how AI assistants always seem to think your questions are “brilliant” or “insightful”? How they’re unfailingly supportive, never tired, always available? It feels good—and that’s precisely the problem.
Continue reading “The Hidden Cost of Friendly AI: When Optimization Becomes Manipulation”We perform security theater daily. We update passwords, enable two-factor authentication, install VPNs, use encrypted messaging apps. We do these things because we’ve been told they make us “secure.” But what if I told you that despite all of this, you’re almost certainly compromised already—and that accepting this might actually be the most rational security posture?
Continue reading “Maybe We Should Just Accept We’re Compromised”We rely on software every day, and we usually assume that if a major company releases a program, it must be safe. But there’s a famous concept in computer science that shows exactly why that trust can be easily broken, even by the most well-meaning developers.
It all comes down to a fundamental question: How do you verify the tools that build the software?
Continue reading “The Trust Problem: Why You Can’t Always Trust the Software You Run”
Here are two techniques for controlling a spectator’s selected card to the 27th position in the deck, based on ideas from Ed Marlo.
Continue reading “Controlling a Card to Position 27: Two Methods from Ed Marlo”