The curtain went up in “Heller’s Wonder Theatre” on Broadway to reveal a blindfolded lady comfortably seated center stage. A volunteer from the audience was solicited to “pick a card, any card!” She did so, thinking of course that it was a free choice. It wasn’t. Robert Heller, the premier American magician of the mid 19th century, was highly skilled at “forcing” a card. There was nothing really novel about that, but his revelation of the selected card was truly innovative. Heller resorted to chemical magic! He silently approached the bare-armed blindfolded woman and waved his hands above her. Suddenly a blood red image appeared on her arm, an image of the card that had been selected! The audience burst into thunderous applause.
I learned about Heller’s chemical conjuring from a marvelous book I received as a present. “Scientific Mysteries and How to Produce the Most Interesting Chemical, Optical and Physical Illusions” is for me a true treasure. Published in 1891 in London, the little volume is a compilation of various scientific effects that titillated Victorian audiences on the stage. Not only are some of the “tricks” truly ingenious, they also show clearly that those of us involved in performing chemical magic today may just be reinventing the wheel. A sobering thought.
About twenty years ago I purchased a gimmicked knife designed to create the illusion of slicing halfway through an arm. It came complete with a hidden bulb that could be filled with red food dye to squirt out at the appropriate moment. Why would I be interested in such a “gross” item? There was some method to the madness. I had in mind to incorporate this illusion into a lecture on the history of charlatans, having learned that at one time mountebanks performed the trick and then pretended to heal the cut on their arm with whatever wondrous nostrum they were selling. Actually, I’m not sure how they produced the “blood,” because my gimmicked knife really didn’t work well. The red dye didn’t seem to come from the wound and worse than that, it made a big mess. So I put on my thinking cap and hoped to find a chemical solution to the problem. The challenge was to create the illusion of drawing blood with a knife.
Chemical analysis often involves various color tests. Starch, for example, reacts with iodine to produce a deep blue color, chlorine with toluidine produces yellow, and iron reacts with potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) to form a “blood red” color. The latter is a very sensitive reaction and is commonly used by criminologists to test for footprints. Most soils will contain some iron compounds which stick to the bottom of shoes. Footprints that are invisible to the naked eye can therefore often be visualized by spraying with a solution of potassium thiocyanate.
Thinking that I was very clever, I decided to apply this reaction to my knife problem. I made a dilute solution of iron chloride (FeCl3) and rubbed some on my arm. After drying, it became invisible. Then I dipped the knife in a solution of potassium thiocyanate and was ready for the effect. I even had some patter for this, suggesting to the audience that the knife had to be disinfected before proceeding with the dangerous experiment. Lo and behold, it worked! The illusion was amazing. The knife seemed to slice right into my arm, producing “blood” appropriately. I was proud of my ingenuity.
Then I realized that it had all been thought of before. My hundred-year-old book describes Robert Heller’s illusion in detail. Using a camelhair brush dipped in “tincture of perchloride of iron,” he drew the desired image on the lady’s bare arm. Hidden in the magician’s hand was a small bulb filled with a solution of “potassium sulphocyanide” (KSCN) which he sprayed on the arm while waving his hands around in the time-honored fashion of magicians. And why did the lady have to be blindfolded? Simple. To protect her eyes from the chemical spray!
MONTREAL – Lightspeed Commerce Inc. says it is conducting a review of its business and operations including talks relating to a range of potential strategic alternatives.
The Montreal-based payments technology company made the comments after reports concerning a potential transaction involving the company.
Lightspeed says it periodically undertakes a review of its business and operations with a view of realizing its full potential.
A strategic review is often seen by investors as a prelude to a sale by a company.
Lightspeed says its board of directors is committed to acting in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
Company founder Dax Dasilva returned to the role of chief executive officer earlier this year and has been working to return the company to profitability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
OTTAWA – Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says there is a lot of uncertainty around how artificial intelligence could affect the economy moving forward, including the labour market and price growth.
In a speech in Toronto at the Economics of Artificial Intelligence Conference, the governor said Friday that the central bank is approaching the issue cautiously to get a better understanding of how AI could affect its job of keeping inflation low and stable.
“Be wary of anyone who claims to know where AI will take us. There is too much uncertainty to be confident,” Macklem said in prepared remarks.
“We don’t know how quickly AI will continue to advance. And we don’t know the timing and extent of its economic and social impacts.”
The governor said AI has the potential of increasing labour productivity, which would raise living standards and grow the economy without boosting inflation.
In the short-term, he said investment in AI is adding to demand and could be inflationary.
However, Macklem also highlighted more pessimistic scenarios, where AI could destroy more jobs than it creates or lead to less competition rather than more.
The governor called on academics and businesses to work together to shed more light on the potential effects of AI on the economy.
“When you enter a dark room, you don’t go charging in. You cautiously feel your way around. And you try to find the light switch. That is what we are doing. What we central bankers need is more light,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.
The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers.
United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.
The airline says Starlink will allow passengers to get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing.
