Diaconis

😀Well, there is an easy method using a few grains of salt but in this case, I've not used that method, there are no additional substances used.

Here's another, safer one, from the same book. How do you balance a raw egg on its end? Here's a photo to prove it can be done. And not as Columbus did it😂

It's a problem Sword, you were able to ask that question if it occurred to you. That problem is posed in a 1930's magic magazine and was posted as written. Several answers were returned the following month and the only one that worked was the sprinkling of salt. I've a large collection of very old conjuring books and they are full of this stuff, most of which I've tried. Here's a snippet from a book from 1873, the subject of which I'll admit to not having tried out yet. If any of our members are brave enough, let us all know how it goes...How times have changed.

lay the string over the ice cube, shake plenty of salt on top of the cube. In a few moments the cube will freeze to string and can be lifted. Also works with a match or toothpick.

An ice cube floats in a glass of water. Problem: lift it out with a piece of string. Must not touch the cube with fingers, or knot the string in any way.

😅The second one is possible in 4

Paddy, i get this instead of this

This one was inspired by one of our members. What's the top view?

And finally Esther The Queen can move any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or diagonally but must cover all 9 of the shaded corner squares in 4 moves. An old chestnut in another guise.

Paddy, please put me out of my misery, I've got it down to four but three seems impossible, thx

Maybe this one will elicit a response. Referring to the layout below, the problem is to draw a line connecting the 3's, a separate line connecting the 2's and a separate line connecting the Aces. You can't cross any line and you cant go out of the layout or cross over any card.

Enough of robots, here’s an easier version I use and you can do in real life. Again with a numismatic flavour. You need two spectators. Give them a coin and tell them that one is to lie and the other is to tell the truth. Turn your back to them and let them decide on who will be the liar and who will hold the coin. You turn around and ask one question to either person and you know who holds the coin. Same principle so it should be easy. Whats the question?

Oh Mr. Blakey

One with a numismatic flavour. You can do this simply with a pen and a piece of paper. You turn your back and ask someone to draw any number of coins in a row. Just circles, no need to ask him to replicate the effigy of George V, though that would be fun. Then he is to cover them with his hand or a piece of paper so that you are unable to see exactly how many coins there are. He is to leave only the first coin visible. When you turn around you tell him that you will now write down the exact number of head/tail combinations of all of the coins he has drawn. You do this and when he lifts his hand to reveal exactly how many coins he drew, your prediction is spot on.

With only two hourglasses, one of 7 minutes and one of 11 minutes you want to hard boil (very hard) an egg for exactly 15 minutes...

😂 I agree, as they say Paddy, one man’s noise is another man’s music.

It's not that surprising why Mary and Joseph couldn't find room at an inn.. hotels get really busy around Christmas time. Are there a lot of first-person singular objective pronouns in English or it is just me? Why is October 4th a trucker's favorite day? Because it's a big 10-4 good buddy! Dr. Dre may not be a real doctor, but he's performed hundreds of hip hop orations. People are shocked when they find out what a bad electrician I am. Charles Dickens orders a martini. The bartender smiles a big, smug, 'aren't-I-clever smile' and asks, "Olive or twist?" I can't believe they haven't come up with a cure for world hunger yet. I thought it'd be a piece of cake.

Nice one Sword. To add realism it should be worn for a few years to get some nice tatty frayed holes in it.

Armchair Dylanologists will be sorting away to Murder Most Foul.

Side business?

Washing day https://coinsweekly.com/coin-care-in-simple-terms-part-2-washing-day/

That's £62k then. Excellent news.

Luckily for the David Lynch they weren’t around back then. For me, a Rice Krispie box doesn’t quite possess the same pathos as a jute sack, don’t you think?