The speaker, Kyle Eshen, introduces himself as a magician and shares his love for the art form. He explains that magic is not just about sleight of hand, but also about understanding how people make inferences and draw conclusions. He contrasts this with a trick he calls "asinine," which he performs for comedic effect, and a more intriguing trick that explores the concept of inattentional blindness. This latter trick involves making citrus fruit appear under cups, demonstrating how people can miss something right in front of them if they are not paying attention. Eshen concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing and understanding our own cognitive limitations, a concept that he believes is beautifully embodied in the art of magic.
1. The speaker's name is Kyle Eshen and he is a magician.
2. Magic has been his hobby for several years.
3. He started his performance with a cheap visual stunt to grab the audience's attention.
4. He is a sleight of hand magician, manipulating small objects like handkerchiefs or playing cards.
5. He has been told that if he practices hard, he could work his way up to more elaborate stage productions.
6. He is fascinated with psychology and loves to learn about how people make inferences about the world, draw conclusions, and find patterns.
7. He is interested in all that can go wrong and how an individual can be led astray when certain cognitive vulnerabilities are exploited.
8. He believes that magic is a great way to explore these themes in a borderline ethical fashion.
9. He performed two tricks during his talk, the first one was a trick he considered 'horrible' and the second one was an example of improvisational magic.
10. He concluded his talk by discussing the concept of inattentional blindness and how it relates to magic.
11. He ended his talk with an inspirational message about the power of blind spots in our perception and cognition.