Scamapalooza 47 - The Truth About Lie Detectors with Dr Celine Van Golde
The truth about lie detectors is…they probably don’t work. And they never did. A polygraph is little more than a device that measures...
C O N T A C T
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WORDS
“This author knows the world of scams and scammers... these books are not just entertaining, they are educational into the bargain”
– Australian Crime Fiction
It isn’t sleight of hand or smoke and mirrors that I make my living with – it’s words.
As well as performing and speaking, I am also the author of two best-selling books, with my latest book due out in mid 2020. I also have a popular blog, Scamopedia, and a podcast, Scamapalooza.
COMING SOON
My new novel will be out in 2020 (Pan Macmillan). For younger readers, it’s a memoir about growing up as a magician (that’s also a pack of lies).
“A sparkling debut about con artists on the make and on the lam… both entertaining and insightful.”
– The Age
“Johnson has dealt us an excellent hand, at once exciting and intriguing, with a sprinkling of wry humour.”
– Sydney Morning Herald
- 2 min
An evening with Penn & Teller
As a professional magician, I'm often asked the same question over and over. Who's your favourite magician? The answer hasn't changed in...
- 2 min
How to fool a magician with reality
Have you ever wondered what it must be like to be a magician watching a magic show? After all, we know all the secrets! Do we still get...
- 1 min
How to bend a spoon with the power of your mind
If you've seen The Bad Science Show or the Matrix or that one episode of Supernatural, then you'll know how powerful the idea of spoon...
- 1 min
The Best Illusion Of The Year
The Best Illusion of The Year contest was recently held by the Neural Correlate Society. The contest is a chance for scientists,...
- 2 min
Does learning magic make you creative?
Does learning magic make you more creative? As a professional magician of thirty years (I started young), I say: Yes! As a promoter of...
- 1 min
Science Gallery Melbourne
After a tiny, lockdown-induced postponement, Science Gallery Melbourne is finally opening to the public. Since the first Science Gallery...
- 2 min
The Life-Change Science of Detecting Bullshit
John V Petrocelli’s new book, The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit isn’t the first book written on the topic of bullshit. That...
- 2 min
Scientists did magic tricks for birds and here's what they learnt.
Performing magic with birds isn't new. The oldest recorded magic trick involves plucking a bird's head from its neck. (And putting it...
- 2 min
Why the hell do these snakes move?
Take a look at these snakes from Japanese psychologist and academic Akiyoshi Kitaoka That is, TRY to take a look at these snakes: They're...
- 1 min
George Washington's teeth and the backfire effect
I've been a big fan of Matthew Inman's The Oatmeal for many years. His comics perfectly balance my love of education and reason with my...
- 4 min
The magician I hate most in the world
I don't like being negative about other magicians, particularly those who've also dedicated their careers to science and critical...
- 4 min
The man who invented bunkum
Felix Walker was a 19th-century American congressman remembered for precisely one thing: giving half a speech. The year was 1820 and the...
- 2 min
The scientific secret behind carnival scams
If I had to list my top five things in the world it would look like this: 1. My wonderful daughter. 2. My other, slightly less wonderful...
- 2 min
What the hell even IS critical thinking?
Everyone knows critical thinking is important. It's a general capability for Australian students, employees demand it of jobseekers, and...
- 1 min
Do scientists go to heaven?
Sci Fight Science Comedy Debate is a quarterly event that brings together comedians and scientists to debate important topics in a very...
- 2 min
I accidentally turned my studio into an Escher painting
I painted the wall of my studio the other week and sent a photo to my friend Pablo. A few minutes later he responded: "WHY IS YOUR DOOR...
- 2 min
What my seven-year-old taught me about scams.
Adopt Me! is a massive multiplayer online game on the gaming platform Roblox. Aimed at preteens, the colourful game allows players to...
- 1 min
Six mind-bending furniture illusions
Usually, I like to share illusions you might not have seen before. And, with 73 million views and counting, Zach King doesn't need my...
- 2 min
Five books for critical thinking with kindness
In the quest to think more critically and not let our emotions cloud decision-making, it's easy to forget that we are human and, perhaps...
- 1 min
Creative thinking or critical thinking?
What is more important for students to learn? Thinking critically or thinking creatively? Should we spreading our intellectual net wide...
- 3 min
Who invented the colour blue?
I kicked open the bedroom, flicked the light, and shouted at Bridget, my wife: "ANCIENT GREEKS COULDN'T SEE BLUE." "Wha— "BLUE! THEY...
- 1 min
The Best Illusion Of The Year Contest
The Best Illusion of the Year Contest celebrates illusions, perception and the neuroscience that confounds our brains daily. Created by...
- 2 min
How optical illusions may help diagnose autism
Check out this simple optical illusion: Watching this illusion, it appears like a spinning cylinder. In reality, it is two columns of...
- 1 min
Learn anything with The Feynman Technique
The Feynman Technique is a brilliant method for learning new ideas from a 1966 lecture by physicist Richard Feynman. Feynman said:
I finally
- 2 min
Teachers can't make their students think critically (but that's ok)
I'm going to make a confession. I've spent close to twenty years teaching critical thinking to high school students even though all the...
- 6 min
How to play three card monte
In 1994, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Sheryl L. Parker was faced with a difficult ruling. Was three card monte a game of skill or a...
- 3 min
How to rig a coin toss
Back in 2016, Hilary Clinton won the Iowa Caucus off the back of a coin toss in high school gym. In 1903, the Wright Brothers choose the...
- 1 min
Sleight Night
32 seats 4 close up magicians 1 extraordinary monthly show Blink and you’ll miss it… On the third Wednesday of each month, the best of...
- 2 min
How To Win Rock, Paper, Scissors
Since my daughter started school, my life has become an endless series of games of Rock, Paper, Scissors. She has decided that this is...
- 2 min
Your child couldn't have painted that
Modern art is a scam. You hear it all the time. Wander through any exhibition of abstract or non-representational art and you'll...
- 1 min
Talking Bullshit at Skepticon 2019
Last weekend I had the pleasure of talking bullshit at Skepticon 2019. Here are some pics from the weekend
- 2 min
Manners maketh the mark
Amy was on holidays in Beijing when she made friends with a young Chinese student. The young woman was excited to be able to practice her...
- 3 min
Why your brain just let me steal your wallet
My all-time favourite movie scene comes from Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket. (Actually, my all-time favourite movie scene is when Little...
- 2 min
Fake monks making real money on the streets of Sydney
I got a Facebook message from The Daily Mail the other day. I cropped out the bottom half of my reply because my mother sometimes reads...
- 1 min
The Melbourne Magic Festival is dead! Long live Sleight Night
So the Melbourne Magic Festival is over for another year. But here you are, a magic junkie jonesing for your next fix of the impossible....
- 2 min
The Greatest Magicians Of All Time (you’ve probably never heard of)
Everyone knows the big names in magic. Copperfield. Angel. Penn. Teller. Johnson. But what about those magicians who’ve made an...
- 2 min
The magic of manipulation at the Melbourne Magic Festival
I have hired a business coach. Her name is Jo Gilbert and she provides me with fantastic advice on how to connect with the business...
- 2 min
The shared secret of magic and car crashes
I got rear-ended last week. I stopped suddenly in slow moving traffic and a black BMW slammed into the back of me, destroying the back...
- 2 min
How To Win Monopoly In Just Four Turns
I don’t know why anyone would want to play monopoly let alone dedicate the time to learning how to play well enough to win. Monopoly is a...
- 3 min
Why so many Melbourne audiences are falling in love with close up magic
Every month, I run an evening of close up magic with four of my magician buddies at The Laneway Theatre in Northcote. And every month,...
- 1 min
All magicians are liars
It is true, I can’t deny it: All magicians are liars. What’s more, I am a magician. Therefore, I am a liar. But here is where things get...
- 2 min
The movie that every magician needs to watch
Can you guess what my favourite movie of all time is? The Prestige? Nope. The Illusionist? Not even close? Now You See Me? Don’t insult...
- 2 min
I have five books of illusions to give away…or do I!
Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik’s new book of optical and other illusions culled from the Best Illusion of the Year Contest and...
- 2 min
What do you call an Irishman offering home repairs door-to-door? A con artist.
That is, at least, according to Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Marlene Kairouz who this week said that “If anybody knocks on your...
- 2 min
Champions of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles
Neuroscientists, magicians and friends of the podcast Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik have a new book of optical illusions...
- 1 min
48 – Card Counting With Dale Sadler
Imagine you’re a professional magician, performing a few card tricks at function when you’re approached by a mysterious stranger who...
- 2 min
The second Sleight Night proves the magic show wasn’t a fluke
Fool you once, shame on me. Fool you twice and it might just be the second ever Sleight Night. I’m absolutely loving producing and...
- 2 min
Sleight Night opening night brings a little magic to Melbourne
Its take years of planning, procrastinating and prestidigitation but, on 20 September, Sleight Night finally arrived at The Laneway...
- 2 min
Your password is bad and you should feel bad
We all have regrets. Dong Nguyen regrets creating the mind numbingly addictive game Flappy Bird. John Sylvan feels responsible for the...