Under the Big Top: Shhhhhh! The Show's about to start*... quick, take your seat, sit down, and don't make a move. It's been going on for centuries, and now--lucky you will be able to be a part of it, if you haven't already as a child (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Honestly, who hasn't thought of running away from home and joining the Circus (but I'd suggest you wait a couple of years, until you're a little older, and a little wiser, to make these decisions). It is tempting though, when they roll into town with their fancy wagons, and their loud music. Although, the circus may not be as prevalent as it once was, there are new acts being created to entice crowds around the world. [previously]
posted by hadjiboy on Mar 31, 2008 - 14 comments

The Most Expensive Drink at Starbucks.
posted by dhammond on Dec 21, 2007 - 65 comments

20 bar tricks for getting free drinks
posted by AceRock on Nov 2, 2007 - 45 comments

The Ultimate Entertainment Device And Practical Tool: The Toothpick
posted by Xurando on Nov 1, 2007 - 29 comments

So you're at your favorite night spot , and your looking to impress the ladies (or the men for that matter) why not have a few Zippo tricks up your sleeve? What better way to enjoy a coffin nail than with a flourish? More inside? Yes. [more inside]
posted by nola on Oct 18, 2007 - 18 comments

Dice Stacking. Yes, it is a thing. Yes, it is impressive. Yes, it is real. Yes, it is so impressive that you will doubt that it is real.
posted by Rock Steady on Sep 27, 2007 - 47 comments

Want to learn some coin tricks? There are six fundamental tricks you need to learn: the coin spin, one-finger spin, the walk down, the edge walk, the coin flip, and the coin roll. Once you have these mastered, you can do some amazing tricks with the videos and instructions at Coin Manipulation and from Expert Village.
posted by blahblahblah on Aug 1, 2007 - 13 comments

Friday Flash Fun: Dolphin Edition. It takes a little practice, and you probably should read the directions first.
WARNING: May lead to a drop in productivity, sensation of lost time, or feelings of isolation.
posted by kyleg on Aug 18, 2006 - 16 comments

Interesting juggling routine video - set inside an inverted 8 foot tall plexiglass cone, the performer incorporates the curves of the transparent walls around him to unique effect. More by the same guy here.
posted by jonson on Jun 1, 2006 - 50 comments

www.bookofcool.com [flash]. A cool idea for cool tricks.
posted by movilla on May 26, 2006 - 4 comments

Pharmaceuticals have many tricks up their sleeves.
posted by reverenddrjice on Dec 2, 2005 - 21 comments

The glass trick. (Note: includes embedded video. Soundtrack is mostly in Japanese but can be ignored.) I've been a magician for almost 40 years now and am up on the latest tech but I have very little idea of how the performer accomplishes what you see in this video.
posted by lupus_yonderboy on Nov 19, 2005 - 68 comments

"These are 20 of the most awesome trick shots I have created and learned over this summer." Warning: embedded wmv
posted by jonson on Sep 6, 2005 - 21 comments

Michael Hutchings' rope trick and Dylan Thurston's two-handed knot-drawing sk1llz. Did you need to kill some time practicing pointless skills today?
posted by Wolfdog on May 6, 2005 - 12 comments

Amazing basketball shots from the DC training facility.
posted by driveler on Apr 9, 2005 - 28 comments

Mind control revealed. Derren Brown, magician turned hypnotist, performs amazing feats of mind control and then gives away the basic psychological tricks he uses. The link is to the video clips from England's Channel 4, an article is here. Via boingboing.
posted by blahblahblah on Mar 29, 2005 - 31 comments

Tricks of the Trade . In an article in The Morning News, Defective Yeti asked readers to reveal the secrets of their profession:

Attorney: Do whatever it takes to fit your contracts onto a single page. Even sophisticated negotiators can be charmed by the lack of a staple.

Auto Mechanic: Always put copper grease on the battery terminals after servicing a car. The performance benefit is negligible, but when customers look under the hood they will immediately see that something’s changed and thus feel happy to pay you.

Handyman: If you have to change a light bulb where the glass is broken, you can press a potato into the metal base to unscrew the remains of the bulb from the fixture. Got any secrets to success or even just survival in your racket?
posted by planetkyoto on Aug 24, 2004 - 130 comments

Pen spinning is very cool. Have a look at Pentrix, with guides to help you learn, videos of some very nice looking variations, basic tricks and combinations. A word of warning though, trying these things in an open environment may well annoy your fellow humans; but this may be the only distraction for the bored and restricted office worker.
posted by ed\26h on Jul 2, 2004 - 16 comments

Penguin Magic is a magicians' supply vendor with a nice bonus: almost all the tricks/props/gimmicks have videos of professional (well, competent, at the very least) magicians performing the tricks/props/gimmicks in question. (This is quite well done.) Everything is categorized--street tricks, close-up tricks, levitation, et cetera--and apprently this magic thing is serious business. The feats are slick, the instructions are largely on DVD, and the community does not expose any secrets . . . but that's what keeps you looking, right?
posted by littlegreenlights on Feb 8, 2004 - 7 comments

ATTENTION ALL GROWNUPS. "Your "inner child" has long been waiting for a chance to usurp control of your body and force it to perform certain actions. The time is now at hand. Read and follow the instructions below."
posted by Fat Elvis on Feb 18, 2003 - 15 comments

Pen Spinning was cool, but now there's ZippoTricks!
posted by TuxHeDoh on May 23, 2002 - 12 comments

Bored at work? Need a new hobby? Want to impress others with your skillful, delicate hands? Try some pen spinning. Here's a site dedicated to nothing but the art of the spin. There are even videos. Idle hands are the devil's playground.
posted by ColdChef on May 13, 2002 - 26 comments

Need a great prank? Whether it is for your office, your sig O or if you just want to be evil in general, this website is for you. The site has everything from bad pickup lines to strange laws to personality quizzes... My personal favorite to date, in the article section is the Free Baby ad. Just a little something to give you a giggle on a Monday. Enjoy!
posted by gloege on Feb 25, 2002 - 22 comments