Skepticblog
About Mark Edward
Mark Edward is a professional mentalist specializing in magic of the mind. His amazing mind reading techniques make a statement about our limited powers of observation and our refusal to believe manipulation can easily happen to the best of us. He has performed as a psychic entertainer at the Hollywood hot spot Magic Castle as well as world-class venues, nightclubs and corporate events. His television appearances include A&E's Houdini the Great Escape, NBC's The other Side, two episodes of TLC's Exploring the Unknown, Emmy nominated, Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Talking to the Dead, and most recently he was the guest Medium on the season finale of Last Comic Standing.
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Skeptics Do the Rapture
In Your Face
On the afternoon of May 21st, a bunch of us troublemakers from the IIG got together with some poster-boards and moved into the faces of several hundred passersby near the corner of Highland and Hollywood Blvd. It was Harold Camping’s Big Day and we took advantage of the moment to capture all the attention we could. And you know what? People loved it. (continue reading…)
SkeptiCalCon
Casting My Spell at SkepticCalCon 2011
SkeptiCalCon 2 is now history and I arrived home last night exhausted but energized. It has been a busy two weeks of GUERRILLA SKEPTICISM. The crowd at SkeptiCalCon was a healthy one and I was delighted to meet many new faces. Lots of younger people are picking up the skeptical ball and running with it. (continue reading…)
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SkeptiCal 2011
Hey Everybody within shouting distance of California (and beyond), The SkeptiCal 2011 Conference is just around the corner! It will be held at the Berkeley Doubletree on May 29, 2011. Tickets are available for purchase now. Last year’s conference sold out past capacity, so please buy your tickets as soon as possible! (continue reading…)
comments (3)Nick’s Big Day
Nick Nelson
On April 30th the IIG tested Nick Nelson. After nearly three years of protocol wrangling, Nick drove to the CFI building in Hollywood to create what he calls an “energy vortex.” He failed to create anything. We were patient. We were compliant. We were professional. But frankly, I for one still have no idea what an energy vortex is. If Nick meant the optical illusion created by building off-kilter houses and forced perspective like the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz or the Haunted Shack that once was the only reason to journey to Knott’s Berry Farm, then yes I know what he meant. (continue reading…)
Ten23 and Me
By all homeopathic standards, I should have been dead for five days now. But no, I’m alive and never felt better thanks. As a part of the worldwide Ten23 Homeopathy There’s Nothing in It campaign, Susan Gerbic and I set up an overdose scenario and did our best to do something about this blatant fraud. Homeopathy is an unscientific and absurd pseudoscience, which persists today as an accepted form of complementary medicine, despite there never having been any reliable scientific evidence that it works. Consumers should be able to trust their local drug store to sell products that will help them, and not deny them the facts about products that are known to be useless. If there is nothing in it, it can’t do any harm, right? Wrong! Journalist and science writer Simon Singh MBE explains why homeopathy harms. (continue reading…)
One for the Books
A wonderful week at The Magic Castle has now passed and it was a great boost for me to get back on the stage where I had worked for so many years. I was “welcomed home” by many of the people I had grown up with in magic. A lot of the old timers who were such great teachers, mentors and friends were now gone. It was sad to note their passing on and to realize that now I'm one of the older guys. Ah well, there are far worse places to watch time pass. As usual, the performing of mentalism brought with it a number of situations that as a performer I always look forward to. Mentalism is different from standard magic in that there is an underlying belief system that can add another level of mystification to the proceedings. Confirmation bias runs rampant when you say you can read minds. When you add in late evening shows, a holiday week and plenty of alcoholic beverages, the chances get even better for what we in the trade call getting a “hit.” One that I quickly worked to my advantage happened like this:
As a sort of throwaway gag, I will sometimes walk up to a woman in the audience and say to them, “…Don't give me a hint or say anything,…your name is Carol right?” I always say Carol. Most of the time, that's wrong and when they reply with their name, say, Susan. I then dismiss them with a wave my hand, turn away and say, “…Aw Susan, Carol, …close enough! It takes me a while to warm up.”
comments (25)Back in Black
Awhile Back at The Magic Castle
After over ten years of banishment, I'm happy to announce that I have been granted permission to perform my mentalism act at Hollywood's Magic Castle. This hasn't been easy to accomplish. The history and reasons why it has taken this long to get back on track with the Greater Magic Community is a tale of how skepticism and magic can sometimes collide. Secret societies and magical training are the stuff of legend and even today, the selling or giving out of any perceived magical knowledge is a tricky business. There has always been a very thin line between magic and psychic fraud. And that's been the crux of the issue for many, many years. (continue reading…)
Magick to You.
Are these pictures just a bizarre coincidence? I think not. Magic ruled the shadowy midway at the Annual Hollywood Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park, CA. last weekend. (and continuing Thursday, Oct.28 -31.) Lot's of spooky fun for everybody and the chance for me to do my side-show act with plenty of ballyhoo. The crowds have been large and rowdy, just the way I like it. (continue reading…)
comments (9)Para-Con 2010
Dealing with the Woo
This last Saturday saw the “first annual” SoCal Paracon and the IIG took full advantage to show up and make our presence known to all those who may call themselves “paranormal investigators.” As we expected, it was a sparsely attended event, but that didn't stop us from putting out as many $50,000 Challenge Applications as we could and stating our case literally face to face with the wooyist bunch of people I have seen since my days working at a Spiritualist church. SoCal Paracon was a chance to stop talking and start walking and I'm proud to announce that IIG rose to the occasion. Although we still did a lot of talking, it was directly in the face of the people who need to hear what we have to say, and it made a huge difference. (continue reading…)
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John Edward Bingo Cards
There’s not much I can say to add to the brilliant ploy that The Granite State Skeptics devised and put to work last Tuesday night. I applaud them heartily for their efforts. (continue reading…)
comments (20)