Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Even knowing the secret of a magic trick you can still appreciate the skill and artistry of the presentation
As I said earlier this month, even knowing the secret to a magic trick doesn't diminish the awe in watching the skill and artistry in presenting the trick. Even Teller says as much (link via Bunny). For example, although Penn & Teller are doing the classic Ball and Cups routine with clear plastic cups unless you are paying very close attention, the baseball that pops up at the very end of the trick is still surprising.
But wait! I thought you had to create the universe first!
$1,500 for a sandwich might seem an exorbitant amount of money for just a sandwich, but perhaps not, if you make it from scratch. And by scratch, I mean starting with wheat seeds and spending the next six months growing and collecting the rest of the ingredients (link via Jason Kottke). I think most of us would know where to get salt from (he gets it from three gallons of ocean water) but what about rennet to make the cheese? Or how to properly kill and dress a chicken?
The series makes me appreciate the modern food supply chain that exists. And the $1,500 price tag not only included the raw materials (about $500 worth) but his time (at minimum wage) spent directly making this sandwich.
![[The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades]](https://www.conman.org/people/spc/about/2023/1023.t.jpg "The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades")