Mark Mason

1 week ago | theimportanceofbeingtrivial.com | Mark Mason

Riffle shuffles, balance bikes and fronted adverbials The only way to learn how to do something is to do it. A few people in my magic sessions have asked about private lessons, and now those lessons are happening I’ve been reminded of a basic truth: in the end, learning is up to you. When I do an in-the-hands riffle shuffle, for instance, as I’m separating the two halves of the deck my right little finger comes out, making sure that the cards heading towards my left hand stay in line.

1 month ago | theimportanceofbeingtrivial.com | Mark Mason

How one punter made a bookie score an own-goal The World Cup is on its way, so bets are being made left, right and centre-half. You might pick the right two teams for the final, perhaps even the right score - but when it comes to beating the bookies, you'll never match Ray Spiller for sheer front. Ray was a founding member of the Association of Football Statisticians. He supplied facts and figures to all the major broadcasters and newspapers.

1 month ago | spectator.co.uk | Mark Mason

Talking to a former politician about lying felt very appropriate. It was during one of my ‘Magical Thinking’ sessions, a corporate team-building event I run in which I perform close-up magic tricks and the participants try to work out how they’re being done. Among those at this session was Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who had initially been baffled by a particular mentalism effect.

1 month ago | spectator.co.uk | Mark Mason

I was recently lent the latest Subaru Forester to test drive, and I enjoyed its sturdiness, its space and the frugality of its 2.0 hybrid engine. But as my mileage progressed over the course of a week’s bombing around the back roads of north Norfolk, I started to have a hankering for a nose ring,

1 month ago | spectator.com.au | Mark Mason

‘What’s the capital of Albania?’ The correct answer is, of course: ‘Who cares?’ If you’re at a quiz and this is one of the questions, find another quiz. Either you know it’s Tirana or you don’t, and in neither case is there any satisfaction. A really good quiz question is one you can work out.