As the gentleman in your second clip pointed out, there are ways to peek around or through the blindfold. If you make that truly impossible, the 'seers' can't 'see' any more.
In Kuda Bux's case, it's possible that the people putting on the blindfolds may be confederates who move the flour paste a bit, in the process of putting on the gauze and (perhaps partially transparent) towels, to make a small gap by the side of his nose, through which he can see.
Like T(h)ink said, there are, in some cases "peeking" tricks.
In other cases, the magician and the assistent use code words or phrases, while talking or joking to entertain the audience.
Last, but not least, there are ways of educating blind people to improve the other senses, like hearing, touching, smelling, and skills, including physical and mental exercises, emboldening them and allowing them to be more active and independent. And also seeing people can follow such trainings.
Some people have (limited) psychic ability. A few possibly have a lot. But the third eye? It's just an idea brought in from eastern mysticism that makes the product easier to sell.
However...
I was working at a festival a few years ago and said to a woman, "May I touch your third eye?" She looked at me as though I had only recently come down from the trees, but reluctantly said, "Yes."
So I touched her somewhere about mid-forehead and said, "Your name is Dianne, isn't it?"
She was astonished ... until I pointed out that I'd seen it on her driver's licence when she opened her wallet.
But exactly what do you mean by psychic ability? To actually be able to read people's minds, for example, or simply to have an unusually keen ability to pick up on non-verbal cues?
P.S. If I had been that woman, I would have first asked, "And just WHERE on my body do you propose to touch my third eye?"
Psychic ability? Sometimes somebody might know something before it happens or when it's happening in another place. Almost always that can be written off as chance but once in a while it's real. And, yes, I have seen confirmed cases of this.
It can only ever be anecdotal. But I'm not trying to persuade you of anything, just offering an opinion based on experience. And, yes, as a natural sceptic I will agree with you that the vast majority of claims can be dismissed as self-delusion. Hell, they SHOULD be dismissed.
Yes, I think we all have had these kinds of experiences from time to time, but if they can never be more than anecdotal, then they seem like material for the Journal of Irreproducible Results.
A trick, and an old one.
So, what is the trick?
As the gentleman in your second clip pointed out, there are ways to peek around or through the blindfold. If you make that truly impossible, the 'seers' can't 'see' any more.
In Kuda Bux's case, it's possible that the people putting on the blindfolds may be confederates who move the flour paste a bit, in the process of putting on the gauze and (perhaps partially transparent) towels, to make a small gap by the side of his nose, through which he can see.
Like T(h)ink said, there are, in some cases "peeking" tricks.
In other cases, the magician and the assistent use code words or phrases, while talking or joking to entertain the audience.
Last, but not least, there are ways of educating blind people to improve the other senses, like hearing, touching, smelling, and skills, including physical and mental exercises, emboldening them and allowing them to be more active and independent. And also seeing people can follow such trainings.
The "third eye" is a mystical and esoteric concept: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_eye
Some people have (limited) psychic ability. A few possibly have a lot. But the third eye? It's just an idea brought in from eastern mysticism that makes the product easier to sell.
However...
I was working at a festival a few years ago and said to a woman, "May I touch your third eye?" She looked at me as though I had only recently come down from the trees, but reluctantly said, "Yes."
So I touched her somewhere about mid-forehead and said, "Your name is Dianne, isn't it?"
She was astonished ... until I pointed out that I'd seen it on her driver's licence when she opened her wallet.
@ Didge:
But exactly what do you mean by psychic ability? To actually be able to read people's minds, for example, or simply to have an unusually keen ability to pick up on non-verbal cues?
P.S. If I had been that woman, I would have first asked, "And just WHERE on my body do you propose to touch my third eye?"
But you weren't and she didn't.
Psychic ability? Sometimes somebody might know something before it happens or when it's happening in another place. Almost always that can be written off as chance but once in a while it's real. And, yes, I have seen confirmed cases of this.
Non-verbal cues? You're talking about fairground fortune tellers and, fair comment.
Ah, well, it must be that Aussies are more trusting than New Yorkers.
But I'm curious as to how the psychic cases you have seen were confirmed. I'd love to see scientific proof of such phenomena.
It can only ever be anecdotal. But I'm not trying to persuade you of anything, just offering an opinion based on experience. And, yes, as a natural sceptic I will agree with you that the vast majority of claims can be dismissed as self-delusion. Hell, they SHOULD be dismissed.
Yes, I think we all have had these kinds of experiences from time to time, but if they can never be more than anecdotal, then they seem like material for the Journal of Irreproducible Results.