

How David Blaine Held His Breath - Muzza
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1736834,00.html

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yatsyk
This talk at TED
[http://www.ted.com/talks/david_blaine_how_i_held_my_breath_f...](http://www.ted.com/talks/david_blaine_how_i_held_my_breath_for_17_min.html)
is interesting. Like the moment when he talk that his ex-gf used time that he
spent underwater to read SMSes on his phone.

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cmod
Just a note: if you do watch this, watch it until the very last second.

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StavrosK
Why? I don't see anything.

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mcantor
He tears up at the end, just barely losing composure, as he explains what
magic--and, I imagine, life--means to him. I was certainly touched.

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StavrosK
Oh, I took your comment literally and thought the guy on the stage was someone
to note. I did see the end of the speech, yes.

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TamDenholm
I know a lot of people here aren't fans of Tim Ferriss but this is relevant.

[http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/10/30/how-to-
hold-...](http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/10/30/how-to-hold-your-
breath/)

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kadavy
I've tried this, and it worked very well; but it's dangerous from what I
understand - you can kill some brain cells.

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wallflower
> free divers, who descend to scuba-diving depths without the aid of equipment

Freediving is one of those sports that seem to deify and defy rational
explanation.

<http://www.cdnn.info/news/article/a040709.html>

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Avshalom
It should be pointed out that the unassisted static apnea record is 11.5
minutes. Making noise about Blaine's times sound a little silly.

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btilly
Citation, please.

The article claims that the record without oxygen assistance is 8:58. Your
11.5 claim would beat that by quite a bit.

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Avshalom
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-
diving#AIDA_recognized_wor...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-
diving#AIDA_recognized_world_records)

I guess to be fair at the time of the article AIDA's record was only 9:08. But
if the article is worth reading today it's worth comparing to today. The point
really is that holding your breath for 8 minutes was/is not the achievement
Blaine('s publicist) wanted it to be.

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latch
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammalian_diving_reflex>

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e40
Anyone else struck by what a bad speaker he is?

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nhebb
Starting off, I thought he sounded like he had just taken a bong hit while
pinching a loaf. As he went on, I became more and more engaged. Each minute of
the speech made me want to hear the next minute, and finally the conclusion.
So you have to ask yourself, what makes a good speaker - having polished
elocution or relating an engaging story?

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mcantor
Agreed. He's a great example of how successful storytelling can come from
charisma and passion as well as diction and articulateness.

