

Secrets of the Magus (1993) - kqr2
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1993/04/05/1993_04_05_054_TNY_CARDS_000362341?currentPage=all

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kqr2
The documentary _Deceptive Practices: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay_
was also just released.

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2654360/>

[http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/movies/deceptive-
practi...](http://movies.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/movies/deceptive-practice-the-
mysteries-and-mentors-of-ricky-jay.html)

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ryanmolden
"People ask me why I don’t do lectures at magic conventions, and I say,
‘Because I’m still learning.’ Meanwhile, you’ve got people who have been doing
magic for ten months and they are actually out there pontificating. It’s
absurd"

This.

~~~
SideburnsOfDoom
> "The Advanced Beginner stage is the last one in which the skill acquirer has
> no understanding of the big picture. As such, it’s the last phase in which
> the acquirer might confuse himself with an Expert."

It shows that Expert Beginner syndrome ([http://www.daedtech.com/how-
developers-stop-learning-rise-of...](http://www.daedtech.com/how-developers-
stop-learning-rise-of-the-expert-beginner) ) and associated Dunning-Kruger
effects isn't peculiar to software development, but is a general part of human
nature and flourishes wherever it is allowed to.

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phil
One of the greatest profile essays of all time, by one of the greatest
profilers.

"A small riot ensued."

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jonnathanson
I am always fascinated by portraits of mastery and, particularly, of masters
in obscure fields. There's a lot to learn from these stories. There are
universal lessons hiding beneath the candy coatings of idiosyncrasy and
eccentricity.

The (relatively) recent documentary _Jiro Dreams of Sushi_ is thematically
similar to this portrait of Ricky Jay. To watch it is to realize how a true
master is no longer shaped by his craft and his field, but indeed, shapes
them.

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gruseom
This is superbly entertaining.

