Have you ever seen a really good magician perform on live stage or even better close up?

Recently there was a conference on Sleights of the Mind or the Magic of Consciousness, and the New York Times covered it Tuesday, August 21, 2007. It has a lot of interesting and amusing quotes. The one problem this article and the scientists run into is created by scientists attempting to understand and explain the wonder of magic and mystery of selective awareness. This explanatory activity and analysis can destroy the magic and usefulness of the ability of the mind to function the way it does.

What redeems the article is the skill of the professional magicians who still amaze and confound the  bright researchers there. This obviously created internal states of fascination, curiosity and wonder in the minds of the reporter and many scientists who were there. What an amazing natural ability we have to maintain selective awareness. It keeps us sane.