2016-09-21

This week kicks off with a look at the rise of vaping, the decline of public infrastructure, and whether it's okay for authors to sign their own books in the airport store.

Merlin (finally) figures out how to join Slate Plus, John reminisces about Yahoo!, and both hosts advocate strongly for the vanishing genre of slow-paced movies about how things get made.

The main topic this week is magic and superstition. What delights (or angers) your hosts in a magic show? Why can't Cardini get rid of those cards?

Merlin admits he's superstitious about his water heater, and John reveals how he learned not to mind when his plane takes off. John cruelly schools Merlin on why he should stop trusting himself.

(Recorded Monday, September 12, 2016)

This episode of Reconcilable Differences is sponsored by:

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Squarespace: Enter offer code DIFFS at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

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Links and Show Notes

A man, a ball, a hoop, a bench (and an alleged thread)… TELLER! - Las Vegas Weekly

How to Become Pope - YouTube

Muni Metro Map | SFMTA

Bay Area Rapid Transit | bart.gov

Big Tobacco vs. Little Vape | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | TBS - YouTube

A Pattern Language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure): Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel: 9780195019193: Amazon.com: Books

Membership - Relay FM

Slate Plus

Merlin's Tip: use a mobile device to sign up and GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY.

Shopkins Mega Pack, Season 5 - Walmart.com

Accidental Tech Podcast: 187: Putting Plastic on Your Couches

6 only-for-iPad gestures you need to know | Macworld

Arrested Development - "It's an Illusion" - YouTube

"A trick is something a whore does for money…or cocaine."

Ricky Jay and His 52 assistants - YouTube

Ricky Jay - Amazing Card Trick/Manipulation - YouTube

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012) - IMDb

Richard Valentine Pitchford - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cardini - YouTube

TV Magic Cards with Marshall Brodien (Commercial, 197?) - YouTube

Penn and Teller Bullet Trick - YouTube

Apollo Robbins: The art of misdirection | TED Talk | TED.com

Supernatural pickpocketing skills!! Awesome to watch! - by Apollo Robbins - YouTube

Apollo Robbins, The Master Pickpocket Tricks of the Trade - YouTube

Apollo Robbins: The art of misdirection | TED Talk | TED.com

A Pickpocket’s Tale - The New Yorker

"Robbins held up a thin, cylindrical object: the cartridge from Jillette’s pen."

Numbers in Chinese culture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WAR GAMES Gen. Beringer SPARK PLUG - YouTube

Why Does Scratching An Itch Make It Worse? | IFLScience

Big Question: Why Does Scratching Make You Itch More? | WIRED

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