The Amazing Randi uses shreds of styrofoam to demonstrate that a “psychic” is a fraud.
THIS sort of thing should be taught in public schools. Teach kids skepticism, teach them to question and to test and to use their damned brains rather than just believing whatever superstitious rubbish gets tossed at ’em. I had a materials science teach who was also a pretty good magician, and in retrospect a whole lot of engineers – not to mention a *vast* number of poli-sci and libarts students – could have benefited from a whole lot of that sort of thing.
Other ways Randi could have done this:
1: Some sort of tiny candles that produced a relatively large volume of smoke, placed between the “psychic” and the page
2: Streamers made of *really* lightweight paper, fabric or some kind of film
3: Put the book in a plexiglas box