Found my way here via Reddit, and it really caught my eye as I’ve been an honest to goodness professional Mentalist for 22 years, and I absolutely love the potential that blockchain in general, and Ethereum specifically can offer people in terms of freedom, liberty, and radical self ownership.
Not sure how useful I can be on the coding side of things, but I’ve spent my life learning how & why people think the way that they do, and how to leverage applied psychology to influence behavior. Looking forward to lurking around here and contributing if/when it’s useful.
I can see an interesting application of your skills in the community: researching how certain transactions are understood to users, particularly if they are accomplished with interacting with physical objects or haptics on mobile devices. This kind of user interaction is not unlike how an audience of a magic act perceives information on cards, objects, or even concepts that are put into motion by the mentalist.
Magicians and mentalists are experts in the UX realm!
One recent example is using QR codes to transfer value such as in Austin Griffith’s “Burner Wallet” proof of concept.
Other examples:
the use of stamps as a way to associate a digital signature with a physical object
using cards to represent Ethereum smart contract actions (perhaps through Status.im hardwallet / card https://hardwallet.status.im)
That’s what I’ve said for a long time! My educational background is in fine art & design, and I’ve always seen a huge parallel in how magicians go about designing their effects and how designers create websites, apps, posters, or anything else that requires interaction with the user. It’s a connection that very few recognize or appreciate, so it’s awesome to see you recognize it.
The only place a magical effect exists is in the minds of the audience. It’s not real, you can’t point to it, but I still get paid good money to make it happen. It’s a meta-product of sorts, and it’s designed from the beginning to the end. Every gesture, word, and interaction is carefully choreographed.
I see Ethereum as a the magical substrate that makes a lot of meta-experiences possible, and I’m super stoked about it.
