How David Blaine Held His Breath | Hacker News Reader

How David Blaine Held His Breath

time.com

91 pointsMuzza22 comments

This talk at TED http://www.ted.com/talks/david_blaine_how_i_held_my_breath_f... is interesting. Like the moment when he talk that his ex-gf used time that he spent underwater to read SMSes on his phone.

I don't understand why people aren't more concerned with the fact that he's conflating being a magician (illusions) with pulling off medical feats? I think we should be raising the question of whether this stuff is real.

EDIT: Funny, I paused to make this comment immediately before his story about the doctor suggesting the illusion of not breathing.

wow. This talk was intense. Definitely one of the best talk from TED

Just a note: if you do watch this, watch it until the very last second.

Why? I don't see anything.

He tears up at the end, just barely losing composure, as he explains what magic--and, I imagine, life--means to him. I was certainly touched.

Oh, I took your comment literally and thought the guy on the stage was someone to note. I did see the end of the speech, yes.

Really? It seemed like poor acting to me? I duno, just didnt seem real.

I think the TED video is a lot better than the original submission. Thank you very much.

How to transfer 90 gb data laptop to desktop.

I know a lot of people here aren't fans of Tim Ferriss but this is relevant.

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/10/30/how-to-hold-...

I've tried this, and it worked very well; but it's dangerous from what I understand - you can kill some brain cells.

> free divers, who descend to scuba-diving depths without the aid of equipment

Freediving is one of those sports that seem to deify and defy rational explanation.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/article/a040709.html

It should be pointed out that the unassisted static apnea record is 11.5 minutes. Making noise about Blaine's times sound a little silly.

Citation, please.

The article claims that the record without oxygen assistance is 8:58. Your 11.5 claim would beat that by quite a bit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-diving#AIDA_recognized_wor...

I guess to be fair at the time of the article AIDA's record was only 9:08. But if the article is worth reading today it's worth comparing to today. The point really is that holding your breath for 8 minutes was/is not the achievement Blaine('s publicist) wanted it to be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammalian_diving_reflex

Anyone else struck by what a bad speaker he is?

Starting off, I thought he sounded like he had just taken a bong hit while pinching a loaf. As he went on, I became more and more engaged. Each minute of the speech made me want to hear the next minute, and finally the conclusion. So you have to ask yourself, what makes a good speaker - having polished elocution or relating an engaging story?

Agreed. He's a great example of how successful storytelling can come from charisma and passion as well as diction and articulateness.

There is so much conveyed in his body language. A lot is expressed; surprisingly little made it into words.

definitely.. but he can hold his breath!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com