In theatrical magic, misdirection is a method of deceit where the performer is able to draw attention of the audience to one thing to distract it from something else. Managing audience attention is the aim of all theatre, and is the primary prerequisite for all magic shows. It doesn’t matter if the magic is the “pocket trick” variety or an extensive stage production, misdirection is the central element. The term is used to describe either the result (the eye’s attention being drawn to an unimportant object) or the sleight of hands or patter (the magician’s speech) that creates it.

It is difficult to say who was the first person to coin the term, but the first reference to misdirection can be found in the writings of a renowned magician and writer, Nevil Maskelyne. it is a method of distracting the senses of the audience to block out from detection certain details for which secrecy is required. The same time, magicianand artist Harlan Tarbell noted, Nearly everything about sleight of hand depends on the art of misdirection.

A few magicians who have researched and evolved techniques of misdirection are Paul Rosini, Max Malini, Tommy Wonder, Derren Brown, Tamariz, Slydini, and Dai Vernon.

Henry Hay describes the chief act of conjuring as manipulation of interest.

Some magicians divert attention of the audience in two basic ways. The first is to make the audience turn their attention away for a short time, so that they don’t detect some sleight or move. The other approach re-frames the viewers’ perceptions, leading the audience into believing that an extraneous factor is a significant factor in the accomplishment of the feat even though it has no bearing on the result in any way. Dariel Fitzkee explains that the real talent of the magician is the ability that he displays in manipulating the spectators mind. In addition, sometimes, props such as the magic wand can aid in misdirection.

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Misdirection exploits the limitations of the human mind to create a false picture and memory. The brain of a typical audience member can only concentrate on one thing at the time. The magician utilizes this to manipulate the perceptions or ideas of the audience of sensory inputwhich leads them to incorrect conclusion.

Magicians have debated the meaning of the term, “misdirection,” causing many discussions regarding what it is and how it functions. Proficient illusionist Jon Finch identified a difference between direction and misdirection. One being a negative term, while the other is a positive. In the end, he considers the two as one thing. If a performer, by some means, has directed the thoughts of the viewers to believe that he has done something that he’s not done, he has wrongly directed them into this beliefwhich is why he has misdirected them.

Tommy Wonder has pointed out that it is much more efficient, from a magician’s point of viewin focusing on the positive aim of directing the audience’s attention. He writes that misdirection implies an untrue direction. It implies that attention is diverted towards something. Through constant use of this phrase, it eventually becomes so it is ingrained into our brains that we might start to think that misdirection is directing attention away from rather than toward something.

Tony Slydini explained that if a magician believes that, the audience will believe in it, and magicians are something that they cannot perceive. The trick is to accept what the magician says and then follows the magician. more info on misdirection

GPS Trackers Can Potentially Help Save Millions for Public Schools

GPS Tracking Systems Good for Public School Buses

The public school bus system in Cobb County, Georgia, has been utilizing GPS tracking systems to monitor and track its fleet of school buses. Prior to implementing the new GPS tracking technology, the county received numerous calls each day from flustered parents whose children were not picked up by the bus that day.

Whether the child overslept and missed the bus or the driver actually pass by the stop, school administrators had no way of confirming which reason it was. As a result the district paid for the additional gas, and sometimes overtime, to send a bus driver back out to pick up the child.

Since installing the GPS trackers, those so-called “courtesy runs” have been drastically reduced, as have parent complaints. And Cobb County school officials are crediting a device that’s no bigger than a cell phone.

The GPS tracking system monitors the current location of each school bus in its fleet, if and when a bus is stopping to pick up children and the speed limit. School administrators say the GPS devices provide crucial data to help create a better, safer service to and from school. However, driver advocates argue that they are an unnecessary expense, coming at a time when the school system can least afford it. They also argue that the devices are being unfairly used against the bus drivers.

“This system provides a level of safety equal to a supervisor on every bus,” said Lynn Simpson, the director of Fulton County Schools’ transportation department.

Although the GPS system costs about $600,000 a year, school officials say it saves $1.2 million annually by cutting down on gas mileage and driver overtime.

Bus GPS Fleet Tracking Provides More Than Cost-Savings

Administrators have used the GPS system to track how long bus drivers are on the road, which they say has effectively lowered overtime costs by cutting down on the timesheet exaggerations or inaccuracies that sometimes happen when they rely on drivers memories. This not only allows them to keep more accurate times on their drivers, they also provide a greater degree of accountability for both drivers and administrators.

The GPS devices also help the school system map more efficient routes. This allows drivers the ability arrive at their designated stops on time in the case of detours or accidents.

More importantly, administrators say the complaints made by parents have gone down since using the GPS tracking system.

“Now we know, for a fact, if buses are stopping on time,” said Rick Grisham, the director of Cobb’s transportation department. “Before, we were relying on bus driver and parent testimony.”

However, bus driver advocates say managers are using the data obtained from the tracking technology and using them against bus drivers, accusing them of speeding, driving recklessly, getting lost and dropping students off at school late.

“Employees don’t feel, as a whole, that the technology is being used to work together but as another tool to isolate individuals and go after them for termination,” said Mark Perez, a field representative for the Georgia Association of Educators, which advocates for bus drivers.

Perez said the costs are extraordinary at a time of state austerity cuts.

“Districts are reducing bus routes they offer to parents and reducing salary and benefits to employees to make up for the budget shortfalls,” Perez said. “And yet they’re spending a large amount of money for a new system that seems to be nice, but are they the most prudent expenditures inside the current economic situation? It’s like you would like to put in a nice deck or build a new pool but your house is upside down in mortgage. It’s not good math.”

Grisham, however, stands in full support for the new tracking system, as well as for the other tools that the administration has implemented to provide a safer, more efficient and cost-effective service for its students.

“It’s a non-stop battle to come up with ways to keep students safe,” Grisham said. “Minutes and seconds matter a lot in our business.”

Real-time GPS tracking systems, such as Tracking System Direct’s Connect GPS, can potentially help public school systems like Cobb County save millions in wasted time and fuel costs. It allows dispatchers and fleet managers the ability to monitor and track each bus in real-time from an internet-enabled computer, laptop or even a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, without having to contact the drivers and asking where they are.

And with the ShareSpot® feature, parents will be able to see precisely where their buses are in real-time from the school district’s website. This is especially helpful during inclement weather conditions. Parents can track where their buses are along its route and have their children at their stops right when the bus arrives instead of having to wait around and guess.

For more information about Tracking System Direct and the companies’ real-time GPS fleet management solutions, please visit them online at:

https://www.trackingsystemdirect.com