TED Talks - Keith Barry Does Brain Magic

I have a strange obsession with all things magical, and by that I am not referring to a Harry Potter kind of mystical, but rather the magic show kind. I always thought it made me seem childish, but Keith Barry's presentation on deceiving the mind using just concentration was raw enough to draw even my pessimistic, realist father in. He watched it twice.
Keith Barry spent 20 minutes proving to his audience the infinite power of the mind.  Before beginning his show, Keith presented a gripping clip in which he drove through a foreign path, blindfolded and lead through the mind of a girl in the passenger seat. Yes, her mind. "Surely, it's rigged." That's what the audience thought. That's what my dad told me incessantly throughout the showing ("Technology these days... We are able to trick anyone."). It's not what I thought though because I'm gullible and easily fascinated. But to confirm his sorcery to his less amused watchers, Keith performed the magic on randomly chosen members of his audience. The participants were brought to the stage (which was void of a scantily-clad assistant or ostentatious decorations, making it more realistic), and their arm movements were controlled entirely by Keith's mind. To further prove his method, the participants were instructed to try the wizardry on each other without his help. At this point, it was difficult to leave the tab or even pull my eyes away from the video. My dad, though, was almost audibly rolling his eyes.
If all else fails, a leader finds loyalty in fear. Four cups covered small, wooden stands- one with a cuspidate stick on it. Keith Barry called on a new volunteer to guess at a cup to crush down, and maybe into, his palm. By implementing the potential consequence of pain if the volunteer guessed incorrectly, the magician proved that the mind is capable of doing almost all on its own. My father's distressed gasps after every guess ensured Keith's successful show.
Keith remained serious throughout a majority of his presentation to strengthen his logos. His solemnity allowed his show to steer away from being a potential video to entertain a kindergarten class with. The apprehension expressed in his volunteers posed as some comedic relief to show pathos. Barry's soothing tone used towards the anxious participants had butterflies infesting my tummy during every presentation. Keith Barry successfully and realistically proved to me that we live in a magical world!

I suppose Barry's argument is better shown than told: http://www.ted.com/talks/keith_barry_does_brain_magic.html