Lighting newspaper with QI

[vbloke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ5cuv8PwYw

That looks highly dubious to me.

We see him tear the sheet of paper, cut to him scrunching on the floor (why not in his hands then put it on the floor?) and then cut to him (the shape of the scrunched up paper seems to have changed a well) concentrating on the paper.

When it finally ignites, it appears to do so from underneath (at time 3.02), after he has pressed down on it which makes me think there is some sort of chemical reaction occurring here, contact between something on the paper and something on the floor; which would explain why the paper was positioned on that spot on the floor and scrunched around the edges, rather than in his hands and placed on the floor.

Why go to the effort of pressing it to the floor and trying to keep it in one spot by pressing around the edges if you're only using mind power? Why not scrunch it in your hands and light it in your hands and drop it when it ignites, or scrunch it in your hands and put it on the floor anywhere and light it? The fact that the video cuts and isn't a continual shot from paper rip to lighting is highly suspect as well.

[Cuddles]

I believe this is the one that was brought up on the JREF forums. Before he scrunches up the paper he has a cigarette, afterwards he doesn't. Suspicious, no?

My favourite quote has to be "The electric eel has also learned to harness it's yin and yang power".

[Admin]

I think this illusion can be done with chemicals and magician's flash paper.

I guess a cigarette could be used but wouldn't the smell be a give away? ???

[median]

My initial thoughts are that the shock 'experienced' by the crew is some sort of static discharge perhaps triboelectric?

Also, if he is claiming to start a fire with this inner electricity then this would require substantial amperage.

One could try and set alight a piece of tissue paper with a piezoelectric oven igniter to see how difficult it could be? ???

[Admin]

I remember my cousin taking great delight in giving me electric shocks as a kid. >:(

He had a small circuit which worked off a small 1.5V battery. There must have been a capacitor/inductor or something but it gave off quite a noticeable shock. Or it seemed like it to me. :(

I wonder if he has something like that concealed on him with very fine, camouflaged wires on his hands.

[Araneus]

I wouldn't take a video as evidence of anything -- otherwise we would have to believe that the X-Men and Lord of the Rings exist in real life as well.

[median]

I wouldn't take a video as evidence of anything -- otherwise we would have to believe that the X-Men and Lord of the Rings exist in real life as well.

McKellen-entary, my dear Araneus :o

[Cuddles]

I guess a cigarette could be used but wouldn't the smell be a give away? ???

Well the cigarette was there for all to see, so the smell wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately they cut the video from a shot of him smoking straight to the fire being lit, so we can't actually see if he got rid of it earlier or if he could have concealed it.

[huw-l]

When I saw the thread title I thought this was going to be about paper combusting from the proximity of Steven Fry. Sadly not.

Do we know what the source of the vide is? It looks like a sort of sub-Whickers World.