Ungravity illusions
(Extracted from http://wiki.mindcloud.org/wiki/Ungravity_illusions ;-D)
This article is intended to be a short primer on random and bizarre illusions that can be rapidly and cheaply deployed, leaving amusement and confusion in your wake.
[edit] The Auri Plate Illusion
Where plates and paper napkins are served together, the Auri Plate Illusion can be generated to the amazement of nearby humans. Take the serviette or paper napkin and fold into a small brick. This can be used to slightly prop up a plate, either to allow it to stay remain or to elevate the whole thing. Combinations of napkin bricks can be used to produce both effects at once. The bricks are quite easy to place such that they are hidden by the plate from most angles - this will give the illusion that the plate is somehow hovering above the table. An arrangement of plates at all manner of jaunty angles can be assembled in a short amount of time, which makes this one perfect for any restaurant where the waiters don't ambush you as soon as they think you've finished your meal (increasingly hard to find). If the plates are removed before you get a chance to try this, then you can still levitate the thingy that the bill comes in, using whatever materials are at hand (possibly even money)!
[edit] Levitate your pencils and more!
Pencil levitation is not just for wiccan and vegan types! Yes, you too, can cause a eery display of any number of pencils hovering in a configuration of your choice, with just the power of your imagination - and a stapler. Simply choose a position on the pencil, then staple the pencil there in such a way that only one leg of the staple ends up embedded in the wood. You now have a nice little stand for the pencil, complete with a foot. Swivel and bend the staple around until you can get the pencil to remain standing while leaning skyward. Then stuff around with the orientation of the stand until you are happy with how the thing looks.
The distance of the staple from the pencil's centre of mass will determine the angle of lean - try setting up a few at different angles and create a nice arrangement! A second staple can be added to a pencil to give the illusion that a pencil is hovering completely above the surface. Rubbers are also a soft target for this sort of tomfoolery! Once you're done stapling as many pencils and erasers as you can find, prop the stapler up on some tiny bricks of paper (as in the Auri Plate Illusion) and add it to your installation! Your colleagues will be impressed, but more importantly, you will find it easier to slack off as you tweak and become absorbed by the aesthetic properties of your creation!
