Ian Rowland
Encyclopedia
Ian Rowland is a writer and entertainer who lives in South Croydon, just outside London
, England
. He is the author of The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading
.
He regularly gives lectures where he debunks paranormal
phenomena.
He was featured in the 1996 Channel 4 documentary Break The Science Barrier with Richard Dawkins
, where he showed various tricks, as he performs them in his lectures as an illusionist. He claimed to be able to recreate all the abilities shown by self-professed psychics, without having to resort to any supernatural or paranormal explanations.
On the ABC TV magazine Primetime, Rowland fooled a volunteer audience into thinking he could communicate with the dead. He is also a regular contributor to The Straight Dope Message Board and guest contributor of Staff Reports under the user name ianzin.
Citing Rowland's recitation of the tricks of "astrologers and psychics," journalist Malcolm Gladwell
has criticised the practice of offender profiling
by the FBI.
Ian Rowland is also often an assistant at the monthly meetings of the Young Magician's Club, at The Magic Circle
headquarters in London, helping under eighteens to teach and improve their mental magic tricks.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He is the author of The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading
Cold reading
Cold reading is a series of techniques used by mentalists, psychics, fortune-tellers, illusionists, and con artists to determine or express details about another person, often in order to convince them that the reader knows much more about a subject than they actually do...
.
He regularly gives lectures where he debunks paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
phenomena.
He was featured in the 1996 Channel 4 documentary Break The Science Barrier with Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
, where he showed various tricks, as he performs them in his lectures as an illusionist. He claimed to be able to recreate all the abilities shown by self-professed psychics, without having to resort to any supernatural or paranormal explanations.
On the ABC TV magazine Primetime, Rowland fooled a volunteer audience into thinking he could communicate with the dead. He is also a regular contributor to The Straight Dope Message Board and guest contributor of Staff Reports under the user name ianzin.
Citing Rowland's recitation of the tricks of "astrologers and psychics," journalist Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, CM is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
has criticised the practice of offender profiling
Offender profiling
Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to profile unknown criminal subjects or offenders. Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling,...
by the FBI.
Ian Rowland is also often an assistant at the monthly meetings of the Young Magician's Club, at The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle is a British organisation, founded in London in 1905, dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.- History :The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant...
headquarters in London, helping under eighteens to teach and improve their mental magic tricks.
External links
- www.ianrowland.com
- The Full Facts book of Cold Reading (book by Ian Rowland)