October 2008
Magician: Frozen but not foolish
David Blaine is more
than a mere "magician," even though he built his early reputation as a
street performer doing magic tricks with decks of cards. He's become one of
the most famous "endurance artists," pushing his body to the limit in
extreme stunts that put his very life in danger.
In one such stunt,
Blaine was entombed in an underground box beneath a three-ton water-filled
tank for seven days across from Trump Place in New York City. Inside the
cramped "coffin," Blaine had access only to a small amount of water and a
hand buzzer that would have alerted a rescue crew, but which he never used.
When magician and
endurance artists David Blaine had himself frozen inside a block of ice
for three days, he wasn't foolish enough to attempt the ordeal without
using the latest in physiological monitoring equipment. Thought
Technology's NeuroInfiniti instrumentation kept track of his vital signs
on the Times Square billboard..
The next daring feat he
planned -- being frozen in a block of ice -- attracted the attention of the
medical community, which wanted to closely monitor his physiological signs
during the entire process. The experts were divided as to how he should
prepare for what he called his latest "endurance experience," but there was
general agreement that if he wanted accurate readings, he needed to use
Thought Technology instrumentation. This is the same company that built the
NeuroInfiniti instrumentation used by doctors of chiropractic.
For the 62 hours that Blaine
was encased in a six-ton block of ice located in the middle of Times Square,
the Thought Technology NeuroInfiniti instrumentation monitored his EKG heart
rate, respiration and body temperature. Thought Technology President Dr. Hal
Myers was on site to personally ensure Blaine's vital signs were properly
monitored.
Blaine was hooked up to
a tube that supplied air and water, and another that disposed of his urine.
For 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds, he endured what no human being has
ever survived -- being locked in a tomb of ice -- before being freed by
workers using chain saws. Through it all, the Thought Technology
instrumentation monitored him and flashed the results on the famed Times
Square electronic billboard.
The magician may have
been frozen, but he wasn't foolish enough to attempt the endurance ordeal
without using the latest in physiological monitoring equipment!
