1
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Do you think it's possible to control someone's attention?

2
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Even more than that,

3
00:00:06,500 --> 00:00:09,816
what about predicting human behavior?

4
00:00:09,816 --> 00:00:12,035
I think those are interesting ideas, if you could.

5
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I mean, for me, that would be the perfect superpower,

6
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actually kind of an evil way of approaching it.

7
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But for myself, in the past, I've spent the last 20 years

8
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studying human behavior from a rather unorthodox way:

9
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picking pockets.

10
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When we think of misdirection,

11
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we think of something as looking off to the side,

12
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when actually it's often the things that are right in front of us

13
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that are the hardest things to see,

14
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the things that you look at every day that you're blinded to.

15
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For example, how many of you still have your cell phones

16
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on you right now?

17
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Great. Double-check.

18
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Make sure you still have them on you.

19
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I was doing some shopping beforehand.

20
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Now you've looked at them probably a few times today,

21
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but I'm going to ask you a question about them.

22
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Without looking at your cell phone directly yet,

23
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can you remember the icon in the bottom right corner?

24
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Bring them out, check, and see how accurate you were.

25
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How'd you do? Show of hands. Did we get it?

26
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Now that you're done looking at those, close them down,

27
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because every phone has something in common.

28
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No matter how you organize the icons,

29
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you still have a clock on the front.

30
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So, without looking at your phone, what time was it?

31
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You just looked at your clock, right?

32
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It's an interesting idea. Now, I'll ask you to take that a step further with a game of trust.

33
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Close your eyes.

34
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I realize I'm asking you to do that while you just heard

35
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there's a pickpocket in the room, but close your eyes.

36
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Now, you've been watching me for about 30 seconds.

37
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With your eyes closed, what am I wearing?

38
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Make your best guess.

39
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What color is my shirt? What color is my tie?

40
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Now open your eyes.

41
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By a show of hands, were you right?

42
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It's interesting, isn't it? Some of us are a little bit

43
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more perceptive than others. It seems that way.

44
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But I have a different theory about that, that model of attention.

45
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They have fancy models of attention, Posner's trinity model of attention.

46
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For me, I like to think of it very simple, like a surveillance system.

47
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It's kind of like you have all these fancy sensors,

48
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and inside your brain is a little security guard.

49
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For me, I like to call him Frank.

50
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So Frank is sitting at a desk.

51
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He's got all sorts of cool information in front of him,

52
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high-tech equipment, he's got cameras,

53
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he's got a little phone that he can pick up, listen to the ears,

54
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all these senses, all these perceptions.

55
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But attention is what steers your perceptions,

56
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is what controls your reality. It's the gateway to the mind.

57
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If you don't attend to something, you can't be aware of it.

58
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But ironically, you can attend to something without being aware of it.

59
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That's why there's the cocktail effect:

60
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When you're in a party, you're having conversations with someone,

61
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and yet you can recognize your name

62
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and you didn't even realize you were listening to that.

63
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Now, for my job, I have to play with techniques to exploit this,

64
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to play with your attention as a limited resource.

65
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So if I could control how you spend your attention,

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if I could maybe steal your attention through a distraction.

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Now, instead of doing it like misdirection

68
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and throwing it off to the side,

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instead, what I choose to focus on is Frank,

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to be able to play with the Frank inside your head,

71
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your little security guard,

72
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and get you, instead of focusing on your external senses,

73
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just to go internal for a second.

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So if I ask you to access a memory, like, what is that?

75
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What just happened? Do you have a wallet?

76
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Do you have an American Express in your wallet?

77
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And when I do that, your Frank turns around.

78
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He accesses the file. He has to rewind the tape.

79
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And what's interesting is, he can't rewind the tape

80
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at the same time that he's trying to process new data.

81
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Now, I mean, this sounds like a good theory,

82
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but I could talk for a long time and tell you lots of things,

83
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and they may be true, a portion of them,

84
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but I think it's better if I tried to show that to you here live.

85
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So if I come down, I'm going to do a little bit of shopping.

86
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Just hold still where you are.

87
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Hello, how are you? It's lovely to see you.

88
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You did a wonderful job onstage.

89
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You have a lovely watch that doesn't come off very well.

90
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Do you have your ring as well?

91
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Good. Just taking inventory. You're like a buffet.

92
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It's hard to tell where to start, there's so many great things.

93
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Hi, how are you? Good to see you.

94
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Hi, sir, could you stand up for me, please? Just right where you are.

95
00:04:00,474 --> 00:04:02,143
Oh, you're married. You follow directions well.

96
00:04:02,143 --> 00:04:03,326
That's nice to meet you, sir.

97
00:04:03,326 --> 00:04:07,176
You don't have a whole lot inside your pockets. Anything down by the pocket over here?

98
00:04:07,176 --> 00:04:09,720
Hopefully so. Have a seat. There you go. You're doing well.

99
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Hi, sir, how are you?

100
00:04:11,628 --> 00:04:13,658
Good to see you, sir. You have a ring, a watch.

101
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Do you have a wallet on you?
Joe: I don't.

102
00:04:15,839 --> 00:04:17,167
Apollo Robbins: Well, we'll find one for you.

103
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Come on up this way, Joe.

104
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Give Joe a round of applause.

105
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Come on up Joe. Let's play a game.

106
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(Applause)

107
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Pardon me.

108
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I don't think I need this clicker anymore. You can have that.

109
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Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

110
00:04:32,603 --> 00:04:34,562
Come on up to the stage, Joe. Let's play a little game now.

111
00:04:34,562 --> 00:04:38,275
Do you have anything in your front pockets?
Joe: Money.

112
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AR: Money. All right, let's try that.

113
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Can you stand right over this way for me?

114
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Turn around and, let's see,

115
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if I give you something that belongs to me,

116
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this is just something I have, a poker chip.

117
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Hold out your hand for me. Watch it kind of closely.

118
00:04:52,786 --> 00:04:55,320
Now this is a task for you to focus on.

119
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Now you have your money in your front pocket here?
Joe: Yup.

120
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AR: Good. I'm not going to actually put my hand in your pocket.

121
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I'm not ready for that kind of commitment.

122
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One time a guy had a hole in his pocket,

123
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and that was rather traumatizing for me.

124
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I was looking for his wallet and he gave me his phone number.

125
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It was a big miscommunication.

126
00:05:08,819 --> 00:05:12,158
So let's do this simply. Squeeze your hand.

127
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Squeeze it tight. Do you feel the poker chip in your hand?
Joe: I do.

128
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AR: Would you be surprised if I could take it out of your hand? Say yes.

129
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Joe: Very. 
AR: Good.

130
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Open your hand. Thank you very much.

131
00:05:21,034 --> 00:05:22,679
I'll cheat if you give me a chance.

132
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Make it harder for me. Just use your hand.

133
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Grab my wrist, but squeeze, squeeze firm.

134
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Did you see it go?

135
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Joe: No.
AR: No, it's not here. Open your hand.

136
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See, while we're focused on the hand,

137
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it's sitting on your shoulder right now.

138
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Go ahead and take it off.

139
00:05:36,566 --> 00:05:38,038
Now, let's try that again.

140
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Hold your hand out flat. Open it up all the way.

141
00:05:39,914 --> 00:05:42,426
Put your hand up a little bit higher, but watch it close there, Joe.

142
00:05:42,426 --> 00:05:45,983
See, if I did it slowly, it'd be back on your shoulder.

143
00:05:45,983 --> 00:05:47,423
(Laughter)

144
00:05:47,423 --> 00:05:49,750
Joe, we're going to keep doing this till you catch it.

145
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You're going to get it eventually. I have faith in you.

146
00:05:51,288 --> 00:05:54,030
Squeeze firm. You're human, you're not slow.

147
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It's back on your shoulder.

148
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You were focused on your hand. That's why you were distracted.

149
00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:01,353
While you were watching this, I couldn't quite get your watch off. It was difficult.

150
00:06:01,353 --> 00:06:03,131
Yet you had something inside your front pocket.

151
00:06:03,131 --> 00:06:05,269
Do you remember what it was?

152
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Joe: Money.

153
00:06:06,246 --> 00:06:09,686
AR: Check your pocket. See if it's still there. Is it still there? (Laughter)

154
00:06:09,686 --> 00:06:11,655
Oh, that's where it was. Go ahead and put it away.

155
00:06:11,655 --> 00:06:14,243
We're just shopping. This trick's more about the timing, really.

156
00:06:14,243 --> 00:06:15,715
I'm going to try to push it inside your hand.

157
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Put your other hand on top for me, would you?

158
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It's amazingly obvious now, isn't it?

159
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It looks a lot like the watch I was wearing, doesn't it?

160
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(Laughter) (Applause)

161
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Joe: That's pretty good. That's pretty good.
AR: Oh, thanks.

162
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But it's only a start. Let's try it again, a little bit differently.

163
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Hold your hands together. Put your other hand on top.

164
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Now if you're watching this little token,

165
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this obviously has become a little target. It's like a red herring.

166
00:06:39,220 --> 00:06:41,573
If we watch this kind of close, it looks like it goes away.

167
00:06:41,573 --> 00:06:43,673
It's not back on your shoulder.

168
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It falls out of the air, lands right back in the hand.

169
00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,213
Did you see it go?

170
00:06:48,213 --> 00:06:51,566
Yeah, it's funny. We've got a little guy. He's union. He works up there all day.

171
00:06:51,566 --> 00:06:53,402
If I did it slowly, if it goes straightaway,

172
00:06:53,402 --> 00:06:56,146
it lands down by your pocket. I believe is it in this pocket, sir?

173
00:06:56,146 --> 00:06:58,371
No, don't reach in your pocket. That's a different show.

174
00:06:58,371 --> 00:07:01,476
So -- (Squeaking noise) -- that's rather strange. They have shots for that.

175
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Can I show them what that is? That's rather bizarre. Is this yours, sir?

176
00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,878
I have no idea how that works. We'll just send that over there.

177
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That's great. I need help with this one.

178
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Step over this way for me.

179
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Now don't run away. You had something down by your pants pocket.

180
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I was checking mine. I couldn't find everything,

181
00:07:15,454 --> 00:07:16,759
but I noticed you had something here.

182
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Can I feel the outside of your pocket for a moment?

183
00:07:19,131 --> 00:07:21,389
Down here I noticed this. Is this something of yours, sir?

184
00:07:21,389 --> 00:07:24,034
Is this? I have no idea. That's a shrimp.

185
00:07:24,034 --> 00:07:26,160
Joe: Yeah. I'm saving it for later.

186
00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,208
AR: You've entertained all of these people in a wonderful way,

187
00:07:29,208 --> 00:07:30,373
better than you know.

188
00:07:30,373 --> 00:07:34,134
So we'd love to give you this lovely watch as a gift. (Laughter)

189
00:07:34,134 --> 00:07:35,522
Hopefully it matches his taste.

190
00:07:35,522 --> 00:07:37,245
But also, we have a couple of other things,

191
00:07:37,245 --> 00:07:40,488
a little bit of cash, and then we have a few other things.

192
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These all belong to you,

193
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along with a big round of applause from all your friends. (Applause)

194
00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:46,467
Joe, thank you very much.

195
00:07:46,467 --> 00:07:53,863
(Applause)

196
00:07:53,863 --> 00:07:56,387
So, same question I asked you before,

197
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but this time you don't have to close your eyes.

198
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What am I wearing?

199
00:08:01,848 --> 00:08:04,739
(Laughter)

200
00:08:04,739 --> 00:08:10,550
(Applause)

201
00:08:10,550 --> 00:08:12,899
Attention is a powerful thing.

202
00:08:12,899 --> 00:08:15,698
Like I said, it shapes your reality.

203
00:08:15,698 --> 00:08:18,319
So, I guess I'd like to pose that question to you.

204
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If you could control somebody's attention,

205
00:08:20,190 --> 00:08:22,409
what would you do with it?

206
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Thank you.

207
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(Applause)