This past weekend I rented The Prestige, a movie about magicians around the late 1800s/early 1900s.  This movie came out toward the end of last year, around the time another movie about magicians, The Illusionist, came out.  They were both good movies, worthy to rent.  Assuming it was based at least partly on fact, one thing I found interesting was the apparent fascination with magic or the mystical at the time.  People packed theaters to see these individuals work their craft with amazing tricks which seemingly defied logic.  I wonder why this particular time period brought forth this interest.  Was it because of increasing convergence of science/engineering with an older mindset which wasn't completely familiar with these things?  I think about today's age where such magic tricks probably wouldn't provide as much fascination with the general public; perhaps this is due to fact that we have grown much more accustomed to what technology can do and so it is more difficult for us to suspend belief (unless, of course, we watch a movie).  For the late-Industrial Age man it was likely much easier to be absorbed by the moment and become mesmerized.  While people would have generally experienced technology in many areas around 1900, the masses probably didn't have as much individual intimacy with technology as we have today.  The man of yesterday would have encountered new medicines, electric lights and appliances, train cars and so forth, but the man of today has computers in his home, a cell phone in his pocket, and online tax filing.  The difference is that people nowadays cannot live outside or avoid technology from entering his personal course of activities.  As such, they are forced to face it and become familiar with it, thereby eliminating much of the mystery behind it.  Agree/disagree?