It is possible, and more likely, I think, that a rather inelegantly complicated, expensive, slow, Rube-Goldberg conglomeration of objets trouvés was the first real replicator, and after it got the replication ball rolling, this ungainly replicator was repeatedly simplified in competition with its kin. Many of the most baffling magic tricks depend on the audience not imagining the ridiculously extravagant lengths magicians will go to in order to achieve a baffling effect. If you want to reverse engineer magicians, you should always remind yourself that they have no shame, no abhorrence of
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