Irving Joshua Matrix
Encyclopedia
Irving Joshua Matrix born Irving Joshua Bush and commonly known as Dr. (I. J.) Matrix, was a fictitious polymath
scientist, scholar, and entrepreneur who made extraordinary contributions to perpetual motion
engineering, Biblical cryptography
and numerology
, pyramid power
, pentagonal
meditation
, extra-sensory perception
, psychic metallurgy
, and a number of other topics. He was an accomplished prestidigitator
and an intuitive mathematician
, two qualities which he put to good use in most of his enterprises. Being a fictitious character he could perform tasks that were logically impossible; for example, he could "clap one hand in the air" when summoning a waiter or a minion.
Dr. Matrix was a creation of mathematical columnist Martin Gardner
, who reported some of his doings in the Mathematical Games column of Scientific American
(starting in 1959) — partly to provide colorful context to mathematical puzzles and curiosities, partly as a satire of various pseudo-scientific theories; and always to provide a humorous introduction to the serious topic of the day.
, the eldest of seven children of the Reverend William Miller Bush, a Seventh-day Adventist
missionary
. He resided in Japan until the end of the second world war
, where he learned the secrets of the conjuring art and worked as assistant of the famous Japanese magician Tenkai
.
Presumably it was in Japan that he met Ms. Eisei Toshiyori, and where their daughter Iva Matrix was born. Iva accompanied Dr. Matrix through most of his public life, acting as assistant and manager in most of his enterprises. The author of the fictitious narrative pretended to be romantically interested in Iva, thus explaining his continuing interest in Dr. Matrix's activities.
Dr. Matrix was often persecuted by establishment authorities, and many times had to change abode and live under assumed names, with appropriate matching changed appearances. He was accused several times of fraud. He reportedly died in a duel against a certain Ivan Skavinsky Skavar, in circumstances as obscure and dubious as most of his career.
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
scientist, scholar, and entrepreneur who made extraordinary contributions to perpetual motion
Perpetual motion
Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not....
engineering, Biblical cryptography
Bible code
The Bible code , also known as the Torah code, is a purported set of secret messages encoded within the text Hebrew Bible and describing prophesies and other guidance regarding the future. This hidden code has been described as a method by which specific letters from the text can be selected to...
and numerology
Numerology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...
, pyramid power
Pyramid power
Pyramid power refers to alleged supernatural or paranormal properties of the ancient Egyptian pyramids and objects of similar shape. With this power, model pyramids are said to preserve foods, sharpen or maintain the sharpneses of razor blades, improve health , function "as a...
, pentagonal
Pentagon
In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. A pentagon may be simple or self-intersecting. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagram is an example of a self-intersecting pentagon.- Regular pentagons :In a regular pentagon, all sides are equal in length and...
meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, extra-sensory perception
Extra-sensory perception
Extrasensory perception involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was coined by Frederic Myers, and adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and...
, psychic metallurgy
Spoon bending
Spoon bending is the apparent deformation of objects, especially metal cutlery, either without physical force, or with less force than normally necessary...
, and a number of other topics. He was an accomplished prestidigitator
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
and an intuitive mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, two qualities which he put to good use in most of his enterprises. Being a fictitious character he could perform tasks that were logically impossible; for example, he could "clap one hand in the air" when summoning a waiter or a minion.
Dr. Matrix was a creation of mathematical columnist Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
, who reported some of his doings in the Mathematical Games column of Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
(starting in 1959) — partly to provide colorful context to mathematical puzzles and curiosities, partly as a satire of various pseudo-scientific theories; and always to provide a humorous introduction to the serious topic of the day.
Biography
He was born in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the eldest of seven children of the Reverend William Miller Bush, a Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. He resided in Japan until the end of the second world war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where he learned the secrets of the conjuring art and worked as assistant of the famous Japanese magician Tenkai
Tenkai
was a Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. He achieved the rank of Daisōjō, the highest rank of the priesthood....
.
Presumably it was in Japan that he met Ms. Eisei Toshiyori, and where their daughter Iva Matrix was born. Iva accompanied Dr. Matrix through most of his public life, acting as assistant and manager in most of his enterprises. The author of the fictitious narrative pretended to be romantically interested in Iva, thus explaining his continuing interest in Dr. Matrix's activities.
Dr. Matrix was often persecuted by establishment authorities, and many times had to change abode and live under assumed names, with appropriate matching changed appearances. He was accused several times of fraud. He reportedly died in a duel against a certain Ivan Skavinsky Skavar, in circumstances as obscure and dubious as most of his career.
External links
- Ask dr. Matrix An on-line cybernetic numerologist inspired to dr. Matrix