The Illusion of Logic: Technology Through a Magician's Eyes

“What you must learn is that these rules are no different than the rules of a computer system. Some of them can be bent. Others can be broken. "
-Morpheus

The world of technology seems logical, objective, and to operate by consistent rules. Reality can be illogical, subjective, and even random at times. Yet we accept subjective reality as-is; our single perspective is all we can really know.

In the end, reality constrains engineers and magicians reshape reality. Perhaps reality is not what it seems.

Join Michael Carducci, magician and software architect, as he takes you on a journey through the marriage of the logical and the illogical, the intersection of magic and technology. Discover what each has to teach the other, and how you can apply the lessons to transform your skills and your career.

With over 25 years of experience in both fields–and a lifetime of successes and failures–Michael shares his deeply reflective, unique, and authentically honest perspective on both careers, dealing with problems, challenges, wins, and losses.

This talk combines illusion, engineering wisdom, life lessons, and the stories that connect them. You'll be astonished, engaged, and leave with an entirely new perspective on technology and life.

About Michael Carducci

Michael Carducci spent years learning to see things as they actually are; first as a magician, then as a software architect, now as both simultaneously. And somehow that’s not even the whole story.

He’s the author of Mastering Software Architecture (Apress, 2025) and is currently writing The Semantic Layer. He has spent over 25 years following interesting problems; through roles from individual contributor to CTO and back again, across industries and continents.

As a speaker, he applies the same toolkit he uses in close-up magic: attention, misdirection, timing, storytelling, and the instinct to take the long way around when that’s where the truth lives. Audiences at hundreds of conferences across four continents have described his talks as the kind that change how you think about a problem rather than just what you know about it.

He also makes YouTube videos about technology and curiosity with his wife Kate, because some ideas are too important (or too interesting!) to leave only in conference rooms.

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