look at the big picture — the arc of history — things are getting better. Literacy rates are higher, extreme poverty is down, access to information is exploding. Just the fact that a kid in a remote village can watch a physics lecture from MIT on a phone blows my mind. That kind of access to knowledge used to be unthinkable. How do you stay healthy and energized? I’m still vegan. It’s better for my health, the planet and animal suffering. I exercise, and I make a conscious effort to be social. Left to my own devices, I’d sit alone and type, but isolation is killing us as a culture. My kids are 19 and 20, which keeps me connected, and I try to see friends, even when I’d rather stay home. Once I’m with them, I’m glad I came. What do you hope people take away from your shows? That we can share reality. Skepticism isn’t about being closed-minded — it’s about using evidence so we can agree on what’s real. We can disagree on solutions, but we have to start from the same facts. Magic, silly as it is, deals with the most profound question there is: How do we know what’s true? Penn & Teller will be performing at Mesa Arts Center on Nov. 6. To learn more or buy tickets, go to mesaartscenter.com . 9 10 The duo describes themselves as “two eccentric guys who’ve learned how to do a few cool things.”

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