From Modern Mechanix, one of my favorite blogs, here's the Swami, a simple pattern you can cut out on a piece of plywood that will let you defy gravity!
As mystifying as the Indian rope trick, this magic marvel defies the laws of gravity.
PROBABLY Isaac Newton was right; but you couldn’t prove it with this gadget. It just seems to work contrary to all laws of gravity.
Swami, by itself, reacts like any other object: supported at one end only—it falls. But, add a fairly heavy belt, as shown in the photo, and it will not only stay up but actually take quite a bit of extra pressure to make it tilt down, even slightly.
We won’t tell you how or why it works. That is part of the mystery. Go ahead and make one and try to find out for yourself. You’ll be truly amazed.
This is SO going to my ever growing list of "to-do one day" projects: Link
So my guess would be that the curve in the shape above where the belt rests makes the belt lean towards you which puts the center of balance back at the tip of the swami where you hold it at. Very neat trick
http://www.neatorama.com/2007/12/12/two-forks-one-cup/
Shifting an object's center of gravity is not all that amazing.
It does cut into your finger a bit, though. ;-)