Search found 909 matches
- April 5th, 2024, 11:40 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Diaconis interview
- Replies: 6
- Views: 679
Re: ERDNASE
David, many thanks for posting the youtube link for the film (I hadn't heard about its release either, but am woefully out of touch these days on magic news!), and thanks moreso for contributing to it with your valued perspectives on the technical and historical aspects of Expert and its author. For...
Re: Bad Magic
fred kirchner in part wrote: Is magic advancing or still almost a century behind?
Can you please clarify, a century behind what?
- January 3rd, 2024, 1:16 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: 2023 in Review
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2900
Re: 2023 in Review
Really enjoyed that, Dustin, thank you! Lots of time and love invested in it, for sure.
- December 30th, 2023, 3:46 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Harry Lorayne in NY Times Magazine feature
- Replies: 8
- Views: 2076
Re: Harry Lorayne in NY Times Magazine feature
My favorite quotation from the piece is: “We are all, each and every one of us, completely and irrevocably alone,” Lorayne wrote. But he had stumbled on a way to “relieve that loneliness just a bit.” The key was to look outward, with a wide-open mind: “I have never yet met anybody, from any walk of...
- December 26th, 2023, 1:08 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, et al.
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1770
Re: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, et al.
Happy holidays to all, in the hope that you will be surrounded by family and friends.
And thank you, Richard!
And thank you, Richard!
- December 23rd, 2023, 7:15 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Not the Bob Read Book...Kurt Volkmann's Geschichte der Zauberkunst
- Replies: 48
- Views: 27840
Re: Not the Bob Read Book...Kurt Volkmann's Geschichte der Zauberkunst
What an early Christmas present! At first blush, the set's design and production are first-class and very attractive. Congratulations and many, many thanks indeed to Bill Kalush and his learned team and CARC for such a gift to magic historians. It's a notable milestone in the literature of conjuring...
- December 2nd, 2023, 1:49 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Are Children more Imaginative than Adults?
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1684
Re: Are Children more Imaginative than Adults?
[edit: I now see Dennis' query] I've heard magicians talk about "childlike imagination" in their presentations, but is it true that children are more imaginative than adults? I've been out of performance magic for decades, so maybe it's ignorance (it usually is!), but what do magicians mea...
- November 22nd, 2023, 5:19 pm
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: AI Generated Magicians From The Past
- Replies: 29
- Views: 4506
Re: AI Generated Magicians From The Past
Dustin Stinett wrote:We need laugh emojis for this place ...
- November 21st, 2023, 5:20 pm
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: AI Generated Magicians From The Past
- Replies: 29
- Views: 4506
Re: AI Generated Magicians From The Past
Interesting to see a few spatial/perspective oddities: the oversized airborne eggs. the dwarfish RJ, and the front seating arrangement in the doves pic.
- November 17th, 2023, 11:19 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Not the Bob Read Book...Kurt Volkmann's Geschichte der Zauberkunst
- Replies: 48
- Views: 27840
Re: Not the Bob Read Book...Kurt Volkmann's Geschichte der Zauberkunst
No, my friends, his (passive?) Nazi affiliation -- or if he abused his children or cheated his clients -- is irrelevant to CARC's new edition and its merits. Let's stay on topic, please, and celebrate the book.
- November 15th, 2023, 1:19 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Not the Bob Read Book...Kurt Volkmann's Geschichte der Zauberkunst
- Replies: 48
- Views: 27840
Re: Bob Read Book?
Congratulations and many thanks to the CARC team for producing Volkmann's history in English!
Considering how big a deal this is, we should at least amend the thread title to give this publication its props.
Considering how big a deal this is, we should at least amend the thread title to give this publication its props.
- October 27th, 2023, 8:00 pm
- Forum: Feature Articles
- Topic: Michael Vincent article in Genii; Nov 2023
- Replies: 18
- Views: 8641
- October 14th, 2023, 6:41 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Not the Bob Read Book...Kurt Volkmann's Geschichte der Zauberkunst
- Replies: 48
- Views: 27840
Re: Bob Read Book?
This could only be one thing, I think, and if so it's very exciting!
- August 27th, 2023, 8:06 pm
- Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
- Topic: Egg Bag
- Replies: 55
- Views: 22052
Re: Egg Bag
Dustin, that act was in print in England over 300 hundred years ago (see The Old Hocus Pocus , c.1718). For those interested in a history of the egg bag in medieval Arabia, check out Pierre Taillefer's excellent essay in Gibeciere (v17n2, 2022), which covers the egg bag as only a small part of its s...
- August 4th, 2023, 3:32 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: RIP Pee Wee Herman
- Replies: 9
- Views: 1373
Re: RIP Pee Wee Herman
^^^ Now that's a nice bit of trivia, and begs the question of who appeared the most on the Dating Game.
- July 27th, 2023, 1:03 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Have you ever experienced the "Yips" performing magic?
- Replies: 17
- Views: 6348
Re: Have you ever experienced the "Yips" performing magic?
^^^ Thanks for that definition. Interesting. One of those words I've heard often enough in sports commentating and discussion, but don't really use. If asked to define it, my best guess would have been a situation where the player's performance abilities have dropped due to a lack of self-confidence...
Re: ERDNASE
Thanks for posting, Tom, looking forward to reading about SBJ and your other July 2023 blogs!
- July 16th, 2023, 8:57 pm
- Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
- Topic: Top Ten Movie Stunts -- Houdini Mention and Footage
- Replies: 0
- Views: 1420
Top Ten Movie Stunts -- Houdini Mention and Footage
Buster Keaton on the list but not Houdini. However HH does get a mention with a short bridge jump clip in the context of Tom Cruise wanting to do a Houdini biopic. Scroll to the 16 minute mark. I wonder how Houdini's stunts would stack up, like on the biplane. Obviously the videomaker knew of Houdin...
- June 30th, 2023, 11:27 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: The Science of Optical Illusions
- Replies: 0
- Views: 455
The Science of Optical Illusions
For those who enjoy the science and theory behind certain optical illusions.
https://www.livescience.com/health/mind ... n-revealed
https://www.livescience.com/health/mind ... n-revealed
- March 10th, 2023, 12:53 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Edwin A. Dawes, 1925-2023
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2350
Re: Edwin A. Dawes, 1925-2023
I'm still processing this sad news and the loss of an old and dear friend, but it feels like the end of an era. My condolences to Eddie's sons, Michael and Adrian, and to the rest of the Dawes clan. Below is information on the services to be held for Eddie. EDDIE DAWES A Service and Celebration of H...
- January 16th, 2023, 11:57 am
- Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
- Topic: Coke, Magicians and Murder
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1848
Coke, Magicians and Murder
... including a claimed Houdini connection.
Magicians and Murder: Inside the Coca-Cola Heir’s Derelict Mansion
Magicians and Murder: Inside the Coca-Cola Heir’s Derelict Mansion
- December 18th, 2022, 12:31 pm
- Forum: Close-Up Magic
- Topic: Odds of an Adjacent Pair
- Replies: 19
- Views: 2022
Re: Odds of an Adjacent Pair
AJM wrote:I used to have an adjacent pair.
Not so much now as I get older…
Perfect!
- December 16th, 2022, 11:36 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Comfort Books?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 2693
Re: Comfort Books?
Fun thread! The 'read to pieces' book would be a Dover edition of Gibson/Young's Houdini on Magic , purchased at Disneyland's Main Street magic shop (a regular hangout spot for me during summer vacation) in the early 1970s. For that era it had an unusual mix of how-to and biographical and historical...
- December 7th, 2022, 11:52 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: Card Sword and Card Stab History
- Replies: 5
- Views: 3816
Re: Card Sword and Card Stab History
Maigret, many thanks for creating and sharing this wonderful contribution to magic history! Very interesting and illuminating.
- December 3rd, 2022, 1:30 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: RIP Volker Huber
- Replies: 4
- Views: 992
Re: RIP Volker Huber
Wittus, many thanks for posting that article. It's been a long time since we've been in touch and I hope you and your family are well. How are the cats doing? :) Volker Huber's passing is indeed sad news and a great loss to our community, especially the magic historians. Many of us on GF won't recog...
- November 2nd, 2022, 12:57 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: RIP Max Maven
- Replies: 69
- Views: 11572
Re: RIP Max Maven
As students and lovers of magic history, we'd been acquainted for many years through events such as the LA Conf. on Magic History, but for whatever reason it wasn't until after Max's cancer diagnosis that we communicated more regularly. Among other things, I will miss Max's grace and wit to the end....
- October 30th, 2022, 1:00 pm
- Forum: Mentalism & Mental Magic
- Topic: Oz Pearlman Performs for Seattle Seahawks Team
- Replies: 0
- Views: 3865
- October 20th, 2022, 11:26 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: A magician-mathematician reveals casino loophole
- Replies: 6
- Views: 1605
A magician-mathematician reveals casino loophole
Nice article about card counting, shuffling machines, and Persi Diaconis.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2022 ... o-loophole
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2022 ... o-loophole
- August 9th, 2022, 1:30 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Youtube Takers
- Replies: 100
- Views: 6599
Re: Youtube Takers
Agreed, the gratuitous public exposure of magic secrets is irritating, but I'm not sure about the long-term harm (and not intending to start that debate here). IMHO, as long as magic -- really its practitioners -- can entertain the public, I think we'll be good. English-language exposures of the cup...
- August 7th, 2022, 12:25 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Magic in the Magic Kingdom (Anaheim, CA); 8-2022
- Replies: 40
- Views: 3230
Re: Magic in the Magic Kingdom (Anaheim, CA); 8-2022
For several summers in the early 1970s, I'd go to Disneyland 20-30 times each summer to hang out with the Main Street magic employees, when I was 9-12 years old. My parents would drop me off at the Disneyland Hotel and I'd take the tram to the park (yes, very different times then!). One of the Main ...
- June 9th, 2022, 6:26 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: The "Too Perfect" Theory -- Investigated
- Replies: 77
- Views: 5079
Re: The "Too Perfect" Theory -- Investigated
Richard, in the quote above there were two scenarios: in the first the mentalist got 5 out of 5 words; in the second the mentalist got 4 out of 5 words -- so 80% success. You don't think an accomplished performer could succeed doing 4/5 as part of a routine? I'm not an advocate one way or the other,...
- June 9th, 2022, 12:18 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: The "Too Perfect" Theory -- Investigated
- Replies: 77
- Views: 5079
The "Too Perfect" Theory -- Investigated
"Can a Magic Trick Be 'Too Perfect'? Study Tries to Resolve a 50-Year Debate" See https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2022/06/04/can_a_magic_trick_be_too_perfect_study_tries_to_resolve_a_50-year_debate_835027.html Excerpt: Magician Rick Johnsson proposed the idea in 1970, stating that if...
- December 30th, 2021, 6:38 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Merry Christmas
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1857
Re: Merry Christmas
Yes indeed, congratulations to Dustin on his editorship!
And happy holidays all!
And happy holidays all!
- October 9th, 2021, 4:37 pm
- Forum: Marketing & Magic Business
- Topic: Why is editing so bad in magic publications?
- Replies: 115
- Views: 28340
Re: Why is editing so bad in magic publications?
I've enjoyed reading this thread, with all its meanderings, and in that spirit offer another. In the 16th through 18th centuries, writers expected their words to be punctuated ("pointed") by the compositor. There are exceptions of course, but the vast majority of manuscripts from this era ...
- September 9th, 2021, 12:41 pm
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Ricky Jay's Collection
- Replies: 50
- Views: 8465
Re: Ricky Jay's Collection
Jay's collection and files had been shopped around to institutional libraries since early 2020, with an asking price (I'm told) of about $4.5M. Evidently there was little interest at the price being asked, so here we are.
- August 8th, 2021, 7:40 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: For Card and Beer Mat Tossers - Throwing Tips
- Replies: 0
- Views: 1102
For Card and Beer Mat Tossers - Throwing Tips
Study shows why beer mats do not fly in a straight line: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 171557.htm
- June 2nd, 2021, 1:13 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Sending good thoughts to Max Maven
- Replies: 87
- Views: 18610
Re: Sending good thoughts to Max Maven
Max, sending good vibes and well wishes your way! Clay
- September 18th, 2020, 8:20 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Scientists Should Use Magic to Study Animal Intelligence
- Replies: 9
- Views: 1913
- June 25th, 2020, 7:22 pm
- Forum: Marketing & Magic Business
- Topic: Why is editing so bad in magic publications?
- Replies: 115
- Views: 28340
Re: Why is editing so bad in magic publications?
I am a professional writer, but not a professional writer . (How's that for clarity?) Apologies if this has already been quoted: Good writing is hard to do and easy to read; bad writing is easy to do and hard to read. In the really old days, like before, say, 1970, readers had an expectation of lite...