Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

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Jon Racherbaumer
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Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » March 31st, 2013, 8:26 pm

A few weeks ago Seth Kramer, Danny Orleans, and Scott Tokar were in New Orleans for a trade show and they visited the local round table. During the session, the Mini Plunger routine popularized by Jon Armstrong was demonstrated. It's likely somebody will market the plunger itself, although the little accessory is already sold by various outlets. I'm not sure if this accessory is going to be a long-lasting fad, but some of you might enjoy fiddling around with it. I'm not sure why I was "sucked" (no pun intended) into fiddling and fixing, but I nevertheless did. The result ended in lots of notes, which I then formatted into a PDF file titled MYSTERIOUS ATTRACTIONS: Plunger Power.This 41-page manuscript is a collection of presentations and ideas using the Mini-Plunger popularized by Jon Armstrong. It's fortified by 45 color photographs and explains 6 offbeat presentations—STUCK UP, SUCK-UP SLEUTH, MALINI LITE, POKERRATUM, and A PLUNGER WENT A’COURTING, ACES TAKE A PLUNGE—plus explanations of two simple but subtle controls. If anything, this manuscript is a testament to the impulse to play around with anything and as a result perhaps invent something more amusing than people watching at the mall or gazing at reruns of “Dancing With The Stars”? I was going to scatter-shoot this onto the Internet, but for a short time I decided to put it on my Website for only $5...as an experiment. If this remotely interests anybody, go to www.realworknow.com. If not, watch for somebody, somewhere, who will be marketing something...maybe a one-shot DVD.

Onward...

Shazzbatt
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Shazzbatt » April 1st, 2013, 10:15 am

Just downloaded from Mr Racherbaumer's site.

As a heads up, the official Jon Armstrong "Tiny Plunger" routine is being released by Kozmo magic in two weeks. It includes a DVD, standard plunger and gimmicked plunger.

Jim Riser
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jim Riser » April 1st, 2013, 12:54 pm

From my viewpoint, it appears that the mini iPad needs a better camera. Fuzzy, fuzzy. My Android phone takes clearer pics - tablet still better. I hope fuzzy is not the future for "quick publications".
Jim

Jon Racherbaumer
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » April 1st, 2013, 1:07 pm

Jim is correct regarding the resolution of some photos in MYSTERIOUS ATTRACTIONS, although so much depends on how you correct matters in Photoshop. If you view the PDF on your computer, the photos are clear enough to understand and get "the picture." They are NOT of course high rez pics. Interestingly enough, the photos that appeared in The Olram Aces manuscript that was part of the portfolio-briefcase given to registrants of the Genii Bash were shot using an iPad. They look fine. But in our quick-fix digital world of information packaging, the quality will and does suffer...except when it doesn't. Many of the hardcover, so-called "quality" works are not up to par. But Jim is right...

Jon Racherbaumer
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » April 1st, 2013, 1:10 pm

After posting my note about my manuscript, I heard from many magicians, including my colleague, Kozmo, that there is indeed a marketing project in the works to sell a tailor-made plunger (specifically for magicians) and a DVD. This troubled me insofar as I don’t want anyone to think that my manuscript is an attempt to take the “shine” off of Kozmo’s project. In fact, I hinted that such a project should be done by SOMEBODY. In fact, here is a portion of my foreword in the manuscript that prefigures this:

Ours is a fast track, digital age. Information doesn’t just rapidly flow; it spurts and jets and soars. Memes flit and dart like spooked minnows in a pond. Trendy things make rounds faster than you can say. W.T.F. This is particularly true in Magiville. If a new gadget or gizmo, or accessory bubbles up, the faithful perk up. If the gizmo can be applied in novel or incongruous ways, they dance in the aisle.

The Mini-Plunger is a gizmo of sorts.

I was shown this gizmo during a slow night at Applebee’s on a balmy night in March. Three corporate entertainers (Seth Kramer, Danny Orleans, and Scott Tokar) who were winding down and laying back dropped by the Benighted Sleightsters for some toddies and tricks. During one of the many lulls, Danny Orleans demonstrated Jon Armstrong’s presentation of the Mini-Plunger. (Jon Armstrong performed his routine of the Today Show on February 19, 2013, and this was widely circulated on the Internet.)

The group murmured and stirred (as they often do). My impression, on the other hand, was mixed. Yes, the fact that the suction cup of the plunger affected several cards, a large packet, and the entire deck was puzzling! We all had, as they say, “nodding acquaintances” with “cohesion suction.” We knew that if you press a suction cup against a flat surface (like a playing card), it adheres to that surface. This is due to the lower pressure between the flexible material of the cup and the flat surface as compared to the pressure outside the flexible material. However, how was the Mini-Plunger able to “suck up” more than a single, flat surface?

While we mulled over that mini-puzzle, the gang considered the symbolism of the plunger. Any toilet plunger, not matter how small or large, has—how can we put this?—many inelegant connotations. One flashes on clogged drains and unflushed toilets and sloppy, sucking sounds. As a gag prop it’s silly and sophomoric…(Jon Armstrong realized this when he said: “Tricks that suck…”) So what? What’s wrong with lowbrow cuteness?

The next question everybody asked was—“Where do you get those cute, little plungers?”

It was likely that some dealer or dealers were in the process of finding a cheap source so it could be mass-marketed with perhaps a DVD?
There were eventual renditions on YouTube. The names—Jon Armstrong, Mathieu Bich, and Kozmo—frequently came up. Also, Mathieu Bich apparently devised a similar trick using a pen and a bit of tape?

I discovered this background behind the plunger a few weeks after being shown it. After buying several types of suction devices, I began playing with possibilities. This resulted in the short manuscript you are now skimming.

Bottom Line: The Jon Armstrong routine is NOT in my manuscript. It was not mine to publish….at least not without receiving permission. As it stands, potential consumers should consider Kozmo’s project as a separate product with its own strengths and value. If anything, consumers can investigate everything that will likely emerge regarding the Mini-Plunger and then pick and choose according to their tastes and needs. Meanwhile, I do not want anyone to assume there was or is a hidden agenda or an effort to rain on anyone’s parade.

Onward…

Jim Riser
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jim Riser » April 1st, 2013, 1:43 pm

Jon;
Worthy of asking is whether we need to settle for and expect low resolution graphics in commercial products. I do not consider "quick" as an excuse for sloppiness. Yes, fuzzy does the job in transferring info but it really is not that much more time consuming to do a good job with the graphics - especially photos. You, sir, are an excellent wordsmith not a graphics artist nor photographer.

In our rush to publish must we throw quality photos under the proverbial bus?

Great photos are so easy with today's technology. In the old days we had film, darkroom time, etc. Today it is all digital. Quick and easy. If the pic is fuzzy, do another - instantly.

PhotoShop will not fix the problem any more than a grammar check would fix a poorly written document. The quality needs to be there to begin the fine tuning processes of PhotoShop or grammar checking.

Is this little pdf of yours worth the asking fee? Yes, but it could have been so much better with 30 minutes of extra work.

I do not want to dwell too long on this but I would hate to see fuzzy become the expected and accepted norm.

Jon, as an example, here is a link to a pdf I made which includes much clearer photo illustrations: http://db.tt/2kRsiALi
Jim

Jon Racherbaumer
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » April 1st, 2013, 1:57 pm

Jim is absolutely correct!
I'm now inspired to rethink the graphics aspect and not just the words...although I'm still a sloppy copy editor.
Jim, can you recommend a couple of good digital cameras?
Thanks.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 1st, 2013, 2:09 pm

Jon, your iPhone has a beautiful camera built in if it's a 4 or 4S or 5. You just need to adjust the settings.
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Jim Riser
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jim Riser » April 1st, 2013, 2:13 pm

Jon;
You do not need to use very high end professional cameras. I use an older SONY that I have had for probably 7 or 8 years. This model is long out of production. I bought my wife a Nikon CoolpixL120 last year that will run circles around my camera. My camera does 5 megapixels and her Nikon does 14 mega pixels. Neither camera was over $350 when bought new.

Just go to an office supply store, Best Buy, Costco, etc. and try out the cameras. You will want a good macro on the camera for your needs. I suggest one that uses AA batteries. I use rechargables in our cameras. You do not want some sort of odd ball battery. My old SONY still uses their Memory Stick which fills up way too fast. The Nikon uses the newer chips that can hold years worth of photos.

Choosing a camera is personal. It must do what you require yet feel good in the hands.

I look forward to seeing your results.
Jim

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Gordon Meyer
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Gordon Meyer » April 1st, 2013, 4:40 pm

Like RIchard said, just use your iPhone. It's the most popular camera on Flickr and a search there will reveal it's more than capable. So is the camera in the iPad mini (it's 5MB).

More important than the equipment is the lighting. If it's too dark, the compensation for the darkness will make the photo less clear.

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jonathan Townsend » April 1st, 2013, 5:08 pm

How does this item compare to the Mattieu Bich trick titled "suspension" ??
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Bill Mullins
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Bill Mullins » April 1st, 2013, 6:44 pm

Jim Riser wrote:Jon, as an example, here is a link to a pdf I made which includes much clearer photo illustrations: http://db.tt/2kRsiALi


If you look hard, you can see Jim's camera on p 16.

If you end up buying a camera, check the lag on it first. Many of the consumer "point and shoot" digital cameras have a lag of a second or so between when you push the button and when the image is captured. For taking pictures of still items like magic props, this isn't a problem, but you may end up taking photos of people and other moving things, and the pictures end up being too late to capture whatever it was you were trying to photograph. I don't know how bad the Apple camera phones are, but my Android camera phone is so bad I want to throw it throw it through the wall some times.

Jim Riser
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jim Riser » April 1st, 2013, 7:00 pm

Bill,
There a number of free camera apps which speed up capture rates for the Android phones. My SkyRocket takes nice pictures. Light is a big factor with all of the digitals.
Jim

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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Pete McCabe » April 1st, 2013, 7:10 pm

Jon showed Tiny Plunger at a recent Castle Perk. It's a great routine. He indicated that it was based on Bich's work.

If you have one, you can try this: Prepare the Aces as needed, then let the spectator shuffle and table the deck. Without touching it, you can immediately plunge all four aces.

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jonathan Townsend » April 1st, 2013, 7:44 pm

Glad the recent explorations by Bich are credited. Have a look at his video (okay yes it's in French) for more amazing items.

:very happy:
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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erdnasephile
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby erdnasephile » April 1st, 2013, 10:39 pm

Here's a video of Jon Armstrong's routine:

http://www.today.com/video/today/50855796#50855796

Jim Riser
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Jim Riser » April 28th, 2014, 3:37 pm

I know it has been a while since this was discussed. A client asked me about how I do this and I put together a very short pdf explaining my method. I do not know if Jon R. did any more work with the effect since I bought his Miraculous Attractions pdf but this might be of interest to some of you.

http://jamesriser.com/Magic/PlungerBlisterbyRiser.pdf

Enjoy.
Jim

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Don Hendrix
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Re: Heads up for Mini-Plunger Fiddlers

Postby Don Hendrix » April 29th, 2014, 1:00 am

I can testify, from personal experience, that Jim's card punch works just as he said. It is also a wonderful punch for what card punches were originally made for.


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