Cogitations finished?
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Re: Cogitations finished?
I managed to receive emails from Youell letting me know that I should send him more money and renew, but did not receive emails letting me know it was closing and I should archive if desired. I've had the same email address for ages. Hmmm....
Chris's defensiveness aside, those who subscribed should have (and should be) given the opportunity to access the material for which they have rightfully paid - especially when the general concensus of understanding was that this information WAS to be available to us. We felt this to be the case as a result of Mr. Youell's advertising. Regardless of what intentions he had from the beginning, his advertising implied something different - something he is not honoring. Consequently, the 24/7 argument holds no water with me.
A simple act could be a giant stride for restoring his name among those who trusted his word. A lot of character will be revealed in his upcoming choices. I would think for a man who professes such a religious worldview, that decision would be an easy one to make.
Brad
Chris's defensiveness aside, those who subscribed should have (and should be) given the opportunity to access the material for which they have rightfully paid - especially when the general concensus of understanding was that this information WAS to be available to us. We felt this to be the case as a result of Mr. Youell's advertising. Regardless of what intentions he had from the beginning, his advertising implied something different - something he is not honoring. Consequently, the 24/7 argument holds no water with me.
A simple act could be a giant stride for restoring his name among those who trusted his word. A lot of character will be revealed in his upcoming choices. I would think for a man who professes such a religious worldview, that decision would be an easy one to make.
Brad
Brad Henderson magician in Austin Texas
Re: Cogitations finished?
Chris,
I've emailed you with my contact information. I have just received the refund of the archive cd but not the subscription to cogitations II. At this point, I don't know if it will be refunded.
I've always been supportive to Steven but I just have a couple of things to say. As I understood it, the content of cogitations I will not be available upon the start of the second issue; therefore an archive cd was offered. We (who purchased the cd) assumed that since we've paid for the cd, we would get the content and not need to back up any data(thought that was the point). Now that the contents are removed and cd is refunded, we really have no way of getting the information back. That's what I have a problem with. We were misled to believe that we wouldn't need to backup any data if we purchase the cd... obviously this is not the case.
I understand that this project has not been easy for Steven. But the way he handled the situation might not have been the best. From reading his lecture notes, I would have to say that this is not a great way to be a witness to his faith. I wish him the best.
I've emailed you with my contact information. I have just received the refund of the archive cd but not the subscription to cogitations II. At this point, I don't know if it will be refunded.
I've always been supportive to Steven but I just have a couple of things to say. As I understood it, the content of cogitations I will not be available upon the start of the second issue; therefore an archive cd was offered. We (who purchased the cd) assumed that since we've paid for the cd, we would get the content and not need to back up any data(thought that was the point). Now that the contents are removed and cd is refunded, we really have no way of getting the information back. That's what I have a problem with. We were misled to believe that we wouldn't need to backup any data if we purchase the cd... obviously this is not the case.
I understand that this project has not been easy for Steven. But the way he handled the situation might not have been the best. From reading his lecture notes, I would have to say that this is not a great way to be a witness to his faith. I wish him the best.
Re: Cogitations finished?
I also am saddened by the demise of Cogitations I. I received more than my money's worth and fortunately I downloaded everything as I read it. Good thing since I also received no email notice.
Maybe it could have been handled better. I don't know what's going on with Steven these days. I met him some years ago and liked him.
Unlike others posting though, what somewhat griped me was his breaking the deal with Cogitations II. I had pre-payed for that solely based on the promise that the illusive Ron Bauer's RAP would appear.
Steven is apparently the annointed one with that move and is the only one with permission to teach it. Now that he has left the scene apparently so has RAP. My subsequent attempts to learn if the move will ever be taught have been met with stoney silence.
Pity.
Maybe it could have been handled better. I don't know what's going on with Steven these days. I met him some years ago and liked him.
Unlike others posting though, what somewhat griped me was his breaking the deal with Cogitations II. I had pre-payed for that solely based on the promise that the illusive Ron Bauer's RAP would appear.
Steven is apparently the annointed one with that move and is the only one with permission to teach it. Now that he has left the scene apparently so has RAP. My subsequent attempts to learn if the move will ever be taught have been met with stoney silence.
Pity.
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Re: Cogitations finished?
A. Mr. Youell is not reading this or any other thread on this or any other forum.
B. Folks had seven months of availability (24 hrs/day) to download the material and are now upset that they didn't. Even over the slowest of connections, that was more than enough time to download the complete site many times over.
C. Multiple e-mails warning of the imminent unavailability of the material were sent out. Those wishing to disbelieve that this 'good faith' effort was made or who wish to attach some kind of sinister/shady motive here are simply wrong. As the web master/creator of the site, I saw each mass e-mailing go out and received them myself.
If folks insist on believing that the sending/receipt of mass e-mail via the web is an infallible process, I doubt I can say much to disabuse them of that fairly uninformed notion.
D. No promise of "infinite access" was ever promised. And in fact, multiple e-mails were sent to clarify that point. If some folks didn't get them, they had seven months to ask Mr. Youell or myself to personally clarify the situation via e-mail, instant messager, etc.
The material was meant to be up for six months and was up for seven. If some folks think that's fair license to abuse someone's copyright, I honestly don't have much to say to them.
E. As of today, all of the refunds for prepayment of the Cogitations II or the archive disk should be complete.
If not please feel free to e-mail me privately at the address available via these forums and I'll make sure the information is relayed. I will not be responding to any future requests publicly.
(vBall, just got your e-mail today and will relay the information to Mr. Youell post haste.)
F. Regardless of what what I or others may feel personally, the copyright owner has made his wishes known. One can choose to do the right thing or not. And if one believes the right thing to be the illegal distribution of copyrighted material, against the express wishes of the copyright holder, then we'll simply have to agree to disagree.
G. This is my last post to this thread.
B. Folks had seven months of availability (24 hrs/day) to download the material and are now upset that they didn't. Even over the slowest of connections, that was more than enough time to download the complete site many times over.
C. Multiple e-mails warning of the imminent unavailability of the material were sent out. Those wishing to disbelieve that this 'good faith' effort was made or who wish to attach some kind of sinister/shady motive here are simply wrong. As the web master/creator of the site, I saw each mass e-mailing go out and received them myself.
If folks insist on believing that the sending/receipt of mass e-mail via the web is an infallible process, I doubt I can say much to disabuse them of that fairly uninformed notion.
D. No promise of "infinite access" was ever promised. And in fact, multiple e-mails were sent to clarify that point. If some folks didn't get them, they had seven months to ask Mr. Youell or myself to personally clarify the situation via e-mail, instant messager, etc.
The material was meant to be up for six months and was up for seven. If some folks think that's fair license to abuse someone's copyright, I honestly don't have much to say to them.
E. As of today, all of the refunds for prepayment of the Cogitations II or the archive disk should be complete.
If not please feel free to e-mail me privately at the address available via these forums and I'll make sure the information is relayed. I will not be responding to any future requests publicly.
(vBall, just got your e-mail today and will relay the information to Mr. Youell post haste.)
F. Regardless of what what I or others may feel personally, the copyright owner has made his wishes known. One can choose to do the right thing or not. And if one believes the right thing to be the illegal distribution of copyrighted material, against the express wishes of the copyright holder, then we'll simply have to agree to disagree.
G. This is my last post to this thread.
- Richard Kaufman
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Sorry, Chris, but it's not illegal distribution of copyrighted material if someone has already paid for the material and doesn't have printed pages or a download to show for it. They paid for it, they ALREADY own it.
Don't make excuses for Youell.
Don't make excuses for Youell.
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- Keith Raygor
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Chris,
As I mentioned earlier, I have never received any emails from Steve. I know that my correct email address was available as I received a new passwork in May.
It sounds like there are more people that share the same disappointment as I, so though I appreciate your comments about good-faith efforts, the efforts were short my expectations.
Per your suggestion, asking Joe Turner and the others that received them if they got emails from Steve does nothing for those that didn't and doesn't bolster Steve's case. There are some that are disappointed with good reason.
Quote:
"Well, yes, I'd agree that folks did have the responsibility to print out stuff if they wanted to keep it."
You've assigned me a new responsibility. If I read you right, you're saying when I surf the web, if I see anything I like, I should NOT bookmark it, but PRINT it if I wish to view again. I understand that this makes sense to you, but please put yourself in the shoes of those that did not see the end of Cogitations coming.
Quote from Dan:
" . . . but it is incorrect to say that the subscribers didn't know the content was going to be removed from the website."
This is a false statement. Ask me or anyone else that didn't get the emails.
Quote from Chris:
"If one wasn't getting mail from the site, one had 7 months to let the webmasters know to correct one's e-mail address or ask about the materials availability window."
I did not know that I wasn't receiving mail from Cogitations until I read this thread a couple days ago. I did not know there was a reason to receive mail from Cogitations.
I have not been online much since May due to my performing schedule, so I would repeat my thought of earlier:
Quote from me -
"I, too, would have appreciated an opportunity to peruse once more".
It's really not asking that much.
As I mentioned earlier, I have never received any emails from Steve. I know that my correct email address was available as I received a new passwork in May.
It sounds like there are more people that share the same disappointment as I, so though I appreciate your comments about good-faith efforts, the efforts were short my expectations.
Per your suggestion, asking Joe Turner and the others that received them if they got emails from Steve does nothing for those that didn't and doesn't bolster Steve's case. There are some that are disappointed with good reason.
Quote:
"Well, yes, I'd agree that folks did have the responsibility to print out stuff if they wanted to keep it."
You've assigned me a new responsibility. If I read you right, you're saying when I surf the web, if I see anything I like, I should NOT bookmark it, but PRINT it if I wish to view again. I understand that this makes sense to you, but please put yourself in the shoes of those that did not see the end of Cogitations coming.
Quote from Dan:
" . . . but it is incorrect to say that the subscribers didn't know the content was going to be removed from the website."
This is a false statement. Ask me or anyone else that didn't get the emails.
Quote from Chris:
"If one wasn't getting mail from the site, one had 7 months to let the webmasters know to correct one's e-mail address or ask about the materials availability window."
I did not know that I wasn't receiving mail from Cogitations until I read this thread a couple days ago. I did not know there was a reason to receive mail from Cogitations.
I have not been online much since May due to my performing schedule, so I would repeat my thought of earlier:
Quote from me -
"I, too, would have appreciated an opportunity to peruse once more".
It's really not asking that much.
www.KeithTheMagician.com
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Steven is not answering emails apparently, and you have designated yourself go between. As such you are the only one those who feel wronged will turn to communicate their grievances. It was a mantle you assumed willingly.Originally posted by Chris Aguilar:
[b]A. Mr. Youell is not reading this or any other thread on this or any other forum.
So what? Apparently Steven's incessant advertising led everyone to believe we would have access to this information for a long time. He may not have intended that, but I don't think you plan on accusing the majority of those posting now of stupidity or illiteracy, do you?B. Folks had seven months of availability (24 hrs/day) to download the material and are now upset that they didn't. Even over the slowest of connections, that was more than enough time to download the complete site many times over.
This idea of ours didn't apparate from the ether. We all must have gotten it from somewhere...
Rather than tender the request of proof, let's take an empirical approach. The facts demonstrate that MANY people did not receive the alleged emails. I would be interested to know how many managed to receive the "renewal emails" though. I can understand one or two emails going missing, but when the majority of the people don't get the notice I cannot believe due diligence was observed. What is more troubling, rather than looking at the situation like a concerned business man and thinking, "Ok, it would take almost no effort on my part and I can fix the problems that those handling my mass emails caused," he apparently chooses a course of arrogance and indifference.C. Multiple e-mails warning of the imminent unavailability of the material were sent out. Those wishing to disbelieve that this 'good faith' effort was made or who wish to attach some kind of sinister/shady motive here are simply wrong. As the web master/creator of the site, I saw each mass e-mailing go out and received them myself.
If folks insist on believing that the sending/receipt of mass e-mail via the web is an infallible process, I doubt I can say much to disabuse them of that fairly uninformed notion.
These multiple emails must have been sent in the same batch as the impending "closure/download now" emails you keep talking about.D. No promise of "infinite access" was ever promised. And in fact, multiple e-mails were sent to clarify that point. If some folks didn't get them, they had seven months to ask Mr. Youell or myself to personally clarify the situation via e-mail, instant messager, etc.
If we paid for it, how is it copyright abuse?The material was meant to be up for six months and was up for seven. If some folks think that's fair license to abuse someone's copyright, I honestly don't have much to say to them.
E. As of today, all of the refunds for prepayment of the Cogitations II or the archive disk should be complete.
If not please feel free to e-mail me privately at the address available via these forums and I'll make sure the information is relayed. I will not be responding to any future requests publicly.
(vBall, just got your e-mail today and will relay the information to Mr. Youell post haste.)
Again, Richard has addressed this point. We paid for it. We should have it. Your boss can choose to do the legal thing and honor his part of a contractual agreement or "Busby" the people who tried to support his efforts.F. Regardless of what what I or others may feel personally, the copyright owner has made his wishes known. One can choose to do the right thing or not. And if one believes the right thing to be the illegal distribution of copyrighted material, against the express wishes of the copyright holder, then we'll simply have to agree to disagree.
Rather than "Bishing" us, I think we would all prefer to see you acknowledge the reality of the situation, that the vast majority of people were under a false impression created - intentionally or otherwise - by Steven Youell and that they feel that Mr. Youell should do the right thing and re-post the site, for a pre-defined time, so those who had subscribed can avail themselves of the material - albeit copyrighted - they legally paid for.G. This is my last post to this thread. [/b]
Brad Henderson magician in Austin Texas
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Re: Cogitations finished?
I did receive the e-mail requesting renewal of my subscription for Cogitations II.
I did not receive any e-mails warning me of the imminent closure of the Cogitations I site.
Best regards
I did not receive any e-mails warning me of the imminent closure of the Cogitations I site.
Best regards
Re: Cogitations finished?
chris said:
Seems to me that would be the easiest thing to do, would it not? I too got an e-mail reagarding the upcoming Cogitations II but did not receiver ONE e-mail regarding the shutdown of the site.
hhmmm....Chris, as a "webmaster", you admit that the mass e-mail is not perfect...did it ever occur to you or Steven to JUST MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE SITE ITSELF ????? If it was there, it wasnt obvious.If folks insist on believing that the sending/receipt of mass e-mail via the web is an infallible process, I doubt I can say much to disabuse them of that fairly uninformed notion.
Seems to me that would be the easiest thing to do, would it not? I too got an e-mail reagarding the upcoming Cogitations II but did not receiver ONE e-mail regarding the shutdown of the site.
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Dan, do you know Dai Vernon's Topping the deck from Select Secrets? It's just that, but you lightly riffle the deck as cover...Originally posted by Dan McLean:
Steven is apparently the annointed one with that move and is the only one with permission to teach it. Now that he has left the scene apparently so has RAP. My subsequent attempts to learn if the move will ever be taught have been met with stoney silence.
Pity.
Euan
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Hmm... RAP = Topping the Deck?!Originally posted by Euan:
Dan, do you know Dai Vernon's Topping the deck from Select Secrets? It's just that, but you lightly riffle the deck as cover...
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Hmm.. Yes.Originally posted by Denis Behr:
Hmm... RAP = Topping the Deck?! [/b]Originally posted by Euan:
[b]Dan, do you know Dai Vernon's Topping the deck from Select Secrets? It's just that, but you lightly riffle the deck as cover...
Euan
Re: Cogitations finished?
I'm one more hit by the "non received email" disease!!!
But... Now I'm just wondering if anything similar is gonna happen with Penumbra... And this is a printed magazine.
Lots of months with no news of any new issue.
But... Now I'm just wondering if anything similar is gonna happen with Penumbra... And this is a printed magazine.
Lots of months with no news of any new issue.
Re: Cogitations finished?
Have just read in another Genii Forum this post from Alexander Crawford:
It's been a looooong halfway...!!!
That's exactly what I received about 5 or 6 months ago. Except that where it puts mid-September then put mid-April or mid-May.
I had coincidentally just asked Bill Goodwin the same question. I don't imagine he will object to my posting his reply:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email from Bill Goodwin on 30 August 2005
Hello. I'm currently working on issue #9. It's about halfway done. I hope to have it to the printer by mid-September. Sorry for the long delay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's been a looooong halfway...!!!
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Vball makes a very good point. What about those people??Originally posted by VBall:
Chris,
I've always been supportive to Steven but I just have a couple of things to say. As I understood it, the content of cogitations I will not be available upon the start of the second issue; therefore an archive cd was offered. We (who purchased the cd) assumed that since we've paid for the cd, we would get the content and not need to back up any data(thought that was the point). Now that the contents are removed and cd is refunded, we really have no way of getting the information back. That's what I have a problem with. We were misled to believe that we wouldn't need to backup any data if we purchase the cd... obviously this is not the case.
Re: Cogitations finished?
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chris Aguilar:
"D. No promise of "infinite access" was ever promised. And in fact, multiple e-mails were sent to clarify that point. If some folks didn't get them, they had seven months to ask Mr. Youell or myself to personally clarify the situation via e-mail, instant messager, etc."
I never received any emails. I was not even aware that we were receiving emails.
2 weeks before Cogitations went offline, I sent Mr. Youell an email to correct my misspelled email address and to enquire about the situation with Cogitations 1 and 2. I never received a reply.
A notice should have been posted on the website. It would have been the simplest way to reach all of the members.
As for all of the arguments regarding copyright, save them for the judge.
I paid for the content. I should have a copy of the material for my personal use.
I do want to say that my experience with Mr. Youell has been very positive in almost every other regard. He has been a gentleman to me on more than one occasion and I wish him the best.
"D. No promise of "infinite access" was ever promised. And in fact, multiple e-mails were sent to clarify that point. If some folks didn't get them, they had seven months to ask Mr. Youell or myself to personally clarify the situation via e-mail, instant messager, etc."
I never received any emails. I was not even aware that we were receiving emails.
2 weeks before Cogitations went offline, I sent Mr. Youell an email to correct my misspelled email address and to enquire about the situation with Cogitations 1 and 2. I never received a reply.
A notice should have been posted on the website. It would have been the simplest way to reach all of the members.
As for all of the arguments regarding copyright, save them for the judge.
I paid for the content. I should have a copy of the material for my personal use.
I do want to say that my experience with Mr. Youell has been very positive in almost every other regard. He has been a gentleman to me on more than one occasion and I wish him the best.
Re: Cogitations finished?
this is absurd. for whatever reason (perhaps a browser issue) i was never able to change the password to my account, and so simply requested a new one every time i wanted to log in (once a week, approx.) i received EVERY single email verifying the password change, but miraculously, NOT ONE message alerting me that the content would shortly be removed.
i have most of the content and am eager to share it with those *paid* subscribers who missed out, hopefully filling the holes in my own collection. perhaps we could get a running list of folks who need content...
if steve has an objection to the distribution of material to those folks who paid for it and were not given warning that it would be removed, i suggest he come out from his hole and provide contact info so this "criminal" activity can be discussed formally.
i have most of the content and am eager to share it with those *paid* subscribers who missed out, hopefully filling the holes in my own collection. perhaps we could get a running list of folks who need content...
if steve has an objection to the distribution of material to those folks who paid for it and were not given warning that it would be removed, i suggest he come out from his hole and provide contact info so this "criminal" activity can be discussed formally.
Re: Cogitations finished?
Hmm...No. And if you think so, then you don't know what the RAP is. I would venture to say that unless you've been taught by Bauer or someone close to him, you CAN'T know what it is.Originally posted by Euan:
Hmm.. Yes.Originally posted by Denis Behr:
[b]Hmm... RAP = Topping the Deck?! [/b]Originally posted by Euan:
[b]Dan, do you know Dai Vernon's Topping the deck from Select Secrets? It's just that, but you lightly riffle the deck as cover...
Euan [/b]
Viewing video does not reveal the mechanics. And there ARE specific mechanics that differ significantly from the technique that Vernon describes for "Topping the Deck", a generic term for palming a card from the top of the deck, in "Select Secrets".
So, I suppose you can say that the RAP IS topping the deck, but it IS NOT the Vernon technique associated with that term. Bauer has removed the telltale tension in the back of the palming hand by turning the whole concept inside out. The hand doesn't remove the card, the deck places it. That description is simplistic at best, a disservice at the worst. The mechanics are specific, detailed, and carefully designed to eliminate all tells. They work...
That's as much as I'm willing to say without talking to RB, but please know that the mechanics are far superior to anything else around. I have used this for years, and TOLD cardmen I'm going to palm, done it, and had all of them declare it impossible that I have a card in my hand - Oops, there it is! The construction is just that good...
Best, PSC
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Re: Cogitations finished?
I also got email to renew but never anything about the site closing down. I also never got any emails concerning purchasing an archive cd.
Regarding the archive CD. I seem to remember reading that an archive CD was going to be sent out as part of the subscription. I may be remembering wrong but I can recall that the deal was that when you subscribed you got the 6 month subscription that you could read on the website. after 6 months you received an archive cd and the website would be wiped and start anew. Am I the only one that remembers it this way.
Regarding the archive CD. I seem to remember reading that an archive CD was going to be sent out as part of the subscription. I may be remembering wrong but I can recall that the deal was that when you subscribed you got the 6 month subscription that you could read on the website. after 6 months you received an archive cd and the website would be wiped and start anew. Am I the only one that remembers it this way.
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Re: Cogitations finished?
That rings a bell with me too. But I can't find any info to back it up, so I reserved comment. I'm glad to know I was not the only one under this impression.
Brad
Brad
Brad Henderson magician in Austin Texas
Re: Cogitations finished?
While I don't have access to the original documents, it is clear from the comments on this forum that people who deserve the content don't have it. Some due and that is differential treatment. So, since it is fair use, the materials should be shared among those who paid for it and weren't allowed to get it.
They can either sue Steve or let Steve sue them. I suggest they choose the latter. OR Steve can be a big grown up and help and endorse this process. That would be the best win win I can think of.
And this is from someone who understands copyright law after 25 years as a proffessional commercial photographer who is not affiliated with either side, has no axe to grind and won't benefit from the process in any way as I was never a subscriber.
Kirk
They can either sue Steve or let Steve sue them. I suggest they choose the latter. OR Steve can be a big grown up and help and endorse this process. That would be the best win win I can think of.
And this is from someone who understands copyright law after 25 years as a proffessional commercial photographer who is not affiliated with either side, has no axe to grind and won't benefit from the process in any way as I was never a subscriber.
Kirk
- Joe Pecore
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Thanks to the magic of Google Cache you can still read the original Cogitation homepage: Google Cache
Share your knowledge on the MagicPedia wiki.
- Richard Kaufman
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Re: Cogitations finished?
I really don't know if Ted Annemann or Bruce Elliott had trouble meeting their deadlines once in while with the Jinx and Phoenix, but in modern times I can tell you that Jon Racherbaumer, Karl Fulves, and I all had trouble on occasion. We all eventually made good by either publishing the remaining issues or sending books to people.
So, the delays with Penumbra are not entirely surprising. And the fact that AM/PM, Onyx, Mr. Gadfly, and now Cogitations have died mid-run and left their subscribers holding the bag should also not be surprising.
Those of us who are going to continue publishing in the magic community in the future know that we MUST dig our way out of the hole eventually and fulfill our obligations. Michael Ammar did it with MAJ when Adam Fleischer took off and left him in the lurch. We're all still here.
But, I don't think you're going to see anything else published by Tom Cutts, Ken Simmons, Steven Youell, or whatever that guy's name who put out Mr. Gadfly was--who would send these guys money?
Oh, and don't forget that piece of dog poop on the floor of the magic world, Jeff Busby.
So, the delays with Penumbra are not entirely surprising. And the fact that AM/PM, Onyx, Mr. Gadfly, and now Cogitations have died mid-run and left their subscribers holding the bag should also not be surprising.
Those of us who are going to continue publishing in the magic community in the future know that we MUST dig our way out of the hole eventually and fulfill our obligations. Michael Ammar did it with MAJ when Adam Fleischer took off and left him in the lurch. We're all still here.
But, I don't think you're going to see anything else published by Tom Cutts, Ken Simmons, Steven Youell, or whatever that guy's name who put out Mr. Gadfly was--who would send these guys money?
Oh, and don't forget that piece of dog poop on the floor of the magic world, Jeff Busby.
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Re: Cogitations finished?
That is my recollection as well, but it doesn't really seem as though it matters, to tell the truth.Originally posted by Randy DiMarco:
I may be remembering wrong but I can recall that the deal was that when you subscribed you got the 6 month subscription that you could read on the website. after 6 months you received an archive cd and the website would be wiped and start anew. Am I the only one that remembers it this way.
Re: Cogitations finished?
i wonder if ron bauer is aware of how his material is being 'handled' by mr. youell.
paul, i have a great deal of respect for you and have read your endorsement of steve on the 'other' forum, but i cannot fathom a justification for the current state of things.
steve is certainly well within his rights to discontinue cogitations ii, and the refunds appear to have been handled in a timely manner, but why on earth should he resist people who PAID for the material receiving it elsewhere now that the website is defunct? obviously there is a problem in proving that one had a subscription, after the fact, but the the only person capable of doing so is STEVE HIMSELF, and he appears to have vanished.
incidentally, chris aguilar's remarks about the timetable (6 months which stretched into 7, plenty of time to download, etc.) are completely negated by the fact that steve completely fell off the tracks with the schedule to begin with. the last email i received from him was at the end of may, stating that the remainder of the content would be posted by mid june. obviously, that didn't happen. the fact that 7 months transpired before all the content was posted does nothing to place the burden upon subscribers to have archived everything, but rather only highlights steven's mishandling of the entire venture.
paul, i have a great deal of respect for you and have read your endorsement of steve on the 'other' forum, but i cannot fathom a justification for the current state of things.
steve is certainly well within his rights to discontinue cogitations ii, and the refunds appear to have been handled in a timely manner, but why on earth should he resist people who PAID for the material receiving it elsewhere now that the website is defunct? obviously there is a problem in proving that one had a subscription, after the fact, but the the only person capable of doing so is STEVE HIMSELF, and he appears to have vanished.
incidentally, chris aguilar's remarks about the timetable (6 months which stretched into 7, plenty of time to download, etc.) are completely negated by the fact that steve completely fell off the tracks with the schedule to begin with. the last email i received from him was at the end of may, stating that the remainder of the content would be posted by mid june. obviously, that didn't happen. the fact that 7 months transpired before all the content was posted does nothing to place the burden upon subscribers to have archived everything, but rather only highlights steven's mishandling of the entire venture.
Re: Cogitations finished?
So Chris,
I guess the Goggle Cache is proving you wrong on your point that indefinates were never promised.
Quote: " Every article, every effect will be archived so everything you read will always be at your fingertips." end quote.
So enough's enough, get Steve on the Ball and let's make good.
Kirk
I guess the Goggle Cache is proving you wrong on your point that indefinates were never promised.
Quote: " Every article, every effect will be archived so everything you read will always be at your fingertips." end quote.
So enough's enough, get Steve on the Ball and let's make good.
Kirk
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Re: Cogitations finished?
It seems tempers are a bit more focussed on this forum. At the green site, people seem to be angry that Steven didn't keep publishing Cogitations. Here, people are upset that they didn't get a chance to save the material before it vanished. This seems reasonable to me.
I have the following files, which I saved:
Braue Notebooks.html
Cardini Multiple Shift.html
Cardini.wmv
Force of Habit.html
Invisible Aces.html
invisible.wmv
Lepaul.wmv
Passes.html
Signature Effects and Rep Makers.html
Super-Sonic.html
I'll be happy to forward and trade with fellow subscribers, as copyright law provides for this. However, I'm not at all sure how to prove or disprove one actually was a subscriber to Cog. Any ideas towards this?
*jeep!
--Chet
I have the following files, which I saved:
Braue Notebooks.html
Cardini Multiple Shift.html
Cardini.wmv
Force of Habit.html
Invisible Aces.html
invisible.wmv
Lepaul.wmv
Passes.html
Signature Effects and Rep Makers.html
Super-Sonic.html
I'll be happy to forward and trade with fellow subscribers, as copyright law provides for this. However, I'm not at all sure how to prove or disprove one actually was a subscriber to Cog. Any ideas towards this?
*jeep!
--Chet
Re: Cogitations finished?
Looks familiar. Maybe Chris and Steve are the same person???!!??Originally posted by Chris Aguilar:
] This is my last post to this thread.
-=tabman
- Keith Raygor
- Posts: 101
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Naples, FL
- Contact:
Re: Cogitations finished?
Some of us have email receipts from PayPay, also the initial email from Steve containing login information, as well as emails for new password requests. I would think any of these would suffice. but alas, I have no content to trade.
I am knowledgeable in the areas of copyright law and sharing of this information would be considered fair use. There is no issue with "criminal" activity.
I am knowledgeable in the areas of copyright law and sharing of this information would be considered fair use. There is no issue with "criminal" activity.
- Keith Raygor
- Posts: 101
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Naples, FL
- Contact:
Re: Cogitations finished?
Human nature has me most intrigued with letter G of Chris' post:
quote:
G. This is my last post to this thread.
I noticed this was not in Chris' original post, but was added in his edit, presumably after consideration.
I can't, for the life of me, understand why someone would end a post and end his part of an episode with those sentiments. Especially when the discussion is brought on by good people sincerely sharing the same concerns. My thought was that more positive results would be gained for everyone involved by seeing the discussion through to it's natural conclusion. This is not dreamland I'm suggesting - this is how adults do things.
Its not the things that go wrong that bothers me, its the deliberate running from problems that bothers me. In this arena, that makes two.
quote:
G. This is my last post to this thread.
I noticed this was not in Chris' original post, but was added in his edit, presumably after consideration.
I can't, for the life of me, understand why someone would end a post and end his part of an episode with those sentiments. Especially when the discussion is brought on by good people sincerely sharing the same concerns. My thought was that more positive results would be gained for everyone involved by seeing the discussion through to it's natural conclusion. This is not dreamland I'm suggesting - this is how adults do things.
Its not the things that go wrong that bothers me, its the deliberate running from problems that bothers me. In this arena, that makes two.
Re: Cogitations finished?
proposal for dissemination of materials to subscribers:
www.yousendit.com
once the initial (presumably somewhat large zip file) is upped to a location on the yousendit servers, subscribers could send proof of membership (paypal receipt, etc.) to a central figure (i.e. me, i guess) and then receive the link to the material. i don't have all the material saved myself, however, so i may not be the best individual to do this...
just an idea.
www.yousendit.com
once the initial (presumably somewhat large zip file) is upped to a location on the yousendit servers, subscribers could send proof of membership (paypal receipt, etc.) to a central figure (i.e. me, i guess) and then receive the link to the material. i don't have all the material saved myself, however, so i may not be the best individual to do this...
just an idea.
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Re: Cogitations finished?
I guess I was one of the lucky ones who actually has a working e-mail address and had e-mail updates from Steve right from the start, I don't want to take sides but thought I would re-dress the balance and correct a few mistruths, for people to flat out say that no e-mail was sent warning you of the impending closure of Cogitations I that is just not true.
Right from the start Steve sent out e-mails even containing details of impending deaths in his family, culminating in the death of his father-in-law which quite understandably impeded his updates, and which ultimatley may have something to do with his going away (but this is pure speculation).
On the 7th of March (just two months into the six month sub) I recieved an e-mail from Cogitations:
Now yes it is bad that people didn't recieve these, and in hind-sight it is easy to see how they should have posted this info on the site, which would have been best for all concerned.
I for one have been burned and am out of pocket from Onyx and Mr Gadfly, and Penumbra is taking its time, its not the publishing schedule though that peeves me, its the damn LACK OF COMMUNICATON! How hard is it for these people to post on the numerous magic boards that exist to say that there has been a delay, or when to expect the next issue, there is no excuse for radio silence.
I think Steve and Chris thought they were doing the right thing by sending out regular e-mails which I for one recieved, and I do agree that the way Steve exited was a bit hasty, and I agree completley that those who thought they were going to get a cd, and didn't bother to archive are the ones that deserve the cd or an archive.
Anyway just thought I would show that I got several e-mails and that they did exist, but that probably doesn't help people who didn't get them or any archives :confused:
Right from the start Steve sent out e-mails even containing details of impending deaths in his family, culminating in the death of his father-in-law which quite understandably impeded his updates, and which ultimatley may have something to do with his going away (but this is pure speculation).
On the 7th of March (just two months into the six month sub) I recieved an e-mail from Cogitations:
Again on the 5th of May:
Are you going to archive any of the material? How does that work?
Actually, after considering all options we've decided that the best thing to do is to archive every six months. This means that every six months we'll remove all previous articles from the site and archive them. People who have been subscribers at that time will be able to purchase a CD with the entire six months worth of content for $10.00 ppd anywhere in the world. People who subscribe in the future and want back issues will have to pay
$20.00 ppd for the CD. Please note that virtually all of the material on Cogitations can be downloaded or printed, so no subscriber is actually being forced to purchase a CD of material that they've already paid for--
on the other hand, people will not be able to subscribe later down the road and receive all the previous material for free. We believe this is the fairest way to approach the problem and unless we get an overwhelming number of complaints will institute this policy immediately.
And similar e-mails on 18th May, 11th June and the 27th June, which I won't bother to quote, trust me they say the same thing...
On June 30th, every item on Cogitations will be archived and will no longer be available on the site. However, all who subscribe before July 1st 2005 will have the option of purchasing an Archive CD for $10.00 U.S. ppd anywhere in the world.
Now yes it is bad that people didn't recieve these, and in hind-sight it is easy to see how they should have posted this info on the site, which would have been best for all concerned.
I for one have been burned and am out of pocket from Onyx and Mr Gadfly, and Penumbra is taking its time, its not the publishing schedule though that peeves me, its the damn LACK OF COMMUNICATON! How hard is it for these people to post on the numerous magic boards that exist to say that there has been a delay, or when to expect the next issue, there is no excuse for radio silence.
I think Steve and Chris thought they were doing the right thing by sending out regular e-mails which I for one recieved, and I do agree that the way Steve exited was a bit hasty, and I agree completley that those who thought they were going to get a cd, and didn't bother to archive are the ones that deserve the cd or an archive.
Anyway just thought I would show that I got several e-mails and that they did exist, but that probably doesn't help people who didn't get them or any archives :confused:
Rich.
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- Richard Kaufman
- Posts: 27067
- Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
- Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
- Location: Washington DC
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Here is Youell's post, which seems rather dictatorial:
"I will answer any and all questions regarding Cogitationsbut Ill only do it in
private and from actual subscribers because I will not attempt to have a
discussion with people who hide behind anonymity."
"I have set up an e-mail account specifically for this purpose and it will be
active for 15 daysnot one day more." John8-7@cox.net
"I will answer all questions from subscribers but I will not answer e-mails
from non-subscribers. (Who, for some reason, comprise the majority of
the people demanding blood.)"
"Anyone posting my responses in a public forum will be blocked from further
correspondence."
Steven Youell
"I will answer any and all questions regarding Cogitationsbut Ill only do it in
private and from actual subscribers because I will not attempt to have a
discussion with people who hide behind anonymity."
"I have set up an e-mail account specifically for this purpose and it will be
active for 15 daysnot one day more." John8-7@cox.net
"I will answer all questions from subscribers but I will not answer e-mails
from non-subscribers. (Who, for some reason, comprise the majority of
the people demanding blood.)"
"Anyone posting my responses in a public forum will be blocked from further
correspondence."
Steven Youell
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine
- Keith Raygor
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Re: Cogitations finished?
I don't recall anyone flat out saying no emails were sent. I acknowledgethey were sent. We know some people received them. This was never the issue. The people speaking out were the one's that didn't receive them and only stated that.
Re: Cogitations finished?
Now I'm glad it was only $20. I chipped in to support Steve's contributors efforts, some of whom I know and believe in.
Between looking out for my mom, building magic in the shop and working on a video of The Iron Pony Express (the civilian guys who haul the mail in Iraq) I never had time to sign onto Cogitations for more than a minute to take a look at the format. I thought I could come back later and check it out if I wanted to.
Life is like that. I havent finished everything I've started and folks have been patient with me. The least I can do is return the favor.
-=tabman
Between looking out for my mom, building magic in the shop and working on a video of The Iron Pony Express (the civilian guys who haul the mail in Iraq) I never had time to sign onto Cogitations for more than a minute to take a look at the format. I thought I could come back later and check it out if I wanted to.
Life is like that. I havent finished everything I've started and folks have been patient with me. The least I can do is return the favor.
-=tabman
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- Posts: 97
- Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Hull, UK
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Re: Cogitations finished?
Hmmm...Originally posted by Keith Raygor:
I don't recall anyone flat out saying no emails were sent. I acknowledgethey were sent. We know some people received them. This was never the issue. The people speaking out were the one's that didn't receive them and only stated that.
And in a more round-about way:The people who paid for Cogitations I were given NO notification that service was about to cease and they needed to print out or archive the material they paid for. They paid for something and don't have it. I don't think it's harsh at all.
Anyway I don't know if anyone else recieved an interesting e-mail from Steve just recently, but looks like it could all be resolved VERY amicably soon...I managed to receive emails from Youell letting me know that I should send him more money and renew, but did not receive emails letting me know it was closing and I should archive if desired. I've had the same email address for ages. Hmmm....
- Keith Raygor
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Re: Cogitations finished?
You're right, some did say and imply that no emails were sent. I apologize for mischaracterizing the content of some of the complaints.
- Keith Raygor
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Re: Cogitations finished?
As a subscriber, I am happy with Steve's plans pointed out in his recent email.
- Richard Kaufman
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