Search found 110 matches
- October 15th, 2014, 1:13 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign
- Replies: 16
- Views: 4776
Re: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign
Yes and no. If a charity uses a lot of its contributions for its own salaries, it is exploitive. In this case, the magician garnered publicity for himself, aggrandizing his career. The stunt is exploitive even though the homeless man benefited from it. It's unfortunate that a benefit performance wou...
- October 15th, 2014, 11:19 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign
- Replies: 16
- Views: 4776
Re: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign
If it was prearranged, it was with some kind of consent. Even then, it's exploitive. The whole thing shows the extremely strange, random nature of charity when a society isn't well-organized to provide social services but is well-organized to record everything on camera for large audiences. This man...
- October 14th, 2014, 8:08 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Torn and Restored Homeless Man's Sign
- Replies: 16
- Views: 4776
- September 2nd, 2014, 12:17 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
- Replies: 42
- Views: 15280
Re: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
Funny you asked. They did the Pendragons' presentation of Metamorphosis. And for that matter, they did Doug Hennings' presentation of the Water Torture Cell.
- September 1st, 2014, 8:31 pm
- Forum: Close-Up Magic
- Topic: Help with The Fine Art of Magic
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5352
Re: Help with The Fine Art of Magic
The trick "Card, Crystal Ball, and Panties" includes the memorable instruction "Finally, shake hands with him and give him the panties to keep as a souvenir of the occasion."
- September 1st, 2014, 3:26 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
- Replies: 42
- Views: 15280
Re: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
I thought Keitel was good. I think Keitel talked to Dorothy Young, who knew Houdini offstage and worked with him on stage. Keitel probably did other research as well. The movie in general was well done. Because Keitel's character interacts with children, the movie shows a kinder side of Houdini. Kin...
- September 1st, 2014, 1:01 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
- Replies: 42
- Views: 15280
Re: Houdini Bio-Pic Reviews Start Rolling In
Screenwriter Meyer's father wrote the psychoanalytic book, so we're stuck with a lot of those ideas conveyed by a voiceover from Houdini, of all people. But in real life Houdini was an unreflective person. Paradoxically, that gave him the strength to be himself, a force of nature with no doubts. Rut...
- June 26th, 2014, 2:56 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: The Oldest Trick in the Book by Bob Read
- Replies: 36
- Views: 10631
Re: The Oldest Trick in the Book by Bob Read
It sounds like the format and content are similar to art museums' catalogues of their collections.
- May 31st, 2014, 3:30 pm
- Forum: Tenyo
- Topic: The Haunting
- Replies: 20
- Views: 6982
Re: The Haunting
The movie is based on Shirley Jackson's novel "The Haunting of Hill House."
- November 22nd, 2013, 7:11 pm
- Forum: Light From the Lamp
- Topic: Excusing bad writing?
- Replies: 41
- Views: 36939
Re: Excusing bad writing?
For me, the keys to good explanatory writing are anticipating what the reader needs to know, putting the information in the right order for best comprehension, and anticipating how readers will understand your sentences so you can avoid confusion. And, of course, extensive knowlege of the subject. I...
- September 12th, 2013, 8:10 pm
- Forum: Light from the Lamp ONLINE.
- Topic: Help Us!
- Replies: 66
- Views: 25315
Re: Help Us!
The Metamorphosis. It removes $50 from your wallet and replaces it with a playing card.
- September 8th, 2013, 1:47 pm
- Forum: Link Watch
- Topic: Prakash Puru in NY
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1422
Re: Prakash Puru in NY
The sponsored nature of the article explains the puffery in the sub-headline. Still, it's nice that the gin company thinks it's cool to associate itself with a magician.
- September 6th, 2013, 6:54 pm
- Forum: Link Watch
- Topic: Prakash Puru in NY
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1422
- August 26th, 2013, 6:52 pm
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: Try being a skeptic in India
- Replies: 0
- Views: 1220
- August 19th, 2013, 4:12 pm
- Forum: Link Watch
- Topic: Still persecuting "witches"
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1213
- August 17th, 2013, 11:32 pm
- Forum: Link Watch
- Topic: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
- Replies: 18
- Views: 6404
Re: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
Does that mean you understood what Jonathan said? What did he say?
- August 17th, 2013, 2:41 pm
- Forum: Link Watch
- Topic: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
- Replies: 18
- Views: 6404
Re: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
Houdini always made a distinction between religious beliefs, such as belief in the afterlife, and mediums, who used trickery to deceive bereaved people. He didn't quarrel with spiritualism, even, as a religion; only with mediums. And I think he recognized that some people who claimed to contact the ...
- August 16th, 2013, 6:49 pm
- Forum: Link Watch
- Topic: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
- Replies: 18
- Views: 6404
Re: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
OK, the title was censored. Just go to http://www.thedailybeast.com
- August 16th, 2013, 6:48 pm
- Forum: Link Watch
- Topic: Skeptics including Randi & Swiss
- Replies: 18
- Views: 6404
- July 17th, 2013, 12:15 pm
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
- Replies: 17
- Views: 6991
Re: Magic 1400s-1950s
Thank you for the detailed comparsion of the two editions. If only the publisher could be so helpful.
I would say that in an illustrated book the illustrations are part of the content, so to me the content of the two editions is not the same.
I would say that in an illustrated book the illustrations are part of the content, so to me the content of the two editions is not the same.
- June 8th, 2013, 12:34 pm
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
- Replies: 17
- Views: 6991
Re: Magic 1400s-1950s
That's interesting, John. It sounds like Taschen gave me the wrong info, and my original supposition was correct.
- June 6th, 2013, 10:57 pm
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
- Replies: 17
- Views: 6991
Re: Magic 1400s-1950s
Well, I did hear from Taschen. They said there is no difference in content between the original edition and the new one. They said there are fewer pages in the new one because pages were re-formatted.
- June 4th, 2013, 2:24 pm
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: Now you (can) see first few minutes
- Replies: 26
- Views: 8682
Re: Now you (can) see first few minutes
It's not so bad. It's an action movie. A bit long. Mediocre script. No characterization except what Woody Harrelson can create out of nothing. Maybe his acting is the only magic here. Nice to see a very old technique put to good use in the card trick. I'll bet a lot of people in the theater mentally...
- June 3rd, 2013, 2:54 am
- Forum: Alternative Media
- Topic: Magic 1400s-1950s
- Replies: 17
- Views: 6991
Re: Magic 1400s-1950s
Take a look at Taschen's own web page. It shows pictures of some pages in the book and refers to the edition as multi-lingual. It looks like the text in all three languages is in the less-expensive edition. Also, if you have the original edition, you can see that the layouts are the same but the pag...
- April 12th, 2013, 6:12 pm
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Houdini real?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 1426
Re: Houdini real?
I wonder if "Lindorst" is Will L. Lindhorst, aka Chandu. Houdini wasn't a great speller.
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/chandu-reveals-his-magic-secrets/#more
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/chandu-reveals-his-magic-secrets/#more
- March 26th, 2013, 3:10 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Dolts in the Media and Royal Road to Card Magic
- Replies: 10
- Views: 2426
Re: Dolts in the Media and Royal Road to Card Magic
What kind of person? The kind who thinks Royal Road has overly long explanations.
- March 18th, 2013, 12:50 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Magic as Theatre: An Academic Struggle
- Replies: 14
- Views: 3532
Re: Magic as Theatre: An Academic Struggle
Given that Matthew's proposed thesis was precisely to examine whether magic is theater, you'd think the professor would allow it as a legitimate thesis. A thesis is supposed to be about an open question. The professor seems to have peremptorily closed the question. It's a good thing he doesn't teach...
- March 7th, 2013, 3:09 am
- Forum: Magicana
- Topic: Card to case
- Replies: 9
- Views: 11765
Re: Card to case
In The Commercial Magic of Roger Crosthwaite, he uses the Kelly/Ovette move to put a card into a rear palm in his right hand. The card is then slid into the case as his right hand approaches to open the case, which his left hand holds. The case can then be opened cleanly.
Re: ERDNASE
The drawings for the Hoffmann and Roterberg books are examples of the clutter of too much information.
Re: ERDNASE
I agree that the drawing of the Bee ace of spades shows that Erdnase was using a Bee deck. But there would be no need to draw the backs with accuracy. That kind of detail is not relevant to conveying hand positions on a deck of cards. It would muddy the drawings, as Chris said. It has nothing to do ...
Re: ERDNASE
Right. I made my comment because some posters seem to be discussing whether the illustrations are of this or that back design. My point is the illustration doesn't represent any back design at all.
Re: ERDNASE
I don't think the illustrator is portraying a back design. I think he's found a very efficient way of showing a surface in perspective.
- February 7th, 2013, 6:51 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: One way to memorize a deck
- Replies: 19
- Views: 5293
- December 30th, 2012, 12:11 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Roy Walton Books REPRINTED!
- Replies: 36
- Views: 9266
Re: Roy Walton Books REPRINTED!
The numbers in my set are on the first title page, which is the first page to have printing on it. The other side of this page has a portrait of Walton. Then there follows a full title page with author, illustrator, copyright, edition, and publisher. I noticed this is the same format of title pages ...
- December 3rd, 2012, 1:29 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Big Book of Magic by Caveney & Steinmeyer next April
- Replies: 16
- Views: 2995
Re: Big Book of Magic by Caveney & Steinmeyer next April
I haven't seen Taschen's small circus book that sells for about $45, but I looked it up on Amazon. It's about 15 X 10 X 2 inches. 544 pages. Maybe it reproduces everything from the giant book but smaller and on cheaper paper. These editions sound like a good price for nice books.
- October 23rd, 2012, 6:41 pm
- Forum: Close-Up Magic
- Topic: "too perfect" theory
- Replies: 72
- Views: 10631
Re: "too perfect" theory
Some language mavens will accept degrees of perfection under the principle that nothing is truly perfect. Jefferson referred to a "more perfect union." Also, they'll accept the human tendency to hyperbole and emotional expression. "That looks so perfect on you," for example, has ...
- October 16th, 2012, 7:37 pm
- Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
- Topic: The Chinese Water Torture Cell at 100
- Replies: 61
- Views: 23285
Re: The Chinese Water Torture Cell at 100
The guy with the horns is clearly intended to be Chinese. It matches cliched images of pigtails, eyes, moustaches, robes. It conveys a devilish person, not a nonhuman.
Also, I think the blue figure isn't blue. It's dark-skinned. The blue represents highlights on dark skin.
Also, I think the blue figure isn't blue. It's dark-skinned. The blue represents highlights on dark skin.
- October 15th, 2012, 12:43 pm
- Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
- Topic: The Chinese Water Torture Cell at 100
- Replies: 61
- Views: 23285
Re: The Water Torture Cell at 100
I always figured that Houdini had heard the phrase "Chinese water torture" and either didn't know what it referred to or didn't care. It is odd that he used the phrase for his trick, given that he made no effort to decorate the cell as a Chinese object or present the trick in a Chinese-ori...
- August 31st, 2012, 1:25 pm
- Forum: Close-Up Magic
- Topic: Jumping Gemini Trouble
- Replies: 9
- Views: 2085
- August 20th, 2012, 5:54 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Art and Artifice at the Scrabble Table
- Replies: 1
- Views: 778