Confused, I thought as I read this "I thought he passed away years ago" ... and ... "I didn't think he was a magician".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gobel
Wrong George Gobel.
Rest in Peace George F. Gobel.
Search found 1515 matches
- January 10th, 2021, 10:29 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: George Goebel has passed away.
- Replies: 5
- Views: 691
- December 21st, 2020, 4:59 pm
- Forum: Feature Articles
- Topic: In Memoriam: Matthew Field
- Replies: 2
- Views: 880
Re: In Memoriam: Matthew Field
This is so sad. Matthew was always incredibly positive here in the forum, really never a bad word about anybody, and never a bad thought about any given situation. I didn't know Matthew, but he seemed to be many authors choice of "guest editors" for their publications. Condolences to all w...
- December 21st, 2020, 4:54 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: LA Times #2: Magic Castle followup article
- Replies: 4
- Views: 970
Re: LA Times #2: Magic Castle followup article
Boards of Directors don't always represent the most accurate "in the trenches" knowledge of any given enterprise ... but they do tend to represent their members and/or shareholders interests far more equitably than does their single employee ... usually an Executive Director, General Manag...
Re: ERDNASE
Chris doesn't do "research", he tells fantastical yarns based on bits and pieces of information he's dug up and stitched together with nothing more than a desire to stitch those yarns together. He does this all with the specific goal of fulfilling his own personal confirmation bias regardi...
- November 18th, 2020, 8:46 pm
- Forum: Marketing & Magic Business
- Topic: Pitch DVD/Book course
- Replies: 30
- Views: 12774
Re: Pitch DVD/Book course
Has anybody heard from Mark?
He hasn't been around the forum since the middle of March.
He hasn't been around the forum since the middle of March.
- October 12th, 2020, 7:54 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Copperfield Interview
- Replies: 9
- Views: 839
Re: Copperfield Interview
That was a great interview. I've seen DC multiple times on tour, and in Vegas ... and that interview certainly helps put his onstage personality and performing style into perspective. Unlike a lot of DC interviews, that one really comes across as spending a few minutes with the "real" DC. ...
- October 12th, 2020, 9:39 am
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
- Replies: 68
- Views: 3809
Re: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
Let's make it crystal clear for those who might consider such eBay offerings as are referenced above. John, at no point in time , sent the programming information to anybody . Nobody but John (and perhaps Stranger) possess the information required to program the device such that it becomes the Poker...
- October 8th, 2020, 3:17 pm
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
- Replies: 68
- Views: 3809
Re: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
Just a quick note to let owners of the Poker Machine know that, although his address was shared in confidence, and thus I can't share it ... I did try to contact Al Stranger a few weeks ago now, and he has chosen not to respond. I was specific in that contact, clarifying that John's passing results ...
- September 24th, 2020, 10:07 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: Kind of negative, but here it is.
- Replies: 17
- Views: 2358
Re: Kind of negative, but here it is.
I'm not a performer at all, but I do enjoy spending months (if not years) researching magic related topics, and then showing them to my daughter, or the folks at work. Design, research, creation, history ... all aspects of magic that don't require professional performance, but can bring a lifetime o...
- September 17th, 2020, 9:08 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: The Inevitable Surprise - Michael Weber
- Replies: 18
- Views: 1709
Re: The Inevitable Surprise - Michael Weber
...My hobby other than magic is getting drunk by myself and watching pop videos on youtube.... Hey wait a minute! ... that's my "other" hobby as well! Folks should try it before they knock it though, especially when if done later in the evening it results in nodding off while humming a ca...
Re: ERDNASE
I'm sure there's more to the story. A detailed explanation from one side of a divorce, while the other side of the divorce remains silent doesn't really offer anything you might call a fact. Regardless, I'd never purchase the book simply on principle ... at least until I knew more about the accuracy...
- September 12th, 2020, 5:31 pm
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
- Replies: 68
- Views: 3809
Re: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
Would someone kindly inform me what this poker machine is? It appears to do the bloody impossible, which is predict a card which has not been seen, and (to a viewer) simply cannot under any circumstances be known. The "low-tech" charm over something like an iPhone is quite disarming, as m...
- September 12th, 2020, 12:32 pm
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
- Replies: 68
- Views: 3809
Re: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
The machine dumps the program entirely when the back-up battery dies. Joe's advice is excellent though, for those whose batteries haven't yet died! If I had followed John's instructions to the tee, as erdnasophile notes ... I wouldn't have my current issue :) ... but ... "human nature and forge...
- September 12th, 2020, 10:47 am
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
- Replies: 68
- Views: 3809
Re: Looking for al Stranger miracle poker machine
Marco, with John Mendoza now sadly passed away, there is nobody left to program these machines should the battery die ... and trust me, regardless of how carefully you monitor the two batteries, they will die, and you will lose the programming. There is no instruction manual provided to re-program, ...
Re: ERDNASE
I am out of the loop in these discussions. Does anyone know anything about the new Todd Karr book? Also - does anyone feel like he will have finaly solved this mystery? I would guess it's going to depend almost entirely on the veracity of the evidence Karr is promising to present to the readers of ...
- September 9th, 2020, 9:10 pm
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Looking for "Monte Gras" by Harry Anderson
- Replies: 2
- Views: 310
- September 9th, 2020, 11:18 am
- Forum: Collector's Marketplace
- Topic: Looking for "Monte Gras" by Harry Anderson
- Replies: 2
- Views: 310
Looking for "Monte Gras" by Harry Anderson
I'm looking to purchase a Monte Gras card set as made by Harry.
I'm after a complete package ... so original folder, instructions, and cards.
If you have one to sell, please let me know (shipping to Canada).
I'm after a complete package ... so original folder, instructions, and cards.
If you have one to sell, please let me know (shipping to Canada).
- September 8th, 2020, 12:38 pm
- Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
- Topic: Roy Horn - Tiger attack
- Replies: 1
- Views: 417
Re: Roy Horn - Tiger attack
I don't get all the presumed mystery surrounding Roy's accident. He was attacked by one of his tigers at a point in the act where he began ad libbing his normal movements (confirmed by multiple sources) ... at this point (and very quickly) the tiger became unpredictable. Whether the unconfirmed info...
Re: ERDNASE
So ... the "Hilliard is Erdnase" theory?
I believe this has been posited by a few others over the years as well.
It may prove to be an enlightening read.
I believe this has been posited by a few others over the years as well.
It may prove to be an enlightening read.
Re: ERDNASE
Richard will have to confirm what he actually meant, but I do agree that it seemed his multiple Shakespeare "interviews" are somehow involved. All the contributors to Cardmagic weren't yet born in 1902, so pretty safe bet (if there is any such thing when it comes to Erdnase) that the refer...
Re: ERDNASE
Todd certainly does know how to research the crap out of any given subject matter, so this should be interesting.
https://www.miraclefactory.net/product/erdnase/
Can't find any clues in Richard's Cardmagic though?
https://www.miraclefactory.net/product/erdnase/
Can't find any clues in Richard's Cardmagic though?

Re: ERDNASE
Ahhh, yes!
Thanks Yehuda.
I sense another Erdnase revelation on the horizon, so I'll go get my copy and flip through for clues!!!
Thanks Yehuda.
I sense another Erdnase revelation on the horizon, so I'll go get my copy and flip through for clues!!!
Re: ERDNASE
Richard Kaufman wrote:Perhaps. Do you own a copy of the book Card Magic?
"Card Magic" by Lewis Ganson?
Of some other book with "Card Magic" in its title - be it "Royal Road" or something else?
- August 5th, 2020, 8:46 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: RIP John Mendoza
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1484
Re: RIP John Mendoza
I wonder if John handed off the nuts and bolts of programming his absolutely unbelievable Poker Machine to Al Stanger, whom he developed it with? As I did 5 years ago, I let both batteries die a the beginning of the summer (owners will understand the utter folly of letting that happen). John sold th...
Re: Interview
I'm pretty sure Jason can speak for himself, and indeed his posting history here in this forum quite solidly bears that out. When a performer repeatedly posts links in a forum to their performances, their books, their blogs, and their YouTube performances and interviews ... it's pretty safe to assum...
Re: Interview
In general, I found your interview to be entirely commensurate with your persona here in the forum.
- July 9th, 2020, 10:39 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: RIP Ron Graham
- Replies: 6
- Views: 837
Re: RIP Ron Graham
Magical Mathematics is a hidden gem of a magic book. Much of the material is intensely focused on concepts that, although understandable, are so deep that they might represent months (or years) of work to fully investigate. BUT, contained in the book are some brilliant, relatively unknown card tric...
- July 1st, 2020, 2:02 pm
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Cirque du Soleil
- Replies: 9
- Views: 980
Re: Cirque du Soleil
Not sure folks really understand Quebec, or the Quebec mindset, and thus they don't at all understand Cirque.
The Quebec provincial government will ensure that Cirque survives - as the piece of Quebec culture that it is.
Quebecers don't let anybody screw around with their heritage or their culture.
The Quebec provincial government will ensure that Cirque survives - as the piece of Quebec culture that it is.
Quebecers don't let anybody screw around with their heritage or their culture.
- May 24th, 2020, 11:44 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Big Announcement from The Jerx
- Replies: 55
- Views: 5202
Re: Big Announcement from The Jerx
... or maybe it's Derren fabricating "Andy", proceeding to admit he is "Andy" but ... then Derren will begin to imply that he isn't "Andy" after all (even though he really is Andy ) - all in order to undertake the most complex Derren Brown performance piece to date? We'...
- May 24th, 2020, 11:24 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Big Announcement from The Jerx
- Replies: 55
- Views: 5202
Re: Big Announcement from The Jerx
BTW, it would seem that what were already very limited editions of "Andy's" books and sundry newsletters, etc have suddenly achieved a previously unimaginable value on the used market.
- May 24th, 2020, 11:20 am
- Forum: Buzz
- Topic: Big Announcement from The Jerx
- Replies: 55
- Views: 5202
Re: Big Announcement from The Jerx
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote: I think as more about "Andy" becomes known, it becomes apparent that he is quite involved in magic and mentalism, and further that he's no lightweight on either topic. You may disagree profoundly with his writing style, but it would be a mistake to dismiss h...
- May 10th, 2020, 5:51 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: The Jerx Year Three
- Replies: 240
- Views: 48217
Re: The Jerx Year Three
I think as more about "Andy" becomes known, it becomes apparent that he is quite involved in magic and mentalism, and further that he's no lightweight on either topic. You may disagree profoundly with his writing style, but it would be a mistake to dismiss his deeper thinking on the subjec...
Re: ERDNASE
There's about two weeks worth of posts from April 18th to May 2nd 2020 missing from this thread?
- April 30th, 2020, 11:22 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Erdnase photographer ?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 3419
Re: Erdnase photographer ?
Other than his name on the book, what evidence is there that Smith did any of the illustrations? Other than you claiming to be Jon Townsend by attaching your name to posts on the Genii forum, what evidence exists that you're Jon Townsend, more-so what evidence exists that you know Jon Townsend, or ...
- April 28th, 2020, 11:09 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: Erdnase photographer ?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 3419
Re: Erdnase photographer ?
As Bill notes in his post, I did contemplate photography as a possible option 11 years ago. But in the time since I've learned and re-learned that positing every ... single ... option ... just for the sake of positing options - and doing that "positing" without any evidence whatsoever to s...
- April 26th, 2020, 5:58 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Erdnase photographer ?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 3419
Re: Erdnase photographer ?
Unfortunately, beyond "thinking that photos were used", there is no evidence whatsoever to support your personal conjecture.
- April 26th, 2020, 12:45 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: Erdnase photographer ?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 3419
Re: Erdnase photographer ?
Technically, couldn't it be either?
Although I concede that Occam's Razor is the appropriate descriptor for the discussion underway.
Although I concede that Occam's Razor is the appropriate descriptor for the discussion underway.
- April 25th, 2020, 3:08 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: Erdnase photographer ?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 3419
Re: Erdnase photographer ?
It wouldn't make any sense at all really, because other than pure conjecture based on a nebulous phrase Martin Gardner used one single time, we have nothing to lead us to believe that a photographer was involved in EATCT at all . I mean you can posit anything you want, but at some point in time the ...
- April 25th, 2020, 10:46 am
- Forum: General
- Topic: Erdnase photographer ?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 3419
Re: Erdnase photographer ?
Smith was a talented artist, something that's easy to see in his paintings of old New Orleans. I think a more common thought is that some of the more "amateurish" hand drawings in EATCT were very likely done after the fact by (non-artist) Erdnase himself, with Erdnase making amateur effort...