Search found 304 matches

by El Harvey Oswald
February 27th, 2012, 4:17 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Rubik Cubes
Replies: 37
Views: 8046

Re: Rubik Cubes

prediction sounds deadly dull; race against time compelling
by El Harvey Oswald
February 20th, 2012, 1:54 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Best Mathe-Magic Book?
Replies: 24
Views: 7147

Re: Best Mathe-Magic Book?

diaconis book better for math; aragon for magic; both worth having
by El Harvey Oswald
February 18th, 2012, 10:08 pm
Forum: Link Watch
Topic: Pressure by Dan White and Daniel Garcia
Replies: 5
Views: 1677

Re: Pressure by Dan White and Daniel Garcia

The straight YouTube performances are typically a clearer, more efficient and accurate revelation of the method than the many "tutorials." This is no exception. Either turn it over convincingly -- i.e., not furtively and showing 95% hand and 5% balloon -- or don't turn it over at all. If y...
by El Harvey Oswald
February 16th, 2012, 6:23 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Wayne Dobson has been manipulated
Replies: 105
Views: 29714

Re: Wayne Dobson has been manipulated

The recording/bullying are obviously bad; but it does seem as if there was some pure copying by McBride, irrespective of what Dobson says -- though his claiming not to care ought to have been the end of there being anything to say about the incident. Other than to comment on the weird totalitarian i...
by El Harvey Oswald
February 15th, 2012, 9:02 am
Forum: General
Topic: Esoteric Cogitations on Patter
Replies: 7
Views: 1828

Re: Esoteric Cogitations on Patter

Parsimonious isn't a very parsimonious word.
by El Harvey Oswald
February 15th, 2012, 7:33 am
Forum: Link Watch
Topic: Pressure by Dan White and Daniel Garcia
Replies: 5
Views: 1677

Re: Pressure by Dan White and Daniel Garcia

Tutorial!
by El Harvey Oswald
February 14th, 2012, 6:20 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Esoteric Cogitations on Patter
Replies: 7
Views: 1828

Re: Esoteric Cogitations on Patter

not quite as iroic as it aspires to be
by El Harvey Oswald
February 13th, 2012, 8:20 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Has The Net Killed Magic?
Replies: 28
Views: 4234

Re: Has The Net Killed Magic?

"I literally lay at the feet of Derek Dingle and watched him do the Pass from beneath" Great image. And I am all for Richard having been the one self-selected by his dedication to have documented and memorialized so much of the greats' work, while also being part of bringing magic into the...
by El Harvey Oswald
February 13th, 2012, 8:08 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Has The Net Killed Magic?
Replies: 28
Views: 4234

Re: Has The Net Killed Magic?

"I saw a lot of kids get encouragement from well-known people in our field up at Tannen's. Was it idyllic? Yes, for me it certainly was. "

Of course; you would become Richard Kaufman. I was just . . .
by El Harvey Oswald
February 13th, 2012, 7:08 pm
Forum: Feature Articles
Topic: Jamy Ian Swiss Article
Replies: 55
Views: 21009

Re: Jamy Ian Swiss Article

great story, bro
by El Harvey Oswald
February 13th, 2012, 7:06 pm
Forum: Feature Articles
Topic: Jamy Ian Swiss Article
Replies: 55
Views: 21009

Re: Jamy Ian Swiss Article

Pretty sure Leonard of the purportedly "original" name, for whatever that's worth, can't quite articulate who Gertrude is, or certainly who Fortinbras is/are. But he is steadfast in his conviction, like our President G.W. Bush, who never did call his electorate "merkins." Also, a...
by El Harvey Oswald
February 13th, 2012, 6:54 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Has The Net Killed Magic?
Replies: 28
Views: 4234

Re: Has The Net Killed Magic?

The idea that Tannen's was without exception an idyllic place that welcomed the most naive beginners would be purely funny if it weren't solidifying into the sort of entrenched mythology that magician types don't part easily with. I saw some of the "mentoring" that is located as the prevai...
by El Harvey Oswald
February 13th, 2012, 2:25 pm
Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
Topic: So how deceptive is the balloon swallow, really?
Replies: 32
Views: 28963

Re: So how deceptive is the balloon swallow, really?

"Like anything, it's about the performer."

Like anything, it also has some inherent qualities that aren't performer-contingent.
by El Harvey Oswald
February 13th, 2012, 12:40 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Has The Net Killed Magic?
Replies: 28
Views: 4234

Re: Has The Net Killed Magic?

No; things change.
by El Harvey Oswald
February 12th, 2012, 3:05 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Wayne Dobson has been manipulated
Replies: 105
Views: 29714

Re: Wayne Dobson has been manipulated

"Posting crappy youtube videos is a cheap shot."

What exactly is a "cheap shot"? Something that should never be posted, notwithstanding its accuracy? Something only you have the ability to place in proper context?
by El Harvey Oswald
February 9th, 2012, 9:35 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The really odd things one finds on the Cafe
Replies: 38
Views: 10509

Re: The really odd things one finds on the Cafe

I'd say you were pretty successfully baited, Vlad. You can't really post a response celebrating your non-response.
by El Harvey Oswald
February 9th, 2012, 8:43 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Sh*t Magicians Say
Replies: 24
Views: 5177

Re: Sh*t Magicians Say

"like so"
by El Harvey Oswald
February 9th, 2012, 3:16 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Sh*t Magicians Say
Replies: 24
Views: 5177

Re: Sh*t Magicians Say

?
by El Harvey Oswald
February 1st, 2012, 6:15 pm
Forum: Other Magic Publications
Topic: Something troubling in Steinmeyer's new book
Replies: 123
Views: 45087

Re: Something troubling in Steinmeyer's new book

"If someone has a prima fascia case, a judge will not toss it because his docket is full. But the problem of our courts being busy is a very real one. It can take years before a civil (non-criminal) case sees the inside of a courtroom. And for every one that makes it in front of a jury, there a...
by El Harvey Oswald
February 1st, 2012, 6:03 pm
Forum: Other Magic Publications
Topic: Something troubling in Steinmeyer's new book
Replies: 123
Views: 45087

Re: Something troubling in Steinmeyer's new book

An aside inspired by but diferent from the thread's content: I work in a field that pompously calls itself a "learned profession." The discussion in this thread is far more vibrant and substantial than the typical quality of conversation in my work. However, I think magic has consistently ...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 27th, 2012, 3:57 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

It marked a paradigm shift. They are, together, the new Vernon, and will accomplish nothing less than elevating magic to a respected position among the performing arts. New legends, often flawless, in other words.
by El Harvey Oswald
January 27th, 2012, 1:19 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

Helder and Derek rose to the challenge with their performance
by El Harvey Oswald
January 27th, 2012, 11:53 am
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

"It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the castle of Camelot. King of the Britons, defeater of the Saxons, Sovereign of all England!"
by El Harvey Oswald
January 27th, 2012, 11:36 am
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

I recall your giving an interview in which you described the concept for the new act. It sounded like a nearly impossible task, and with dauntingly ultimate stakes for you: integrating ADD into a mentalism act and, above all, creating a worthy and entirely distinct successor to one of the iconic sta...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 26th, 2012, 12:18 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

Well said, as always, JP. Your candor and insight, linking an extraordinary personal experience to the presentation of a classic effect, is a singular contribution. And for those who have not seen Jonathan's most recent lecture notes, they are highly recommended -- though I particularly value having...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 25th, 2012, 4:11 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

I doubt very much that discussing whether the Flushtration Count is any good either diminishes the legacy of Bro. Hamman or overlays a too-rational approach and thereby dilutes the mythology of a legend. There's a permanence to the original aura of these legends that's unaffected by the inevitably u...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 22nd, 2012, 1:36 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic Castle Spouse membership cards
Replies: 13
Views: 2828

Re: Magic Castle Spouse membership cards

Yes, your wife gets one, even if her name were other than Liz. No, the new cards aren't "handsome."
by El Harvey Oswald
January 20th, 2012, 1:42 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Tuskegee Airmen
Replies: 60
Views: 9129

Re: Tuskegee Airmen

What Poe (or Lucas) is "saying," beyond their literal words, will almost always be subject to debate and subjective interpretation. That Lucas was impugning the Civil War soldiers is a legitimate interpretation; so, too, is the interpretation that he wasn't. Your insistence that yours is t...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 18th, 2012, 8:55 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

" I never saw a version where the rip was made during the performance that satisfied me." Absolutely -- and I see a lot of that. Particularly in concert with giving away a card at the end that just doesn't match what is suggested when it is obscured by the other one, that would seem to be ...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 18th, 2012, 8:17 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

"Ricky Jay used to do it quite a bit, Derek Dingle too, and they both have/had pretty good taste." All the more reason I'd like to have my mind changed on this one. The evidence is pretty overwhelming that I'm missing something. "Have you seen Jason Latimer's cup and ball routine? Tho...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 18th, 2012, 4:16 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

This is a really beautiful and fascinating idea: "I have seen some magicians handle sponge balls in such a way as to never reveal the fact that they compress so easily." In particular, it causes me to consider with immense admiration the work that would go into realizing that objective.
by El Harvey Oswald
January 18th, 2012, 4:12 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

"I suspect that if the effect was crap, it would have died, along with 99% of other effects. " Much as bad TV shows, music, and other products inevitably fail? I certainly agree that Card Warp's popularity is a strong piece of evidence. However, it's not infallible, and unlike other perfor...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 17th, 2012, 1:25 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

" it's almost as horrendous as card warp." I was with you right up to this point... That was deliberately incongruous, because I am curious why I so unreservedly hate an effect - Card Warp - that has a near- consensus behind it. I like most things that most people like, or at least underst...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 16th, 2012, 11:55 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The Legends weren't flawless...
Replies: 135
Views: 34678

Re: The Legends weren't flawless...

dancing cane: utter, unadulterated crap. even in the hands of peter pit or david copperfield or anyone, it's an anachronistic object obviously attached to a string. the necessary hand movements are replicated in no other life endeavor. and the only hope for this preposterously revered effect is esse...
by El Harvey Oswald
January 16th, 2012, 11:31 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The really odd things one finds on the Cafe
Replies: 38
Views: 10509

Re: The really odd things one finds on the Cafe

great story, bro
by El Harvey Oswald
January 16th, 2012, 6:38 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Magic Castle Happenings – The Good Stuff (January 2012)
Replies: 8
Views: 2162

Re: Magic Castle Happenings – The Good Stuff (January 2012)

Seconding Rich Cowley: Helder and Derek were historically great.
by El Harvey Oswald
January 14th, 2012, 3:11 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Fire at The Magic Castle?
Replies: 54
Views: 15577

Re: THE MAGIC CASTLE UPDATE

Helder and Derek Delgaudio in the Peller: Quite possible the greatest magic performance I've ever witnessed. Great way to re-open. These guys are the spiritual successors to Dai Vernon and the clear leaders of the next generation of performers.
by El Harvey Oswald
January 4th, 2012, 3:07 pm
Forum: General
Topic: The really odd things one finds on the Cafe
Replies: 38
Views: 10509

Re: The really odd things one finds on the Cafe

"Vlad" is among the Internet's most reliably tiresome blowhards, always quick to make an insipid observation about the subjectivity of opinion or to advertise his soft-toned sensitivity. He sounds like a middling student halfway through a master's degree in dumbed-down philosophy at a thir...
by El Harvey Oswald
December 31st, 2011, 10:08 am
Forum: Mentalism & Mental Magic
Topic: I Know the Secret of the Berglas Effect!
Replies: 122
Views: 60040

Re: I KNOW THE SECRET "THE BERGLAS EFFECT"!!!

"However, saying 'write clearly without spelling mistakes' could come across as a tad patronising, since many of us could not formulate a post in another language."

Most of us would have the good judgment not to post, persistently and incoherently, in another language.

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