Magic Times with MagicTimes
MagicTimes: Meir Yedid's popular magic news site is back. After a short break from the strain of daily-updates, Meir now has an automated system up that scrapes Yahoo!, Google etc. looking for Magic related news. As such you do get the odd story not related to Magic as an art, but still very much worth a read.
Open Letter from Steve Johnson
Edit: Seems like there maybe two sides to this story, check out Inside Magic for the scoop.
While browsing the web recently I discovered something troubling. I saw an e-book being sold that contained several routines for an invisible thread reel. The names of the tricks were identical to the names of the routines that were published in my 1991 book, “Floating Freely in a Fine Fashion”.
This prompted me to dig my book out of the word processor archives and review it's contents. (It took some time as the book was written with software that doesn't exist anymore!) Sure enough, the titles of the routines were as I remembered them and almost precisely matched the titles of the routines in this advertised e-book.
I was NOT happy. It looked very much like my copyright was being violated!
I bought the book and waited patiently for them to e-mail my copy. After a few hours I received my e-book sent in Microsoft Word format. I opened the file and took a look.
It was my book.
Text had been added to the book, mostly self-serving propaganda, but all of the sections from my book were there. They hadn't even corrected the typos and grammatical errors that I made in '91.
After seeing this proof, I was REALLY unhappy. With some more checking around, and a few phone calls to the right people, my beliefs were confirmed - My copyright is being infringed upon.
After considering legal action to be a 'lose-lose' situation for everyone, I decided to do something far more satisfying (and effective).
We don't live in the Wild West anymore. Clearly, you can't rob someone without there being reciprocal action. We are in a day and age where people are held responsible for their actions - especially with the use of the Internet.
With this viral way of thinking, my decision is to now give every single person, interested in the art of magic, the authorized version of my manuscript - FOR FREE!
After reviewing the old text, making some small revisions to bring the older manuscript up-to-date, and changing several typos - It's time to give away electronic copies, free, on the Grand Illusions website.
All you have to do is just click the link below, and you will land on the download page. You can have it for no monetary charge.
I ask only one small favor.
Whether or not you choose to download the authorized version of my electronic book for free, please tell all your magic friends about it. Tell them that they can have the book for free too!
When they ask you why Steve Johnson is giving away his material for free, tell them he was being ripped off and didn't want to let it happen anymore. He was sick and tired of it, and finally did something about it.
I'd rather EVERYONE have the material at no charge than let some unethical magic dealer sell unauthorized copies at an outrageous price!
Tell your friends this is my way of combating the copyright infringement, my stand against the increasingly popular trend of stealing intellectual property.
When you've downloaded it, please save my electronic book to your hard drive, copy it to your PDA, or print it...it's yours to do with as you wish.
The only thing you can't do is sell my free manuscript or use it as any part of any profit making offers or ventures like the unethical magic dealer who started all of this.
But, why would you lower yourself to his standards anyway? That's not how you operate, nor I.
If you see my electronic book for sale anywhere, please take a stance and remind the seller that their actions are both unethical and illegal. And certainly don't trust your credit card number or hard earned cash with someone like that.
But enough of me talking; go download the authorized version of my electronic booklet on the invisible thread reel right now.
http://www.grandillusions.com/floating_freely.html
Click or paste this link now!
Please enjoy it; it's my gift to you and the whole international community of magic.
When you have a moment, drop me an email at webmaster@grandillusions.com and let me know if you agree with my stance on ethics, let me know your feelings about my execution of this grass roots action and obviously comment on the free e-booklet you've downloaded and shared with all your friends.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Johnson
Grand Illusions
December. 2006
While browsing the web recently I discovered something troubling. I saw an e-book being sold that contained several routines for an invisible thread reel. The names of the tricks were identical to the names of the routines that were published in my 1991 book, “Floating Freely in a Fine Fashion”.
This prompted me to dig my book out of the word processor archives and review it's contents. (It took some time as the book was written with software that doesn't exist anymore!) Sure enough, the titles of the routines were as I remembered them and almost precisely matched the titles of the routines in this advertised e-book.
I was NOT happy. It looked very much like my copyright was being violated!
I bought the book and waited patiently for them to e-mail my copy. After a few hours I received my e-book sent in Microsoft Word format. I opened the file and took a look.
It was my book.
Text had been added to the book, mostly self-serving propaganda, but all of the sections from my book were there. They hadn't even corrected the typos and grammatical errors that I made in '91.
After seeing this proof, I was REALLY unhappy. With some more checking around, and a few phone calls to the right people, my beliefs were confirmed - My copyright is being infringed upon.
After considering legal action to be a 'lose-lose' situation for everyone, I decided to do something far more satisfying (and effective).
We don't live in the Wild West anymore. Clearly, you can't rob someone without there being reciprocal action. We are in a day and age where people are held responsible for their actions - especially with the use of the Internet.
With this viral way of thinking, my decision is to now give every single person, interested in the art of magic, the authorized version of my manuscript - FOR FREE!
After reviewing the old text, making some small revisions to bring the older manuscript up-to-date, and changing several typos - It's time to give away electronic copies, free, on the Grand Illusions website.
All you have to do is just click the link below, and you will land on the download page. You can have it for no monetary charge.
I ask only one small favor.
Whether or not you choose to download the authorized version of my electronic book for free, please tell all your magic friends about it. Tell them that they can have the book for free too!
When they ask you why Steve Johnson is giving away his material for free, tell them he was being ripped off and didn't want to let it happen anymore. He was sick and tired of it, and finally did something about it.
I'd rather EVERYONE have the material at no charge than let some unethical magic dealer sell unauthorized copies at an outrageous price!
Tell your friends this is my way of combating the copyright infringement, my stand against the increasingly popular trend of stealing intellectual property.
When you've downloaded it, please save my electronic book to your hard drive, copy it to your PDA, or print it...it's yours to do with as you wish.
The only thing you can't do is sell my free manuscript or use it as any part of any profit making offers or ventures like the unethical magic dealer who started all of this.
But, why would you lower yourself to his standards anyway? That's not how you operate, nor I.
If you see my electronic book for sale anywhere, please take a stance and remind the seller that their actions are both unethical and illegal. And certainly don't trust your credit card number or hard earned cash with someone like that.
But enough of me talking; go download the authorized version of my electronic booklet on the invisible thread reel right now.
http://www.grandillusions.com/floating_freely.html
Click or paste this link now!
Please enjoy it; it's my gift to you and the whole international community of magic.
When you have a moment, drop me an email at webmaster@grandillusions.com and let me know if you agree with my stance on ethics, let me know your feelings about my execution of this grass roots action and obviously comment on the free e-booklet you've downloaded and shared with all your friends.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Johnson
Grand Illusions
December. 2006
Roundabout Magic
Giacomo Bertini: Watch some excellent coin magic from Giacomo Bertini of Florence, Italy, and purchase his DVD. He wants to introduce you to new techniques and a new way of doing coin magic. He has some great quotes from Steve Draun, David Roth and Michael Rubinstein. You can watch his version of Spellbound, Matrix and Portable Hole, his DVD promises new equipments, vanishes, steals, fake transfers, switches and productions!
Magic, News, Information & Culture
iTricks: Andrew Mayne brings you itricks.com Magic News, Information & Culture. The goal of itricks.com is to bring to you the latest news and information from the world of magic.
Poetic, Beautiful and Magical
Jerome Murat: a clip of an act I was fortunate to see twice live this year, once at Blackpool and again at FISM, its an awesome act very beautiful and just simply magical, if you get to see the whole thing live its even better than this short clip, but this gives you some idea.
DailyMotion: Mogwai08
Card Videos: some very nice card videos from a french user of video-sharing site DailyMotion.
Psychological Manipulation
Playing Mind Games: an article on the BBC site about how magic can be used in different contexts, from explotation, for both virtuous and criminal purposes. Also the article mentions David Copperfields Project Magic and more immediate uses for the art.
Secret Center
A Safe Haven For Your Magick Secrets: New forum that includes password-protected forums for products such as Think Pink, Electric Touch, Believe and Tony Millers Wallets.
