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Another story from BoingBoing about a paper just published in Nature Neuroscience about the way that magic tricks illuminate the inner workings of human perception — the paper is co-authored by five magicians, including Teller of Penn and Teller. You can read more in an article from The Boston Globe and the actual article can be found here.

From boingboing gadgets professional psychic Uri Geller and his company Explorologist Ltd., filed a DCMA takedown notice against the creators of a 13 minute YouTube video debunking Geller's supernatural powers... a video which happened to contain a ten second copyrighted clip of one of his performances. Fair use, in other words.

The EFF representing Brian Sapient made Geller withdraw, and settled their legal battle and also they made him license the clip in question as non-commercial Creative Commons so as to freely aid the efforts of other skeptics.

More details on the EFF site.

Tomorrow marks a year ago on the 30th June 2007 that Jack Parker passed away. To celebrate his magic Andi Gladwin is running a week long Jack Parker Video Marathon. Every day he will share a video of Jack's magic including videos of tricks that Jack only shared with two or three magicians.

Andi's blog post tells you more and the video's can be found here, with a great one to start the series:

Jack Parker Video Marathon.

I've seen some of these when Jack initially posted them to TSD but am still really looking forward to re-watching them, I remember at The Session Andi played a couple that I hadn't seen in a while, and all over again I got that feeling of being totally fried and fooled with Jack's magic, you too can have that feeling of being a layman again, by heading over to the Jack Parker Video Marathon for the next week!

Straight from Dirk Losander himself:

I Need Your Help. Our little baby “Ione” was born 6 days ago. Today we found out she needs a heart operation and our insurance is not going to pay for it. I am not writing you this to beg for money but if you need to buy something from my website now would be the time to help us out. Every Dollar counts and we really need all the support we can find right now! So if you feel like supporting this cause, go to my website and find your self some great magic and make this operation happen for us. www.losander.com

Even if you are a non magician, we just came out with a new dvd “Las Vegas Greatest Magicians” teaches you easy to learn magic. You can find it right here
or if you just want to donate some money for us please send it via pay pal to losander@mac.com or just keep us in your prayers. Thank you so much for your support.

Dirk Losander
9850 S. Maryland Pkwy Suite A5#190
Las Vegas NV 89123
702 501-9973

Foreign BBC correspondent and magician Geoff Harrison has launched what is claimed to be the world's first magic channel, tvmagicians.com.

The site, part of Global Digital Broadcast's IPTV network Play TV UK, will feature magicians' showreels, effects demonstrations, industry secrets and related material.

The site will host sub channels on jazz, independent films, nightclubs and other entertainment. Content will come from Harrison's company TV World Productions and magic specialists Party PR, Club Chiva and Penguin Magic.

Anyone else here on Friendfeed?

In case you don't know, Friendfeed is a new social site made by ex-google employees, you can see an introduction and explanation on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendfeed

Recently they have implemented a Rooms function:

http://blog.friendfeed.com/2008/05/get-room.html

I have setup a magicians room here:

http://friendfeed.com/rooms/magicians

If you are into any of the Web2.0 sites like Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube, Google Reader, del.icio.us or any of the other 30+ sites that Friendfeed picks up, sign up for a Friendfeed account, add those services and then you can re-share that information or post it directly using the friendfeed bookmark into the magicians room, and share the magic based content you come across on a daily basis with all the other participants who can then comment and discuss the content in the room, I think its almost like having a huge collaborative blog that anyone with a friendfeed account can post too, pulling in content from these services or starting there own discussions, so you get the best of Youtube (you can watch the clips directly on the site), the best blog posts via google reader or tumblr or del.icio.us or people's twitter comments or Flickr photos or Yahoo Upcoming events etc.

If anyone wants to add me on Friendfeed I am here:

http://friendfeed.com/rmorrell

And any questions on how this might work let me know.

Three sets of photos from the recent FFFF convention held April 23-26 2008:

• Paul Gordon from his lecture and performance


• Robin Dawes Flickr Set


• Antony Gerard's comprehensive day-by-day account

Christiaan Lopez-Miro has a new gallery of photos on his site called Smoke and Mirrors, click on the Images link and then Smoke and Mirrors. In his words: These photographs are suppose to be about the moments between the performance. The moments when the magician is simply alone contemplating his/her own craft. They are meant to be very intimate photographs that confront the viewer.

Another Youtube index has recently emerged at MagicTricks.tv. It is owned and run in direct conjunction with the Magic Tricks Store, www.magictricks.co.uk

It is aimed at anyone with an interest in magic and has been designed to put many magic videos in one place. They have designed the site so the videos are listed in specific categories, to help you find the video you are after even quicker! The majority of videos on MagicTricks.tv are hosted by YouTube.com

MagicTricks.tv also has a community facility, where individuals can sign up to be members of the site and this allows you to upload your favourite magic videos to display to the rest of the magic community. The videos available on this site are able to be linked to other social networks such as Facebook and MySpace.

One of the top advantages of using www.MagicTricks.tv is that the search facility has been specifically designed so it only finds magic related videos, instead of the YouTube search facility which displays all videos with relevance to the key words. Example of this would be, a MagicTricks.tv member types in De Kolta Chair - MagicTricks.tv only brings up videos where a person vanishes from the chair where as YouTube.com can bring up anything to do with chairs.

If you have a favourite magic related video, join the site and upload it today, they will be rewarding members for uploading their videos and number of views per month. Keep watching for more details on these special rewards.

James Munton has opened a new youtube video site, from his post on The Magic Cafe:

I got frustrated trying to search YouTube for good magic videos. You have to wade through the thousands of bedroom magicians doing awful card tricks.

So I put together a website that allows people to post their favorite YouTube (and Google) magic videos. They are categorized and searchable.

My hope is that magicians will post their favorite YouTube videos and we will build a collection of videos that will be a great resource. Imagine you are working on a C&B routine. You do a search for “Cups and Balls” and in one place you get to see every good C&B routine.

By opening it up to allow everyone to register and post their favorite videos, I'm hoping to quickly build this into a great resource. There are already a bunch of great videos that folks have posted that I hadn't seen before.

So please check it out and I would love to hear any comments or suggestions you have to help make it better.

Oh, yes, perhaps I should give you the link:

www.abratube.com

From Ryan Swigert:

Just wanted to let everyone know that I created a new site called Magicology: The Study of Magic. On it, you can learn some of my latest tricks for free, interviews with various magicians, and much more...

For more information, please visit: www.magicology.com

Many thanks,
Ryan Swigert

Monday Night Magic, New York City's longest-running Off-Broadway magic show, is moving to our biggest and best location yet! Now in our 11th continuous year as New York's home for magic, we are thrilled to announce that on June 23rd - that's just three weeks away! - the curtain will go up on Monday Night Magic at The Bleecker Street Theatre.

The Bleecker Street Theatre is newly renovated with comfortable seating, an intimate theater design, a spacious lobby (soon to feature its own bar and café!), and, along with being our largest theater yet, outstanding sight lines from every seat.

Thanks to your loyal patronage, Monday Night Magic is in need of a bigger and more modern facility (not to mention terrific air conditioning among other improvements), and we are thrilled to be moving near our downtown roots, at a convenient intersection in the heart of “Noho,” one block north of Houston Street and just east of Lafayette Street. The neighborhood features nearby restaurants, nightlife, other theaters, plenty of parking, and the #6 subway station literally across the street!

So, start spreading the news ... we're gonna make a brand new start of it in New York, New York ... beginning Monday, June 23rd, at the Bleecker Street Theatre. Come join us for the big opening night show - we can't wait for you to see us there!

WHAT: The same great MNM, at a new and better location
WHERE: The Bleecker Street Theatre
45 Bleecker Street
(just east of Lafayette Street)

OPENING DATE: June 23, 2008 (btw, that's also our 11th Anniversary!)

You may have noticed we have been down for the past week or so (or you may not!) To cut a long story very short, my database crashed, in particular the table holding all the blog posts! This was marked as in use and I couldn't repair it. After struggling with my host I have gone back to an old backup and restored all the posts up to the point of the crash.

Hopefully we should be back up and running although if you do notice any strange happenings please let me know!

Time for some new posts that I have been saving up...

News just in from Keelan Leyser and Charlotte Marie. They have taken over the running of Magictricks.co.uk from Carl Fraser, from their e-mail:

MagicTricks.co.uk has new owners headed by British Magical Grand Prix Champions, Keelan Leyser and Charlotte Marie. The
transfer from Carl Fraser from Fraser Simpson Associates took place recently and we have been keeping a low profile for the past
few months while we get everything ready for the “new look” MagicTricks.co.uk which some of you may have already seen.

But now we are back and better than ever! We have a lot of new aspects coming to the world of MagicTricks.co.uk most of which
have never been seen before in the online Magic community. Keep checking your inbox to find out our exciting news and some amazing special offers...! To welcome you to the new look site we are giving away a FREE THUMBTIP with every order for the first 100 orders after 14th May 2008 as a thumbs up to you for being one of the first to order with the new owners.

We are very excited about this relaunch and as you can see from the site, have already started making our mark. If you have
any suggestions then please feel free to contact us with your comments, we are always pleased to hear from you and will try to
implement your suggestions, to make MagicTricks.co.uk the most enjoyable magic shopping experience for you.

We are expanding our product ranges and bringing in new products! And over the next year will be introducing many of our own brand
and exclusive items to the site. MagicTricks.co.uk has just recently changed its shipping policy to give you more choice. We have added more options when it comes to the postal service so you can chose what is best for you! The majority of the time our postal charges are heavily subsidised by us to keep costs lower for you! We think we have some of the most competitive shipping rates for this type of company on the web. Postage is FREE on all orders over £20 in the UK, over £30 for EU countries and over £50 for the rest of the world (certain products excluded from this offer).

Make sure you sign up to their e-mail list to get discount codes and special offers.

A while ago we mentioned that Noel Qualter had launched The Magic Convention guide, which has lay dormant now for a little while. Now its back under the ownership of Andrew Webb, you can see the relaunch post over at his blog, support him with your comments, and if you think you can submit a review or help to cover a convention let him know.

For those of you not keeping track, Ben Harris has been teasing us over his new micro-levitation system over at the Cafe for the last 8 or 9 months:

Well he promised that he would do something revolutionary to the magic process, and release a product specification telling you exactly what the method is behind the trick and what you would recieve for your money so you can make an informed buying decision. Not only is this a landmark decision that changes the way magic should be sold to magicians (but thats a whole other topic!) it gives you everything you need to see if this principle is right for you.

This is the e-mail update I recieved from Ben today:

ENLIGHTENMENT UPDATE: APRIL 2, 2008

It is with pleasure that I offer you the link to a 25 page product
specification.
This will give you an inside track on the workings of the new ENLIGHTENMENT
CONCEPT.

If your are at all familiar with the genre being explored, you will no doubt
“read between the lines”
and more fully appreciate what is being offered here.

We are fully on track to have this on the dealer's shelves by the first week
of May.

Here's the link: (Right Click to Download to your computer. It's a pdf about
1.6mb in size):

http://www.wowbound.com/enlightenmentinfopack.pdf

At this point, we have not updated our website, so this link is the only
source for this information package. It is “freeware” so do feel free to
forward it to friends and anyone you feel would be interested. Feel free to
also post the address at any magic forum. Spread the word!

If you would like to take advantage of the offer attached to the Info Pack,
please
print it out the order form and post it by airmail to our postal address.

APOLOGIES but we cannot accept any orders via email or the internet.

Thanks so much for your continued support and enthusiasm.

See ya on the other side!


Ben Harris

www.wowbound.com
ben@wowbound.com

Why another Magic Forum?

Lisa and I have started a new venture - an Internet forum for magicians. There are, of course, several forums out there already. It is my dissatisfaction with these existing forums that prompted the development of this new forum. In the early 1990s, I was one of the people who helped Joe Stevens with the start-up of his Gemini Board. At the time, I was excited by the possibilities that the Internet held for useful, stimulating, and creative discussion. Unfortunately, this type of discourse rarely appeared; instead, topics were sidetracked by inane responses, misinformation, or personal attacks.

The ForWorkersOnly Forum is an attempt to live up to the potential that the Internet offers, bringing together magicians who are serious about improving their magic performances and who are willing to participate in lively, informative discussions. To keep out the troublemakers and the merely curious there will be a small subscription fee (but wait until you hear the deal we have for you!) and all members of the forum will post using their real names.

Here are just some of the things we have planned for the forum:

Product reviews. Since leaving my post at MAGIC magazine in 2005, I have heard from many, many magicians that they miss my reviews. (I review books for Genii, but only three times a year.) I said I would never go back to reviewing books, tricks and DVDs again, but I've changed my mind. I'll be looking at most of the products that are sluicing down the great magic product trough. What makes this feasible for me is that I won't be facing a “word count” on the forum. If “this is a piece of crap” is all a product warrants, that's all I'm going to say. You will easily recoup your forum subscription just in the money you save avoiding lousy products.

Not Oprah's Book Club. I'll pick a theory book, a trick book, and (time and energy permitting) a classic magazine and we'll tear them apart. I'll kick off and stimulate and the discussion, but I want to read your thoughts. Together we'll gain some real insights. (And, if someone on one of the other boards asks, “What are the good tricks in [name of book]?” you'll know the answer - but you won't want to tell them.

Ask a good question - Get a good answer. To me, this is where the power of the Internet comes to the fore. Bring a good question to the table, and you'll get a good answer in return. I'm the first to admit that I don't know everything, so I've invited a panel of experts (Allan Ackerman, Gordon Bean, Paul Cummins, Jason England, Brad Henderson, Joshua Jay, Stephen Minch, Jamy Ian Swiss, Paul Wilson) to chime in whenever they can help out. Lisa and I will be monitoring the discussions, to keep them on track.

Jokes, jokes, jokes. I remembered most of the good ones for That Reminds Me, but there are some good jokes I forgot. Plus, I'm always hearing good new jokes. You'll find the most recent in the Jokes section of the forum. All this and much more.

A subscription to the ForWorkersOnly Forum is $30 per year. However, for a limited time, when you join you will receive one of our downloads (up to a $20 value) for free. This makes your cost for joining only $10 per year. (This special offer will not last forever so join today!)

We look forward to your participation. I'm excited about this new project; I think it will be fun, enlightening, and educational. Click here to sign-up and start posting.


Where did all the Michael Close Products Go?

With the launch of the ForWorkersOnly Forum, we have shifted our product site to www.MichaelClose.com We have revamped and updated this site to provide you with greater ease in ordering and speedier service. Unfortunately, you will have to create a new account the first time you log in. To thank you for putting up with this inconvenience, we'd like to give you a coupon for 10% off your next order of any product from our store. Just use GC2008 coupon code on the checkout page. (Some restrictions apply to gift certificates and memberships.)

This just in from Steve Fearson:


I'm working on something right now that I think could spread some major smileage and it doesn't have to be finished to do it.

Click this with all your might: http://www.downloadmagic.com/video

I know you already know what youtube is, but having an experienced magi-guide is invaluable when it comes to finding the good stuff.

Click on Dai Vernon and watch the cups and balls.

So far I've only linked to a few of my favorites but just you wait and see... I'll pull something out of my asshat to keep you entertained.

All the best!

Steve Fearson

---

If you want to see my version launched last June head to my Tumblelog at Watching Magic

London, 10 March 2008 - This November and for the first time ever, the FISM™ European Championships of Magic™ were to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 6 to 9 November 2008. Unfortunately we deeply regrets to announce the decision of the board of FISM™ Europe to relocate the European Championships of Magic™ 2008, due to be held in Bulgaria, and postpone the event to a later date.

Following unexpected and exceptional difficulties arisen in the organisation, FISM Europe had finally to take the tough decision after discussions with the FISM Presidium and the Bulgarian Magic Union, Organiser of the event.

FISM Europe has been established to better serve its European member societies, defend magicians' interests and develop the newly created FISM European Championships of Magic™. FISM Europe is fully dedicated to ensuring high quality events and must make sure that key criteria such as security, budget, logistic and competition are compliant with FISM standards.

Unfortunately due to exceptional costs and difficulties that could not be fully anticipated either by the local Organiser in its original bid book nor FISM Europe, all conditions were no longer good enough to guarantee an event that would meet FISM’s standards and quality. Keeping at core the interest of all parties involved, competitors, attendees, partners, magic dealers and other suppliers, FISM Europe has decided to postpone and relocate the first FISM European Championships of Magic™.

FISM Europe is currently working hard with its partners and club members and further details will be released in a press announcement as soon as possible.

André Ciocca, Interim President of FISM™ Europe, said “It is very disappointing and we are very saddened for all the magic community as well as the partners who trusted us in this event. But we are confident it was the right decision at the right time. The situation could have gone beyond control otherwise and we had to face the reality of it“.

Eric Eswin, International President of FISM™, stated: ”Andre Ciocca and the board of FISM Europe have done a tremendous work to put together the basis of FISM Europe and the FISM European Championships of Magic™. We support FISM Europe in its decision and we will work with the FISM Europe board to help organise the event as soon as possible and in the best possible conditions".

The FISM™ European Championships of Magic™ were developed to further FISM™ Europe's goals. FISM™ Europe was established to provide services to European magicians that would be difficult for FISM™ International to offer. Through this continental competition FISM™ hopes to increase the talent of magic and the level of the FISM™ World Championships of Magic™. With the FISM™ European Championships of Magic™, this is another opportunity for all European magicians to make a name for themselves!

- END -

I was looking forward to going to Sofia in November but looks like it has all fallen through, more time to save for China I guess! From the website:

Dear All,

Due to unforeseen circumstances, restricted organizational capacity and unexpected financial strains, jeopardizing the initial budget, it is with great regret that the FISM European Executive Board has to inform you that the FISM European Championships of Magic, planned to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 6 to 9 November 2008, have to be cancelled.

The first European Championships of Magic are postponed to a later date, to be announced as soon as possible.

Best regards.

FISM
European Executive Board

Andre Ciocca
Interim President