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John G Magic Blogspot: One of my favourite magicians John Guastaferro has just opened a magic blog, if you haven't seen his products go to his product page do yourself a favour and order everything he has, then thank me later! You can see some clips on his Youtube Channel. John has some seriously good material that is both strong in construction as it is charming in presentation, and his DVDs are among the handful I can watch the performances from, again and again. I'm excited that John is making his way to the Session in January, as I look forward to seeing him lecture.

Melbourne magicians Kamal Bhushan and Dean Atkinson continue to delight audiences in their weekly Magic Mornings video podcast.
The show fuses informative magic reviews, clips, comedic personality and hilarious repartee.

You can watch at http://www.magicmornings.com.au/

The show also has its own online magic forum at:

http://www.magicmornings.com.au/forum

Time to be Awesome is a new internet TV show from David Corsaro the latest episode is an interview with award winning magician Marc DeSouza and a discussion about magic competitions and what it takes to succeed. Marc was also gracious enough to show them around his collection of magic posters and perform an effect. Upcoming shows include a behind-the-scenes of “Monday Night Magic”, an
interview with NY Coin Magic Seminar producers Michael Rubinstein and David Roth and a discussion with Francis Menotti about theater in magic.

Recently launched Talentainer.com allows entertainers to post videos of their latest and greatest acts in hopes of landing new gigs. Since the site debuted, it has attracted award-winning comedians, magicians and other “event enhancers”.

Talentainer.com is a new video-centric website offering live entertainers an opportunity to showcase a bit of their magic, placing it before legions of event planners who are searching for world-class entertainers to populate corporate events and gatherings, to entertain stadiums filled with fans during half-time shows, to fill cruise ships with masterful entertainment, and to fulfill other venues.

Talentainer.com allows entertainers to post videos of their latest and greatest acts in hopes of landing new gigs. Since its debut on July 2008, the site has attracted award-winning comedians, mimes, circus entertainers, disc jockeys, masters of ceremonies and other “event enhancers” interested in giving the world a sneak peak at their performances, rates and geographic parameters. In fact, within weeks of the launch, a number of famous acts have signed on who have appeared before the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace and on “America's Got Talent” and “Late Show with David Letterman.”

Overall, the entertainers posting profiles and videos on Talentainer.com are hoping to increase bookings and bring a smile to the world. Landing gigs has never been easier. What's all the buzz about? Visit www.talentainer.com and find out!

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!

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

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

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