As you will have noticed by now the Oracle has undergone a change of image, thanks in no small part to the graphical abilities of new member and latest addition to the Oracle team Domanic Li. To reflect the change of image, the website will be changed very shortly, hopefully using some of Domanic’s graphics to bring it in line with the new style. I have been busy adding some content to the site, and all of the recent Missed a Meetings have been uploaded, along with various photos of the club nights (click on the camera images). After this issue of Oracle goes out some of the articles that appeared in the print version will be added to the website, so look out for that.

Please visit the website, and let me have your feedback, its still very much in development, but it is getting there slowly but surely, I plan to start an e-mail list very soon to keep members more up-to-date with the changes, so if I haven’t got your e-mail let me have it asap.

Whilst it is not strictly magic, flourishes with cards, coins and other items have seen a remarkable surge in popularity just recently. Check out Superhandz (http://www.superhandz.com) for some crazy card flourishes, including the Cobra Cut, Fan Twirl and the new Elemental Flourishes that utilise Fire, Wind and Water! Another person instrumental in the flourish world is Cap Casino (http://www.capcasino.com) and he has a new DVD available. You can watch, learn and discuss Card Flourishes at the Card Flourish (http://www.cardflourishes.com) website and even buy a new book the Encyclopedia of Card Flourishes (http://www.flourishman.com). Lastly on the subject of flourishy things, if you thought Card flourishes were mad, a video clip you need to watch for the sheer skill is at the Cup Stacking (http://www.speedstacks.com) website which introduces the Sport of Cup Stacking, go to ‘The Sport’ page and watch the video clip which is shot in real-time!

Magician Jerry Andrus is also well known for his incredible optical illusions. Check out some of his illusions at the Sandlot Science (http://www.sandlotscience.com) site. Click on the Art and Illusion site and you can view Jerry’s Spiral After-effect, his famous pencil and nuts illusion and the impossible wooden crate.


I’m sure we have all bought our fair share of bottom drawer magic, the things that read so well in the dealers adverts are very often not what they seem. Two new sites have emerged that promise to offer reviews of all the latest products on the market. Magic Review (http://www.magic-review.co.uk) is the brainchild of Justin Monehen who felt there was a need for a good, expansive and detailed review site. You can find reviews of Books, Tricks, Videos along with links to dealers and a small message forum. You may have seen the full page ads in MAGIC and Genii magazine for the second review site, My Lovely Assistant (http://www.mylovelyassistant.com/). You can browse items by Category, Media Type, Dealer, Reviewed Products and submit your own reviews.

Mona Santow has just recently opened her site Yomographs (http://www.yomographs.com) that showcases her excellent magic photographs categorised into galleries. Currently you can see photos of the Vancouver Magic Weekend, the Jim Cellini lecture, the Midwest Magic Jubilee and the IBM 2002 Convention that took place in San Diego.

British Pathe are one of the oldest media companies in the world. They were established in London in 1902, and by 1910 were producing their famous bi-weekly newsreel the Pathe Gazette. A National Lottery Grant made it possible to build a web site, to encode the library. They have archived 84 video clips of magicians (http://www.britishpathe.com/product_display.cfm?searchfilm=magician) and you can view free previews of such magicians as Francis White, Howard De Courcy, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Harbin and Kalanag, along with footage of The Magic Circle and various conventions.