:: Criss Angel

Below is the official press release for Criss Angel's new series on A&E...

NEW YORK, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Master provocateur, Criss Angel, will demonstrate his visionary approach to the art of magic that escapes the confines of tradition and gives birth to a new breed of modern mysticism, in the World Premiere, A&E Network real-life series, CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK.

Each week we will follow Angel as he captivates audiences with mind-boggling demonstrations of his skills; go behind-the-scenes as he researches and executes his demonstrations with his crew; and meet celebrity friends who drop by to willingly participate in his antics.

The only two-time recipient of the "Magician of the Year" award, Criss Angel melds his original music, surreal characters, daredevil stunts, performance art and, of course, his revolutionary illusions, to provoke an experience that will stir the soul - and that have earned him the moniker "the new Houdini." CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK, premieres with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, July 20 at 10PM/ 9C.

Read the rest HERE

:: Free eBook - "Why Blog?"

"Why Blog - Quick Tips on the Ifs, Whys, and Hows of Business Blogging, in Plain English".. by Tinu Abayomi-Paul

If you have any interest in blogging what-so-ever, I want you to get this 51 page ebook written by one of the most knowledgeable bloggers I know. It's free, and it's in pdf format. ( find the link at the bottome of this post.)

Bloggers create,write, edit, and maintain blogs. Bloggers read blogs. Bloggers are on the edge of XML technology. Bloggers are doing exactly what the major search engines want them to do.. even though we may not always understand everything we do.

But the point is - we're trying.

If you are into magic and feel a need to share with others your thoughts or experiences, create your own blog. Believe me, setting it up is the really easy part. Unlike creating websites, you do not need to know a thing about hosting, FTP, CGI, php, forms, frames, fonts, or formatting...

You can go to www.blogger.com and be up a running in ten minutes with a totally free account. I use Blogger, but I host my site on Streetmagic.info, which is a matter of preference - not necessity. Blogger will host your account for you, au gratis, and 'all' you have to do is add interesting content.

Don't worry about the appearance of your blog - you can change that as you go along and become more familiar with the 'workings'. I would be honored to serve as your 'mentor' until you have this blogging thing figured out..

Once you're up and running, let me know and I will add you to my links and send you some traffic. In time, you can do the same for me...

Click for Free eBook

:: Magic Rants Follow-up

Just a couple of quotes - and a lesson learned..

May 13th, 2005

A blog with comments is ALSO a website, where a very small percentage of visitors actually comment. But I think the bigger point is that this IS a one-way street. You either like what I have to say or you don’t.

If you’re looking for a blog with comments, well you’re going to have to find it somewhere else. I’m very content with things the way they are.

May 22nd, 2005

First of all, as we all know, for every action there is a reaction. Everyone reacted very strongly when I made changes to this blog. Now if I take the attitude of “get over it”, then there is more backlash.

June 23rd, 2005

The Magic Rants blog is going away. It’s actually been away in spirit for several months now!

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve seriously considered taking this blog down and moving on, but I have more things I want to do, just not in the current Magic Rants format.

Let the 'lesson learned ' apply to ALL bloggers. Very few of us are so 'important' that we can stand on our soapbox and demand your undivided attention, without once expressing your thoughts or asking for clarification.

Communication IS a two-way street...

:: MrSapo

Look in the 'links' section of the right column and you will notice a little MrSapo image/link. Because of my newsletter, Magic Roadshow, I am constantly on the lookout for new magic resources, and thus, am constantly using search engines to follow leads and ideas.

MrSapo is a new find, for me at least, that allows me to search Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask Jeeves, Tahoma, Alltheweb, Wisenut, Mamma, DMOZ, AOL, Looksmart,Gigablast, Entireweb, and several other search engines - all from the same location. It's a true time saver. Click the link and check it out.. there's nothing in it for me, other than knowing that I've found a good resource for all of us....

:: Ebooked

Ebooked.co.uk , your ebook superstore... that's the way they advertise themselves. Ebooked is one of those sites that I go back to often and pick up free ebooks on a variety of subjects, including magic, magic tricks, and magic resources.

Actually, I added a little PDF ebook to the site myself, magic related of course.. Go to the homepage, click on a link in the left-hand column titled ' free downloads'. Go toward the bottom of the page you are taken to, and cleck out the hundred or so free ebooks...

If you own a website, most of these ebooks can be freely distributed, but you are encouraged to read the copyright information included with each title. If you want to give any of these titles away from your web site, you can download the file and upload it to your own server, or you can always link to this site...

A few of the freebies..

System X - The Only Proven Lottery System (440Kb)
100+ Best FREE and Paid Resources for Writers & Internet Marketers (PDF, 334Kb)
101 Auction Secrets Revealed (278Kb)
101 eBay Seller Secrets Revealed (75Kb, PDF File)
101 Free eBook Covers (839Kb)
101 High-Profit Businesses (241Kb)
11 Free FLAT Ebook Covers (256Kb, PDF File)
120 Magic Card Tricks (512Kb)
17 Simple Steps to a Killer Sales Letter (270Kb)
2D Free 11 Covers (233Kb, PDF File)
33 1/3 Ways To Make Money With a Digital Camera (PDF, 510Kb)
365 Daily Success Quotes (519Kb)
41 Dynamic Webmaster Freebies (278Kb)
50 Mega Hot Web Site Promotion Ideas (417Kb)
61 Sales Boosting, Stealable Articles (669Kb)
692 Ways To Save Money (259Kb)

I do not promise that you will find a single, valuable, ebook among the list, aside from the Best of eMagic Deluxe - vol one, but, if you're like me, you'll enjoy looking...

:: Blaine and his Fans

Thanks to Pagliacci for the link to this little David Blaine Tribute site..

Yeah.. hang in there a few games until you beat it.. then see where David goes.. I hope you have a sense of humor ..

Click Here

:: One, Two, Three

"Step Right Up Folks - Behold What Amazes"

Interesting article in todays New York Times about Ricky Jay and his traveling oddity show..

In his new book, "Extraordinary Exhibitions," Ricky Jay, master conjurer and historian of show business, has assembled such a congress of marvels, wonders, prodigies and anomalies as Barnum himself would have been proud to present. See Mathew Buchinger, who despite being born without hands or legs is a gifted calligraphist, magician, musician, swordsman and bowler. Behold Daniel Wildman, the equestrian apiarist, who rides standing on a horse while swarms of docile bees cover his face. Gasp as Giuseppe de Rossi separates a steer's head from its body, then rejoins them.

Click to Read - (You may have to register to read this article, but don't worry, it's painless and quick..)
----------------

Remember Verizon, you know, the phone company? Specifically, the company that lost millions of customers the past couple of years due to the popularity of VoIP.

Well, I think Verizon has quietly been plotting to earn your business back, and possibly break the back of a few cable and satellite companies in the process. They have remained amazingly quiet as customer after customer converted to internet calling, almost as if they resigned themselves to their fate, or was it that they had the proverbial ace-up-the-sleeve, and was lurking in the background, waiting on the moment...

What moment?

The FTTP moment..

FTTP, fiber to the premises, is now being offered in select markets nationwide. After years of converting all their copper cable to fiber cable, Verizon is now ready to pump a new standard of services into YOUR home.. I'm not sure they were ready to unwrap FTTP in 2005, but I think they felt an urgency to stop the bleeding.

FTTP will not compete with broadband or cable... it will blow them out of the water. With the ability to offer download speeds based largely on what you're willing to pay, FTTP offers 5 meg speed for about thirty-five dollars and a blazing 15 megs for about ten dollars more - that's three times faster than the fastest cable.

Verizon can sell you 100 megs of download power - twenty times faster than any of their competitors..

Imagine downloading a full-length movie from Movielink in two minutes, without any loss of image quality..

Wow.. but is there a catch? Of course there's a catch.. there's always a catch..

You have to subscribe to Verizon long-distance service!

Ta-Da! The plot thickens.....

---------------

Will someone solve this dumb-ass little game fer me - so's I can get's on wit my life?

The game is quite simple. Only a basic understanding of math is required and an open and creative mind. The game can be used as an example of how different people look at the world differently, and how these different ways of looking can yield different answers. In "Petals Around the Rose" there is always one correct answer. The problem is how we define the problem.

Click Here

Later..

:: Paul Wilson talks..

You are in the checkout line using your debit card. That man standing behind you, talking on a cell phone? It's very easy for him to snap a picture of your debit card. Now he has your card number. And there's also a video feature on that phone, watching as you type your PIN code in.

In that brief transaction, a deft con artist has all the information he needs to clear out your bank accounts.

Why bother with guns anymore when camera phones are so much easier to aim?

Read the whole article " Opening the Door to a Cheaters Closet " based on an interview with magician, former cheat, and casino advisor- Paul Wilson. HERE

:: Steve Jobs

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories....

And very interesting stories at that.. Read the entire commencement address - I think you will enjoy..

Click here..

Later.

:: Magic Roadshow #25

Just a note to let you know that a new issue of Magic Roadshow has posted online at:

www.streetmagic.info/eMagic25.html

I'm sure you will enjoy the interview with the King of Street Magic - Cellini...

Check it out..

:: Perfect Practice

This is one of those 'life lessons' that no amount of money can buy.. It doesn't matter what someone tells you, it doesn't matter what you read, it doesn't even matter if you sit back and watch as it happens to someone else... You NEVER learn this lesson until it happens to you.

Years ago I had one goal. No, not to be the greatest magician in the world.. I wanted to be a world-class pool (billiard) player. I thrived on competition. Woke up every morning thinking about grinding some beer-breathed, meucci-totin', over-confident, slick hustler into the table.

I had a break to-die-for, a stroke that many other players called the 'most solid' they had ever seen, and I could cut the dickens of out any ball - from any distance.

I could make 'road men' furl their eyebrows in frustration with a array of bank shots that could get me out of almost any jam..

Every day, hour after hour, I played one game after another. Most players marveled at my stamina, and my willingness to practice on and on - long after they packed their cues and went about their lives.

Most players, that is, except two..

While I played game after game, assuming the experience would let me see every possible situation and allow me to practice every imaginable shot under game conditions - two of my friends practiced alone, setting up shots and drills, and developing their games in quiet solitude..

They had the satisfaction of cutting fifty consecutive balls in the side pocket.. I had the satisfaction of putting some bloke's money in my pocket.

For some time I could "beat em' like a red-headed stepchild", taking their money and, I was sure, making them re-think their silly little sessions in the corner.

Then, suddenly, I reached the top of my game. I had reached a plateau that ninety-nine point nine percent of players never experienced... I had to 'spot' almost everyone I played, and I started to rack up the trophies (and cash).. But, I had two quiet players who weren't afraid to play me.

After several months of playing every week, we played even. After several more months, I was losing more often than winning.

And while I sat atop my little world, one of my friends, within a year, had won the world nine-ball bar table championship in Las Vegas. The other guy didn't do to bad either.. he beat the then World Nine Ball champion ( a guy I still see on ESPN regularly) in the finals of a major tournament and came home fifteen thousand dollars richer...

I wanted to be a player. I didn't want to take the time to be a student, because it wasn't 'fun' or 'profitable'..

I don't think I need to explain how this life lesson applies to magic just as surely as it applies to billiards. To perform at the level I wanted to perform at, I would have to break my game down, go BACK to the basics I ignored in the beginning, and hope that I could get back to the main stage.

Were my friends more talented than me? I don't think so.. I had more natural talent than either of them. But they had the smarts to realize that, ultimately, a solid foundation would win out. They could perform shots with the confidence that, not only had they made that shot before, they had made that shot fifty or a hundred times in a row without a miss.

Every pool game, and every card trick, is a series of smaller moves. 'Running the table' isn't an event - it's a series of events consisting of making NINE consecutive shots.. each shot is different, and each shot has been practiced over and over.

The same is true in every card trick, sleight of hand, illusion, and act of mentalism. Each is a 'series of sleights' that leads to a climatic end. Successful magicians 'see' the big picture, and learn to master all the smaller moves by practicing them over and over....

Double lift, double lift, double lift, double lift... ad nauseam

My favorite sayings is the well-worn " Practice doesn't make perfect.. Perfect Practice makes perfect.."

How do YOU practice? Do you take the time to master the art of magic one little step at a time?

Performing as a form of practice, instead of practicing as a form of performing, can be fun.. But in the end, you'll have to sit in the audience and watch as your friends command the stage...

:: How to Cheat

From Juiceenewsdaily ( www.juiceenewsdaily.com), an interesting article on the art of cheating at poker, and what you can do to prevent getting 'burned'...

Let us define cheating as any behavior outside the rules intended to give an unfair advantage to one or more players. Many people make the distinction in poker between hard cheating (mechanics, collusion, and the like) and soft cheating (noting the bottom card that the dealer happened to expose without calling for a misdeal). While the rules are explicit on the subject of cheating in general, many otherwise fair players are tempted to "soft cheat".

You can read the full article "How to Cheat at Poker - Not That You Would.." HERE

:: Magic Links

I have set up a new magic-related links page on Magic Roadshow.com . If you would like to exchange links, email me at the email link in the side bar for a prompt reply.

I can promise you that I have enough material to get a Google rank of four or better as soon as I can post it to the site...

:: Promote Your Site

I just received an email from Web CEO, the creator of web promotion software, that their version 5.5 is being offered free.. as in forever free. No nag screens or time limits.

I have personally used Web CEO for the past year to promote my site, research keywords, optimize my site for higher rankings in search engines, Submit my URLs to search engines, Check and store my rankings, find out who links to my site and my competitors sites, pinpoint broken links, edit pages in WYSIWYG mode, upload files to my server, and monitor up and/or down time of my site..

In addition, I can track and analyze my visitors, ad campaigns, transactions, revenues, etc. with more than 120 live analytical reports.

If you have a web site or any sort, magic related or not, I encourage you to take advantage of this offer.

What makes their offer a little unique is this.. If you download and register the free version, you will receive CSEM -'Competent Search Engine Certification'- consisting of 312 pages of knowledge divided into 4 stages, 33 lessons, 8 video demos, and 10 assessments.. resulting in the CSEM certification.

I am continually on the lookout for free, or almost free, resources on the internet. There's a ton of info and tools out there, IF you can find them..

To download your free version, click on the text link in the sidebar. You won't regret it..

:: Do You Know

Do you know PC Magazine just published their list of the top one hundred products of the last year? Yes, there were some really high dollar items on the list.. But you may be surprised to learn that the #1 and #2 ranked products of the year are both free -and- two products I've pointed you to several times on this blog..

What are they? Firefox and Gmail...

I've provided links to both in previous post. If you need an invite to sign up for gmail, email me and I will send you one.

Gmail is not a cure-all. It has it's failings... text ads along the outer border for one. But, with the ever-changing market, how long do you suppose you will have your current Internet provider? What may appear tomorrow that will make you, or force you, to change email servers?

My wife and I are on the verge of buying a new home in the 'big city'. Once we move, I will lose the IP I have used for several years. Charter Cable, and the resulting my_email(at)charter.net will not be available to me.

Regardless of where we go, I will have access to Gmail. I will forever be able to access my emails from any computer - any where. I know there are security issues storing your valuable emails online, but I don't store banking or credit card informational emails on gmail..

Do you know my personal #1 free product? MyWay.com

MyWay has been my home page for the past couple of years. Comparable to Yahoo and MSN, MyWay has all the same personalized features, minus the banners and pop-ups. That's right.. no banners, no pop-ups, no advertisements period. Just the news, and sports from Reuters, Associated Press, USA Today, etcs.. If you try it, you'll never give it up. I still keep Yahoo and MSN bookmarked so I can visit, they're just not my homepage.. ( (When considering MyWay, be sure to click the 'My Page' icon and personalize your page with your favorite content..)

While I'm on a roll, do you know my favorite post on a blog this year? I can thank Jim Edwards of " The Biggest Lie Ever Told Online " fame, for that little ditty..

Taken from Jim's 'I Gotta Tell You' blog, this post entitled "How to Dominate a Niche with Mini-Sites", complete with an eleven minute streaming video, is my favorite post. Click to Visit

If you ever thought about making money with your magic, this is the secret, rolled into one little post. You can buy a bushel of ebooks that don't explain the basics as well as this free, short video..

:: Magic Alerts

Well, not actually magic alerts.. more like Google alerts. I'm not sure how many folks use Google Alerts, but I use them every single day...

What are they? Google will let you sign up for a number of different search terms, and then request that anything related to your search terms that shows up in Google each day be emailed to you.

For instance, if you choose the keyword(s)- street magic -, anything appearing in news sources and/or new entries on the web will be emailed to you, in encapsulated form, with a link for you to access that source.

Newspapers, magazines, newsletters, web sites, anything that is indexed by Google, will return results on a daily basis. Actually, you can request an 'as appears' option, and receive emails in real time, based on your search terms. As soon as a newspaper in Los Angeles publishes an article about David Blaine and uses the words 'street magic', you will receive an email with a link to that article.

Google Alerts should be a very useful tool for anyone keeping up with magic related news, an ideal way to stay a step ahead of your competitors.

Think of some of the terms you can earmark for notification.. David Copperfield, sleight of hand, card magic, houdini, mentalism, antique magic apparatus for sale, magic auctions, and on and on...

You absolutely will receive many keyword-related notifications that have nothing what-so-ever to do with your requested search term. You know how unrelated search terms show up. But, all the related links are sent in one email, so you can quickly browse them and determine the relevant from the not so... ( That's ONE email per search term)

Oh, and don't forget to include your name among your search terms. I can tell at a glance when Google's been to one of my web sites, as I will often receive a notification like - "Magic Roadshow, copyright 2005, Rick Carruth, All rights reserved..", and I will instantly know Google has been sneaking around my website.. which is a good thing..

It's Amazingly Simple to set up alerts, all you need is an email account..

http://www.google.com/alerts

:: Corey

Many folks involved in internet marketing, whether magic related or not, are familiar with Corey Rudl. Corey, only in his mid thirties, made in excess of forty million dollars the past several years as one of - if not the - top internet marketer in the world.

Corey was killed in a racing accident in California the day before yesterday. I'm shocked..

News Report

Corey had approached me on several occasions about joint-venturing with his company. Being primarily involved in magic instead of marketing, I didn't feel as if I could do justice to Corey and his programs. Sort of like fishing for tuna in your back yard pond..

The day before yesterday, only hours before his death, I emailed Corey and told him I would wade into the waters and advertise one of his products on my main site. He replied back and thanked me and gave me a couple of locations to visit to get the info I needed to create my links..

I send my condolences to Corey and his family, and they are in my prayers..

:: Not Quite Right

Have you heard the latest internet report? Seems some of the giants on the internet are charging customers different prices for the same items. It all comes down to your shopping habits...

If you're a 'bottom feeder', (someone who buys based on the best price they can find, regardless of brand..)these sites detect it, via your cookies, and charge you more.

I'm not sure how to avoid this, but I know two thing I would try...

One, before making a substantial internet purchase, clear your cookies and then go back to the site where you intend to make your purchase..

Or Two, view the item on two different computers. If you don't have access to two computers, call a friend and ask them to check the price on their computer.

I know all this sounds rather extreme, but if you are intent on buying a specific product, say for instance a Gateway computer or peripheral component, you may want to do a little checking.. I would hate to find out I've paid a hundred bucks more than another shopper, for the same item, simply because I did a little price comparison..

I don't believe anyone in the magic-related marketplace has gone this far, but I can guarantee you it's only a matter of time before a company will try to detect who you're buying from and reward and/or punish you accordingly..

:: New Issue

A quick post to let you know I have posted a new issue of Magic Roadshow online at:

http://streetmagic.info/eMagic24.html

In this Issue......

:: 10 Tips for Getting a Profitable Restaurant Deal
:: Blaines Street Magic Tricks video
:: La Séquence du Prestidigitateurs
:: The Ultimate School Show Assembly Program
:: I Have No Competion Within (at least) a 42 Mile Radius!
:: Genii Tricks Anyone Can Do
:: Think Clear
:: Ricky Jay Audio Interviews
:: Harwin - Blurring the Line
:: For Magicians Only

Later..