:: The BBC and More Magic

How do magicians fool people who know in advanced that they are about to be fooled? What are the mental and psychological factors that the magician uses to 'trick' their audience into believing something happened that didn't actually happen?

At London's Dana Center, located at the Science Museum in South Kensington, events this week celebrate the centenary of the Magic Circle. Two highlights include the performances by Jeff McBride ( see below ) and a very intellectually-driven concourse of magical ideas by various great minds.

One would be a former conjurer-turned-psychologist, Professor Richard Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire. The Professor puts forth that there is much more going on during the course of a trick than the general public realizes...

"For example," said Professor Wiseman, "a magician might cut some cards and say 'Right, they're mixed up now'. Then he'll do something else and then say 'Now, remember I shuffled the cards at the start'.

"That word - 'shuffled' - has gone in, and people think 'Yeah, that's right, the cards were shuffled'. But they weren't, he just cut them. It's cut to mix to shuffle. Small steps. If you had gone from cut to shuffle, it's too much and people notice."

And magicians are not the only ones playing tricks; your mind is at it, too.

Read the rest of this very interesting BBC News article HERE ..

:: Good and Bad

Take a look at this nice little magic video.. HERE

--------

There is nothing 'magical' about drug abuse. Take a look at this interesting series of mug shots taken of the same young girl in New York City, visually documenting the effects of drugs over a 15 year time span ...

Click Here

:: Earliest Magic Photo's

Taken from the Innovations Report - Report for Science, Industry, and Business

The earliest "moving picture" of a magician – which was created for a scientific study on magic in the 1890’s – will be shown for the first time tonight, Wednesday 26 July, at the Science Museum’s Dana Centre in South Kensington, London.

The pictures were created during a study by famed psychologist and creator of the IQ test, Alfred Binet, as he investigated the psychology of magic.

Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, who discovered the pictures in a Paris archive, will screen them as part of The Science of Magic event at the Dana Centre - the UK’s only dedicated venue for adults to discuss contemporary and controversial science - in London on 27 and 29 July.

Alfred Binet, head of the Experimental Physiology Laboratory at the Sorbonne, was interested in whether the hand is quicker than the eye and approached a well-known chronophotographer, Georges Demeny, to capture sequences of images of conjuring tricks.

I noticed also that one of the speaker/performers at this prestigious event is Jeff McBride.

Read the full article HERE ..

:: The Law

Do you know Bobby Law? Probably not.. unless you're from Chetek, Wisconsin. Bobby play's Texas hold 'em for a living, and recently won $46,245 for his 143rd place finish in the 36th annual World Series of Poker. The No limit world championship, held annually in Las Vegas, had a mere 5,619 contestants who each paid $10,000 for the opportunity to win a share of the $52,818,610 in prize money.

At his final table during the World Championship event, Law sat with such notable poker players as Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, and John Juanda. Ivey finished the tournament in 20th place taking home $304,680 and Juanda earned $274,090.
Does playing against some of the top ranked players in the world affect your game?

"If they are sitting to my left where they are always playing behind me, it is kind of hard," says Law. "If I show weakness in a hand, they can try and bluff me out of a pot. They are good at that." Unfortunately, during his last day at the tournament, Law just happened to have Ivey sitting to his left.

Susan E. Rice of the Chetek Alert has penned an interesting article on the life of a professional poker player, trying to make a living amongst the Iveys and Juandas of the poker world.

READ MORE..

:: Yard Sale Follow-up

Consider this a follow-up to my post the other day about the magic yard sale..To quote from the Baltimoresun.com's article ' It may have the illusion of junk, but some of it is pure magic' ...

At the end of the day, the $1,250 "Lighter Than Air" levitation illusion remained unsold. So Annapolis magician Wayne Alan dragged it back into his house. Thing weighs about 300 pounds.

Now, the Sword in the Neck kit, the Double Sawing a Lady in Half, the Tip-Over Trunk, the Zigzag Box, they all sold. All told, about $10,000 worth of tricks and illusions vanished, not so much because of magic, but commerce.

Read the whole article HERE ..

:: Marc Paul

From Britian's "The Sun Online" comes a salute to 100 years of magic and the prestigious Magic Circle. To celebrate, The Sun had renown mentalist Marc Paul in the studio to interview and record a ten minute video of Marc performing various center tears, tablet magic, and a professors nightmare.

Here at Sun Online we knew that we had to be part of the action - so invited the man voted the world's greatest mind-reader into our office to do some exclusive tricks.

In the video clip below you can see Marc tell our staff exactly what they're thinking - from a mystery number to the name of a loved one - as well as performing traditional tricks with a rope and pack of cards.

Read the article and view the video HERE..

:: Criss Angel Reviews

The good, the neutral, and the ugly. Checking out the reviews of Wednesday nights preview of Criss Angels new series on A&E, I can across varied opinions...

Some loved it, some didn't.

I suppose it comes down to whether or not you're a fan of magic. If you are a fan of TV, perhaps you view Criss's show with a critical eye, focused more on production values, camera angles, suspense, and photo quality.

On the other hand, if you're a fan of magic, then your view of the show will depend more on whether or not you feel Criss succeeded in pulling off the various tricks and stunts with professionalism.

I'm in the latter category. I am a fan of any magic on tv, as long as the magician has done his, or her, work.. Criss Angel did his work.

I heard some rumblings about the levitations. Hey, as a magician, I know how it's done. But, it's not done of me, it's done for the viewing public... and the public LIKES levitations.

I know a lot of wanna-be magicians who love levitations, based on the sales of Ellusionists King Rising video and download. Six years after David Blaine and this video is still a top seller. You can't argue with the numbers, whether you like 'em or not...

Go down two post and look at the Criss Angel post I did the night of the show. Somehow, MSN search picked up this post and when you searched MSN for "Criss Angel", there was this blog, first page - number eight. Think about it.. number eight in the world the night after MindFreak previewed.

My website and blog experienced Double it's previous high mark for visitors Thursday, and Triple it's previous high on Friday night...

As I said.. you can't argue with the numbers..

Check out a couple of reviews.. good and bad.
Myrtle Beach Sun News
New York Times
Reality TV

:: Magic's Greatest Yard Sale

Now You See It, Now You Don't World's First Magician's Yard Sale

(Press Release)July 18, 2005 -- Wayne Alan, America’s Only World Champion Illusionist, (FISM 1982-International Olympics of Magic Gold Medal winner for Grand Illusion) will host, at his home, a yard sale featuring magician’s stage illusions, close-up and stage magic, books, posters and memorabilia. It will be held Saturday, July 23, 2005-10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at 3103 Newcastle Lane, Riva (Annapolis) MD, 21140-Rain or Shine (we will have tents).

When asked who can attend, Mr. Alan replied, “ONLY MAGICIANS (and the media) will be allowed entry. A valid ID from a magical organization such as the International Brotherhood of Magicians or the Society of American Magicians, or other proof of a serious interest in magic is required for entry.” Over 500 magicians from the Mid-Atlantic region, including the members of the Magician’s Alliance of Eastern States, have been invited. Magicians from as far away as New York have indicated they plan to attend.

Stage illusions made by John Gaughn and David Mendoza, both builders of illusions for David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy, will be available for sale. Many of the magician’s props are valued in the thousands of dollars.

Mr. Alan has performed on national TV on Entertainment Tonight, MTV, Inside Edition, Good Morning America, ABC, NBC and CBS Network News programs. He’s also appeared with Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Will Smith and Maury Povich as well as seven times at the White House. He has acted as a consultant for David Copperfield.

Wayne is best known in the trade show/convention field. He represents large corporations in their convention exhibits and meetings as a goodwill ambassador and spokesman for their products. He has designed custom illusions for companies ranging from A to Z, from a vanishing automobile for Avis Rent-A-Car to levitating a laptop computer for Zenith Data Systems.

Photo opportunities of people floating in the air, being sawed in half, and disappearing into thin air will be available. The media will be asked to sign a secrecy agreement so as not to reveal any magician’s secrets.

Wayne Alan
Innovative Illusions Inc.
3103 Newcastle Lane
Riva, MD 21140
Phone 410-956-8132
Fax 410-956-0338
www.WayneAlanMagic.com

:: Criss Angel Tonight

From Block News Alliance..

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Fans of magic, Fear Factor, and heavy metal - somehow those three things do go together - will likely be drawn to Criss Angel: Mindfreak, a new series hosted by a magician/musician with long black hair, leather garments, and with chains around his neck.

Read More..

Premiers tonight from ten to eleven EST on A&E. Here's the full schedule for this week..

July 20 - 10pm - A&E
July 20 - 10:30pm - A&E
July 21 - 2am - A&E
July 21 - 2:30am - A&E
July 22 - 9pm - A&E
July 22 - 9:30pm - A&E
July 23 - 1am - A&E
July 23 - 1:30am - A&E
July 23 - 5pm - A&E
July 23 - 5:30pm - A&E
July 24 - 11am - A&E
July 24 - 11:30am - A&E

:: Derren Brown

This from the Reuters News Service..

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - Three years ago, British "psychological illusionist" Derren Brown put a gun to his head in a live television special for Channel Four, using only his mind-reading powers to identify which of the gun's chambers had been loaded by a hand-picked volunteer.

The stunt made for gripping television -- predictably drawing howls of outrage from newspaper commentators. It also propelled 32-year old Brown onto newspaper front pages and into the media mainstream.

Read the Article Here

:: Penn & Teller

From 'TV Shows on DVD.com'

Acorn Media has just announced plans to release the 3-part mini-series Penn & Teller: Magic and Mystery Tour to DVD on September 20. Join Penn & his silent friend, Teller, as they travel to China, India and Egypt in search of local magic. This 150 minute DVD contains a stereo audio track, and a 16:9 widescreen presentation.

You can read the entire article here.. Click

:: Chile Head

I love the web. As someone who has always been able to entertain myself for hours in a library, I find the web an absolute athenaeum of works of every degree. My 'favorites' file is full of hundreds of interesting sites that I am not yet ready to part ways with...

A few words from one of my favorite off-beat sites.. =Chile Head=

An alkaloid substance called Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) that causes the heat of chiles and peppers is a flavourless, odourless chemical concentrated in the veins of chiles and peppers.

When eaten, capsaicin stimulates the brain to release a neurotransmitter called substance P, which lets the brain know something painful is going on. The brain, 'thinking' that the body is in big trouble, mistakenly responds by turning on the waterworks to douse the flames. The mouth starts to salivate, the nose starts to run, the eyes might start to water and the face breaks into a sweat. The heart beats faster and the natural painkiller endorphin is secreted. In other words, Chile-Heads get a buzz!

Read all about the chile, it's effect's, recipes, growing chile's, reviews, and suppliers..

Click Here

:: Roadshow #27

This is a special notice to readers of this blog, that a NEW issue has been posted online. As a reader, you will always receive advance notice, 48 hours before the general public, of each posting..

If James Brown is the "Godfather of Soul", and the " Hardest working man in show business"... who is the Godfather of Magic ?

What newsletter offers you TWO pdf files of exciting magic? ( hint: Mag_c Roadsh_w )

Read this and other stories in our latest issue, available now at:

http://streetmagic.info/eMagic27.html
Later my friends..

:: The Real Deal

From the Washington Post..

For Teenage Magicians, No Illusions
Harry Potter Proteges Are Immersed in Hobby but Don't Buy Fantasy

The train ride from the summer magic camp was a scene straight off the Hogwarts Express. Students climbed on board with cages full of doves and rabbits. They tested new tricks, plucking cards out of thin air. Colorful handkerchiefs fluttered around the cabins, and a 10-foot pole appeared out of nowhere.

Read more..

:: Duh ?

True Story..

Police stopped a woman for speeding. Approached the car and confronted the driver. Driver was agitated and insisted that she should NOT have been stopped for speeding because she was assured by a friend that the device on her dashboard would prevent police from detecting her speed with a radar..

Police were amused to see a small vacuum on the drivers dash.

Police informed the woman that she obviously misunderstood her friend.. He was quoted later as saying " I told her that I thought her friend must have intended for her to get a fuzz buster, not a Dust Buster".

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

This post has nothing what-so-ever to do with magic, magicians, street magic, sleight of hand, mentalism, or card tricks. But, if I can find an excuse to use these words, my Google ads will be a little more relevant... ;o)

:: Chung Ling Soo Solved?

Remember Chung Ling Soo, the world renowned magician who died during his signature "bullet catch" routine?

Remember Chung Ling Soo, the renowned Chinese magician who turned out, after his death, to not be Chinese at all, but a Scots-American masquerading as a China-man to add a sense of mystery to his act?

Was his death an accident, a severe twist of fate? Or did one of his assistants have reason to kill Soo, perhaps because Soo was cheating with his wife?

Or, could his manager, who just so happened to disappear the night of the "accident" have been responsible for the wayward bullet?

Read On..

:: Why I Do It..

Life ain't fair.

No.. that's not an opinion, that's a fact. And that's exactly why I write this blog, that's why I perform close-up and not stage magic, that's why I live in Spartanburg and not New York or L.A. ..

Because, as Popeye said, " I yam what I yam.."

But, what I yam is what I HAVE to be, and not necessarily what I WANT to be..

I'm a people-watcher. Actually, at one time in my life I got paid nicely to 'watch' people, and pick out the winners from the losers, the normal from the abnormal, the patriot from the anarchist.

In the process, I think I became quite good at the psychology of figuring out "who succeeds.. and who doesn't.. and why.

Some magicians are destined to succeed. That's where the forementioned 'unfair' part comes in.. That's also why I will never be David Copperfield, or Lance Burton, or Andrew Mayne.

I just don't have 'the look'.

Did you ever stop to wonder why so many actors are good looking? Could it be that only good looking guys have the necessary talent to act? I pondered that question for awhile, and then "thump", like a beer bottle up side the head, it came to me in a flash of naive adolescence...

You have to have the 'look'.

Can you name ONE homely guy with his own stage show in Vegas? (unless he also happens to be a comedian..)

You see, I don't have the look. Never did. Never will.

But, just to throw a monkey wrench in the mix, you can succeed without the look IF you have 'the voice'. Yes, 'the voice' will get you up the ladder. Look at Eugene Burger. Eugene not only has the voice, but he has combined it with a very 'magical' and 'wizard-like' look to achieve stardom. You can say the same for Max Maven.

I don't have 'the voice'. Never did. Never will.

I have a voice that's best suited for writing, and a face best suited for radio. Speaking of radio, my brother, Ken (rest his soul), looked like me, but he had the 'voice'. He got his first job in radio at WTYN in Tryon, N.C. fresh out of high school. Ken quickly went from Tryon, to Macon, to Ft. Lauderdale, to Greenville SC, to Charlotte - moving up the ladder at each stop.

What was I doing at that time? Watching people and performing card tricks..

Ken had a show in Charlotte that was the lead-in for the nationally syndicated 'John Boy and Billy Show'.

I was perfecting my double lift.

Ken got 'the call', and moved on to Memphis to take over the morning show at a mega station. He gets to interview everybody in-studio ; Kiss, Eagles, Lynard Skynard, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant.. just to name a couple. He's the MC for all the rock acts coming through Memphis who perform at the Pyramid or Mid South.

You see.. Ken's got 'the voice'. We look like twins. My IQ is five points higher, a point of great contention, despite his success. But as I noted above, even if you have 'it', you still don't have 'it all'... Remember - life ain't fair - just ask Copperfield. Yeah, I know he makes fifty seven million a year, but he doesn't have a certain super model any more - now does he?

I've got the double lift down pat at this point, and I'm starting to develop a unique faro shuffle that will make me famous at my neighborhood pub..

Ken... his 'buds' are dropping by the studio all the time. Jim Varney ( Ernest ) shows up many mornings, vodka and tonic in hand, to cut up in the studio, and later they carry their revelry way into the night . His new 'best bud' is Joe Walsh ( James Gang, Eagles ), who comes to town frequently so they can 'go fishing'.. I don't know if Ken ever baited a hook in his entire life, but I know for a fact that I shook hands one time with that guy with the real long hair from the Oak Ridge Boys..

I moved from one end of Spartanburg county to the other.. Ken moved from Memphis to Atlanta, just the next step up his ladder, I suppose.

I'm into jazz now. Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, Jean luc Ponty. Ken takes over the reins at Atlanta's premier jazz station. I'm not jealous. After all, I understand that it's just not in the stars for me...

He's at the Fox Theatre on the weekends, introducing whoever comes through town to the masses..

I mastered the faro. My wife asked me if I have to 'flip' those cards all the time. She doesn't understand that if you don't have the 'look' or the 'voice', then you better have " THE shuffle ".

It's 1999 and Ken's gone. I told you life wasn't fair. Even when you have it all, you don't really have it all..

But... I can say with all honesty that I have "the blog"... Well, maybe not "the blog", but definitely "a blog", and I write it, you read it, I don't see you, you don't see me...

In your eyes, I could be David Copperfield or Eugene Burger. Hey, that's not so bad! After all, all I need to do is 'WOW' you with my humble talent. I can't sing, can't talk, don't look like much, have a real dry sense of humor...

But.. I have a 'killer' faro, can double lift with the best, can even cut the deck to the dead center time after time. Oh, and I have a blog...

I suppose in the immortal words of Joe Walsh, "life's been good to me so far.."

:: MP3's Illegal ?

I received this amongst my emails today, from Jim Edwards. Jim has one of maybe three or four marketing blogs I actually read...

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

Hi Rick,

Jim Edwards here with an update :-)

I just published new information that wraps up the loose
ends from last week's discussion about MP3's being
"illegal," idiotic software patents, blatant opportunists,
and more... you should find it very thought-provoking!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Software Patent Debate Rages Online

- by Jim Edwards

© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

I recently attended a conference in Las Vegas where 3
presenters got on stage and said that consumers, software
developers, and website designers risked massive fines and
even criminal charges for using MP3 audio online.

After I recovered from my initial shock, I realized they
were talking about a software patent held by a French based
company, Thomson, which enables them to charge licensing
fees for anyone using their MP3 audio technology.

Upon opening this proverbial "can of online worms" I
discovered that a whole world of what many consider
unenforceable software patents exists online.

From my research, much of the online software patent debate
stems from patents issued in Europe that may or may not get
enforced. Did you know that someone patented the process of
an online shopping cart?

Sun Microsystems patented the "shopping cart" process and
could try to collect a royalty from anyone who uses a
similar system (which rates as anyone selling anything
online). Click Here

Another company patented paying with a credit card over the
Internet, which would definitely shut down the vast majority
of all ecommerce if they could enforce that patent!
Click Here

Log on to www.nosoftwarepatents.com and
http://webshop.ffii.org for some startling information.

I contacted an attorney specializing in Internet law, Bob
Silber of www.InternetLawProducts.com, to get his opinion
specifically on the debate about MP3's.

"The mp3 licensing issue is not new, but recently resurfaced
after an Internet marketer did a 'scare tactics' campaign
for his own marketing purposes. Thomson is the company
holding the portfolio of patents related to MP3... Currently
Thomson doesn't require an mp3 license for non-commercial
activities or for businesses generating an annual gross
revenue less than US $100 000."

So, unless you're making MP3's or software that creates
MP3's and making over $100,000 a year doing it, it doesn't
appear you need to worry about this particular patent issue.

Even then, it appears the owners of the MP3 patents would
find it very difficult to enforce their patents with so much
new technology emerging that builds on, and fundamentally
changes, the original technology.

But this does open up a greater debate about what should and
should not get patented when it comes to software.

I'm fully in favor of people protecting their rights when
they create any intellectual property (software, audio,
written material, etc.), but that's a copyright issue, not a
patent issue.

"Copyright" means nobody can do it the way you did it (with exact words, computer code, etc.).

"Patent" means nobody can do it at all without paying someone else a fee / royalty or "TAX" because they patented the "result!"

That makes a big difference when you talk about fundamental
elements necessary to make the Internet and computers run.

It was fine for Bill Gates to copyright DOS, but what if he
patented "computer operating system?"

Would that give him dominion over every computer that booted
up for next 50 years? Impossible!

Unless the courts want to shut down the Internet or
computers in general, software patents are, by their nature,
unenforceable.

With so many different computer languages, methods, and
means to do anything with computers, it's not fair or
practical for one person or company to own a "result" or a
"process" like online "shopping carts" or "online audio."

That would be just like allowing someone to patent "bottled
water," and charge us all every time we took a swig from a
plastic bottle.

--
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
creator of an amazing course that will teach you step-by-
step and click-by-click how to finally create your own
money-making mini-sites...

-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Finally! A Quick and Easy Way For YOU to Painlessly Set Up
Your OWN Moneymaking 'Mini' Websites... Without Being a
Computer Geek, Buying Expensive Software, or Paying
Outrageous Fees To A Webmaster!"

Click Here => http://www.MiniSiteCreator.com

:: Orlando & India

Of local interest............

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

Gerardo Martinez's lifelong career has always been magical.

"Since I was 6 years old and saw my first magician, I was hooked," Martinez said. "I only wanted to be a magician."

Martinez, 43, has put on performances internationally and throughout the United States all his adult life. He has put on shows in Japan, Canada, Mexico and other countries.... Read on

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

The rope mysteriously rises until the top of it disappears into thin air. A young boy climbs the unsupported rope and disappears into thin air. The fakir then pulls out a knife and climbs the rope. Body parts fall from the sky into a basket next to the base of the rope. The fakir then throws a cloth over the scattered body parts, and the boy miraculously reappears with all his parts in the right places. Without doubt this makes for great magic especially when performed live in front of thousands of spectators. Read on..

:: Forbes list

One magician made a cool 57 million dollars last year, according to Forbes annual report. Another made the list of top one hundred performers with 2 million dollars.

Who made what?

2 Million dollar man

57 million dollar man

I'm surprised one made so much, and I'm sort of surprised the other made so little. ( No - I don't actually think I'm keeping you in suspense ) I can think of a couple of other magicians who probably should have made this list, except their income is not the result of publicly announced contracts, and thus, not documentable by Forbes standards..

:: Magic Roadshow - Issue 26

Magic Roadshow, issue 26, has been posted to my website for the public. Subscribers receive each issue two to three days before it's posted online.
In This Issue:

:: Restaurant Magic - Eugene Burgers take on restaurant close-up
:: Criss Angel - the official Press Release
:: Magic Posters - free to print off
:: Want Something Free- Prelude - Larry Jennings magic
:: County Fair Magic - Dennis Regling's valuable info
:: Pubtricks - Going strong
:: Rick Smith Jr.- video's with a kick
:: Homage to Cellini - one man's account
:: Virtual Reality Nightmare - thanks to PeaceLove
:: Sunday, November 6th - What does Bob have in store?
:: Kard Klub - my very best seller

Read it Here

A special "Thanks" to all you folks who emailed me with the kind comments..!

:: MagiCentric

Well, it's good to see Steve Pellegrino back on the web. ( Not that he's actually left..) As I indicated in my post below, I think Steve alienated some of the readers of Magic Rants by changing format in mid-stream.

Discontinuing the post feature left some of his readers feeling as if they were not a part of Steve's blogging process. I go to the Cafe from time to time and just read some of the post. I don't actually post, perhaps because I'm not in the mood, or maybe I'm in a hurry. But, I know that I can post - if I want to...

If Steve Brooks tells me that I can't post in his Cafe, I can guarantee you it will be a cold day in hello before I go back there..

I'm sincerely glad Steve has opened the posting process on his new site. I can tell you from experience here on Magic Bullets, that he will not have many post - but many readers.

Like MagiCentric, I direct readers to magic-related resources. You don't receive much praise for being a traffic cop, but you do, at the end of the day, feel that you have accomplished something other than starting a shouting match between readers.

We all have opinions. But I can guarantee you that I have a list of magic resources, half of which you don't know exists, until I point them out to you.. I'm guessing Steve can say the same..

I'm glad to be able to go back to 'Steve's site ' each day and see what's new. And I'm glad to be able to add a useful link back to my blogroll/links..

http://www.magicentric.com