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Using a Medium
In his 1964 book, Understanding Media, communication theorist, Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase: The medium is the message. McLuhan argued that the medium or the manner with which a message is communicated should be considered and studied. The medium can facilitate and enhance the message or distract from the message. This is one of the… Continue reading
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Mendoza on Practice
John Mendoza passed away almost six years ago in July 2020. He was 73. He was a master of the cups and balls and released two manuscripts on his handlings. He published books and manuscripts of others including a young unknown magician, Chris Kenner. In 1979, he published Close-Up Presentation – a small hardcover book… Continue reading
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Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day to you if you’re a father, a stepfather, uncle or a surrogate. Thanks for all you do. My dad was always supportive of my interests. He didn’t push me one way or another. His support included my magical pursuits. When I was in third or fourth grade, I discovered that there was… Continue reading
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Please Enjoy It Now
We tend to buy things – books, bits of magic, playing cards, Beanie Babies, Star Wars figures, comics, whatever’s -that are supposed to be “collectible”. Flotsam of our vocation and passions. Things that we must have but end up unopened, unused, and on an auction site, a flea market, a Goodwill store or in a… Continue reading
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Eugene’s Birthday
Today would have been Eugene Burger’s 87th birthday. He passed almost 9 years ago. There’s hardly a day that goes by without me thinking of him – especially when reading, studying, or practicing magic. I probably mentioned this before but one of the best vacations we took was to Chicago. Timing was perfect because Eugene… Continue reading
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Media Notes: Mickey 17
Years ago, a friend lent us a copy of a Korean film director’s monster film, The Host. It was creative, imaginative, funny, suspenseful, and the creature was wonderful. The director was Bong Joon Ho. His film, Parasite, won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2019. Both are highly recommended. We recently rewatched The Host to… Continue reading
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Revisiting: Documentaries
My recent post on upcoming documentary projects had me thinking about a few of my favorite ones. The reason that they’re favorites is not just because they are very well made but the love and respect that they show for magic is evident throughout. Our Magic (R. Paul Wilson): Whenever I feel discouraged about magic,… Continue reading