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Book Notes: Children of Time
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time is a delightful and engaging science fiction epic. Apparently it was Tchaikovsky’s first foray into science fiction and he excelled. The story begins with a terraforming effort on a distant planet led by a driven scientist intent on creating a new world through evolutionary bioengineering. A terrorist foils her plans… Continue reading
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Remembering Eddie Ace
It’s said that later in life, Vernon carried a list of friends that passed. As I grow older, I’m beginning to understand as I realize a many of my friends and mentors exist only in my memories. It makes me appreciate the ones still around. On June 22, another friend was added to my list… Continue reading
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Sticker Shock
An early mentor of mine used to say that certain magic props and books were priced high to “keep them out of the hands of the riff-raff.” He was being facetious but I believe it was based in an element of truth – particularly in the domain of mentalism. Recently a new version of an… Continue reading
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Subscriptions Everywhere
The magic market is essentially a monopoly run by one major distributor, Murphy’s. The sales of magic products are run by essentially two major companies, Vanishing Inc. and Penguin Magic. Sure there’s other online retailers and a few brick and mortar stores around but they’re stuck buying from Murphy’s. There’s also a handful of independent… Continue reading
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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