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But Can I Keep It?
Recently Helder Guimarães entered the expanding space of subscription services. The idea of a subscription service wasn’t new to me as I was a supporter of Ben Earl’s The Family during its first year. I really enjoyed it however I found I was just watching the videos and not studying and learning the offerings. It Continue reading
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Book Notes: Maltese Falcon
John Huston’s 1941 film, The Maltese Falcon, is an amazing film. It had a great cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, and Peter Lore. Like many films, it was first a novel. Written by Dashiell Hammett, the novel is not only a great detective story but it’s very well written. To John Huston’s credit, Continue reading
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“Hole In One” Theory
Since 1947, Abbott’s Magic has offered a parlor effect called “Hole in One.” Background, description, and a whimsical performance video is available on Martin’s Magic Collection. The trick is one of those you don’t see much anymore as a parlor performance with lots of props has gone out of fashion and replaced with material that Continue reading
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Occam’s Razor
One of the reasons I have decided on my self imposed fast on purchasing magic is that the vast majority of material being produced fits into Sturgeon’s Revelation: “Ninety percent of everything is crud.” Most magic producers and by association, the magic buying public, believe that their audiences are idiots. While some may actually be Continue reading
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Revisiting: True Astonishment
I expect that there will be many Revisits in 2026 as I’ve declared this to be a “no-buy” year and that the majority of new releases are crap that’s pushed into production to try to satisfy the demand of a market jonesing for the endorphins of clicking “buy now.” January has been focused on revisiting Continue reading
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Deciding
I keep a list of books I read throughout the year. Sometimes I wonder if I have captured everything. My official count was twenty eight. I used to note books I abandoned. I decided at some point that if a book didn’t grab me, it was okay to let it go. It wasn’t a reflection Continue reading
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Year’s End
2025 is coming to a close. We have to admit it’s been a challenging one. “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and Continue reading