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What Is Magic?
ONE Many years ago, I attended a lecture by Michael Close. I believe it was the last tour before he and his family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While he shared many great effects, one thing he said that has stuck with me is that each of us needs to define what magic is to… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Two Views of Crypto
Occasionally I learn of a new book that I put on my library list and fortune smiles and I find myself in front of the queue. This was the case with Zeke Faux’s Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall. Less frequently, I spot a title on the library’s new acquisition shelf… Continue reading
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Teaching and Learning Magic
I taught a twelve week magic class at a community college in the late 1980’s. It’s said that if you want to learn a skill, teach it to others and my experience agrees. Through some trial and error, I built a solid progression for the participants from no skill effects to effects requiring beginners sleights… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Kindred
Movies and television shows that are based on books often miss the mark. Some say it’s because our imaginations are far better than what can be represented on the screen. Others feel it’s because the writers take too much liberty with the source material. The latter was the case with the television series based on… Continue reading
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Extinction of Exclusivity
During the late 1970’s through the early 1990’s, I planned my month of January around the MagiFest. Initially it wasn’t difficult as I was in college or working in the Pittsburgh area. Then in 1980 I began a decade long stint in the consulting industry. Attending required finessing travel arrangements. No matter what the obstacle,… Continue reading
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Book Notes: Presence: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other
It was spring of this year, 2023, and I was wandering through our Barnes and Noble when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned and there on the upper shelf of the Psychology section was Ben Alderson-Day’s Presence: The Strange Science and True Stories of the Unseen Other. I read… Continue reading
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New Beginnings
I was a little apprehensive – maybe intimidated – about this first post. After all this will set the tone for the space. Then it occurred to me – the odds of this tiny spot on the ever-expanding internet finding an audience is astronomical. I needed to move past the resistance and post. Between 2006… Continue reading