Delusions: Experiments in a Surreality
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Coffeeville Edits
Christopher Welsh 1005 Inland Lane McKinney, TX 75070 (approximately 14,700 words) 407-574-3423 [email protected] Coffeyville By C.E.L. Welsh Harry slowed his breathing. Across from him, no more than twenty 20 paces away, a man aimed a gun at his heart and meant to fire. Harry wanted to keep his eyes on the gun barrel, that dot of empty blackness that would spit out a metal slug with his name on it, but he knew he should be watching the man's shoulders, his chest, his stomach; —all key areas where a man might tense, moments before he pulled the trigger. He should, but he couldn't. Harry watched none of these areas. Instead, he fixed on the gunman's eyes. Each of his His eyes where washeterochromatic; each a different color. That alone wouldn't be enough to draw in Harry, to cause him to risk making a mistake at this very crucial moment; it was the quality—the nature—of the heterochromatic eyes that drew him in. The right eye was a pale blue that reflected and amplified the stage lights surrounding them, seeming to shine under it's its own power. The left eye was a dull, steely gray that pulled light in, muting it, and causing the right eye to practically glow in the contrast. In addition, the man's eyes radiated something akin to hate...was it bitterness? Disgust? Whatever it was, the crowd surrounding the men seemed sure that the man with the gun had every intention of firing when the moment was right. -
The Amazing Meeting 5
The Amazing Meeting 5 Per Johan Råsmark James Randi är känd för de flesta skeptiker. Det finns knappast någon som inte vid något till- fälle i en diskussion nämnt hans utmaning, där den som kan visa upp en paranormal förmåga under kontrollerbara former kan få $ 1 000 000. För knappt ett år sedan var vi nära att förlora honom då han drabbades av en allvarlig hjärtattack, men tack vare modern medicinsk veten- skap överlevde han. Den 18 januari 2007 var han så närvarande när det femte ”The Amazing Meeting” (TMA) inleddes i Las Vegas. Dessa möten, av vilka det första hölls i Florida och de övriga har varit i Las Vegas, arrangeras av ”James Randi Educational Foundation” (JREF). Denna gång hölls konferensen på Riviera eftersom Stardust där man varit de två senaste åren håller på att för- vandlas till enbart ”dust” i den ständiga omvandlingen av staden. Konferensen har hela tiden ökat i popularitet och detta år tyckte drygt 800 personer att det var värt att resa till ett kallt Las Vegas. Enligt arrangörerna gör detta konferensen till världens största någonsin för skeptiker och det ska också vara den med procentuellt sett flest kvinnor och flest ungdomar. (För att vara sunt skeptisk vill jag påpeka att jag inte har kontrollerat de uppgifterna.) Temat för årets möte var ”Skepticism and the Media”, något som inte alla talarna höll sig till eftersom det är en stor konferens, men som kunde ses på antalet mediepersonligheter bland de inbjudna gästerna. Att man inte helt höll sig till konferensens tema märktes redan den första dagen som inled- des med två workshops. -
Mentalism Mastery
Mentalism Mastery To be proficient in the area of mentalism one must demonstrate the illusion of extraordinary cognitive, sensory or mental abilities. These must be demonstrated in an entertaining manner and work together thematically as an “act.” The performer may use any real-world performable means at his disposal. His methods may consist of pre-show work, sleight of hand techniques, electronics, as well as gimmicks to achieve his goal. If the performer is performing a one-person act, any stooges must be of the impromptu variety; i.e. unknowing audience stooges. This is not to imply that two-performer acts are discouraged, only that the use of secret confederates is not permitted. The mentalist must take a minimal approach to props. Any props used should be as innocent looking as possible. Audience members should be allowed to hold and examine as many of the props as possible. Since the mentalist is supposed to be a mind reader, his props should not lend themselves to suspicion and they should stand up to reasonable scrutiny. Of course, the mentalism must be strong enough to fool an intelligent layman. However, not only must the effect be strong, but it should be properly paced and sufficiently interesting to command attention. A good trick, presented in a drawn out and boring manner, will not be considered mastery. By the same token, an entertaining premise that fails to deliver a convincing demonstration of mental powers will not indicate mastery of the subject. While skilled sleight of hand is not necessarily required to earn the mental mastery award, there are skills that will be judged. -
Puzzling Magic Set
Puzzling Magic Set 9 2 1 12 8 7 3 4 5 6 Contents: 1. THE RUBIK’S TRIANGLE 6. CLASSIC SIZED TRICK CUBE 2. RUBIK’S TUBE 7. RUBIK’S MENTAL CUBE BOX AND SHELL 3. RUBIK’S CUBE BOX 8. RUBIK’S CUBE CLONING (RUBIK’S CUBE 4. 11 RUBIK’S ESP CARDS JAR, TRICK CUBE, AND 8 MINI CUBES) 5. 56 RUBIK’S MAGIC CARDS 9. 6 RUBIK’S HANKIES 10. INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO DOWNLOAD Fantasmamagic.com/PuzzlingMagicSet Amazing, easy-to-perform tricks by Steve Vil. Layout by Jack Tawil, Suji Park, & Jessica Mercado. ©2017 Fantasma Toys Inc., www.FantasmaToys.com New York, NY 10001, USA . Made in China. ©1974 Rubik’s ® Used under licence Rubik’s Brand Ltd. All rights reserved. rubiks.com A Smiley company production | smiley.com • Keep for future reference. • Colours, style and decoration may vary. • Some tricks may require the use of ordinary household items. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. I TRICKS WITH THE RUBIK’S MENTAL 36. TIED AND UNTIED ...................................... 10 CUBE BOX AND SHELL 37. SUDSO ....................................................... 10 1. THE RUBIK’S MENTAL CUBE BOX AND SHELL 1 38. RESTORED ROPE ......................................... 10 2. THE RUBIK’S MENTAL CUBE PREDICTION .... 1 39. A COOL SHOW FINISH ............................... 10 3. THE VANISHING RUBIK’S CUBE ..................... 1 40. ANOTHER COOL SHOW FINISH! ................. 10 TRICKS WITH THE RUBIK’S CUBE BOX TRICKS WITH THE RUBIK’S CARDS 4. -
Messing with People's Minds Without Rabbits Or Hats
Chapter 1 Messing with People’s Minds without Rabbits or Hats In This Chapter ▶ Introducing magic and mentalism ▶ Deceiving the senses ▶ Looking into the human brain ▶ Examining how mentalism works or millennia sorcerers, shamans and priests used cunning, sleight of Fhand, clever ruses, gimmicks, gaffs and props to validate their authority and maintain control over the masses. Over several hundred years, however, the art of conjuring slowly morphed into a respectable form of entertainment. Magicians became admired for their skills instead of feared for their ‘mira- cles’. The nature of mental magic means that mentalists often walk a very fine line between entertainment and psychic fraud. In this chapter, I provide an introduction to the art of mentalism and the vari- ous ways in which you can, and in certain cases should never, use it. UnderstandingCOPYRIGHTED That Magic MATERIAL Is All in the Mind A mysterious man stands with his back to a woman on stage. He’s almost sinister looking, with his jet-black mane shaved into a widow’s peak. Nothing is said between the two people as they draw images on notepads – she draws the first thing that comes into her mind and he sketches the impressions he’s receiving from her. They’ve never met before, but when they turn around and reveal the drawn images, they match perfectly. 005_9781119953500-ch01.indd5_9781119953500-ch01.indd 9 33/14/12/14/12 88:54:54 PMPM 10 Part I: Going Purely Mental Travelling light Mentalism is simple, but powerful. I love that you I can stand in front of an audience of 5,000 or don’t have to carry around a lot of props. -
Reception and Adaptation: Magic Tricks, Mysteries, Con Games
Reception and Adaptation: Magic Tricks, Mysteries, Con Games by Joseph Daniel Culpepper A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Comparative Literature University of Toronto © Copyright by Joseph Daniel Culpepper 2014 Reception and Adaptation: Magic Tricks, Mysteries, Con Games Joseph Daniel Culpepper Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Comparative Literature University of Toronto 2014 Abstract This study of the reception and adaptation of magic tricks, murder mysteries, and con games calls for magic adaptations that create critical imaginative geographies (Said) and writerly (Barthes) spectators. Its argument begins in the cave of the magician, Alicandre, where a mystical incantation is heard: "Not in this life, but in the next." These words, and the scene from which they come in Tony Kushner's The Illusion, provide the guiding metaphor for the conceptual journey of this dissertation: the process of reincarnation. The first chapter investigates the deaths of powerful concepts in reader-response theory, rediscovers their existence in other fields such as speech-act theory, and then applies them in modified forms to the emergent field of performance studies. Chapter two analyzes the author as a magician who employs principles of deception by reading vertiginous short stories written by Jorge Luis Borges. I argue that his techniques for manipulating the willing suspension of disbelief (Coleridge) and for creating ineffable oggetti mediatori (impossible objects of proof) suggest that fantastic literature (not magical realism) is the nearest literary equivalent to experiencing magic performed live. With this Borgesian quality of magic's reality-slippage in mind, cross-cultural and cross-media comparisons of murder mysteries and con games are made in chapter three. -
An Overview of Cold Reading Strategies
CHAPTER 11 An Overview of Cold Reading Strategies Chris Roe and Elizabeth Roxburgh INTRODUCTION The standard mainstream explanation for impressive mediumistic communications is in terms of deceptive practices called cold reading. Forexample,incommentingonGarySchwartz’sbookThe Afterlife Experiments,1 which describes a number of experiments with mediums that are claimed to have produced evidence of postmortem communica- tion, Hyman comments that “the readings he presents [ ...] for his case very much resemble the sorts of readings we would expect from psychic readers in general and cold readers in particular.”2 Wiseman and O’Keeffe similarly criticize findings reported by Schwartz, Russek, Nelson, and Barentsen on the grounds that “seemingly accurate readings can be created by a set of psychological stratagems collectively referred to as ‘cold reading.’ ”3 Of medium Rebecca Rosen, Karen Stollznow comments, “like [ ...] many others before her, [she] has her own techniques for cold reading, and possibly hot reading. However, Rosen’s skills are far less impressive than those of cold reading experts.”4 Nickell claims that John Edward’s successful television demonstrations were the result of his skill at cold reading and that Edward was also not averse to gathering information about clients in advance of readings.5 Underdown6 similarly implies that James Van Praagh relies on standard cold reading techniques when broaching topics with a studio audience, and Greasley7 has provided a useful analysis of a mediumistic sitting that featured in 178 The Spiritualist Movement the British TV documentary Is There Anybody There? in terms of strata- gems of cold reading (although they are not referred to as such). -
Fall Magic Auction
Public Auction #027 Fall Magic Auction Featuring Personal Artifacts and Memorabilia From The Career of Channing Pollock and The Library of James B. Alfredson Complemented by a Selection of Collectible Magicana Auction Saturday, November 1, 2014 v 10:00 Am Exhibition October 29 - 31 v 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Inquiries [email protected] Phone: 773-472-1442 Potter & Potter Auctions, Inc. 3759 N. Ravenswood Ave. -Suite 121- Chicago, IL 60613 Channing Pollock Channing West Pollock (1926 – 2006) was one of the most Snow-white birds materialized from the hands of the tall, dark, sophisticated, professional, accomplished—and imitated— and handsome magician. Then they vanished, along with the magicians of his generation. cage that held them. He began studying magic at the age of 21. Upon Pollock’s popularity was not only derived from his sleight of graduation from the Chavez College of Manual Dexterity hand technique, however. Often billed as “the most handsome and Prestidigitation in 1952, he was regarded as its most man in the world,” his appeal to general audiences led him into accomplished pupil and soon held a teaching position at starring roles in European films such as Judex and Rocambole, the school, but quickly moved on to a storied career in show and to regular appearances in American television on a number business. In 1954, he appeared on Ed Sullivan’s famous of popular programs. television variety show. Soon thereafter, Pollock went on to Although Pollock retired from show business completely conquer American stages, and then set his sights abroad to in 1969, he never lost his love for magic. -
The Underground Sessions Page 36
MAY 2013 TONY CHANG DAN WHITE DAN HAUSS ERIC JONES BEN TRAIN THE UNDERGROUND SESSIONS PAGE 36 CHRIS MAYHEW MAY 2013 - M-U-M Magazine 3 MAGIC - UNITY - MIGHT Editor Michael Close Editor Emeritus David Goodsell Associate Editor W.S. Duncan Proofreader & Copy Editor Lindsay Smith Art Director Lisa Close Publisher Society of American Magicians, 6838 N. Alpine Dr. Parker, CO 80134 Copyright © 2012 Subscription is through membership in the Society and annual dues of $65, of which $40 is for 12 issues of M-U-M. All inquiries concerning membership, change of address, and missing or replacement issues should be addressed to: Manon Rodriguez, National Administrator P.O. Box 505, Parker, CO 80134 [email protected] Skype: manonadmin Phone: 303-362-0575 Fax: 303-362-0424 Send assembly reports to: [email protected] For advertising information, reservations, and placement contact: Mona S. Morrison, M-U-M Advertising Manager 645 Darien Court, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169 Email: [email protected] Telephone/fax: (847) 519-9201 Editorial contributions and correspondence concerning all content and advertising should be addressed to the editor: Michael Close - Email: [email protected] Phone: 317-456-7234 Submissions for the magazine will only be accepted by email or fax. VISIT THE S.A.M. WEB SITE www.magicsam.com To access “Members Only” pages: Enter your Name and Membership number exactly as it appears on your membership card. 4 M-U-M Magazine - MAY 2013 M-U-M MAY 2013 MAGAZINE Volume 102 • Number 12 26 28 36 PAGE STORY 27 COVER S.A.M. NEWS 6 From -
H :// 02 Eb. . /J/83018063256 December 2020 Oakland Magic
December 2020 Oakland Magic Circle Newsletter Official Website:www.OaklandMagicCircle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/42889493580/ This Month’s Contents Anna DeGuzman Lecture- page 1 OMC Membership and Board Openings - page 3 OMC Magic Contests- Win Cash!- page 4 Anna DeGuzman Answers Five Questions- page 5 Magical Resource of the Month- page 6 Performing Virtually- page 6 News You Can Use – page 8 Who Was Lulu Hurst? - page 9 Magic in the Bay Area – page 10 Beyond the Bay- page 20 Northern California Magic Dealers- page 24 Highlighted and underlined names and words should provide a link for more information. ANNA DEGUZMAN Lecture on Tuesday, December 1 The Oakland Magic Circle and IBM Ring 216 will co-present Anna DeGuzman lecturing and teaching on Tuesday, December 1 at 7pmPST. This is another night you do not want to miss. Free. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83018063256 Oakland Magic Circle December 2020 Newsletter Come early for online social time. “Doors open” at 6:30. The lecture starts at 7pm and will be over around 8:30.. Stay after the lecture and perform some magic. Some members have already promised to do magic. We hope that you will too. What Anna DeGuzman can do with a deck of 52 cards will make your head spin! Manipulating cards into impossible 3-D configurations, she cuts, flings, flips, rotates, juggles and shuffles playing cards in the middle of the street, along train tracks and in close-up shows at the most prestigious magic venues in the world including for The Magic Castle, Liberty Magic and the Chicago Magic Lounge. -
Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston Were So Popular That the Era Became Known As the Golden Age of Magic
Illusions The Art of Magic Large Print Exhibition Text This exhibition is organized by the McCord Museum in Montreal. All of the framed posters on view are from the McCord’s Allan Slaight Collection. Lead La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso Supporters The Slaight Foundation Exhibition Overview There are 9 sections in this exhibition, including a retail shop. Visitors will enter Section 1, upon turning right, after passing through the entrance. Enter / Exit Section 1 Content: Exhibition title wall with 1 photograph and partnership recognition, and 2 posters on the wall. Environment: shared thoroughfare with exhibition exit. Section 2 Content: 9 posters on the wall, 1 projected film with ambient audio, and 1 table case containing 4 objects Environment: darkened gallery setting with no seating. Section 3 Content: 9 posters on the wall. Environment: standard gallery setting with no seating. Section 4 Content: 9 posters on the wall. Environment: standard gallery setting with bench seating. Section 5 Content: 8 posters on the wall, 1 short film with ambient audio, 1 table case containing 9 objects, and an interactive activity station with seating. Environment: standard gallery setting with no seating. Section 6 Content: 7 posters on the wall. Environment: standard gallery setting with no seating. Section 7 Content: 6 posters on the wall. Environment: standard gallery setting with no seating. Section 8 Content: 7 posters on the wall, 2 projected silent films, 1 table case containing 15 objects, and a free-standing object. Environment: standard gallery setting with dim lighting. No available seating. Section 9 (Retail Shop) Visitors must enter through the retail shop to exit the exhibition. -
Title Subtitle Featuring 1 World Renowned Magic of Paul Potassy
# Title Subtitle Featuring 1 World Renowned Magic of Paul Potassy World Renowned Magic of Paul Potassy Potassy; Paul 2 T & R Tissue T & R Tissue White; Bob 3 Card Magic A Practical Approach White; Bob 4 Classic Six Card Repeat Greater Magic Video Library Various 5 Banachek's Psi Series Mentalism for the casual performer; part 1 Banachek 6 Banachek's Psi Series Mentalism for the casual performer; part 2 Banachek 7 Banachek's Psi Series Psychophysiological Thought (muscle) Reading Banachek 8 Banachek's Psi Series Psychokinesis Banachek 9 Masters of Mental Magic Falkenstein & Willard Falkenstein & Willard 10 Masters of Mental Magic Falkenstein & Willard Falkenstein & Willard 11 Masters of Mental Magic Falkenstein & Willard Falkenstein & Willard 12 In Action Gregory Wilson Wilson 13 In Action Gregory Wilson Wilson 14 In Action Gregory Wilson Wilson 15 Here I Go Again Bill Malone Malone 16 Here I Go Again Bill Malone Malone 17 Here I Go Again Bill Malone Malone 18 Educating Archer John Archer Archer; John 19 Magic You Can Make Magic Makers Presents Grams; Martin 20 Strengthening Your Magic Mike Powers Lecture CD Powers; Mike 21 Professional Rope Routines World's Greatest Magic Various 22 Cups & Balls Magic Makers Presents Ray; Eddie 23 Card Trick Magic Expert Insight Vanel; Stephane 24 Outstanding Magic Magic for Stand-up Performers Colombini; Aldo 25 Roped In Rope routines Colombini; Aldo 26 Card Capers Easy Card Routines Colombini; Aldo 27 All Hands on Deck Ten Card Routines Colombini; Aldo 28 Learn Magic w/ Timothy Noonan Novelty Magic Noonan;