Family Documents

Just a quick message to relatives. The family documents that I promised were to be put online, and therefore available to all who have the direct link, are now indeed uploaded and online. In the next number of weeks the link to them will be sent to you. This took longer than planned, namely, in finding a link everyone could use and share. I'm now looking for a backup link for possible use. A list of the handful of documents not uploaded will be included.

Dear Virgin Media

Dear Virgin Media,
 

Please stop stalking me. For some years now you have written to me almost every week; sometimes twice a week. Surely it must be obvious from my lack of response to your missives that I am not interested in your services. Joking aside, please stop writing to me.
 

Another thing that is of concern to me is the amount of paper you’ve wasted in paying me and others so much unwanted attention. Whilst recycling this week, I’ve looked at the last number of letters you sent me, and the booklet that accompanies each, and I’ve realised that nowhere on them does it say that they are made from recycled paper or from sustainable forests. Also, over the years, the amount of paper you’ve sent me must be equal to that required to print a complete copy of the works of Shakespeare (or two). Multiply that by the number of people in our small street that also receive letters from you and the paper could be equal to what is required for a number of copies of Shakespeare per week. How much paper is being wasted nationally? How many books could have been made from that paper if it wasn’t turned into advertising, asking the same people each week, for the so many thousandth time, to subscribe to Virgin Media.
 

If you want to advertise, then please do it in a way that makes the use of paper worthwhile. If you can afford to give away that much printed paper FREE every year to the nation then why not publish paperbacks of poetry, text books, classic novels and suchlike and donate them FREE to the ever-decreasing library services of the UK. At the back of each can be your advertising. UK library services need public sector benefactors more as the government reduces their funding each year.
 

Ask yourself which is better. The pointless waste of money used in your advertising letters going straight from letter boxes to recycling boxes – or communities being more aware of your advertising, because of how you were a part of helping save their libraries by reducing their costs?
 

If you're listening, rather than just talking at people through your advertising, then give it a thought.

Here We Go Again

Yesterday I received an email from a wholesale supplier congratulating me on expanding my products to beyond just books and then he went into a sales pitch. I thought to myself this is just spam - until today. A friend sent me a link to a site that has a very similar web address as my main site. I clicked on it and saw reviews of toys (actually advertisements) by a person who only gives their name as Helvin. Apparently, some people are assuming that it is me. I can categorically state that it is not. Whoever it is also has a Twitter account using the name Helvin. There is no overt claim to be me but at the same time no forename is given by this other Helvin and the similarity of the web address is a bit odd. A check on who owns the site led to the discovery that the owner has used a service which (contrary to the principle of WHOIS) keeps their real name secret; rather odd for a site that merely advertises toys. What have they to hide? If they are going to recommend products shouldn't the person doing the recommending make it clear who they are?

Unfortunately, all I can do is state that the site - despite having a similar web address to my main site and using the name Helvin - is nothing to do with me and its reviews/advertisements are also nothing to do with me.

Music With Cards!

I had that feeling of "I wish I thought of that first" when I saw this video.

Teller Speaks About Penn & Teller: Fool Us

In an interview about their new show Tell A Lie, Teller discusses why he regards Penn & Teller: Fool Us as a great television series.

[Thanks to Daniel Lander for providing the link for this video]

Beware Another Scam

Another fraudster is exploiting my book, A Briefe And Pleasaunt Treatise Entituled, Natural And Artificial Conclusions - this time on Ebay. The seller is selling the book, as a new item, at £21.69, even though the retail price is only £10. Also, I've never heard of this 'bookseller' before, I've never sold them any stock and they don't have an account with me.

If anyone wants to buy a genuine copy at £10, and doesn't wish to do so through my own website, then I suggest visiting Word Power Books - they are a walk-in bookshop and online bookstore that sell to the general public and educational bodies.

UPDATE 30/07/2001: Since writing this blog entry the seller has altered the price to £19.52. Perhaps he reads this blog and doesn't want to be thought of as the seller in question!

The Complete Cups & Balls by Michael Ammar

This is possibly one of the best books on the cups and balls for the beginner – or the book collector. Yes, there are other books on the subject that are considered classics but note that I wrote ‘for the beginner.’ What puts this book a notch above others (along with the quality of Ammar's text) is the layout of each page and how the illustrations are designed. It is not simply that there are plenty of photographs to illustrate each move; the design of the page clearly links relevant text to each illustration – sometimes using arrows to connect text to a particular area of a photo.  There is very little room for misunderstanding what is meant. That value of that point will make more sense if you have read earlier books or booklets that deal with the same subject. It is not unusual for the small number of badly drawn illustrations in them to confuse matters more than help.
Another point in its favour is it discusses timing and misdirection; which many other books on the cups and balls hardly ever mention let alone discuss the principles.
Finally, there is the sixty page bonus of brief essays from renowned practitioners of the cups and balls including Bob Sheets, Gazzo, Paul Gertner, Tommy Wonder and David Williamson.
A question that might sensibly be asked is how much do the DVDs of the same name by Michael Ammar relate to the book – and the answer is very much so. Anyone failing to learn the cups and balls by using the book and the DVDs together should consider getting a hobby or profession that does not involve using their hands. Or consult a neurologist to find out what is wrong with their hand/eye coordination. 
If I am to level any criticism about the book it is that the ‘complete’ used in the title is not deserved. I believe it would require an encyclopaedic publication to get even near deserving that accolade.  But with any publication from any publisher the title is not to be taken so literally; for anyone with a genuine interest in learning the cups and balls and who will truly see it through to the end, this book is as complete as it needs to be. 

Magicaean World Magic News

Here is a link to a new website that is still being shaped by its owners. It's a website that pulls together news about magic from around the world. The Magicaean is designed to build its content from RSS feeds and other sources; even so, it still needs input from its readers so please visit it and read how to contribute something and keep the site updated. If your website or blog is solely about magic and is regularly updated, then its content could be included or linked to by The Magicaean.

http://www.magicaean.com/

Mystery Man: Google Genius

I was using Google Earth to view the Acropolis in Athens when I noticed that one of the people in the panoramic photos had done something clever. He's a magician in his own way! I've made it into a little video:

The LaBaL July 2011

July's issue of Al Smith's The LaBaL is now available. As per usual there's plenty of card tricks and articles with some opinions that might cause some people's teeth to grate. 

For those that didn't know, The LaBaL has its own Facebook page:
The LabaL Facebook page