The LaBaL

The January issue of Al Smith's The LaBaL is now available. It contains contributions from magicians such as Chris Wardle, Paul Hallas, Walt Lees and Peter Duffie. The publisher now accepts payment through Paypal. Full details on prices and how to place an order can be found via the following link:

http://johnhelvin.net/labal.html

The Magicians, BBC1, New Series This Week

The second series of The Magicians airs its first episode this Saturday. The format is to be different; each show will be broadcast live. Barry & Stuart are still part of the team; joining them will be Pete Firman and American magician Jason Latimer. You can read about the new series at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019fyjl

and if you want to be in the audience during one of the later shows, there is still an opportunity to get free tickets from

http://www.applausestore.com/applausestore-book-show.php?id=195&bid=1
The links will open in a new window.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to one and all!

For readers of Mystery Magazine

I've just received my copy of the October's issue of Mystery Magazine. The gremlins were at work with the typograpy and lack of space (it was an issue covering the British Ring Convention and so I was lucky there was any room for my article at all) meant that the explanation to the illustration was dropped. So, for those, wondering what the heading to the second paragraph was, it was meant to read "Dice In the Ancient World."

And here's the illustration again and the explanation that was dropped for those readers who are interested (if any) what the numbers on the illustration mean.

(1)    Acetabulum/Acetabuli. There can be ornamental handles on these; it was the handles that prevented stacking. This vessel was a small dipping bowl, usually filled with vinegar.
 

(2)    & (3) Examples of micras paropsidas. These were small dishes that held sweets on a dinner table. (2) could sometimes be no more than 4cm or 5cm high. Note the similarity of (2) to a Hindu cup and (3) to an oriental rice bowl; both of which have a lengthy history of being used for cups and balls routines.
 

(4) A boxwood cup. Around 5cm high.
 

(5) Knuckle bones. These are the basic, unpolished type. They were sometimes carved and polished into better shapes.
 

(6) A miniature dice set with cup/container. From base to lid the cup might only be 2cm to 2.5cm high. Only three dice are shown but occasionally ten or more might be in the set. The material the container could be made of varied from leather to metal. The dice, like larger dice, would be made of wood, ivory, stone or metal.
 

(7) Dice. The length of one edge might be up to 1cm. They could be bigger but it was unusual.
 

(8) Calculi made of polished stone.
 

(9) Calculi/calculum or stroggula lithidia (in Greek). A natural pebble. There were no industry standards on calculi and so a board game might have the shapes of both (8) and (9) making up the game pieces.
 

(10) Ivory calculi. The size could be about that of a penny or a little larger, say of a 10p piece. The smaller kind appear to be more common.
 

Seneca the Younger mentions (1) and (9) when referring to the cups and balls being performed.

Alciphron mentions (2) or (3) and (9) when describing a performance of the cups and balls.

Martial mentions (5) and (7).

Ovid mentions (7), (8), (9) and (10).

Juvenal mentions (6).

Remembrance Day

Paul Zenon in The LaBaL

The October issue of Al Smith's The LaBaL is now available and it includes an interview with Paul Zenon (as well as some great card magic by its contributors). For details on how to get a copy please see the advert for Al's magazine on my website (link opens in a new window) http://johnhelvin.net/labal.html 
The interview with Paul mostly deals with his career and background in magic.
 

For those few that haven't noticed, in the last few weeks Paul has hit the headlines because of his interest in scepticism. Below is a video of his appearance on the TV program This Morning discussing his views.
 

Paul's own website can be found at
http://www.paulzenon.com/
Paul runs a charity for the elderly called the Wonderbus; the website can be found at
http://www.thewonderbus.org/
(Both of the above links open in new windows.)

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.