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More or less. Keep it consistent. To draw another parallel, think of any video game you played that added a forced stealth section that disrupted the pacing and flow of the story and just generally annoyed the living **** out of you. Switching things up on your audience is like that. If...

So you're saying you want something that mechanically is a vanish, but is presented as something different?

At what point did I use the word evil? You're on. A major school of thought in modern criminology is that of social development, which analyzes both biological and social factors to determine the causes and correlates with aberrant behavior. It's a combination of positivist theory and...

No, I mean to be consistent. Your routine right now can be described as schizophrenic. It's not the props, it's that you're trying to cover too many subjects in too short a time. I'm currently developing a mind-reading routine for the sci-fi convention circuit, but I'm thinking of cutting...

There are exceptions to that rule. I do a chop-cup-esque routine Kirk Charles teaches on Live at the Jailhouse that ends with a vanish of a shot glass. At no point do you bring the glass back. You don't have to. It's all about motivation.

My general experience with this is to lead by example. I don't talk during the reveal. Using whatever drama building technique I'm inclined to that time around, I open my hand slowly and stay silent. I slowly show both hands, front and back, totally empty. Still no talking. I sloowwly point...

Do not confuse my realism with negativity. I do believe that most people want to do the right thing. But when the chips are down, you find a way to live. Shocking as it may seem to most of you, morality is not black and white. There is such a thing as nuance. Funny how everyone gets...

Propose that to a criminologist. Let me know how long it takes him to stop laughing in your face. I'm not entirely sure you grasp the context of living in a third world country. I'm not saying that Kenya for example is a hotbed of aberrant behavior. I'm just saying that there's a reason...

I didn't actually say it was inevitable. Just that it happens. Desperate conditions breed desperate actions. And talking about how you're too moral to run a con in a moment of desperation is a lot of hot air. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative.

The point is you shouldn't feel like you have to do a little bit of everything in one routine. There's no need for it. A routine that revolves around one theme can actually be much more powerful, whether that theme be based on props or scripting. Banachek's Pre-Thoughts is about predictions...

You say that now. But if I were to challenge you or anyone else to live one year below the poverty line, I can say with some certainty that your ivory tower ideals wouldn't last very long. The truth is that 99% of the people on this board, myself included, have no idea what it's like to...

Bit of advice paraphrasing Bob Cassidy. When Megadeth take the stage, they play music. Note that no one asks Dave to also do a little dance routine, juggle, or recite the Gettysburg Address. What's wrong with doing all mind reading?

You're on. Not really, because the only side I'm on is my own. You jackals are free to tear each other's throats out but I'd much rather be the guy selling weapons to one side and life insurance policies to the other. Anyway, in your case I was pointing out that when you start using the...

They could be. That's the thing. When you're starving, you find a way to eat. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy to talk about our moral character or our good religious virtues. But the sad thing is that honor and Jesus don't have any nutritional value.

It's nice to speculate, but do you question that desperate people do desperate things?

And we have reached the nadir of discussion. It's all one big cluster**** from here on out. Am I the only one who sees the irony in people making fun of the drama De'vo surrounds himself with while they themselves perpetuate it by using the arguments and tactics of a 12-year-old girl trying...

Not really a joke either. More like Tourette's syndrome.

Or maybe I haven't forgotten. I just know the difference between learning and memorization. See above. If you believe the Robert-Houdin quote, then why wouldn't you get acting lessons? Geniuses are born. Skilled individuals are made. I don't think many people make the effort to tell...

Desperate people do desperate things. This is a fact. As overly simplistic as the question is, it does illustrate a point that those who scream the loudest about their moral superiority are very uncomfortable with reality. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative.

I can appreciate your enthusiasm, but at the risk of bringing you down these effects aren't going to make you a better magician. Paul's a talented creator and a truly original thinker, but learning his stuff isn't going to make you any better an illusionist than buying Tony Hawk's brand of...