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Is it really that important to have an invisible get ready? Do you need the pinky count to do double lifts well? Some say that the pinky count is the best way to go. I certainly used to think something along those lines, until I did an experiment recently. I have a job at the local YMCA...

I recently auditioned for a position at Kings Island in Ohio. To my surprise, I found myself waiting in the theater where Ed Alonzo does his show there, so that was both encouraging and discouraging at the same time. Encouraging because now I know they hire magicians, discouraging because they...

for the Wire? (The method is probably too transparent.) I've genuinely never seen anyone present a card trick this way before. I looked on Youtube before I began working on this and no one had done anything close. (I know, Youtube is a comprehensive list of every magic trick ever invented...

Back in 2009 or so I compiled a list of tricks from Royal Road to Card Magic that I perform on a regular basis. I've kept the list to myself, sharing it only in private messages, but I guess it would help more people if I put it out in public. The list hasn't changed a bit since I wrote it way...

Did anyone see it? I missed it, much to my disappointment. Is it online anywhere?

I just received the first two DVDs in the Metal series and watched them. They are excellent DVDs. I don't plan to buy the third DVD because I never use gimmicks of any kind. I have nothing against gimmicks and I believe they could be extremely useful, but I find that I just never have them with...

I have a problem that I can't quite work out on my own. I've been wrestling with this puzzle for a while now and haven't come up with a good solution. The puzzle is this: I have a sandwich routine similar to Paul Harris's Grasshopper and for the end of the trick I need to obtain an extra card...

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/09/03/changing-perpective-new-look-old-problems/ This article talks about creativity in an interesting way and it might be worth looking at. There are correlations in the article between web design and magic. If you're in both fields this could be very...

Ok, you're probably expecting this to be another "How do I approach people to do street magic" thread. It's not, sorry to disappoint you. :) The question here is this, when you're trying to get a gig with a new client, how do you get someone's attention and make them take you seriously via...

http://discovermagazine.com/2012/sep/10-use-the-force-magicians-control-your-decisions Apparently this is an article from the guy who wrote the book Fooling Houdini. You guys might want to take a look at it. It doesn't add anything to our current knowledge as far as technique or psychology...

I'm currently trying to get a job, any job that has a regular pay check. I am also currently taking a semester off of school to try and earn some more money to pay for my education. I have experienced working as a magician at a theme park for a year and a half. The year was just performing, with...

I have an idea for a card trick done backwards, but I'm not sure the best way to cover the force required. The idea is to start with a card on the table, face up and tell the spectator, "that is your card," replace the card in the deck, then have them pick a card and it be the card they saw on...

If Robin, from the old Batman show, were a magician, what would he say? For those of you who are too young to know what I'm talking about, here's a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nltVuSH-lQM Lets see how many of these exclamations we can come up with. Your phrase should take the form...

I'm looking for recommendations for resources on the book test. I have an idea that I need to flesh out, but I don't know enough about book test methods to make it work. Can you guys recommend anything? I would need to start working with book test where the spectator could open to a page...

Would anyone be interest if I did a video a month highlighting one close-up or parlor effect per chapter in one of any number of magic books? I'd be able to do Expert Card Technique, the chapters that actually teach tricks; most all of Royal to Card Magic, Mark Wilson's Complete Course, or...

A local high school just finished their run of the musical Xanadu. The show was great, and quite hilarious, but there was one thing that completely baffled me. There was a scene where the lead guy, Sonny, went into a phone booth with Converse high-tops on and came out with completely different...

What credentials should a stage hypnotist have? How would you know if you were hiring a good, safe, hypnotist as opposed to some guy who bought one of those new DVDs that claim to teach hypnosis? I ask because a local high school is looking to hire a hypnotist for a bit of after prom...

I found these two clips of John Scarne working with cards on Youtube and I thought I'd share them. The audio is almost entirely unintelligible, but the video footage is clear enough to show how good Scarne was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTjLxhnet6g&feature=related This clip has a couple...

Here's a video of my first stand-up show. I performed for a gathering of about 40 middle and high schoolers, most of whom have seen me do at least one magic trick before. I chose material that I knew I could do without messing up, and that I had not done for them before. What do you guys think...

Here's the next big trick for you stage magicians. Walk across a bed of loose Legos. We magicians can walk on glass, and coals, but I've never heard of anyone walking on Legos. If anyone can figure out a way to do it without great pain, I'd like to see a video. (Wearing shoes is cheating!)