Last night, I read the story of two men with a group called Pirates With Attitude (“PWA”).The Feds (as opposed to the “Overly Feds,” which describes me) claimed that the PWA folks were hacking software to take of the copy protection and thus allowed anyone on the Internet to download the software for free.This was premium software.PWA thought that because they did not charge for the downloads, they shouldn’t be prosecuted of theft.The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed.They stole, they got caught and now they go to jail.
It got me thinking of a novel idea for the protection of inventor’s rights in Magic.I don’t know why this idea hasn’t been suggested before ? perhaps because it is either too obvious or unworkable.We, as magic-consumers, and we, as magic dealers/manufacturers, could be honest about what we are buying.
You probably live in a much better neighborhood than me so you might not be familiar with the guy that drives around in a van, pulls up a long side of you as you walk down the street, and offers to sell you great stereo equipment for rock bottom prices.I was offered a system that cost over $2,500.00 in the stores for $200.00 a while back.I didn’t have the money on me as I walked down the street in my bad neighborhood (near a major university) and I would like to think that even if I had $200.00, I wouldn’t have bought the gear.
“Where’d you get it?” I asked the salesperson who looked nervous and self-assured at the same moment.
Impossible Penetration by Viking Magic is one heck of a well-made prop and a great trick.Even if you never use it in a performance ? which would be a shame ? you will have a beautifully designed and crafted item that just looks magical.
How did it hold up under the Inside Magic Review?Is it still politically correct to simulate the chopping off of fingers? Why am I putting the effect up for sale even though it is barely used and still in pristine condition? Could I really just be buying tricks to review and then selling them? Am I made of money? Do you hear voices sometimes too?
First things first.If you are going to buy Impossible Penetration, buy the real product as manufactured by the great George Robinson.George is the only manufacturer of the actual licensed product and although you’ll soon find imitations available from Asia, they cannot compare in quality.More importantly, the knock-off versions are counterfeit and improperly attempt to steal money from the proper license holder for Impossible Penetration.Enough preaching.By the way, the item I’ve put up for sale is an authentic George Robinson produced and licensed Impossible Penetration.
The effect is a lot like this: You show a beautiful wooden houlette and a wooden blade.The houlette opens at the top and can be separated into two pieces attached by a hinge at the base.The blade has a hole cut into the center that lines up neatly with the hole formed when the two parts of the houlette are put together.You ask your spectator to put her dainty finger (although it will work with a large grease-covered pig-knuckle type finger but who wants to see that) through the hole in houlette.She looks at you with that look that says, “Are you going to describe this later in some… Continue reading Inside Magic Review: Viking’s Impossible Penetration
The LORD then said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that I would give to their descendants. I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD, died as the LORD had said.
Deuteronomy 34:4-5
Each time I see Siegfried & Roy on the cover of this month?s Magic Magazine, I become sad.And when I read John Moehring?s Editor?s Letter, ?Endings,? the reality of their horrible tragedy hits home.Mr. Moehring writes of the unfairness ?that the Siegfried & Roy show did not get to have an ending.Fate denied them the chance to give the show a triumphant curtain call.?
We know that every breath we take is only by the permissive will of God.We have no bargaining power with our Creator.In Paul?s imagery, it is laughable that the clay should tell the potter how it is to be formed or worked. But we, or at least I, fall into the trap of believing I have some power apart from God.I think that I can decide how it will go and how I will end.
And I can burn the American Flag on the Fourth of July or publish a booklet of “Hot Tips for Terrorists!” revealing information on airport security.
Any intelligent person can twist freedom around like an animal balloon, until it seems as if anything that we have a right to do will seem like the right THING to do.
So intelligent people must also use common sense to make sure that having the right to do something isn’t used as an excuse to defend hurtful, harmful, and inappropriate actions. Revealing the secret to Metamorphosis would be in sharp contrast to the intentions of the artist and creator, and would harm the ability of current entertainers who have worked to purchase the trade secrets for which they earn their livelihood.
Just like the ignorant farmer who killed the goose to quickly profit from its golden eggs, someone in Appleton wants to make a quick buck on a Houdini connection right away, with little regard for the long term implications.
It is as if they’ve said,”Hey! We’ve got a great idea! Why don’t we take this famous magicians most prized secret and sell out! Sure it’ll alienate anyone who gives a moments thought about what we’re actually doing, but it’ll probably increase attendance to the museum for a few months…”
I don’t know which genius laid this egg of an idea, but I suspect he must be impulsive. His knee-jerk decision to try to lure customers by exposing a magic secret is totally off-base. Every day people pay to tour the White House, Pentagon, and NASA – with no expectation of acquiring sensitive, top secret information.
The fact is, people tour museums because they love history. It is demeaning to magic to imply the only interesting thing about it is its secrets. This is a shallow, totally superficial point of view, and history has shown time and again that the secret to how a trick is done is the smallest part of what creates the astonishment. The history of magic, in and of itself, is a rich and fascinating story, and any museum curator worth his salt should know that.
Forbes profiles the excellent magic site MagicTricks.com in their latest news letter and really gives all of us webmaster types inspiration and hope. On the other hand, Melanie Kerr’s MKMagic.com continues to be advertised in the big-time magic magazines and yet appears to be abandoned. There are secrets to be learned from both sites.
The business analysts at Forbes look at how different non-traditional web businesses have made the move to the web. To those of us in the magic world, it doesn?t seem counter-intuitive.Actually magic shops seem to be moving almost entirely to the web and bringing competition to the moms and pops out in the real-world saddled with real-world mortgages or rents.
The article notes:
Peter Monticup’s most mystifying feat in a long career of mystifying feats is this: that he ended up the owner of a dot-com. Monticup is a guy who eight years ago ran a business that didn’t use a single computer. Yet today, after more than three decades of operating magic stores that never reaped more than $100,000 in sales, he’s the owner of a Web business that employs as many as 10 people and has been growing 30% to 50% a year.
And when you go to MagicTricks.com you can see why it is such a success.Unlike a magic discounter that sells just above the wholesale price with service that ranges from spotty to pretty good.The site is dedicated to the Art with a real excitement about the history and the craft rather than just moving the latest trick at the lowest price.
Visiting MagicTricks.com is like eating chips, you can’t stop. Soon your bloated, sprawled on the floor with greasy fingers and the firm resolve to never spend 23 hours in a row on one site. But, you won’t be able to help it. You’ll go back to see the new articles, or historical… Continue reading Great Magic Websites Featured in the Press
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