Tune in to Magic Broadcast

Season's greetings to you, my friend!

Following up on my write-up about magical blogs, I thought it best to push some agenda and try to get more of my magician friends connected.

The IndianMagique eGroup completed three years of existence on December 03. It is alive and kicking thanks to the support of nearly 40 magicians from all over the country, including some top names.

Serving as a common platform for Indian magicians to discuss the art of legerdemain, membership to the IndianMagique eGroup is strictly restricted. For more details, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianMagique. To join the largest Indian magicians’ community online, send blank email to IndianMagique-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

After the self-indulgence, let me move on to an interesting topic.

If you are one of those who have the luxury of a broadband connection, then you should visit www.magicbroadcast.com. One visit to this Online Radio Station dedicated to Magic and Magicians, and you will keep going back for more.

On air since October 2004, Magic Broadcast – Radio for Magicians broadcasts magic tricks, interviews, music, and more 24/7 for magicians across the globe. So whether you use WinAmp, iTunes, or Windows Player – MagicBroadcast is the station to tune in to!

You also have the ability to download these as Podcasts, and play them through your iPod or iTune player.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Nakul

PS: This article originally appeared in the December 2006 issue of VMN.

Magic in the Blogosphere

I welcome the Magic Academy's foray onto the blogosphere with magicweekly.blogspot.com, and this gave me the idea to write about magician bloggers.

But I was in for a shock! Most of my favourite blogs have either disappeared, or have not been updated in some time, like my own indianmagician.blogspot.com (which has warranted an update in a long time). Most missed among these is John W LeBlanc's Blog - www.escamoteurettes.com/blog (Update on 30/1/2007: John is back! Do drop in to his blog!)

Let me share a couple of thoughts on two notable blogs, and express the hope that all my blogger friends find the time and more thoughts to share.

cardopolis.blogspot.com - David Britland, the accomplished author of many magical tomes maintains this blog. These "Random Thoughts of a Magical Nature" are truly a treat for all serious performers, because David shares the real secrets behind a good performance. And sometimes, in a generous mood, he shares some magic effects too!

thinkingmagicians.blogspot.com - Walt Anthony’ blog for the "Thinking Magicians," truly lives up to its name. Walt defines a 'Thinking Magician' as one who "rejects the limits & clichés of today’s trite & stale ideas of what a “magician” is or how “magic” is performed".

Blogs to keep an eye include: intenselymagic.blogspot.com, magicunlimited.typepad.com, magicandconjuring.blogspot.com, ibmsnightmare.blogspot.com, www.magician.org.uk, peacelovesmusings.blogspot.com, and loads more!

Nakul

PS: This article originally appeared in the November 2006 issue of VMN.

Do we have a new Houdini?

David Blaine is news again. And the reaction of magicians is markedly different.

When Blaine first “arrived” through his magic specials (aired in India on AXN) the response was varied, akin to all over the world.

Blaine's use of simple but effective close-up magic scared the living daylights out of his audience, and encouraged many a magician to go back to their roots and explore the use of direct magic. On the other hand, Blaine's effective use of the editing bay earned him the wrath of his contemporaries.

Thus, when Blaine performed his physical stunts magicians did not pay much attention, or if they did -- they did not give it much importance, whether it was standing on a pillar, standing inside a box of ice, or the glass box over river Thames.

But the smoke screen is beginning to clear, and (as some are calling it) the cloud of jealousy seems to be dissipating. While Blaine failed to hold his breath for seven minutes (after staying under water for 8 days), the attempt has succeeded in bringing around his stature in many a magician's mind.

It took no less than Uri Geller to call on the media to credit Blaine for trying to achieve the impossible. Blaine’s strenuous life-threatening physical stunts have resulted in comparisons to Harry Houdini himself.

What's next...? We can only wait and watch.

Nakul

PS: This article originally appeared in the May 2006 issue of VMN.

How many tricks do you know?

Over dinner with Jolyon Jenkins of the BBC, now a good friend, we got discussing our passion: Magic. After deliberating on what makes good magic, Jolyon left me to my thoughts, while he caught his next flight.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a courier from Jolyon: Jim Steinmeyer’s treatise – Hiding the Elephant; A book that peruses the annals of magical history to illustrate “How magicians invented the impossible”.

Only halfway through the book, I have no qualms adding this to my list of must-reads for the serious magical entertainer. Do remember: This is NOT a book of magical secrets.

Steinmeyer takes you on a time-travel back to the days of the first magicians: the pioneers of stage magic, be it Houdin, Davenports, Maskelene, Houdini, Kellar, or Devant. We learn how some invented, others bought, yet others stole – the greatest creations in the field of magic.

Steinmeyer brings up the ghosts of the past, literally, to haunt and guide the present. For if not anything else, we learn how the morals set by these forefathers are influencing our lives and actions today.

Let me leave you with this anecdote from the book:

[David Devant once] interviewed a young magician backstage at Egyptian Hall. He casually asked the young man how many tricks he knew. His visitor responded by making a rapid calculation. “About three hundred,” he said. Devant furrowed his brow, explaining, “Actually, I know about eight myself.”

Devant appreciated the difference between knowing how a trick is done and knowing how to do it.

Nakul

PS: This article originally appeared in the April 2006 issue of VMN.

Harry Potter is NOT real!

Last month I implored all my magician friends to believe in the power of REAL Magic, and let it influence their performances. Let me take the thought further.

It is like the make-believe world of fiction or film. We all know that the actor really did not die; that it was all part of an elaborate theatre on camera we call cinema. But to really enjoy the film, we need to live its emotions.

Imagine this! If a person slips on a peel of banana, or plays the part of a joker on screen, it serves no purpose to say: It is all rehearsed. It does however make perfect sense to forget the play-acting, and instead live the reel-world as the real one.

Similarly, we need people to believe in magic, and only then will they really enjoy the performances. It is no use presenting them with tricks and puzzles questioning their intellect. As my friend Pradip Rao puts it, we need them to willingly immerse themselves in a world of make-believe... what I would call an alter-position of reality.

Think about it. We all know Harry Potter is a fictional character. That Mandrake exists only in a comic strip. But the magic they weave is possible ONLY because we let them.

Would you not love to be a real magician?

Nakul

PS: This article originally appeared in the March 2006 issue of VMN.

How (NOT) to bend a spoon

On February 19, 2006 The Times of India, Mumbai in its magazine section TIMES REVIEW, published an article headlined: How to bend a spoon.

Meenakshi Sinha, in this article *exposes* how "Some clever men claim to use their minds to bend metal and to read thoughts. Corporates are falling for this repackaging of old magic tricks and are paying good money in an attempt to convince their managers that the human mind can defy common sense."

The problem? Sinha is NOT talking of charlatans, mediums, psychics, godmen... Unless you would term a Mentalist that!

Yeah! You got it right. This article is basically targetting the Mentalists - the practitioners of the elite branch of magic that demonstrated psychic phenomena.

What's worse? Sinha quotes P C Sorcar Jr, the scion of Indian Magic saying, "Anybody with advance knowledge of tricks and utilising it in the name of supernatural abilities is misleading society".

My question:
Did P C Sorcar Jr, the scion of the first family of Indian magic know that he was talking about a co-performer when he said what he did?

Yes. There's nothing wrong with the quote as such. But the context in which it is used is all wrong.

Go on read the article! If you are averse to doing that, just read the following paragraph to understand the context in which it has been used.

Along the rather disjointed, rather amateurish, half-page article, we read:

There are others like him who bend spoons and other metal objects, or guess words and numbers in the minds of the audience. They are claiming that their mind helps them achieve these feats and are taking the corporate motivational programme route to find fame and livelihood, instead of the more arduous, competitive and honest one — magic. That is what irritates India’s most beloved magician, PC Sorcar Junior. “Anybody with advance knowledge of tricks and utilising it in the name of supernatural abilities is misleading society,” he says.

Let me elaborate on my earlier question:
- Did P C Sorcar Jr say the quotes in the context it has been used?
- Did he know he was speaking with regard to a mentalist?
- Did he know that he was speaking of Deepak / Pradip ?

If NOT, then we have another issue at hand: A more serious issue; of using quotes out of context.


First things first, the persons in question are Mentalists; psychic entertainers. Arguably two of the best known mentalists in the country!

So the words "others like him who bend spoons and other metal objects, or guess words and numbers in the minds of the audience" is essentially referring to other corporate entertainers who are engaged in enthralling their audiences with mysteries of the mind...!

Yeah! So I guess you now know me as a person who is taking the easy way out to make money by fooling his corporate audiences, rather than adopting "the more arduous, competitive and honest one — magic.".

Hello! So what if I (or the others) have been performing magic for the last dozen years? So what if I am one of the well-acknowledged speakers/trainers at the national level magic magic conventions?

I believe very strongly in the power of magic to communicate, to educate. I also believe that using my art I can make people THINK in a way no other medium / art can.

The one thing that I am not able to digest is that Sinha gives the 'honest' chit to the magician who levitates and vanishes people on stage! She seems to forget the focus of the art of magic is that it basically questions every element of science.

Yes! I do not have any powers beyond what any other human being has. But having honed my non-verbal communication skills, body language learnings, I can demonstrate seemingly impossible effects. I can mystify audiences with my powers of suggestion. I can demonstrate "super-human memory" using memory aids so painstakingly developed over the years.

I get my repeat bookings from clients because of the high quality of entertainment I provide them. Also because of the effectiveness of the communication. I am paid what my show and art deserves. And if they are willing to pay me what I ask, repeatedly, the story is something very different from what Sinha has imagined, and tried to prove.

Sinha in one brash line has tried to bring down the image of the art of mentalism, known to be one of the most difficult and challenging genre of magic, by her uneducated and one-sided article. I am NOT as bothered about being branded as a cheater, as I am about the attack on the genre of magic itself. I also take exception to her statement that portrays the corporates as falling prey to mumbo jumbo.

I cannot take this sitting down. I doubt anybody who loves the art of magic can.

So here (this blog entry) is my first step in retort to this rather ill-judged mis-informed article. How I wish I could take this up with a Media Ombudsman!

Nakul

Performing 'Real' Magic

What does the word 'magic' mean to you? Does it connote tricks, or does it communicate powers over nature?

Think back to your first experience of magic? Do you remember being fooled, cheated, or taken for a ride? Or does that thought hold ingrdients of a paranormal activity?

Why did you want to be a magician? To learn for yourself those mysterious powers with which you could appear or vanish any object you desired? Was it to master the powers required to be able to levitate or fly? Did you want to be able to do all that Mandrake The Magician is able to?

How is it that you are now content with being called a trickster, a jester, or at best a sleight of hand artiste? How is it that you are telling--all that will lend an ear--that all you do are tricks? Nothing more.

Don't you want your audience to experience the power of magic? Rather than present them with puzzles to solve.

You have the power in you to do magic. To create Real Magic. Use the power (of presentation) and be a real magician in the eyes of your audience.

For starters, Believe in Magic. That will make all the difference.

Nakul

Jamie Gilbert: A Real-Life Harry Potter

Here is an article written on Jamie Gilbert by Jamie himself, because this article captures the way Jamie saw the world... and his magical role in it.

The article originally appeared at http://www.ikidney.com/iKidney/Community/JustForFun/Quilt/GilbertJamie.htm and has since been removed.

I am reproducing the article here in good faith, and in the hope that this helps in communicating to the world Jamie's message.

Nakul

---------

Jamie Gilbert

- A Real-Life Harry Potter

By Jamie Gilbert

Despite having lived with, and nearly dying from, kidney disease and renal failure since the age of five, I became known as a master magician (someone who mentors other young magicians) and am the President of my local magician's club. I work with doves and rabbits, have sawed a woman in half, and made a large airplane disappear. I have been honored by a Member of Parliament, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, and the Canadian Prime Minister, who called me a real-life Harry Potter.

But my greatest joy has been in entertaining critically ill adults and children. Every year, I perform at a hospital and rehabilitation center for transplant and other patients. The mother of a little girl waiting for a heart transplant and who died the day following my performance just for her said my magic gave them just a little bit of hope.

Not bad for someone who has lived with kidney disease for more than a quarter of a century!

The Early Years

I was born, raised, and still live in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, a city of around 194,000 people. Because it is located on a strip of land shaped like a thumb, it is actually only a five-minute drive north to Detroit, MI. It's around a four-hour drive from Toronto and about five hours from Chicago, IL, and is smack dab in the middle of North America's Great Lakes system. Like Detroit, it has a heavy automotive industry.

I am actually the youngest of 11 siblings. Both my Mom and Dad were married before, so my siblings were half-sisters and half-brothers. My Dad was American and my Mom Canadian. My family is scattered across the US and Canada.

I was born with high blood pressure, which was probably what killed off my kidney. I have been sick with kidney disease since the age of five (I am now 31). Since I spent so much time with doctors and in the hospital, I couldn't really go anywhere. I was very tired and weak and throwing up a lot and not eating. I often had drops in my blood pressure, and that still happens today. I always think I am going to pass out.

When I was six or seven and in the hospital, my parents got me a magic kit at a yard sale. Even though some of the major components of the kit were missing, I fell in love with it. It was how I was bitten by the magic bug.

Dialysis and Magic

Even though I had been sick with kidney disease since I was five years old, I did not begin dialysis treatments until I was 18 or 19. I began my treatments at Grace Hospital in Windsor. My treatments were for 3.5 hours three times a week. When hospitals began closing in Canada, my dialysis unit was moved to Hotel-Dieu Hospital. While on dialysis, I had two strokes and a minor heart attack from too much fluid buildup around my heart and lungs.

Believe me when I say that growing up with renal failure wasn't easy. The high school kids were mean. They called me "the kidney kid," which I hated. My self-esteem went out the window, and I was depressed nearly 24/7, especially as a kid growing up with this disease. Then, more than 10 years ago, I discovered our local magician's club. It was great because they accepted me for who I was. They liked the same things I did, and it was really neat.

One year, I became Librarian of the Windsor Magic Circle Ring 116 for a few years. I started really working on my magic in a serious way and met really cool friends. Then I became Sergeant-at-Arms for a few years, then Vice President, then President. I am still President of the club, which was founded in 1951. One prominent magician, Jerry Deneweth, took me under his wing and started teaching me dove magic.

Hollywood and Magic

Most people think that celebrities like David Copperfield are the most famous magicians to other magicians, but they are not. He's so well known because he has been on television a lot. I've met Abb Dixon, a world-famous magician who mostly entertains for children. I've also met former world magic champion Oscar Monduz.

In addition, I performed my magic for famed Hollywood horror movie director John Carpenter. Carpenter is perhaps best known as the director of such films as "The Thing" and the "Halloween" series. My magic show for Carpenter was performed at the Detroit Opera House, where there was an anniversary showing of "Halloween." My wife, from whom I am now separated, and I and another couple had dinner with Carpenter and learned a little about the magic of filmmaking.

Magic Shows

Currently, my magic shows include:

• A Voyage to a Magical Land;
• Magical Harry Potter Show;
• Say "NO" to Smoking Magic Show;
• I Like to Read Magic Show;
• Normal Magic and Fun Show (Basic Show); and
• Jamie-G's Super Star Show (Doves), plus many more shows to fit anyone's needs.

"Big Illusions"

I also do the big illusions you see on TV and make things disappear. We have a big airplane in Windsor called the Lancaster Bomber. It's mounted on a rack in the park. It's a huge bomber from World War II. I made that plane vanish.

In one of my shows, I have a large box that a woman gets into. There are holes cut for her head, hands, and feet. I take two blades and stick them through her, then push the whole middle part of her body out. I also do what's called a metamorphosis. There's a big crate on the stage. Then, with handcuffs, shackles, or even a straitjacket, I get inside a bag, which is tied tightly and placed inside the big wooden crate or box. The lid is closed and locked. Then the assistant jumps on top of the box, lifts up the curtain and throws it into the air, revealing the magician, but leaving the assistant locked in the box. I also do a sword through the neck trick.
I also love dove magic. In this show, I produce a dove from a silk handkerchief. In my adult show, I produce a dove from nowhere. Then I "chop" the dove in half and put it back together again. Following that, I turn the one dove into three or four doves, then turn all four doves into a rabbit. I also hypnotize a dove.

Transplant and Magic

In 1998, I received a call from London Hospital that a kidney was waiting for me. I received a cadaveric kidney, but was in and out of that hospital for eight months until they managed to get my creatinine to a normal level.

While I was in the hospital, I did some magic for a little girl waiting for a heart who died the next day. I performed my tricks with a stuffed animal that magicians use. His name is Rocky, the Raccoon. He moves around like he is a real raccoon. It's like a puppet. The little girl loved it. My performance gave her mother just a little bit of hope. It was awesome.

While I was in and out of the hospital, I lived for eight months at a bed-and-breakfast (B&B) place called Mount St. Joseph's, which is a residence for all the retired nuns in Ontario. There was a wing of rooms reserved for people like transplant patients who had to go to the university hospital. When I was in the hospital, I made sure I had my magic with me because there's not much else to do. Word quickly got around that there was a magician in the hospital. I stayed at the B&B for my rehabilitation period. Every year since, they have invited me back to perform at their annual Christmas party.

The transplant lasted for six years. When I returned home to Windsor, I was doing pretty well, despite a creatinine level that was still pretty high but good enough to enable me to stay off dialysis. Then I caught a parasite called cryptosporidium from the drinking water. I was told I was the first transplant patient in the city who caught that parasite. It's a bug that gets into your bowel, causing so much diarrhea that you are constantly dehydrated. When I was getting tested for this thing, the doctors thought I had HIV. They hadn't tested for that parasite for about 20 years. I took special medication for several months, which got rid of the parasite. Unfortunately, the parasite may have gotten rid of my new kidney. I have been back on dialysis ever since, but plan to be back on the transplant list soon.

"Everybody Loves Magic"

Being a magician is a great icebreaker when you meet people. I don't care what anyone says, but everybody loves magic. It can be vanishing a penny or producing a bird. I do everything and have been collecting magic tricks for over 20 years.

The Magic Harry Potter Show is one of my presentations for children. I mix dove, close-up, and stage magic. It's a blend of a lot of magic, but I don't make it look like I am the one doing the magic. I bring the kids up and let them do it. At the end of the show, I make one little boy or girl an honorary magician. I put them in a wizard's costume with glasses. I got this picture of a silk with a top hat on it. I tell the kids I am going to do a magic trick. Then, if they can do the trick, I will not only make them a magician, but will give them a certificate and a magic kit as well. I show them this picture of the silk with top hat, front to back. Believe it or not, I reach inside the top hat and pull out a different colored handkerchief with a picture of a rabbit on it. So, it looks like I pulled a rabbit out of a hat! Next, I take the silk of the rabbit and place it inside an empty yellow box. Then I close the box doors and tell the child that, if he/she can change that silk to any other color, I'd make him/her an honorary magician.

During the show, I'd pull out a wand from a whole bunch of magic wands. The child was asked to spin the wand around, then tap the box with it. When I give them the wand, however, it breaks into a hundred pieces in front of everyone. Well, that wasn't supposed to happen! So, I get a back-up wand and show them how to spin it and tap the box, That wand also breaks. Next, I bring out an Oriental fan and tell the kids to wave it over the box. The fan also breaks. Eventually, I get them to use a magic word like "Abracadabra!" or "Hocus-pocus!" When they wave their hands and I open the box, the silk turns into a real bunny. That's when the child becomes an honorary magician.

I also invented a dragon effect in which it appears that flames are shooting from my hands. Additionally, I create a lot of effects I supply to magicians all around the world. Last year, I produced 400 magic effects for magicians. At one time, I was spitting out about 10 of these effects a day and shipping them to magicians. I send most of my stuff to the computer ring magicians (see below).

IBM, MP, and PM

For a number of years now, I have been a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). IBM has its Ring 2100 on the Internet with around 3,000 worldwide members. I started getting popular with other magicians on this computer ring. While on Ring 2100, I talked about my health and being on dialysis. Some IBM members wanted to throw a surprise party for me. I got a call from a friend I met on Ring 2100 who lives in Toronto. He told me that they wanted to put on a show for the Kidney Foundation in Toronto and asked if I wanted to perform magic at the show. I said, "Sure." The date was February 22, 2004.

When I arrived at the big theater in Toronto, I discovered it was not a show for the Kidney Foundation, but a surprise party for me! At the time, I was really sick, and my transplanted kidney was causing a lot of problems. I performed first. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto is Bryan Wilfred. He took the stage and announced an award to Jamie-G, my stage name. It was a certificate signed by him. I was shocked. I even started crying. It was very emotional.

Here are a few excerpts from the certificate: "As [an MP], it is with distinct pleasure to extend my appreciation to Jamie Gilbert for his… Jamie-G Staying Alive with Magic Show… On behalf of our community, I would like to thank Jamie-G for carrying the torch for many of those who are in desperate need of organ transplants. Your contribution to this worthy cause will always be [held in the] highest regard."

There was also a certificate from Paul Martin, the Canadian Prime Minister. This was when he compared me to a real-life Harry Potter.

"It is fitting that, tonight, you have gathered to honor magician Jamie Gilbert," the PM's certificate read. "His professional achievements and his many contributions to the community-particularly his support for children who have experienced serious trauma or cancer-are most deserving of this tribute. I join with you in commending his generosity and spirit."

"My Favorite Trick"

My favorite trick involves showing this net back-to-back with a see-through mesh front. Then I place a white handkerchief inside the net. The net is closed while the handkerchief is in full view the entire time. Then it instantly turns into a live dove. I have performed this trick many times.

Another trick involves showing a newspaper front-to-back, from which I produce a long broadsword. Then I produce a bird on the end of the sword.

A Simple Trick

There's a simple magic trick not only dialysis patients can do, but someone with only one arm can perform. It's a beautiful effect. I had to get permission to reveal the rope trick, called the Appearing Knot.

While performing the trick, the magician shows a rope in his hand, telling the audience he is going to magically produce a knot in the rope. The rope is brought end-to-end, then wiggled and dropped down, but nothing happens. The magician looks at the rope as if something is wrong. The rope is brought back up, and the magician is holding it with one hand end-for-end. One end of the rope is dropped, but, again, nothing happens. Shock! The third time, the rope is brought back up, and the magician blows on it. This time, when the rope is dropped, a knot appears on the end of the rope.

The secret is simple: when you hold the rope in your hand, and it is hanging down, the knot is on top of the rope hidden by your hand. When you bring the rope up and drop the end, you simply drop the end without the knot. When you are ready to produce the knot after bringing the rope back up, you just drop the other end, and there is the knot. It's a bit shocking because the audience doesn't know where the knot came from.

Conclusion

Because I was so ill, I was told many times not to get into magic. Most dialysis patients are on disability and are expected to sit at home and rot. That's absolutely wrong. That's how patients are going to die. If you have dreams, then go out and make them a reality. If people are telling you not to do something you really want to do, just leave them in the dust.

I would say to every patient: "Go out and follow your dreams." I can't tell you how many personal friends I knew on dialysis for years actually died right in front of me. I thought maybe I would die next on the machine. It may not be a wonderful life, but you might as well have fun if you can. Patients can't just stay at home. They have to get out. When I received my transplant, the doctor told me that, when I woke up, I would have a new life. You know what? He was right! After six years, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

-March 2005

R I P Jamie Gilbert. You shall not be forgotten

Checking my IBM Ring 2100 mails after a long time, I was in for a rude shock when I came across the shocking news of Jamie Gilbert's passing over on January 01, 2006. Please allow me to indulge in a few words of condolence, to express my feelings towards this friend across the seas.

Jamie G was somebody I had exchanged some emails with, both on the Ring2100 and outside of it. Recently I had been accustomed to chatting with him on Yahoo! Messenger too.

There were agreements and disagreements, discussions and debates. But one thing that always came across was Jamie's feeling of sharing... Jamie wanted to share his thoughts, ideas, and generally was a person who was very caring.

During the last conversation I had with him, Jamie was telling me that he has a set of magical items created by him, that he wanted to send across to me... all the way to India. This from a man who had more than his share of troubles, and did not know me enough to warrant this offer.

If Jamie can read what's said in cyberspace, I would like to say:

Jamie, it was a pleasure interacting with you.
It was a nice feeling, to count you as a friend.
You will remain a friend for ever.

And to the rest, I make a solemn plea to join me in the prayer:
May his soul rest in peace.

Nakul

Resolving for the New Year…

Over the last decade, I have always had a recurring thought: Why is it that we do not see much online activity by Indian magicians?

The immediate answer that offers itself is that Indian magicians are not Net savvy. But then, I know this is wrong, for most of the magicians I have come across are well educated, and quite tech-savvy. So the Internet would not be something that is not accessible to them.

The fact that most of us have an email id, and some a website, also points to a different answer; One not that obvious.

Over the years, many magicians have tried their hand at publishing a periodical – mostly in print, some being virtual. They have met the same fate: a generic lack of editorial support from the community.

We all seem to like to read, want to know what’s happening in everybody’s lives, learn new tricks, and presentations. None of us seems to want to contribute to the cause. And many a magazine and e-zine have vanished into dust due to this very reason.

Is this because most of us have learnt magic from each other or from magic dealers? Is the lack of a defined book-culture hitting back at us by contributing to a lack of literature?

Give it a thought. And resolve to change the world of Indian magic, this New Year!

Nakul

Magic Book on the Net

Came across an interesting "Magic Book" professed to be Tom Riddler's Diary, directly inspired from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

http://pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=c96f911b3e35f9e1

I wonder if there are any connections here to Eliza or the updated magician's version Orville.

Nakul

How much is my blog worth?

Inspired by MagiCentric I too evaluated my blog's worthiness:

My blog is worth $2,258.16.
How much is your blog worth?

Man! I am impressed.

I wonder if the worthiness is linked to Blogger being Google owned, for my LJ blog was only evaluated the following:

My blog is worth $564.54.
How much is your blog worth?

Nakul