Review: Card Table Artifice

From The Star:

Ever wanted to be a card sharp or a Mississippi riverboat gambler? Then S.W. Erdnase’s The Expert at the Card Table is essential reading.

Known in magical circles simply as Erdnase, this much admired Bible of card manipulation was published in 1902 and, in detailed, polished and unemotional prose, exposes many tricks of the trade, including blind shuffles, bottom dealing, stocking and locating specific cards, palming and legerdemain.

The work inspired a string quartet with narration, written by composer Gavin Bryars and Spanish poet Juan, which premiered in 1997. And now Toronto magician David Ben has added yet another layer for the 2014 Luminato Festival.

Read more.

Random thoughts on The Uncertainty Project

Last night I had the pleasure of attending The Uncertainty Project by James Alan.  I had spent the day volunteering my time for the benefit of school age children and had already experienced more than my share of excitement and uncertainty.  (All's well that ends well, thankfully.)  I was a little apprehensive about filling my evening with more uncertainty.  I'm glad I did.

• There will never, ever be a show exactly like the show I saw.  (At least, it's highly improbable.)
• The audience is a wild card for which it is nearly impossible to be completely prepared.
• I find it hard to live tweet and watch a show at the same time.  (I really do know how to spell your name Mahdi.)
• As near as I can tell, no rabbits were harmed in the creation of the show.
• Any show with links to Heisenberg, Einstein, Fermat, Schrödinger, and Douglas Adams, is cool in my books.
• I'm not ashamed to admit that I was "one of the two people" who was bothered by claims made on the third piece of glass. I checked.  I'm not going to tell you what I discovered.
• Sometimes it's a good thing that magicians are tall.
• Arithmetic is important.
• Crowdsourcing seems to be a surprisingly effective way to get out of a jam.
• There were some very powerful moments.
• I was absolutely entertained.

The Uncertainty Project continues for two more nights.

Captain Corbin on Rogers TV

From Captain Corbin's Twitter feed:

More with Captain Corbin The Magical Pirate - London - Rogers TV http://t.co/rXrsdjCx5E
— Captain Corbin (@Captain_Corbin) June 3, 2014

Classifieds: Sale on Magic Props and Clown Supplies

The following is a classified ad from Chris Van Krieken:

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ONE-DAY SALE OF MAGIC PROPS & CLOWN SUPPLIES

I have been a clown and children's entertainer in Toronto for about 18 years. I need to clean my closets!!

I am selling tons of magic props, clown supplies, costumes, and books. I will also be selling one of my bunnies to a good owner.

Here are the details:

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014

12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Chris Van Krieken

Suite 807, 80 Inverlochy Blvd

Thornhill, ON

L3T 4P3

DOOR CODE: Please call ahead or e-mail for door code.

PHONE: (416) 702-2106

E-MAIL: chrisvk@sympatico.ca

Sheldon Casavant on Global News

Watch Sheldon Casavant on Global News:

James Alan on Beyond the Mundane

The Uncertainty Project by James Alan opens tonight.

From  Reality Based Magic:

On Friday, May 31, I was on Beyond the Mundane hosted by Elsie Lynn Leyland and Randi St.Claire. It’s a very long interview and we cover a wide range of topics from magic, belief and disbelief. But mostly we’re talking about The Uncertainty Project. You can “watch” the interview here, even though this is supposed to be radio.

Hamilton-Brantford Exchange: Change of Location!

From Ring 49:

Good Evening Members & Friends of Hamilton IBM Ring #49:

Sorry for the short notice, but I have just been advised that the original location for Tuesday night’s exchange meeting place in Brantford has been changed due to a double booking of the facility.

Read more.