Rebuilding A Mystery

Review: Bullet Party (the book)

My review of Chicagoan John Bannon's book, Bullet Party, is now available.

Hermetic Press goes E

Great to see Hermetic Press release an ebook version of Martin Joyal's The Six-Hour Memorized Deck. And even better to discover that it's a PDF so that you can use it on as many devices as possible. I can personally attest that it looks fantastic on iPad. (Even if you don't want to learn the deck, the history chapters are very interesting and worth reading, by the way.)

Review: Devious Standards

My review of Jamy Ian Swiss' new book is now available.

The Jinx Companion on McBride TV

The Jinx Companion featured on McBride TV.

A book about The Jinx

Craig Conley, Fredrick Turner, and I have recently published what is best described as a reader's guide to THE JINX. I know that many of you have read all of The Jinx, but if you haven't, our book hopes to entice you and guide your exploration of the legendary publication.

You can browse our book for free on the web, or purchase a PDF or printed copy for offline perusal at The Jinx Companion page.

(For anyone who was at Magic & Meaning 2010 conference, this is a spinoff of our "One Jinxed Year" collaborative reading project.)

Addendum to Giobbi's Packing List

In Roberto Giobbi's Secret Agenda, the entry for January 12 discusses methods for ensuring that you've packed, and set-up, all the props necessary for each piece in your show. One of the tips is to record a setup walk-thru that you can play for yourself, using your iPod, at the venue.

Sounds like a good idea, and you could enhance it further by putting your setup list on your iPod in text or structured format. For details, see my article, Creating an iPad Cue Sheet, at Secret Art Journal.

I'm really enjoying Secret Agenda, by the way. The day book format is a fun idea. If you're reading it too, don't miss Ruben Padilla's blog where he's writing about his reactions to the book's contents on a regular basis.

Book Review: On The Other Side Of The Mirror

My review of On The Other Side Of The Mirror Review is now available at My Lovely Assistant.

Book review: Protoplasm

My review of Christian Painter's book, Protoplasm, is now available at My Lovely Assistant.

Book notes: Stuntology

Stuntology by Sam Bartlett is a fun book that's filled with exactly the sort of things any good trickster should know. Additionally, it's one-page-per-item format, with charming and funny folk illustrations, make it an entertaining read. Here are items I found most compelling:

Toothpick Trick page 48

Somewhat Fascinating Cork Stunt page 57

"Math" Stunt page 61

Triple Middle Finger page 88

Framed Photo Stunt page 142

Weird Neurological Stunt page 159

Finger Touch and Swivel Stunt page 165

Arcturan Walking Step page 171

Breaking Your Finger page 190

Finger Food page 195

Straw Wrapper Flapper page 200

French Fry Catapult page 201

Anya's Pencil Spinning Stunt page 216

Jumping Cup Game page 289

Coaster Flipping page 294

Magic & Meaning

This year's Magic & Meaning conference was particularly enjoyable. Many long-time attendees declared it the best one yet, and I agree that it's among the top of that list. I was happy to be able to introduce One Jinxed Year, a two-year research project recently completed with Fred Turner and Craig Conley, as well as show a new fledgling performance piece, captured below.