FISM European Championships of Magic 2008: The 6th Balkan Magic Convention in Sofia, Bulgaria on 6-9 November 2008 will be the host of the first FISM European Championships of Magic. I am certainly hoping to go, it will be a good start to the run up to China in 2009. I believe they will use these championships to send the winners to the world competition in 2009, to try and raise the standard of entry.
John Bannon’s Fractal Card Magic: Spotted over at Fun Inc. John Bannon is releasing a trilogy of packet tricks entitled Fractal Card Magic, the first The Royal Scam is to be released in a couple of weeks: Prolific creator John Bannon, author of Smoke and Mirrors, will be releasing a trilogy of what he calls “fractal card magic.” Each part of the series will include an instructional DVD, and of course, the necessary apparatus.
If you do not recieve Andi Gladwin’s newsletter (and if not why not?!) He announced over the weekend that the Jack Parker book is now available for pre-order. I am going to pick up my copy at The Session but if you are not attending (if not why not?!) you may wish to pre-order to recieve this when it launches next week, and to also be entered into a draw to win a limited edition Jack Parker book.
If you read this blog via the website (rather than the feed) you’ll notice I have added some widgets to the right hand column, along with the obligatory blogroll and links, I now have my flickr badge, technorati search/profile, twitter updates and the two latest my lifestream widget which uses profilactic and shows you all the other sites I have a presence on, and also builds a mashup of my latest updates.
The Magic Classifieds: Jeff Pierce has started a free Classifieds Ad site where you can post magic ads to buy, sell, trade and view your auctions.
I’d been looking for a small sub-notebook for a while, something I could take away with me to magic conventions, on holiday, and generally use around the house, that would have wi-fi so I could post updates on the move, check e-mail etc. uptil just recently the price point of these sub-notebooks has been restrictive, but late last year I stumbled upon the fact that Asus where about to launch a small notebook running linux with wifi etc.
The Cull: Tim Ellis recently culled his list of referring magic blogs, and added some new ones, two I would particularly like to mention are: Fun Incorporated - the new blog of Fun Inc. and the Royal Magic line talking about new products and the latest happenings at the company. Pursuit of Magic - a particular welcome back to Steve Pellegrino who as well as running the Ellusionist blog I mentioned in an earlier post has restarted his own personal magic blog.
iTricks Trick of the Year Tournament: iTricks are holding a traditional trick of the year competition, with a twist, in their own words “We have eight judges that have each independently nominated a product. In each matchup, the judges will cast a vote and the readers will cast one collective vote. All of the judges will vote in all of the rounds. There will be three rounds after which a final winner will be declared.
Been meaning to link to these for a while, some excellent new magic blogs popping up: Andrew Mayne - as well as itricks, Andrew now has his own homepage/blog giving you the first previews to his latest releases. Nings Magic Diaries - part of the Magic Boutique shop, Miss Ning updates this magic blog with news on upcoming products, and the special projects she
Sanders The Great: You will join me in the Wonder Show of the Universe for I am Sanders the Great: mentalist, magician, mindreader, wizard of the east, wonder of wonders. I will entertain you with the latest news from the World of magic, enlighten you with my words on magical literature and bedazzle you with intriguing glimpses into my vault of magical curiosities.
Magic Fakers: In the world of magic, tricks and effects are very difficult to protect legally and, as a result, many unscrupulous dealers simply copy the creations of others without permission. In an effort to help those who wish to buy ethically and support the original creators while avoiding the “new” versions of their effects, Magic Fakers was set up.
Sue-Anne Webster’s FISM reports get a new home with their own blog, Tim has reformatted them and added additional photos and videos.
Stewart James Exhibition: A new online exhibit from Magicana about one of the most influential authors of magic tricks who ever lived. You can explore the rooms of this virtual museum you will be free to navigate through the magician
Two new blogs and a new podcast: Raffaele De Ritis' Novelties and Wonders Furniture
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Unexpected Wonders: A new blog by magician Jim Coles. Includes some writing from Suzanne and some other thoughtful pieces, looks like a great start to the blog, welcome Jim!
This just in from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I’m a Magician myself and quite recently got a blog. It’s address is http://www.workingmagi.blogspot.com It’s the blog of a working magician. I post my adventures in the world of private gigs. I’d be very flattered if you published it in your own blog. Thanks in advance very much. Sandor
This just in all the way from the bright lights of Hollywood: Hello from Hollywood! Thought you and your readers might like to know that Hollywood’s Magic Castle is being mentioned on tomorrow’s edition (Friday, August 31st) of Dave’s Hollywood Minute. There’s a quick story about actor Jason Alexander being a magician and having performed there. You can visit http://www.hollywoodminute.us/podcast to hear the show if it’s not carried on a radio station in your area (or find it at the iTunes music store).
What is Theory 11? In case you have missed all the buzz on July 25th Lee Asher posted a cryptic message to several online message boards: The Magic Cafe, Dan and Dave, Decknique there are also threads over at Penguin and the Magic Woods amongst others. Since then every Monday at Midnight EST there has been a new video from a different magician, so far we have seen Lee Asher, Dan & Dave Buck, Chris Kenner, Aaron Fisher, Dan White & Wayne Houchin.
Sideshow Illusions is the new site to accompany Jon Marshall’s new venture. Hull Magicians’ Circle members have enjoyed these marvels for the last few years as part of our Annual Dinner. Jon and his team have been working hard to take these attractions on the road and have been travelling to society dinners and functions across the country. Recently they got invited to take part in the Admission All Classes event in Blackpool as part of the Cabinet of Curiosities show.