On the practice vs performance conundrum

"...Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please..."

Mark Twain

Howdy readers of mine, Thomas Moriarty here to update this lovely platform of mine with a rather brief article in the hopes that it will reflect what can only be described as a personal epiphany I had the past New Year's Eve

I feel I should first of all justify my absence by telling you that college life is suiting me much better than I thought it would, so far my first semester has been incredibly nurturing and inspiring

On December the 31st, 2014 a close confident asked me to go and watch a performance he was giving at a local business establishment. 

Upon finishing his 30 minute set my friend was quite disappointed with the general outcome of the performance for everything that could have gone wrong did and he felt he had not been at his highest point that particular evening

Now do not get me wrong lovely readers, this man is an expert sleight of hand artist and a well rounded performer, it was simply not his day

We decided to go for coffee and do one of the most enjoyable activities one may do when it all goes wrong performance wise, sitting down and debriefing it all in one's head

Also, a sleight of hand artist's best friend when he is feeling blue, "The Expert at the Card Table" was opened and a dew pages consulted.

If you dare Doubt Erdnase's relevance, read on:

"Ability in card handling does not necessarily insure success. Proficiency in target practice is not the sole qualification of the trap shooter. Many experts with the gun who can nonchalantly ring up the bull’s eye in a shooting gallery could not hit the side of a barn in a duel. The greater the emergency, or the greater the stakes, the greater the nerve required.”

How Do we insure success and make certain that our practice level equals our technical ability in performance?

I personally believe that we may achieve the desired results by trying to equalize the time we spend performing with the time we spend practicing at the table. 

I will be the first to admit that the present conundrum is not an exact matter but creating a directly proportional relationship between practice and performance may be a viable solution

Perfect practice along with the proper understanding of tension, relaxation and performing dynamics will be the perfect companion in the voyage that is becoming a well rounded performer

I hope that you found the past couple if paragraphs insightful lovely readers, coming across the realization present herein made my friend and I grow substantially as performers of the craft we all know and love

Without much left to say I salute those who made it this far for I must now dash and continue with my dally workout

And who am I? That is one secret I will never tell... Xoxo

You know the drill

"...A very small man can cast a very large shadow..."

Tyrion Lannister

On the relevance of riffle stacking

“…I don't know who invented high heels, but all women owe him a lot...”

Marilyn Monroe

Howdy my lovely readers, Kanye West’s “Only One”  accompanies me as I begin my all night writing marathon for I have about 8 articles planned for this platform of mine and yet I have not been able to sit down and finish them.

For the last couple of months I’ve been recording possible topics for upcoming articles on magic using my phone’s notepad. They say if an idea is good enough you do not really need to write it down but I am not in the mood for taking a risk.

The first one of these is the one that follows:

Those who know me are aware of the next two things about my relationship with the artifice. I consider false deals my arch nemesis and riffle stacking my side kick.

While I’ve never been able to deal dishonestly in a manner in which the most critical observer would not suspect, let alone detect the action, it was riffle stacking the area which I found I had a touch for.

My first exposure to riffle stacking was in charge of the fantastic card man that goes by the name of Jason England. An authority on the subject, the man not only displayed his fantastic proficiency but he also introduced me to what many consider to be a sad truth:

There’s no secret to riffle stacking

However, that realization only made me want to master it even more…

Riffle Stacking, for those not aware of it, is the act of arranging cards during the apparently innocent act of shuffling the cards flat on the table and it is accomplished by training one’s thumbs to hold back a desired number of cards and dropping them in a coordinated sequence.

Much like the pinky count, Darwin Ortiz is probably the most important exponent of riffle stacking at present days. His contributions have been essential in demonstrating the relevance of this ruse both for gambling and magical purposes.

However, Darwin introduced a notion that is quite relevant to out discussion and that is the importance of stacking without actually looking down at the pack while you perform the action,

While many consider this to be an unnecessary effort (I myself subscribed to that group at an earlier point in my magical journey) I must now beg to differ for I must urge you to think of it as a practice exercise worthy of your consideration.

Much like a basketball player that trains with a very heavy ball, if you stack without looking when practicing at home you will find the difference to be abysmal for you will no longer rely on your gaze but on your touch. In performance, your actions will be much more relaxed and confident.

If you follow my instructions you will find that an interesting factor comes into play and that is intuition. Once you develop your touch, you will "know" if you are one card off. At first I thought it was just me but you will be amazed at how many times your gut is right on the money.

Also, while you ideally want to use the same grip for all your riffle shuffle work, it is best to practice the present subterfuge with all of the grips you know and may use. I find that stacking from an Erdnase bottom stock retention grip is not the same as doing it from a Marlo grip or a royal road type of grip.

Personally, I think the easiest of them all is Marlo’s for it allows the pack to bevel in a way that is very helpful when trying to stop at numbers beyond four cards.

It was during my recent time vacationing in Uruguay that I realized how important it is for one to keep a strict practice routine when it comes to certain areas of sleight of hand, riffle stacking probably being the one in which lack of consistence becomes evident really quickly.

Therefore, I try to squeeze an hour of Stacking drills everyday as I sit down on the computer. Follow my lead and you will be amazed. On the other hand, if you stop stacking for a few weeks you will be frustrated and probably consider collecting stamps instead.

Before I leave you I’d like to touch on a final aspect in hopes of demystifying the present topic. Riffle Stacking is not only useful for when one wants to stack a hand of four aces for a five handed game for it is also an economical device that affects your card magic as a whole.  Plus, it looks much better than an overhand shuffle!

I know that I have been rather short but I hope my cryptic approach will make you want to learn more about this fantastic area of sleight of hand I so deeply care about.

Bea Miller’s “Enemy Fire” delights my ears as I say goodbye to you lovely readers, I really do hope you have enjoyed reading through my thoughts on the stacking of cards and so on.

Professor Moriarty must now leave the building.

“…Millions of years ago, the first lizard crawled out of the water and hit the second lizard over the head with a rock. Thus, the first serial killer was born…”

Dexter Morgan

Heroes: On my time with Rene Lavand

Hello lovely readers. The following post was neither planned nor meditated, I just needed to get it all out of my chest

I believe writing, much like any other craft, to be a means of self expression and hear me when I say that for the last 12 hours I have felt a burning need to use the written word in order to find peace

As I set out to begin my summer vacation in Uruguay a piece of news saddened me to an extent which I find impossible to put into words, the maestro had passed away.

I had the opportunity to see Rene Lavand perform once and I also attended a rather odd interview he gave in my hometown of Buenos Aires. Both experiences met me at different points in my life yet they had one thing in common, they left me humbled to the bone

I was 14 when father insisted on my going with him to a Lavand show. Since the first contact I had with card magic was a video of the maestro performing "it cannot be done any slower" at le plus grand cabaret du mond and as you can imagine I then proceeded to watch and "study" his Meir Yedid videos I thought there was no point in seeing him live for I knew his act by heart.

Obviously, I knew less than Jon Snow.

The show was completely stellar and If I had to recall a particular highlight I would have to admit I was fascinated by how hypnotic of an experience it was. So much so that when Rene walked out he instantly got us all to stand up and give him a ten minute standing ovation

Even though I waited outside after the show, I was not even close to finding him and thank him for such a transformative performance

Fast forward a few years, my good friend Alan Muicey (one of this blog's upcoming guests writers) and I attended a rather bizarre interview Rene did in Buenos Aires and I say bizarre for the majority of attendees were laymen and many of them had never heard about the maestro.

Norberto Jansenson welcomed us and he said something as he introduced Rene that shall stick with me for as long as I live and breathe:

"We have the immense honor to be able to claim we are contemporaries of the greatest artist in the history of magic"

After pulling through questions like "excuse me, why do you do everything with only one hand?" We managed to snap a quick picture with Rene and right as we were about to leave I thought about you lovely readers. More specifically about something I had shared with you back in the early days. I am of course speaking about Haydin's lovely chronicle "fly on the wall" which narrates that time in which the maestro met the blind card shark Richard Turner.

I politely asked Rene's wife Nora if she thought it pertinent for me to talk to him for a few seconds

She called him and I spilled something along the lines of "Maestro, I wanted to ask you about your meeting with Richard turner earlier but I did not want to be speaking code in front of a laymen audience"

Rene looked at me with those eyes he had and then proceeded to glance at the other magicians that had gathered around and after joking about how it would take him another interview to really get into it he replied:

"Lennart green had once been asked by a reporter who he thought was the greatest magician in the world, to which he responded: Richard Turner and Rene Lavand, one is blind and the other one is missing a hand"

The maestro then waved forward with his hand and walked away.

Xoxo lovely readers, I hope you forgive me for this rather cathartic chronicle, I just needed to get it all out of my chest

On Sex Selling

 “…Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go it’s pretty damn good…”
Woody Allen

I must once again state how much I miss the taste of a sweeter life my lovely readers for through this relatively brief manifesto (?) I shall express my opinion on something that has been going on lately regarding magic and social dynamics.

In fact, it is the combination of the two that affects both the performance and the artifice of the craft  in quite a negative way, let us clarify:

I have observed that certain male Youtubers have been conducting a social experiment in which they go out into the streets of their hometowns armed with a camera and a clever preposition bet that they present to the ladies they encounter with one condition: if the girl looses, which she obviously does, they have to kiss the man.

At first glance I did not seem to have a problem with the whole thing for I must confess I find the study of social dynamics and the breakage of social boundaries and conventions to be a fascinating subject. It was when magic was brought into the equation that I did get upset.

I found the performance of the featured effects was extremely poor although I cannot say that I was at all surprised for it clearly evidenced a lack of dedication to perfecting the artifice resulting in a blatant lack of respect for magic

One may not consider method as an important factor of a social experiment but let me tell you that it did take its toll on the overall reaction. While on those videos in which magic was not featured the reaction was fantastic (The girls literally straddled the guy while making out in the middle of the street), on the couple of videos in which magic was the focal point they merely gave him a peck or a polite hug

However, observing the bigger picture one may say that the addition of the “sex appeal” factor is due to an initial belief that magic is not inherently interesting, let alone entertaining to modern audiences.

Who better to support my rather contrasting view on the subject than the one and only Darwin Ortiz? Let us read two quotes from his seminal text “Strong Magic”:

“… This sort of magic results from what I call “Fitzkee’s Fallacy”, the belief that magic has no inherent entertainment value. In Showmanship for Magicians, Dariel Fitzkee’s prescription for making magic entertaining is to introduce music, dance, comedy and sex appeal into the magic performance. In his view, magic is some sort of bitter pill that you have to sugar-coat in order to get the audience to swallow…”

“…If you don’t believe that magic itself can be entertaining, if you don’t believe that experiencing apparent impossibilities can be strong, unique and memorable entertainment for an audience, I won’t argue the point with you. I’ll only suggest that you give up magic. If you really think that magic is of no value except as a peg on which to hang music, dance, comedy and sex appeal, you should become a musician, dancer, comedian or a stripper and forget about magic…”

Although I cannot picture Dariel Fitzkee going out and filming a video in which he makes out with girls from the streets in exchange for magic entertainment nor do I want to imagine him as a stripper, you have to admire the relevance and correlation that is present in Ortiz’s argument and even though he does not discuss the deterioration of the method that I exposed earlier on you have to understand that this Is not a purist’s view on the subject but rather a clarification on the fact that music, comedy, dancing or stripping, if present, should be an accessory to your magic, its insertion being carefully planned out in order to aid in the strengthening of the effect and the overall magical experience.

Quite frankly, I think another one of the main reasons why magic is being sexualized stems from the evident fact that those who choose this style of performance, much like everyone else, want to get laid. They may however be employing the wrong methods.

Although I do not consider myself an expert on the subject, in my occasional studies of the techniques used by pick up artists I realized that in order to be attracted to you, people first have to be interested in you. If your magic is superficial and sexist you will never achieve attraction. It does not matter if you are a magician; musician, comedian, dancer or stripper, the thing that has to be interesting is you. If you convey passion for magic and let your personality come across the right way you have a better chance of getting into bed with the woman, man or whatever you may want to get into bed with.

I hope you have enjoyed this Manifesto (?) lovely readers, many more things are to come the following weeks for I have a lot of writing that I need to get off my chest and make room for the seemingly endless stream of ideas that fill my IPhone notes daily.

xoxo lovely readers, Professor Moriarty checks out.

“…I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live…”
Kanye West

On Something New

A little extension on the well know Hustler's trip strip I came up with borrowing ideas from Martin Nash, Jason England, Andrew Wimhurst and Darwin Ortiz.

The sequence gives us quite a pretty top stock retention

I performed it three times for the sake of clarity and I threw that old deck of cards in the trash right after I finished recording

You'll know it if you know it

On Something Old

A work in progress and that is if I am being extremely polite lovely readers... yours truly has been rather bussy lately but I have come up with a few interesting subjects that shall be exposed and dealt with in the upcoming series of articles.

Must dash now, Ricky Smith's dowload on the Diagonal Palm Shift awaits me.

On Hanky Moody and the ethics of a self working card effect

“…I probably won’t go down in history, but I will go down on your sister…”

Hank Moody, Californication

Professor Moriarty Here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of magic’s elite. Who am I? That’s a secret I’ll never tell…

Ok, enough with the Gossip Girl Jokes and let us get down to business:

Oh how I miss the taste of a sweeter life my lovely readers for I cannot stand being geographically and intellectually surrounded by magicians who are constantly trying to find the easy way out when it comes to designing the internal logic of an effect.

As an initial clarification for the present article and its topic I would like to quote Mike Vincent when he said that there was no such thing as a self working effect.

Let us think about it for a second: If you have a folding half dollar and a bottle right in front of you, they will stay there unless you pick them up, the effect will not happen without the intervention of the performer, who, incidentally, has to be familiar with the elements in question and the proper way of handling them if he desires to present the effect in a decent manner.

The fact that the internal logic of the effect is somewhat automatic does not mean its performance will.

In the long lost blog “Double Facers”, Sleight of hand god Tony Chang wrote a lot about the invalidity of difficulty as a parameter when creating magic. In other words, you should not care about difficulty when working on a desired effect’s internal logic for the only thing that matters is its final strength and impact when ultimately one chooses to perform it live.

Automaticity, in conclusion, must not be a predisposition but a consequence. If the strongest outcome demands we practice the longitudinal swivel steal for 10.000 hours, we shall take it. On the other hand, if the effect benefits the most from a method that happens to be self-working, we must take it as well.

However, I’ll be the first to come out of the move monkey closet and admit that I love difficult sleight of hand and the in depth study of the different methodological paths one may take when creating an effect and I found myself totally reflected on the introductory words Derek Delgaudio wrote in “Only Notes” when speaking about his “Newton’s center deal”:

“…False deals are a wonderful barometer in assessing one’s proficiency and dedication to card technique. This is not to say that if one does not false deal, one is not proficient. Simply, perfection in any false deal takes a certain dedication. If someone claims they are a “Card Man”, the quality of his false deals can tell you a lot. I like that”

I certainly hope Derek does not get upset with me for quoting him but whatever the result may be, if it gets him to read this it will accomplish the primary motive of the author, as he needs the attention.

I should mention that the idea for the present article came to mind after I saw a Facebook picture advertising a lecture containing only self working effects by whom I consider to be one of the most intelligent magicians in the area. Although I have nothing against him in particular, the example may serve us well in explaining those more realistic variables that come in to play when one creates and shares magic.

The truth is I am writing this article with an amateur’s point of view, which I am extremely proud of but if one works magic for a living some other things may be more important when selecting and creating an effect. These things present themselves as variables such as the time it takes to re set the effect, the time it takes to perform it, pocket management and so many other things.

When it comes to a lecture, two variables that are not so pretty in pink stand the out like a sore thumb:

A lecture must be commercial; it must have variety both in effect and difficulty. Magicians like to press a button and see something happen, if they do not walk out of a lecture with something that they can go home with and perform for their Persian cat then it does not get the money.

Most magicians, sadly, are not very skillful when it comes to sleight of hand and they hide themselves behind the poorly constructed idea of hobbyists when in reality they do not want to embrace their despicable laziness.

I’d ask you to pardon my French, but that is the way it goes…

An example of what has been discussed herein will be provided in the following delivery of the much acclaimed “Crème de la crème” series

David Gilmour’s acoustic rendition of "Wish You Were Here" now accompanies me as I type the final words of this fantastic article/essay.

XOXO lovely readers, Professor Moriarty now checks out…

“...I think if I'm 40 and I don't have any kids and I'm not married, I would have a baby artificially inseminated. I would feel like Mary - like Jesus is my baby…”
Kim Kardashian

On a much needed comeback newsletter

"...I feel like I'm too busy writing history to read it..."

Kanye West

Long time no see lovely readers, Apologize I must for my rather prolonged absence from this equally lovely platform which I so deeply care about...

I am however extremely proud to admit that the almost two months of non stop studying have paid off since last friday I finished high school, I am now a free man and I plan on spending the next four months writing and practicing magic, much to your own delight.

The sound of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" now accompanies me as I start what will probably not make much sense thematically for it's my urgent need to write that surpasses my desire to stay organized, I therefor apologize in advance.

I am pleased to inform that the first contribution to the guest bloggers section is being given its final touches and will shorty come out to the public. I chose to start with Alan Muicey, who, apart from being one of my closest confidants is a fantastic technician and cardistry artist. His column will deal with how he found a way to combine all of his passions under the wings of a very spanish-influenced performance style which I think you will all enjoy...

Having said that I must now confess that I have been revisiting my old friend the push through shuffle. Although I much favor the strip out shuffle in every aspect, I must confess that my love for the work of Jason England along with my constant appreciation for the hands of whom I think may be the greatest sleight of hand artist standing on the face of the earth, Mr. Steve Forte, have caused me to welcome the push through back to my practice routine.

In doing so I noticed a few subtleties which I think are worthy of mentioning. Firstly, I consider it crucial that the moment in which the secret action takes places be totally imperceptible and for that I must recommend two strategies:

The first is Vernon's idea of only moving the right hand half through the other. Although I think this notion is quite fantastic, it does make for a somewhat slower shuffle, which is fine if that is what you are looking for.

On the other hand, if you may be looking for a more dynamic shuffle you must notice the way Steve Forte handles the present technique. Although I am still not sure how he does it, Mr. Forte achieves and enviable fluidity when it comes to the stripping out of the packets. If you ever have the pleasure to watch him you shall notice how there is no pause between the shuffle and the subsequent running cut. Another nice touch is displayed on 52, the special bonus section of his much acclaimed GPS series. If your eye is keen enough you will notice how he pushes the pack forward at the crucial moment, That may be something applicable to any kind of false shuffle since it follows the Erdnase commandment of the larger motion covering the smaller one.

Regardless of which path you may choose, there is a subtlety that is equally applicable to both styles of shuffles since it deals with what I consider to be the biggest issue with the push through, overcoming the friction created by the undesired contact between the fingers of both hands at the moment of the push through. To my mind, the matter is solved by the consideration of the action of the both thumbs at the crucial moment, I found that if you keep them in contact with each other the pushing of the packets through one another becomes much fluid, no matter the size of the brief.

On a rather modest closing remark I shall link you to a video of my own in which I can be seen mixing up Zarrow shuffles, strip out shuffles and other kinds of artifice.

Click here and prepare to be utterly amazed by my dazzling chops!

Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" joins me as I hope you have enjoyed this needed comeback as much as I have...

ta-ta lovely readers, Professor Moriarty checks out...

"...Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go its pretty damn good..."

Woody Allen

On miso paste and how it relates to TV magic

"I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am as good as the best"

Walt Whitman

Hello again my lovely readers, today I present to you a short essay that came to me while I was performing one of the daily rituals I enjoy the most, practicing at the table while I watch "the mind of a chef"

You would not find it so odd if you remembered that when I first started writing on this beautiful platform I mentioned how much I enjoyed cooking. While I do not think I am as good a cook as I am a card technique aficionado I do find myself making constant links between the two crafts, being the one I Present to you today perhaps the most direct of them all.

Season one of the show stars culinary extraordinare and ramen fanatic David Chang. Cofounder of Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC, David travels around the globe visiting some of the best chefs and discussing a particular topic with each episode, usually ending with him blowing your mind using the feature ingredient or technique in a way you did not think possible.

However, it was not David's innovation and wits that impressed me the most but rather an experience documented on the episode dedicated to miso paste.

The place Chang visits the most is Japan and in this particular occasion an establishment in which miso was made like nowhere else.

After watching the extensive process of crafting the paste in question Chang has a profound experience as he finally gets to taste the result.

"I wish people knew this is how miso should actually taste" David exclaims as he reflects on the poor quality miso people usually get on a regular basis

Oddly enough I feel the same way about magic and how people usually get exposed to it. Laymen consume magic on tv and said magic seldom is as good as magic really is. For example, instead of watching Fred kaps pour endless amounts of salt from his hands they see smoothini on America's got talent.

But do not get me wrong lovely readers for I am not blaming it entirely on the magicians but rather on the initial fault that lies in not considering the specificities of television as a media of communication before planning to go on it and perform magic

We cannot go on the air and behave the same way we would on stage due to the fact that we are quite simply not working in the same circumstances. Our attention must be focused on the camera's eye rather than on the spectator's and we must use the way tv technically works to our advantage, even if it means cheating a little bit

As a closing remark I would like to recommend Luis piedrahita from Spain, whom I consider to be the biggest authority on the present subject. Luis' performances at "el hormiguero" are simply wonderful and his thoughts on the matter may be found at dani daortiz's magazine "El Manuscrito" as well as in his EMC 2012 talk

Must dash now boys and girls, I hoped my insight was enjoyable

Yours truly, Professor Moriarty

"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works"

Steve Jobs

On the presence of the artifice

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else"

Albert Einstein

Howdie again my lovely readers, I thought today I would share with you my views on a subject long exploited and investigated in extent by the Spanish school of magic and not so much by the American

I am of course referring to the presence of the artifice in the presentation of magic 

Last year I attended an exclusive premiere for a lecture called "art and artifice" by the amazing Argentinian conjuror by the name of Roberto Mansilla. The event represented a turning point in my magical journey for it was right at that point in which I left the Spanish way of thinking and I was taken under the wings of strong magic, however religious the latter may sound

I noticed that both the Tamariz paradigm and Darwin's have something in common when it comes to the way in which they conceive the spectator's elimination methodology when trying to find a plausible solution for a magical effect.

Nevertheless I have always found it annoying that so many American magicians feel the need to constantly remind to the spectators that magic is not really real by making said elimination process rather annoyingly explicit.

Sometimes they also make the same mistake almost unconsciously by calling themselves "sleight of hand magicians"

The fault becomes quite evident when you put it in perspective. Could you imagine Henry Evans handing out a business card that read "gimmick magician", I guess you get my point, do you not?

I would however seem a tad Of a hypocritical idiot not to mention the fact that being most of my performance items superlative displays of skill I find myself presented with a dilemma. 

Is it possible to sustain the performance persona of a magician and at the same time eliminate the presence of the artifice entirely?

The question shall remain unanswered...

For some exceptions to the previously exposed postulate I must urge you check out the work of who I think is quite simply the best performer of the present times. I am speaking about the lovely Derren Brown and his show "Svengali". To this day it remains the best show this humble writer has ever had the pleasure to watch 

Professor moriarty now leaves the building lovely readers, workout must once again continue.

"If it's the Psychic Network why do they need a phone number?"

Robin Williams

  

On the guilty pleasures of a sleight of hand aficionado

“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live”
George Carlin

Hello my lovely readers, as I sit around lovesick by the stupid idiosyncrasies of social media and other so called communicational devices of the present times I thought I would share a piece of my mind on a subject that spikes my interest due to its rather taboo nature

I am speaking about the degree of Organicity in the performance of magic and due to the rather philosophical nature of said topic this post will not pose any definite statement but instead I hope it leaves you questioning a few things we just simply take for granted

Once again I find myself quoting Darwin Ortiz for in his books one theory he states that when working for a lay audience we shall aim towards fooling the emotional rather than the intellectual reasoning of our spectators.

In other words, one must accept the fact that the spectator does not intellectually believe that us magic performers posses real magical powers for if we really did we would instead be producing food for the hungry or curing cancer or simply solving all of the world's problems, would we not?

This limitation also stems from the fact that right from the word go the spectators know that we are magicians, even more so when one is a professional working a paid event.

However I could not help but notice how the impact of my magic increases when performed under the most organic of situations. 

Stripped from every stereotype or clever verbiage, magic achieves its moment of true astonishment on the minds of the spectators. Something as simple as a well performed color change for a stranger is sufficient.

I do think this happens simply because it catches said individual off guard and it knocks him or her down to the canvas in the least violent of ways.

So next time you are on the bus, instead of not taking your eyes off your phone, scan the room, make eye contact and do something with the cards when you know they are looking, then quite simply put the cards away, smile at them and walk away knowing you have created the most memorable of performance experiences.

This is just one way of achieving it and I urge you to look at Michael Vincent, John Armstrong and many others for a way of getting the same result on a formal performance setting.

You must also check out Dan and Dave's organic lecture notes, its insightful nature will take you by surprise.

Cheerio lovely readers, Professor Moriarty's workout routine shall now continue 

“If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything”
Marilyn Monroe

On how the Goldberg Machine aids in the understanding of Darwin Ortiz's contributions to the construction of the magical Effect or quite simply OHTGMAITUODOCTTCOTMEOQS

"Time spent with cats is never wasted"

Sigmund Freud

Those of you lovely readers who happen to be in the luck of calling yourselves friends of yours truly are aware of at least one of the following two things:

First of all, I am a devote student of Darwin Ortiz and what I call the "Strong Magic paradigm" named so dearly after Darwin's stellar book on the theory of magical presentational strategies. However, there is a newer book on construction of the magical effect considered to be the underdog of Darwin's vast contributions to this craft we all know and love and that is the book entitled "designing miracles". While this second book is recent and considerably shorter than what Ortiz has us used to, I think it really encapsulates the real work on the subject in hand.

In both “Strong Magic” and “Designing Miracles” Darwin explains his approach to methodology by posing an interesting axiom that constitutes one of his so called "Darwin's laws", it goes something along the following lines: 

"If the spectators cannot figure out the when, they will never spot the how"

Keep this in mind for before I forget I shall address the second fact about my persona that one must be aware of if it is one's desire to be a reader of this fantastic blog of the modern shenanigans of card artifice

On a more philosophical note, I do not fear a blank canvas but I do not seek inspiration either, I honestly enjoy waiting for an idea to click into place and construct itself in the most perfect of manners.

On the other hand, that may be the reason why I chose not to keep a regularity of any sort when it comes to posting things on this platform. It is my game and therefore I play by my rules, however egotistical that shall sound.

Precisely it was yesterday when that sweet epiphany I was longing for came to me and I decided to begin writing the present essay.

Have you ever heard of a Goldberg machine? Well, allow me to retort:

"…A Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption, invention, device or apparatus that is deliberately over-engineered or overdone to perform a very simple task in a very complicated fashion, usually including a chain reaction. The expression is named after American cartoonist and inventor Rube Goldberg (1883–1970)…"

It is not by mere chance that I first teased you with the quote from Darwin's book. You see my lovely pilgrims, it refers to methodology in quite a revolutionary and one could also admit controversial way.

What is really fantastic about Darwin is that he thinks from the spectator's point of view when creating an effect and from a magician's when technique is concerned. I truly believe this to be the reason why he is quite simply the best effect constructor at present, especially but by no means exclusively when it comes to gambling flavored routines

Spectators have a rather linear way of solving problems or seeking plausible explanations to a seemingly impossible effect, Darwin states. In order to prevent the spectators from finding said solutions he employs an indirect methodology in the form of various devices of both manipulative and psychological nature. This change of paradigm demands a higher level of technical ability from the performer which I personally find quite convenient since I absolutely love difficult and unorthodox sleight of hand, even more so when I can properly apply it to my magic.

Magicians often opt for a direct methodology resulting from their inability to differentiate the effect from the method.

Having clarified that I do think that the best Effects are often simple and direct while having quite indirect inner workings, just like the Goldberg machine! Magic is wonderful, is it not?

In an attempt to wrap up I would like to mention one of Darwin's most controversial statements about the methodological directness of Vernon's travelers and Michael Vincent’s solution to the problem entitled "the ultimate travelers". In this routine, Mike manages to get to the true meaning of Darwin’s law and use time displacement to achieve a cleaner version of the effect that ends up with the deck in the box and the magician reaching with empty hands in order to remove the four aces from the pockets, because they are already there.

However, I would feel guilty without mentioning an exception to the previously exposed thesis.

I am of course speaking about my friend John Carey, who manages to fool the spectators by using amazingly simple and direct methods and still keeping that nice balance between smoothness and Spanish influenced psychological ploys.

I hope that trough the use of the comparison between the Goldberg Machine and Darwin’s approach to methodology I may indirect you to a better way of thinking about methods when it comes to constructing a magical effects and ultimately fooling the pants off of the audience.

Cheerio lovely readers, Professor Moriarty checks out

"I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it"
Niccolo Machiavelli

On what it takes to eat an elephant

“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!” 

Albus Dumbledore

Magic is all wrong lovely readers, but do not worry much for through this rather extensive essay I will try to illustrate the verisimilitude of such shockingly pretentious opening line.

There seems to be a common axiom that both magicians and laymen use. It came to me an epiphany the other day and I realized that such dogmatic attitude may very well be the root of all our problems.

"It is easy once you know the secret"

The past phrase probably ranks up there with "the hand is quicker than the eye" in that imaginary list of common beliefs of magic that have been traditionally trivializing and working towards the ultimate annihilation of the craft  since the begging of gods and men. Well, that and the medieval church burning conjurers alive, but that's a story for another day

Anyways, back to my epiphany:

"It is easy once you know the secret" should read "It is easy until you know the secret"

The present change of paradigm I am proposing will divide the topic of the essay in two, one section will deal with how I think this affects magicians and the other one will concern itself with the effects it has on muggles

If we magicians live by such an absurd motto it will most definitely reflect on the way we present ourselves and our magic. Thinking that things are easy once one knows the secret exposes a lack of dedication and respect for the secrecy of our craft in present days displayed by the abundance of YouTube tutorials or performances of 11 year olds that excuse their poor subterfuges hiding themselves under the holy cloth of misdirection, when in reality they do not understand one bit about neither of those things

To my mind, the only way of solving this is by understanding that technique is the single most important aspect of magic. Without technique, there is no external reality. Therefore, if we dedicate ourselves to perfecting the inner workings of our miracles, we may work towards changing that awful miss-conception,

On the other hand, the way the axiom in question affects laymen is by making them believe that magic is an utterly trivial discipline and the worst thing may be that, surprisingly enough they are right. The way laymen are usually exposed to magic is by watching TV, which is not the ideal media for the presentation of the craft we all know and love.

Let us all face it, we cannot go back to the late 1800's and enjoy the golden era of magic yet but we can and we should try and put a little more thought into every single performance we give for the only way of spreading light into the darkness is by presenting better magic and the only way of doing it is through attention to detail and dedication to our endeavors.

In conclusion I'd like to thank you if you have made it this far and I'd also like to add that the past series of posts were meant to illustrate what I exposed in the present essay. It is our job to make it look easy on the eyes while leaving the complex inner workings to ourselves.

Until next time lovely readers, Professor Moriarty checks out.

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

Sherlock Holmes

créme de la créme Volume 2

"Crème de la crème translates into English as "cream of the cream", in cooking terms meaning cream undergoing a deluxe treatment."

"The phrase also has a figurative meaning that it is most commonly known by, this being: the top, the best of the best or somewhat elite, also expressed as "the cream of the crop". Analogues can be drawn to the cooking term, meaning in some terms the same thing"

On a rather brief note I am pleased to be able to share with you something that I've been seeking out for quite some time. Imagine being right there when Jason England first met Gary Plants, the man who would inspire him to become the gambling expert he is today... Wouldn't that be nice?

Luckly, someone actually taped the whole thing and Mr. Plants has been kind enough to let me share an extract he posted on Youtube.

Click Here for the performance!

Have a good night my lovely readers, Professor Moriarty's left the building

"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road"

Stephen Hawking

Crème de la crème

"Crème de la crème translates into English as "cream of the cream", in cooking terms meaning cream undergoing a deluxe treatment."

"The phrase also has a figurative meaning that it is most commonly known by, this being: the top, the best of the best or somewhat elite, also expressed as "the cream of the crop". Analogues can be drawn to the cooking term, meaning in some terms the same thing"

Oh what a treat you are in for today, lovely readers of this rather pretentious yet fantastic card artifice blog...

The name Tony Cabral came to my atention in 2013 when I was first begining a study on what is now my favorite routine to perform at the table. Those who know me will be aware that I am of course speaking about "Estimation Aces" by Edward Marlo. Furthermore, those of you who know Tony's work, probably a lot more than those who are familiar with mine, know that when researching the many versions of this fantastic principle, Tony is the man one must go to.

Notice my choice of wording earlier when I decided to call the Marlo item a principle rather than an effect, This was one of my first conclusions when I first set out to investigate the many variations lost within the magical literature. I noticed that those who "Thought outside of the box" method wise achieved a better effect than those who limited the performance of this miracle to doing the same thing four times in a row.

The individuals that really took the present principle from crayons to perfume are Andrew Wimhurst, Michael Vincent, Ricky Jay and Antonio Cabral. Let me briefly describe what I like about each of the three.

Andrew added the notion of a spectator cutting to the aces rather than the conjurer. This means that the effect stops being a demostration of skill in a way, which can be an excelent thing if that is what you are looking for. At first I was rather skeptical about letting the spectators steal the show but it was Tony who convinced me that after having performed it countless times behind the bar He found out that at the end of it all, the spectators still atribute the success of the routine to the performer.

On a rather personal piece of advice I may have to add the example of another one or two performers that have experimented with cutting the aces, the first of those being Jason England and the last being The Charming Cheat, Martin Nash.

Although Mr. England's rendition does not use the principle that we are discussing, his use of the Zarrow Shuffle allows him to let the spectators decide which ace is to be cut out each time. This is a powerful tool but one that I don't personally recommend you use for all four aces, use it wisely and in such a way that the spectators appriciate the fact that the ace is named. Funny enough, doing it only on the third ace may even convey that you can do it whenever you want, but that's something I rather keep to myself for now...

Mr. Nash also achieves the same thing through the use of equivoque. Before cutting to the third ace he allows the spectator to choose one of the two aces that remain and then he assings another spectator with the ace that the first spectator did not name. Once again, I do not want to expose much of the verbal ploy on a public forum but I guess those who read me know what I am talking about already

Michael's version is the one that really did it for me. It makes use of advanced card ruse and subterfuge in order to maximize the effect in a way that only the Vincent touch can. Without exposing too much, check the way he gets into the routine and what he uses to expand the effect on the final two aces. By the way, this is the routine I perform nowadays when the setting allows for the appreciation of such a wonderful miracle.

Ricky Jay's rendition is wonderful as well as artisticly stunning, you can find it on the 52 assistants videotape, if you can find it in the first place. This routine totally fooled me and I am still not sure about its inner workings.

Finally readers, thank you for making it this far! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Then how much is a motion picture worth? Here's the Cabral version of "Estimation Aces" for you enjoyment and edification

Click here and prepare to have your minds destroyed my friends!

'There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.'

Sherlock Holmes