SubscribeResponse to one of Alvo Stockman’s ideas on the psychology of magic.
The Horizon of Reason
Exploring the boundaries of logic and perception
Category: Magic
Magic Blueprinting: Using MML for scripting routines
Using Alvo Stockman’s Magic Modelling Language to analyse the dynamics of magic routines.
The Magic of Special Effects
Just got back from watching Avatar and was blown away by the special effects. Watching it in 3D really transports you into another world; unfortunately the storyline was only one dimensional. Some aspects of the movie are truly magical in the sense that disbelief is totally suspended. Cinematographic technology has developed rapidly the past decades [...]
Adelaide Magic Convention
Yesterday I got home from Adelaide after attending a magic convention. Here are some impressions of this weekend of thaumaturgy.
The two and a half day gathering of magicians and magic enthusiasts started with a Close-Up show. It quickly became clear that this would be a weekend of card tricks, more card tricks and even some [...]
Sometimes mystery is more important than knowledge
I have recently been introduced to ted.com, a great website that features “riveting talks by remarkable people”. One of the talks that I found very interesting is by J.J. Abrams, one of the creators of the TV series Lost. One of the most thought provoking things he says is:
Sometimes mystery is more important than knowledge.
A [...]
The Rings of Hanoi
Strolling along the beautiful Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi we met a group of Vietnamese students who were interviewing foreigners to practice their English as part of a university assignment. They asked us about our experiences with being in a different culture. After the interview I performed some magic for them.
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The end of magic?
I have recently purchased a facsimile copy of Reginald Scott’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft (originally published in 1584).
This is an important book in the history of Western civilisation as it is the first ever book in which methods for creating magic are explained. This might seem an overstatement, as magic is nowadays a trivialised from [...]
From Shaman to Showman
Earlier this month, I attended the Centenary Convention of the Australian Society of Magicians. This convention has reignited my passion for performing magic, albeit in a different direction.
The amazing Jeff McBride used the phrase ‘from shaman to showman’ several times during his performances and lecture. The shaman, or medicine man, used to perform a central [...]
The Wonder of Religion
Dutch Magician Tommy Wonder provides an interesting insight in Volume I of The Books of Wonder (1996). He gives advice to magicians on what to do when a spectator discovers – or beliefs to discover – the secret to a magic routine:
I’ve frequently wondered why people sometimes come up with painfully silly solutions and don’t [...]
Magic and Philosophy
Both the magician and the philosopher have arisen from the same archetypical and historical figure of the shaman. The anthropological record shows that shamans use technical and psychological principles, similar to those used by contemporary stage magicians, to aid there spiritual work.
I became interested in philosophy as a teenager by reading books about the history [...]
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